"Buffy the Vampire Slayer" tackled a lot of complex and interesting subjects during its seven-season run. Season four episode eight, also known as "Pangs," addressed colonization and how complex it can be to point to a "bad guy" in some situations.
Specifically, the episode features Xander (Nicholas Brendon) discovering an abandoned Mission at a construction site, which results in a vengeful Native American spirit recreating the wrongs done to his people.
Meanwhile, Buffy (Sara Michelle Gellar) makes Thanksgiving dinner and tries to keep the peace between Giles (Anthony Stewart Head) and Willow (Alyson Hannigan) as they debate colonization and how best to deal with the spirit.
While I understand criticisms about the stereotypical portrayal of the Chumash people, I also appreciate that the show even attempted to address colonization and how it conflicts with Thanksgiving.
Likewise, I enjoy the usual elements of the show such as how it brings humor into otherwise dark subject matter.
Like Spike (James Marsters) repeatedly being shot with arrows while he's bound to a chair, Anya (Emma Caulfield) viewing Thanksgiving as a ritual sacrifice, and Xander getting syphilis from a bear.
Plus, the episode has a subplot featuring Angel (David Boreanaz) that leads into a major crossover episode within his "Angel" spinoff series.
The appeal of "Pangs" is wide reaching not only if you're a "Buffy" or "Angel" fan, but also if you want to see how a 1999 TV episode deals with big issues like colonization.
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