By George, I think she's got it!

No, really, she hasn't. Are there truly absolutely no English actresses for hire in Hollywood? Do we really have to have a bad Cockerney accented Slayer in Training, Mary Poppins?

Now you'd think, after watching Bring on the Night and Showtime, I'd have some complex point to make about the ongoing storyline. Maybe how the Hurt/Comfort thing with Spike is starting to get old and how I'm shocked that I've actually seen enough of Spike in chains? Or the whole Giles: FE fake or Benevolent Renevant? question. Or how come all the scoobies can skive off work/school so easily and why Andrew is still around. But no, I'm going to rage about the accents.

There is a reason for this.

If you're a fan of BtVS or Ats then the idea of Americans doing European accents badly is not new or totally unwelcome. Well, yes, I laughed at the early season 2 Spike 'English' accent but there's no doubt that James Marsters has really gone to town on his voice. Not only does Spike now have two accents - London and RP - but they are used to subtly indicate the mood swings of Unstable Spike. Not to mention the ret-con ( "when did you start speaking like that?" ). Even Boreanez's laughable Oirish accent has come to be an endearing facet of him (especially in Spin the Bottle). Though Kendra's accent is bewildering ( "I am Ken-dra, de vampire slay-er" ). And I'll leave Dru's insane babble about mines in London for another time.

Obviously, all English people with RP accents are evil, apart from Giles who is stuffy and wore tweed. Travers, Ethan, Gwendoline. Even Wes, until he grew up. We'll let that go though since most American tv and film is the same. So, given English fans are rather used to some dodgy accents and cultural stereotyping, why does Molly's accent bug me?

It drops me stone cold sober out of the narrative, that's why. As soon as her Dick van Dyke vowels come out I stop giving a toss about these SIT. I start noticing the flaws in the episode more (hmmmm, Molly the Cockerney and Annabelle the posh totty, huh? I've known one Molly in all my life - and that's my friend's kitten). I'm not seeing Buffy as a narrative drama with characters whose development is compelling but as a television programme which couldn't even find someone capable of doing a working class London accent.

I saw Bring on the Night in a room full of Londoners, in London, on New Year's Day. Have you ever seen an entire room of people wince in unison? Really, truly. If you want to save the show, ME, kill Molly.