Family

Variations on the theme: this season, identity and family have been explored, now the theme reaches out to include Tara (and by extension, Willow, who has been underutilized so far this season). Tara has, understandably, been aware that she's not really a Scoobie. Even though she's been around for a season, Buffy and Xander can't think of a thing to get her for her birthday; they claim to not know her well enough.

By the end of the episode, we've found that Tara's own family is awful, and that she believed she was part demon. It's been established that she is officially part of the group, with everyone bonding together to save her from her father--even though she cast a spell that could have caused them to be killed by demons. She is forgiven and accepted, claimed as family.

Things to note: Spike had come to see Buffy killed, but helped save her (gee, imagine that), AND he is part of the process of "claiming" Tara--he's not a Scoobie, but he is. His intervention not only saved Buffy but also established that Tara's father was lying and she was not part demon. His integration from punch line to essential side man has started.

Also, Tara has misused magic, casting a spell for her benefit that impacts others. She is contrite that she did so, accepting that it was wrong. Willow--foreshadowing next season's issues--excuses and defends the use of magic to make Tara's pain less and life better. Tara has learned from her experience; Willow hasn't.

And, very importantly, Riley helps Buffy move in, then feels shut out and leaves, heading to Willy's bar to drink with vampires--looking for darkness? Leading into something? AND, equally importantly, the big love fest at the end that solidifies Tara (and Spike and Anya) as part of the expanded group--Riley's not there. He's on borrowed time. He knows it, too.

The Replacement

Xander-angst! Last season, Xander was a misfit. He wasn't in college, he couldn't keep a job, he was at loose ends and stagnating. This episode, right at the beginning of season 5, is a logical counterpart to Dawn's "Real Me." In both, the core issue is one of identity. "Real Me" introduces Dawn's search for identity; "The Replacement" makes Xander's struggle with finding his groove as an adult into an explicit theme.

So he's twins--grown-up, responsible Xander and goofy, unreliable Xander. The twist is they are both Xander, and the clearest evidence of that is that the reliable one is doing things--getting a promotion, getting a nice apartment--based on the actions of season 4 Xander, who must have quietly been doing some of the right things in order to have the opportunities he takes advantage of in this episode.

As happens in other places, most notably the yellow crayon speech, Xander calls on his history and relationship with Willow. Despite Oz, Tara, Anya, and Dark Willow--Xander and Willow's bond is deep...arguably deeper than his bond with Buffy despite his loyalty and infatuation with her (Note, I'm excluding the last couple episodes of the series when I say that--but it's worth mentioning that he takes the side Willow is on when they throw Buffy out). True Xander, deep down, Willow knows him.

Two bits of foreshadowing occur: first, somewhat jokingly, Joyce complains about a headache. Yep, that's going nowhere good. secondly, Riley has a revealing talk with "responsible" Xander explaining that he knows Buffy doesn't really love him. The clock is ticking on that relationship, we suspect, AND we see Xander doing something that he does even more once he embraces his grown up side: he is the confidante who sees more than most people, and who is willing to say the hard things.

The resolution is simple, and Xander is restored. The Scoobies reaffirm their partnership by working together to solve the problem, and the Magic Box is established as a home base. Season continues to build from here.

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.

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.

Enemies

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Bad Egg

I think I figured it out. These two episodes, Ted and Bad Eggs, seem like weird, weak interruptions. The front bookend is Big--Spike, Dru, Kendra, angst, fire--and it's bookended by Big Bad--Angel turning evil. These two episodes are ok, probably, but...why bother?

The lesson in Ted could be summed up as breaking rules has consequences.

The lesson of Bad Egg follows that: Someone has to be responsible.

Bad Egg begins and ends with Joyce harassing Buffy about being responsible. In between, Buffy has saved Joyce's life--the lives of most of Sunnydale High, in fact--but Joyce doesn't realize that. So she's harping on Buffy about being responsible, grounding her to her bedroom in hopes of making the point.

Buffy has proven that she's responsible, but not in a way Joyce recognizes. And soon, Buffy will again be responsible, but in a different sense of the word.

Other things: Cordy and Xander can't keep their hands off each other, but want no talking, no lights because they can't stand each other. What could possibly go wrong here?

Buffy and Angel discuss the future; Buffy admits she doesn't see one, but what she does see is Angel. That's as far as she can see--and he says that's true of him, too. This is the schmaltziest they've been, I think--again, set against the backdrop of the egg experiment and the teacher intoning "Sex leads to responsibility." Gee, what's going to happen next?

The outlaw subplot? It's cute, and it may just be another use of "bad eggs." They were bad before being vamped, so maybe it's a pun. And it does inadvertently give Buffy backup when she's fighting the Mama Bezoar. (Again, note that Xander is the only one unaffected, the only one there for Buffy; Giles, Willow and Cordy are all possessed by hatchlings. Xander, who took the shortcut of hard boiling his egg--breaking the rules, note--is safe.)

Again, we get an image of Buffy climbing up out of ground. The first was during the dream episode, wasn't it? Won't be the last, and this time it's not very symbolic, just plot-driven.

Ok....that's all for this one. My theory is that these two episodes are needed for pacing, to slow down the metaplot, but also to set the stage, priming the viewer to be considering the issues that explode in Surprise/Innocence. Maybe.

Ted

I want to like this episode. I really do. I like John Ritter--and he's awesomely creepy in a Stepford way in this. But...Nope. I was hoping that as I rewatched it, I'd find some electric connection to it that I'd missed earlier, like I did with "The Pack."

Nope.

Here are the couple things I did notice. This is superficial, but....bib overalls? Buffy wandering around in shapeless, huge bib overalls? I know that clothing reflects aspects of the personality (look at Xander's costuming; it's clear which side of him will appear in almost every scene by the clothes), and yea, Buffy thinks she killed a human, which is for her the carnal sin. Does that mean she has to commit the carnal sin in clothing? The bibs haven't appeared before, and I'm watching to see if they appear again, but that's soooo odd. The plaid shirt in What's my Line and then these bibs--that's not accidental. They are too extreme as choices--and she's fashiony in other parts of the same episodes.

Note that even though she absolutely refuses to kill a human, she will let one die--the zookeeper in The Pack and her friend Billy Ford could have been rescued.

I've read that the subtext of this episode is the whole jealousy at sharing her mom, guilt of child of divorce, etc. Sure, that's in there, but I'm not convinced that's any more than inevitable given the plot line. Perhaps this is another episode priming us for Angel to turn, getting the audience to see that someone who seems good can have an side, pointing out the duality.

Ted says, "The rules are the rules." More than once, I think. In "What's My Line," the point is made repeatedly that Buffy doesn't follow the rules. Not the Watcher's rules, not the school rules. Is the emphasis on "the rules" foreshadowing that even though Buffy breaks the rules, not everyone has a get out of jail free card--that if Angel breaks the rules (by finding a moment of happiness, perhaps...) there will be consequences?

Also, everyone--even Willow and Giles--believes Buffy did kill a human...except Xander. He pushes to research, to investigate. Even though Ted comes back and his robot-ness is revealed, the extent of his crimes is known because of Xander. His faith in Buffy is absolute, beyond Willow and Giles, even. Maybe that's infatuation-driven, fighting to retain the rosy glow of perfectenss, but he has seen Buffy be less than perfect; he has told her she's wrong on occasion. This goes deeper than not wanting his dream girl to do something wrong, I think.

Little note: the language in BtVS is always G-rated. Innuendo, yes, but actual bad words, no. This episode has both Willow and Buffy using "damn" and "hell"--and in fairly innocuous places. That's interesting...not sure why, but I noted it.

Episode 10: Nightmares

Interesting episode, and an idea the writers repeat with variations (The episode "Restless," when all the characters are really asleep and dreaming, and the Halloween episode in season 4, when their fears come to life in the frat house, for instance.) This is the first overtly Jungian episode, even though a devoted Jungian would be having fun from the very beginning!

First, the episode looks as if it's part of the meta-plot, with the Master lecturing the Anointed about fear. That's setting the stage--and implies that the Master set the situation up, maybe? I can't imagine that he has that power, but...it's at least a handy coincidence. Fear is more powerful than any other emotion, the Master teaches. What a person fears tells you about what that person is.

First, the episode isn't dealing with the unconscious. It's clear that the characters know their fears, and they are awake (except Buffy in the opening scene when she dreams about being killed by the Master) The first few fears that come to life are somewhat universal: spiders, for instance. A bit of detective work, however, and Buffy et al discover that spiders have a very specific meaning to the boy who the spiders swarmed.

From there, the fears attack, and no one is exempt. In the deft blending of humor and drama that Whedon excels at, the audience sees Cordy's worst fear: bad hair, bad clothes, and being dragged to be part of the Chess Club. No surprise to the audience there. Cordy is the status queen, and Chess Club...right.

Likewise, Willow's fear of appearing in public transforms her into an opera singer dressed in geisha garb and full makeup--visually humorous, which is how she is dressed through most of the epiosode. (Ironically, Hannigan begged to not have to sing in the Buffy musical in season 6, and in fact has only a couple sung lines, never solo. The fear of singing in public isn't just Willow's!) Willow doesn't want to be noticed, doesn't want to be stared at or talked about. Importantly, she doesn't want to fail, especially publicly--she knows her strengths and doesn't go far outside her zone of competency. Even in "Restless,"a few seasons later, a public performance figures in her nightmare--as Dark Willow, she seeks the spotlight, holding hostages in the Bronze; in "real life" answering in class is the extent of her ability to command attention. In Willow's mind, then, is it evil or bad to be the center of attention? It's an obvious manifestation of her low-self-steem, at least in any non-academic arena.

Xander walks in a classroom unclothed, except for plain colored boxers (which is interesting; considering the shirts he routinely wears, who would have thought he'd wear boring boxers??) It's an Everyman fear, which may just simply be indicative of Xander's essential typicalness as the Everyman of the series. As an attractive, well built male, appearing in boxers wouldn't seem to be that fear-inducing to the character personally, who is willing to play the fool and call attention to himself as shown by his "crazy dancing" at the Bronze. Also, considering that he joins the swim team and wanders around in a little, tight Speedo in anther episode, Xander must not be incredibly physically self-conscious. However, as the series progresses, we find that underlying Xander's happy-go-lucky, goofy extrovert exterior he is embarrassed by his home life and fears turning into his father; later, when Cordelia wants to hurt and embarrass him, she mentions things he's apparently told her about his family. He makes joking references to them, but then he controls the info and frames the emtions; Cordy's public snarkiness exposes him. So perhaps symbolically, the exposure Xander fears isn't physical, but emotional.

Buffy has several fears revealed, with her first being a typical one for children of a divorce. Buffy had already alluded to this fear to Willow, in fact. In this scene, her dad tells her that she caused her parents break up. Typical fear, and neatly resolved at the end of the show when her dad comes to pick her up for a weekend. (However, he does disappear before too long, and Giles becomes a more overt father figure--the scene where Giles and Hank meet is in a sense the changing of the guard)

Another of Buffy's fears is strikingly mirrored in season 6. Being alive while buried and having to fight her way out comes true, although the turning into a vampire part doesn't. Interestingly, when she vamps out, Giles is caught off guard and asks why she never told him she feared being turned. No answer to that, either. But significantly, her fears and Giles intertwine. He sees her tombstone and ruminates about how it means he didn't teach her well enough, guide her well enough, and she paid for it. Their fears foreshadow the emeshed nature of their relationship and his role as her father-figure, and even lead directly to Giles' solo in the musical and his decision to go back to England.

So have I said anything insightful? No, not really. If I were to take the time to research fear and symbolism in more detail, I suspect there's a layer (or two) I haven't seen yet--and I know that as the series progresses, the multi-layer plot development intensifies. Maybe it's time for some Joseph Campbell and Carl Jung as bedtime reading!