This week on Buffy and the Art of Story: Some Assembly Required (Season 2 Episode 2 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer).

In this podcast episode, we'll talk about (1) the lack of a strong Midpoint commitment or reversal; (2) a jumble of antagonists; (3) whether flashbacks might help develop the character relationships; and (4) if the theme works.

As always, the discussion is spoiler-free, except at the end (with plenty of warning).

Next Up: School Hard S2 E3

Last Week:  When She Was Bad S2 E1

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Additional Links from Some Assembly Required

Nightstalker

Season 2 Buffy DVDs

Buffy DVD Complete Box Set

Blood Relations: Chosen Families in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel

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About Lisa M. Lilly

In addition to hosting the podcast Buffy and the Art of Story, Lisa M. Lilly is the author of the bestselling four-book Awakening supernatural thriller series and the Q.C. Davis mysteries, as well as numerous short stories.

She also writes non-fiction, including books on writing craft, under L.M. Lilly. She is the founder of WritingAsASecondCareer.com.

Episode Transcript for Some Assembly Required

Hello and welcome to the podcast Buffy and the Art of Story Season Two. If you love Buffy the Vampire Slayer and you love creating stories – or just taking them apart to see how they work – you’re in the right place.

I am Lisa M Lilly, author of the Awakening supernatural thriller series and the Q.C. Davis mysteries and founder of WritingAsASecondCareer.com

This week we're talking about Season Two Episode Two Some Assembly Required.

We’ll cover all the major plot points, including what this episode, which is very Cordelia centric, has in common with our last Cordelia-focused episode Out Of Mind Out Of Sight.

In addition, we’ll talk about the jumble of antagonists here. (That's a technical term that I just made up). And why the crime here keeps us from truly feeling for any of our antagonists.

As always, there will be no Spoilers except at the end to talk about foreshadowing, but I'll give you plenty of warning.

The Episode

Okay, let's dive into the Hellmouth.

Some Assembly Required was written by Ty King and directed by Bruce Seth Green.

Before we get to the Opening Conflict, I should mention that, as with all the episodes to this point, we start with the voiceover by Giles: To every generation is Slayer is born…. And he explains a bit of the vampire and Slayer lore. Eventually that opening will drop off, but we do still have it here.

Opening Conflict In Some Assembly Required

We then go to our initial conflict. The initial conflict in a book or TV show or movie comes ideally on the very first page of the book or the first scene. It might or might not be related to the main plot. The key is to draw the viewer or reader in right away.

Here, we get two Opening Conflicts.

The first one is Buffy in the graveyard. She is waiting for a vampire to rise. It's not happening, and she says something like Rise and shine – some of us have trig homework.”

This is a great way to very quickly summarize the core conflict in Buffy's life: dealing with being the Sayer and having a life as a teenage girl.

The Second Conflict

Angel appears, bringing in our second conflict.