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.

New Moon Rising

I can imagine the meeting the writers had before sketching out this script: "Well, here's the list of things that we need to have happen. First, we need Riley to break with the Initiative, and to accept a little bit of grey in his black and white worldview. Also, we need to set up Spike with Adam so we can mix up a little chaos there in an episode or two. And it's probably time that we make it clear to the slower members of our audience--and Buffy--that Willow is playing for another team. Suggestions?" Then someone remembered that Seth Green's contract called for another episode this season, and--abracadabra! Oz shows up, wolfie under control thanks to what must be the world's shortest trip to all sorts of places in Europe and studying with Tibetan monks. Really? He's been gone how many weeks?

It's a good episode, and the character development is important. I laughed hard as Riley declared himself an "anarchist" as he broke out of military jail. Big words from someone who's world-view only required two colors until this episode. Because he knew about Oz as a human, because he knew Oz as Willow's boyfriend, he saved Oz from the Initiative, even knowing that Oz could still turn werewolf. Considering the context of his character thus far, that's big.

But right this minute, I don't think there's much more to say about the episode. It builds bridges to coming episodes, and closes the door on Oz, but that's it.

Note, though: When Willow goes mondo-bad in season 6, I thought Oz was going to come back--not to replace Tara, but to help her heal. Maybe replacing the yellow crayon speech--but that's rightfully Xander's moment. Just sayin'.

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.

Wild At Heart

This is the big "Oz is leaving" episode...but it's not. Sure, Oz's fight between the wolf and the human sides of himself is important, but that is not the most significant part of the show. Willow's reactions to being hurt is what matters in the long run. Early in the episode, Willow's jealousy is a topic. It's somewhat humorous in the exchange about Buffy academically succeeding more than Willow, but the emotion expressed is definite jealousy. Then, Willow's reaction to Veruca is not subtle--she's aware that Oz is attracted to the musician even before Willow (and Oz) find out that Veruca is also a werewolf.

The attraction is explained as primal, animalistic--the wolf side of each character calling out to the other. Willow, who is usually the intellectual, represents the human, logical side--ironically, of course, since her reaction is entirely emotional. Continuing that thought, though, is the fact that we see (not for the first time, either) that intellectual Willow doesn't deal well with negative emotions. Finding Oz and Veruca together, naked, then having Oz chose to risk turning wolf while not locked up so that he can look for (and presumably neutralize) Veruca sends Willow over the edge emotionally: Willow is trying to use magic to hurt Veruca when the almost-changed werewolf comes into the science lab.

Oz kills Veruca. She's in wolf form and trying to hurt Willow; Oz is a wolf then too, but we know a line is crossed. If we are to view Oz as essentially human--except for 3 days a month--then the same logically should be true of Veruca. Oz killed, and being responsible for killing a human has repercussions--just ask Faith. (Yes, Xander escapes that clause in season 6. I'm not there yet.)

Other notes: Willow mentions the Wicca group, leading into meeting Tara, and Buffy finally decides that she's interested in the mysterious soldiers--who captured Spike before the opening credits. The metaplot is picking up....slowly.

Beer Bad

This is not one I like well, but it may just be because Buffy acts against type so drastically--which is in ways the point. Even this early in the show, relatively, she's having problems dealing with her losses and her position, but in this episode, lots of beer with frat boys is the "cure." Of course, the beer is cursed and we get the theme of the show: Primal. Buffy and Oz, in particular, go primal.

Buffy fantasizes about saving Parker, her way of then being able to make him appreciate her. Before the end of the episode, CaveGirl Buffy gets to do just that. Is he purged from her system? Symbolically, probably--and much mention of Parker in the series ends fairly soon as Riley takes the helm. This episode pretty much wraps up the Parker arc, while beginning the Oz leaving arc as he reacts on a level he doesn't understand to the lead singer of a band at the Bronze.

Notably, Xander is nearby to help Buffy. He's watching, seeing what she can't see. It's interesting that early in the episode, he makes a comment (that I forget now) that displays deep, well-rounded knowledge, but when faced with the college kids mocking him, he can barely form a sentence. Through the series, Xander claims to be dumb, but his vocabulary and allusions prove it's not true. The choice to have his character not go to college is an interesting one.

Willow's discussion with Parker is interesting, but right now, I'm not sure I can articulate why. Maybe later...

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 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."

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.

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....

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.

Halloween

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

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

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

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

"Inca Mummy Girl"

Couple notable things about this episode:

• First sighting of Oz and Jonathon, as far as I can tell--which is sort of cosmic balance. The embodiment of cool and the social outcast intro'd at the same time. And Oz is attracted to Willow from first glance, which is nice.
• Buffy sees an analogy between herself and the mummy girl, both chosen, both sacrificing themselves. The only mention of Buffy and death is at the very end, when she tells Xander she wouldn't be alive without him and smiles...not the "thank you" she'd purred that he wished for when she danced at him, but a far more genuine acknowledgment. Contrasting that with the pat little speech she gives at the Magic Box to thank them for bringing her back in season 6...this, unspoken, is much more sincere.
• In an episode about sacrifice, it's Xander who offers himself as the sacrifice, pulling Willow out of danger and saying he wants to be in the line of fire--or kissing, as the case may be. (Judas imagery, but not...) This is almost practicing for the yellow crayon speech at the very end of season 6--same dynamic in the logic, and interestingly, same goal: saving Willow.
• The goofy Xander/champion Xander split is becoming more pronounced, I think. Even the way he's dressed in a scene forshadows which one we see--that's my theory. I'm going to keep watching to see if it holds true. Thus far, I still think the writers understand him better than any other character and so we're getting a more nuanced personality from him, but the others are coming along.

No Spike, Angel, or Jenny in this one, and Cordelia is just comic relief. But what I'm noticing (first impression--gotta see if this holds true) is that the episodes in season 1 & 2 that I originally thought were throw-aways or weaker (Teacher Pet, the Pack, etc)--usually not part of the meta-plot--are in fact character building/defining episodes and figure importantly into the overarching mythos of the series. Hm....gotta think.