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.

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.

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.

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.