Act Three
32RRR) "I'm definitely feeling the burn." BURN, BABY, BURN!: "From http://www.adrenalineadventures.net/news/275.html: 'Lactic acid's effects are familiar to those who exercise. It's the "burn" you feel in your muscles during intense long sets while weightlifting or the stiffness that appears towards the end of a tough aerobic workout. It also contributes to the muscle soreness you felt days after a new or harder workout. Lactic acid is a natural by-product of exercise, comparable to the carbon dioxide exhaled during normal respiration. During moderate exercise, we breathe faster, taking in more oxygen to help eliminate this byproduct. This allows muscles to continue working without any repercussions. During periods of more intense exercise that last between 30 seconds and several minutes, however, the body can no longer take in enough oxygen to produce a "buffer" for the acid and the toxicity results in muscle shutdown, or fatigue. Lactic acid accumulates in the blood and rises in exponential fashion at about 55 percent of the healthy, untrained person's maximal heart rate.' After the fight in the locker room--which would certainly qualify as 'intense exercise'--it's not surprising that Buffy is feeling a little fatigue and muscle ache...though probably not as much as a normal person. Slayer durability and fast healing would come into play, after all."--Rhys, Tues, 05/13/03 at 02:54:26
32SSS) "But the bad news is...they're monsters." NON-EUPHEMISMY BUFFY: "This is one of the few times we will ever see Buffy or Giles telling [or frankly discussing with] an adult [about] what is really going on in Sunnydale."--Rhys, Tues, 05/13/03 at 02:54:26
32TTT) "The discus throwers got the best seats at all the crucifixions." ALWAYS LOOK AT THE BRIGHT SIDE OF LIFE: "Has Xander seen Monty Python's Life of Brian [a film that parodied the birth of Christianity]? His cheerful irreverence here is of the same ilk."--MsGiles, Wed, 05/14/03 at 08:16:46
32UUU) "Let's throw the book at her!" IDIOM TIME: "Book = rulebook. Phrase used by superior officer in police series/movies when rookie cop is getting out of hand eg 'screw this up and I'll throw the book at you!' Willow still in establishmentarian mode, fuelled by her part-time teaching status."--MsGiles, Wed, 05/14/03 at 08:16:46
32VVV) "Breakfast of state champions." POP CULTURE TIME: Xander is parodying the slogan of the breakfast cereal, Wheaties: "The Breakfast of Champions."
32WWW) "Aromatherapy. It's in the steam." DEFINITIONY OOPS!: "Aromatherapy: one of the healing systems categorised as 'alternative' medicine i.e. not science-based and not fully endorsed by mainstream medical practitioners. Based on healing effects of smells. Concept loosely used to promote bath fragrances etc. Used ironically here, as most aromatherapy enthusiasts would be opposed to steroid use, being inclined more to natural healing techniques."--MsGiles, Wed, 05/14/03 at 08:16:46
32XXX)
"You quitter." GO FOR "THE WIN" EVEN THOUGH
IT HAS THE SIDE EFFECT OF TURNING ONE'S TEAM INTO MONSTERS?: "Nurse
Greenleigh argues that the boys' lives are the paramount value. Winning swim
meets is not as important as keeping the boys in their normal human form. What
the Coach is doing is sacrificing individual players just so he can squeeze
out a winning team.
Coach Marin sees the issue within the context of teams and winning. In his view,
Nurse Greenleigh is 'part of the team' and hence should support decisions which
are best for the team. In his view, winning is the ultimate value, and anything
that leads to winning is good, no matter what its side effects. Since Nurse
Greenleigh chooses not to support his use of the steroid mixture, she is not
supporting the team; she is a 'quitter'."--Masquerade, "Go Fish"
Analysis, from http://www.atpobtvs.com
Act
Four
32YYY)
"I wouldn't break out the tartar sauce just yet." I
SEE FOOD, I EAT IT: Buffy is making a little seafood joke here, as
Xander will later, with his "lemon butter sauce" comment.
32ZZZ) "Three times a Fish Guy." MUSICALLY SPEAKING: "Xander is referring to the Lionel Richie song, Three Times A Lady."--Rhys, Tues, 05/13/03 at 02:54:26
THE MAGIC NUMBER: They seem especially worried that Xander has been in the steam room three times, particularly due to the link between the number and magic. See 12F.
32Ax4) "Black Lagoon. The creature from the Blue Lagoon was Brooke Shields." POP CULTURE TIME: "This makes me chuckle every time [Editor's Note: Rob butting in here to say, "Me, too!"]. The Blue Lagoon was a romantic film set on a tropical island, where two shipwrecked children grow up and fall in love. The 1980 version with Brooke Shields was a remake of a 1949 version. Mila Jovovich made a 'Return to ..' in 1991, but it ..er..sank."--MsGiles, Wed, 05/14/03 at 08:16:46 See 32S and 32RR.
32Bx4) "...before they get in touch with their inner halibut." THE REAL ME: "Buffy is riffing on the [pop psychology] concept of the 'inner child.'"--Rhys, Tues, 05/13/03 at 02:54:26
32Cx4) "After the fall of the Soviet Union, documents came into light detailing experiments with fish DNA on their Olympic swimmers. Tarpon... mako shark..." SCIENCE FICTIONY GOODNESS: Significantly, "all of these are particularly fast moving ocean fish."--KdS, Tues, 05/13/03 at 04:30:04
"One wonders how Coach Marin managed to crack it. Is he a genetic scientist in his spare time? How Coach Marin managed to discover a means of splicing human and piscine genes--and also managed to keep such a discovery secret--is never mentioned. This particular loose end is never tied up."--Rhys, Tues, 05/13/03 at 02:54:26
"Sure...[it is! H]e combined the fish DNA w/the steroids! Uh, or whatever he tried was augmented & twisted by the Hellmouth's energy, like so many other things on the show--for example, the Neander-beer in Beer Bad [and Darryl Eps from Some Assembly Required--see 14JJ]."--anom, Wed, 05/14/03 at 01:07:47
32Dx4) "What kind of question is that? For the win! To make my team the best they could be!" WHO'S EVIL?: "The fish monsters are non-rational predatory beasts not unlike Oz-wolf, but in this case the state is permanent (see 32S). Their actions--killing or raping--are unacceptable and have to be stopped, but they are acting on mindless instinct and therefore are not evil as such. The real evil is the 'win at all costs' system that encouraged Coach Marin to give the boys the steroid mixture and encouraged Principal Snyder to overlook the boy's academic failures. Athletic achievement is a good thing to be valued, but in this case, it was over-valued at the expense of other things of value: Buffy's reputation, the boy's academic careers, not to mention their human lives, and other priorities the school could have had if it didn't put money into the excess care and training of the swim team. This is an example of the human moral weaknesses of arrogance and pride: the over-valuing of one's self. In the end, the coach is a victim of his arrogance. When he tries to bean Xander with a gun, Buffy trips him and falls into the sewer with the monsters. She tries to keep the coach from dropping into, but he's soon monster meat anyway."--Masquerade, "Go Fish" Analysis, from http://www.atpobtvs.com
CONTINUITY CHECK: "This isn't the first time that a sports coach goes bad. In Nightmares, everyone's worst fears are made real because the junior baseball coach has beaten up one of his young players and put him in a coma (see 10Y)."--MsGiles, Wed, 05/14/03 at 05:06:47
32Ex4) "Get in the hole!" SLANG: "'The hole' is also a slang term for solitary confinement in prison."--Rhys, Tues, 05/13/03 at 02:54:26
32Fx4) "Oh, they've already had their dinner. But boys have other needs." EWWW!: "So, not content with illegal procurement of steroids to help his boys win meets and tournaments and going ahead with the experiment even after the coach knew that the boys were turning into fish, now Coach Marin is acting as a panderer for the team--even the part of it that has gills and flippers."--Rhys, Tues, 05/13/03 at 02:54:26
32Gx4) Behind her a creature comes in and jumps into the pool. SCIENCE-Y OOPS!: "You know, if this were a saline pool I could understand it...but why would an bipedal amphibious fish-creature jump into a chlorinated pool? Chlorine is poisonous to fish, and it doesn't take much chlorine in water to poison them. http://petplace.netscape.com/Articles/artShow.asp?artID=366: 'Chlorine in water reacts with living tissues and organic matter causing acute necrosis (cell death) in fish. Since fish gills are sensitive and exposed directly to the aquatic environment, gill necrosis can lead to respiratory difficulty and asphyxiation. Chlorine poisoning is usually caused by inexperienced fish hobbyists either putting fish in unconditioned common tapwater, or displacing a large amount of tank water with unconditioned chlorinated water. One common scenario is when a koi or goldfish pond owner 'tops off' his pond and forgets to turn off the garden hose. Too much unconditioned water gets into the pond and the fish die. Even unrinsed chlorine sterilized utensils (nets, sponges, filters) may can cause acute high morbidity and mortality. Chlorine poisoned fish appear very stressed and how quickly they get sick and die depends on the level of chlorine in the water. High levels may cause fish to succumb in hours or even minutes. Generally speaking, smaller fish are more susceptible than larger fish. Affected fish may appear pale and covered in mucus. Some will exhibit hyperemia (redness) on various parts of their body and behaviorally, fish may be piping at the surface for air and swimming erratically." See 32Mx4.
32Hx4) "It's me, Cordelia? I know you can't answer me, but... God, this is all my fault. You joined the swim team to impress me. You were so courageous. And you looked really hot in those Speedo's. And I want you to know that I still care about you, no matter what you look like. And... and we can still date. Or, or not. I mean... I understand if you wanna see other fish. I'll do everything I can to make your quality of life better. Whether that means little bath toys or whatever." CORDY LOVES XANDER: This is one of Cordy's most touching moments, in both series. This is the first time we hear her voice how much she cares for Xander, so much here that she puts his needs before hers, an unprecedented occurrence in her character. From this point on, her love for Xander will be even the more poignant as it becomes more and more clear that she loves him more than he loves her.
32Ix4) "Buffy, hurry! Your hand!" XANDER THE BRAVE: A great example of Xander being brave, braver even perhaps than he has any right to be! Notice how despite the fact that he does have any particular powers or strength (it takes him a few tries to lift Buffy out of the hole), he sticks by her.
32Jx4) "Those boys really love their coach." YUCK!: At best, the swim team is devouring Coach Marin here, but, in most likelihood, "the boys are satisfying their 'other needs' with the coach rather than Buffy [which is perfect poetic justice]. Certainly, the implication was clear enough, along with the 'did it with the entire swim team' line..."--KdS, Tues, 05/13/03 at 04:30:04
CONTINUITY CHECK: This instance, where Buffy finds herself unable to save a bad guy from the evil he himself unleashed, is reminiscent of the end of The Pack, where in the heat of battle Buffy throws the zookeeper into the cage of hyenas and is unable to extract him before he is mauled. See 6OO.
32Kx4) "Well, turning into a creepy-crawler wasn't on my top ten list of things to do before I turn twenty." POP CULTURE TIME: Creepy Crawlers are an American children's toy. Children pour a substance of synthetic material into molds shaped like scorpions, and then put them into a plastic oven that came with it. After they cooled off, the kids had squishy fake bugs to play with.
32Lx4) "Home." MERCIFUL BUFFY: "Buffy lets them the fish-monsters go out to sea instead of killing them. This may because they used to be human and didn't ask for their fate (except for the mistake in judgment, taking the steroids), or because, out to sea, they won't harm any humans, or possibly both."--Masquerade, "Go Fish" Analysis, from http://www.atpobtvs.com
32Mx4) The three monsters are in the surf and begin to swim out to sea. HMMM...: "There were four monsters--Dodd, Cameron, Gage and Sean. If only three swam out to sea, what happened to the fourth? Or did Sean (the one who dived into the pool) perhaps die of chlorine poisoning? (see 32Gx4)"--Rhys, Tues, 05/13/03 at 02:54:26