Spoiler alert – I will be revealing crucial plot points so if you haven’t seen season 5 be warned. Of course that fact that there are two more seasons spoils the finale, in which Buffy dies, anyway. The season presents, to me, the best Buffy villain yet with Clare Kramer as Glory. The actor is great & her scenes with Buffy crackle with great energy. She was like Cordelia with super evil powers. 
The season starts with Buffy vs. Dracula – one of those about time episodes it also introduced Buffy’s younger “sister”, Dawn, played by Michelle Trachtenberg. Talk about confusing. It did the writers a chance to work with easy family cliches as opposed to the Slayer mythos. The big reveal was well planned & well written to. The departure of Riley, Marc Blucas, was welcome as that ‘relationship’ was tedious & distracting. He was great eye candy but I never felt invested in him as a character.
It was a season of duality – many characters were two people, emotionally or literally – Zander get a double; Dawn is a sister & the Key; Glory is a god & Ben a mortal; Buffy is a Slayer & a parent, Spike is a mess of emotions. Multilayered characters that drew me in & who never disappointed.
The death of Buffy’s mother, Joyce, was not unexpected & unlike many characters – she dies of natural causes. The emotions felt real and the emotional quandary for Buffy was well written & Sarah gives an amazing (& underrated) performance.
I loved the robot episodes, Zander’s double was great. Any appearance by Glory was satisfying. The morning of her dual nature was great fx & the flip between both of her/his halves int he finale episodes was very effective. I was sorry to see them go. I loved Joel Grey’s arc & I was sad to see that he doesn’t return in season 6.
I can’t say this is the best season but after the mess of season 4 it was a great return to form. 
All’s Well Bellicose
it’s not me it’s them
its a war zone out there
no safe haven
to stop and breathe in
who wants to breathe
the air out there
standing in what sort of shit
no place to rest
to put down the gun
for even a minute
random bullets materialize in the air
when you are walking down the street
looking for a burger joint
for a corner to piss in
and bang
if the bullets don’t get you
the burgers will
you’re all out to get me
people everywhere cough sneeze
wipe damp hands
on door handles I have to touch
grimacing at me
at my gun
over their newspapers
cranking up their mp3 players
so I can’t hear mine
daring me to shoot
as they light up a cigarette
as they push ahead of me
to get their death burger faster
fast food being too slow for them
tearing off price tags
ripping books to shreds
pushing their way
down crowded stairs ways
jumping at me with atomizers
when I enter a department store
try this sir
what’s your favourite blood
I like the smell of
cosmetic salespersons blood
do you have anything like that
or something that smells
like fast food counter help
that empty fried fresh aroma
that tingles the taste buds
something that makes people hungry
when they smell me
it’s not me it’s them
I set out peaceful almost serene
avoid the unscooped spots on the sidewalk
even manage a smile at the barista
who would smile back
if she weren’t afraid it slow her down
and the swish my coffee enough
to make sure the lumps of milk
and sweetener have dissolved
and I’m happy for the first sip
until the lid pops off
and I have to watch
the slick scum cling
to the sides of my cup
as I sip sip sip to the last drop
I am now ready for anything and everything
that is out to get me
I won’t fight back too much today
I want to be a power of calm
in all this mindless
staggering
stumbling
hurry around me
to step out of the way
resist saying have a nice day
resist saying fuck you too
resist kicking cars
that stop in the crosswalk
as if they owned the damn streets
to know that even if this a war zone
all is well with the world
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every Tuesday 2019
June – Capturing Fire 2019 – Washington D.C. 
capfireslam.org
August 2-13: getting back to my roots in Cape Breton 
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Like my pictures? I post lots on Tumblr
https://www.tumblr.com/blog/topoet
TOpoet 