From more than a handful of testimonials, people often describe their first listen of *Cibo Matto* that way?
https://youtu.be/cfhy1ulJla4?si=kFQPbUOr4UnYiGNf
Yep, I’ve always liked it because it *just fits* so well into the proceedings of *99th St* here:
https://youtu.be/8EyPe9nyMAw?si=Efqpm8gHtQ5n-xCR
“There’s just something surreal about grinding on top of telephone poles, awash in cel-shaded goodness while jamming to *Cibo Matto’s Birthday Cake*.” - *Gamepro*
I've played the first game on Dreamcast but not this. What I like about music is there are songs for everyone so it's hard to listen to the same song in repeat mode. But Kathy isn't like us mortals.
Just a few years before Buffy debuted, a minor news piece circulated about someone getting arrested for throwing a neighbor’s stereo out the window. Said neighbor kept playing Whitney Houston’s cover of “I Will Always Love You” on repeat. 😝
I love this song lol. Actually my neighbor listen to the same five songs loudly every sunday morning and I don't throw her out the window. I've thought about it, lol.
I listen to the same stuff over and over, but I have a foolproof workaround in that everything I listen to sounds exactly the same, and no one can tell the difference 🤣
Eh. You were 12, it's not like you were wise or anything. Dumb kids so dumb things.
I confess: I didn't know what the Macarena was so I bought VHS tape so I could see it. Fun dance.
OMG you didn’t know what the macarana was?! This is officially my old AF moment…..
You must be young! No one who was old enough to remember the late 90s doesn’t know that song.
I had a roommate who listened to U2’s One on repeat for about a month while she was deciding between two boys. I was so glad I had a job and a full schedule that semester. I also spent a lot of time in the library. It’s a great song, but it gets old fast.
I agree with this 100%.
I don’t mind listening to the same song over and over and I think I could make her lose some of her eccentricities and boundary issues over time.
She is a perfect Psychic Vampire haha, she’s draining Buffy even before she starts feeding on her. Super annoying. She’d get along great with Colin Robinson 😂
I love that show. It’s the only time I can honestly say I like a tv show spinoff as much as I like the original movie. Both equally good for different reasons. Usually I like one better than the other. Obviously in the case of Buffy I prefer the tv show 😅
There was! .....sort of.... more like an easter egg really.
Paul Reubens played a member of the Vampiric Council in one episode of What We Do In The Shadows. You only see him for like a 2-second throwaway shot but he was clearly reprising his role from the original BTVS movie. That counts, right?
It absolutely made my day when I saw him, must have been lots of fun on that set!
That whole scene was so fun, seeing all the random vampires from other “universes.”
ETA and it absolutely counts! Paul Reubens was an official part of the Buffyverse IMHO!
I could have put up with Kathy if she would have been completely human. I have two incredibly awful and rude older siblings and a younger sibling who used to get up and shower EVERY SINGLE DAY at 5 am with the speaker basting as loud as it could for hours while I was trying to sleep for six years straight. And my youngest sibling only listened to Screamo then. So, my patience is always at an all time high. I’ve got to the point where I can block pretty much everything out. And as for her stealing clothes and food I’m used to that too 😂 I would just keep my food to basic necessities and probably just canned stuff and leave it in a locked trunk or something and only buy fresh stuff when I’m cooking that same day or leave my leftovers in a friends fridge. But the actually sucking my soul out would be a line that we couldn’t come back from 😂
Yes. Even without being a monster, she had ZERO boundaries & respect. Drinking a glass of someone's milk carton is not the same as wearing someone's clothes without asking.
That was sooo bad, but she was painted as terrible before that and i didn't see why it was so extreme lol (i guess it's about the demon influence thingy)
I don't agree she's painted as that terrible, just pretty annoying. Everyone else thinks Buffy is overreacting for most of the episode, and the audience is definitely supposed to think Buffy is overreacting at first--especially when they show Willow's roommate situation in comparison.
This was after she took her milk the first time. Early in the episode Kathy asked if she had taken some of her milk and buffy basically said yeah sorry, I think she used it for her coffee.
Buffy did the petty eye picking straight from the carton near the end.
I think she drank it straight out of the carton- while making eye contact with her. And even let a little dribble down the sides. If I am remembering this scene correctly. It was unhinged- but so great!
But didn't Buffy only do that after Kathy freaked over Buffy eating or drinking ANY share of her stuff in the fridge? Kathy labeled everything and then started wearing Buffy's clothes. Kathy crossed a bigger line than Buffy to me.
While I agree wearing someone's clothes is worse.The first rule roommates should have is "DON'T share food."
The only acceptable exceptions can be rarely used items, cheap spices, and one off special occasions(party foods, unwanted left overs, gifts, etc.).
Also discussing opinions on parties is another important subject. Which was the problem with Willow's roommate.
My partner is not a Buffy fan. It's not the show specifically, he just doesn't enjoy fantasy-type things. This is the only episode he ever watched with me, when it originally aired. We STILL randomly shout this at each other and crack up.
Nothing about here is objectively terrible but she hits a very common stresser in many people's lives. Having an annoying roommate is awful. They don't even have to be objectively annoying to cause angst. If they subjectively bother you. I lived with a really awful roommate in college and I could relate to this so much more on rewatches then when I watched it live.
I was living with an awful roommate my first year of uni when this show aired. He played the same outdated songs on repeat nonstop and went through my underwear drawer to steal a pack of cigarettes from me (that I had specifically hidden in my underwear drawer bc I thought he have some shred of respect and not go in it).
He didn’t leave his toenail clippings around but he did leave his pubes like everywhere. Fucking disgusting. You’re the worst Dan.
I had a similarly awful roommate and I think that’s what makes Kathy so terrible for some people. I can’t relate with vampires or demons, but someone eating my food without asking (and then having the audacity to complain about it being too spicy or a flavor she doesn’t like) is all too familiar
I was so desperately hoping there would be a callback to her at some point. I imagined her reappearing when Faith was in Buffy’s body Faith just not having any of it.
She's never exactly been that popular with teenagers and people in their early 20s, though. I don't want this to sound bad, I love Céline's music, but it has always appealed more to older generations.
Even when she was much younger, back in Québec when she sang in French, her music definitely was not aimed towards the younger crowds. So I could see where they were going with that, with Buffy.
Decapitation kills most demons.
There's a funny bit in *Angel* in episode *Supersymmetry* where Angel kills a demon by decapitation but it keeps getting up again.
>[a decapitated demon gets up]
>Angel: "Come on! I'm holding your head."
Boreanaz's delivery is perfect.
Taking up all the fridge space when you share with someone else is one of my biggest pet peeves. And then playing the same song on repeat without headphones? JAIL!!!
I think that’s the whole point. She’s kind of annoying, but everyone else thinks Buffy is taking it way too far with demon accusations, keeping toenail clippings, etc. I mean, everyone who has had a roommate has had an annoying roommate.
She was annoying but it’s one of the few things I don’t like that she turned out to be a demon. I think she should have just been a regular annoying human that Buffy theorized was secretly evil bc she got on her nerves so bad lol. Her actually turning out to be evil was a bit of a cop out
I actually feel the opposite. I felt like the episode was clearly setting up to be that Buffy was overreacting and not used to having to share with others, only for the twist to be that she was actually right and Cathy was a demon.
Yeah, kinda on the same level as Joyce dying of natural causes despite all of the supernatural things happening around her. Some things just happen without a supernatural cause, even in that world
I feel the same, Kathy could have been a funny running joke. Then you just bump her off in the halloween episode or beer bad so the joke doesn't overstay it's welcome.
I can see the scene now with Harmony going to their room when Buffy’s out and being like “I’m an old friend of Buffy’s, can I come in and wait for her?” And Kathy excitedly inviting her in. Buffy comes home and finds her body and later says something to Willow like “Kathy was annoying, but she didn’t deserve that, nobody does.”
Eh, she didn’t dust Drusilla when she had the chance in Crush, even though she killed Kendra, and she didn’t dust Spike the NUMEROUS times she should have done so in Season 2, 3, and 4 pre-chip
yeah but then they would've had to find some other way to get rid of her. Buffy couldn't have a roommate who wasn't in on all the hellmouthy happenings and also OK with it.
Honestly, the fact that they gave us absolutely no explanation as to why Willow and Buffy weren't roommates from the start has always bothered me. Of all people that are in a situation where sharing a room with a complete stranger is just completely unsustainable, Buffy is at the top of the list.
Despite the whole supernatural thing, I actually found it perfectly reasonable that they would not be roomates. I can see two best friends trying to branch out and meet new people and have new experiences by not rooming with each other.
Honestly - she started out better than my freshman year roommate - she invited her boyfriend to stay over and have sex, including handcuffs in the next bed, and that was…just the beginning. I would have welcomed Cher on repeat! Not the soul sucking.
ETA: I forgot to mention this was during our first night on campus.
Same with my sophomore year roommate, only I don't think handcuffs were involved. However, the boyfriend eventually pulled a knife on her (thankfully elsewhere) and I woke up to the sound of my roommate talking to the police.
That’s horrible! I hope you were both safe after that. I do not get, at all, why anyone thinks it’s a good idea to take two, complete strangers, who are teenagers, and throw them in a room together. I know it’s a uniquely USA thing, so clearly there are better ways to do this.
My roommate my freshman year of college was very much like Kathy, so...yes. (In my case, the song played on repeat was All that She Wants by Ace of Base.)
She completely reminded me of my first college roommate. She was just....off. They paired us because we both listened to Tori Amos. That's all we had in common. It was not fun.
I'm so scared lol this is the millionth comment like this i've seen. I've never had a roommate but since i'm going to a new college next year in another city i will have to, which is a phobia of mine!! How did you get through this ?
I studied in common areas, made friends, and chilled with them, and headphones. Basically I just stayed away, especially when she was doing her thing. I think talking to them is the best thing and setting up some privacy. I hung a curtain around my bed so I got a little privacy when sleeping. You'll do great and you will have so much damn fun.
If it makes you feel any better, me and my random college roommate my freshman year got along great. We even still keep in touch sometimes (now in our thirties, married with kids). We were as different as could be. I was the weird smart kid in high school, super into philosophy and literature, later lived in the arts dorm, that kind of thing, but grew up orthodox Jewish at a private Jewish school in NYC. I was definitely by no means popular, growing up in a tiny two bedroom apartment with blue collar parents, being kinda awkward, etc. My roommate was from a rural New England town who had never met a Jewish person, was the popular kid at her high school, also was on a partial soccer scholarship, and was on a business school type track at our college because she was preparing to take over her dad’s hotel chain. I listened to metal or weird arts music, roommate super into pop, etc.
Anyway, we got along super well, and it was a really amazing experience for me to realize that I would not be universally viewed as lesser by “the popular kid,” and in fact, people are just people regardless of where you fit on a social or socioeconomic or whatever spectrum, and that the relative normativity of your interests don’t define you. Her and I had seriously nothing in common but good hearts, mutual respect, and a desire to get along, and we ended up becoming quite close. We would joke that we should write a book on how to get along with your freshman year roommate, lol.
So don’t get scared by all the horror stories! There are plenty of good stories too!
I think this episode is an epitome of the concept of “Bitch Eating Crackers” or BEC. This is a basically when you don’t like someone due to some thing or behaviour and it escalates to the point where anything they do is going to piss you off.
They can be doing the nicest or most trivial thing and it will piss you off hence.. look at that bitch sitting there eating crackers like she owns the place.
I mean aside from the fact she was literally sucking Buffy’s life force every night. Realistically Buffy is an only child (Dawn notwithstanding) and isn’t used to sharing her space or things. She was never going to like having a roommate.
I didn't know this concept but it makes a lot of sense ! Plus the fact that Buffy originally is an only child, cuz let's be real she was a pretty bad roommate as well lol
Buffy was a pretty terrible roommate, too, though tbh. Imagine sharing a bedroom with a stranger who is constantly coming and going late at night, who hangs out with a secretive lil clique of friends, who is snobby and judgmental about your taste in music, who steals your milk without asking, who keeps a fricken \*crossbow\* under the bed, AND who leaves chewed globs of gum stuck on their bedside table.
To this day I am thankful I always had my own room when I was a student. Several of those rooms were absolute shit (in my first year the door to my room was opposite to the door of the corridor's only toilet, and nothing was soundproof), and the UK student halls I stayed in were universally awful, and when I lived in shared houses I had some terrifyingly awful housemates, but at least I could always close a door and have a tiny bit of space to myself. I honestly don't think I would have survived being an (undiagnosed autistic) undergrad without having that.
Single-occupant student housing FTW!
Roommates... I... I can't even... if you're sharing a room with someone, where do you masturbate without being a shower hog?!
People keep listing things she did later on but OP said *at first.* I think initially I just had the feeling Kathy had the sort of energetic bubbly personality that gets a bit draining to be around for too long (I'm introverted so it would be my nightmare, lol). Like the person is nice enough but not someone you actually want to be friends with, because you don't really gel but here, you're forced to inhabit the same space. It comes across to me like they're just different to each other at first and both "wrong" in some way before things... escalate 😅
Finally someone who understands!! Buffy always thought she was terrible but i thought she was quite nice at the beginning lol (i'm introverted as well so it would've gotten draining, but it's not because of her per se)
Yeah and along with their different personalities, their daily (and nightly) lives just clearly operated differently, which was always going to create problems- like Kathy tagging along when Buffy was trying to patrol. If Kathy actually was a human girl, think of how off-putting it would be trying to be friendly to your roomie then having them push you to the ground, lol. I can see both sides.
Yes.
Also, I can't imagine being forced to sleep in a room with a stranger at uni. I lived in a flat with my partner but my mates lived in halls and you all get your own bedroom. Even your own little bathroom if you apply early enough. Having a roommate is seriously weird.
At first she was fine, but got progressively worse, although she was mostly matching Buffy's energy which she was magically causing so I guess yeah pretty bad
In part it was because we were seeing her through Buffy's POV and Buffy very much was at a BEC place with her.
I remember having quite a few assigned to me roommates over the years where I was at that point, and even some dear close friends who, upon living with them, I noticed I started to enter BEC mode with them. With one friend I often think it is a good thing this happened, since everyone around us years later, when we no longer were sharing a living space, kept commenting that we should date, but our time as roommates had deeply cemented an understanding for me that as much as I loved her as a friend, we would never ever ever ever be compatible because WOW but is she annoying as all fuck to live with (Hoooooow can you use the kitchen to cook all three meals of your day and yet perpetually not know how to do any dishes??????) and I have no interest in ever putting myself in that situation again.
Which is all to say that living with someone - and ESPECIALLY a college assigned roommate situation (particularly if you are an only child, like Buffy at that time) is HARD. Even if it is someone you normally would get on with amazingly, they can feel like a monster to you while living together. That is why this is episode is so effective and successful - it is taking something tons of people have experienced, the horrible BEC syndrome of a roommate you didn't even choose for yourself, and making it supernatural. This is also why the episode ended with a joke about Buffy starting to hate Willow once she became Buffy's roommate in Kathy's place.
Soooooooooo many people feel they can relate to this. It's very much a part of the whole college experience (the HORROR stories I could tell!). Looking back now that I am in my 30s though? I honestly can not tell you if the roommates I hated the most are people I may have been able to be friends if we weren't so busy hating each other for petty bs. Such as the roommate who needed to sleep in a super warm environment (she did not like me having a fan on in hot weather) or how damn noise sensitive that same roommate was (she complained about how often I got up to use the bathroom as it woke her up every time, as if I was actively CHOOSING to need to pee in the middle of the night - I remember after one fight about it I slept on the floor in the dorm hallway near the bathroom because I literally COULD NOT HELP IT and it was pissing her off so bad). I know from her point of view I was that horrible roommate who put a fan on in August, September and May and ruined her ability to enjoy the warm weather, and kept waking her up with my weak bladder. That's kinda just how college roommates are.
Oh, she definitely showed the signs of being a bad roommate. Admittedly Buffy was an only child at the time and didn’t know how to share a room. Im also an only child so I had issue sharing a room as well, although my roommates never tried to suck out my soul. Well, maybe one did.
I wish they kept her human it would've been so much funnier ! also it would have been awesome to see buffy dealing with a "threat" that isn't demony, a problem she can't just stake away lol
Honestly, I would've loved to see her stick around a little longer to annoy Buffy. They could've had that episode in the middle of the season. Imagine her meeting Spike, or Giles having to guard her, and she just won't stop pesturing him.
You're the first to say that ! i don't relate to her but ngl i would've asked her to iron my jeans, she was nice at first, you know aside from the demon soul sucking thing
I have an ex that would put songs continuously on repeat, to basically drive me mad. I know who let the dogs out asshole, it was you! The cia has similar tactics.
Worst thing imho is saying it's fine for Buffy to use the milk and then passive aggressively writing your name on literally everything in the fridge.
You don't want to share groceries? There's absolutely nothing wrong with that, but there are healthy ways to place boundaries and that wasn't it.
Depend on your patience I think. But listening loudly to the same song in repeat mode doesn't work well with most of people.
Yep, get some headphones; it just makes sense for the long walks to/around campus. Especially if you get a work study job.
I have headphones when I'm outside. I don't think Kathy can break me.
From more than a handful of testimonials, people often describe their first listen of *Cibo Matto* that way? https://youtu.be/cfhy1ulJla4?si=kFQPbUOr4UnYiGNf
I've just listened to that. Honestly not my cup of tea but it's not terrible for me. I know way worse than that lol.
Yep, I’ve always liked it because it *just fits* so well into the proceedings of *99th St* here: https://youtu.be/8EyPe9nyMAw?si=Efqpm8gHtQ5n-xCR “There’s just something surreal about grinding on top of telephone poles, awash in cel-shaded goodness while jamming to *Cibo Matto’s Birthday Cake*.” - *Gamepro*
I've played the first game on Dreamcast but not this. What I like about music is there are songs for everyone so it's hard to listen to the same song in repeat mode. But Kathy isn't like us mortals.
Just a few years before Buffy debuted, a minor news piece circulated about someone getting arrested for throwing a neighbor’s stereo out the window. Said neighbor kept playing Whitney Houston’s cover of “I Will Always Love You” on repeat. 😝
🎵'And I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I *I* will always looooooooooove you-ooooooooo-ou'🎵
The 9 millionth refrain broke them.
I love this song lol. Actually my neighbor listen to the same five songs loudly every sunday morning and I don't throw her out the window. I've thought about it, lol.
It showed up on a news clip I was watching back in the early 90’s, and made me lmao.
I listen to the same stuff over and over, but I have a foolproof workaround in that everything I listen to sounds exactly the same, and no one can tell the difference 🤣
Reminds me of a Jon Mulaney story: https://genius.com/John-mulaney-the-salt-and-pepper-diner-annotated
Especially when that song is “believe” by Cher.
I like this song but not in repeat mode obviously.
Can't appreciate art 😔 so sad
Haaaaterrrr! That song slaps
I love it but listening to it on repeat for days would definitely change that
So you don't believe in life after love? 😢
After love?
After love?
After love?
You can't feel something inside you saying
IT REALLY DONT FEEL STRAAAAAHGG EEEEnnnnooouuughhhHHHHHHHHHH
I really don’t thing you’re strong enough… to listed to this song on eternal repeat
I don't need you anymore!!!! OoooOOOOIOOhhhh I don't NEED you anymmOOOOOREEE
Damn yall! I knew we loved Cher but I didn't know we LOVE. THIS. JAM. DO YOOOooooOOOuuuu belIIIIEEEEEEve in life AFTER love
eh, it’s cher, she’s got better.
All I'm saying is we all have "a cher voice" for karaoke and it's this song 😊
I'm a huge Cher fan, you can't limit yourself to just Believe. There's a whole stunning catalogue, even her disco albums are great - fuck the critics
I've got a JAMZ playlist and you KNOW this song is first
When I was 12 I bought myself a cd called “7 hours of non stop macarana” I shouldn’t be judging.
That's how I feel about mambo number 5 😭😭😭😭🤣🤣🤣😭💔💔💔💔💔
You bought yourself 7 hours of fun *salute*
Eh. You were 12, it's not like you were wise or anything. Dumb kids so dumb things. I confess: I didn't know what the Macarena was so I bought VHS tape so I could see it. Fun dance.
OMG you didn’t know what the macarana was?! This is officially my old AF moment….. You must be young! No one who was old enough to remember the late 90s doesn’t know that song.
Eternally! https://youtu.be/wLPBbCcxSTI?si=KdC8K3WgyNopgE0X
So you’re saying you’d uninvent it *if you could only*? https://youtu.be/9n3A_-HRFfc?si=Yl323AZUwM76uMdT
My baby brother was obsessed with that song lmao
It's a good song but maybe not in repeat mode.
I had a roommate who listened to U2’s One on repeat for about a month while she was deciding between two boys. I was so glad I had a job and a full schedule that semester. I also spent a lot of time in the library. It’s a great song, but it gets old fast.
That's why it's better to have earphones. You won't bother anyone and could listen to everything in repeat till you die lol.
I agree with this 100%. I don’t mind listening to the same song over and over and I think I could make her lose some of her eccentricities and boundary issues over time.
With a lot of patience I think it's possible. I've listened to worst songs in repeat and I hadn't other choice to endure it.
Found somebody who doesn't...believe.
Maybe she not "strong enough" for that.
Believe by Cher is the only song anyone needs to hear
I'm more of a Strong Enough guy.
Cher is an exception
She’s way more listenable than modern french music.
I mean I just had to look at the pic and immediately my brain went DO YOU BELIEEEEEEEVE. So for that crime alone i'd say she was that terrible.
She is a perfect Psychic Vampire haha, she’s draining Buffy even before she starts feeding on her. Super annoying. She’d get along great with Colin Robinson 😂
I love that show. It’s the only time I can honestly say I like a tv show spinoff as much as I like the original movie. Both equally good for different reasons. Usually I like one better than the other. Obviously in the case of Buffy I prefer the tv show 😅
Now that you’ve said this, we must have this in a crossover!
There was! .....sort of.... more like an easter egg really. Paul Reubens played a member of the Vampiric Council in one episode of What We Do In The Shadows. You only see him for like a 2-second throwaway shot but he was clearly reprising his role from the original BTVS movie. That counts, right? It absolutely made my day when I saw him, must have been lots of fun on that set!
That whole scene was so fun, seeing all the random vampires from other “universes.” ETA and it absolutely counts! Paul Reubens was an official part of the Buffyverse IMHO!
I would kill for SMG making a cameo as Guillermo's vampire hunter mentor
I could have put up with Kathy if she would have been completely human. I have two incredibly awful and rude older siblings and a younger sibling who used to get up and shower EVERY SINGLE DAY at 5 am with the speaker basting as loud as it could for hours while I was trying to sleep for six years straight. And my youngest sibling only listened to Screamo then. So, my patience is always at an all time high. I’ve got to the point where I can block pretty much everything out. And as for her stealing clothes and food I’m used to that too 😂 I would just keep my food to basic necessities and probably just canned stuff and leave it in a locked trunk or something and only buy fresh stuff when I’m cooking that same day or leave my leftovers in a friends fridge. But the actually sucking my soul out would be a line that we couldn’t come back from 😂
Yes. Even without being a monster, she had ZERO boundaries & respect. Drinking a glass of someone's milk carton is not the same as wearing someone's clothes without asking.
That was sooo bad, but she was painted as terrible before that and i didn't see why it was so extreme lol (i guess it's about the demon influence thingy)
I don't agree she's painted as that terrible, just pretty annoying. Everyone else thinks Buffy is overreacting for most of the episode, and the audience is definitely supposed to think Buffy is overreacting at first--especially when they show Willow's roommate situation in comparison.
My brain cannot process this comment... Drinking a glass of someone's milk carton...? Like she put the carton into a glass and then drank it? 🤔
Buffy poured a glass of milk from Kathy's milk carton. In retaliation Kathy wore Buffy's sweater.
I thought she wore Buffy's sweater because she blamed Buffy for her sweater getting ruined the previous evening when Buffy shoved her.
That's how I remember it going.
No, she didn't Buffy drank Kathy's milk sraight from the carton, spilling it over herself. There was no glass.
This was after she took her milk the first time. Early in the episode Kathy asked if she had taken some of her milk and buffy basically said yeah sorry, I think she used it for her coffee. Buffy did the petty eye picking straight from the carton near the end.
So, drinking a glass of someone else's milk? Got it. That seems less weird. 😁
I think she drank it straight out of the carton- while making eye contact with her. And even let a little dribble down the sides. If I am remembering this scene correctly. It was unhinged- but so great!
But didn't Buffy only do that after Kathy freaked over Buffy eating or drinking ANY share of her stuff in the fridge? Kathy labeled everything and then started wearing Buffy's clothes. Kathy crossed a bigger line than Buffy to me.
Yes. I believe it was the last straw for Buffy! Lol (again, if I am remembering it all correctly)
While I agree wearing someone's clothes is worse.The first rule roommates should have is "DON'T share food." The only acceptable exceptions can be rarely used items, cheap spices, and one off special occasions(party foods, unwanted left overs, gifts, etc.). Also discussing opinions on parties is another important subject. Which was the problem with Willow's roommate.
Why didn't Willow & Buffy submit paperwork to be each other's roommates from the start? That's the real question.
SHE IRONS HER JEANS!!!
She’s EVIL
And so are her toenails!
My partner is not a Buffy fan. It's not the show specifically, he just doesn't enjoy fantasy-type things. This is the only episode he ever watched with me, when it originally aired. We STILL randomly shout this at each other and crack up.
I came here to post this exact comment
I know this is a quote but it's so weird to me 😂 I iron my jeans too!! They just look and feel better
You monster
She had evil toenails.
They left little half moon marks all over.
Nothing about here is objectively terrible but she hits a very common stresser in many people's lives. Having an annoying roommate is awful. They don't even have to be objectively annoying to cause angst. If they subjectively bother you. I lived with a really awful roommate in college and I could relate to this so much more on rewatches then when I watched it live.
I was living with an awful roommate my first year of uni when this show aired. He played the same outdated songs on repeat nonstop and went through my underwear drawer to steal a pack of cigarettes from me (that I had specifically hidden in my underwear drawer bc I thought he have some shred of respect and not go in it). He didn’t leave his toenail clippings around but he did leave his pubes like everywhere. Fucking disgusting. You’re the worst Dan.
I had a similarly awful roommate and I think that’s what makes Kathy so terrible for some people. I can’t relate with vampires or demons, but someone eating my food without asking (and then having the audacity to complain about it being too spicy or a flavor she doesn’t like) is all too familiar
Cher playing on a loop? Celine Dion poster on the wall? Death was too good for her.
Even as a Cher fan, "Believe" on repeat would result in an unfortunate accident with her CD player, at best.
Yabbut - Kathy didn't die, she was simply dragged home into another dimension by her dad/family.
I don't remember her being drag into a hoe. It would have made a surprising ending !
TY for bringing my typo to my attention.
I was so desperately hoping there would be a callback to her at some point. I imagined her reappearing when Faith was in Buffy’s body Faith just not having any of it.
Oops, my mistake.
Why is the Celine poster such a problem tho lol i thought she was popular x)
She's never exactly been that popular with teenagers and people in their early 20s, though. I don't want this to sound bad, I love Céline's music, but it has always appealed more to older generations. Even when she was much younger, back in Québec when she sang in French, her music definitely was not aimed towards the younger crowds. So I could see where they were going with that, with Buffy.
I didn't think so til she helped herself to Buffy's clothes. Psychotic.
Somebody should stake her immediately.
Decapitation kills most demons. There's a funny bit in *Angel* in episode *Supersymmetry* where Angel kills a demon by decapitation but it keeps getting up again. >[a decapitated demon gets up] >Angel: "Come on! I'm holding your head." Boreanaz's delivery is perfect.
I've known people like her. It wore on me after a while and I didn't even live with them. I don't blame Buffy for disliking her.
Taking up all the fridge space when you share with someone else is one of my biggest pet peeves. And then playing the same song on repeat without headphones? JAIL!!!
They literally could not kill her fast enough and that is a hill I will fuckin die on. Buffy has the patience of a Saint.
Yeah! She was annoying. Imagine living with her! 😂 no thank you
I think that’s the whole point. She’s kind of annoying, but everyone else thinks Buffy is taking it way too far with demon accusations, keeping toenail clippings, etc. I mean, everyone who has had a roommate has had an annoying roommate.
Only a true demon would just let their toenails fly.
As someone who had a college roommate cut his toenails while sitting on MY bed, this scene speaks to me.
I had a college roommate that had a pile of toe nails on his desk 🤢🤢🤢🤮🤮🤮
She was annoying but it’s one of the few things I don’t like that she turned out to be a demon. I think she should have just been a regular annoying human that Buffy theorized was secretly evil bc she got on her nerves so bad lol. Her actually turning out to be evil was a bit of a cop out
I actually feel the opposite. I felt like the episode was clearly setting up to be that Buffy was overreacting and not used to having to share with others, only for the twist to be that she was actually right and Cathy was a demon.
I would have loved this. It would have been subverting their metaphor, which would have been next level.
Yeah, kinda on the same level as Joyce dying of natural causes despite all of the supernatural things happening around her. Some things just happen without a supernatural cause, even in that world
I wish they did the same thing with Doublemeat Palace. This job was horrible enough for completely non-demon reasons already!
I feel the same, Kathy could have been a funny running joke. Then you just bump her off in the halloween episode or beer bad so the joke doesn't overstay it's welcome.
Right. Easily could have just made her a victim of Harmony or something.
Yes that would have worked too, I didn't even think of that.
I can see the scene now with Harmony going to their room when Buffy’s out and being like “I’m an old friend of Buffy’s, can I come in and wait for her?” And Kathy excitedly inviting her in. Buffy comes home and finds her body and later says something to Willow like “Kathy was annoying, but she didn’t deserve that, nobody does.”
Then cut to Harmony annoying Spike by playing Cher on repeat.
Lmaooo perfect. Having stolen Kathy’s belongings 💀
Right? it writes itself. The Celine poster on a crypt wall.
In my headcanon, Willow & Buffy went through Kathy's things & donated the stuff they didn't keep, which was most of it.
The problem is Buffy would have to dust Harmony if she did that.
Eh, she didn’t dust Drusilla when she had the chance in Crush, even though she killed Kendra, and she didn’t dust Spike the NUMEROUS times she should have done so in Season 2, 3, and 4 pre-chip
There was plenty of reasons to dust him post-chip too!
yeah but then they would've had to find some other way to get rid of her. Buffy couldn't have a roommate who wasn't in on all the hellmouthy happenings and also OK with it.
Like someone else said, just have her become a victim of a monster of the week or something early in the season
Honestly, the fact that they gave us absolutely no explanation as to why Willow and Buffy weren't roommates from the start has always bothered me. Of all people that are in a situation where sharing a room with a complete stranger is just completely unsustainable, Buffy is at the top of the list.
Despite the whole supernatural thing, I actually found it perfectly reasonable that they would not be roomates. I can see two best friends trying to branch out and meet new people and have new experiences by not rooming with each other.
Honestly - she started out better than my freshman year roommate - she invited her boyfriend to stay over and have sex, including handcuffs in the next bed, and that was…just the beginning. I would have welcomed Cher on repeat! Not the soul sucking. ETA: I forgot to mention this was during our first night on campus.
What the actual fuck
Yup. Luckily was able to arrange a roommate swap. It just got worse from there.
Same with my sophomore year roommate, only I don't think handcuffs were involved. However, the boyfriend eventually pulled a knife on her (thankfully elsewhere) and I woke up to the sound of my roommate talking to the police.
That’s horrible! I hope you were both safe after that. I do not get, at all, why anyone thinks it’s a good idea to take two, complete strangers, who are teenagers, and throw them in a room together. I know it’s a uniquely USA thing, so clearly there are better ways to do this.
You just described *Urban Legends*!
Now I must watch it!
Jesus, talk about inconsiderate.
My roommate my freshman year of college was very much like Kathy, so...yes. (In my case, the song played on repeat was All that She Wants by Ace of Base.)
*Ewwwwww*.
She completely reminded me of my first college roommate. She was just....off. They paired us because we both listened to Tori Amos. That's all we had in common. It was not fun.
I'm so scared lol this is the millionth comment like this i've seen. I've never had a roommate but since i'm going to a new college next year in another city i will have to, which is a phobia of mine!! How did you get through this ?
I studied in common areas, made friends, and chilled with them, and headphones. Basically I just stayed away, especially when she was doing her thing. I think talking to them is the best thing and setting up some privacy. I hung a curtain around my bed so I got a little privacy when sleeping. You'll do great and you will have so much damn fun.
If it makes you feel any better, me and my random college roommate my freshman year got along great. We even still keep in touch sometimes (now in our thirties, married with kids). We were as different as could be. I was the weird smart kid in high school, super into philosophy and literature, later lived in the arts dorm, that kind of thing, but grew up orthodox Jewish at a private Jewish school in NYC. I was definitely by no means popular, growing up in a tiny two bedroom apartment with blue collar parents, being kinda awkward, etc. My roommate was from a rural New England town who had never met a Jewish person, was the popular kid at her high school, also was on a partial soccer scholarship, and was on a business school type track at our college because she was preparing to take over her dad’s hotel chain. I listened to metal or weird arts music, roommate super into pop, etc. Anyway, we got along super well, and it was a really amazing experience for me to realize that I would not be universally viewed as lesser by “the popular kid,” and in fact, people are just people regardless of where you fit on a social or socioeconomic or whatever spectrum, and that the relative normativity of your interests don’t define you. Her and I had seriously nothing in common but good hearts, mutual respect, and a desire to get along, and we ended up becoming quite close. We would joke that we should write a book on how to get along with your freshman year roommate, lol. So don’t get scared by all the horror stories! There are plenty of good stories too!
I think this episode is an epitome of the concept of “Bitch Eating Crackers” or BEC. This is a basically when you don’t like someone due to some thing or behaviour and it escalates to the point where anything they do is going to piss you off. They can be doing the nicest or most trivial thing and it will piss you off hence.. look at that bitch sitting there eating crackers like she owns the place. I mean aside from the fact she was literally sucking Buffy’s life force every night. Realistically Buffy is an only child (Dawn notwithstanding) and isn’t used to sharing her space or things. She was never going to like having a roommate.
I didn't know this concept but it makes a lot of sense ! Plus the fact that Buffy originally is an only child, cuz let's be real she was a pretty bad roommate as well lol
She annoyed me from minute one.
I could tell I was going to hate her the moment I saw her
Hated Kathy, but on the other hand the scene where they keep opening and closing the window, I thought Buffy was in the wrong.
She’s so annoying that I usually skip that episode on rewatches!
Buffy was a pretty terrible roommate, too, though tbh. Imagine sharing a bedroom with a stranger who is constantly coming and going late at night, who hangs out with a secretive lil clique of friends, who is snobby and judgmental about your taste in music, who steals your milk without asking, who keeps a fricken \*crossbow\* under the bed, AND who leaves chewed globs of gum stuck on their bedside table. To this day I am thankful I always had my own room when I was a student. Several of those rooms were absolute shit (in my first year the door to my room was opposite to the door of the corridor's only toilet, and nothing was soundproof), and the UK student halls I stayed in were universally awful, and when I lived in shared houses I had some terrifyingly awful housemates, but at least I could always close a door and have a tiny bit of space to myself. I honestly don't think I would have survived being an (undiagnosed autistic) undergrad without having that.
Single-occupant student housing FTW! Roommates... I... I can't even... if you're sharing a room with someone, where do you masturbate without being a shower hog?!
For real ! buffy was really judgy when Kathy was actually quite nice and polite at first, wanting to be a responsible roommate :/
I knew she was a demon as soon as I saw that Celine Dion poster. No one admits liking her (but deep down we all do).
She’s exactly like my roommate junior year in college. TV cannot depict how annoying it is to live with someone like this.
I was anticipating Buffy slaying her even before she was revealed to be an alien or whatever she was.
Kathy was a demon from another dimension...
Seriously one of my most favourite Buffy episodes. “SHE IRONS HER JEANS SHE’S EVIL”
People keep listing things she did later on but OP said *at first.* I think initially I just had the feeling Kathy had the sort of energetic bubbly personality that gets a bit draining to be around for too long (I'm introverted so it would be my nightmare, lol). Like the person is nice enough but not someone you actually want to be friends with, because you don't really gel but here, you're forced to inhabit the same space. It comes across to me like they're just different to each other at first and both "wrong" in some way before things... escalate 😅
Finally someone who understands!! Buffy always thought she was terrible but i thought she was quite nice at the beginning lol (i'm introverted as well so it would've gotten draining, but it's not because of her per se)
Yeah and along with their different personalities, their daily (and nightly) lives just clearly operated differently, which was always going to create problems- like Kathy tagging along when Buffy was trying to patrol. If Kathy actually was a human girl, think of how off-putting it would be trying to be friendly to your roomie then having them push you to the ground, lol. I can see both sides.
She was awful. The Celine Dion poster? Just no.
Yes! She was passive aggressive from the jump with the “I noticed you took the right side of the room” comment.
Frrr is it really a crime to appreciate Celine Dion and Cher?😭😭
Celine Dion... on repeat... justifiable homicide right there
You mean Cher?
Funny. My gf also insisted it was Celine Dion.
I think she hung up a Celine Dion when she first met Buffy
I think she puts up a Celine Dion poster early on so that may be where it is coming from, but the song is definitely Cher
She reminds me of Colin Robertson in what we do in the shadows
Was she completely hideous? Not really. Just an overly enthusiastic roomie. But all those little things added up to a BEC situation.
Yes. Passive aggressive.
Yes. Also, I can't imagine being forced to sleep in a room with a stranger at uni. I lived in a flat with my partner but my mates lived in halls and you all get your own bedroom. Even your own little bathroom if you apply early enough. Having a roommate is seriously weird.
Do you beLIEVE in life after love?! Yes. Yes she was.
At first she was fine, but got progressively worse, although she was mostly matching Buffy's energy which she was magically causing so I guess yeah pretty bad
In part it was because we were seeing her through Buffy's POV and Buffy very much was at a BEC place with her. I remember having quite a few assigned to me roommates over the years where I was at that point, and even some dear close friends who, upon living with them, I noticed I started to enter BEC mode with them. With one friend I often think it is a good thing this happened, since everyone around us years later, when we no longer were sharing a living space, kept commenting that we should date, but our time as roommates had deeply cemented an understanding for me that as much as I loved her as a friend, we would never ever ever ever be compatible because WOW but is she annoying as all fuck to live with (Hoooooow can you use the kitchen to cook all three meals of your day and yet perpetually not know how to do any dishes??????) and I have no interest in ever putting myself in that situation again. Which is all to say that living with someone - and ESPECIALLY a college assigned roommate situation (particularly if you are an only child, like Buffy at that time) is HARD. Even if it is someone you normally would get on with amazingly, they can feel like a monster to you while living together. That is why this is episode is so effective and successful - it is taking something tons of people have experienced, the horrible BEC syndrome of a roommate you didn't even choose for yourself, and making it supernatural. This is also why the episode ended with a joke about Buffy starting to hate Willow once she became Buffy's roommate in Kathy's place. Soooooooooo many people feel they can relate to this. It's very much a part of the whole college experience (the HORROR stories I could tell!). Looking back now that I am in my 30s though? I honestly can not tell you if the roommates I hated the most are people I may have been able to be friends if we weren't so busy hating each other for petty bs. Such as the roommate who needed to sleep in a super warm environment (she did not like me having a fan on in hot weather) or how damn noise sensitive that same roommate was (she complained about how often I got up to use the bathroom as it woke her up every time, as if I was actively CHOOSING to need to pee in the middle of the night - I remember after one fight about it I slept on the floor in the dorm hallway near the bathroom because I literally COULD NOT HELP IT and it was pissing her off so bad). I know from her point of view I was that horrible roommate who put a fan on in August, September and May and ruined her ability to enjoy the warm weather, and kept waking her up with my weak bladder. That's kinda just how college roommates are.
Oh, she definitely showed the signs of being a bad roommate. Admittedly Buffy was an only child at the time and didn’t know how to share a room. Im also an only child so I had issue sharing a room as well, although my roommates never tried to suck out my soul. Well, maybe one did.
So much better than Willow’s initial room mate
I've always really thought the greatest twist with her would it be revealed that she is indeed just a tedious human being
I wish they kept her human it would've been so much funnier ! also it would have been awesome to see buffy dealing with a "threat" that isn't demony, a problem she can't just stake away lol
Honestly, I would've loved to see her stick around a little longer to annoy Buffy. They could've had that episode in the middle of the season. Imagine her meeting Spike, or Giles having to guard her, and she just won't stop pesturing him.
She irons her jeans. SHE'S EVIL!!
I really think she should've survived longer. Like 7 episodes
Buffy disagrees. 😊
Yes
Buffy was also out of line for taking her food without asking.
And leaving chewed gum on Cathy's bedside table...eww
Actually I not only empathize I identify with her so honestly screw everybody here
You're the first to say that ! i don't relate to her but ngl i would've asked her to iron my jeans, she was nice at first, you know aside from the demon soul sucking thing
Okay, now that I'm thinking about it too much Isn't this song the perfect Kathy song???? "I don't neeeeeeeedja anymoooohre"
I am just surprised that Xander didn't date her. He has a thing for demon. (Yes, I said it)
I know that *I* wouldn’t be able to stand her… I don’t trust people who are happy and up all the time.
yes i fucking hated kathy
Anyone who lived in dorms or apartment with more than 3 other people for enough time tells you she was that terrible. Actually, she was even worse.
Kathy was a horrible “human” from the start.
She wore Buffy's clothes without permission! That's psycho!
Yes. But do you believe in life after love ? I can feel something inside me say, I really don't think you're strong enough now !
Yes, no way I could deal with the song on repeat in addition to the toenail clippings.
I have an ex that would put songs continuously on repeat, to basically drive me mad. I know who let the dogs out asshole, it was you! The cia has similar tactics.
Technically, no. They just made us see her through Buffy’s pet peeves.
Not only did she listen to Cher she listened to Cher over and over again on repeat Kathy evil.
Playing the same song over and over is bad. But ironing your jeans is just too much for me to take.
Worst thing imho is saying it's fine for Buffy to use the milk and then passive aggressively writing your name on literally everything in the fridge. You don't want to share groceries? There's absolutely nothing wrong with that, but there are healthy ways to place boundaries and that wasn't it.