Harsh Light of Day

Vamp Time! From the first scene, where Buffy is watching Parker in a mirror at the Bronze to the end scene when Buffy decides to send the Gem of Amarra to Angel (without speaking his name, of course), the episode is about vampires.

Watching Angel in a mirror was never an option; several episodes play with the fact that he could sneak up on her when she was looking in a mirror. He's gone, though, and Parker is here. The subplot of Buffy sleeping with, then getting dumped by Parker is woven throughout the vamp line of Spike and whiny new girlfriend Harmony looking for the gem. (Note: it's a Holy grail image for vamps, a point Giles makes)

Buffy apparently is over Angel, and the multiple ironies of her giving the gem to Angel is not even alluded to: first, Angel leaves, refusing to commit, then she gives him a ring--a symbol of commitment; also, his major reason for leaving was that he couldn't give Buffy a normal life, going outside during the day, moving around at will, but with the gem, he could do all that. He wouldn't age, of course, while Buffy would--but they could have had a long "normal" life (especially considering a slayer's usual life span). She gives him all that while still smarting from the slight wounds Parker inflicted. In fact, Oz delivers the ring so we don't even get the satisfaction of a Buffy/Angel reunion (although that does happen in a few episodes, I think). As Buffy begins other relationships, reinforcing that they are all 2nd to Angel is a reoccurring theme; the fact that her brief Parker relationship takes place at the same time she's earning a prize that could change Angel's life is not an accident--sure, she can play with boytoys, but Angel is still there in the background. There's no doubt that she'd leave Riley for Angel, and the Spike/Angel argument is one that is still being fought in fanfic!

This is a sexisode, with Xander going into full goof mode as Anya strips and announces that she thinks that having sex with him will cure her of her crush. (Note the parallel: that does cure Parker of his crush, but cements it for Anya) Amid double takes and comic reactions, the "romance" of Anya and Xander is underway, seemingly out of the blue. When Buffy accuses him in season 5 (i think) of being with Anya because it's convenient and she's willing, it seems possible that she's right until Xander makes his big speech to Anya to clarify. But that's a season (or so) away, and for now, Anya is comic relief--and she takes the role left by Cordelia's absense: truthteller, blurting out what shouldn't be said. Her reason for doing so is different, but often the purpose is the same--to call the character's (and audience's) attention to something we're too polite, or scared, or oblivious to notice.

And Spike--he's back. Mean, focused, and mesmerizing. Could Spike kill Buffy? Could Buffy dust Spike? Would Whedon let either of them win? That seems to be the question he tapdances around for the next few seasons...in this episode, Buffy wins the round and gets the ring, but it's close.

Now to more fun--the Halloween episode is next, and this is Halloween night. Guess what ghouls and ghosts will be scaring me!

Living Conditions

This episode reminds me of some of the early David Greenwalt monster episodes. Just fun, self-contained plot, little character development...just a story, essentially, establishing the new place and dealing with stabilizing the characters in their new environment.

The main thing that caught my attention is that the theme of "soul" came up. Buffy's demon roommate is stealing Buffy's soul (in a graphic that looks amazingly like what dementors do in Harry Potter--should check dates to see who did it first), and Buffy gets cranky and paranoid and self-centered when her soul is being siphoned nightly by Miss Happy. Considering that with Angel, losing soul=turning evil, and with Spike, gaining soul=being recognized as good (I could argue that spike was good before he got the soul--and probably will argue that later). and that conscience and soul seem intertwined, Buffy's petulant displays and plan to kill her roommate on what seems to be spurious evidence do not seem to fit with the usual definition of soul in the Buffyverse.

One other quick observation, which may not be on track: this episode and last, the shooting angles are some scenes have emphasized Buffy's height, far more than usual, I think. She's feeling small, etc, and I think the directors have used Sarah Michelle Geller's size to subtly make that point--usually, she and Willow seem to be about the same height, but Alyson Hannigan has been notably taller in some scenes, and Buffy's giraffe-like roomie and Parker (and Riley) have made that even more pointed. Will watch to see if this continues or is stopped as Buffy acclimates.

This is a light hearted episode, with Xander and Oz bungling holding Buffy captive, Giles being slightly awkward, and sappy pop music permeating it. Buffy meets Parker, then goes all crazy-reaction-girl because he was talking to the roommate (a bit of foreshadowing--Parker's normal MO where females are concerned starts with light conversation).

I haven't watched early season 4 much, so I don't know when it starts getting heavier; thus far, it's glib and clever and fun, but not quite jelled yet.

SEASON FOUR: The Freshman

From the first shot, we know everything's different. Willow, with a new, perky haircut, is in the cemetery as Buffy wants for a newly-risen vamp to show. They are so busy discusses college that Buffy completely misses the vamp. This is not high school Buffy.

After last season, where Buffy pulled away then ending with a strong statement about the importance of her friends as the whole class battled the Mayor, starting this season with a group hug and singing KumBaYa might seem obvious. But no, the transition to college requires that the lesson about needing friends be repeated in a different context. The tension between Buffy as solitary slayer and Buffy as leader of a community is constant in the series, intensifying as the seasons progress until that's one of the fundamental issues driving the 7th season. It seems so clear that Buffy needs her friends, that she is a captain of a team, but she doesn't seem to ever really embrace that. The solitary slayer identity is too deeply embedded.

As part of the transition, we find that Oz is in his element at college, more outgoing and popular there than in high school, and while Buffy is tongue-tied and awkward, Willow is right at home. Giles has become a "man of leisure" (unemployed), and--very oddly--seems to have a young, sexy, black girlfriend, which makes Buffy even more uncomfortable. Most importantly, Giles refuses to help Buffy with a vampire nest she needs to clear out. She reaches out, looking for the familiar ties, but Giles believes that she's leaning on him and the old ways instead of growing. So...she's on her own. When he sings "Standing" in the musical in season 6, he's completing the journey that he didn't succeed in making in this episode. He believes she can do it without him, and needs to, but as the episode ends, he comes running with an armful of weapons, unable to leave her to fate.

Even her mom has "borrowed" her bedroom, emphasizing that every aspect of life has changed, Buffy doesn't have Giles or her mom the same way she did before. Interestingly, Buffy makes a random comment about her mom "having an aneurysm"--

Xander doesn't show up until half way (or more) through, when he runs into Buffy at the Bronze. She's alone, and sad, and Xander sits her down and talks her out of her funk and back into action Barbie mode. The Xander problem is acute this season: he's not in college, and he goes between a goofy extra and wise, insightful exposition device---I think. I'm going to be watching for this. Even though he's funny in this scene, implying he worked for a night as a male stripper and telling Buffy that she's his hero--that he often asks "What Would Buffy Do" (an obvious play on the popular What Would Jesus Do), but concedes that sometimes alone, late at night he does ask "what is Buffy wearing."

This episode ends by showing how much the same things really are: Giles didn't abandon her; Willow was very upset when she thought Buffy left/died, and dropped everything to help; Oz and Xander fought by her side--it's all good. She's mourning Angel slightly--thinks she sees him at the Bronze--but it's subtle. And we're ready to start the season....

Graduation Day, Pt 2

Maybe the most significant part about this is that almost everyone "graduates" in some way. (Giles is the exception)

Buffy forces Angel to drink her blood (in a scene that's at least as sensuous as their lovemaking way back), then watches him walk away, leaving her in a heartbreaking "graduation." And she's again embraced her slayerhood, marshaling the forces to fight against the Mayor. Significantly, she doesn't do it alone. As someone (Spike?) will observe in another season, her strength comes from those around her. She's faced the darkness--trying to kill Faith, trying to BE Faith, nearly dying to save Angel--and she's come through stronger than ever.

The flip side of that, Willow and Oz finally consummate their relationship, beginning with a cute dialogue where she's freaking out and wishes he'd show that he's concerned too. In an understated comic moment, they are late to graduation, presumably because they are at it again. Their relationship has graduated to a new level.

Wesley's graduation takes the form of deciding to do the right thing, stay and take orders from Buffy even though she has fired him. His usefulness is questionable, as he is on the ground flailing at the graduation attack, but for someone who has been a tool of the Council, it's a step in the right direction--and possibly causes the self-reflection leading him to become a "rogue demon hunter" at the beginning of Angel. His transformation from tool of the system to morally ambiguous, which heightens as his character develops in Angel , is another thing I want to explore sometime. Basically, he goes from externally driven definitions of "right" to internally driven.

Cordy never says what she's doing next, and it's clear from The Kiss with Wesley that their infatuation has ended. Significantly, she is hanging out with the Scoobies at the end, part of the money shot closing the season and that phase of their lives. We also know she can't go to college and has no resources because of her father's legal/financial trouble. Cordy has graduated from pampered princess to real girl, in a sense.

Xander is perhaps the least obvious one. His role in the last part of the season is understated, and the last two episodes he's lucky to speak if he's in a scene. The writers began the show, 3 years ago, identifying with Xander more strongly than anyone. Look at season one, and even some of season two. The number of Xander-centric plots where notable, and is buffoon traits muted. It feels as if they hadn't quite hit on Xander's EveryMan qualities yet, or his "seeing" ability--in fact, Oz is the one who "sees" at the end of this episode, and makes everyone else see, too. In retrospect, it feels as if that should have been Xander. But Oz was good, too. He's got his Zen Master moments.

So how does Xander graduate? In the graduation battle scene, he's the commander. He has authority, knowledge and judgement. Buffy has the crucial job--getting the Mayor in the school--but Xander controls the battle. For the guy who was reviled as Cordy's boyfriend and marginalized as a social force, that's important. He found his strength there at the end, and even though his character takes a while in season 4 to find his place...well, maybe all of season 4...there's a clear sense of his importance to the team. He's been deliberately taunted, as the Zeppo, by Anya--being the field commander helps redefine his position, somewhat.

The Mayor's speech, which is cut short due to his ascension happening a bit ahead of schedule, follows Whedon's pattern of having the truth spoken by the unexpected character:Cordelia, Anya, the Mayor, Spike...probably more that I will have to watch for. He acknowledges that the kids don't care that this day is the 100th anniversary of Sunnydale, knowing that they have more immediate concerns. He acknowledges that everything will be different after today, as well--dramatic irony, knowing the Mayor's plans, but exceedingly valid for a graduation speech. Just as he chose to attack Buffy in the school cafeteria with the truth about her relationship with Angel, now he confronts the graduates with the truth about their ritual.

Human weakness, by the way, is another theme: the Mayor's feelings for Faith are how Buffy gets to him, which Faith in a dream sequence told Buffy (another human weakness, Faith and Buffy feeling connected despite all the baggage).

And it all ends with a tableau, the Scoobies looking at their high school, taking a moment before this phase of the series--and their fictional lives--change.

Oz: "Guys, take a moment to deal with this. We survived.
Buffy: "It was a hell of a battle."
Oz: "Not the battle. High School. We're taking a moment. And we're done."

Graduation Day, Pt 1

Lots happening, but the focus is on the Buffy/Faith story line. Faith distracts Buffy from the Mayor's plans by poisoning Angel; he's dying and the only cure is--guess what we've feared, yearned for from the the beginning--the blood of a Slayer. To "drain" a Slayer, the book says. Yep, that's been the unspoken boogie man since the beginning, Angel deciding that Buffy-snacks would slake his thirst. (In fairness, Xander may have said that once, but he was jealous so it was ignored)

Their relationship is ending; it has to because the Scoobies are transitioning to a new phase of the series, and Buffy can't grow with him there. Plot-wise, it makes sense, although I'm sure Joss et al could have made it work if they'd wanted (Boy Meets World? Joanie Loves Chaci?). That's without even considering that Angel and Cordy (and a bit later, Wesley) have a new show to make.

We've known for a while that Faith couldn't be redeemed, at least not now, at least not by Buffy. Faith's death seems likely, but the idea that Buffy would be the one to do it turns our understanding of Buffy's values in their side. If she'd succeeded, would she have turned dark earlier? A new Slayer would have emerged--think about it, Buffy's already been replaced. In a sense, she's not the "real" Slayer now. Plot possibilities there; it'd be interesting to know if Joss's band of merry wordsmiths played with those possibilities.

But Buffy and Faith, the Remus and Romulas of Sunnydale. Both look at the other and see what they might have been. To save her lover--which is what Buffy calls him when standing up to Wesley--she will kill her shadow. Powerful Freud stuff there, and the fact that she breaks from the Council to save a vampire is even more overtly significant. Since Giles is no longer her Watcher from the Council, it's not a break from her real father-figure, but in a more formal sense, it is a leave-taking from her parent. This time, though, Giles is on her side. (Sometime, I want to look at the Giles/Angel relationship more, especially in light of the Spike/Giles relationship)

Faith doesn't die, but Buffy comes close. Willow is freaking, Anya tries to get Xander to leave with her (in a touching but comic scene, which foreshadows many Anya scenes to come). The episode ends with the audience knowing that Faith got away, the Mayor is unchecked, andBuffy is desperate---even though she knows that Angel will leave her if he's well.

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.

Choices

Faith  "Give me the speech again, please. 'Faith, we're still your friends. We can help you. It's not too late'." 
Willow - "It's way too late. You know, it didn't have to be this way. But you made your choice. I know you had a tough life.
I know that some people think you had a lot of bad breaks. Well, boo hoo! Poor you! You know, you had a lot more in your life
than some people. I mean, you had friends in your life like Buffy. Now you have no one. You were a slayer and now you're
nothing. You're just a big, selfish, worthless waste." 
[Faith knocks Willow to the ground.] 
Faith - "You hurt me, I hurt you. I'm just a little more efficient." 
Willow - "(stands up) Aw, and here I just thought you didn't have a comeback."

Sweet Willow is hostage, kills a vamp with a pencil, and tells Faith some hard truths. This is an action-packed episode focused
on the meta-plot,but it's more importantly an episode where issues are laid out. Willow and Buffy have to make choices about
college, Faith decides to kill a man again, and the Mayor uses his bully-pulpit not to
pontificate on his upcoming ascension or related issues, but to taunt Buffy and Angel with
the futility of their relationship--a topic that was humorously alluded to in the opening
of the episode when Buffy comments on how routine their evenings have become, wondering if this is what it will
be like when she's 50 and Angel is...well, the same age he is now.

In other news: Cordy is unusually bitchy, even for her, and we find out that she's working in a dress shop. Also, Willow
wants to stay in Sunnydale for college so she can stay with Buffy, fighting evil.

There are lots of little things happening in this episode, and multiple choices being
set up, but the big one is unspoken for now: will Angel stay, committing to a future with
Buffy? That's being set up, but not explicity stated. Yet.

Earshot

This is an infamous episode, the episode that was delayed because of the Columbine school shootings. That's too bad, because the threat of violence really isn't an important part of the story--well, it is, but not why it's significant.

Buffy gets demon blood on her, then gains a trait of the demon--telepathy. She "hears" what others are thinking. At first, that's fun. She impresses her English teacher with insightful, unusual interpretations of Shakespeare and she finds out that her mom and Giles....on the hood of a police car...twice! But even as it's fun, it's revealing. When Buffy scores points with the English teacher, we find that Willow really doesn't think Buffy's very bright, for instance.

Buffy expects to have power; Buffy expects to be in control. In some ways, everyday ways, Buffy is clueless and whiny and plays "girl" very well, but deep down, she wants to be in control and powerful. An aspect of that is what this episode explores: Buffy has the power to know everything, essentially--and the power will kill her. She wants to use her power for good (a la Angel much later as he takes over Wolfram & Hart), trying to save the student body from the unnamed "killer," but instead, she is also in need of rescuing.

How many times will Buffy play out this scene: Buffy is the strong, powerful one who will solve the problem, only to finally concede that her power comes in part from her friends. Ironically, many times in the show, she desires knowledge of what they are thinking while keeping her thoughts and feelings bottled away.

And of course, Buffy recovers in time to save the day--only not. Ultimately, Xander does by realizing the lunch lady, not Jonathon, is the threat. Buffy gets the big, flamboyant action scene while Xander's just dorky, dumping over tables and yelling--he's not suave superhero, but boy doing the right thing.

And Buffy gets her version of the yellow crayon speech as she talks Jonathon down--insightful and all, but notice that later, she won't go to prom with him bc he's short, etc.

And Angel lurks in the background, Buffy's shadow and savior--as unreadable as ever, touting Buffy trying conversation and honesty instead of trying to read his thoughts.

Enemies

Faith and Buffy take center stage again. The title of the episode seems self-explanatory: Faith's choices make her Buffy's enemy. Sex abounds in this episode, which opens with Buffy and Angel leaving a movie that was apparently far more "adult" than they suspected. They are lovey-dovey until Faith shows up, gently mocks them, and takes Buffy to patrol. In a sense, that's the template for the whole episode: Faith makes them look at their relationship as she inserts herself into the equation.

There's a point, of course. The Mayor and she are trying to call forth Angelus. She tries to seduce Angel, believing that he'd lose his soul that way (if you've watched Angel, you know that's a vain hope; sex alone doesn't give him the moment of happiness to break the curse or Darla would have had to deal with Angelus.) When Angel won't even kiss her, she resorts to a spell. Double-cross ensues, and Angel plays Angelus as he pumps her for info.

Buffy is jealous. She can paint it as righteous anger, because Faith is bad, Faith is everything Buffy can't be--doesn't want to be--and maybe wishes she could be. Angel was bad, very bad--he liked living on the edge; Buffy takes risks, but refuses to admit she gets a charge out of it. That would be bad, enjoying the kill, enjoying the chase. And that's without even adding the layer of wondering if Angel really likes Faith, really would enjoy it if Buffy would cut loose a bit more.

This tangled relationship doesn't end with this season, either--it's just about the only carryover plot into Angel. Angel saves Faith; Faith saves Angel. In fact, even late in the Angel show, Buffy and Angel are at odds over his relationship with Faith.

Talking about her name is obvious, and I don't currently have anything beyond the obvious to say. Commenting on neatly the names "Faith" and "Angel" fit together is equally obvious, so i won't go there, either--yet.

So are Faith and Buffy the enemies? So it seems--but the animosity is tangled, and Buffy insists that in different circumstances, she could have been Faith. Willow disagrees, claiming that some people are just born good, and experience won't change that. Interesting to contemplate that in light of season 6 and the developement of Dark Willow...

I think there well be more to say here, but I don't know what yet....I may be editing this one.

Dopplegangerland

In a sense, this is Willow's version of The Zeppo. Vamp Willow from the parallel dimension is called into our dimension as Willow and Anya try to retrieve Anya's necklace. Again, Willow's magic goes awry and causes more problems than it solves.

In the previous episode, Willow has been jealous and sad; she doesn't want to be everyone's doormat, good old reliable Willow. That point is made throughout the episode, even as she tries to tutor a recalcitrant jock and be cheerful Willow in the fuzzy, funny clothes.

Just as The Zeppo begins the redefining of Xander, this episode makes the audience (and maybe her friends?) look at Willow differently. This isn't about Willow as potential witch, it's about Willow as not-relentlessly cheerful good girl. Even though Willow herself stays perky, the image of a "skanky," sadistic, hedonistic Willow is planted. Typcially, Willow wants to be nice to her evil twin, not allowing the gang to kill her--so in Willow's mind, there is in fact an evil Willow wandering through a parallel dimension.

Consequences

Basically, part two of Bad Girls. Faith tries to frame Buffy--which is when we realize exactly how bad Faith really is--and she threatens to kill to escape from the council when their goons (lead by Wesley) kidnap her.

I suspect I should rewatch this one too, but perhaps the most interesting thing is the Angel/Faith connection. After Buffy and Angel manage to capture Faith, she's shackled in Angel's mansion. He talks to her at length in a scene that is paced differently than the rest of the episode. Although he is not successful in getting through to Faith--and might even be called whining and stoically emo--he's just set the stage for Faith's redemption on his show in the next season (or two? I'm not sure of time frame). In the Buffy-verse, this is the beginning of a significant relationship; Angel champions Faith later, when Buffy claims to intend to kill her.

When I rewatch, I want to pay close attention to Buffy's costume and color choices. If I remember right, when she's being bad with Faith, she's in black--much like Faith typically is. After the killing and subsequent actions, Buffy seems to be in black/white outfits often. That's obviously used symbolically, but I'd like to watch it to see if there's more to say.

Also, Xander tries to do a yellow crayon intervention here, building on the "connection" he claimed to make with Faith in The Zeppo. Even though Buffy apologetically tells him that she knows it means nothing to Faith, Xander the faithful has to try--and nearly gets strangled to death by Faith for his efforts.

Importantly, Willow is having issues in this episode. She's trying to be the nice girl, but she's found out the Xander had sex with Faith and Buffy has been bonding with Faith--as much as Willow likes Oz, she's feeling like the odd man out. In this episode, a wordless shot in a montage shows Willow alone, sobbing--a strong visual counterpoint to her daffy, chipper persona. This time, Willow is the one who's jealous; Willow is the one who feels isolated--and she's aware that she's feeling these things even as she tries to be the good girl.

Bad Girls

...And the season heats up. Faith and Buffy's problematic relationship takes a turn. Inexplicably, they are best buds, slaying and talking about the personal lives (translation: sex). Faith' bad girl persona is finally articulated as a life-philosophy, pretty Ayn Rand-esque, essentially, "we are better than other people, therefore, we're not bound by the same rules and expectations other people are held to." Buffy, of course, takes a nearly opposite view, feeling the weight of all the responsibility and none of the fun of slaying. Faith emphasizes the physicality of life as a slayer--all the energy and power that needs an outlet, and for the first time (I think), the theme of slaying as sexual foreplay is broached. Later, Spike--another "bad" character--will again force Buffy to admit that is true.

Together, Faith and Buffy ransack and break in, notably stealing the knife that later, Buffy will stab Faith with. Buffy seems to having fun as she tries out life as a bad girl, until completely by accident, Faith kills a human.

Considering all the bad things that have happened in the series, it might be possible that an accidental killing would be dealt with pro forma. Had Buffy been the one who did it, if she'd been alone--there's almost no doubt that she would have immediately told Giles and council protocol would have been followed, with Buffy exonerated and, althought feeling guilty, accepting of what happened. But Faith isn't Buffy, and crisis of faith and trust ensues.

This is Wesley's first episode. Against the backdrop of a true moral crisis calling for wisdom and leadership, the bumbling watcher flails around trying to inforce his authority.

The fact is, I need to think about this one more, and rewatch it later. The metaplot for this season is heating up, and I think this episode and the next are ones that bear re-watching.

The Zeppo

I've seen this several times, and thought of it as a fun night in Xander's life, a chance for him to have the spotlight a bit. The structure reminds me of teen movies: a night in the life, leading to an older and wiser protagonist. There have been a couple heavy episodes, and we're heading into a couple more heavy ones (I think), so this is the respite.

Wow. I missed a lot. Still processing this one, in fact. First, remember the beginning of the series? How many Xander-centric episodes there were? He was goofy, he was serious, he was Everyman, he was Joss and the writers....

Then, he was Love Interest. The goofy-ness abated some as his wardrobe cleaned up a bit and Cordelia polished the rough edges--a bit. He was an integral part of the team, and had Buffy's back solidly.

This episode seems to begin the process of marginalizing him and redefining him. The last few episodes, Willow has come more into her own, becoming "The Witch." She's smart, but not nearly the brainiac she'd been in ways; beginning with Lovers Walk (maybe the one before; I'd need to look), she's turning to magic instead of other means to solve problems.

That leaves Xander as the odd man out. Giles has unique training and skills; Willow has magic; Buffy is the Slayer; Oz is a werewolf...and Xander? He's in danger, and clumsy, and--more strongly now than before--the punchline. He's also the reason the others are doing what they do: symbolically, Xander is the Everyman Sunnydale resident that they are protecting.

The episode has wonderful dialogue, and Nick Brendon's comic timing as well as his ability to evoke pathos are well used. The conversation about how to be "cool"--the laconic, ultra cool Oz (Seth Green) and the over-excited, rambling Xander is both insightful and hilarious. The conversations between Xander and Cordelia which bookend the episode mark the change between Xander the hapless spurned boyfriend and Xander on the road to manhood, laconic and cool, able to walk away from Cordelia's truthtelling (She is one of the most subtly named characters--a nod to King Lear, fulfilling her namesake's legacy in this episode).

And yes, this is the episode where Xander first saves Faith as she fights, then loses his virginity to her in a sweetly funny--and abruptly telling--couple of scenes. But that's not what made him a man tonight: standing up to Jack O'Toole, getting O'Toole to admit that he wasn't ready to really die--"janitor sweeping up pieces" dead, instead of zombie dead, coolly claiming he wouldn't "mind the silence"--that prototype to the famous yellow crayon speech in season 6 is the moment we see the Xander that lies beneath. For the next couple seasons, he is marginalized, but all through, the Xander who sees (as Caleb will note in season 7) is evolving. He has an almost parallel life to the mystical Scoobies in ways--and when Buffy points out to the council in season 5 that Xander has logged more field time than they all have put together, he puffs up with pride because he is often overlooked as a contributing member of the team. The habit of dismissing Xander's abilities as a Scooby are underscored, and in ways begin, with this episode.

Notably, Buffy and the others are in a parallel, apocolyptical plot which is only alluded to. In a fascinating structural tour-de-force, we see key moments, startling emotional, violent pastiche of imagery, with no context as Xander bumbles in the way of whatever Buffy et al are fighting. It's fun, and the story comes to a conclusion with them glad Xander was "safe," never looking at him hard enough to see the differences that Cordelia and the audience mark. The audience notes the team feel of the battered veterans around the table, with Buffy fapparently forgiving Giles for his betrayal last episode--and Xander sees them much more clearly than they see him--not for the last time, either.

Helpless

Ohhhhh....now I get it. Last episode, Joyce turns on Buffy, and leaving Buffy without a supportive parent figure...now---Helpless. Daddy turns on her, in essence. We are seeing the creation/growth of Buffy's fatal flaw, her sense of isolation.

It's Buffy's birthday, 18. She's excited about the Ice Capades; going each year with her Dad (a conspicuously absent character) is a ritual that she cherishes. She admits that it's childish--cotton candy, sparkly costumes--even as she tries to defend the artistry of the skaters. He cancels. She sucks it up, but in a touching scene, she tries to get Giles to offer to take her. The Giles-as-father-figure is in full bloom, with Buffy articulating it as clearly as she ever does. If Giles would offer, it would complete the transition into Buffy's dad, symbolically.

However, he's completely distracted. She's so wrapped up in her scheming that--childlike--she pays no attention to his mood. We find out why. He's shooting her up with a substance that, we realize in a bit, is sapping her strength. He seems distraught about doing it, but--ever the good soldier--he does.

A lot is written about this episode and Buffy's loss of strength: the men leering at her, her inability to save Cordelia from a bully, her clever dealing with the vampire test--but there's a bigger loss: a loss of trust in the adults around her. It's not a total loss, and they do redeem themselves, still having loving relationships, but her father, Joyce, and now Giles have revealed that they are human; they may have their own agendas, they may even knowingly hurt her. The most important rite of passage in this episode may not be the Counsel's Vampire test; it may be Buffy's realization that she is alone in a fundamental way.

In counterpoint, when Quentin fires Giles, he claims Giles loves Buffy with a father's love, and that renders him unfit to be a Watcher. He wants to protect and preserve her, to help instead of watch and guide. At that moment, Buffy probably doesn't believe that, but her subtle reactions to Giles' firing implies that she's considering what that means.

As is common in the Buffy-verse, love triumphs and Joyce, Buffy and Giles are pretty much fine post-Helpless,....but--as always in Sunnydale--the history is remembered and the lessons learned. When Giles conspires with Robin against Spike, he betrays Buffy again, nearly leaving her even more helpless than in this episode; again, he does it for what he believes are important reasons, and not easily. Giles is a more morally ambiguous character than I had realized--which isn't to say he is, but he's not the total background white hat I'd remembered.

Gingerbread

I didn't like this episode the first time I saw it. I know why--it is the darkest one yet, and the first time I watched the series, I didn't know how dark it would go. Joyce and Mrs. Rosenberg--first and only appearance of Willow's mom--join ranks with other parents to "take back Sunnydale from the monsters and the witches and the Slayers" and let the grownups run things. That means taking all Giles' books from the library for a mass book burning, providing fuel for burning Willow, Amy and Buffy.

The opening has Joyce wanting to see Buffy slay, to accept what Buffy is. Instead, between the reality of that and finding two dead children, she mobilizes to protect Buffy and Sunnydale by getting rid of the evil--which, ironically, includes Buffy. Before the end, we find out that the adults are influenced by a Hansel and Gretel type demon, which is dealt with and the parents are back to their willfully ignorant selves by the end.

Joyce is upset seeing the dead bodies, and Buffy holds her and comforts her--a counterpart to Buffy finding Joyce's body in season 5. Buffy is the adult in the scene, and does for her mother what she will not allow anyone to do for her when her mother's body is found.

The contrast between Willow's mom and Buffy's is overt; Joyce is trying hard and is aware of Buffy's life; Willow's mom can't even talk to her--didn't even realize she'd gotten her hair cut months before.

Darkness: the parents are attacking their children, Giles is essentially powerless, Oz and Xander work together--an important step in healing their Willow-rift, but ultimately not aiding Willow or Buffy. And although Willow plays at calling forth dark magic to try to get her mom's attention, Amy really does call on dark magic to save herself, turning into Amy the rat who will wrek havoc in season 6.

So what's it about? Still thinking, but we see the Mayor and Principal working together, which is not a good thing. And we get a hint that the good v evil can include humans on either side--and that even the kids can be morally ambiguous. Ultimately, I don't think this is an important episode, but I may revise that--and it does start working darker themes and real death in the mix. Even though the kids' were real....Joyce's reaction was. Big picture, that matters more.

Amends

What can I say about this episode that hasn't been said better by someone? It's almost fairy-tale like in its ending, a sudden, unexplained snow storm, hiding the sun so Angel doesn't commit suicide. Buffy had told him that they were done, finito--yet she was the one beside him as the miracle occurred, tearfully admitting that she loves him. Snow--white, pure, miraculous--all the things Angel isn't, yet apparently the Powers that Be decide to use super-symbolic-mojo to insure that Angel is around to get his own series.

Angel is trying to make amends for the evil he's done, but he's not the only one. Buffy reluctantly makes overtures to Faith, and Oz decides that he and Willow belong together. Xander and Cordy are still not civil, and we see Xander sleeping outside in the sudden snow as he avoids his family's dysfunctional Christmas eve celebration. White, fluffy snow baptizes the sleeping xander, symbolically exonerating him even though Cordy won't.

In the plot line and symbolically, the destruction wrought be Spike is washed away, but it's worth noting that unlike many television shows, the characters retain the memories of their flaws and failures, and grow--or at least change--from the experiences.

Worth noting: Joss uses very overtly religious symbolism in this one--and it does take place Christmas Eve/Morning--and Willow mentions several times that she is Jewish, although her last name (Rosenberg) is the main evidence of that. In the episode about forgiveness and redemption, even avowed atheist Joss heads to religious, probably because those are the archetypes we understand....I think.

In the Buffy-verse, the last several episodes are crucial to the myth-making and character development. Soon, season 3 will kick up a notch--but for now, we've had a respite from the Mayor as we explore and build the characters more.

The Wish

Another often-cited episode. It's Joss' version of "It's a Wonderful Life," in a sense, answering the question "what if Buffy hadn't moved to Sunnydale?" The inciting action: Cordelia, now recovered from her near-death experience and facing taunts and rejection from the cool kids (lead by Harmony), wishes that Buffy had never come to Sunnydale. Abracadabra!

Anya is on the scene, vengeance demon extraordinaire! This is the first time we meet her, and she seems to be a plot device. She makes a passing reference to Xander as a loser, but other than that ironic moment, it's all vengeance, all the time.

The meat of the episode is simple, in my mind. A couple episodes back, Willow and Xander were bad. They kissed, they lusted, Willow tried to use magic in a manner foreshadowing later issues--just not the happy go lucky kids we expect. They were not truely bad, but they feel they've fallen--and, presumably, the audience is at least aware that they were not the "white hats" for an episode.

So...let's push that further. Vamp Willow and Vamp Xander are bad, no doubt. And they are obviously together, not just giving into a moment of temptation. In a sense, Joss and his merry band of elves are giving us the worst case--what if Willow and Xander had fallen as far as they seem to think they have? They are busy berating themselves for being human--and hurting Cordelia and Oz, who they really do like--so Joss created a reality where they joyfully hurt people.

And, as is usual in Sunnydale, true evil is named an punished. A scarred, leather-clad Buffy--the bad girl mirror of Faith--kills the Master, Vamp Willow and Vamp Xander, with the help of Angel, suggesting that they are destined? Maybe? And that Buffy is good and human and not Faith because she's got friends like Willow and Xander? Maybe?

In the alt-world, Giles is an ex-watcher, and Oz and a couple others work with him to fight the evil, but without Buffy, the fight is futile.

Redemption is needed, all have fallen in one way or another, and....that's where the next episode goes.

Lovers Walk

Big deal episode. Spike's back for an episode, and manages to upset the status quo enough that people and situations are different at the end of the episode than they were at the beginning. Even though the last episode was called ""Revelations," this is the episode where the secrets hit everyone in the face--and, in a proto-Spike way--he not only instigates it, but like the court jester, he voices what people aren't willing or able to say...maybe even to think.

The episode begins happy: SAT scores are back! Willow's faux depression over her very high but not perfect score is played for laughs, and she and Oz are adorable. fawning over a Pez witch. Cord and Buffy have much higher scores than would be expected, and Xander's less then stellar score is laughed off; he didn't expect better--and, more importantly, Cordy has pictures of him in her locker! That's much better than being smart.

The end of the episode, though...wrenching. Cordy nearly died, and tells Xander unequivocally to never come near her again; Oz and Willow are separate since Oz saw her kissing Xander; Joyce knows Angel is alive--and she isn't happy about it; and Buffy has told Angel they aren't friends and she's not coming back.

There's only a hint of Season three in here; the mayor appears, but briefly. No Faith, little Giles even. This episode is seminal, though, setting up or making explicit dynamics that push the show for the next 4 seasons. Spike is almost an emotional savant, a constant victim of his own emotions, but acutely aware of other's emotions as well--which means he often understands their actions and motivations better than they do. His prodding causes too nice Willow to stand up to him and say there will be no biting. He tells Angel and Buffy that they are not friends, ending an epic, foreshadowing speech with "I may be love's bitch, but I'm man enough to admit it," causing Buffy to confront her conflicted feelings about Angel and ultimately tell him that the only way they can be friends is if he tells her he doesn't love her. He can't, and the rest of the season is spent untangling their relationship (so he can go begin his own show, yes, I know).

Understanding the title is crucial to understanding the subtext. There's no apostrophe on the dvd. It's not the romantic balcony people stood on to see into the distance (also called Widow's Walk); it's saying that lovers walk away. Cordelia doesn't come back; Dru doesn't come back; Buffy basically doesn't come back, although they have their moments; Willow walked away briefly, and we know that ultimately, she chooses Tara instead of Oz. This is an episode about leaving--not even about the pain and aftermath, but the turning point where it happens.

And in the seeds of the end of Buffy/Angel, there's Spike. He doesn't tell us that Dru says he's obsessed with Buffy; we learn that later. But the loathing/working together dynamic of Buffy/Spike, and the trust that they both want to deny they feel towards the other--that's integral to this episode even as Spike has kidnapped Willow and Xander. And when Joyce dies and Spike tries to bring flowers (which Xander rejects without Buffy even knowing), it's easy to believe that Spike genuinely liked and mourns Joyce; that dynamic is set up in this episode too.

The dialogue in this episode is tight--Joss at his best. Some samples: http://www.buffyguide.com/episodes/loverswalk/loverswalkquotes.shtml Joss and co. rock at using language well!

Revelations

Yes, more than one revelation. The obvious one is that Angel is alive, and Buffy's been lying to everyone about her whereabouts when she's been stealing time with him.

Some people might argue that another revelation is that Mrs. Post is an evil former watcher--maybe, but that's really too simple, too tied to a single episode plot line. That revelation isn't worth the time and energy, I think.

So.....hmmmmm......well, Xander and Willow have a secret--they are attracted to each other and "accidently" kissing every chance they get, but that isn't revealed, so that's not a revelation...

How about this: Buffy's tragic flaw, the heroic blemish that will ultimately define her, is very evident here, I think for one of the first times. Hubris. She believes that the way she chooses to do things is the only way: she "had to" keep Angel a secret. No, she really didn't. She seemed to hope that it would not come to light, which means when it finally did, the situation was compounded by her friends' feelings of betrayal. And, as will be her pattern later, if people disagree with her decisions, she turned it back on them. She claims that Xander is motivated by jealousy of Angel, not from a desire to keep his friends safe. She apologizes to an obviously upset Giles for not telling, but her subtext is "I'm sorry you don't understand why I thought this was best."

Giles is subtle, but important here. He's very disappointed in Buffy, and begins questioning his methods in dealing with her--especially claiming that she doesn't respect him or his job. He makes a good case for that, too. And he suffers again--last season, tortured by Angel, this season, carted to the hospital because of an evil watcher. Giles bears the brunt of bad decisions.

And that tragic flaw has cemented Faith's distrust of her, a large part of the reason Faith turns to the Mayor. Faith wanted to be accepted, wanted to be a Scooby--but it was made clear that she wasn't. The opening couple of scenes, she's like the sister Buffy never had (hehe--yet!), then it turns sour as Faith is excluded from the Scooby intervention--which comes after Buffy lies by omission about Angel.

When hard emotional choices must be made, too often, Buffy opts to follow the path of least resistance, and to not seek or disregard wisdom from others. She chooses isolation when community would help. As I watch more of these and as the plots turn darker, I think I'm going to see that as Buffy's tragic flaw....gotta watch more!

Band Candy

A favorite episode! It seems like a stand-alone comic relief episode that ties in somewhat with the meta-plot, but that dismisses it too quickly. The beginning seems as if it's going to be heavy, drama-laden: Angel and Buffy still trying to find a balance, Joyce and Giles both overscheduling and distrusting Buffy--who is lying to them and playing them off each other. Then, barely a blip on the plot, the sexual tension between Willow and Xander is continuing, Cordy and Oz oblivious.

This is an onion episode, though; meanings, symbolism and foreshadowing abounding. Buffy keeps insisting she can handle life, that both Joyce and Giles need to back off, however...she almost yells "I need grown-ups" when faced with teen-age, libido-driven "adults" who can't help her save the babies that will be devoured as tribute. Buffy can deal with a lot, but she's not ready to solo. (Considering this against Giles' musical number about needing to let her stand on her own could be an interesting study.) And again, Buffy comments on how alone she feels because her adults have abandoned her.

Likewise, for a while, Giles and Joyce have almost competed against each other for Buffy's time and, in a sense, her affection. The right to be Buffy's boss and influence her has been a sticking point. In this episode, Buffy gets a hint of what it would be like to have a mother and father on the same page, working together. Interestingly, the episode begins and ends with Giles and Buffy in father-daughter like situations, both involving the SAT, which goes beyond Watcher duties and, as Kendra implies, violated what a Watcher should be doing. Slaying is number one, number only; SAT's presume a life beyond slaying, one that Giles should not be supporting. He's sliding into father role seemlessly once accepted by Joyce. Interestingly, when Giles and Joyce are under the thrall of the band candy, Buffy tries to reason with Giles, assuming she can reach him; she orders her mom around. Different dynamic, says something about the relationships? Maybe.

Hmmm....after Joyce dies, she orders Dawn around--she doesn't really treat most people that way. Is it a consistent decision on the writer's part to have her emotionally not-connected with family members, and the lack of dialogue and insistence on taking charge symptons of it? Hmmm.

And Giles....wow. Giles. We've gotten hints that he wasn't Mr. Uptight librarian all of his life, always preparing to be a Watcher (contrasting that with Wesley). Most of the "adults" simply act like teens while keeping their grown-up clothes on; Giles' transformation is complete: beat up jeans, rumpled hair, cigarettes rolled up in t shirt sleeve--we see the Ripper within. His accent reverts, and his body language completely changes, even. He's dangerous, amoral, sexy. And instead of young, hot Buffy being the object of his passion, it's Joyce, completing the mother/father imagery of the early part of the episode.

One bit of symbolism: at risk are babies. The adults aren't fit to mother, so Buffy does. She's having mother issues, and part of the resolution of them is to become a mother symbolically, doing what the adults can't. Furthermore, the demon is awfully freudian, a huge snake emerging from a tunnel to get the babies--and Buffy, who is terribly gun-shy about sex (seeing as how the one time she did that her boyfriend turned into a demon....), saves the babies by setting the snake of fire as it goes through the tunnel? Then the episode ends with Buffy remarking how glad she is that she stopped her mom and Giles before "anything" happened. From the embarrassed looks Giles and Joyce share, the viewer suspects Buffy's innocence is misplaced. So will Giles and Joyce in fact begin a relationship, giving Buffy the father figure in earnest? Stay tuned....

Notes: candy as "forbidden fruit" leading to evil; "young" Joyce showing that she remembers adulthood, but feels as if she's just woke up. Images of adulthood vs responsibility--and the nearly invisible Xander, who is usually cited as the irresponsible one.

Homecoming

Simple plot: Cordy and Buffy vie against each other for Homecoming Queen. Neither wins, but they reveal more of their characters in the process. Subplot--Xander and Willow kiss. Boy, do they kiss. Which wouldn't be a problem a season ago at this time, but now...Oz and Cordy? Somehow, the whole topic of polyamory is not raised. Curious.

Anyways, isolation is key here. Buffy wants to get in touch with her inner homecoming queen because of what's she's lost as the Slayer. If she were at her old school, if she weren't the Slayer, she would have been Queen. She would have been popular, had friends, been in the yearbook (the yearbook is a recurring theme. In Angel, Cordy goes through the yearbook to try to remember who she is, and realizes it's the story of her life) Buffy has monsters, death, and weapons as her life; high school is an afterthought.

Her friends abandon her in her quest to be Queen. Out of guilt for kissing, both Willow and Xander have committed to working for Cordelia, and the scene where Buffy is excitedly organizing them to help her only to have Cordelia sweep in, assign tasks, then everyone leave (making excuses of course) is understated but poignant--Buffy is isolated and alone. Giles, who obviously doesn't care about homecoming queen but cares deeply about Buffy, quietly sympathesizes.

Buffy's approach to winning is characterized by Cordelia as sensitive, she, deep, caring--some words like that. The picture Buffy uses is not typical, either. Not glamourous, not cheerful, friendly--more Princess Di looking up from under her bangs.

Ultimately, I suspect that part of the point of this episode is to begin morphing Cordy into the character we get on Angel--still the diva, but able to deal with any thing that goes bump in the night. And juxtoposing her with Buffy is good. Buffy could be Cordy (and initially, that's the role Gellar was trying for), and Cordy needs to find her inner Buffy--the snarkiness and sniping in their relationship stems from them knowing each other too well; they recognize themselves, both strengths and weaknesses, from looking in the mirror of the other.

Beauty and the Beasts

On the surface, this is just a throw-away episode. Mysterious deaths, scooby gang doing scooby stuff (Willow even has a Scooby Doo lunchbox in this). Buffy's kind of seeing Scott, but doesn't seem that interested. No big revelations, no huge angst.

However, there is a bit of interesting forshadowing. Buffy is seeing the school counselor, and he echos Joyce's comments from last season about "you're seeing a guy, you get intimate, the guy turns mean..." The theme of Men Turn Mean is not explored in any depth, but is assumed. More interestingly, he also previews Spike's "I'm love's bitch" speech. "Sometimes you love too much, and Love becomes your master, and you're love's dog" was roughly the way it was worded. He made it seem bad; Spike embraced the title. (I think that's this season, too, but I'm not sure.)

Also, Buffy is hiding that Angel's back, and she's obviously worried that he's damaged. In talking with Giles about what it's like to come back from a hell dimension, he explains briefly what it means to have humanity left within you. If it's not there, the returnee can't be saved. If the humanity is, the human can be redeemed. These questions also arise in season 6 after Buffy is resserected--with similar assumptions about her being in a hell dimension, in fact.

Other little things, but overall, not a must see episode--that's my opinion right now. We'll see if I change it, which has happened!

Faith, Hope and Trick

Big news: Angel's back, somehow. We don't know details, that's the closing shot: Angel, naked, laying on the floor.

This episode is an intro episode, starting the season's meta-plot. Character development is key; with the arrival of the somewhat morally ambiguous Faith, Buffy's jealous streak, and intro of Trick (who never quite works for me), a couple interesting things may be missed.

One, Willow knows that she's doing things with magic that Giles wouldn't approve of. She underplays and tries to lie about what she's been attempting, and Giles warns her--one of the first times I remember getting an undercurrent of "this isn't good."

Two, Giles is more subtle and aware than he may seem. A recurring bit during the episode (maybe the first couple?) is Giles pressing Buffy for more info about Angel's death so he can do a "binding spell" to insure there are no problems with the statue (or something similar). Buffy sticks with "I came, I saw, I conquered" as her line until the end of the episode. Finally, with no emotional fanfare, she starkly tells the truth: She kissed Angel, who was back to himself, then killed him. She admits it feels better to have told, but in an understated manner. It's not until after Buffy leaves that we find out Giles' only magic involved healing Buffy's pain--he knew she hadn't faced it all, and he played her to get the rest of the story. That degree of emotional insight wasn't typically observed in Giles earlier, but it becomes more common. Also, Faith suffers because she doesn't tell; Buffy sees that, and realizes that like Faith, she is part of the walking wounded. Telling Giles the whole truth helps.

Last, Joyce finds out that Buffy can't quit without dying--and that she died once and that led to Faith. She hates Buffy's calling, but supports her too. That's a recurring theme.

Next--I don't remember! Fun ahoy!

Dead Man's Party

Xander summed it up: If you try to bury things, they'll come back up. He was talking about the issues related to Buffy's running away, but zombies were attacking them as he said it. So this is one time when the metaphor is impossible to miss!

Willow and Buffy talk, finally, after dancing around issues the whole episode. Buffy and her mom apparently do, too--but if Xander and Buffy do, there's no hint. However, he makes the strongest statement about Buffy needing to talk, to not isolate herself. He supports Joyce, siding against Buffy in the big argument. Willow backs away from confronting Buffy, but Xander does it because it needs done. Is that part of how he shows manhood and loyalty? Could be.

Notably, Buffy is still dreaming about Angel, sensuous, death-filled dreams

One thing worth noting: some of the intense emotional scenes include dialogue that is ridiculous. It fits with the situation and characters, but the sincerity of the actors in the emotions they bring to the scenes create credibility. Because they take it seriously, we can also. That's a large part of why the show resonants. It is campy, but not because the actors triviolize it or treat it frivolously. That is part of what makes the show.

SEASON THREE: Anne

Identity and isolation. The tension between community and self is a recurring theme, one of the key issues that Buffy as a character is torn between. Because of the danger involved with helping her, she believes she doesn't have the right to want community. In the reality of the Buffy-verse, she is ultimately the only one who can do her job. So friends and family are on the outside, even when they are invested in the struggle.

Given that, her attraction to Spike and Angel is simple: she doesn't have to watch their backs; they understand her and her mission on a level that even Giles can't--he's a voyeur to her mission, a watcher. Everyone else is potentially a liability because she feels responsible for them.

That's a long introduction to a simple season opener: Buffy left Sunnydale at the end of season 2, kicked out in the heat of the moment by her mother. She's in an unidentified city (later mentioned at L.A.) working as a waitress in a bad section of town. There are cuts to Sunnydale, where school is starting, Giles is trying to find Buffy, etc, but the bulk of the action follows Buffy.

She's going by her middle name, Anne, and evidently not in Slayer mode. When she meets someone who knows her real identity, it's someone whose identity is constantly in flux (we last saw her with a fancy french name, wanting to be a vampire); now she is Lily, and at the end of the episode, she decides to be Anne when she takes over Buffy's apartment and job. She resurfaces on Angel as a woman running a shelter for kids, someone Gunn helps out--still named Anne. She understands not knowing who you are, and gives Buffy tacit permission to not be Buffy. (I assume that there's a reason the name Lily fits; I should look it up, because Whedon almost never names spuriously. Maybe later)

By the end of the episode, though, Buffy claims her identity in full, resisting the demons who force their slaves to become "nobody." Buffy announces that she is Buffy the Vampire Slayer loud and clear, then begins to show them what that means as she saves the enslaved street kids. Buffy can't escape her identity, and because of her basic personality, she can't stay isolated. Lily finds her power because Buffy needs her to, and it's fair to surmise that Lily's life changes because of it. Buffy changes people, usually for the better--and she can't stay alone like previous slayers have.

And of course, Mom takes her back, after telling Giles that she blames him, that he should have done things differently, told her about Buffy. Giles doesn't argue much, but sees Buffy's destiny as beyond his control.

And Xander and Cordy are sniping and immature--what happened to make Xander go backwards? And Willow and Oz are cute, but barely sidebars. I'm hoping it's only this episode--I don't remember the next few episodes, though, so we'll see....

Becoming, pt 2 (I'm awake now)

I said that the episode is about the power of love, in both the negative and positive forms. Here's the list:

• Good--Because Spike loves Dru, he works with his enemy to get Dru back from Angel and protect her. This is a beginning (remember my Janus reference) because he goes beyond defining himself as evil, switching sides to align with the Slayer. Yep, a trend begins.
• Good--The power of love is possibly why Willow wakes from her coma. Xander gives a big speech to her, saying he loves her, and she starts rousing. She asks for Oz right away, though. (Closure of her infatuation with Xander? We'll see)
  
• Bad--Because Giles loves Jenny, he tells "her" (really Dru magicked to be Jenny) the secret of how Angel can wake the demon. He resisted torture; he can't resist love.
• Bad--Because Joyce is so concerned about Buffy (mother's love), she argues with Buffy to make Buffy stay home, not fight Angel--which leads to Buffy running away. Joyce said don't come back;Buffy didn't,
  
• Bad--Buffy has to balance her love of Angel with her duty; love loses. Buffy realizes that Angel is back, Angelus gone, and she still kills him to close the portal.
• Bad, maybe Biggest Bad--Because Xander loves Buffy (and he's proven repeatedly that he does, it's not just infatuation), he believes Angel is dangerous to the world and Buffy. Obviously, jealousy plays a big part here, but I'm willing to credit Xander with seeing the Angel's potential evil, SOOOO....he lies to Buffy for the second time in their relationship. He delivers Willow's message, but instead of "delay as long as possible, I'm trying the spell again," Xander claims Willow said, "Kick his ass." Symbolically, even happy, faithful, optomistic Willow has seemingly given up on Angel, sealing his fate with Buffy? Perhaps. It's noteworthy that the phrasing is very un-Willow-like. Xander would say that, not Willow. But Buffy is focused on the mission and doesn't question the false note.

Other Xander-centric note: He's evolved this season, maturing. In this episode, he comfortably, casually calls Cordy "honey," he pulls Giles to safety, he's calm and dependable---except the lying, of course. The first episode of next season, he's goofus and immature. Not sure what happened over the summer, but.... And the lying will come back to haunt him, season 7.

Blood is the key that opens and closes the portal....hm...that seems vaguely familar, like the premise of season 5, maybe...It's done differently, but on retrospect, it's odd that only Spike understands it in season 5.

Isolation and loneliness are a major theme here. Ultimately, the slayer is alone. Whistler says than, and Buffy ends the show watching as an outsider before leaving. There's more to think about....

Oh, and Kendra's dead, killed by Dru--which activates Faith, but we don't know that yet. And Spike is there with Buffy when Joyce finds out that Buffy is the Slayer. Joyce trying to make small talk with Spike even after realizing when and where she met him (as he was trying to kill Buffy early in the season, attacking the high school) is a marvelously fun bit. We find out later that Spike has great affection for Joyce, and that even when they are enemies, Buffy and Spike can do some of the facial shorthand communication stuff that becomes even more evident later.

Becoming pt 2

Big news: Buffy kills Angel. Who could have guessed???

That's not what this episode is about, though. It's about the power of love (yes, I do think that would be a good title for a song. Maybe Huey Lewis.....) Here's the twist--it's a two-faced power, the Janus, in a sense. And the implication of openings and closings, beginnings and endings inherent with the Janus image seems to hold true, also.

But I've had a very very long day, and I have just realized I'm too tired to write, so I'll explain later--tomorrow, maybe.

At least I gave you something to consider, right??

Becoming, pt 1

Obviously, part one isn't the big finish, and I'm just going to ramble about a few things here then see if there's a big point after I watch part 2.

First, the flashbacks are interesting. We want to like Angel and root for he and Buffy, yet the writers have gone out of their way to make him reprehensible: casually killing unnamed people, killing Jenny and setting up the tableau for Giles; taunting Willow and Buffy; telling Joyce about he and Buffy--it's clear that we're not supposed to like him. But the flashbacks--Angel as Liam, meeting Darla. It's hard to not be a bit appalled and confused. Is Angel the Big Bad or not? Well, yes, and he's trying to reanimate the demon--but wait, he can't. He's not bad enough. We'll see.

And Xander, who has been Buffy's top leutenant thus far, yells at her and Willow, insisting that Angel should be killed, soul or no soul. Willow is trying to restore Angel's soul, Giles and Buffy are doing a hurry-up-happy-dance, and Xander is incensed. Xander doesn't seem to believe in redemption.

Kendra shows to help; that's going to be an important point, but not right now.

Season 2 is the big intro Spike season, but it's striking how little he's really on screen. He's not even quite on the radar as a problem. He's evil, yadayada--but an afterthought. He's not a main player, except in a couple episodes.

Ok, that's all off the top of my head. On to part 2!

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.