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.

Amends

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

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

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

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

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

Episode 12: Prophecy Girl

The season started with the delicate blond who was really a nasty vamp; the audience gets warned that their preconceptions about how stories work will be twisted and challenged. The season ends with the characters being challenged: what they believe is true--the prophecies, the texts--those are all going to be twisted and challenged. The show has evolved so that not only the worldview of the audience is questioned. The characters themselves have become real enough that their worldview is suspect, too. And although Giles is the most overt example--finding that Buffy can thwart what he believes is an iron clad foretelling--most of the other characters all grapple with changes that lead their characters to begin evolving, also.

Giles' greatest fear is Buffy dying; that's established in "Nightmares." In this episode, he has to face that. At first,he doesn't tell Buffy what he knows, then he decides he is going to fight the Master to save Buffy--which would be certain self-sacrifice. Until this episode, though, most of the time, he's been the uptight, prissy English headmaster. Finally, Giles becomes a man of action, rescuing Jenny and Willow as best he can and shouting out orders to secure the library. I hadn't realized how close to Wesley he was in style and manner throughout the first season. Watching season two again will be interesting to see how much of the head master vibe exists next year.

I'm still surprised by how undefined Willow is, although she does become more Velveteen Rabbit in this episode. Interestingly, her speech about not going to Spring Fling with Xander ("Do you think I wanna go to the dance with you and watch you wish you were at the dance with her") foreshadows Oz's speech (season 2? 3? we'll see) when he refuses to kiss her because he has this fantasy that when he kisses her, she's kissing him back--not just trying to make Xander jealous. Willow's reaction after finding her classmates in the lounge after the vampire massacre also is a baby step towards defining her character. At the beginning, she was almost simpering, constantly apologetic, just the nerd girl with answers and the best friend who does exposition. While Willow's character still hasn't jelled, it's beginning--and I wonder if the fact there were so few female writers this season impacted how Willow's character was written? The male writers may have had fun writing for the fantasy girls--Buffy and Cordelia--and they've done well with Xander (although romantizing him hugely--looking at their own existence with rosy lens, anyone?) But at this point, Willow is the nerd girl who might have been their friend, but they didn't know her--they were too busy imagining the Buffys. That's the theory I've got, subject to updates!

Buffy tries to quit slaying; she gets angry and scared and yells at Giles and Angel in an impressive scene. But...things happen and she accepts the idea that she is going to die. Her goal is to take the Master out with her. The first episode, she's not going to slay, then she will, but reluctantly. The season ends with her choosing to wade in...literally, since she drowns (and who would expect that the vampire kills her by drowning? Another expectation toyed with). Maybe her character shifts are subtle, but the fact that she's determined to save those she loves despite personal cost is not clearly articulated until this episode.

Xander was the surprise this season. I hadn't randomly rewatched season one like I have later seasons (not rewatched much 2 or 3, either), so I had forgotten--or hadn't realized--how fully realized his character was almost from the beginning. He's goofy and class clown in public venues, but with his BFF's or just one other person, there's maturity and insight and sincerity. And for me, working with kids, that dynamic rings true. Get a couple kids together and their collective IQ's and maturity levels dive bomb. One on one, though, that's a different story. I can believe both the crazy dancing Xander at the Bronze and the Xander who stands up to Angel and challenges him to prove that Buffy's right: "At the end of the day, I pretty much think you're a vampire. But Buffy's got this yen for you. She thinks you're a real person--and right now, I need you to prove her right--" all after forcing Angel down with a cross. Xander's loyalty and bravery as well as his vision are his hallmarks throughout the series (which is why it's so devastating in season 7 when he agrees to kick Buffy out of her house).

At this point, Xander is Buffy's lieutenant; at the beginning, he follows her down to look for the Big Bad even though he's told not to; after that, Xander has her back more often than Angel does, thus far. In fact, Angel and Xander flank Buffy as she's heading to the OK Correl for the final showdown with the Master. Xander saves Buffy when Angel can't--both because he bullies Angel into leading him to the Master's lair, then when he performs CPR, which Angel can't do. Xander doesn't get to kiss Buffy as his prom date, but symbolically he gets much more. But as the series continues, Xander's character gets lost in the shuffle or something; for several season, he is comic relief or plot device; based on season one, the actor has more chops than he will display during the middle seasons, when comic lines about his relationship with Anya or his distrust/jealousy of Spike/Angel are his most routine contribution to the plot. (Note for the future: Xander says "I want to dance with you" when he's asking her to prom; sometime--next season--in a memorable scene, she does dance with him, a dance that usually requires a pole, just to make Angel jealous. Unlike Willow and Oz, Xander settles for what he can get where Buffy's concerned.)

Overall--why is Buffy dressed in a white, gauzy prom dress as she faces the Master? Especially topped with the incongruous black jacket? Is it as obvious as the symbolism would seem--it's a black and white situation, she's going to face her death in a angelic style dress? She's the archetypal innocent scapegoat, being offered to quell evil? Even the dress symbolizes sacrifice; she tells her mom they can't afford it, yet Joyce got it anyway. The rule of 3's is in play as Buffy gets complimented on the dress, too, earning Angel a wry response when he complements her bedraggled, muddy appearance after the Master is dust.

I have more in my notes, but....I've rambled enough and would really like a shower. Later tonight, I'm starting Season two--and that means more Angel, plus Spike--I'm excited!