This episode is truly hard to watch. Witch hunts and Satanic panic have always been a truly sensitive topic, and how a TV show goes about covering it is always indicative of the show's overall quality. Without spoiling, Buffy the Vampire Slayer covers the topic damn well and works it into the lore of the show seamlessly. Is it the best episode of the show? No. It is one of the better ones, though. Makes it hard to like some characters.

This is an episode I usually skip because the characters that are made hard to like are truly intolerable here. Which works REALLY well for the episode, but doesn't make for an enjoyable experience.

I'm 27 and this just brings me straight back to high school. I mean I didn't have a boyfriend until I was an adult but everything this is too relatable. The strange idealizing of what it'll be like to have a boyfriend (or, in many cases, what it'll be like to be a queer adult), falling for people who are nice to you, finding and meeting other queer friends, the eternal self-doubt, the first ever kiss (that feeling, of a first kiss? It doesn't really go away... stuff like that is always super special) and just about everything. I remember, growing up, I thought that this is what my teenage life would be like. Someone to kiss on the cheek and whatnot. It makes me happy for those who can live like those in this series.

There is absolutely nothing about this show I dislike. It's innocent (like I said earlier, idealizing in a way) and the number of times I cried I cannot count. Very little makes me cry these days but omg. On point.

If you ever wanted to pull someone aboard the Simpsons ship, this episode is the life preserver you'd use (is that a good comparison?). It's got absolutely everything that makes the show great: satire, politics, and "Lisa needs braces". The show as a whole was a humourous depiction of the working class struggle, and this episode explores the idea that victory can sometimes be achieved through sheer dumb luck, and the people you're facing being much stupider than people give them credit for. And it's true! However, it also explores the idea that victory can be achieved through team work, and having people that believe in your cause backing you up. This is the episode that you show to people who claim the show is dumb, apolitical or isn't funny. It's got it all.

So. I first watched this with my grandmother in, like, 2008 or so. I loved Stephen King at the time (still do, to an extent) so I practically begged. First and foremost, this is almost 4 hours long and it really doesn't feel like that. As a TV production, the budget is low (I believe) and as it was released in 2002, the effects are a bit outdated and it looks really bad at some points... but that's almost charming. Aside from that, everything else is fantastic. The length aids in getting a fantastic story across, and also gives time to truly develop characters and give them all good back stories. You've got some fantastic actors who've now moved onto some truly great things which really helps sell it. I've watched this heaps of times and the only really bad thing that I have to say is that, contrary to what I've said about the runtime being the perfect length, the ending seems a bit rushed. Like it was in a hurry to tie everything together. I don't think it needed to be that way, though. I put that down to poor story telling and less to do with runtime. Prior to that everything is fantastic.

Nancy Travis does an excellent job at portraying Reardon's slow descent into passionate insanity, Matt Ross is fantastic, Emery's mother is hilarious, Melanie Lynskey gives her all to play a detached sister who feels like she's secondary in her family (she is). Matt Keeslar is adorable. Cathy is one of the loveliest characters in the entire thing and you watched with bated breath, hoping nothing happens to her... same with Pam.

I love this movie and if you enjoy mysterious supernatural horrors, and don't mind bad visual effects, this will be right up your alley. King at his best, honestly. This is one of the only films I continuously watch again and again.

I have to admit that I went into this not knowing what to expect, but still not expecting much. I came out chuckling and felt like I didn't waste time watching this. This is like a mix of early 2000s frat humor and genuinely disturbing moments... but it's all fun. The kid at the store was absolutely hilarious and I watched the highly choreographed "PANCAKES" scene way more than I should've. I don't have any real criticisms. It's pretty well paced, you won't really get bored... it's a b film on a Hollywood horror budget and it does what it sets out to do. If you wanna expose someone to horror, this is a good place to start.