Still Slaying: a Buffy-verse podcast
by Podcastica
Penny and Kara take you on a journey of appreciation, nostalgia and deep analysis of all things Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Currently in BTVS Season 3 and we plan to rewatch the whole series (& Angel) in chronological order. New Episodes are published on Tuesdays.Why revisit the Buffy-verse?We think the show Still Slays. Buffy is both iconoclast and icon. 25 years ago she broke new ground for women characters as superheroes and women as people by subverting tropes, using kindness as strength and love as power. The cheeky vibe of the show provides a campy canvas for exploring some deep themes about trauma, societal ills and human nature all while delivering its signature witty dialogue. BTVS remains relevant and held in high critical regard 25 years later.For first time watchers of the series we try to avoid too many spoilers until the end of the podcast so it’s easy to skip. You can be a part of the discussion: Send us a text or voice message at [email protected] or comme
Episodes
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93: Angel S2E8 “The Shroud of Rahmon”
“I hate waiting. You got anybody to eat around here?” Penny and Kara talk through this noir-heist episode and find some tangents along the way including ads on streaming platforms, Las Vegas as the perfect city for vampires, Heist movies like Ocean’s Eleven and The Thomas Crown Affair, Pierce...
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92: Angel S2E7 “Darla”
“They cry out for mercy.” Penny and Kara journey to the colonial era to follow Darla’s origins and the progression of her love story with Angelus. They find plenty of tangents, including Y2K telephones, children’s misunderstandings of the world of adults, Cersei Lannister, vampirism benefits...
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Slaying 91: BTVS S5E7 “Fool for Love”
“Lesson the second... Ask the right questions. You wanna know how I beat 'em...? The question isn't how'd I win. The question is, why'd they lose?” Penny, Kara, and special returning guest Dodie celebrate this Spike backstory episode and meander through related topics like Election drama in 2000,...
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90: BTVS S5E6 “Family”
Content Warning - discussion of domestic/child abuse “Thank you for coming. We value your patronage.” Penny, Kara and returning guest Dina delight in the Tara backstory. True to form, the trio find many opportunities for tangents, including voting, representation, kittens, the patriarchy, shame,...
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89: Angel S2E6 “Guise Will Be Guise”
“How many warriors slated for the coming apocalypse do you think are gonna be using that hair gel? Don't get me wrong. You're out there, fighting ultimate evil; you're going to want something with hold.” Penny and Kara accompany Wesley on his undercover mission while Angel is consulting with the...
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88: Buffy the Vampire Slayer S5E5 “No Place Like Home”
“And feel free to tell me if this next bit gets a little too personal, because I've been told I've got *boundary issues!*” Penny and Becky revel in the many revealing revelations in this episode, and find tangents along the way including the Kennedys, sibling shenanigans, favorite villains, Ted...
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87: Angel S2E5 “Dear Boy”
“You see, no matter how good a boy you are, God doesn't want you! But I still do.” Things are really heating up on Angel and the Scooby Duo are on the case. Penny and Kara talk through the trap set by Darla with Wolfram & Hart, Kate’s disregard for the 4th Amendment, and the existence of the…
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86: BTVS S5E4 “Out of My Mind”
“Buffy, Buffy, Buffy! Everywhere I turn, she's there. That nasty little face, that fancy shampoo-commercial hair! That whole sodding holier-than-thou attitude!” Penny and Kara (with occasional commentary from Pixel the pod-cat) find a lot of tangents along the path to discussing this episode...
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85: Angel S2E4 “Untouched”
CW: Discussion of grooming, childhood sexual abuse, and trauma. “I'm still dealin' with this man's ugly ass living room set. Some people just shouldn't have money.” Penny and Kara find a way to laugh while discussing this dark episode that deals with childhood sexual abuse. The conversation winds...
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84: BTVS S5E3 “The Replacement”
“So you bought the Magic Shop, and you were attacked before it opened. Who's up for a swingin' chorus of the "We Told You So" symphony?” Penny and Kara welcome guest host Anwen to talk about this Xander-centric episode, diving into the turn of the millennium history, twins, Sweet Valley High,...
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83: Angel S2E3 “First Impressions”
“Oh, this isn't mere dust. This is 'son of dust'. This is the kind of dust that spawns countless generations of little baby dust.” Kara and Penny agree, parts of this episode didn’t age well, but it still slays otherwise, and they get into all manner of topics, like billionaires, racial...
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82: BTVS S5E2 “Real Me”
“Which begs the question, what kind of an unholy creature fancies cheap tasteless statuary?” Penny and Kara get real about the two party political system, Gilmore Girls, voice over, sibling shenanigans, representation, board games, the cost of living, hoop earrings, Y2K decor, potato chips, laugh...
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81: Angel S2E2 “Are You Now or Have You Ever Been”
“Yep. It's not that vampires don't photograph, it's just that they don't photograph well.” Penny, Becky and Kara enjoy a trip to 1952 to experience some grade A paranoia in an overtly political episode with a film noir flashback. The conversation ranges from HUAC to iMac laptops and tangents...
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80: BTVS S5E1 “Buffy vs Dracula”
NOTE: We had technical difficulties recording this episode. You may hear glitches in the sound. “I'm standing right here!” Penny welcomes Mark back to the ‘Cast and the two dig into the season opener and its visiting icon. The two talk comparative Draculas, fashion as character, hair aspirations,...
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79: Angel S2E1 “Judgment”
“Angel, it's been a long time. I'd love to see that boy.” Penny and Becky dive into the Angel season two opener, reveling in the new characters and broader world building and finding plenty of tangents along the way, like pay phones in movies, music licensing, karaoke, the Mos Eisley spaceport...
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78: “Blade” (1998)
“The world you live in is just a sugar-coated topping! There is another world beneath it: the real world. And if you wanna survive it, you better learn to PULL THE TRIGGER!” Note: For this R-Rated film, we’ve suspended our no swears policy. Penny is joined by Jason and Renaldy to dive into the...
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77: Angel S1E22 “To Shanshu in LA”
“Don’t believe everything you’re foretold.” Penny, Sam and Kara come together to talk about what’s in the box. Along the way, they veer into some great tangents, including Djo, Y2K makeup and fashion trends, To Live and Die in L.A., Doctor Who, Edna Mode and the impracticality of capes, Afroman,...
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76: Angel S1E21 “Blind Date”
“Evil white folks really do have a Mecca.” Penny and Sam have a lot of laughs digging into this Lindsey-focused episode about the struggle between morals and the pursuit of power. Along the way, the conversation ranges through computer tropes on tv, grooming, evil Sheldon Cooper, scarcity mind…
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75: Angel S1E20 “War Zone”
“I don't need advice from some middle-class white dude that's dead!” The Scooby Duo revel in the reveal of Gunn, and the conversation includes stubborn refusal to adopt new technologies, adults cast as teens, Percy Jackson, Los Angeles neighborhoods, conflict styles, wealth inequality, coffee...
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74: BTVS S4E22 “Restless”
“You’re not the source of me.” It’s full spoilers for most of the episode and Penny, Kara and Becky pick apart the interrelated dream sequences of the Scooby Gang. Insecurities are explored, future events are foreshadowed, and there’s lots of cheese. The wide-ranging topics include parenting...
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73: BTVS S4E21 “Primeval”
“Xander, just because this is never gonna work there’s no need to be negative.” Penny and Sam dive into this plot and action heavy episode that wraps up most of Season 4’s stories. The conversation ranges from sadly relevant world events from the turn of the millennium, to sarcasm, favorite…
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72: BTVS S4E20 “The Yoko Factor”
“You know, for someone who's got "Watcher" on his résumé, you might want to cast an eye to the front door every now and again.” Penny and Kara fully enjoyed this Spike showcase episode as we rush toward the conclusion of this uneven season. The Scooby Duo’s conversation ranges from villains,...
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71: Angel S1E19 “Sancutary”
“For a taciturn shadowy guy, I've got a big mouth.” Dodie returns, and she and Penny sink their fangs into this meaty episode of pain and redemption. The conversation ranges from 12 step programs to words hurting more than fists and along the way takes some tangents into the U.S. foster care...
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70: Angel S1E18 “Five by Five”
“I hate failure when there's no one else to blame it on.” Sam and Penny revel in the chaos of Faith in Los Angeles, appreciating the fashion, anger, sultriness, violence, anger and darkness while finding their way to a discussion of buses, danceclubs, what makes a great villain great, the…
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69: BTVS S4E19 “New Moon Rising”
"Talk later. Stealthy escape now." The Scooby Duo, Penny and Kara get political discussing this landmark episode and its themes of bigotry, anarchy and identity. The conversation stretches and bends to include moon phases, bi-erasure, coming out, words, Bigotry, Oz love, fatphobia, Guillermo del...
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68: Angel S1E16 & 17 “The Ring” and “Eternity.”
"Well, judging by the outfit, I guess it's safe to come in. Evil Angel never would have worn those pants." Penny, Sam and Kara find plenty to entertain them in these two episodes showing Angel really getting out into the community. The Slay Squad reminisces about the color of office equipment in...
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67: BTVS S4E17&18, “Superstar” and “Where the Wild Things Are.”
CW: Discussion of rape. “Did anyone else feel way too tall? I felt *way* too tall.” Penny and Becky enjoy the silliness of Superstar, diving into Mary Sues and FanFic, alternate realities, wish fulfillment, Penny incorrectly remembers Newton’s Laws (she was actually talking about the Law of...
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66: BTVS S4E16, “Who Are You?”
CW: Discussion of sexual topics and rape. “Because it's wrong.” Penny and Sam and Dina welcome Dina to Still Slaying and the trio get nostalgic about the TV landscape at the turn of the millennium. The wide-ranging discussion touches on The X-files, future robot selves, trauma, stevedores, porn...
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65: BTVS S4E15, “This Year’s Girl”
“That was the funnest coma ever.” Penny and Kara welcome the return of Faith, diving into her psyche, her fashion, and her motivations as well as snakes, dream sequences, surveillance, order and chaos, freedom and responsibility, purpose and leadership, fashion hits and misses, and dated...
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64: Angel S1E15 “The Prodigal”
“What we once were informs all that we have become. The same love will infect our hearts, even if they no longer beat. Simple death won't change that.” Penny and Sam dig into the meaning of the word, “prodigal” and the parable of The Prodigal Son, with some diversions into webcams, relative…
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63: Angel S1E14 “I’ve Got You Under My Skin”
“I am Ethros. I corrupted the spirits of men before they had speech to name me.” Trigger Warning: discussion of domestic abuse and childhood trauma Penny and Sam dive into this tale of exorcism with a twist. The wide ranging conversation touches on infomercials, TV advertising, grief, insecurity,...
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62: “Goodbye, Iowa” (BTVS S4E14)
“Poor Buffy. Your life resists all things average.” Penny and Sam discuss this plot development heavy episode of Riley’s world being turned upside down. The conversation ranges far and wide, covering Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, La Croix, child vampires, 3.5 inch floppy disks, swearing in other...
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61: “K-POP DEMON HUNTERS”
“That’s the funny thing about hope. Nobody else gets to decide if you feel it. That choice belongs to you.” Penny, Kara and Karen celebrate all things HUNTR/X, talking through the three main characters, the allure of the Saja Boys, the powerful draw of the music, the fun choreography, finding...
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60: “The I in Team” (BTVS S4E13)
"If you think that's enough to kill me, you really don't know what a Slayer is. Trust me when I say you're gonna find out." Penny, Becky and Steve joyfully dive into this heel turn episode, they learn that words can be hard, recall some iconic news items about The Sims and Diddy before he was...
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59: “A New Man” (BTVS S4E12)
“What am I? I'm an unemployed librarian with a tendency to get knocked on the head.” Penny, Kara, and Dodie revel in the silliness of this mid-season romp: a rare episode focusing on Giles. The trio talk about the cruelty of Maggie Walsh, Giles’s mid-life crisis, men feeling intimidated by…
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58: “Expecting” and “She” (Angel S1E12 and E13)
Content Warning: Discussion of volence against women in many forms, including sexual violence, forced pregnancy and birth, ….. “Oh, and Baudelaire was actually a little taller and a lot drunker than he's depicted here.” The Scooby Duo gets into some of the serious issues raised in these two...
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57: “Somnambulist” (Angel S1E11)
“My glamorous LA life, I get to make the coffee and chain the boss to the bed. I've got to join a union.” It’s the return of the Scooby Duo as Penny and Kara lament that we only got one episode of Jeremy Renner’s Penn. They discuss serial killers, serial killer movies and tropes, vampire sluts…
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56: “Doomed” (BTVS S4E11)
“It's the end of the world. Everyone dies. It's rather important, really.” Penny, Kara, Sam, and Steve dive into this nostalgic episode where the Scoobies go back to high school. The discussion starts with the Y2K phenomenon and winds through the episode, touching on Spike’s chemistry with...
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55: “Sinners” (2025)
“Blues wasn't forced on us like that religion. Nah, son, we brought that with us from home. It's magic what we do. It's sacred... and big.” Penny, Sam, Kara and Jason revel in the artistic and box office success of Ryan Coogler’s genre defying tale of family, fellowship, music, and freedom. The...
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54: “Hush” (BTVS S4E10)
“Can't even shout, can't even cry / The gentlemen are coming by / Looking in windows, knocking on doors / They need to take seven and they might take yours / Can't call to mom, Can't say a word / You're gonna die a-screaming but you won't be heard.” Penny, Sam and Jim dive deep for this iconic…
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53: “Something Blue” (BTVS S4E9)
“This is the crack team that foils my every plan? I am deeply shamed.” Dodie returns and she, Penny, and Sam have a lot of fun with this lighter episode. Of course, they veer into some tangents, including Mars lander errors, the allure of bad boys, the historical origin of picnics, the emotional...
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52: “Hero” (Angel S1E9) and “Parting Gifts” (Angel S1E10)
"I'm gonna thrash you within an inch of your life. And then I'm gonna take that inch!" Penny, and Sam are joined by Becky to mourn the passing of Doyle, celebrate the arrival of Wesley and talk about the political metaphor of The Scourge. The tangents are many, including Sam’s prankishness...
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51: “I Will Remember You” (Angel S1E8)
“Batten down the hatches. Here comes Hurricane Buffy.” Penny, Kara and Sam are joined by Dodie this week to find the light in the sadness of this iconic crossover episode. The four find plenty to laugh about, including fashion, clocks, Lois Lane, alternate universes, free will, snail mail, the...
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50: “The Bachelor Party” (Angel S1E7) and “Pangs (BTVS S4E8)
“Over bickering and confusion, I'll take pie.” The Slay Squad returns from hiatus with a double episode - Sam, Kara and Penny dig into this pair of episodes that each address the cultural clashes in very different contexts. The trio digress for some tangents as usual, like parental advice not to...
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49: “The Initiative” (BTVS S4E7)
“I've seen honest faces before. They usually come attached to liars.” Penny, Kara and Sam have almost too much fun discussing this pivotal episode where secrets are revealed, hair is pulled and everyone talks about cheese. The trio indulge in many tangents, including international travel, dating...
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48: “Wild at Heart” (BTVS S4E6)
“My whole life... I've never loved anything else.” Nobody’s favorite episode, but absolutely critical to plot and character development. Penny and Kara dig into the heartbreak of it all, while still finding plenty of time for 90s nostalgia and tangent topics like toothpaste flavors, “The Cabinet…
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47: “Sense and Sensitivity” (Angel S1E6)
Content Warning: discussion of police brutality, acts of violence, and racism “No, I don't think 'urgh' is the magic word, if one would *call* it a word. And even then it's certainly not a magic one." The Scooby Duo rip into this episode that plays police brutality and sensitivity training for...
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46: “Rm w/a Vu” (Angel S1E5)
Content Warning: discussion of domestic abuse and abusive relationships. “The man doesn’t have a mirror. Like it would kill him to not see himself?” Penny, Sam and returning guest Becky go deeper than they anticipated about this relatively lighthearted Cordelia-focused episode about the...
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45: “Beer Bad” (BTVS S4E5)
“Giles, don't make Cave-Slayer unhappy.” The Scooby Duo is back and revels in this silly episode, with topics ranging from running into exes, the evolutionary purpose of beauty, elitism, Xander’s Hogwarts house, Freudian psychology, consent, Wedding Crashers, Xander’s best moments, aspirational...
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44: “Fear, Itself” (BTVS S4E4)
“Oh, yeah? Well... so's your face!” Things are a bit lighter this week for the Slay Squad as they accompany the scoobies to a Frat House Halloween Party. This is Sunnydale, so the party is upended by an accidentally invited demon. Penny and Kara power through some tech problems to discuss the...
About this show
Penny and Kara take you on a journey of appreciation, nostalgia and deep analysis of all things Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Currently in BTVS Season 3 and we plan to rewatch the whole series (& Angel) in chronological order. New Episodes are published on Tuesdays.Why revisit the Buffy-verse?We think the show Still Slays. Buffy is both iconoclast and icon. 25 years ago she broke new ground for women characters as superheroes and women as people by subverting tropes, using kindness as strength and love as power. The cheeky vibe of the show provides a campy canvas for exploring some deep themes about trauma, societal ills and human nature all while delivering its signature witty dialogue. BTVS remains relevant and held in high critical regard 25 years later.For first time watchers of the series we try to avoid too many spoilers until the end of the podcast so it’s easy to skip. You can be a part of the discussion: Send us a text or voice message at [email protected] or comme
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