Discussion of 8.13 "Wolves at the Gate # 2" 04/02/08 (Dark Horse)

"Drew Goddard (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Alias, Lost, and the writer of Cloverfield), continues his story arc "Wolves at the Gate," which has Buffy and the gang fighting a team of über vamps in Tokyo. In order to better understand their mysterious new foes, Xander must recruit an old ally to join in their cause to defeat this new danger."

Dark Horse Comics > Profile > Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 8: #13 Wolves at the Gate

I think this episode's point was to treat of the consequences of the previous one : Batsu (I just love Willow, btw.), Xander/Dracula (slash??), the transportation to Japan, etc. Besides all of this, we don't really learn anything, except for the end where we learn and see what's going on with the Japanese vampires... Please let them not succeed! (Well, I know they won't, I mean, come on, they're facing BUFFY!)
Renée made me laugh, and so did Willow, I eeked when she asks Satsu how's Buffy in the sack. I really like what Will said about Buffy to Satsu, she really knows her and you can say she's not really mad at her (not about 8.12 nor 8.10).
I didn't get why Buffy wanted everyone on the ground, Satsu's idea of leaving some Slayers to defend the castle was better, to me. I only see in this that next issue, JapVamp will tell Buffy "Aha, all your Slayers are here, we're gonna be able to de-activate all of them", Buffy will be like "Oh, crap". And that's it. ^^
I really liked the quote
"Buffy's not like you, you know..."
"A dyke."
"I was going to go with "Friend of Sappho", but, sure, whatever you kids call it these days, I'm hip, I'm on it." or something like that.
Moooore Willoooow!!

Yeah, not sure what Buffy's thinking was on taking her entire squad, other than having no idea how big of a threat she's facing. And bold/risky strategic moves are in keeping with her character.


The Xander/Dracula thing is still pretty amusing, creepy. I like how Goddard has morphed Drac into a pathetic cartoon character, basically. He's just as pompous as he was on the show, but he's funnier now. And I like Renee showing some spunk, getting annoyed.

Renee and Drac was actualy the best part of this issue, and that's saying something...

I haven't read Issue 13 yet, but from the internet comic "Antique," and from the preview, I get the feeling that there is an attempt to make Dracula a more benign or maybe more sympathetic character. Does anyone else get that feeling, or is it just me?

Just read it and I really liked #13, insanely funny and great character development. But I have to ask, when was Dracula resurrected? Did I miss something? When I saw him in the last issue I assumed that him still being alive would be explained in this issue. Last time I remember he was dusted pretty good by Buffy in 'Buffy vs. Dracula'. The whole part about Xander going to Dracula's place after Anya's death and being Dracula's gay manservant for some time also left me with a big question mark over my head. And the beginning with Dracula looking really old? Let's just say I'm slighly confused.
Also, have to mention the conversation between Willow and Satsu, that was just great and funny as hell. By the way, what's the high-pitched squeal Buffy makes (or her "shoe-sale noise") and why would Willow think that Buffy makes that sound during sex? Just wondering lol.

Well, in B vs. D, Drac gets dusted, then reconstitutes himself, gets dusted again, almost reconstitutes himself. He's not a normal vamp. In this issue Drac mentions he's the guardian of ancient magics, that he risked his "soul" to attain them.

I guess there are jokey gay insinuations about Xander/Dracula. To me, it almost seems like an odd, uneasy friendship of sorts. But yeah, why Xander would seek out Dracula for solace and consolation in the first place...I don't get it (other than the joke potential). Residual effects of Dracula's "thrall" power on Xander? No idea.

Anyone realise that Dracula tells Butterfield to fetch him a razor? Therefor suggesting that the old man appearance isn't a glamour!

And did anyone else love the way Xander said "Watch your tone, moor"? XD

I really enjoyed this issue.

I thought that what happened to Aiko though was really evil 🙁 But I'm excited to see how this plays out.

I loved Willow and Satsu's conversation, and Jeanty's drawing of Willow in the panel where she's talking about H.G.O.G.A (which stands for what by the way?)cookbook....wow. He got her spot on there.

Anyway, absolutley cannot wait for next issue 😀 I wanna see more of these bad guys....

Once again a great issue. The whole Dracula/Renee/Xander dynamic works really well. I thought the bit where Andrew explained to everybody what had happened to Xander in Antique was unnecessary.

I'm glad Willow doesn't hate Buffy for her little expiriment.

Question, how does the de-Slayerising work. Fumiko yells something in Japanese, then a red beam shoot from the Scythe to a lens, and then from the lens it goes to the Slayer?! And that's it?

Canon said:

H.G.O.G.A (which stands for what by the way?)

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I hear it's Hot Girl On Girl Action

Gotta admit that this one left me a little underwhelmed. The Drac/Renee banter was quite good - Xander's line about not remembering that Dracula was such a racisit was very Xanderish. The Japanese Slayer's (can't remember her name, comic not with me) death was well done too. I'm assuming that the big red circle thingy on top of the building (in the last panel) is like a big version of the little red disk the slayer picked up and the big one is going to be used to de-slayerize all Buffy's troops who are heading to Japan as we speak. Yeah, she should have left some back at the castle. Then she'll really be alone. again.

So we have this idea now the Japanese Vamps want to take the slay out of the slayers. The fan reaction to that I'm picking up is "OMG, how will Buffy stop them."

Question though. Is it necessarily a bad thing for the series if the vamps succeed? It wraps some stuff up neatly. There's the question of how does the line go from multiple slayers in Chosen to single slayer in Fray? Well this could be an answer.

Then there's the feeling Buffy is going to wind up betrayed and alone. How can that happen if she has all those disciples? Here's how. Maybe they're just not slayers any more, and they go home.

Those vamps are great villains, especially the girl. Who's going to wind up going toe to toe with her do you think, Willow, or Buffy?

nerd4hire said:

So we have this idea now the Japanese Vamps want to take the slay out of the slayers. The fan reaction to that I'm picking up is "OMG, how will Buffy stop them."

Question though. Is it necessarily a bad thing for the series if the vamps succeed? It wraps some stuff up neatly. There's the question of how does the line go from multiple slayers in Chosen to single slayer in Fray? Well this could be an answer.

Then there's the feeling Buffy is going to wind up betrayed and alone. How can that happen if she has all those disciples? Here's how. Maybe they're just not slayers any more, and they go home.

Those vamps are great villains, especially the girl. Who's going to wind up going toe to toe with her do you think, Willow, or Buffy?

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I've always thought that the number of Slayers now in existence, numbering in the thousands at the beginning of Season 8 was far too unwieldy a group to handle. If the majority of the younger Slayers were somehow de-activated, keeping only a small force ( a few dozen girls scattered throughout the world with Buffy heading a small strike force ready to assist wherever needed) would be much easier to control. Plus it would make Faith's skills and experience too valuable to waste, and could be the beginning of that stronger friendship that quite a few of us want to see develop between the Chosen Two.

I wonder if Buffy will be de'slayerized.

I liked this issue MUCH more than the last one, although Willow's comments about wanting to know what Buffy's like in the sack seemed a bit out of character to me. It could be that she was just trying to lighten the mood after that heavy conversation with Satsu, cause I never got the feeling that Willow EVER thought of Buffy that way.

Xander's banter with Drac was hilarious, and I kept waiting for Renee to belt one or both of them.

Blondie Bear said:

I liked this issue MUCH more than the last one, although Willow's comments about wanting to know what Buffy's like in the sack seemed a bit out of character to me. It could be that she was just trying to lighten the mood after that heavy conversation with Satsu, cause I never got the feeling that Willow EVER thought of Buffy that way.

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It was never really brought up in the show (well, except for that one time when Xander mentioned that he didn't think she thought of Buffy that way. Shows how much he knows...)

However, having said that: Since realizing that she really likes girls, I think it's much more unrealistic to assume that the thought never once crossed Willow's mind; she's always been... inquisitive, shall we say? ...about Buffy's sex life. Note also that being curious about Buffy's - um - performance doesn't mean she's madly, wildly, in love with Buff (although I've long suspected there's at least a tiny bit of that going on, too.) And it's not at all out of character for Willow to be crass and inappropriate; as smart as she is, her mouth quite often isn't attached to her brain...

"You had two eggs sunny-side-up. I remember 'cause they were wiggling at me like little boobs." - "Forever"

(To Giles) "They, they're probably going to-" - "Where the Wild Things Are", as Buffy and Riley make lame excuses to disappear.

"I'm a breast girl myself. (quietly, to Tara) But, then again, you knew that." - "Life Serial"

"Great. I'll give Xander a call. What's his number? Oh, yeah, 1-800-I'm-Dating-A-Skanky-Ho." - "Phases"

"It is kind of novel how he'll stay young and handsome forever, although you'll still get wrinkly and die... and oh, what about the children? I'll be quiet now." - (forgot the episode. dammit.)

ETA: I can't believe I forgot my most favoritest moment of Willow with her foot in her mouth: "Ooo, Scott Hope at eleven o'clock. (to Buffy) He likes you. He wanted to ask you out last year, but you weren't ready then. But I think you're ready now, or at least in the state of pre-readiness to make conversation, or-or to do that thing with your mouth that boys like. (realizes her slip-up) Oh! I didn't mean the *bad* thing with your mouth, I meant that little half-smile thing that you... (glares at Oz) You're supposed to stop me when I do that." - "Faith, Hope, and Trick"

In that case, to quote Xander: "Willow's not looking to date you. Or if she is, she's playing it pretty close to the chest." 🙂

Willow would SO have the occasional fantasy.

See, I don't think so. I think that they were friends for so long before Willow "realized" she was gay that it put Buffy in an area of her brain that would never imagine that kind of thing. Just because she's gay doesn't mean she's constantly thinking about sex, or that she thinks about sex with every woman she meets any more than heterosexual people do. True, Willow asked Buffy about her sex life, but it was a camaraderie, sharing-among-females kind of thing. She didn't want to know how Buffy (or her boyfriends) were in the sack, she wanted to share the experience and be happy for Buffy being happy.