SEASON FIVE: Buffy vs. Dracula

Sure, it's a cute episode. Snappy dialogue, good characterization. And it makes sense that sooner or later, the Count himself would show up.

Here's what I noticed: First, when Dracula is trying to enthrall Buffy, to get her to consider joining his side, he says almost exactly the same thing Dream-Tara said in Restless: "You think you know what you are--what's to come--but you haven't even begun." In significant ways, that's the theme of the second half of the show, and very tied in with it is that Buffy's power is steeped in darkness; that is mentioned in Restless, and Spike (and others) comment on how drawn Buffy is to men who are more dark than light--she comments herself on it as she's beginning to be interested in Riley, that "something is missing." In season 7, she finds out in one episode that the Slayer's original power stemmed from harassing demons, and she rejects getting more demon-fueled-power. Her insistence on right/wrong (as noted by Faith when they switch bodies, and Willow and Xander when they call her "judgmental" during Yoko Factor)--does that stem from a fight within herself to not go to the dark side....? maybe.

Three other things that build throughout season five--because even though this is a light episode, it does establish the season's subtext: Dawn comes, literally. I can't imagine how confused the audience was as they waited week by week to understand how a new character shows up, accepted as canon in-world.

And, just as Giles was preparing to tell Buffy that he's leaving, she decides she needs a Watcher. She's going to accept the official (well, minus the council, so far) responsibilities and structure of Slayer-hood, training, listening, etc. The whole "should I stay or should I go" dance is static this season....he's needed.

Last..Xander, after being in thrall to Dracula, announces he's done being "everyone's butt-monkey." He decides it's time to grow up, to find a place in the adult world for himself. If I remember right, in just a couple episodes he has a defining moment, and is not the poor-little-victim...as often.

That's what I see, and more is coming. (Oh, and Riley was sure he was going to lose Buffy to Dracula, and Anya and Spike both have met him before--Anya seems quite smitten with the memory, too)

Restless

Season four ends not with vanquishing Big Bad, but with an artful, experimental show of dream sequences. Much has been written about this episode, and the dvd includes Joss' detailed commentary on the episode--I really don't have much to say that's not been said before, probably by people who have said it better.

In a sense, the Big Bad of season four is as much finding their own identity--their "true names," as comes up in a couple of the dreams. Adam, as the "am I human, or demon, or andriod--and what does that mean anyway" Big Bad they can physically fight is one manifestation of that, but this episode ties up the search in ways that killing Adam doesn't. Willow, Giles and Xander go on dream quests that end in them naming their quandaries or fears: Cool, Quirky Wicca Willow is a disguise, and nerd Willow quails beneath that disguise, fearful of discovery; as hard as Xander searches, he'll never leave his basement, never overcome the taint and heritage of his upbringing; and Giles' crossroads--am I father? watcher? should I move on?--peppers his journey with options, ones he is too stymied to grab.

Then finally, Buffy's dream-journey takes her face to face with the first Slayer, who tells her she cannot have friends, she must only kill. Buffy rejects that, ultimately saving her friends and herself.

Rife with foreshadowing of Dawn's arrival next season, sexual imagery, and commentary on various plot threads (including Joyce's death--and Buffy ignoring when her mom asks for help), it's clear that Tara is integrating herself into their lives, and that Buffy is aware that Riley may become someone she can't be with. According to Whedon's commentary, the odd cheeseman who appears in each dream really is a random motif, just as dreaming includes random imagery.

There's a lot of interesting symbolism in the episode, but honestly--it's been talked about by people who have devoted a whole lot more energy to being insightful than I'm willing to give. Note though that creative camera angles, odd dissolves, unusual depth of field, and frequent use of color and negatives give this an exceedingly dream-like feel, making it clear that Joss' at least this season was going for an artsy auteur approach to his direction.

Primeval

Buffy calls a meeting, and in an interestingly staged conversation--Giles, Willow, Xander and Buffy standing on a sidewalk (maybe, symbolically, an intersection, now that I think about it) standing in square facing each other--they realize Spike set up the arguments. Perfunctory decision that it's all good, that they need to work together, and so business as usual...but it's at best a whitewash. Until later, again interestingly, symbolically staged: Willow and Buffy repelling down into the Initiative, and Buffy broaches the subject again, apologizing for her distance and lack of attention, then Willow copping to her own secrecy and hurt. By the time they hit bottom--friendship truly reaffirmed, and Xander hops down in time for a group hug. Now, all is really well, and we know that the gang is committed to staying together. Anya, Riley and Tara are nowhere near, but the decision is clearly to not let anything impede the Scooby mojo.

If this season was about Frankenstein, the conclusion must somehow address that. Adam's plan to create an army of demon/tech/human androids--beings without soul, without conscience, is viewed as bad by everyone...well, everyone good. Is technology bad? That's a bit more up in the air--Willow is more wicca, less tech this season, but she's still the go-to girl for all things computer. Maggie's use of tech to dominate humans is definitely decried, but I'm not sure that ultimately, this season adds much to the "what does it mean to be human" discussion. They could have gone there, and with Maggie, her assistant, and Forrest all joining Adam in half-death/tech life-ville, there was opportunity. The fact that Riley was targeted for that could have extended the conversation to the Scoobies, easily. But no...instead the focus is the power of love--agape (Willow, Xander, Giles, banding together for the final spell) and eros (Riley pulling out his own chip as well as whole episodes and themes: Oz overcoming/losing to wolf side and Where the Wild Things Are, specifically)

But the season doesn't end there...in another artsy move, there's one more episode, the dream episode, Restless. I need to rewatch that before I'm sure of any conclusions about the season.

The Yoko Factor

Pivotal episode, in the "things that can't be unsaid" realm. The basic premise is simple: Adam will take care of Spike's chip if Spike helps deal with the Slayer. Getting her friends out of the way--and her distracted by the drama--is Spike's idea. In an insightful explanation, Spike explains that Yoko Ono didn't break up the Beatles, but they broke themselves up under the pressure of fame and time; that's his plan--plant a few seeds, and let them do the dirty work themselves.

It's been clear since season 2 that Spike understands psychology much more intuitively than the Scoobies realize; they discredit him because of his chosen image. But in the process of supplying them info about the Initiative--info which I think does turn out to be important, next episode, making him a double agent--he drops side comments to Giles, Xander and Willow that feed their basic insecurities and lead to a huge argument at the end of the episode, with Buffy walking out, implying that she can't count on Willow and Xander. Who is left? well...Riley--who ends the episode at Adam's lair, for purposes unclear (although avenging his friend Forrest's death seems likely).

Spike tweaks Giles by commenting on his uselessness and lack of control of Buffy--and, appropriately, Giles is singing Freebird when Spike finds him, foreshadowing not just what Spike talks about, but the season 6 song Standing and his ultimate leaving as Buffy's watcher. Giles spends the rest of the episode drunk, even giggling uproariously at the words "Fort Dix." Season four has been rough for Giles--no job, no standing, less than Batman's Alfred, he implies during the argument scene. Spike capitalizes on that.

In a masterful bit of triple-entrendre, Spike hints to Willow that her computer skills are weakening, that being a witch is laughable, and that being with Tara just a phase--because. like Faith, Spike realizes with only small hints that Willow and Tara are involved; something Buffy barely believes even when Willow told her, and Xander and Giles don't realize til the argument at the end of the episode. Willow falls for every one of the lines Spike throws, showing how vunerable to needing Buffy's approval she is. Again, the dialogue where Spike casually throws out those issues is intermixed with other content, making this just throw-away banter that hits home--amazing dialogue writing.

And Xander, who has been as much adrift as Giles this season, quickly believes that his friends think he should enlist. It's curious that no one asks why Spike was in conversations like that with other people--since when does Spike sit and chat? But he is integrated enough with the gang that they do all accept without question that Spike would know; his plan only works because they trust him. Again, they've forgotten that he's "evil." a point he's made repeatedly this season.

There's the whole Angel comes back, and Riley freaks because he thinks Buffy's leaving him for Angel subplot--important in the Riley/Buffy arc, maybe, because he now knows everything about Buffy and Angel (tying in well with Yoko, Xander spilled that by accident, thinking Buffy explained why Angel turned evil). That's as much finishing an arc from Angel as impacting this show, though--Buffy fans who also watched Angel had to see a semi-reconciliation after the serious break that happened on Angel when Angel gave Faith a second chance.

So what's it all about? Simple: in high school, they were without question a gang, committed to each other. Are they going to recommit, or are they going to float apart without regret as they grow up? Thus far in season 4, it seems that they are on a floating apart track--Riley doesn't really become a Scooby, Willow and Buffy don't like Anya, Xander feels like the others don't respect what he'd doing...which, in fairness, is nothing except hanging with Anya., and Willow is hiding her new relationship. Yep, they are going separate ways, to all appearances. All Spike did was tear the band-aid off the wounds.

And....to be continued....

Where the Wild Things Are

What does it mean to be human? This episode, a road bump on the path to the end of season 4, asks that in a sense...maybe. Adam--who isn't in this episode (or if he is, it's so brief that I've forgotten)--isn't human. He lacks passion. He can't love. And instead of having an Adam-centric episode now, there's one about passion. Simply: Buffy and Riley, because of the intense sexual energy they're conjured up, raise dormant spirits of orphans who lived in that house and were strictly punished for sexually-related behavior.

So, a party raises more Cain, and Buffy and Riley are hot-n-heavy for who knows how long, unaware that killer vines are surrounding them, that there's been an earthquake, that their friends are yelling for them. We get hints that Willow and Tara are involved, and Xander and Anya argue about sex--it's a theme.

Interestingly, Anya and Spike bond at the Bronze, having a conversation about how similar they are, both demons who can't hurt people. Spike is obviously ogling Anya, far more than previously, and Anya talks more freely and normally to him than she does usually. Their brief fling--10 minutes that changes their lives--in season 6 seems less random now; there's a backstory for it.

NOTE: season 4 must be where Joss has an itch to be an artist. As well as the ground-breaking Hush, this show features some artsy camera angles, pulling up on Riley and Buffy in bed until they are a little square of white floating in black. There was some other artsy thing, too, but I'm drawing a blank what it was.

And Giles sings, guitar in hand and earring in place, at a coffee shop. He's trying to find himself, and is still oddly misplaced. Appropriately, the following scene is in a library or something similar, researching; gotta reinforce the Giles image right after the crooning. The song he sings, Behind Blue Eyes by the Who, is symbolic too:

best-song-lyrics.com No one knows what it's like To be the bad man To be the sad man Behind blue eyes No one knows what it's like To be hated To be fated To telling only lies But my dreams They aren't as empty As my conscience seems to be I have hours, only lonely My love is vengeance That's never free No one knows what it's like To feel these feelings Like I do And I blame you No one bites back as hard On their anger None of my pain and woe Can show through But my dreams They aren't as empty As my conscience seems to be I have hours, only lonely My love is vengeance That's never free When my fist clenches, crack it open Before I use it and lose my cool When I smile, tell me some bad news Before I laugh and act like a fool If I swallow anything evil Put your finger down my throat If I shiver, please give me a blanket Keep me warm, let me wear your coat No one knows what it's like To be the bad man To be the sad man Behind blue eyes

The I in Team

I've procrastinated about writing about this episode....not because it's so seminal or baffling, just....there's a lot going on, but it's mainly plot level. This episode is more soap opera structure, multiple storylines that only tangentially impact each other at this point, but all building towards further plot complications. Nothing is resolved in this episode; there's no satisfying "win" for the Scoobies, but the promise of more Big Bad action is clear--and this is the episode where the season metaplot really starts. All the players are in place, and they've introduced and established the Initiative, Riley, Oz's departure, Anya, Maggie, even Adam. We're pretty fair into the season for the big picture to just be emerging, but that becomes more the modus operandi in the later seasons (Willow isn't revealed as the Big Bad until the last couple episodes in season six; season 7, it seems like the Bringers, then Caleb, then....underlying Big Bad.).

The title for this episode is an onion: obvious, Buffy joins the Initiative (Note, it starts with an I, and is a Team), but it's clear that she is not good at being a Team Member--there's too much "I" in her makeup (which ties in with Giles' insistence to Kendra and the Council that Buffy can't be treated like the other slayers, that she doesn't fit the subservient pattern). A couple brief conversations with Riley where it's clear that he doesn't question, he does what "the team," usually Maggie, tell him because he's a team player just emphasizes Buffy's difference as well as setting up Riley's loss of innocence.

Riley knows he is part of the good guys, and he trusts without question that his leaders--Maggie--are doing everything for the greater good. Hence, he doesn't need to question. Just act. In Maggie and Riley's eyes, Giles is wrong for fostering the collaborative approach that he has permitted with Buffy (and the Scoobies--note that slayers are NOT team creatures, usually--flashback to Kendra's amazement about Buffy having friends and help).

So....Buffy, who has been the core of the Scooby team, has left that affilation (or so it seems based on her lack of connection emotionally and in daily ways with the others) in favor of Riley...not the first time she's chosen a man over her friends, notice. Season three had large helpings of Angel-secretiveness and pulling away, too.

But everyone is, in some manner, exploring connection and team:

• Spike starts off the episode by declaring that he's bad, and he will not come running if "teen witches' spells go wonky" or "Xander cuts a new tooth," cutting ties with the group even as Giles is there in the background trying to offer Spike status and involvement. What exactly Giles was intending is never made clear, as Spike is rude and dismissive, closing all discussion....until, of course, Spike is shot with a "tracer" and shows up at Giles door for help. A smidgen of Giles' hardass background--a hint of Ripper--comes through as he neogotiates with Spike about why Giles should help him. (The chemistry between those two characters is interesting; I wish Joss did a bit more with it...well, the whole season 7 Giles plotting to kill Spike excepted, I guess.) This episode makes it clear that although Spike refuses to fit into the Scooby team, he is part of the gang in more than a peripheral manner.
  
• Willow's turned gay--she's left the Scooby team with her own secret, and it's only later that the significance of this episode is clear. Tara, a stuttering, shy misfit, has been in most of the season, but just as "a witchy friend," filling a gap for Willow because Tara has more background in ways. But the scene where Buffy, after spending the night with Riley in one of the more graphically sexual scenes in the series, comes back to the room only to find that Willow has been out all night too. Buffy is so keyed into herself that she misses Willow's evasiveness and unease about saying where she was; Buffy isn't a Scooby at that point, isn't thinking as Willow's best friend. When Giles calls Willow for help with Spike's tracer, it's an affirmation that Giles is still assuming the Scoobies exist and function, but based on Willow and Buffy....that's shortsighted.
  
• Xander is floundering, and because he has no job, no Scooby imperative--Anya is with him constantly, and he hangs out with Giles, who is equally at loose ends. Xander's foray into selling the granola/power bars--which no one likes, and he justifies by explaining that he needs to buy pretty things for Anya (who embraces capitalism with a vengeance...so to speak!) Xander can't hold onto the sense of gang that they had; it's too clear that Willow and Buffy have other interests (and, as the poker game makes clear, Willow feels left out from the Anya/Xander vibe, too--making her relationship with Tara more likely, as well. Tara needs her friendship; Buffy and Xander don't)

BUT--pesto chango. The point of this episode may be to shake up Riley and make it clear that the Initiative (read: Maggie) has spawned the Big Bad: Adam, the cyborg-demon-human that Maggie has created and Riley has inadvertently helped with by supplying parts, never questioning what he was doing. Maggie reveals herself as evil--as not really being part of the Team, in once sense--when Riley finds that she has set up Buffy to get killed. The farm boy's world is rocked, and he's questioning everything. Buffy--who had been enthusiastic about the Initiative, barely considering the ramifications of that for the Scooby gang, is now Maggie's sworn enemy--and Maggie is dead...but by Adam. not Buffy.

One other curious thing: during a big fight scene, the graphic sex scene with Riley and Buffy is intercut. That's a technique that is unique to this episode, I think....I can think of times that things which we happening simulataneously are intercut, but the fighting and the sex couldn't be simulataneious--in fact, when Buffy asks Riley at the end of the fight, "what now," the audience knows exactly where they end up--and that conclusion of that sequence of events is when we find out that Buffy spent the night with Riley. Why they chose to juxtapose the action of the two scenes is curious. In a later season---five or six---Spike needles Buffy about the sexual thrill of battleing demons, declaring that it just primes the pump, or something similar--and Buffy vehemently denies it. The filming here may be the first exploration of that idea, which is pivotal in parts of season six....maybe.

The most important point: they have been losing the "team" experience and "team" feel this season, and the barely interlocking plots are designed to emphasize that; the end-of=-season melding that requires all their gifts to beat Adam also reaffirms that they are still a "team," not just the "I."

Now, on to the next episode, which continues the soap opera feel, if I remember right.

A New Man

This seems like another monster-of-the-week shows with a twist: Giles is the monster, transformed by Ethan Raines (of course). But even though it is essentially a stand-alone, not an integral part of the Big Bad plot this season, this episode more clearly introduces the philosophical question at the core of this season, and, in ways, the series.

What does it mean to be a man? Put in a less (potentially) sexist manner, what does it take to be human? Even though he looks like a Fyarl demon (note how close the word is to "feral"--it's pronounced Furr-ral; as Jung said, there are no coincidences), Giles retains his intellect, his human emotions, and his soul. Ultimately, Buffy doesn't kill him because she recognizes him when she looks into his eyes as she's about to stake him--the saying "the eyes are the windows to the soul" seem especially appropriate.

Spike, who just happens to speak Fyarl, agrees to help Giles...for a price, of course--which comes into play in the next episode. Spike is an interesting counterpart to Giles in this episode. Is Spike a man? That question may be unvoiced, but it resonants loudly from this season until the end of the series. He has no soul, hence the Scoobies and the Initiative quickly deem Spike as "other"--"Hostile 17," in fact. Spike's insight, emotions, and intellect are not in question; he's only one soul (and one beating heart) away from being a real boy--in the Buffy spin-off Angel, that issue is explicitly addressed as it applies to both Spike and Angel (who, because he has a soul, is closer to human and worthy of Buffy's affection). In this episode, also, Spike declares himself off-limits for the Slayer and her "Slayerettes." Giles, who was obviously assuming Spike would want to work with them since he can fight demons, was taken aback by Spike's strident insistance that he is evil, that he's a Big Bad they should beware of. (Point of Fact: Spike is never the Big Bad. Season Two, when it looks as if he will be, Angel emerges as the threat--and Spike partners with Buffy to quell him.) Spike looks like a human, thinks and acts like a human in most ways...and in this episode, he again protects and helps humans.

It's worth noting that Giles starts off the episode feeling lost and out of place, at a birthday party for Buffy at the college. He discovers that Buffy has a boyfriend--which everyone else obviously knew--and Riley inadvertantly rubs in Giles' displacement when making small talk. Giles is a man, no question about that...but old, worn, out of place. This episode is the first clear marker that eventually, he will have to leave--that Buffy is outgrowing her need for him, and that he is becoming redundant.

Then....Maggie makes it worse, telling Giles that Buffy needs a stronger father figure, more discipline and focus. Those are Giles' jobs, ones that he defined himself by, yet both the Watcher's Council and now Maggie (unknowingly) question his ability to do this job. Giles is ripe for a crisis, for a re-definition of himself--thanks to Ethan, his crisis is a doozy, blatantly leading to question who he is, how he fits in, and if he is, in fact, human. Giles' totally out-of-character terrorizing of Maggie while he is Fyarl is an interesting peek both at his latent "Ripper" persona, and at the emotion he swallows when Maggie insulted him; as a soulless demon, he was free to react. As a reasonable man, he wasn't.

That Buffy and the gang do not question Giles' humanity once they realize he the "demon," magicked by Ethan, is interesting. Their definition of "human" is fluid; it will be tested by the creation of Adam, the person/demon/cyborg Maggie has created that will be unveiled in the next episode--and the question will echo next season as Buffy refuses to kill "Ben" because he is human, even thought he's a conduit for the evil Goddess Glory. But I'll talk more about that later, I'm sure!

Something Blue

Time for a fan fav because it's just so fun--as Willow tries to magically zap the pain of Oz leaving, she causes mayhem for everyone around her...which ends up comic, no harm done. BUT...this is far more than just a detour from the season's Big Bad. In significant ways, this episode foreshadows huge shifts in the characters and the series as a whole, especially later seasons when the whole vibe is much darker.

Here's a question: who's journey is the focus of "Buffy, the Vampire Slayer?" Based on the title, it's reasonable to say that Buffy's evolution and actions are the crux of the show, but...not so fast. Because she's "the chosen," because her prime directive can't change and her course is predestined, there are some pretty clear parameters. Yes, they play with "Buffy should go away to college" and "When Buffy gets married and has kids...." but really? Those violate the universe that Buffy exists in--and yea, I know at the end of the series, we can discuss if Buffy has found a way to beat the system, pulling a Kobayashi Maru. We're several seasons away from that discussion, though, so the question stands: who is the series really tracking?

Willow. I can make a serious argument that Willow's journey and evolution are in significant ways what gives the series depth and momentum. The clearest images of the episode may be Spike and Buffy getting engaged, making out non-stop as magically blinded Giles tells them that he can hear the smacking of their lips. But why is Buffy sitting on Spike's lap? Willow felt jealous and rejected, and---oops--magic happened. Xander, Amy, Anya, Spike, Giles, Buffy--they all feel the ricochet of Willow's inability to deal with negative emotions and reliance on magic as a mystical band aid.

D'Hoffern, the boss of vengence demons, tries to recruit Willow--that's not a wake up call to Willow that she has issues dealing with negative emotion, but it foreshadows to the audience that Willow's issues are not solved by the handing out of fresh chocolate chip cookies, which she's sweetly and humbly doing as penance at the end: "Eat a cookie, ease my pain" with the wistful little-girl, how-can-you-be-mad smile. Buffy's comment about possibly wanting a forgetting spell to erase her feelings for Spike is especially pointed; Willow loses Tara, then turns completely dark, because of the sequence of events from using forgetting spells. For every Scoobie character, this episode is a template of what happens in some significant ways in the next few seasons.

Giles is blind--yep, his solo in "Once More With Feeling" echos that sentiment; because he loves Buffy, he's blinded to what he needs to do to let her grow up. And, more immediately, he's not seeing clearly about his role since he left the high school.

Xander is a demon magnet--again, significant points are made about he and Anya's relationship, which is still in a fledgling stage. And although the yellow crayon is not referenced (the touching speech he gave to Willow when she went evil, ultimately saving her...and the world, of course), Xander is the one who tries to reach out to Willow in her pain, before anyone realized that she was inadvertently casting spells.

Spike and Buffy, well--they are crazy in love, planning their wedding--and arguing, not really liking each other, but still incredibly connected...sound familiar? When they do start a "relationship," Buffy doesn't like him, they argue constantly, she admits she's using him, yet the connection is strong. Pretty much a mirror image of the show, down to the intensity of the physical relationship.

And the short bit where Buffy talks to Riley about being engaged, then later explains it away? We see her with a "nice, normal guy" and get to imagine what if that would work...the idea of Buffy settling down in a suburb with a mini-van and a hunky husband is appealing, and this episode juxtaposes life as a Slayer--and a vamp boyfriend--with the "what if" image we get from Riley...so far.

The title is interesting. Obviously, the wedding is referenced: something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue. But...D'Hoffern is blue--the underlying point of the episode could be that connection between Willow and the potential she has for evil as symbolized by D'Hoffern. And blue can be shadowy, dark--this episode seems innocuous, but really, it's also shadowy and dark, simmering beneath the surface.

I like this episode. The dialogue is snappy and fun, the out-of-character actions work thanks to both strong writing and good acting, and overall, the structure is tight. But the more I think about it, the deeper it is, and even little lines have a great deal of significance in the context of the series as a whole. I suspect I'll reference this one again.

Pangs

This is a popular episode--funny, good lines, and quirky. Even though the plot looks like a stand-alone, not strongly related to the season's Big Bad, this episode has undercurrents that resonate throughout the rest of the series.

Two intertwined plots: Buffy wants an old-fashioned, family Thanksgiving, but with her mom away, Willow, Giles and Xander are the family she wants to be with. Second, an ancient Chumash warrior spirit has come back, and is seeking revenge for what the European settlers did to his culture. Appropriate for the holiday, and fodder for theoretial arguments between Willow and everyone else. The twist: Angel (who is in season one of his own show) has been warned that Buffy is in danger, and sneaks around trying to protect her without her knowledge.

The family theme is important. Giles and Xander have been marginalized this season thus far, and Willow is floundering due to Oz's departure. The Scooby Gang is growing up, and it looks as it they are losing their sense of "us." The meal, and the symbolism of the holiday, are a re-affirming of their "tribe," in an ironic sense considering the other plot. Even the arguing with Willow about whether the Native spirit should be killed fits with the family squabbling that is often part of the family ritual, as is the discussion where Willow admits that she'd like to not invite Anya (foreshadowing the issues they will have as part of the undercurrent over the next several seasons). Also, Spike's showing up, as desperate as any Dicken's character, begging Giles to take him in after Harmony refuses to let him stay (juxtaposed against another character's observation that home is where you go because they have to take you in. Like it or not, Buffy and co. are Spike's home.) The shot where Angel looks in the window, watching Buffy as she prepares the dinner for her "family," is poiniant. Angel is on the outside now...and Buffy's frequent staring out of the windows, looking for something but not sure what, underscores that she senses him, is connected to him, but he chooses to stay just out of reach. Spike is never exactly one of the gang--something made painfully clear in season 7--but he's at the table, part of the family. Angel isn't, by his own choice.

The Chumash tribe theme, while appropriate for the holiday, in ways is not about the Native Americans. Sure, there's some interesting controversy where Spike is the voice of reason, in ways, pointing out that the Europeans won, that's what conquerors do, so can the guilt. And Giles gets to mumble some hilarious lines about the Colonies. But the essence of the argument Willow makes, in ways, harkens back to the whole werewolf/human dilemma. Was Oz wrong to kill Veruca? Was she human? Should Oz be considered human--or not? When is mercy appropriate? Willow sees the spirit as human and wants to treat him thus, suggesting amends and reparations. Failing negotiations, she turns to magickal remedies, again trying to avoid an unpleasant situation via magick. Giles and Buffy both insist that magick is not the answer. Xander, sick from the Chumash warrior's curse, says it's a vengence demon, and vengence demons should be killed, which is not Anya's view at all. Until the war party attacks, Willow continues her argument.

The episode ends with the meal, one of the few times a sit-down meal is featured in the series. The symbolic value of breaking bread is important in the Buffyverse, and not done lightly. The episode ends with comments about how good it is to be together, like old times, affirming the family...and Xander slips, mentioning that Angel was there. Everyone looks at Buffy, cut to black. Oops.

The Initiative

Season four picks up; metaplot ahoy! Although there are deeper ramifications and some interesting character development things, this episode is mainly plot. Spike is being held captive in the Initiative's lab; he escapes, but then nearly gets re-captured. Giles and Xander are more obviously feeling useless, a situation that continues through much of season four. And Willow, who is still obviously hurting over Oz leaving, has long talks with both Riley and Spike, both of whom are using Willow to get to Buffy.

Riley's All-American good guy-ness is played up. He defends Buffy's honor by punching Parker for making an insensitive comment about Buffy, and he uses the word "courting" to refer to what he wants to do to get to know Buffy. He's nervous and inarticulate when Buffy's around, then G.I Joe when we discover he's part of the para-military group Buffy is curious about. His intentions are honorable, and he's sweet. His conversation with Willow makes it clear that he may be a better match for the brainy Willow--they seem to connect well--but after a long monologue about how they'll fall in love but end up with someone leaving (a commentary not just on her relationship with Oz, but also foreshadowing Buffy and Riley's end)--Willow accepts that Riley is going to "court" Buffy, and offers the baffling info that she likes cheese (a curiously reoccuring joke--or symbolic theme, but what of...still considering!)

The parallel of Spike going to Willow to find Buffy is interesting. Spike and Riley have antipathy towards each other, but before Riley leaves (next season? Not sure), they have a talk that makes it apparent that they are very jealous of each other. The parallel conversations with Willow is the beginning of their parallel relationships with Buffy. Riley, sweet and romantic, the "perfect" boyfriend; Spike, all emotion and passion, the despised partner. Watching for parallel moments will be interesting.

Note that Marster and Hannigan (Spike and Willow) do a subtle job of going from terror to parody as Spike finds he's unable to perform as a vampire, not realizing that the Initiative has put the chip in his head that renders him unable to attack humans. The moments like that scene remind me that it's not just Whedon's writing; the actors excel in subtle ways, making even the most ludicrous situations ring emotionally true.

Fear, Itself

I've been procrastinating about writing this one. Even had to watch the show again because I wasn't sure I remembered it well. On the surface, it's a fairly light show, doing a bit of relationship and character-building. Underneath, it's foreshadowing character traits that will ultimately threaten their relationships and all of Sunnydale.

The Anya/Xander relationship becomes an ongoing feature, and based on how it begins, Buffy's reaction early in season 5 when she accuses Xander of just letting Anya hang around so he's not alone seems true. Even though the relationship rarely takes front stage and Anya is often merely a plot device, the genesis and evolution is fun to watch.

More importantly, though, we see what each character fears most, and we see what happens to their friendships when they are under stress. Willow turns petulant and uses magic indiscriminately, just to prove she can--and she can't control it. The slight jealousy she feels about Buffy's importance overtly surfaces. Oz fights for control of his werewolf side, and abandons Willow as he deals with that. Buffy decides to take charge, alone, and closes her heart and ears to others' input. And Xander, who is totally marginalized by his non-college status (which is emphasized a couple times early in the episode), becomes invisible.

If the major foreshadowing department, when the demon is revealed in a trickster-twist, he tells Buffy as she kills him, "They're all going to abandon you, you know." She says, "yea, yea," as she stomps him. He wins, though. All their fears come true, even though it's the very end of the series when Buffy is abandoned and it's season 6 before Willow completely loses herself in her magic. The seeds are planted this early for us to know that those are possibilities.

As for Oz...it's not long before the wolf wins, and Xander is dealing with his metaphorical invisibility even in the last season as he tells Dawn about the challenge of not being special.

Giles rescues them, but throughout this episode and much of season 4, he's clearly at a loss as a character. He's comic relief in this episode, wearing a huge sombero and wielding a chainsaw. Getting his credibility back is his struggle this season, and this episode clearly shows his current lost-puppy status.

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 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.

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.

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.

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!

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.