r/buffy • u/Spikeslittledevil • 10h ago
Content Warning Go Fish
I really dislike that the moral of this episode is less “misogyny and sexual harassment & abuse are wrong!” and more “don’t do steroids!”
From Buffy getting locked in the swimmer’s car, the coach blaming it on her slutty outfit, and the scoobies not listening when she explains what happened / reacting like she’s blabbering on, to the coach throwing her into the pit with the sea monsters because they “have needs”. Buffy then jokes that doing the whole swim team is gonna do wonders for her reputation. The continued theme of misogyny is dismissed as a side effect of the steroids and “boys being boys” rather than anything serious or systemic.
As someone who’s been rewatching this show since it was first released, I totally get that it’s a product of its time, but I would’ve loved to have seen some kind of “ah, sexual harassment = bad” moment.
2
u/TrophyHunter22 10h ago
I'm on S4 and this was easily the worst episode of the show I've seen so far.
In addition to everything you wrote: it's just genuinely the dumbest possible villain plan as well. Like, what is the endgame for the coach? They let a team of actual fish monsters win state/regionals/whatever it was? And then Buffy doesn't even really win in the end... she's just like "eh they probably left, whatever"
Disappointing all around, it messed up the momentum of the Angel/Spike/Dru storyline as well. The only plus for it was recognizing the late Conchata Ferrell in her brief role as the nurse who gets eaten.