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'.

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.

Phases

Again, I found more than I expected. I am tired and don't have a structure for this, so I'm going to ramble my ideas. But this is another of the episodes that I want to rewatch and write about in more detail after I've seen a bit past it, just to see what develops with patterns and ideas. This episode is a big exploration of what manhood means. Whedon deals with a variety of related issues, which ties together seemingly disparate subplots.

• Xander slips up and shows that he remembers things from his time as a hyena. On the surface, it's a slightly comic moment, and even Buffy calling him on it is underplayed--BUT the reason he lies about remembering it is because he seriously tried to rape Buffy. In this episode, one aspect of manhood is the whole civilization vs primal urges; Xander is too tame to deal with primal except as a joke (eg his line to Cordy in Innocence: "I'm 17, Looking at linoluem makes me think of sex.")
• The werewolf hunter-- Kane (symbolism, anyone? killing his brother, the wolf..)--treats Buffy like a harmless little girl, demeaning her possible value and assuming that Giles' interest in her is sexual. However, Kane is a "man's man," an Indiana Jones-esque figure that could just as easily be a romantic hero. Whedon casts him as bad--power and aggression leads to the dark side.
• Larry (I think that's his name) is a sexist rude obnoxious jock. He's Xander's first guess for the werewolf. When confronted, Larry finally admits that he's gay--and he thinks X is too. Uncloseted Larry is kinder, helpful--when men tell the truth, when they engage in talking, they are better people, seems to be the message there.
  
• Oz is perhaps the least physically threatening, least sexualized male on the show. He won't even kiss Willow, and she insists she's done everything to let him know she'd like to. But even small, harmless Oz has an animal side--a time when the wolf has to howl. Note that at the end, they do finally kiss, but because of Willow running up to him, not him initiating. (That's a girl power move for Willow, though, who was worried that making any move would make her seem like a "slut." So there's a flip side to that scene, too)
• Buffy and Willow talk about how much harder it is to understand boys since they outgrew the "hit them on the shoulder to show they like you" stage. Right after that, Xander walks up to Buffy and unobtrusively, hits her on the shoulder. Later, Larry hits Xander on the shoulder as he thanks X for their conversation. Subtle, but good.
• When Cordy and X are parking, she gets irritated because he can't stop talking about Willow and Buffy. He can't figure out why Willow likes Oz, and Cordy hassles him about not being happy with her. He doesn't want Willow, but doesn't seem to want anyone else to have her. He can't have Buffy, but can't walk away either. (part of that is setting up the next episode, I think)
• In gym, they are learning self-defense. Unspoken reason: men pose a danger to women. Furthermore, when Buffy stands up to Larry (still closeted bully version), Willow grabs her and says "You're supposed to be meek and helpless like the rest of us girls." (not exact) Willow doesn't say it ironically--is it meant that way?
• Angel acts helpful, "sensitive new man" style, then kills the girl. There's a point there, but I have a hard time it's as obvious as "don't trust men when they're nice."
  

There's more about manhood, I think, but I need to rewatch to start getting it straight.