Go Fish

This episode is fine. Good momentum, fun lines--and utterly baffling. Why is it here? The Buffy/Angel/Spike mojo was brewing, the Willow/Oz relationship was blossoming, Giles and Buffy were grappling with various manifestations of grief and guilt over Jenny/Angel--and the season is interrupted by a monster story? No tie-in or growth in any of the ongoing stories? They are all pushed aside like cauliflower at a preschool snack time. Completely.

Buffy, Willow and Cordy do try something new: they are fangirls. Totally oogling the swimmers. And totally mortified and amused when one of the uber-hot muscled bods belongs to.....Xander. Who knew? Not Cordy, from her reaction at seeing him in a tiny Speedo.

The costumers have made the decision to dress Xander as befits his social station, which means that his clothes are always ill-fitting and often quirky (theory: you can tell whether he's supposed to be taken seriously by whether he's wearing a goofy design). Because he's dressed in such baggy clothes, Xander in a speedo is probably the most memorable moment in the episode--and showed up in several retrospectives just because of the reaction at finding his toned abs.

Oh, and at the end, when Buffy's in danger, who shows up and saves her from the fish-boys? Xander again. Somewhere--before season 4??--Xander gets marginallized and turned into the Zeppho, but so far, no. He's the stalwart white hat (except for the little secret, knowing that he tried to rape Buffy and not confessing that he knows).

On to high drama!

I Only Have Eyes For You

Guilt, Forgiveness, Redemption--those are the words of the day. Although the obvious correlation is Buffy's guilt over causing Angel to lose his soul (which she seems to believe she is responsible for, but am I seriously supposed to believe it's entirely Buffy's doing that they had sex? And that Angle never considered what the curse meant??), it's framed in a tragic love murder/suicide story from 1955, and it's plausible that the underlying significance could be missed until Cordy snidely asks Buffy, "Over-identify much?" Even then, Giles and the Scoobies assume Buffy has the woman's role in the tragedy, the victim; when Buffy and Angel--enthralled by the spirits--reenact the deaths, Buffy is the male, the shooter. The one who is angry and seeking redemption--not the victim. Angel plays that role.

The gang believes the morality play can't be resolved; it will just keep going in an endless loop because the victim can't forgive the shooter. That may be true most places, but not when a vampire is involved. Being shot and falling from a balcony are no big deal, so Angel finishes the drama by stopping Buffy's impending suicide and forgiving her for causing the situation, pledging enternal love. Notably, Angel is wearing his claddaugh ring through this whole episode, too, making the symbolism even clearer.

A couple episodes back, Buffy announced that she's ready to kill Angel. In this episode, she essentially gets absolved of the guilt for her actions--which may include what she has to do, perhaps? And interestingly, back at the mansion, Angel has been taunting Spike, who we discover can walk now--a little fact Angel doesn't know yet. The pieces are falling in place...

Killed By Death

This one doesn't work for me. It's not the characters or the writing or anything--it's all ok. For some reason, this one hits me as icky and not fitting. I've seen it lumped with the couple of other fairy-tale themed episodes, but it feels like practicing for "Hush" to me. The whole horror movie ambience, the ambiguity of tone...and it's interesting that both times I've watched this episode, I've had nightmares that night. Not plot related or Buffy related, but unsettling, disquieting bad dreams. No other Buffy episodes have done that.

There are 2 little bits of dialog that are interesting: first, Cordy says she doesn't believe in tact. No kidding. She lives up to her Shakespearean namesake well, telling unsoftened truths. The second is Xander and Angel. Angel comes to the hospital, and Xander (whos guarding Buffy) refuses to let Angel in. They are nose to nose, alpha dog battle, and Angel comments that Xander still loves Buffy, and it must rankle that Angel "got there first." Xander doesn't deny any of that, but says firmly that he will be there when Angel dies. Angel stalks off, and (if I remember right) Xander doesn't tell Buffy that Angel came. Where Angel is concerned, Xander is not reliable. Of course we know that Angel doesn't have Buffy's best interests at heart now, and that Buffy is sick and doesn't need to worry--but a pattern is being established: Xander, who will follow Buffy's orders and wishes in every other case, cannot be trusted when Angel is concerned. He sees Angel as a threat for Buffy's attention, and can giftwrap that sentiment in the "He's a vampire; vamps should die" box and justify it.

Some ok flashbacks of Buffy as kid, and adding to the Buffyverse backstory, but...if there's some symbolic, cosmic wonderfulness to this episode, I've missed it.

Passions

Interesting framing. Dark, sultry, voice overs of Angel talking about passion. I can't think of too many times (like anyother) that voice overs are used in the show. Passion "rules us all, and we obey. What other choice do we have?" In a corellary, Willow points out to Buffy that in one way, Angel and Angelus are the same: Buffy is still all he thinks about. Angel is taunting Buffy through her friends and family, talking to Joyce, in killing Willow's fish--showing that he's got power, that he can toy with them.

As a counterpoint to the Passion-theme, Giles counsels Buffy that she needs to push passion aside, that control is how she will triumph over Angel, that protecting her mom is in a sense counterproductive; Joyce doesn't need to know details about the danger Angel poses (of course, she gets details from Angel when he reveals that he can't sleep since he slept with Buffy).

Notice that passion wins, though. First, Buffy herself goaded Kendra into being angry, insisting that emotions made her a better slayer. But even in Gile's worldview, passion trumps patience. When Jenny is killed, he goes after Angel himself. No "let's make a plan." No "the time will be right." His girlfriend was killed; his home invaded--Angel is going to be held accountable. No one seriously believes Giles can take Angel. Giles lets passion win, and it would have probably killed him. When it comes down to it, Giles lets passion trump logic. Later in the series, when there are hard decisions to make and Giles prefers the "logical but difficult" choices, I have to wonder if that's a sign that he doesn't care about the people in question enough for his passion to kick in (seriously suggesting that Buffy kill Dawn before Glory can) or that he is using logic to justify passion (working with Robin to insure Spike's death). Buffy and Giles crying and hugging after she fights Angel to save Giles is also passion, but the "ectasy of grief" type. (Was it raining in that scene? Why do I think it was? I'm goint to check that) Buffy is now ready to kill Angel.

Also, Spike is the voice of reason here? He points out that Angel is not supposed to leave gag gifts in her friend's bed; he's supposed to kill her. He further observes: "If you ask me, I find myself preferring the old Buffy-whipped Angelus. This new improved one is not playing with a full sack." Whether we agree with Spike's mission, he at least has a clear view of the outcome. Spike isn't a sadist; Angelus is. The passion is in the torture and lead in--and neither Spike nor Buffy value that. It's worth noting that Dru sides with Angel on this. She likes playing with her food, one of them say in a different episode. (and note that they strongly hint in a couple different lines that Angel and Dru are also sexually involved, which would make sense. Spike and Dru's break up next season is foreshadowed in little ways)

The dialog in this episode is good, quirky and ironic. The character's syntactical voices are fully developed by now, and that's one of the most appealing aspects of this show for me.

The metaplot is picking up steam now. So onward!

Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered

Another Xander-centric episode. It seems like comic relief and a break from the evil that is Angel, but there's some character building that is worth noting. Xander gets Cordy a silver heart necklace, and it must be nice--Buffy likes it, and Cordy's first reaction is very appreciative. In the scene where Xander gives her his heart (yea, go with the schmaltzy symbolism), he makes a speech about how he sees something in her, and in their relationship, that isn't apparent at first look. Her reaction, though, is to break up with him. She's losing too much social status over him, and they don't make sense.

So....Xander has Amy do a love potion to make Cordy fall in love, not forever, though. He wants to make her go through the heartache and social stigma that he's experiencing. Like most spells at this point in the show, it goes awry. Every female except Cordy--including Jenny and Joyce and the lunch lady--are desperate for Xander's attention.

At the end of this spell, Buffy (and presumably all the girls) know what they did while enchanted. Buffy talks to Xander about how she tried to get him to undress her, and gives him high marks for resisting. While she was under the spell, he makes a whole speech about how he would if she had any clue how much it would mean to him, but since she doesn't, he doesn't want to. It's an echo of Oz's speech about not kissing Willow until she is kissing him back--seems like a trend. A man doesn't take what's offered until it matters emotionally as well as physically? Not sure how I'd word it yet, but there's a definite trend.

This is the first time we see Amy as a witch, and we're immediately hit with Amy's penchant for rat spells. Gee, wonder if that's going to show up again! And we hear more examples of Angel's torturous side, but it turns comic in this case; instead of getting Xander to hurt/kill/vamp, Dru saves Xander till the angry crowd of females saves Xander from Dru.

Here's the point worth noting: As angry as Giles was with Xander for messing with the forces of darkness--calling him "selfish" and "a fool"--Xander faces no consequences. It's a slightly comic break from the meta-plot, not a tragic building up towards Angel's evil climax. That's true of "Once More With Feeling," when Xander messes with magic, that time causing at least one death, yet he's teflon. Curious. Willow and Buffy don't get that much of a get out of jail free card. Neither do Angel, Spike and Faith when they mess up. Is it possible that because the writers (Joss especially) identifies strongly with Xander, he slids through? Maybe....

Phases

Again, I found more than I expected. I am tired and don't have a structure for this, so I'm going to ramble my ideas. But this is another of the episodes that I want to rewatch and write about in more detail after I've seen a bit past it, just to see what develops with patterns and ideas. This episode is a big exploration of what manhood means. Whedon deals with a variety of related issues, which ties together seemingly disparate subplots.

• Xander slips up and shows that he remembers things from his time as a hyena. On the surface, it's a slightly comic moment, and even Buffy calling him on it is underplayed--BUT the reason he lies about remembering it is because he seriously tried to rape Buffy. In this episode, one aspect of manhood is the whole civilization vs primal urges; Xander is too tame to deal with primal except as a joke (eg his line to Cordy in Innocence: "I'm 17, Looking at linoluem makes me think of sex.")
• The werewolf hunter-- Kane (symbolism, anyone? killing his brother, the wolf..)--treats Buffy like a harmless little girl, demeaning her possible value and assuming that Giles' interest in her is sexual. However, Kane is a "man's man," an Indiana Jones-esque figure that could just as easily be a romantic hero. Whedon casts him as bad--power and aggression leads to the dark side.
• Larry (I think that's his name) is a sexist rude obnoxious jock. He's Xander's first guess for the werewolf. When confronted, Larry finally admits that he's gay--and he thinks X is too. Uncloseted Larry is kinder, helpful--when men tell the truth, when they engage in talking, they are better people, seems to be the message there.
  
• Oz is perhaps the least physically threatening, least sexualized male on the show. He won't even kiss Willow, and she insists she's done everything to let him know she'd like to. But even small, harmless Oz has an animal side--a time when the wolf has to howl. Note that at the end, they do finally kiss, but because of Willow running up to him, not him initiating. (That's a girl power move for Willow, though, who was worried that making any move would make her seem like a "slut." So there's a flip side to that scene, too)
• Buffy and Willow talk about how much harder it is to understand boys since they outgrew the "hit them on the shoulder to show they like you" stage. Right after that, Xander walks up to Buffy and unobtrusively, hits her on the shoulder. Later, Larry hits Xander on the shoulder as he thanks X for their conversation. Subtle, but good.
• When Cordy and X are parking, she gets irritated because he can't stop talking about Willow and Buffy. He can't figure out why Willow likes Oz, and Cordy hassles him about not being happy with her. He doesn't want Willow, but doesn't seem to want anyone else to have her. He can't have Buffy, but can't walk away either. (part of that is setting up the next episode, I think)
• In gym, they are learning self-defense. Unspoken reason: men pose a danger to women. Furthermore, when Buffy stands up to Larry (still closeted bully version), Willow grabs her and says "You're supposed to be meek and helpless like the rest of us girls." (not exact) Willow doesn't say it ironically--is it meant that way?
• Angel acts helpful, "sensitive new man" style, then kills the girl. There's a point there, but I have a hard time it's as obvious as "don't trust men when they're nice."
  

There's more about manhood, I think, but I need to rewatch to start getting it straight.

Innocence (Post One)

I nailed it. I really did. The episode was dry, I thought the water imagery had ended and I still didn't know why...then...swoosh!

Climatic battle IN THE MALL and....the sprinklers go off. Buffy and Angel are sloshing around from the beginning of the fight through Buffy walking away, unable to kill him--yet.

NOW I have to think about it, because it's clear that the water is symbolic. In the context of each separate water-event, I can give you symbolic interpretations, but as an overall theme....still deciding.

Oh--and I never noticed it before, but this is the episode when Willow finds her backbone.

How fun! TTFN

Surprise

Big episode, and I'm going to gloss over what might be the major points. Everyone knows it's Buffy's birthday and the gang is throwing a Surprise party, Buffy sleeps with Angel (in the non-sleeping sense of the phrase), and that Dru is healed and Spike is in a wheelchair. And that the Judge is back, thanks to Spike & Dru, and he's going to kill everyone. And Willow and Oz have their first date--and he sees Buffy dust a vamp, and accepts it with no fuss.

All obvious plot line, all commented on by endless Buffy scholars. Here's what struck me: water. three different times, forms of water figure in the story. Now, I know that sometimes a cigar is just a cigar, but think about it--everytime Whedon decides to put water in the plot, he's just complicated shooting the scene. First, Angel and Buffy are at the docks and Buffy gets thrown into the ocean, then Angel follows to save her. (Logic alert: He's wearing a long, heavy coat; she's dressed much lighter. Even considering that he doesn't need to breath...who's going to save whom?) Then, to escape from the Judge and the vamp squad at Dru's party, Buffy and Angel jump into the sewer, which is especially wet, soaking her through (as often as they are underground, the amount and effect of the water this time is unusual). Last, as Buffy sleeps, Angel goes out into a thunderstorm...he's Angelus again, but we don't know that yet; we just know he seems to be in pain and soaked through.

Water is oftem symbolic, and when you consider the effort it takes to put water in the visual, there must be meaning in the water imagery. Water is the source of life, it's purifying and cleansing. It's baptism. It can also be danger, threat. Each individual instance of water in the episode might fit those symbolic archetypes, but I'm still convinced I'm missing something. To use water 3 times (a symbolic number, too) is too obvious.

So I'm going to watch Innocence before I write too much more. I need to see if there's a pattern or meaning that becomes more obvious.

Bad Egg

I think I figured it out. These two episodes, Ted and Bad Eggs, seem like weird, weak interruptions. The front bookend is Big--Spike, Dru, Kendra, angst, fire--and it's bookended by Big Bad--Angel turning evil. These two episodes are ok, probably, but...why bother?

The lesson in Ted could be summed up as breaking rules has consequences.

The lesson of Bad Egg follows that: Someone has to be responsible.

Bad Egg begins and ends with Joyce harassing Buffy about being responsible. In between, Buffy has saved Joyce's life--the lives of most of Sunnydale High, in fact--but Joyce doesn't realize that. So she's harping on Buffy about being responsible, grounding her to her bedroom in hopes of making the point.

Buffy has proven that she's responsible, but not in a way Joyce recognizes. And soon, Buffy will again be responsible, but in a different sense of the word.

Other things: Cordy and Xander can't keep their hands off each other, but want no talking, no lights because they can't stand each other. What could possibly go wrong here?

Buffy and Angel discuss the future; Buffy admits she doesn't see one, but what she does see is Angel. That's as far as she can see--and he says that's true of him, too. This is the schmaltziest they've been, I think--again, set against the backdrop of the egg experiment and the teacher intoning "Sex leads to responsibility." Gee, what's going to happen next?

The outlaw subplot? It's cute, and it may just be another use of "bad eggs." They were bad before being vamped, so maybe it's a pun. And it does inadvertently give Buffy backup when she's fighting the Mama Bezoar. (Again, note that Xander is the only one unaffected, the only one there for Buffy; Giles, Willow and Cordy are all possessed by hatchlings. Xander, who took the shortcut of hard boiling his egg--breaking the rules, note--is safe.)

Again, we get an image of Buffy climbing up out of ground. The first was during the dream episode, wasn't it? Won't be the last, and this time it's not very symbolic, just plot-driven.

Ok....that's all for this one. My theory is that these two episodes are needed for pacing, to slow down the metaplot, but also to set the stage, priming the viewer to be considering the issues that explode in Surprise/Innocence. Maybe.

Ted

I want to like this episode. I really do. I like John Ritter--and he's awesomely creepy in a Stepford way in this. But...Nope. I was hoping that as I rewatched it, I'd find some electric connection to it that I'd missed earlier, like I did with "The Pack."

Nope.

Here are the couple things I did notice. This is superficial, but....bib overalls? Buffy wandering around in shapeless, huge bib overalls? I know that clothing reflects aspects of the personality (look at Xander's costuming; it's clear which side of him will appear in almost every scene by the clothes), and yea, Buffy thinks she killed a human, which is for her the carnal sin. Does that mean she has to commit the carnal sin in clothing? The bibs haven't appeared before, and I'm watching to see if they appear again, but that's soooo odd. The plaid shirt in What's my Line and then these bibs--that's not accidental. They are too extreme as choices--and she's fashiony in other parts of the same episodes.

Note that even though she absolutely refuses to kill a human, she will let one die--the zookeeper in The Pack and her friend Billy Ford could have been rescued.

I've read that the subtext of this episode is the whole jealousy at sharing her mom, guilt of child of divorce, etc. Sure, that's in there, but I'm not convinced that's any more than inevitable given the plot line. Perhaps this is another episode priming us for Angel to turn, getting the audience to see that someone who seems good can have an side, pointing out the duality.

Ted says, "The rules are the rules." More than once, I think. In "What's My Line," the point is made repeatedly that Buffy doesn't follow the rules. Not the Watcher's rules, not the school rules. Is the emphasis on "the rules" foreshadowing that even though Buffy breaks the rules, not everyone has a get out of jail free card--that if Angel breaks the rules (by finding a moment of happiness, perhaps...) there will be consequences?

Also, everyone--even Willow and Giles--believes Buffy did kill a human...except Xander. He pushes to research, to investigate. Even though Ted comes back and his robot-ness is revealed, the extent of his crimes is known because of Xander. His faith in Buffy is absolute, beyond Willow and Giles, even. Maybe that's infatuation-driven, fighting to retain the rosy glow of perfectenss, but he has seen Buffy be less than perfect; he has told her she's wrong on occasion. This goes deeper than not wanting his dream girl to do something wrong, I think.

Little note: the language in BtVS is always G-rated. Innuendo, yes, but actual bad words, no. This episode has both Willow and Buffy using "damn" and "hell"--and in fairly innocuous places. That's interesting...not sure why, but I noted it.

What's My Line Pt 2

The second part focuses more: the Spike/Dru/Angel plot, and the Kendra is the seemingly perfect slayer plot. The other parts are there--Xander and Cordy kiss, Willow and Oz nerd-flirt ("I mock you with my monkey pants," is an awesome line. Oz is great)--but saving Angel and working with Kendra are prime.

Buffy was ambivalent about being the slayer; the backdrop of Career Week is to underscore Buffy's lack of choice. Kendra is trained, dedicated, able to laugh with Giles about the watcher journal because--unlike Buffy--Kendra has been raised to be a slayer. No family, no friends, calling Xander "sir"...if she's what a slayer is supposed to be, it's no wonder Giles is often frustrated. Buffy's jealous of Kendra (whining to Willow that Giles and Kendra "were vibing" and many snarky comments about The Slayers Handbook, which Buffy didn't get because....well, because.....Giles never did quite explain why Buffy was "a different case.")

Buffy tells Willow that maybe she should hand it over to Kendra, retire, quit. "Maybe I could lead a normal life," but when you're programmed to be a slayer, what would be normal? She claims to want that, yet is slightly jealous of the person who could make that possible. This topic will come up again, and again. In a sense, the resolution of it is what ends the series.

Here's the other thing I suspect this episode does: it gives us a framework for understanding that despite all the broodingly handsome angst Angel's famous for, the legacy of Angelus' badness is still around; we get a shadow of what he might have been like before he got his soul. Yea, we've gotten that with Jenny, too--but that's just the facts. And it's easy to decide that he's redeemed, that he has suffered enough. BUT...Angel liked "the preshow." He liked to torture, to torment. He created Drusilla's craziness and taught her to relish torturing her victims, playing with her food. After Dru torures Angel, he turns the tables on Spike, mentally instead of physically. Angelus seems to love mental games. We can excuse him because if he can provoke Spike into killing him before the ritual to heal Dru, he saves Buffy and Sunnydale, but in fact, Angel shows that even souled, he's adept at mind games. He doesn't mind hurting others for a good cause. With a soul, the good cause is to save people; without a soul, the good cause is to amuse himself. Same dynamic, though.

Emotion takes center stage in this episode. Kendra tells Buffy "emotions are weakness." Buffy argues that "emotions give me power," then demonstrates by insulting Kendra until Kendra's heated response leads Buffy to observe, "That's anger you're feeling." She continues: "Anger gives me fire; a slayer needs that." When Buffy and Spike start their relationship, I need to revisit that quote. It ties in to with "Walk through the Fire," the big centerpiece of the musical--And it explains in part why Buffy's not feeling things the end of season 5 and through 6 seems to be such a huge problem for her...maybe?

Then we go right from Buffy and Kendra's emotion talk to the scene where Spike is nearly overcome with anger, nearly staking Angel. Adding to the emo-cauldron is Xander and Cordelia, arguing fiercly, then kissing...and kissing. It's a full moon, and emotions are running wild (note: I think it's probably the last full moon before Oz goes wolfie, too)

Again, Willow is research-girl, but not much more. Xander gets a fairly big plot, the Bug guy going after he & Cordy, but Willow's in the library. She does get some byplay with Oz, but in screen time, not much; in plot terms, she's not even a subplot, just a recurring transitional blip. Watching to see when/if that really changes. Whendon et al have more of a sense of her as a character, but are pretty slow about developing her in plot/subplots. They still seem to know Xander a lot better.

And note to self: If I decide to do something about religion, the big battle takes place in a church after Spike has done a ritual with a cross.

And it ends without a group hug--Kendra doesn't hug--but she has started to redefine slayer a bit, and Buffy has started to accept her calling a bit, and we've got a bit more background for understanding this season's Big Bad--not Spike and Dru, as it may seem, but Angel. Very soon, now in fact...I think.

What's My Line Pt 1

Lots going on--guess that's why it's a two-parter! First, the plot lines that create the two part story arc: healing Drusilla, which includes stealing a "super duper decoder ring;" and the threat from the Order of Tarokis, assassins that Spike has hired ("Isn't that overkill," a minion asks Spike; "No, it's just the right amount of kill")

Tied in with that, though, are all sorts of things. Most obviously, Kendra the Vampire Slayer appears, and the Career Fair is the backdrop for the episode. Those two things are intertwined, too. Buffy has no future, no reason to participate in the career fair (except the Principal is forcing her). She has a "gig," and she invites Giles to "fire her," then comments on the fact he'd have to kill her, chosen one, blah blah blah. She's got an attitude about not having a future, and the running joke about her going into law enforcement is too true, in a mythic big picture sense. She's not amused.

Then, abracabra--Kendra, a culturally ambiguous Bratz doll slayer. More on her next episode, but she is Buffy's foil, the traditional Slayer. And she emphasizes that Buffy is just one in a series, that her life expectancy is zip. (We could argue about whether Buffy could walk away since Kendra--then Faith--are the "official" slayers following the straight slayer line, but no reason to go there; neither Buffy nor Giles define her as inactive, and she still has the power and skills.)

After the last bit, where Giles has been reframed as a character, he's back in tweed-clad Watcher librarian mode and asserting his position. He's research-driven, bonding with Willow (who at this point really seems to be closer to Giles in many ways than either Buffy or Xander--he understands her best and values her abilities) He's grumpy at Buffy, demanding. That sets up the juxtaposition we'll see next episode with Kendra and the traditional Slayer/watcher paradigm.

What else....hmm...as important as names are to Whedon, I haven't figured out why the cross and book that are needed to heal Dru are by a man named duLac. Of the lake? Like Lancelot--there are few ties with Arthurian legend in the Buffyverse; if this is a reference, I haven't gotten it yet. Also, Spike and his nerd vamp handle duLac's cross without as much as a cringe. Curious--espeically since Xander used a smaller cross to bully Angel the end of last reason, and a cross necklace burned Angel when he and Buffy kissed.

Brief references to religion a couple times. Buffy says, "Note to self: Religion freaky" as she's in the tomb with Giles looking at duLac's relics. The way religion (Judeo-Christian) is treated in the show is interesting; that's one of the themes I'm watching.

This is a relationship-building episode, too. We actually meet Oz finally, and Xander comments on Cordy wanting to be a Scooby (is that the first use of the term in the show?? Maybe) Buffy gets to ice skate because Angel takes her on a "date" to the skating rink (that means she skates and he lurks).

Worth noting: Joyce still has no clue Buffy is the slayer, and she is frequently out of town on business trips, giving Buffy far more freedom than most teens. At this point, she's windowdressing to pull out as needed.

Oh--Buffy's clothing is worth noting. It's hard to think of Buffy as dowdy, and through most of this episode, she's as fashionista as usual--but when she gets upset and scared, after both Angel and Giles say she needs to hide from the Order of Tarokis because she can't win against them, she's wandering around in this huge plaid shirt--looks as if it could be flannel, in fact. I think she goes through several other episodes with this shirt. Gotta watch that. She is sometimes casual, but dowdy? It's not even quirky or odd (a la Willow and Xander's clothes) Almost never.

Also, the dialog is snappy in this. It usually is, but for some reason it hits me as slightly quirkier than the last few. I need to check who is the credited writer.

On to Part 2!

The Dark Age

Eureka! I know why this episode follows "Lie To Me." It's the counterpoint, the answer, to Giles' closing speech--where he tells Buffy (at her request), that life is very simple, the men stalwart and true, good & evil easily identified, etc. He is the wise one, but in doing what Buffy wants--what they both know isn't true--he is still the mage, the Merlin. Ironically, Buffy scoffingly but fondly says "liar," as they walk out of the frame and the credits roll. We know she's right; life isn't black & white, and Giles is lying about the big picture. But the lies he tells there are only the shiny white snow covered tip--and they don't really count because we do see them.

However, "The Dark Age" reveals a Giles whose entire idenity is called into question. Ethan shows up again, and places everyone in danger. That's what he does. No big. But one snitch of dialogue is crucial: Ethan says something along the line of "They (the kids) have no idea who you are, do they? They believe the tweed covered librarian act. They don't have a clue.." And Giles is terse and powerful, making big, strong, definative movements. Ethan calls Giles "Ripper," a symbolic name--especially for a Briton. And Ethan seems to honestly believe that Giles can kill him, will kill him. Ethan, who's known Giles longer than anyone thus far, sees a morally ambigous person capable of unremorsedly killing.

Hmmmm....and Buffy and Willow and Xander see a harmless Dewey Decimal disciple, a font of wisdom and teaching who can handle weapons maybe, but....not the front line unless an obscure language needs translated.

We know Giles can kill--or we will know it, in season 5 when he barehandedly kills Ben after Buffy doesn't. Buffy claims to get confused when things get ethically complex. To a large extent, that's her modus operandi throughout the series. For all the whining and emotional hermit-y stuff she does at various times, her resolutions tend to be simplistic. At first glance, Giles is the barometer for what is good. So far, he is stalwart and true, and the Scoobies count on that. He's choosing that, though--having apparently walked through the fire earlier in his life. Until season 7 when he supports Robin's attempt to kill Spike, Giles consistently chooses good--I think. I'm going to have to watch for that. (Well, and Band Candy...but what's a little B&E?)

While I'm thinking about it: is it possible that Willow wants things black and white, but can't manuvor that; she is essentially gray, living in the moral ambiguities, with the goofy naive reactions as her default? That with the exception of his feelings about Spike, Xander ultimately is the stalwart and true one? And that Spike, who wants to see the world as black & white as Buffy, really understands the gray and sees what the others are---I know, I'm not there yet. And Cordelia, she almost unerringly speaks the truth, not sugar coating; she knows black & white in the deeper ethical sense, but her reality checks are undercut by her overt superficially.

I think there are some undercurrents about what manhood is, but I've gotten sidetracked with other topics this time. But sometime, I should think about what Giles and Ethan are modeling about manhood. Later, though.

Lie To Me

I fell asleep near the end, so I probably should rewatch that, but I'd seen it recently, so....

This has what's one of the sadder scenes in the early seasons: Buffy is losing her innocence, and she tells Giles to lie to her about life (I forget the exact context). He basically says that good and evil are clearly labeled, and good will always triumph, all the men are stalwart and the women beautiful--or something close. She doesn't believe him, he doesn't believe it. But it's a bittersweet father-daughter-y moment, and one of the scenes I clearly recalled long after I watched it.

Alo, Buffy won't kill a human, but she lets her friend from LA die. She's taking baby steps towards situational ethics, but she has more lines that she won't cross than many people, even at the end. She is created to be a hero at least 3 ways: in the superhero-y tradition; in the literary tradition; and in a more mythological sense...I think. Gonna pull out my Joseph Campbell and see if I can defend that, but not tonight. I'm tired.

Interesting: Willow, Xander and Angel go check out the vamp-wanna-be club. Considering the degree of antipathy Xander and Angel have towards each other, they are quietly teamed up very often. Another topic for pondering.

But not tonight. I'm tired.

Halloween

Early in the show, Buffy makes a point of telling Willow that Halloween costumes are about getting to be something you're not--good girls play at being vixens, for instance. Irony alert: Willow and Giles, instead of pretending what they aren't, reveal what they really are. Willow starts out dressing like a ghost, no surprise for the girl who's goal is to be unnoticed by the mean girls. As circumstances happen, though...she's confidently parading around in a sleek, sexy outfit--although she does have the occasionally uncomfortable moment when she realizes someone is looking. And again, Oz sees her and asks "Who is that girl?" She's starting to be a bit less ghosty. (Oh, and even though Willow was appalled by Buffy lying to Giles in the last episode, she helps Buffy steal the Watchers Diary; apparently stealing information isn't bad.)

Giles is a surprise in the episode, too. Mr. Prim Librarian beats a man to a pulp, using his bare hands. Ethan, a friend from Giles' youth, is a trickster bent on creating chaos. To save Buffy and the rest of the town, Giles pounds on Ethan till he finally reveals how to stop the spell. Interestingly, Ethan says to Giles "they have no idea who you are, what you're capable of, do they?" There's a past that is only slightly revealed, but the parts we get are tantalizing. Even though Buffy will not consider killing a human, Giles has more flexible standards; Ethan believes Giles will kill him, and later in the series, Giles kills Ben and plots against Spike--but that's not for a while.

Overall, though, manhood is the theme that keeps popping up. Before Halloween, Buffy is baffled when Xander is upset that she rescues him from a bully. Xander explains that a black eye goes away, but a slight on his manhood never fades. Then, Xander becomes a soldier, protecting "the women," mainly a helpless 17th c Buffy. The manhood subtext continues. Soldier Xander shouts orders that Buffy, Willow and Cordy--and even Angel--immediately follow. He takes action as a leader and earns respect. He even fights the bully to protect Buffy and admits that gives him an odd feeling of "closure." When they get their memories back, Xander is the first to reach Buffy after she slams Spike into submission--yet again, he's her backup, even with Angel there--but her responses to Xander are cursory; Angel is where she's focused.

Quick note about Buffy/Angel: she wants to be girly, to remind him of the girls he presumably chased as a young man. She doesn't talk to him about any of those types of issues, just makes assumptions. Angel isn't the only one in that relationship that doesn't do conversation much, but somehow Angel's mysterious reticence is what gets the focus. There's a power imbalance in their relationship--which isn't necessarily a bad thing--but I'm trying to figure out what I'm seeing and how to say it so it makes sense.

Reptile Boy

This episode is...ok. That's really the best I can say about it. As I watched, I realized that frat boys are consistently portrayed stereotypically. The BtVS writers have no empathy for frat boys, not ever. Even Riley, who's as close to a frat boy as anyone, they quickly make into military/grad student; if he had an undergrad frat history, it's long over. Wonder if Joss and his merry band of pensmiths were shunned (or worse) by frats? Could the vividness of Xander's humiliating dance at the frat party could stem from personal experience? Gotta wonder...

They don't have the same bias against sorority girls. I can't remember Greek females being mentioned ever, but Cordelia--and Buffy, too--would be prime pledge material. As hard as it is to imagine right now, Cordelia does evolve as a character into a sensitive, smart, capable friend, so potential sorority girls can morph into real people. Frat boys aren't so lucky in the Buffyverse.

The difference between archetype and stereotype is exemplified in this series. Archetypes are evoke primal, universal imagery, adding a layer of meaning to the story or character. Giles is an archetype--the Wise Teacher. The Gandalf, the Yoda, the Master. He is also a stereotype, the prissy librarian, anti-tech, lives with his nose in a book, seemingly uptight and nerdy. As an archetype, we trust that Giles will act certain ways: he will give good advice; he will have special knowledge; he will let Buffy make mistakes, but make sure she learns from them. As a stereotype, we expect Giles to act certain ways: he follows rules; he values knowledge; he trusts books; he likes organization and predictability.

Introducing a character as a stereotype is a shortcut, making it easy for the audience to recognize and relate to it at first. Adding a few quirks or unexpected twists may personalize the character somewhat--Willow was smart nerd girl, but her unfailingly positive disposition and sunny, odd speech patterns differentiated her; now, she's still nerd girl, but she's also smitten, loyal best friend. Her evolution into a person as opposed to a stereotype has begun. Thus far, Giles' is still stereotype; that begins changing soon, I think, but he always has a distance due to age and status as the Wise Teacher that renders him less rounded.

Quick things to notice:

• Buffy lies to Giles. That shocks and upsets Willow, who later slightly reams Giles for pushing Buffy hard enough that Buffy feels that she has to lie. Giles concedes Willow is right, but Buffy and Giles do still have a bit of a discussion about her lying. (Contrast that with times that Willow, Buffy and/or Xander need to clear the air about something and just imply it...the dance, for instance.)
• Buffy drinks alcohol. And it's drugged and she's nearly sacrificed to the snake/boy demon. I think that every time they drink the first four seasons, something bad happens. Beer bad, you know! Gotta watch to see when that shifts--she gets drunk with Spike in season 6, I remember, and nothing bad happens...I think.
• Again, Xander follows Buffy into danger. This time, though, he gets hazed by the frat boys, reminding us that Xander is supposed to be comic--even his entrance into the frat, falling headfirst into the window--is humorous. He does help save her and Cordy, though. Again.
• Gotta think about this: Giles and Angel talk to each other like peers, more than Giles does to anyone else (except maybe Jenny, when he's able to form sentences around her??) It's not just age, either--he's not like that with Spike ever; it's not just the soul, because Giles tries to kill Spike agter Spike earns his soul. I'm watching closely to see what I'm basing this on.

Overall, though--this isn't an episode I'm engaged by. The next one, though, is one I think I liked. We'll see,...