The Prom

A break from the Big Bad, with mentions of the Mayor and the Ascension, but early in the episode, Buffy sets the tone when she tells Giles that for once in their high school career, they were going to have a normal, fun event. That's especially crucial because they expect graduation to be a typical Sunnydale event: totally atypical, in other words.

As someone who has gone through more senior years and more prom seasons than should be legally allowed (my own while in high school, then 23 as a teacher), I am very struck by what Whedon, etc got right. Prom is romanticized and glamorized by Hollywood, but in truth, it's bittersweet. Very bittersweet. For all the excitement of dressing up and having a "grown up" night out, a significant portion of the kids realize this is their swan song, and probably the last social event they will have with these people who have been a huge part of their daily life.

So we know that Willow is staying, and Xander is planning to travel a la Kerouac for a while, Oz has been quiet about his plans, and Cordy has secrets but no plans--as far as we know now. Giles is staying put, and at this point, Wesley is too--but again, just as we know that Cordy is leaving for LA, we know Wesley ends up there too, rouge Demon Hunter persona blazing into Angel Investigations.

Which brings us to the point of the episode: the 3 season meta-plot, the Angel loves Buffy loves Angel story. They've fallen in love, he's turned evil , she's killed him, he's come back, they're back in love---and Angel knows it can't work. Even the Mayor and Joyce talk to Angel about it. For all Joss' feminism, notice that the man (well, the male vamp) controls the relationship in this instance. By the time Buffy knows what he's thinking, he's decided--and it's because it's her best interest.

This is tricky, really. The audience has loved the Angel/Buffy pairing, and it has to be broken off in such a way that the audience feels the pain of both sides while retaining affection for both--that's crucial if Angel's new show is going to work, of course. Pissed off Buffy fans couldn't be counted on to watch the new show, or to continue watching Buffy.

And prom is the perfect setting to be in love, and know it's ending. How many teen couples have prom as one of their last memories together, before college and jobs and grownup life separates them? More than you might think. So Angel showing up at the last minute, gorgeous in a tux, clarifying that he isn't changing his mind, but....Buffy snuggles and they dance, sometimes staring in each other's eyes exactly as Buffy and Spike will do in one of the last shows of the series.

There's also another person worth noting: Xander. He's been snarky and hateful to Cordy, he's been obsessed with her, and denying it because he knows he caused the problem, but in a series of actions foreshadowing the insightful, mature Xander of later seasons (after 4, for sure--they flounder with him then), he pays for Cordy's dress and lies to help hide her secret. That's especially poignant given how often she derided him for his lack of money. He took the high road, and redeemed himself in the process.

And replacing Cordy as the truth-teller, Xander has Anya by his side, beginning the transition from high school romance to adult relationship. We don't know this yet, but in retrospect, the scene is being set to let the characters evolve.

Tucker and the Hellhounds are symbolic, and the Class Protector award a nice touch, tying up her high school experience nicely, but the main lasting benefit is when Andrew is introduced, he's always "Tucker's brother."

And now, to the Ascension.