Bargaining Parts I & II written by Marti Noxon & David Fury
and directed by David Grossman
The Chosen One: Amusingly Willow has tried to programme the
Buffybot with Buffy-style puns but it has all gone terribly wrong and she ends
up dusting and then serving up a convoluted word salad. I understand the
reasoning behind the attempt to fool the world that Buffy is still alive (to
keep Dawn out of custody) but it is playing something of a dangerous game with
the authorities (not to mention Dawn’s father) and a constant reminder of what
they have all lost. Buffybot is like an uber-Anya, hyper logical,
straight to the point and unable to tell if what she has said is appropriate or
not. I can’t imagine an extended run with this character around but for a
couple of episodes she is fun diversion from all the very dark material going
on elsewhere. Naturally (although there is anything natural about it) the first
thing that Buffy sees when she crawls out of her grave is her headstone and the
full impact of what has happened dawns on her. I love scenes where she explores
the demolished streets of Sunnydale because it looks as though she has woken up
in some twisted hellish version of her home. Clawing her way out of the ground,
having misty visions of a battered and broken neighbourhood and then watching
herself being torn to pieces, it’s no wonder she thinks that the world has gone
mad. Buffy is dirty, bloody and almost feral, a far cry from the kick ass
blonde we usually hang with.
Ripper: Even Xander is marvelling at the immaturity of Giles
and Anya’s bitch fight over the possessions in the magic shop. I wish he hadn’t
interrupted because I was laughing my head off.
Sexy Blond: I don’t want to say that the rest of the
Scoobies hold Spike back when he is out patrolling (Willow is certainly a
powerful presence) but there could be an argument made for the hilarious way he
lights up a cigarette as one vampire chokes Giles to death since his companions
have been little but a hindrance. Strange what a fight to the death with a
demi-God can do to a team of heroes, now everybody accepts Spike’s presence in
their lives to the point that he is left looking after Dawn when the shit hits
the fan. When Spike arranged for the Buffybot to be built it was to stand in
for the person he thought would never look at him in the way he desired in a
million years. What was supposed to soothe that pain has turned into something
of a curse, especially since Willow can’t quite programme out the lusty
thoughts that she has for him. He can’t help but smile at the carnage the
demons are wrecking on Sunnydale whilst constantly keeping an eye on Dawn and
ensuring her safety. Not completely neutered then.
Sparkling Dialogue: ‘Did your life flash before your eyes?
Cup of tea, cup of tea, almost got a shag, cup of tea?’
‘And how long have you known your girlfriend is Tinkerbell?’
‘Plus we have a Slayer here who might actually be looking to
eat some brains…’
Dreadful Dialogue: Buffy: ‘Is this Hell?’ Dawn: ‘No. You’re
here. With me’ – this isn’t bad dialogue per se, but it is unintentionally
hilarious.
Moment to Watch Out For: The graveside resurrection spell is
one of the most haunting set pieces this show ever attempted. The concept of
what they are doing chills the blood from the outset but by the time Willow’s
face is smeared with blood, her arms are hacked open, insects writhe under her
skin and she vomits a snake over the graveside I was ready to cuddle up to my
other half. It’s nasty. Even more spine tingling is the awesome effect
of Buffy’s skeleton being reanimated and the sudden realisation that she is
going to have to claw her way out of her grave. If you wanted to make an impact
with Buffy’s return to the show I cannot imagine a more horrific way to go
about it. I was literally holding my breath as Buffy attempted to claw her way
out of her grave, the scene is unrelentingly claustrophobic.
Orchestra: Naughty Thomas Wanker. He’s using all of the same
musical themes as last year. It was very distracting at times, I kept expecting
Glory to pop out of the woodwork. It’s his heavy metal, industrial soundtrack
for the biker demons where he scores his most original and exciting moments.
It’s no compliment to Wanker to say that the best scene musically is atop the
tower where he apes Christophe Beck’s music from The Gift. Whenever
Trachtenberg gets the chance, she proves herself to be fine little actress and
she is a dominating presence in the conclusion, clawing Buffy back to reality.
Foreboding: Oh boy is there a lot to deal with in the
aftermath of this two part blockbuster…
After Life written by Jane Espenson and directed by David
Solomon
What’s it about: Did Buffy return from the dead with something on her back?
The Chosen One: There are so many questions to be answered about where Buffy has been, what she has seen and what her feelings are about being back. After Life slowly addresses all three of them but not before convincing the viewer (and Willow) that she has been suffering in some kind of hell dimension and that she has been returned to life in a dangerous state of mind. Buffy is numb with shock and can barely react to anything and really cannot face a barrage of questions from her friends for the time being. It’s really disquieting to see the usually smart and peppy (and not to mention overly emotional) Buffy so detached from her surroundings. Although there have been changes, Buffy walks around her own house like a complete stranger who doesn’t recognise a thing. She looks at photographs of her friends and sees spectres of death staring back at her. By the end of the episode Buffy is putting on a mask of normality, making lunch for Dawn and giving her friends the thanks that they need to hear. Her conversation with Spike in the alley proves the fallacy of her gratitude and that she has long way to go before she comes to terms with what she has lost out on.
Sparkling Dialogue: ‘The thing about magic is there’s always
consequences. Always.’
‘And I think I actually heard him clean his glasses.’
‘I could drive faster than you and I can’t drive!’
‘Did they even give you a choice?’
‘Wherever I was I was happy. At peace. I knew that everyone
I cared about was alright. I knew it. Time didn’t mean anything. Nothing had
form, but I was still me, you know? And I was warm. And I was loved. And I was
finished. Complete. I don’t understand theology and dimensions, any of
it really but I think I was in heaven. And now I’m not. I was torn out of
there, pulled out by my friends.’
The Bad: The show is far less interested in branching out
the series with original storytelling ideas these days and far more obsessed
with the internal workings of its characters. I’m lucky that I have come to
care about as strongly about this cast as I have and that their traumas
perpetuate interesting narratives that I can invest in. Less effective is the
solid visualisation of the creature which looks a little like an actor draped
in muslin.
Orchestra: A quiet, creepy, discordant score this week,
perfectly in keeping with the disquieting atmosphere.
Foreboding: Buffy’s friends will discover her secret in
spectacular fashion in Once More With Feeling.
Result: ‘There’s something in the house…’ That was
creepy. Like Bargaining, this is reaching for a mature tone with a chilling
central idea (Buffy has returned from the dead with a price) but the execution
is much more confident, the script is sharper and the character development
sets up the rest of the season quite vividly. I can understand why some people
resisted this direction because it is about as far from the colourful and
exciting show we have grown to love as you can get. Buffy returns from the
grave and it isn’t back to business but with a complete absence of emotion, an
extended pause of numbness of which nobody knows how to react. It’s a
challenging state of affairs for the audience as well as the characters but
disquieting played by all concerned and with some spectacular pay off in the
final scene when we come to understand why Buffy rejects her old life so much. Buffy
has taken us through the ups and downs of High School, the excitement of
college, the joys of having your family around you…this year is all about
plunging the characters into a very dark, adult world, the one most of us
experience when you realise that growing up isn’t much fun. It’s a cold,
depressing place where you look back at your childhood and realise how much
simpler things were back then and when you make some really stupid mistakes to
try and feel anything. That’s what season six is about, it isn’t interested in
giving you what you’ve had before, and whilst it can be unwelcoming, it also
has some very profound things to say about the characters. After Life is
indicative of the year to come; slow, brooding, introspective and quite
chilling. It wont always be handled this well but when it is there is something
stark, vulnerable and penetrating about it and that just about sums up this
episode very well. It might not be Buffy at it’s most populist but it
represents the show at its bravest. It’s bloody scary in parts too: 8/10
Flooded written by Jane Espenson & Doug Petrie and
directed by Doug Petrie
The Chosen One: I said in my last review that season six of
Buffy is the point in life when dreams are squandered and the reality of life
as an adult hits you. You’re no longer being cared for but the one who is doing
the caring and paying the bills. It might not be the most pleasant of subject
matter (who wants to see their favourite TV stars struggling to pay the bills?
That’s what we watch TV to avoid thinking about!) but it does continue Buffy’s
honest obsession with showing life how it actually is rather than how we would
like it to be (albeit with a little supernatural twist on occasion). With the
Glory issue dealt with Buffy now has to face up to the fact that she is Dawn’s
guardian, the bread winner and her academic hopes have to put on hold while
real life issues such as keeping a roof over their heads becomes a priority. I
can really empathise with Buffy in this situation, especially when she is made
to feel about the size of a bug when she has no clue how to apply for a loan. I
would be exactly the same in her situation as I also have somebody who takes
care of all that business. Saying all that, it is a relief to see Gellar
playing the part with some humour again because I couldn’t imagine an entire
season with the vacuous Buffy we have tolerated since she clawed her way out of
her grave.
Witchy Willow & Tasty Tara: There’s a very awkward
moment between Willow, Buffy and a punch bag which telling shows the two
characters trying to assert themselves.
Gorgeous Geek: Xander has truly run out of excuses not to
tell the gang about his engagement to Anya. Where I thought her whiny rants
were inappropriate in the first three episodes, things have settle down now and
everybody could do with some good news.
Vengeance Demon: ‘This tone of my voice. I hate it more
than you and I’m closer to it!’ Whilst Anya’s suggestion to cash in on
slaying vampires is an amusing one, it isn’t one that should ever be taken
seriously. Unlike when Cordelia makes the suggestion on Angel and they
become a money spinning exercise in saving lives. Buffy’s caustic reply of ‘that’s
an idea…you would have’ skips over that idea. Still when Buffy is pissing
and moaning about another shift at the Doublemeat Palace Anya can smugly point
out that she did think of a financial way out of this rut.
Sparkling Dialogue: ‘It was just a little post post
mortem comedy.’
‘Tell me about the spell you performed’ ‘First of all – so
scary! Like, the Blair Witch would have had to have watched like this…’
‘I trashed this house so many times. How did mom pay for all
this?’
The Good: Finally some authentic visual comedy of the sort
that Buffy usually excels at. It might be the simplest of ideas but the burst
pipe that turns into a torrent in the basement and sends Dawn screaming for the
hills is really chucklesome. Trust the hospitals to suck up all the insurance
money and leave Buffy with a house which is
haemorrhaging in value that she may lose. You would think that saving
his life from a spiny headed demon and slashing her skirt right in his face
would be enough to convince the bank clerk that she deserves some kind of
temporary loan. You can’t say she hasn’t thrown all of her assets at him.
Buffy’s house gets torn to pieces once again. This happens at least once a year
but over the next two season it goes beyond a joke. I don’t why they even
bother to fix it up again it happens with such startling frequency.
Moment to Watch Out For: ‘You were lucky!’ ‘I wasn’t lucky,
I was amazing, and how would you know you weren’t even there!’ ‘If I had been
I’d have bloody well stopped you. The magic you channelled are more ferocious
and primal than anything you could hope to understand and you are lucky to be
alive you rank, arrogant amateur!’ ‘You’re right. The magicks I used are very
powerful. I’m very powerful and maybe it’s not such a good idea for you
to piss me off…’ Oh wow, that really made me sit up and pay attention.
Lines are well and truly being crossed and Willow is slowly emerging as one of
the most frightening characters this show has ever produced. More like this
please.
Result: A little comedy, the ‘villains’ of the season
revealed and a couple of astonishingly raw moments but mostly Flooded is pretty
average fare coming from two of the strongest writers of this show. There’s a
disturbing amount of inactivity in the early stages of season six that suggests
the show might have run out of steam a little. Giles’ return is given
appropriate celebration and he shares an unforgettable moment with Willow that
stands head and shoulders above the rest of what this episode has to offer. The
Trio are introduced but they can only be considered a partial success at this
point because they really don’t do anything worthwhile beyond remind us what
spectacular geeks they are. I’m pleased to see Sarah Michelle Gellar lightening
up a little but there is only surface characterisation on offer this week,
especially compared to last weeks revelations. I just don’t know what to say
about Flooded – it’s okay but at the this stage of the game I expect
much more than that. The epitome of average: 5/10
What’s it about: Buffy has some life choices to make…
The Trio: As much as it pains me to say so, listening to the
Trio is an authentic representation of three science fiction geeks.
Squabbling about tiny details of obscure shows that have long been forgotten by
the masses, discussing the repeated narrative motifs across several genre
series, examining the designs of fictional technology for technical flaws…I
know hardcore geeks who object to the characterisation of such characters (one
of my mates in particular despises Sheldon Cooper from The Big Bang Theory)
which makes me laugh because they are practically carbon copies of the same
people. I long ago learnt to embrace my geekiness and as a result I can see the
delicious humour inherent in the many genre references that the Trio allude to.
They haven’t quite got the hang of remaining incognito, their van has a picture
of the Death Star spray painted on its side, a giant radar comes shooting out
of the roof and their horn could nothing less than the theme to Star Wars.
I love their over dramatic designs, the giant red self destruct button which
looks as though it could destroy the entire world is purely for the purpose of
making a piece of lint go pouf. Andrew objects to holding hands with
Warren and the suggestion that he might be gay is aired. It’s something that is
confirmed and his feelings for his best friend are referenced time and again in
the next season before they are transferred to Xander.
Sparkling Dialogue: ‘Maybe I should ease back in with some
non-taxing classes like Introduction to Pies or Advance Walking.’
The Good: Nick Marck is one of the more imaginative
directors to come on board the show in the final two years and he has great fun
putting together the various tests that Buffy faces in Life Serial. There’s a
wonderful shot of Buffy standing confused amongst the milling throng of the
university campus which has sped up to dangerous levels around her. There’s
also plenty to love about the fight at the construction site from Buffy’s bar
swinging high kicks, the unusual effect of the demons turning to slime as they
perish and grotesque sight of one of them being crushed inside a mechanical
ladder. Buffy gets given a name badge with the tag line ‘Ask Me About Curses!’
Gambling for kitties is stupid currency…but they’re just so damn cute! Plus
this story introduces Clem who is a joy to be around and I wish had taken on a
much greater role than the series offered him.
The Bad: If crossovers between Angel and Buffy are all going
to take place in reference form only from now I would rather that they didn’t
bother. Both shows have come a long way from the point where they relied on one
another and the inclusion of a ‘hidden’ scene where they meet up somewhere
between Sunnydale and LA seems to be included just to give the fans of their
relationship a quick thrill. It doesn’t seem to serve any kind of storytelling
purpose and that is what I object to. The infantile humour between the Trio can
be a little much at times (‘Stop touching my magic bone!’). One glaring
absence is any kind of resolution to Buffy’s life choice quandary. It feels a
little pointless to raise all this options and to have her as baffled at the
end as she was at the beginning. But hey, that’s life.
Moment to Watch Out For: ‘I just hope she solves it
faster than Data in that ep of TNG where the Enterprise kept blowing up’ ‘Or
Mulder in that X-Files where the bank kept exploding…’ One of the more
amusing set pieces to spring from the dour season six is Buffy’s time loop
sequence during her brief time of employ at The Magic Shop. Everything from
Buffy stabbing the hand in order to stop it from strangling her, tackling the
most hideous looking woman ever to visit the store, stamping on Giles glasses
and insulting the shy customer that wants to romance his way into bed with a
scented candle had me chuckling away. ‘Fingers sold separately…’
Life Serial written by David Fury & Jane Espenson and
directed by Nick Marck
The Chosen One: ‘Look at me! Look at stupid Buffy, too
dumb for college! And freak Buffy, too strong for construction work! And my job
at the Magic Shop…I was bored to tears even before the hour that wouldn’t end!’
Buffy’s head is so full of money problems that she hasn’t even considered
what she is going to do with her life. A choice which this episode examines in
some depth. With her moms funeral handled, the threat to Dawn’s life defeated
and even her own death overcome she now has to look to the future and forge a
path ahead. It goes to show how furiously paced and packed full of incident
this show usually is that we haven’t had the time to consider these questions
until now. The look on Buffy’s face when she attends a university discussion
group suggests that they are speaking in another language to the one that she
understands. I guess she has been out of the educational loop for too long. Her
next stop is looking for work and she calls in a favour from Xander to secure a
gig at his current building sight. Few things in life are cuter than Buffy donning
a hard hat and effortlessly picking up heavyweight girders like one of the
Seven Dwarfs off to work. The trouble is here that she is too good at the job
(thus proving that construction workers always over estimate because they get
paid by the hour) and gives her fellow workers a bad name, and that’s before
Andrew sends a gang of horrible swamp demons down to tear up the site.
Completely desperate, she turns to retail and a job at the Magic Shop with
Giles and Anya. I remember when I was working in retail and pretty much every
single day that I was there was exactly like I was stuck inside a Groundhog
Day style loop and Buffy’s experiences with the mummy hand sale that goes
on forever brought back the repetitive banality of it all with painful sharpness.
The Trio are observing Buffy throughout her many attempts at securing a life
path and declare that she is completely without purpose. When all else fails,
Buffy turns to a night of drunken gambling with Spike. Well I suppose it’s a
life choice of sorts. There is a sense that these two are kindred spirits now,
both having died and returned to life in a world that no longer feels right for
them. Gellar and Marsters share a very easy chemistry that feels real, very
different from the daytime soap operatics that Buffy and Angel often practised.
Spike can see precisely what Buffy is all about – not a schoolgirl or a shop
girl but a creature of the darkness like him. I get why Giles waited until this
point to give Buffy the money she so desperately needs because he can see that
she has at least tried to do it on her own.
Sparkling Dialogue: ‘Maybe I should ease back in with some
non-taxing classes like Introduction to Pies or Advance Walking.’
‘Retail? I’d rather be dead. Again.’
‘I like Timothy Dalton’ ‘Don’t make me pull over’ and
‘Timothy Dalton should win an Oscar and beat Sean Connery over the head with
it!’
Result: Witty, sunny and packed full of pop culture
references, Life Serial is one of the few season six episodes of Buffy that
resembles something that could have taken place in previous seasons. In the way
that it uses comedic villains to provides some amusing obstacles for Buffy to
overcome it harkens back to the early days of seasons one and two but by
seaguing these tests into Buffy’s limitless life choices it earns its place
squarely in season six. Gellar is on top form throughout, whether Buffy is
baffled by university speak, wrestling demons at Xander’s building site,
trapped in the time loop from hell or off out on a pub crawl with Spike I was
perfectly convinced that Gellar was having the time of her life. It’s so nice
to see Buffy smiling this much, even when her life is at a crossroads and she
doesn’t know which path to take. We haven’t seen the character this loose (down
boys) since way back in season four. If the Trio were nothing but an awkward
diversion in the last episode, they more than make up for that here as they
attempt to trash Buffy’s life with a series of daft but very amusing tests. I
can’t see how these three social outcasts could hold up an entire season but as
a way of holding up a mirror to the worst excesses of genre fandom they do make
me laugh a lot. It doesn’t all work; there is an element of juvenile humour
that would have been rejected even in the first season and occasionally the
direction is a little stilted (a common problem in the first half of season
six) but taken as a whole Life Serial taps into a frothy amiability that makes
this ideal comfort viewing and might just be one of the most outright
entertaining episodes of the year: 8/10
Ripper: The reason why Giles is always cleaning is glasses
is so he doesn’t have to be exposed to the lusty activities of his friends.
Sparkling Dialogue: ‘How about you, ever played shiver me
timbers?’ ‘Not really much for the timber.’
The Bad: It astonishes me that we are six episodes into the
new season and the main cast have done very little so far but stand around
talking. Whilst there are some character arcs bubbling under the surface (ready
to emerge next week) the amount of
inactivity amongst the Scoobies is shocking. It takes season six about
two thirds of its running to time to get into full swing (but when it does, it
does so with a vengeance) and until then nobody seems to be doing much of
anything. I’m so glad that Giles turned off the music to inform everybody of
Dawn’s subterfuge because this was turning out to be the party that wasn’t.
Tara is sitting on the sidelines depressed and Willow, Anya and Xander are
indulging in some really static parent dancing (apparently getting their groove
on). I have no idea what the misdirection with the old geezer and the carving
knife was all about…it could have lead to a genuinely creepy sequence but
instead he’s just a kindly old man that the world seems to have forgotten
about.
What’s it about: ‘I just wanted to see if we’d get a
happy ending…’
I’ve Got a Theory-Bunnies-If We’re Together: ‘It’s do or
die’ ‘Hey I’ve died twice.’ Lots of witty observations about what the
nature of this musical curse could be (including a neat reference to Nightmares
in season one). Anya finally gets to express her hatred for bunnies in as
hysterical a fashion as she feels it deserves, kicking into rock music, spot
lit and losing herself completely in the moment. ‘And what’s with all the
carrots? What do they need such good eyesight for anyway?’ I don’t think
she has ever looked hotter. The harmonies between the regulars are rather
lovely and there is a great feeling in this song that there is literally
nothing this group of friends couldn’t tackle as long they rely on each other
(which, as this season progresses, they do less and less with disastrous
consequences). Anthony Head, Amber Benson and Emma Caulfield all reveal that
they have wonderful voices, Alyson Hannigan on the other hand finally discloses
the one flaw in her repertoire (there is a very good reason that she doesn’t go
solo).
Under Your Spell: ‘The moon to the tide/I can feel you
inside…’ Exquisitely romantic and gorgeously shot in a beautiful location,
this ballad makes my heart quicken and slaps a permanent smile on my face.
Anybody who watches this and doesn’t think that Willow and Tara are made for
each other is insane. Amber Benson comes alive like never before, unleashing a
very attractive singing voice that I could listen to all day long. The
chemistry between these two has never been more apparent and it says something
about the strength of the material that at no point did I ever consider that
this was a love song being broadcast on American television between two women
where they end up in a compromising position before the end. In Willow’s
presence Tara feels like she is floating on air and the confidence she has
gained since they met is extraordinary. I don’t want to know what Willow is
doing out of shot but the lyrics certainly give me a few pointers.
I’ll Never Tell: ‘He snores/She wheezes/Say housework and
he freezes/She eats these skeezy cheeses that I can’t describe. I talk, he
breezes/She doesn’t know what please is/His penis got diseases from a Shamash
tribe…’ This comes close to being my favourite song of the episode and it’s
easily the most catchy. I could be heard singing this at the top of my voice in
the kitchen when this episode first aired much to the irritation of my
neighbours at the time. Nicky Brendon’s singing is much like his acting, not
fantastic but somehow he managing to coast through on his charm and charisma.
However pair him up with Emma Caulfield and the chemistry between them
sparkles, especially when they are asked to perform a gorgeous 1950s style Fred
and Ginger style comedic waltz around their apartment. If this is the result of
all that annoying ‘tell everybody we’re getting married’ nonsense earlier in
the season then it was worth it because this song reveals that they both have
serious doubts about their future together. And yet they both care deeply for
each other at the same time. It foreshadows the events of Hells Bells superbly.
On a more important note the pair of them have never looked so damned cute,
Xander in his silky jim-jams and Anya smoking hot in her red underwear. Anya
interrupting Xander’s verse with her crazy dancing is punch-the-air cool. She’s
scared of growing old and becoming unattractive and he’s scared that he wont be
able to provide for her…and they’re both scared that the other will leave them
at some point.
Rest in Peace: ‘You know you’ve got a willing slave/And
you just love to play the though that you might misbehave..’ This is the
number that most closely resembles the sort of music that I usually listen to
and perhaps it isn’t much of a surprise that James Marsters manages to pull
this off so well considering he sings as a sideline to his acting career. It’s
very funny that Spike looks pained when he realises that he is as much under
the thrall of this singing curse as the others. The direction here is all
dramatic angles, energy and aggression. A portent of the violent relationship
that is about to brew between Buffy and Spike.
What You Feel: ‘All those heart lay open, that must
sting/Plus some customers just died combusting/That’s the penalty/When life is
but a song…’ The essence of cool,
Hinton Battle makes his debut performance as Sweet the smooth as silk demon
that has brought down this blight of show tunes down on Sunnydale. I’m pleased
that Whedon managed to squeeze in some tap into this episode, I find this
technically challenging form of dance great fun to watch.
Under Your Spell-Standing (Reprise): Tara finds the flower
that Willow used to perform the recall spell under her pillow in the opening
seconds of the episode and thinks that she has left it there as a romantic
gesture. Hoo, boy. How cruel to show us Willow and Tara at their most dreamily
amorous and then twist the knife in threaten to tear them apart – it’s a pure
Joss Whedon tactic and it works every time. How he uses the same lyrics to have
two very different meanings is very effective, turning something that was so
initially so romantic until something far more devastating and destructive. On
a musical level, the merging of Anthony Head and Amber Benson’s voices is
heavenly. They’re singing the same words to two different people and neither
Buffy nor Willow has the faintest clue what is coming to them.
Walk Through the Fire: ‘She came from the grave much
graver/First he’ll kill her then I’ll save her/Everything is turning out so
dark…’ My hubbies favourite of the episode and one which utilises all the
cast. Everybody has something to offer in this song; Buffy feels abandoned by
Giles, Spike is torn between helping her and wanting her dead, Anya fears Buffy
came back from the dead in no fit state to live, Xander doubts Buffy will be
able to cope alone and Giles wonders if he has left Dawn in danger. It’s a
fantastic song, packed with meaning and significance and for the awesome shot
of the fire trucks screaming past the Scoobies it is one of the coolest things
ever seen on this show. Watching all the characters (and through them the various
narratives cohere) reach the same climatic location for different reasons is
effortlessly achieved. It shows that whatever their feelings, they have always
got Buffy’s back.
Something to Sing About: ‘Life’s a song you don’t get to
rehearse/And every single verse/Can make it that much worse…’ …what a
season six way of looking at things! Finally Anya gets that breakaway pop hit
that she has been banging on about. Giles’ line about Buffy requiring backup is
a moment of genius (Whedon is often struck by them) and Tara and Anya join
Buffy for a chaotic, melodic, tempo-shifting number that captures Buffy’s inner
turmoil. This story has given each of the characters a chance to confess
truthfully and Something to Sing About brings this concept to a dramatic crescendo
with Buffy finally informing her friends that she was dragged from Heaven when
they brought her back to life. The look on Willow’s face is one of total
desolation. ‘The hardest thing to do in this world is to live in it…’
Orchestra: Again it says something about Joss Whedon’s faith
in Thomas Wanker that he once again calls in Christophe Beck to take on the
musical duties of the most important episode of the year. And once again Beck
does not disappoint, not only forming an excellent collaboration with Whedon to
produce some memorable songs but also providing the linking scenes with some
superb incidental music too. This and Hush are the two episodes where the music
is absolutely vital and both cases the always excellent Beck betters even his
already superb usual efforts.
All the Way written by Stephen S. DeKnight and directed by
David Solomon
What’s it about: It’s Halloween which can only mean bad
business for Dawn…
The Chosen One: At the point where she has to make decision
about Dawn, Buffy asks Giles for his opinion rather than laying down the law
herself. She’s watching everybody enjoying their lives but can’t seem t engage
with people in the same way. At the climax she walks away from punishing Dawn
and leaves Giles to carry out the deed.
The Key: Let’s see, what great insights do we learn about
Dawn in this episode? She’s stealing (but we knew that already) and she’s
attracted to bad boys (just like her sister). That was sure worth wasting an
entire episode on. Michelle Trachtenberg is a fine little actress but she has
to be given something to do beyond this kind of indulgent Saved by the Bell
style teen soap opera. She’s trying her best to invest the material with some
kind of meaning (she succeeds most during the car scene with Justin as she
enjoys her first kiss) but it’s all mostly all surface characterisation. If I’m
honest there hasn’t been the strength of material this season for Dawn that has
clarified the reason for continuing her character beyond her storyline last
year. Compared to the genuine drama that was built around her character in
season five, this is small scale stuff.
Witchy Willow & Tasty Tara: Willow’s first reaction to
the mess that the customers have left behind in the Magic Shop is to whisk up a
cleaning spell. She’s becoming far too reliant on her powers when anything
takes a little effort. Tara is starting to notice too and when she tries to
confront her about it her stutter returns in the way it does whenever she
enters an uncomfortable conversation.
Gorgeous Geek: Like Xander with Anya here, I get those
moments all the time when I look at Simon and remember precisely why I fell in
love with him in the first place. It feels like the perfect time to reveal that
they are planning on getting married.
Vengeance Demon: It’s Anya who is really on form this week,
comparing her accumulation of money to night in the sack with Xander and
revelling in the dance of capitalist superiority. She’s basking in being the
centre of attention now Xander has finally told his friends that they are going
to get married.
‘Mist…cemetery…Halloween…should end well’ – All the Way is
so desperate it resorts to a pratfall from Giles for a laugh but it did make me
laugh so let’s consider that a success.
‘Didn’t anyone come here just to make out?’ (Hands raise) Oh
that’s sweet. You run.’
Dreadful Dialogue: ‘Don’t make me go all kung-fu on you
man!’
The Good: The early scenes in the Magic Shop with everybody
helping out during the Halloween sale is full of energy and laughs (I
especially like Willow’s consternation in the face of witchy stereotypes which
melt away when she sees a cutie wittle girl dressed up like the Wicked Witch of
the West). The twist that Justin turns out to be a vampire (it must be a
Summers thing) comes out the blue despite some nice foreshadowing (‘are you
going to go all the way?’).
Moment to Watch Out For: For the first time ever I don’t
think I can think of a particularly memorable moment, for good or for ill.
Naughty Willow performs has started to manipulate Tara, making her forget
arguments that they are having. I suppose that is as shocking as it gets.
Result: Just because it is about Dawn that doesn’t
automatically make it bad. Unfortunately in this case, it does. There’s no nice
way of putting this but All the Way is barely tolerable filler to pass the time
whilst the majority of the regulars work on the musical extravaganza next week.
Dawn’s misadventures with her friends are passable enough but there is nothing
here that screams of a story that needed to be told. Indeed it is the
background scenes of Xander and Anya’s engagement that impact the most but that
is only because they have finally come out of the woodwork and told the rest of
the gang after much fannying around. Giving Dawn a Scooby gang of her own is
not a bad at idea (its certainly preferable to having her mope about at home) and
perhaps would have provided some much needed levity in season six but this
bunch are pretty forgettable, so much so that I didn’t notice that we never see
them again. Beyond Dawn enjoying her
first kiss and dusting (of the same boy appropriately) this is an exercise in
running on the spot. For a much, much better example of how this should have
been done check out season seven’s Potential.
I struggled to find much to say about this because there is very little
of substance to examine. Tara and Willow fight over her overuse of magic and
Buffy leans too much on Giles but both of these elements are handled with far
more aplomb in Once More, with Feeling. Like Flooded before it and Smashed
ahead, this is the middle of three season six episodes that don’t seem to be
about much of anything: 4/10
Once More, With Feeling written and directed by Joss Whedon
Sparkling Dialogue: ‘You’ll never guess what happened today
at school’ ‘You all started singing and dancing?’ ‘I gave birth to pterodactyl’
‘Oh my God did it sing?’
Overture/Going Through the Motions: Pure Disney, this is a
superb opening number that sets the scene perfectly. Everybody is doing exactly
what the title says, going through the motions of their lives at this point –
Willow and Tara are researching, Buffy is training and patrolling and Xander
and Anya are looking at wedding magazines and planning their big day. As far as
anybody can see everybody is happy and relaxed. The first sign that this was
really going to be something unique was when the three demons started jigging
across the screen and providing a hilarious chorus even whilst they were being
slaughtered. There’s a superb crane shot that is pure theatre, Buffy belting
out her final note through a cloud of vampire dust. Sarah Michelle Gellar
perhaps doesn’t have the strongest voice in the world but she’s more than
adequate for the sort of songs that this episode requires of her. Buffy admits
that she is putting a brave face on things but nothing in her life feels right
anymore. She’s training, patrolling, forcing a smile on her face but she
doesn’t feel anything anymore. She just wants to feel alive again but whilst
she regrets what she has lost in death and keeps her secret from her friends
she cannot move beyond this moment in her life.
The Mustard: Not just wonderful songs, but the choreography
is marvellous too. If you can turn a ten second interlude about a shirt free of
stains into a delight on the eye featuring coloured shirts whipping through the
air…well you’re doing something very right indeed.
The Parking Ticket: Not just a decent writer, Marti Noxon
has got a marvellous set of lungs on her too.
Dawn’s Lament/Dawn’s Ballet: ‘Does anybody even
notice?/Does anybody even care?’ …considering there is nobody at the house
when she is abducted by the creepy men in smiling masks, I would say no. More
than her voice, Michelle Trachtenberg’s dancing experience comes to the fore
and blended with Beck’s enchanting soundtrack they create a magical mixture of
mime and dance around the Bronze. We’ve never had the chance to take a look at
the refurbished night spot whilst it is this empty before.
Standing: ‘The cries around you you don’t hear at
all/Because you know I’m here to take that call/So you just lie there when you
should be standing tall…’ Of all the secrets laid bare in Once More, with
Feeling, I found Giles’ confession to be the most touching because it sets up a
heartbreaking turn of events in the next episode where he leaves town for good.
He’s been observing Buffy’s growing dependence on him for some time now and the
camera has lingered uncomfortably on his silent reactions. It’s significant
that Buffy doesn’t even hear his confession, she’s so wrapped up in her own
world that he reveals his fears that she wont stand on her own two feet and she
is blissfully unaware of what he is planning. I think my mum always had a bit
of a thing for Anthony Head (stretching back to his Gold Blend days) but after
she heard him perform this number she was absolutely besotted. The whole thing
plays out like a 80s exercise montage (albeit a very good one) and some of the
stunts are very good indeed.
Where Do We Go From Here: Whedon is a naughty boy. He has
burst the seasons secrets and lies open and then poses the question of
consequences without having to deal with them himself. Spike’s ‘bugger
this…’ is a delight.
Result: ‘All those secrets you’ve been concealing/Say
you’re happy now/Once more, with feeling…’ In pure Buffy style nobody even
pretends that this is a normal sort of a day. Buffy walks into the Magic Shop
and asks if anybody else burst into song last night as though that is a normal
sort of a question to pose. The confidence that this show expresses at times
astounds me. It was such an ingenious device to have a demon summoned who
forces our characters to break into song and reveal their innermost secrets
against their will just at the point where everybody is hiding something and
the show was becoming perhaps a little too subtle and introspected for it’s own
good. Through the medium of song our characters can no longer hide from their
inner demons, they are forced out into the open and laid bare for everybody to
know. This must have been the most anticipated episode of the year and somehow,
somehow it doesn’t disappoint. Right from the camp as Christmas opening
credits to the show stopping final tune, this is a roller coaster ride of fun,
laughter, beautiful character drama, arc development and great songs. It helps
that I am a massive fan of musicals but even if you’re not you have to
appreciate the amount of time and effort that has gone into making this
spectacular piece of entertainment work. Most of the cast reveal themselves to
have surprising vocal talent (Amber Benson, Emma Caulfield, James Marsters and
Anthony Head in particular) but everybody throws themselves into this
potentially ropey idea with real gusto and the ensuing product is probably the
greatest ensemble effort from either Buffy or Angel. If Becoming, Hush and The
Body still haven’t proven to detractors that Whedon can turn his hand to any
genre and come up trumps this masterpiece of music surely has to convince any
stragglers. The reception to Once More, with Feeling was overwhelmingly
positive and I cannot think of single person that I know that wasn’t buzzing
about it when it first aired in the UK. To this date the soundtrack still
resides on my computer and I know all of the songs off by heart. Beyond the
detailed production, it’s placing in the season is vital and if anybody was
starting to wonder if the show had lost it’s magic this showstopper turned up
to prove that Buffy still has it and with some abundance. It’s interesting that
the next episode is similarly excellent, this episode forcing the series to up
its game. How the writers deal with the revelations that this episode exposed
is still to be determined but suddenly I am very excited with where the show is
going again. Nestled in middle of the most inconsistent year of Buffy resides
my favourite episode: 10/10
Ripper: The dual storylines of Giles leaving Sunnydale and
Tara leaving Buffy are expertly played against one another to give this episode
a tugging theme of abandonment for the greater good. He makes an excellent
argument to Buffy about his choice although as an audience we have already had
it spelt out to us many times this season to why it is necessary for her to
stand alone. He’s taught her everything she needs to know about being the
Slayer and her mother taught her everything she needs to know about looking
after Dawn and she is never going to trust her own instincts if she always goes
for the easy option of turning to Giles.
Witchy Willow & Tasty Tara: ‘You’re fixing things to
your liking…including me.’ It’s time for some tough discussion about the
consequences of bringing Buffy back from the dead in the wake of the
revelations in the previous episode. Willow is feeling the brunt of the guilt,
and so she should, it was her insistence that they go through with the ritual
that spurred them all into action. Again Willow’s first thought is to turn to
magic to take away Buffy’s pain and so it’s time for Tara to make a stand,
especially since she discovered that Willow has been manipulating her mind to
stop them from arguing. Willow is no longer considering options when it comes
to tough choices, and she’s starting to make decisions for the both of them. As
soon as Tara talks about them splitting up I was suddenly paying attention in a
way that I haven’t been for the majority of season six to date. This is real
character drama of the sort that Buffy excels in. Willow makes promises that
she will go a whole month without doing a spell but like all addicts it is just
words to appease her and the second Tara’s back is turned she is looking to fix
the problem with magic. Watching her take this slippery slope to destruction is
tough viewing. I recently watched Six Feet Under and it is rare for me
to fall that much in love with a set of characters who make so many terrible
choices and leave me screaming at the screen ‘why would you do that!?’
Season six of Buffy is the closest that any other show has come to capturing
that delicious sense of conflict – I adore the characters on this show (it’s
what gets me through the ropier episodes and bumpy patches where with other
casts I would probably abandon a show) but they all (especially Willow) make
some really dodgy choices this year. Before the end of the season I will be
burying my face in my hands in despair at the path that Willow takes but
because I worship the character (Hannigan is also the most accomplished actress
on the show) I remain gripped by the downward spiral journey she takes. You
want to reach into the TV and stop her from making these terrible decisions but
at the same time there is a perverse interest into seeing where they are going
to lead. The look that Willow gives Tara when the spell is broken is one of
desperation, she knows that she has blown it and there is no saying sorry this
time.
Gorgeous Geek: Xander has a simple way of dealing with the
issue of feeling bad about the fact that his friend isn’t dead – he doesn’t.
The way this guy can simplify things down to make it easier on him is to be
commended and he’s going to have to do an awful lot of that come the end of the
season.
The Good: The idea of a loan shark that actually looks like
a shark is so deeply unsubtle that you either have to go with it or fight and
it’s such a fun idea why would you bother resisting? It’s a terrific design and
the actor has channelled his inner gangster. I wouldn’t have minded this
character turning up on a more regular basis. We’ve not seen the show switch
tones this confidently for some time now and it’s a welcome reminder of the
many hats that it can wear. It’s powerful character drama for the first fifteen
minutes before the cast all come under the thrall of Willow’s latest spell and
then it’s giggles all the way with some scares thrown in for good measure.
Every show and its dog has attempted to pull of the hokey idea of amnesia but
you can trust Buffy to put a new spin on the idea, revelling in the comic
misunderstanding of the entire cast forgetting how they are and trying to
figure out their relationships to one another. TNG attempted this exact premise
in it’s fourth year but as you can imagine it took a far more po faced route
and the resulting experience was pretty dreary. In comparison this is sharp,
sexy and funny. I love how Willow is certain she is a girl but still has a feel
of her chest to make sure. Giles figures that he is Spike’s father because of
the nagging feeling of familiarity and disappointment (‘you’re too old to
put across me knee, you know sonny’). Joan the Vampire Slayer? It doesn’t
quite have the same ring to it, does it? How wonderful is it that Alyson
Hannigan and Amber Benson can convey their extraordinary chemistry with little
more than a look as Willow and Tara start to realise how attracted they are to
each other on the run? The warren of bunnies that is attracted to the Magic
Shop thanks to Anya’s crappy magic skills has to be seen to be believed. Giles
sword fighting with a skeleton is also something I never thought I would see.
Anthony Head and Emma Caulfield display a wonderful comic partnership (‘I
feel compelled to take some vengeance on you!’) and it’s a shame that they
have never had the chance to play with material this mad before. The spell is
broken at a crucial point where Willow and Tara have discovered each other
again, only for their memories to return and the full realisation of who has
been responsible for this to dawn. It’s also the point where Giles and Anya are
snogging each others faces off.
Moment to Watch Out For: It’s a small scene but one of my
favourite moments in this entire series is when the amnesiac Scoobies open the
door to the Magic Shop and are confronted by vampires and they all scream at
once and run away. It’s a gorgeous comedy gem that sees the cast delighting in
their roles and their time together.
Tabula Rasa written by Rebecca Rand Kirshner and directed by
David Grossman
What’s it about: Willow does a spell that goes horribly
wrong…
The Chosen One: Buffy reacts very
badly to the news that Giles is skipping town and can typically only see how
his absence is going to affect her. It’s a tough road ahead for sure but
ultimately Buffy emerges from season six a stronger individual, one who can
genuinely look after herself. It is the right choice but given the timing and
what she has recently been through I can see why she feels as though she is
being dumped like some kind of problem child. Buffy’s default reaction to hard
times seems to be to fall into Spike’s arms but then he always seems to be
there when she is at her most vulnerable.
Sexy Blond: Buffy admits that if she stopped saving Spike’s
life it would make her life so much simpler, especially in the aftermath of her
kiss with him in Once More, with Feeling. It was a watershed moment for both
characters and would have been unconceivable a few years ago (indeed Something
Blue took the time to rip the piss out of the idea) but the show has evolved in
such a way that this feels like the most natural, and bizarrely, most
satisfying course for Buffy and Spike. How the season deals with their twisted
relationship is without a doubt one of its high points.
Sparkling Dialogue: ‘Welcome to the nancy tribe.’
‘Randy Giles? Why not just call be horny Giles or
desperate for a shag Giles?’
‘I must be a noble vampire. A good guy. On a mission of
redemption. I help the helpless. I’m a vampire with a soul’ ‘A vampire with a
soul? Oh my God, how lame is that?’ – I’m saying nothing…
‘Then stay up there and keep making bunnies!’
Dreadful Dialogue: ‘You don’t want to miss the low down on
the latest creature feature.’
Foreboding: As far as the characters are concerned this show
is more serialised than ever. Every episodes seems to explore the consequences
of the last and throw up more problems to be dealt with in the next.
Result: ‘Are you saying you’re gonna leave me?’ A
genuinely fantastic episode of Buffy that exposes the many facets of the show.
It is perhaps not a screaming endorsement of the direction the show has taken
in season six that the chance for the entire cast to shrug of their characters
for an episode and have the chance to loosen up and play some broad comedy is
the ultimate refreshment. There’s real energy and a sense of fun to the middle
section of Tabula Rasa and you better enjoy them because things are about to
get very dark indeed. The cast are having a ball unshackled by the heavy
developments of late and Gellar in particular seems to relish the chance to
throw off the dark Buffy of late and play superhero unheeded by depression (her
reaction to her first dusting is a delight). However the frolics come at a cost
and the final scenes are what truly make this episode stand out. We’ve been
promised developments for quite some time now and finally the character arcs
are starting to pay off. Accompanied by Michelle Branch’s stunning song Goodbye
To You, Giles and Tara make tough choices to leave their loved ones for
their own good and the stunned reactions of Buffy and Willow left me
heartbroken. By the end of this episode I had laughed and cried and it was a
welcome reminder that once all the tricks are over (and Once More with Feeling
and Tabula Rasa both indulge in some distracting trickery) it is the characters
that make this show worth watching for. In that respect, Buffy will always be
on top: 9/10
What’s it about: Buffy and Willow take a walk on the wild
side…
Witchy Willow & Tasty Tara: With Tara gone Willow turns
her attention to Amy the Rat and works on a spell (tut tut) that will ensure
that she has another magically inclined friend about the place. It’s interesting
that Willow she panic so much when Amy uses magic to turn a girls attention
towards her. She grew into her relationship with Tara but beyond that she has
had no experience with other women and the thought of exploring that terrifies
her. Anya makes a point about when good people get a taste of being bad they
can’t get enough of it because it is so different. Keep that in mind when we
reach the final stages of the season.
Amy the Rat: It was an interesting choice to turn Amy back
into a human at this stage because she has been out of the loop for so many
years but given Willow’s path of destruction at the moment it makes perfect
sense. My only issue is that even though we didn’t get to spend a lot of time
with the character in seasons 1-3 I don’t recall her being quite this dangerous
back then. Mind you she’s been trundling on a hamster wheel for the past three
years and who knows what that will do to a person. She doesn’t want to have to
deal with her father at the moment because she will have to explain about her
dabbling in magicks.
Moment to Watch Out For: The unbelievably destructive and
violent final five minutes that sees Buffy and Spike consummate their
relationship whilst a house falls to pieces in their wake. Suddenly the
director is awake and the show is being shot with energy in a fantastic
location, Thomas Wanker is given something that is actually worth scoring and
he switches from dark action fare to a sudden release of vocals and Sarah
Michelle Gellar and James Marsters paw at each other as if it is something they
have been dying to do for years. It’s unforgettably climactic, utterly filthy
and features both characters at their blackest. Eye opening stuff.
Result: I think season six might just be the best and
the worst season of Buffy and nowhere is that more exemplified than in Smashed.
Like the very first episode of the season it mirrors the year as a whole. They
both have extended moments of inactivity, they both push the limits of how far
this show can go into soap opera territory, they both enjoy shoving the
audiences face into the harsh realities of life and they both come together in
the latter stages and produce material that is truly remarkable. For much of
running time Smashed is extremely average sabotaged by some truly uninteresting
direction and a cast that looks to be going through the motions. Willow and
Amy’s exploits at the Bronze are duller than dishwater (this might just be the
dreariest attempt to act out that I have ever seen) and the rest of the
Scoobies seem paralysed by the fact that there is no narrative for them to
engage with. Then in the final few scenes it comes alive in a very unexpected
fashion with the Spike/Buffy relationship turning darker than ever and reaching
an hauntingly dramatic crescendo. Say
what you will about this season of Buffy (and people sure say a lot, for good
or for ill) but this was the year that had people talking about it the most.
From Buffy’s resurrection to Willow’s drug allegory to Xander and Anya’s
wedding drama to the aftermath of Tara’s death, it was a year that pushed the
characters into some very dramatic situations that caught the audiences
attention. And after the violent, destructive, pornographic explosion at the
end of this episode all I can remember for the next day was everybody talking
about the ending where Spike and Buffy did the wild thing. For me this is one
of the weaker episodes of the year (but then I’m a big fan of Wrecked and
Doublemeat Palace so perhaps I’m not the most reliable of commentators) but it
salvages a great deal in those moments where it shines: 5/10
What’s it about: Willow takes a step into the dark side and
Buffy reaches a decision about Spike…
Witchy Willow & Tasty Tara: In a moment where she just
wishes the ground would swallow her whole, Willow has to face the disapproval
of Tara as Amy rabbits on about her magic obsessed evening on the town.
Remember when I said in Tabula Rasa that this was the year when I scream the
most at the TV at the characters to stop behaving like idiots – this might be
the one episode where I was the hoarsest. After her trip out at Wrack’s Willow
bursts into tears in the shower, the magicks having drained everything out of
her. She’s still in there, our little Willow. She’s so desperate to be with
Tara that she makes a fake version of her girlfriend out of her clothes to hold
her when she is at her weakest. Willow can make a mess of her own life if she
wants to but the second she decides to step into the lions den with Dawn at her
side is the moment she has crossed a line and started putting other people in
danger because of her addiction. When she skips out of her session with Wrack
hours later Willow is suddenly a dangerous character, drunk on her trip and
unable to think sensibly about the jeopardy she is putting Dawn in. All I kept
thinking when she refused to take Dawn home was that she was going to have an
awful lot of explaining to do when they get back. Especially after the demon
chasing and car crashing. Finally Willow and Buffy have a frank heart to heart
that has been deferred for many episodes. Willow thinks that without magic she
is just that pathetic, nerdy little girl that nobody noticed but Buffy reminds
her that she was special long before she ever started dabbling. And so begins
are her withdrawal period…
Vengeance Demon: Taking the piss spectacularly out of the
fact that Xander and Anya did nothing but research on a demon that doesn’t
exist last week, they are still at it when we catch up with them in Wrecked
except Anya is merely pretending to study with a wedding magazine nestled
squarely inside a Who’s Who of Demons tome.
The Bad: The only scene that I thought pushed the drug
metaphor too far was when Buffy confronted Amy who was rooting around through
Willow’s things for some sage. Willow’s seduction works because Alyson Hannigan
puts the effort in to make us feel for the character even when she is crossing
a line but Amy’s sudden reappearance as a desperate junkie doesn’t convince at
all. There was no sign of this before she was turned into a rat.
Fashion Statement: Somebody has an obsession about James
Marsters appearing in the buff in this season. I’m not complaining but this
episode might wind up being the one where he wears clothes the least. Looks
like he has been working out extra hard as a result.
Smashed written by Drew Z. Greenberg and directed by Turi
Meyer
The Chosen One: Buffy is a tease and she’s the only
one who cannot see it. Whilst she is perfectly within her rights to say no to
Spike (this would become dangerously relevant in Seeing Red later in the year)
she is sending out all manner of mixed signals. Like her life, like her career
path, like everything in this wilderness period for Buffy she doesn’t know what
she wants. She’s conflicted about everything and is trying everything and
nothing seems to be sticking. Except that when she is feeling vulnerable it she
enjoys taking solace in Spike’s arms. It’s once she has pulled herself together
that there is a problem, he wants more and she can’t believe what her pain has
brought her to. It’s a destructive relationship that will play out over the
middle section of season six with some turbulence.
The Key: Dawn is having some serious abandonment issues this
season. Understandable considering
Buffy never seems to be around and Willow and Tara have just broken up.
Sexy Blond: The turns this story takes with Spike are by far
the most interesting. In their usually caustic manner he and Buffy start
hitting on each other and the chip fails to react as a result. Spike therefore
thinks that he is cured and that he can enjoy himself a feast for his prolonged
patience without a kill. Spike might have been a brutal killer in his early
years but since the series switched channels he has proven to be the most
reliable character on the show (in the first story of the season he was Dawn’s
protector and he has been there for Buffy time and again when she has needed
him). It’s a testament to his incredible evolution as a character that his
sudden homicidal tastes in Smashed are as shocking as they are. During their
fight to the death (that leads to their first bout of love making) Buffy
asserts that Spike is attracted to her because he likes getting beaten down,
that he doesn’t consider himself worthy of love and should be punished as a
result. Wow, that is bleak. Gripping, but bleak.
Vengeance Demon: You can count on Anya to cut through all
the awkward silences and pretence and get straight to the point about Willow’s
split with Tara. Every show needs a character like that or nothing ever gets
said.
The Trio: They’re still one with the insanely childish
masterplans, stealing giant diamonds from Sunnydale museum to power their
freeze ray like some cut price Bond villains. Looking at the season as a whole
its easy to see what the idea was behind these three guys (beyond being a
mouthpiece for writers like Joss Whedon), providing us with some silly diversions
sure. But the real intent was to make Buffy questions every aspect of her life,
to ask herself if this is how low she has fallen if these three losers are her
current arch nemesis’. These early episodes are vital to lull you into a false
sense of security around these guys so when things turn dark in Dead Things and
Villains they hit home even harder. Wonderfully the Trio would rather be hurt
themselves than Spike destroy one of their limited addition action figures.
Sparkling Dialogue: ‘How have you been?’ ‘Rat. You?’ ‘Dead.’
‘I’ve seen every episode of Doctor Who…’ Not a great line
but for a fanboy like me…
‘You came back wrong…’
‘I’m in love with you’ ‘You’re in love with pain.’
The Good: I still can’t believe they actually went to the
effort to freeze a guy. I should be appalled at the show stooping so low but
actually it is pretty cool. A show with such longevity can afford to look back
at its past and toss in some mentions that will make a fanboy squeal – Amy’s
hope that Larry will ask her to the Prom. I always used to find the scenes of
Willow and Amy exploiting the patrons of the Bronze a little underwhelming but
there is actually something quite creepy about it. Why would you need magic to
play snooker?
The Bad: It feels as though the writers have completely
forgotten how to structure a season of this show. This is the point where all
the all early hints and subplots should be starting to cohere and the show
should be ramping up the interest levels. Instead there seems to be absolutely
nothing happening aside from the morose character material. Plot wise there is
so little going on this year that Xander, Anya and Buffy spend the majority of
this episode poring over books to figure out why the diamond that powers the
freeze ray is relevant. It has nothing to do with anything in the grand scheme
of things. It feels like a waste of a hour. Cutting back and forth between
Buffy and Spike’s fight to the death and Willow and Amy’s magic tricks in the
Bronze sees the show swing from it’s most adult to it’s most childish. That’s
very season six too.
Wrecked written by Marti Noxon and directed by David Solomon
The Chosen One: ‘Nothing’s changed. It was a mistake’
‘Bollocks! It was a bloody revelation!’ That’s the trouble with letting
yourself go and falling in bed with a bad boy, you have to deal with the
morning after. We’ve been there, Buffy. The early scenes between Buffy and
Spike where she is simultaneously fighting him off and losing herself in his
grip are brilliantly played by both actors. Unlike the fairytale love of Buffy
and Angel which was achingly romantic but hardly realistic, this is a primal,
instinctive kind of love making which feels much more real. It feels like in
terms of looking at the act of love and how dangerous it can be, the show has
truly grown up a bit. They are like two animals devouring each other, indulging
in the most exciting kind of sex. Ultimately she rejects him (as I always knew
she would) and he tells her in no uncertain terms that things have changed,
that she cannot simply treat him like a piece of shit and then come running
when she has an itch that she cannot scratch. In a very defensive reaction to
Willow’s overuse of magic, Buffy tells her friends that she is going through
something that they cannot understand and that she shouldn’t be judged. There
is so little subtext that I’m surprised that Xander and Anya didn’t realise
there and then that Buffy and Spike were up to something naughty. It’s
fascinating to see Buffy come to the same decision as Willow at the climax,
that no matter how good something feels, if it’s bad for you you need to give
it up.
Sparkling Dialogue: ‘I might be dirt but you’re the one who
likes to roll in it, Slayer.’
The Good: Another episode that follows on directly from the
previous one, directly dealing with it’s consequences. In that respect season
six often feels like it takes place over a short period of time rather than
being spread over a year as usual. Whilst the metaphor for drug use might be so
unsubtle that they might as well have just come out and said it, the way this
episode handles how out of control Willow becomes under the thrall of
substances is very disturbing and quite gripping. Wrack is precisely what the
season has needed for some time now, a nasty who could happily step into the
role of this seasons Big Bad if the writers chose (the Trio for all their
irritating schemes are hardly a powerful presence). Hidden away down a back
alley with sick, miserable, depressed looking customers waiting for their fix –
this is the darkest this show has been since the prostitution metaphor in
season five’s Into the Woods. Jeff Kober is intimidating company, playing the
intense dealer as somebody who gets off on his customers addiction to the
magicks he can provide. He’s an emotional vampire, leeching off Willow whilst
taking her to places magically that she should never be exploring (‘you’ve
got to give a little to get a little…’). I have rarely felt as
uncomfortable watching this show as I did during the sequence where Willow
laughs her head off driving away from the demon that is pursuing them. She’s
lost control, Dawn is terrified and I had no way of predicting how this was
going to pan out. It’s disturbing viewing and yet utterly compelling. The
sinewy, hairy demon that nearly takes out Dawn is one of the most horrible
examples we’ve seen and the action sequence where Buffy intervenes is very
nicely staged.
Moment to Watch Out For: Willow’s magic trip under Wrack’s
tutorage is out and out one of the most frightening things Buffy has ever
depicted. Hypnotically directed and scored with some seriously trippy effects
and a committed performance by Alyson Hannigan, Willow is completely consumed
by the dark magic as she lies on the ceiling and watches as the room starts
blooming. Suddenly she is transporting herself around Sunnydale, a black eyed
beauty. Watching a character that you care about being seduced so completely by
evil is heartbreaking. I can understand why a portion of the audience rejected
this but there is a powerful beauty to these scenes.
Result: ‘You taste like strawberries…’ Whilst taking
Willow in a direction of self-destruction, Wrecked is powerful stuff and
contained scenes that lingered in the mind long after I finished watching.
Whilst some have commentated that the route this pushes Willow in is the nadir
for the show and the character, I pretty much found the opposite to be true.
Suddenly the direction and performances are really trying again and Wrecked offers
some startlingly dramatic and frightening moments where the drug metaphor is so
blatant I wondered why they were even bothering to hide it behind magic.
Slapped by a beaten and bloody Dawn, rejected by Buffy and left in a mess of
tears and hysterics on the floor, Willow has hit rock bottom. Surely it cannot
get any worse than this for her? The
thing that stops this from being a character assassination is Alyson Hannigan
who is so phenomenal an actress that she can make you feel for the character
even when taking her to dark and uncomfortable places. Her tears as she falls
into Buffy’s arms at the climax left me feeling drained. I wasn’t sure whether
to hate her or sympathise with her but there simple fact is I felt both where so
many TV characters leave me unmoved. In the hands of a lesser this actress this
could have been abominable but Hannigan ensures that, despite Willow’s
terrifying addiction to magicks, I still empathise with her. The Buffy/Spike
material isn’t quite as strong but we still have a long way to go with this
pair and much of this is set up for the startling payoff that comes in Dead
Things, Seeing Red and Grave. I can completely understand why people would
reject this episode because it does stray into discomforting territory but that
is precisely the sort of thing I like every now and again to stop me from
feeling complacent about a show. More like this please: 8/10
What’s it about: Buffy is turned invisible…
The Trio: A freeze ray and now an invisibility ray? These
guys really are the Kings of Nerdom. My biggest issue with the Trio at this
point is that we are now halfway through the season and they haven’t done
anything of note yet and have only just revealed themselves. The last time a
Buffy villain took this long to emerge (the Mayor in season three) the season
was severely hampered as a result – time was when the Big Bad was unveiled in
the first handful of episodes (like Spike in season two) so they could evolve
into something rather wonderful before the years end. These three do enjoy some
startling development before season six is out but for the first half they have
done little but make a mockery out of the shows fandom and indulged in juvenile
humour. Dead Things (which is the point where things really start to get ugly
for the Trio) should have taken place much, much sooner. Like now.
Jonathan is convinced that they are not killers but Crime Lords and refuses the
notion of killing Buffy. Warren on the other hand is more than happy to get the
Slayer off his hands for good. The long running joke that nobody remembers who
Andrew is until they mention Tucker begins here.
The Good: Whilst Doris Kroeger might not be the most might
not be the most effective character, I’m pleased that social services are
looking into the situation surrounding Dawn and her complete absence of
parents. Gone goes to some lengths to expose how inappropriate her home life
can be (late for school, talking about car accidents, dodgy British men in
leather coats hanging about the place, drugs on display) but the truth of the
matter is that the last episode already established that Dawn is not receiving
the care that she should be (both Buffy and Willow failed to come home one
night because they were too busy indulging themselves elsewhere and Dawn was
almost killed as a result of Willow’s mistreatment). There is a very good
argument for social services to take Buffy’s sister away. I liked the reference to Marcie in season
one’s Out of Mind, Out of Sight although it’s perhaps not wise to references
previous episodes if you’re not going to try and top them. Some of that Buffy
confidence is in evidence during the climax when the writer/director dares to
feature a fight between two invisible sets of opponents. Unfortunately the poor
dubbing guts this potentially great idea of it’s obvious comic potential. Check
out the scene between Buffy and Willow at the conclusion – it couldn’t be
further from the scene between them at the end of Wrecked and shows that the
show is trying to re-establish the connection between its characters.
The Bad: The way Buffy and Spike’s contratante in the
kitchen is directed it is clear that she is loving the invasive probing by his
hands which makes Xander look spectacularly dense when he interrupts them and
completely mis-interprets the scene. Whilst I love the effect of the invisible
ray shooting off in every direction, couldn’t David Fury have come up with
something a little less embarrassing than the Trio wrestling with the device
and it accidentally going off to turn Buffy invisible? It just seems far too
obvious to a show of Buffy’s calibre. Was Sarah Michelle Gellar actually
present during the invisible sequences because her interaction with the other
actors is strained and unconvincing. It sounds like somebody else was reading
in the lines and Gellar’s voice work was dubbed in afterwards. I get that this
episode is supposed to be light but what Buffy gets up to here is actually
pretty nasty. Because a social worker sees what appalling conditions Dawn is
living under (and they are appalling whatever way you look at them) and says
that she wants to see improvement Buffy intrudes on her place of work and makes
her look as though she is going through a nervous breakdown. It’s not even as
if she does anything particularly original but float mugs and whisper in her
ear. Is this behaviour supposed to enamour us to Buffy? Why would Buffy nibble
at Spike’s naked body when he is chatting to Xander? Does she enjoy taking the
piss out of her friends? In a scene that sees neither or them at their best,
Dawn reacts terribly to Buffy’s newfound invisibility. Shouldn’t Buffy be
coaxing her sister into the idea rather than scaring the shit out of her
floating pizzas in her direction and shouldn’t Dawn find the idea bit more fun
than she does?
Moment to Watch Out For: The best scene by far features
Spike making love to invisible Buffy. Something tells me this might have been
the starting point for this episode and everything else was worked around it to
make it happen. The sight of James Marsters grinding away to nothing was pretty
amusing, although probably not enough to justify a whole episode being
sacrificed to this New Adventures of Superman premise.
Gone written and directed by David Fury
The Chosen One: The neat parallels between Willow and
Buffy’s addictions continue to be made with Buffy clearing out all the magic
junk and coming across Spike’s lighter down the side of the couch.
The Key: I’m still undecided on whether it was a wise idea
to continue Dawn’s story beyond season five at this point (whereas in season
seven they completely bring me around to the idea with a much more positive
portrayal of the character). With both Buffy and Willow going through tough
times it is a bit much to add Dawn’s emerging kleptomania and abandonment
issues to the mix and as a result of both her ‘parents’ busy indulging in the
dark she sinks into a greater mire of depression as the season continues.
Michelle Trachtenberg tries her damdest to make the character likable but she
is faces an almost impossible task when the writers continue to mould her into
the role of the irritating teen as seen here.
Witchy Willow & Tasty Tara: Xander thinking that Willow
might be responsible for Buffy’s disappearance is not so wide of the mark given
her recent compulsion and that she is still struggling to keep it under control
despite recent events. The best thing to come out of Gone is witnessing
Willow’s struggle with resisting the urge to use magic and seeing her back to her
old investigating ways. In that respect this is another throwback to season
one, but a pleasing one.
Dreadful Dialogue: ‘Rhymes with blinvisible…’ Are they even
trying to be witty this year? I can’t think of a single season where so many
episodes get lines allocated to this section of the review.
Fashion Statement: Considering she has such a gorgeous
haircut in this episode, is Sarah Michelle Gellar wearing a wig during the
early scenes?
Orchestra: One of the major weaknesses of season six is the
complete lack of any new music from Thomas Wanker. I genuinely believe that a
stronger score throughout would have resolved a fair few of this years
problems. The last third of the season sees Wanker trying his hand at something
a little new and the result is an instantly more interesting show to watch. The
majority of the year is taken up with a whole bunch of cues and themes from
season five and whilst it felt like a fresh direction for the show then, its
just repeated motifs and in weaker material now.
Result: What is going on this season? Wrecked took us
to a very dark place and is followed up with Gone which is the lightest of
light entertainment, a switch of tone that is so completely different it’s
actually quite jarring. There’s nothing especially wrong with this episode despite
being a throwback to the worst excesses of season one but it’s all a bit
obvious and unchallenging at a time when the season should be delivering some
substance and development. Buffy reverts to childhood as soon as she is turned
invisible and starts playing irritating party tricks on people that don’t
deserve it and the physical effects are only just what I call acceptable for
this kind of episode without ever threatening to stray into anything
imaginative or clever. It’s annoying because this is the sort episode that
Buffy usually excels at but when hampered by so little ambition it can only
provide an hour of light relief rather than anything more significant. Saying
that it is nice to take a break from the unrelenting misery of season six and the
direction is just effervescent enough to prove distracting for the most part.
But I can’t help but think this should have been funnier, shaper paced and have
greater consequences than it does and that Buffy should have been punished for
her behaviour. Bringing the Trio out into the open and the ‘first steps’ scene
between Buffy and Willow aside, this is almost entirely filler in a season that
has already been plagued by the stuff: 5/10
What’s it about: Buffy has to het a job…
What’s it about: It’s Buffy’s birthday which means bad news
for all…
Witchy Willow & Tasty Tara: The beginning of the
rehabilitation of the relationship of Willow and Tara. It has become clear that
the only reason they have been torn apart is so we can see them come together
again and fall in love with them as a couple all over again. Willow nervously
tries on different clothes because she was wants to look perfect for the girl
she loves, taking her back to the initial stages of their relationship when you
really make an effort to impress. Thank goodness Willow kept a few magical
items back for emergencies but it shows that she wasn’t quite ready to go cold
turkey without a safety net. Hooray for the moment when Tara sticks up for her
girl when Anya starts to give her a hard time for not using magic to get them
out of this situation.
The Good: It feels like the show has been making a real
effort of late with the design and realisation of it’s demons. Last week there
was a bunch of time jumping nasties and this week we’re treated to a samurai
warrior that turns to quicksilver and pours into his sword only to be let out
in a confined space. The sudden revelation that the guidance counsellor is
Halfrek comes at precisely the right point. Thank goodness for the demon being
released into the house because I wasn’t sure that I could watch this bunch
standing around unable to leave much longer. Suddenly the focus is on trying to
stay alive which is much more interesting. Scenes of the house creaking like
the deck of a sailing ship and the demon slipping from the walls to hack and
slash finally mange to generate some tension. Halfrek and Spike recognising
each other is a priceless moment, but only if you are a Buffy fanatic.
The Bad: More Clem, less Sophie, that’s what this episode
needs. Clem (and Halfrek) are proof that the show can still introduce new
characters that are easy to fall in love with, but Sophie proves it can be hit
and miss these days. What on Earth is that weird ‘yes you do/yes you are…’
scene between Anya and Dawn all about? At stages of season six it feels as if
they have completely forgotten how to write for the ex-demon. Bizarrely enough
at exactly the same point when Angel forgot how to write for Cordelia (season
four). Go figure. Would Dawn really be so stupid to steal a designer jacket for
Buffy and forget to try and take the tag off. Despite some humour, this year
epitomises standing around in group scenes with lots of extraneous characters
waiting for something to do. Wow and I thought the party scenes in All the Way
needed a little work…typically horrendous Summers house music (see also
Listening to Fear and Conversations With Dead People) is piped over scenes of
Anya and Dawn look listless and bored, Willow slumping into a depressive stupor
and Sophie the clown who is intolerant to, well, everything. This is a show
that used to know how to party, it feels like everybody is bit too adult and
above that these days. Wasn’t there a more subtle way of revealing this weeks
curse than having everybody sitting around with one character stating ad
nauseum that they cannot leave? Like Gone, it’s all a bit obvious.
Doublemeat Palace written by Jane Espenson and directed by
Nick Marck
The Chosen One: Continuing this years theme of ‘life sucks’,
Buffy is forced into the workplace in order to make ends meet. I prefer to
think of her term at the Doublemeat Palace as a punishment for her appalling behaviour
last week and can’t help but burst into laughter every time I see that
ridiculous hat jammed on her head. I said earlier in the season that it was a
little weird to force the viewers through all this mundane life stuff when that
is the sort of thing that they are watching the show to get away from but there
is something so pathetic about a superhero having to get a job at a burger in
order to pay her bills that really makes me empathise with Buffy here. Who
hasn’t taken a really terrible job to try and stay afloat in difficult times?
Least year Buffy was tackling Gods and monsters, this year she is flipping
burgers. Season six continues the shows obsession with taking these characters
through realistic stages of life in supernatural drama, the trouble is we have
reached the ‘life isn’t fair’ stage of the game that hits you before you
embrace the more satisfying aspects of maturity once you have discovered who
you are (which will come in season seven). Rather absurdly Buffy admits that
the reason she wanted a job at a fast food outlet is because she didn’t want to
go through a lengthly interview process. Think it, Buffy, don’t say it. When
she shags Spike up against the wall outside the burger joint the character
might have hit a brand new low but I can recall heading to Brighton every
weekend to shag my mundane week at the restaurant out of my system too at that
age. It’s ugly, but there is something real about it too.
Witchy Willow & Tasty Tara: What a bitch Amy is. Willow
is trying her damdest to keep her magic addiction under control and has
struggled through the early stages of withdrawal and along comes Amy to dose
her up again and set her right back to the beginning. There is a point here
about having friends around you that aren’t good for you that is well worth
taking on board. I think we’ve all fallen in with the wrong sort at one stage
or another and found ourselves in a bad place as a result. She proves that she
can be strong and that she doesn’t need magic in order to intimidate as she warns
Amy away.
Vengeance Demon: Halfrek can’t take her vengeance demon mask
off and points out to Anya all the lovable quirks that she has that Xander
takes the piss out of.
Sparkling Dialogue: ‘What about the cherry pie?’
The Good: The look on Buffy’s face when she is forced to
watch a video of chickens and cows being slaughtered and turned into Doublemeat
burgers is worth the admission price of this episode alone. Director Nick Marck
wants to shove the distasteful idea of people being turned into burgers right
down your throat and the camera lingers uncomfortably over slices of white
meat, greasy burgers and oily surfaces. The idea is to make this place look and
feels as disgusting as possible. When I worked a stint in a restaurant in my
late teens I remember going through the exact same moment when a customer
ordered the most complex mix of choices from the menu and I was left staring at
the till in astonishment just as Buffy experiences here. Bugs in the fat fryer,
fat plugging the ears, fingers in the grinder…this might just be the most
distasteful episode of Buffer ever but Doublemeat Palace needed it if it was
going to really drive home the potency of its scathing criticism of fast food.
I love Sarah Michelle Gellar’s performance when she rushes about the Doublemeat
Palace in a frenzy, afraid that the customers are chowing down on fried people
parts. She’s really started to find the fun again. Xander eating the burger and
his subsequent reaction to the ‘secret ingredient’ is pure season one. With the
last couple of episodes it really does feel as if we have been zapped through a
time warp. The idea of the high turn over of staff at fast food joints being
that they are ground down and used to made the food is just vomit inducing
enough to work. No wonder it got the advertisers all itchy. How unsubtle is
Buffy finding Manny’s bloody stump of a foot lying around? This is a show that
isn’t afraid to state the obvious at times but it is pretty humorous regardless
(it reminds me of the Sontaran that is killed three ways in Doctor Who’s The
Two Doctors – grotesque, obvious but very funny). Oh come one…in the face of
some pretty bland demons on display this season the sight of an old dear with a
giant phallic snake writhing out of her head and spitting paralysing fluid at
least stands out as being pretty memorable. It’s all so deliciously b-movie (as
is the solution of shoving the demon in the grinder) that I couldn’t help but
get a little carried away with it. I don’t know what I love more – the godawful
shot of the tentacle gnawing on Buffy’s shoulder, Willow slicing it from the
old dears head, the vomit inducing shot of pus oozing from her bony stump,
Buffy stabbing the creature with a scalpel, Willow shoving it in the grinder
and its subsequent last minute bid for freedom or their reaction as it turns
into mince. I couldn’t tell you if this is really good or really bad but by
golly it’s entertaining. The twist that the Doublemeat burgers are made out of
processed vegetables made me chuckle, somehow that would probably cause more of
stir than had it actually been cheap demon meat.
Moment to Watch Out For: Halfrek is a fabulous new character
and by far the most promising new introduction this year. I love the rich comic
tone of her appearance in Xander and Anya’s apartment, threatening to flay him
alive and then realising that she has been summoned as a guest to the wedding
instead.
Orchestra: Oh great, way to make me look like an idiot,
Wanker. After accusing him of not writing anything original in season six along
comes an episode that is pleasingly score with some fresh music. Although to go
with the early season feel of this installment I swear the scenes of Buffy
investigating the Doublemeat Palace at the 30 minute mark had music that was
ripped straight out of season one.
Result: Things to like about Doublemeat Palace; the cutting
satire on fast food, the crushing awfulness of Buffy having to find a dead end
job, the introduction of Halfrek, the continuation of Willow’s redemption, the
insanely realised b-movie creature that turns out to be responsible and the
enjoyable mixture of the grotesque and the light-hearted that harkens back to
the early days of Buffy. I don’t get the problem that people have with this
episode and certainly don’t find it the ‘worst episode ever’ that certain
portions of the audience have claimed. The sad truth is that I can empathise
with what Buffy goes through in this episode because I had a similar job at
exactly the same age and experienced much of the mundane horror that she does
here. I enjoyed the return to a good old fashioned mystery with Buffy at the
heart of it and the way the episode uses horror motifs to scrape itself a pass.
In all respects this is a reject from season one but unlike Gone it feels much
more confident with what it is trying to achieve. Don’t misunderstand me, this
isn’t a classic episode of Buffy but there is something very engaging about the
unpretentiousness of the material and it’s mixture of humour and ickiness
really appealed to me. It’s no compensation for the lack of arc material this
year but there is enough here to divert me until it finally shows up. This has
only gained enjoyment in the wake of the recent horsemeat scandal: 7/10
What’s it about: The Trio finally emerge as a genuine
threat…
Dead Things written by Stephen S. DeKnight and directed by
James A. Contner
The Chosen One: Interestingly it was this episode that Sarah
Michelle Gellar objected to when it came to the dazzling array of mistakes that
Buffy makes in season six when I felt this was one of the best examples of
convincing me of where the character is at the moment. Buffy is confused with
where she is in life, she loathes being back in a cold, harsh world the has
seemingly rejected her and she self harms by allowing herself to indulge in
some seriously dirty sex with Spike. Both Buffy and Spike know that whatever
they have is wrong, it’s purely animalistic and yet they cannot seem to be able
to give each other up regardless of the pain it causes. Again mirroring my
life, I have been with guys in the past that were bad news, that I knew would
cause more pain than joy but somehow I couldn’t be objective when I was with
them. The good moments felt so good. There’s something about a bad boy
that attracts a certain sort of person. Buffy’s fears that she has come back
wrong are understandable, she has hardly been behaving in character of late and
it would give her an excuse for some pretty poor life choices. Something is
stopping her from simply enjoying the time with her friends, she would rather
stand apart and wallow in the murk that is Spike’s touch. Gellar might have had
a problem with the scene on the balcony but it doesn’t show in her performance,
this is simultaneously filthy and very horny and for a moment Buffy transcends
genre television and feels like a moment of genuine lust. I would question
whether kids should be watching this show anymore (considering this all but
shows you Spike giving Buffy the finger) but it’s a startlingly mature piece of
acting that quite took my breath away with its rawness. In the midst of her
mid-life crisis Buffy now thinks that she is responsible for killing an
innocent. Whilst her decision to hand herself in might seem a little rash some
part of thinks that she just wants to tuck herself away, a poisonous individual
who has lost her way. Buffy reaction to
Tara’s news that she is still the same old Buffy is one of complete
devastation. Now she has nobody but herself to blame for her affair with Spike,
her abandonment of Dawn and her treatment of her friends. It’s the most vital
step of her recovery from this emotional quagmire she has been stuck in. Now
she has to mend her ways and try and make things better.
Witchy Willow & Tasty Tara: Tara continues
to show terrific growth in this episode. It is lovely to see her and Buffy
spending time together away from the group, it’s not a pairing I have given
much consideration to before (because it was always about Willow and Tara) and
it give this episode a unique feel. I like how Tara immediately leaps to the
conclusion that Willow must have done something wrong in order for Buffy to
seek her out privately when that isn’t the case at all. It shows that Tara
isn’t perfect and a little too judgemental for her own good.
The Trio: This starts out like any other episode of Buffy
featuring the Trio with the three of them squabbling over the most infantile of
things but it soon develops into something much more dangerous. Warren has been
the morally corrupt element since day one (when we first encountered him he was
making robots into sex slaves) and he has somehow convinced the others that
brainwashing women into sex slavery is a neat idea. What they’re talking about
is rape and it takes Katarina to spell that out to them in no uncertain terms.
What I found interesting was my reaction to their recent activities because
initially I was shaking my head with despair at their childishness and smirking
at the idea of them kitting Katrina up as a French maid and it wasn’t until she
broke free of their conditioning and bold facedly told them what they were
actually doing that I suddenly realised how serious this was. I had been so
programmed into thinking of the Trio as this rather pathetic, childish bunch
that the horror of what they were doing bypassed me until the tone of the piece
changed. Frighteningly this exploitation doesn’t seem to bother Warren in the
slightest but for Jonathan and Warren this is the wake up call they needed and
provokes a crisis of conscience. Not only is the idea of Warren casing a joint
for prospective totty to brainwash and drag back to their lair spectacularly
creepy but the idea of wanting their first victim to be the ex-girlfriend who
rejected him takes this to a very uncomfortable messy area. Warren is the
ultimate misogynist, he doesn’t like the idea of a woman saying no to him and
he is going to punish her for the effrontery. His line ‘you can play with her
all you want, after I’m done with her’ chills my blood. Katrina pointing out
that they are little boys playing at being men is right on the nail.
Sparkling Dialogue: ‘You try to be with them but you always
end up in the dark…with me.’
The Good: Katrina’s murder is so shocking and convincingly
handled that I completely forgot that I was watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
How the episode shifts from something completely juvenile to something morbidly
serious left me reeling. Dead Things cuts through the childishness of Jonathan
and Warren fighting with light sabres with Warren’s scratched and bloody face
and the blood curdling moment when he cracks open Katrina’s skull with a
champagne bottle. Although they have already crossed a line with their
attempted rape games, this is the point where they are truly beyond redemption.
It was long past time they were afforded material this serious…I just never
thought that the writers would dare to push them into territory this quite this
dark. Suddenly the Trio are worth watching because all bets are off for what
they are capable of. Almost as if to make up for some very flat direction
earlier in the season the editing during the time jumping fight with the demons
is razor sharp. It’s a compellingly handled set piece where you have to try and
piece together the fight as it is told completely out of sequence.
The Bad: It’s a shame that the sequence with Dawn should
irritate me so much (at this point she is just too whiny for her own good)
because otherwise this might have scored full marks.
Moment to Watch Out For: ‘You always hurt the one you
love, pet…’ We’ve seen Buffy lay into Spike before but this is something
else. Buffy’s abusive relationship with Spike reaches its zenith as she beats
the shit out of him outside the police station in a conflicted of violent
emotions. She loves him, she hates him, she’s angry, she’s disgusted and as she
tears away at the only person who has always been there for her she
assassinates her own character. It’s one of the most brutal expressions of self
hate I have ever seen committed to film. For a show like Buffy to so
unflinchingly cast its central character in such an ugly light one of the
bravest things they have ever done. Tough viewing but utterly compelling. Where
do we go from here?
Fashion Statement: I’m really starting to get used to see
Buffy and Spike in the buff together and I have to admit that as presented at
the top of this episode they are just about the hottest couple this series has
ever seen.
Result: Wow, for the Whedonverse this is about as stark,
brutal and adult as it comes. Much of Dead Things is extremely uncomfortable to
watch but it provides a healthy reminder of how potent the series can be that
it plunges into darkness and results in the most compelling drama of the year
to date. Katrina’s murder is so shocking in its implications that it pushes the
characters of Warren, Jonathan and Andrew into a much darker genre that they
simply aren’t capable of coping with. Suddenly they are fascinating to watch as
the desperately try and cover up the murder and start to come apart at the
seams. It is interesting that Sarah Michelle Gellar took issue with how this
episode portrayed Buffy when I consider it one of her very best performances in
the role. Taking Buffy to some very dark, very probing places it illicits a
performance so raw and devastating that I was mesmerised throughout. She is at her
most unlikable and brutal but at the same time at her most vulnerable. It
reminds me of Willow’s portrayal in Wrecked, perversely pushing the character
into psychologically dangerous areas but highlighting this seasons willingness
to take risks and explore its characters at their most exposed. I definitely
wouldn’t want Buffy to be this uncomfortable to watch every week but by shoving
the characters down in the dirt the writers have managed to tap into something
extraordinarily vivid and powerful: 9/10
Older and Far Away written by Drew Z. Greenberg and directed
by Michael Gershman
The Key: I was probably a little unfair on Dawn in the last
episode. This is the nadir of her character. Actually that is probably a
little unfair too. There’s no point of this episode that you could point at and
say that her reaction is unrealistic it is just that I am pre-disposed to hate
any material featuring angst ridden children who express their hatred through
tears and hysterics. After being abandoned by Buffy for the umpteenth time this
year she reaches out to the rest of the group but they all ignore her pleas.
Cue another round of ‘getoutgetoutGETOUT’ as everybody turns to
Dawn to accuse her of the hex that doesn’t let them leave the house. No wonder
nobody wants to spend any time with this whiny teen, she never seems satisfied
even when entire crowds have spent the night with her.
Sexy Blond: Spike’s raised eyebrow at the cute piece of ass
that Anya and Xander are trying to set Buffy up with is priceless. I’m glad
that Spike is still battered and bruised, a not-so gentle reminder of Buffy’s
violent emotions last week.
Vengeance Demon: Anya’s claustrophobia reveals an
uncomfortable side to her character that we’ve never really seen before. It
makes perfect sense in retrospect because ever since she was cast out of the
demon world the one thing that has haunted her is the idea of mortality. To be
confronted with a situation where they are trapped and one of their number is
bleeding to death it was bound to provoke strong emotions.
Moment to Watch Out For: Love the moment when Anya calls
Halfrek to account for herself and she gets stabbed by the demon. It’s a
quality shock and the sort of twist that the whole episode should have been
made up of.
Result: ‘So d’you ever think of not celebrating your
birthday?’ I am starting to notice a pattern with season six of Buffy. When
it attempts to do things that the show has done before and invites comparison,
it pretty much blows (the Halloween episode, the ‘invisible girl episode, the
Buffy birthday & wish episode) but when it tries its hard at something
truly original, forging its own path creatively it is pretty much excellent
(Once More with Feeling, Tabula Rasa, Wrecked, Dead Things). Fortunately as we
hit the homestretch we are about to completely abandon the former and embrace
the latter in what I consider to be one of the most effective runs of Buffy episodes.
This isn’t a patch on Surprise, Helpless or A New Man and it is the last point
in the season where the show needed to express the inactivity of a cast stuck
in one location. That’s all they have done all year! Saying that this is far
from being a complete washout with some pleasing, claustrophobic direction and
some terrific characterisation of Willow, Tara and Anya. What Older and Far
Away proves is that season six is character, character, character all the way
and when it comes to any kind of narrative flow it has abandoned the usual
tightly structured arc for something much more disparate and patience
straining. The whole purpose of this episode seems to be to reveal Dawn’s
kleptomania but considering that was never the most enthralling of ideas in the
first place it once again feels like a waste of an episode. This season needs
so consistency and some focus, a constant barrage of standalone episodes of
inconsistent quality is starting to wear a little thin. Older and Far Away is
adequate, but only scrapes an above average pass on account of the amusing and
revealing final ten minutes: 6/10
What’s it about: Riley returns to Sunnydale with his new
wife in tow…
Witchy Willow & Tasty Tara: Willow’s giddiness over her
and Tara speaking again is quite infectious. It really does feel like these two
are heading for a happy ending at this stage. Sam gives Willow the sort of gift
that she needs right now, news that she has accomplished a great deal by
quitting the dark magic because not many others would have the strength to do
so.
College Boy: Fortunately for him leaving Sunnydale (and
Buffy) seems to have been the smartest move Riley could have made. It seems a
bit unfair that Riley should fall back into Buffy’s life, that he should take
her on a whirlwind demon hunt where they abseil down a weir holding onto each
other and that he should completely forget to mention that he is now a married
man. His life couldn’t be anymore idyllic in a breakneck, killing demons sort
of way and the way he has fallen in with a woman as committed and as tunnel
visioned about work as he is is perfect. Buffy is still the first person he
ever loved, the strongest person he knows and she’s still quite the hottie.
The Good: It has come to this…Buffy smells so bad after a
shift at the Doublemeat Palace that undead fiends shy away from her in the
graveyard. The Svelte demon is another season six nasty that looks extremely
memorable whilst erring on the side of being a bit naff. With its head a giant
maw dripping with saliva and its ability to leap tall buildings, we’ve never
seen anything quite like this before and given the amount of demons Buffy has
sported this can only be a good thing. Whilst Doug Petrie’s direction lacks the
sort of energy that this story needs to really come alive, some of his shots
set at the reservoir are cinematic and impressive. I automatically want to hate
Sam because she is everything that Buffy wants to be right now but Doug Petrie
doesn’t make that a particularly easy task because the actress chosen is
extremely likable and the character is resourceful, understanding and empathic.
Moment to Watch Out For: I love the sequence with the Svelte
eggs hatching the baby creatures attacking en masse. It has the kind of vigour
and sense of danger that the rest of the episode lacks. The puppeteers deserve
credit for making the horrid, scuttling spiders a genuine menace.
As You Were written and directed by Doug Petrie
The Chosen One: The one I seem to be saying an awful lot
whilst I have been reviewing season six of Buffy (aside from the inconsistent
‘I love this one’/’I hate this one’ of each subsequent release) is that it taps
into something that I can recognise that I have experiences at one point in my life.
The theme of the year is ‘life sucks’ and whilst there have been hard moments
for the characters to face, most have them have felt painfully, authentically
real. And we’re not over with yet. Friends thinking they are doing the right
the things but getting it spectacularly wrong (Bargaining), feeling
disconnected from the world (After Life), having to pay bills (Flooded), trying
to find a path to steer your life in (Life Serial), having to cope with the
mistakes of siblings (All the Way), having to let go of people who move out of
your life (Tabula Rasa), being addicted to something that is bad for you
(Wrecked), having to work in a dead end job to make ends meet (Doublemeat
Palace), lashing out at the ones you love when things get too tough (Dead Things)…these
are all things that I not only recognise as being part of life but I have
personally experienced myself. It is one of the reasons that even though season
six is one of the darkest, bleakest years of the show, it is also the one that
I can buy into the most. I’m not saying my life has been one miserable moment
after the next because for all these tougher life moments there are a dozen
wonderful memories but something about the approach to focussing on the
hardship of being an adult after the wonderful freshness and frivolity of
adolescent really does strike home. As You Were is focuses on another
unfortunate element that many people will have faced – the ex-love who stumbles
back into your life when things are at their absolute worst. I’ve experienced this
on both sides – being both Buffy and Riley and let me tell you it is much more
fun being the Riley character in this scenario. There is a real sense of
Buffy’s adult life having caught up with her in the early scenes of As You Were
(running after the trash men with bin bags, piles of washing up in the sink,
letters bearing bad news) whilst Dawn, fresh faced and with her whole life
ahead of her, heads off to school leaving all those worries behind her. I think
Buffy’s most tragic moment in season six comes in this episode; when faced with
the idyllic existence of Riley and Sam, Buffy turns to Spike and forces him to
say that he loves her and needs her just to make herself feel better. Although
it takes her a little longer to realise it is painfully clear to the audience
that she is just using the vampire to make herself feel better and that is
where she has been going wrong this year. Rather than facing up to her
problems, she is falling into the arms of a man she loathes to distract herself
and is hating herself as a result. It’s why she battered him so badly in Dead
Things, all she could see was the hideous way she was treating him reflected
back at her. She needs to put her tawdry affair with him to bed so she can take
control of her life and make something of it. If she is going to have any kind
of future with Spike it has to be on equal terms, out in the open and when her
life is somewhere she is happy with. There is something very unlikable about
the way she treats Spike in Riley’s presence, beating on him and mocking him
when he tries to tell her the way she treats him is wrong. I like the
realisation that she makes at the episodes conclusion, that she has to stop
seeing Spike not for her sake but for his. Far more than the sex, it is the
kindest act she has made towards him yet.
Gorgeous Geek: The wedding of Xander and Anya is fast
approaching and preparations are starting to get on top of the happy couple.
They have agreed to let Anya’s friends (who are demons) and Xander’s family
(who are monsters) crash at their place and it looks like it is going to be
clash of the hideous acquaintances.
Sparkling Dialogue: ‘My head has a cow…’ is about as much
sense as Buffy can make in the face of Riley’s return.
‘Did you die?’ ‘No’ ‘I’m going to win…’
‘Just so you know, I’m prepared to hate this woman any way
you want’ and ‘What a bitch…’
‘The wheel never stops turning, Buffy. You’re up, you’re
down…it doesn’t change who you are. And you’re a hell of a woman.’
The Bad: I could have sworn that Gellar and Blucas had more
chemistry than this last year? Is this the same couple that shagged their way
through an entire episode? Perhaps it was a deliberate move, to show how much
both characters have changed since he skipped town. The whole Spike/Doctor
element of the story is half baked and disappointing – there’s never any
indication that it could be anyone else so it doesn’t exactly come as a
surprise when it is revealed.
Fashion Statement: Anya makes a fair comment about Xander
chowing down on chips. Nicholas Brendon sure seems to be piling on the pounds
at this point, especially compared to the beanpole he was in season one. More
Spike nakedness, of course.
Orchestra: What this episode is lacking in a very big way is
the sort of score that Christophe Beck could provide during the high octane
James Bond obsessed season four. In the hands of Thomas Wanker, the soundtrack
lacks the pace and excitement that As You Were desperately craves. I’m pleased
that the upcoming final season is going to be put in the hands of a fresh
musician because the show really needs a shot in the arm in that respect, but
not before Wanker offers up his final work in the run up to the end of the
season.
Result: ‘Did you wait until your life was absolutely
perfect…?’ The slow beginning of the crawl out of the mire that Buffy has
fallen into this year, the return of Riley forces her to take a look at her
life and make some important decisions about the future. As You Were is another
almost-great episode that doesn’t quite kick into high gear but shows the
series regaining its confidence and trying new things. Riley’s return might not
be what people were calling out for but I for one enjoyed the chance to catch
up with him and to be given the chance to see how well he has done for himself
since leaving Sunnydale. It adds a whole new dimension to his ignominious
departure from the series last year. We’re supposed to hate Sam but she’s
actually a promising new character played by a likable actress and the effects
work surrounding the Svelte demon is top notch. The areas where this falls down
is where a lot of season six episodes bomb; its pacing, energy levels and
musical score. There are a spate of episodes this year that have a disastrously
flat atmosphere where previous years they would have scored a victory just by
increasing the energy levels and giggles (Flooded, Smashed and Gone are the
worst examples). Fortunately this is about the point where the production team
seem to realise this and the show suddenly gets a shot of adrenalin and gets
its mojo back. As You Were wants to be a high octane James Bond thriller as
well as a reunion between Buffy and Riley and it gets all the ingredients right
(gadgets, stunts, monsters) but forgets to add the pace that would have secured
its success. Still there are some fun moments, the final set piece with the
Svelte babies kicks some ass and the realisation that Buffy comes to regarding
Spike makes this more than worth your time. This is a far less dramatic but far
more satisfying departure for Riley from the show. Above average Buffy, but no
classic: 7/10
Gorgeous Geek: Xander’s decision to call off the wedding
might seem like a dramatic one but it is not without some precedent. He’s
always had a dim view of marriage given his exposure to the very ugly
relationship between his parents (referenced as early back as season one but
seen here for the first time) and throughout season six his emotions about the
wedding have been seriously conflicted. He held off from telling anybody about
their engagement for as long as possible and has found the preparations
stressful enough to pile on the pounds. In pretty much every way he was ready
for this engagement to fail and seeing what he thinks are visions of the future
where both he and Anya hate themselves for being shackled to each other is all
it takes to convince him that their wedding will be a mistake. Some part of me
wants to reach into the TV and strangle Xander for not realising how he feels
sooner and putting Anya through the wringer like this and another part of me
understands completely where he is coming from and wants to console him. Like I
said with Willow earlier in the season when she made some dreadful mistakes,
the fact that these characters make you feel such strong emotions for them,
whether you want to murder them or comfort them, proves that the writers and
the actors are doing something right. Dramatically, this is a sound direction
to take their characters but that stop it from being the last thing I wanted
for them. It is the cut to Xander’s horrid parents when Anya is trying to
convince him to go through with the wedding that sealed the deal for me. I knew
this wasn’t going to happen.
Vengeance Demon: This is the first chance since Once More,
with Feeling that Emma Caulfield has had the chance to stretch herself which is
truly a waste of her considerable talents. She looks desperately cute in her
eye mask practising her vows (but then she is backed up by Willow and Tara
giving each other google eyes as they try and help her get dressed). Anya’s
shifting vows make for cuddlesome viewing and every time she re-writes them
they made me all mushy inside all the more. Anya finally understands love
thanks to Xander, and she is about to get a crash course in how much it can
hurt too. It is never pleasant when your past comes back to haunt you and
Anya’s former life as a vengeance demon trips her plans for happiness in a big
way. It is impossible not to feel for Anya as she heads down the aisle, bloody,
tear-stained and heartbroken but determined to face her guests. The final shot
of her, devastated and broken, being offered a chance to slip back into the
vengeance fold by D’Hoffryn offers a tantalising glimpse into the future.
The Good: Xander’s relatives and Anya’s demons are equally
repulsive and it would be really hard to pin down who works hardest to make
this wedding as unsuccessful as possible. The demons might turn the stomach
visually(such as Krelvin with blisters and boils all over his face) but it is
Xanders relatives that remind you that when it comes to functions of this
nature that it is the family members that can often be the most trouble. We’ve
heard much about Xander’s dysfunctional mother and father and here is a chance
to finally meet them and they don’t disappoint. Plump, unengaging, single
mother cousin Carol is so desperate for a boyfriend she is scouting around
Anya’s Carny folk for a date. Hurrah for the return of Halfrek, Clem and
D’Hoffryn, two recurring characters that always make an impact whenever they
appear. It goes to show how effective this show is at adding memorable new
characters to the mix. The squirming, tenticular present for the happy couple
certainly raised an eyebrow.
Moment to Watch Out For: Wow, the visions that the ‘older
Xander’ reveals are really powerful stuff. Nick Brendon and Emma Caulfield
commit themselves beautifully to these horrific vignettes of their potential
future together and expose the horror of a marriage gone horribly, horribly
wrong. It is when you see material this strong that you realise just how little
these two actors have been given to do this year. This is what they are
capable of. This sequence was so well played it gave me goosebumps.
Result: For the record I hated this episode when it
was first broadcast because after the tedious build up to the wedding
throughout season six that kept Xander and Anya from doing anything relevant
this was the last place I wanted them to be taken. I was appalled.
However time has healed many of those wounds (especially since the aftermath of
the dramatic conclusion of Hell’s Bells reaps some gorgeous character rewards
and gets the series heart pumping again) and looking at it objectively it is a
satisfying performance piece with lots of cute touches, some lovely comedy and
a real heartbreaker of an ending. The weak moments are few and far between but
mostly involve the tensionless scenes between the hideous (emotionally) Harris
family and the hideous (physically) demons who has teleported in on Anya’s
side. There’s a massive difference between where I want these characters to be
(happy and contented) and what is dramatically satisfying and perpetuates
storytelling (which would be tearing them apart horrifically) and the fact that
I am painfully torn between the two in this episode proves that the show is
getting something right. The reason it feels so unsatisfying at this point is
that there has been so much misery is season that (with more on the way) that
some relief would have been welcome but then I can think of a whole bunch of
shows that allowed their characters a happy union and as a result lost their
ability to do anything interesting with them (the inactivity of a happy Xander
and Anya this year is a great example). As a way of highlighting what superb
performers Nicky Brendon and Emma Caulfield can be, Hell’s Bells is to be
applauded and they might just break your heart before the end. Again this isn’t
quite vintage Buffy because for all
it’s mixture of lightness and drama the direction is a bit off in places.
Fortunately this is the last time I will have to say that about an episode for
a long, long time as we enter the superb final stretch of season six.
Entertaining for the most part, this would have scraped a high 6 but
scores one better because the last scene promises so much: 7/10
What’s it about: Have the last six seasons been a fevered
dream?
The Key: Even Dawn is utilised well in this episode,
something of a rarity this season. In Buffy’s ideal reality where her whole
messed up life is a fantasy cooked up in her head Dawn doesn’t feature, she’s
nothing but a retroactive plot device added late in the day to add some
spice.
Gorgeous Geek: Of course Xander still loves Anya, like that
was ever in any doubt even after the events of Hell’s Bells (if nothing else it
did a superb job of giving Xander a solid argument for kilting Anya on the most
important day of her life). Now he has a lot of apologising and healing to
arrange, if only he could can find the woman he loves (equally understandably
she has skipped town).
The Good: What I love about Normal Again is how it all kicks off like a typical season six episode; the Trio are bickering, Buffy is patrolling the streets looking for them and a typically gruesome looking demon is summoned to deal with her (this weeks version has translucent, waxy skin, tentacles and hideous eyes like fried eggs – ugh!). Even Buffy being stabbed has been done before but the sudden cut to the mental hospital with Buffy being sedated in agonising slow motion proves that this going to be something quite different from the norm. Buffy might come late to the party when it comes to high concept episodes but you can usually count on this show to be the one that makes the most of whichever premise it is test driving from week to week. This series has always been partial to a little meta fiction to make its point but Normal Again takes the idea to a whole new level, suggesting that Buffy is insane and that she dreamt up Sunnydale and the whole cast of characters to feed her delusion and keep her from the real world. She lives in a mental institution, her mom is still alive and still in a relationship with her father and the self destructive path that she has experienced in the past couple of years has all been in her head. It is a chilling idea, superbly realised in a script that takes a long, hard look at all the inconsistencies in Buffy and makes a compelling argument about the inconsistent nature of fiction. The sequences in the mental institution are filmed through a hypnotic lens and look nothing like anything else we have seen this season which really helps to sell the idea that this is world away from the fantasy land of Sunnydale that show usually inhabits. The performances are mute and realistic (Gellar is absolutely phenomenal) and the return of Kristine Sutherland is most welcome. Whilst at first it seems like the demon venom has created the asylum delusion that starts to take over Buffy’s life, the episode plays some depraved games with the audience and soon starts to convince that her life in Sunnydale was the illusion and the venom ‘plot device’ was created by Buffy so she could escape back into the real world. Very, very clever. Buffy is trapped within a schizophrenic nightmare, one where she has cast herself as the hero (the Slayer) within an intricate latticework that supports her delusion, surrounded by friends with super powers facing grand overblown conflicts and monsters both imaginary and rooted in actual myth. The very idea that past six seasons have been a fiction conjured up by a disturbed girl is thrilling and twisted and Normal Again makes many intelligent observations about the shows evolution. Buffy re-wrote her entire backstory to insert Dawn because she wanted a sister figure but as a result it created inconsistencies in the fantasy, started revealing cracks in the fiction. Suddenly the warm, likable characters have started doing uncomfortable and frightening things, the cast of sunny teenagers have become dangerous, flawed adults that are coming apart at the seams. When you put it that the arresting developments for the characters in seasons five and six suddenly start to make a great deal of sense. For once we have a climax which is loaded with genuine tension, where a fight to the death feels real because it is Buffy who is setting a monster on her friends who are bound and gagged. Cutting to Buffy’s devastated reaction to her friends being hurt in the asylum adds greater depth to her inner struggle. Brilliantly the writer and director make Buffy’s emergence back into the Sunnydale reality both a moment of triumph and a moment of tragedy, refusing to suggest that the asylum was all a dream. Without the awesome final pull back from the comatose Buffy, lost in the Sunnydale delusion, this episode wouldn’t have the strength it does. What a phenomenal final twist.
The Bad: In order for this premise to work the show has to
add a retroactive element of continuity where Buffy genuinely was placed in a
mental asylum between living in Los Angeles and moving to Sunnydale which I can
go with because the resulting episode is so powerful. But you would have
thought we might have heard about this before, even in jest, or at least when
Joyce found out about Buffy’s secret lifestyle in Becoming (something along the
lines of ‘So you didn’t have to send me to that asylum after all…’). It
is plausible that her parents would have taken steps to try and sort her out if
she starting banging on about monsters and demons in her teens at least.
Fashion Statement: Everybody has been dressing in such a
subdued way this season, befitting the tone the show has taken so when the
entire Scooby gang turn up to patrol looking like they have stepped out of a
fashion shoot (especially Willow and Buffy in their awesome hats) it is quite
the eye opener.
The Key: Entropy is one of the sunniest episodes of the year
regardless of the dramatic developments in the final fifteen minutes and it
even has the time to take hold of Dawn’s kleptomania (which has by far been the
most dreary plotline this season) and take the piss out of it (‘You stole a
toothbrush? As far as rebellious teenagers go you’re kind of square!’).
Since trying to drag her down to the basement and set a slavering demon on her
Buffy has gone into mental mom mode and is overcompensating to the nth degree.
It’s so nice to see some kind of pleasant interaction between her and Dawn (its
been all estrangement and mood swings for so long now) I will happily sit
through scenes of domestic bliss, Brady Bunch style. Dawn wants to go
patrolling with Buffy, offering the argument that they went practically every
day when they were her age (fifteen, not one and a half) but Buffy refuses,
saying that she works very hard to keep her away from that side of her life.
The honesty between Buffy and Dawn when she figures out what has been going on
between her and Spike after witnessing her reaction to the pornographic actions
in the magic Shop reveals that gentle chemistry between them at their best that
was rife in season five. More like this please.
Sexy Blond: Spike tries to open out to Buffy once again (in
the face of her accusations that he has been spying on her) but she rejects
him. Somehow her respecting him enough to keep her distance hurts him more than
her using him as her sex buddy but then he’s that kind of blood sucking fiend.
The Trio: Now had the Trio been introduced like this they
might have been a little more palatable from the off, burning through a moonlit
graveyard on quad bikes with stakes taped to the front, smashing through
gravestones and staking vampires. In exactly the same way that Flooded set up
the events of Life Serial and Smashed the events of Gone for the Trio, much of
their material this week is all preparation for their explosion of activity in
Seeing Red. However like everybody else in Entropy their interaction is
suddenly a lot more interesting (especially as Warren and Andrew plot behind
Jonathan’s back) and their geeky tricks are integral to the rest of the story
(their cameras allow the Scoobies to get a front row seat of Anya and Spike’s
sexual encounter).
Moment to Watch Out For: Despite all the emotional fireworks
going on elsewhere, the real punch the air moment is saved until last when
Willow and Tara stop keeping each other at arms length and fall into a
beautiful, passionate embrace. This is TV that cuddles you tight.
Witchy Willow & Tasty Tara: Watch those early scenes
between Benson and Hannigan carefully and you’ll see one of the most convincing
on screen relationships between two actresses that you are ever likely to see.
The way they look at each other, talk to each other and touch each other. It’s
effortless. Who hasn’t had one of those days after a disagreement where you
stay in bed all day and make love? Those are some of the best days. They spend
so much of this episode smiling that the warning bells start sounding,
especially coming at the tail end of the ‘no happiness allowed’ season six.
The Trio: Do you know what I find terrifying about Warren is
that despite the fact that he is such an egotistical misogynist even when he
has magical powers that give him super strength it only serves to make him even
more pathetic. He’s so feeble that as soon as he gets equal powers to Buffy he
starts hitting on the guys who gave him a hard time at school, trying it on
with their girlfriends and most eyebrow raising of all, robbing an amusement
park of its takings. He’s such an ineffective bad guy it is almost tragic.
The Good: If you want to see how the mood can change so
spectacularly and confidently on Buffy, the opening and closing scenes of
Seeing Red take place in Willow and Tara’s bedroom and there is a world of
difference between the two. From passionate lust to tragedy in the space of 45
minutes. Whilst it might be the most ridiculously overblown and melodramatic
jeopardy device ever conceived, the circular saws that spring from nowhere and
attempt to saw Buffy into pieces when she explores the Trio’s lair are so
dramatically executed it is a moment of
heart-stopping tension. Even the demons are being utilised in a more
imaginative way than usual this week, a bulky, earthy beast being eviscerated
and his slimy exterior being used as a second skin to obtain the Trio’s latest
acquisition. It’s all very icky which is all for the good. I love the
atmosphere of the scenes below ground, it’s like Indiana Jones with monsters.
Check out the lighting an music in Spike’s crypt in the scene after he attempts
to force himself on Buffy, rarely has this show felt so stark and dramatic.
Warren’s rocket pack escape is a moment of pure comic book comedy, perfectly
complimented by Andrew’s laugh out loud attempt to follow his mentor and knock
himself unconscious as a result. With Tara dead and blood pouring from Buffy’s
body, the cliffhanging shock moment gave me goosebumps all over. This is where
it is important to have good actors in your ensemble because any series can
fire a bullet but it takes the skill of Alyson Hannigan to grip you so
completely as Willow cradles the body of her dead lover. From nowhere, this is
suddenly the most exciting season ever.
Moment to Watch Out For: The real talking point of this
episode is the Spike/Buffy attempted rape scene in which it seems every man and
his dog has an opinion about. Usually I don’t care for Buffy to venture into
such murky waters such as this but the direction their relationship has taken
in season six has been so damaging and brutal it almost feels as though this is
the only place it could end up before they both call it a day for good. Whilst
I find the whole idea of rape uncomfortable, invasive and terrorising, what I
find quite interesting is the strong reaction to this scene compared to the
relatively ignored Buffy beats the shit out of Spike sequence in Dead Things.
Both scenes see the two characters going too far physically and forcing
themselves onto the other, both scenes leave scars that last far beyond the
shocking events and yet in the emancipated world of Buffy a near rape of a
woman is far more disturbing than a man almost being beaten to death. If find
them equally distasteful and yet in how the characters deal with the emotional
consequences, utterly compulsive viewing. Nobody wanted to see Spike cross this
line but he is just as confused and full of violently conflicting emotions as
Buffy was when he makes his mistake. They are as bad as each other and the
season has taken its time to point that out – Spike was as helpless at Buffy’s
hands whilst she was disfiguring his face with her fists as she is here as his
hands molest her flesh uninvited. They both have a moment of realisation when
they can see what they have become thanks to this twisted relationship. I’m
glad the near-rape isn’t shown to be a reaction to the beating that she gave
him because that would be a horrific message to send out to the audience. There
is enough space between the two events for them to be entirely separate. If
anything this is a last minute attempt for Spike to reach out to Buffy who has
completely rejected him at this point as is her right. A gesture that should
have been gentle and compromising but winds up desperate and invasive. The
scene as filmed is about as horrific as Buffy comes, superbly played by James
Marsters and Sarah Michelle Gellar and shot with real care by a director that
wants to drive home the panic and terror of the experience without shoving it
in the audience face. The fact that it takes place in the bathroom, the place
where you clean yourself is important and both Buffy and Spike are wearing
black which contrasts starkly against the sparseness of the room. Whilst you
might reject such discomforting material, the fact that it provokes such strong
opinions and plentiful discussion means that it is certainly an avenue that was
worth exploring. Buffy has never look more scared or more vulnerable and this
scene makes an important statement that when a woman says no she means no and
shows you the emotional consequences of when that doesn’t happen.
Foreboding: After their dramatic confrontation Spike is
leaving town, apparently to escape the wrath of Buffy’s friends. But things
aren’t as simple as they seem…
Hell’s Bells written by Rebecca Rand Kirshner and directed
by David Solomon
What’s it about: It’s the wedding day of Xander and Anya…
The Chosen One: The scenes between Buffy and Xander as she
helps him get dressed for the wedding are rather lovely and recapture that
sense of friendship and closeness that has been (deliberately) missing this
year. It really feels like Buffy is crawling her way out of a hole and
re-discovering what makes her life so worthwhile. Xander and Anya are proof
there is light at the end of this very long, depressing tunnel she has been
lost down for a while. We’ve not seen Sarah Michelle Gellar smile as much as
she does in this episode all year and it is very refreshing to see.
Sexy Blond: Spike tries to make Buffy jealous by bringing
the skankiest date he could possibly find to the shindig. Can anyone say
desperate?
Sparkling Dialogue: ‘Cousin Carol, your earrings are my
cufflinks!’
‘If this is a mistake it’s forever…’
‘Oh Anyanka, I’m sorry. But you let him domesticate you.
When you were a Vengeance Demon you were powerful. At the top of your game you
crushed men like him. It’s time you got back to what you do best, don’t you
think?’
The Bad: The scene between Willow and Xander (as gorgeous as
it is, especially the reference back to Homecoming) is oddly placed after
Xander’s vision when it would make much more sense for it to take place before.
My reaction to the fight that breaks out pretty much mirrors Buffy’s. This is
the most obvious thing that they could have done, although it does result in
the pleasing sight of Willow and Tara falling into each others arms which is a
bonus. It is a shame that the demon reveal is such a disappointment because it
could have helped to save the fight scenes which had dissolved away all my
earlier goodwill. It’s certainly the tallest demon, but perhaps not the most
impressive design.
Fashion Statement: Whilst I don’t object to the colour,
those bridesmaids outfits really are in a league of their own hideousness.
Dawn’s sleeveless version is by far the most fetching.
Orchestra: Another episode that needed a much more
interesting score. Think Christophe Beck’s soundtrack for Bewitched, Bothered
and Bewildered or The Zeppo. What do we get? The same old cues that have been
doing the rounds this year.
Normal Again written by Diego Gutierrez and directed by Rick
Rosenthal
The Chosen One: Sarah Michelle Gellar has been afforded
material this season that is far above and beyond the usual comic and dramatic
shtick she is asked to play and she has risen to the challenge with some
aplomb. Normal Again features one of her finest performances in the seven
seasons of the show, probing the depths of Buffy’s potential madness and making
some very disturbing observations about her character. There is a very moving
moment in Normal Again where Buffy and Willow greet Xander with a big hug and
it is the closest we have seen the three characters since two years back at the
conclusion of season four. It would seem that you have to get rid of all of their
partners in order to give these characters this sense of intimacy (Riley is
long gone, Tara left Willow for her own good and Xander left Anya standing at
the altar) and it stands as a touching indictment of the strength of this core
friendship at the heart of the show. She’s confiding in them again, revealing
how detached from reality she has felt of late and admits that the idea that
she is a frightened and disturbed girl in an asylum actually makes more sense
to her than life in Sunnydale as it is now. Her teary fears that she never left
the clinic feel so real as played by Gellar. Spike’s suggestion that Buffy is
addicted to misery does seem to have a grain of truth to it. There are plenty
of decisions that she could have made to make her life easier this year but she
failed to do so. Certainly if she has been open about her relationship with
Spike from the off she might have avoided the drama that is to come in the next
episode.
Witchy Willow & Tasty Tara: Over the past five or six
episodes the show has managed to recapture that sweet, inoffensive, lovable
Willow from the early seasons and it genuinely feels as though her and Tara are
on the right trajectory for a happy ending. I guess I should know better by now
than to get used to these characters finding themselves in a positive place
since the typical Whedon reaction to it is to yank it away from them and see
how they cope. The difference this time is that it has been such a slow burn
development (and Willows suffering was so agonising) it seems that this time we
are being handed exactly what we are after – a little contentment. In Normal
Again Willow spots Tara greeting another woman with a kiss and gets completely
the wrong idea.
Sparkling Dialogue: ‘Oh come on, that’s ridiculous! What,
you think this isn’t real because of all the vampires and demons and
ex-vengeance demons and the sister that used to be a big ball of universe
destroying energy?’ – when Xander points it out like that, it is easy to buy
into the idea that Buffy has invented a fantasy world.
‘You used to create these grand villains to battle against
and now what is it? Just ordinary students you went to high school with. No
Gods or monsters. Just three pathetic little men who like playing with toys’ –
this is some ingenious self referencing dialogue.
‘Last summer when you had a momentary awakening, it was them
that pulled you back in…’ – referencing Buffy’s sacrifice at the end of The
Gift and her subsequent return to Sunnydale in Bargaining. The way this has
been made to fit into the shows continuity is gorgeous. Some real thought has
gone into this.
‘Because what’s more real? A sick girl in an institution or
some kind of Supergirl chosen to fight demons and save the world? That’s
ridiculous.’
Moment to Watch Out For: The moment when this goes from
being a great episode to a classic one is when Buffy makes a choice to reject
the path this season has taken her character, toss away the antidote and murder
her friends. Her decision is that the asylum reality is the preferable one and
that’s a startling verdict for the central character of a show to make about
her own series. It almost feels as though the season has been taking its
characters down a path of destruction specifically to build to this moment.
Suddenly Buffy is revealed as the ‘Big Bad’ and the way she calmly walks around
the house taking out all of her friends is terrifying. Or if you want to look
at it from the flip side Buffy’s friends are revealed to the ultimate ‘Big Bad’
and now she is finally disposing of them. Fantastic stuff.
Orchestra: Love the overly dramatic psycho Buffy
music at the climax as she searches the house for Dawn.
Foreboding: The Trio are starting to come apart at the seams
in the aftermath of Dead Things. Jonathan’s conscience has emerged since he
helped to cover up a murder and Warren and Andrew are now plotting behind his
back.
Result: ‘You’re going downstairs with the others…’
Normal Again is the best episode of season six to date (Once More, with Feeling
aside) and it is written and directed by two new contributors to the series.
Whilst I might make this sort of observation about other series and genuinely
be screwing in the point that the writing staff have been around for too long,
the writers/ directors of the Buffyverse are generally pretty strong but this
is proof that bringing in fresh blood does shake things up in a positive way.
This psychological drama is one of the most arresting pieces of the year and
tellingly it proves to be the point where the season as a whole ups its game
and the produces consistently excellent results for the rest of its run. This
is my favourite of the horror genres and it reveals how fiendishly clever and
unsettling it can be when done right. You might start Normal Again thinking
that the previous six season are reality and the Buffy’s asylum visions are the
delusion but somewhere along the line the lines are blurred and right up until
the final scene the writer holds his nerve and refuses to commit either way.
The fact that Normal Again reviews the previous six seasons of Buffy in its
self referencing dialogue is inspired, but how it casts a critical eye over the
past season in particular displays a confidence that the show has been missing
for some time. Buffy manages to convincingly be cast in the role of the tragic
hero and the sinister villain and Sarah Michelle Gellar ups her game considerably
and delivers a powerhouse performance. I like that this is such a strong
standalone episode but continues to evolve all the character arcs and offers
some critical discussion of them at the same time. One of my favourite Buffy
episodes for its clever writing, powerful ideas and unforgettable conclusion
and brilliantly an episode that could only be told in the darkest of Buffy
seasons: 10/10
Entropy written by Drew Z. Greenberg and directed by James
A. Contner
What’s it about: It’s the most Dawson’s Creek episode of
season six…except its really rather good.
The Chosen One: The writers are finally having some fun with
the Buffy and Spike relationship again whilst continuing the idea of secrecy
that has run through this season like a stick of rock. I love the notion of
Spike holding a vampire at bay and trying to use that as leverage for Buffy to
tell her friends that she has been sleeping with him. Like that was ever going
to work. She’s already told Tara who hasn’t batted an eyelid and given that she
tried to murder all of her friends and family last week and they somehow found
it in their hearts to forgive her I don’t see any real problem with the news
that she has been shacking up with the undead.
Witchy Willow & Tasty Tara: Ooh, colour me butterflies
at all the flirty smiles and cute exchanges between Willow and Tara. After
their nightmarish split earlier in the year it is so enjoyable to see these two
falling for each other again. It’s prove conclusive that no matter how much I
might like Oz and to a lesser extent Kennedy, there was only ever one person
for Willow.
Gorgeous Geek: Isn’t it strange that misery brings out the
best in characters? Xander and Anya have been agonisingly inactive throughout
most of the year in their whirlwind of domestic bliss and I have barely given a
crap about them but the second they were dramatically ripped apart they are
suddenly an attention grabbing pair again. The scene where they are reunited is
played superbly by Brendon and Caulfield, so restrained and full of tension
that I just wanted them to follow Willow and Tara’s example and fall into each
others arms. Xander still wants to be with Anya but he stands by his decision
not get married, which is precisely what Anya doesn’t want to hear. The venom
that ejects from her is pure spite and she tries to drag all the curses from
Hell upon him.
Vengeance Demon: Anya pretty much sums up the entire path of
a relationship that has a finite life during her drunken rant at Spike, from
honeymoon period to jealousy to caring about what they think to kicking them to
the dirt. This angry, vulnerable, tragic Anya is more likable than ever. Emma
Caulfield aces the moment where she breaks down and ponders whether Xander
never wanted her, effectively tearing my heart in two.
Sparkling Dialogue: ‘So there was no child support in like
eleven years, not a single cheque, so now every time he touches a piece of
paper that isn’t a cheque for the child…paper cuts!’
The Good: I really appreciated the scene between Willow and
Tara where the former tries to make the latter jealous by recounting all their
adventures since they split up. I remain unconvinced that it was the period of
excitement that Willow makes it out to be but I welcome the effort all the
same. How delightful is that sequence where Anya attempts to get Xander’s
friends to exact terrible torture on him? It reminds me of the cross cutting of
interrogations in Checkpoint but this time it is even more penetrating because
we are closer to all of these characters now, especially Anya who is hurting so
much all she desires is to make Xander suffer in the same way. All the tricks
she attempts are sneaky but ineffective and she has to go back to the drawing
board. Suddenly drawing attention to the simmering tension between Xander and
Spike in Normal Again makes a lot more sense as Anya tries to use his least
favourite person to curse him. The criticisms that Spike and Anya make about
the Scoobies (that they are uptight, dishonest and false in their profuse
niceness) when under the influence of a bottle of Whiskey prove to be
startlingly accurate for the most part. The episode manages to generate a
surprising amount of tension as the audience becomes more aware of where the
unveiling of the Trio’s cameras is eventually going to lead them. As Spike and
Anya relax into each others company and Willow works her magic with the
computer I was screaming at the three of them to look away as Buffy and Xander
witness their ex-lovers seeking solace in each others arms. This is such
dramatic gold it suddenly makes this seasons character paths make a lot more
sense in retrospect. Suddenly there is an explosion of drama, Xander out for
Spike’s head, Buffy wanting answers and Spike revealing his relationship with
the Slayer in a moment of spite when Xander is at his absolute weakest. The
convergence of all these character arcs in one extremely potent scene quite
took my breath away. Finally something is happening in season six…and it’s
really powerful viewing too! The apologetic look that passes between Anya and
Spike after they have made love, recognising that it was a moment of
weakness…oh boy did I have a few moments like that in my late teens.
The Bad: It is another almost entirely plotless season six
episode but it is constructed out of character material so strong it leaves
episodes like Smashed and Gone in the dust.
Fashion Statement: How smoking hot does Anya look with her
new hairdo and flaming red dress? This is the very image of a wronged woman who
wants to look good to show how over her ex she is. The drink fuelled, table top
sexploits of Spike and Anya might be questionable morally but regardless it is
one of the hottest love scenes the show ever presented, revelling in how
naughty it is and being observed voyeuristically by all and sundry.
Result: After a run of very bleak stories this was the
last thing I was expecting from an episode called Entropy. For much of it’s
running time this is light, breezy, funny and highly enjoyable to watch with
the interaction between the regulars more effervescent than it has been in
ages. What starts as a farcical attempt to exact vengeance on Xander becomes a
much more dramatic affair as two of the character arcs collide in a moment of ill conceived passion and
explodes with powerful consequences for all involved. The moment when Buffy,
Spike, Xander and Anya all confront each other in front of the Magic Shop is so
full of honesty and cutting remarks you might come away with a paper cut or
two. For a season that has been this reserved it is great to see things finally
spilling out into the open and the result of holding back as long as they have
only serves to make the fireworks even more satisfying. Cutting through all
this drama is some fine work being done with Dawn and Willow too, especially
the latter in a final scene that reaches out from the TV and gives you a
massive hug. There isn’t much plot here but there is oodles of character and I
know which one Buffy excels in more. Extremely enjoyable and lots more to tie
up in the final run of episodes: 8/10
Seeing Red written by Stephen S. DeKnight and directed by
Michael Gershman
What’s it about: Warren is on the war path and Willow is
about to lose control…
The Chosen One: In a story that is loaded with discomforting
sexism, Buffy states pleasingly that she wont have to hold back when giving
Warren a beating because of his newfound super powers.
The Key: Dawn’s screaming fit when she realises that Willow
and Tara pretty much matched my own. When did she become my identification
figure? Whilst she hasn’t seen the appalling way that Buffy has been treating
Spike this year, her condemnation of his behaviour with Anya to hurt her sister
is pretty much on the money. Sometimes it takes somebody who is completely out
of the loop to look at a situation to see how it really is. Buffy and Spike are
lashing out at each other because they have strong feelings for one another, it
isn’t a healthy relationship and slowly all three of them are coming to realise
that.
Sexy Blond: After the bathroom attack Spike is in a very
dangerous place. He asks himself what he has done, why he didn’t rape her and
questions where his relationship with Buffy has taken him. I knew this pairing
was going to produce some startling results but I never knew it was going to be
quite this dramatic. The question is can this character ever be redeemed after
pushing things this far?
Gorgeous Geek: Finally there is some degree of honesty
between Xander and Buffy. He denounces her relationship with Spike and she
admits how she has been feeling since she crawled out of her grave and the
resulting frankness brings them closer than ever. I really appreciated the moment when Buffy told him that what she
does with her personal life is her business and nobody else’s because I have
never known a group of friends who are so involved in each others lives. I’m
glad the Xander as a manic depressive drunk angle is wrapped up pretty quickly
(there’s some big stuff to deal with after the events of this episode) because
although they are successfully milking the calamity of his split with Anya it
would get old very quickly (and couldn’t touch the Willow addicted to magic angle).
Vengeance Demon: Anya is attempting to get her vengeance
demon career back on track but every time she tries to punish men who have
wronged women she winds up ranting on about Xander and putting them off the
wishing.
Sparkling Dialogue: ‘She’s fat. He cheated on me with my
fat, ugly sister!’
‘You’ll each get a whirl, once I’m done playing with them…’
‘Ask me again why I could never love you.’
‘He’s Picard, you’re Deanna Troi. Get with the feeling,
Betazoid.’
‘It wont le me be a monster, and I can’t be a man. I’m
nothing.’
The Bad: If I was churlish, I could point out that the stray
bullet was extremely lucky to fund its mark.
Result: With shades of light and dark more compulsive than
this show has ever been, Seeing Red is an attention grabbing commencement to a
powerhouse run of episodes that close season six. Season six has had some riveting
things to say about the potentially destructive relationships between men and
women and it is in Seeing Red where it reaches its zenith. Spike and Buffy’s
relationship has always been abusive, just a few weeks back she took away his
choice to fight back and in a startling rape scene in this episode he pushes
Buffy into her worst nightmare. With dialogue like ‘I’m the guy that beat you’
from Warren and ‘that means I wont have to hold back’ from Buffy, there is much
more going on beneath the surface of Seeing Red than initially meets the eye.
There was only ever going to be one conclusion to this battle of the sexes –
death – and it is Tara that suffers the consequences for everybody else’s lack
of control. I’m making this sound like a real drag, aren’t I? The truth is that
this episode blends drama and comedy better than practically any episode this
year, features some excellent action sequences, a chance for practically all of
the main cast to show what they are capable of and as an overall package it is
another extremely confident example of a show that has regain its mojo. Micheal
Gershman’s direction is phenomenal, he is as concerned with emotive lighting as
much as he is pace and performance and the net result is a gorgeous looking
drama. Amongst all this exceptional material, a stray bullet steals the episode
and claims an innocent victim. It’s the very meaning of the word cliffhanger as
we have to wait to see how the series handles Willow’s reaction to Tara’s
death: 10/10
Villains written by Marti Noxon and directed by David Solomon
What’s it about: Willow is on the war path following the
death of Tara…
Witchy Willow & Tasty Tara: Prove that those magical
powers of Willow’s were brewing just beneath the surface and waiting to spring
out, in reaction to Tara’s death she doesn’t even bother the usual ritual but
drags Osiris to her and demands that he re-animates her lover. Alyson
Hannigan’s broken pleading is heart-rending to watch, unable to concede to a
life without the woman she loves. When Osiris refuses her request she vomits
all the torments of Hell at him, sending him back where he came from in agony.
To Willow’s mind there is only one recourse, vengeance. Thus begins a
terrifying three episode blockbuster as the witch sucks in all manner of
dangerous, addictive, frightening magicks and heads out on a murder spree to
take out those responsible for Tara’s death. Willow is hurting so much she
wants to lose herself in the magic, she doesn’t want to come back from it this
time. If they were supposed to be able to control things with magic then it
wouldn’t change Willow the way it does. Not even an axe to the back is going to
stop this disconsolate lover.
The Trio: It has been a long time coming but Warren finally
gets his comeuppance for the death of Katrina, Tara and being a pain in Buffy’s
butt for the past year. But not before he gets to display more of his pathetic
villainy, bragging about killing the Slayer and wandering into demon bars like
he is the big I am. He thinks that money is going to be enough to buy magicks
to protect him from Dark Willow, forgetting that she is being fuelled by a fury
that comes from love. Anything he tries is going to be fruitless but much of
this episodes strength comes from him holding back his inevitable death.
The Good: The opening scene gives an excellent indication of
the fast paced hour you are about to experience, following an ambulance as it
screams down the road towards Buffy’s house in an unbroken shot that runs over
their shoulder to where Buffy can be found lying in a bloody mess in her back
garden. It is a startling and stylish introduction to the episode. Have they
been saving up money for the incredible effects sequence where Willow invades
the Magic Box, tears the dark magic tomes from their shelves and sucks the
knowledge and power into herself because it looks absolutely phenomenal. The
words stream up her arms and transform her from a furious redhead into an
impassively cool and black eyed nasty. The running joke that no bugger has even
heard of the Trio despite their juvenile activities this year is awesome.
They’re so ineffective the underworld carried on its usual business without
them registering in the slightest. What I love about the emergence of Dark
Willow is how the creators seemed to have wanted to convince us that the show had
lost its ability to present us with decent bad guys anymore. That after Glory
there was nowhere else to go. It has been a patience straining season with
nothing but the Scoobies domestic mistakes to latch onto as any kind of
antagonising force to react against but it now feels that was part of the plan,
to provoke a feeling of antipathy and then blow you away as Willow unleashes
all the forces of Hell upon the world. It was either a struggling production
team making it up as they go along and finally figuring out what works or an
exquisitely planned mind fuck climaxing in a very impressive way. I prefer to
think of the latter because I was sucked in completely and as a result of my
earlier ennui I am now glued to my TV. The sequence of Willow taking control of
the car that Xander is driving and striding off into the sun kissed desert at
dusk to deal with Warren is very dynamically directed. I especially love how
she makes the bus that Warren is attempting to skip town on race towards her
and scream to a halt right in front of her. This is one pissed off witch. It is
a small thing but I thought the way that the cast wore their bloodstained
clothes for at least half of this episode was a very effective way to point out
the futility of guns. As Xanders says, you cannot escape the blood. It’s Tara’s
blood that leads Willow to Warren in the woods, a superb effect that sees her
T-shirt create a map out of her blood (and the close up on Willow’s terrifying
black eyes always gives me the wiggins). The sudden cut to Spike’s exploits in
Africa (whilst clearly being filmed on a moonlit beach in America) are a very
welcome distraction from the drama of the main storyline. The demon he has come
to bargain with is another expertly designed piece of work, all glowing green
eyes and twisting black bones. It is mostly kept in the darkness and that
serves to add to its mystery. Steven W. Bailey provides a memorably creepy
voice for the beast too. The tricks that Warren throws at Willow look fantastic
(I love the flying explosion that Willow freezes midair) but ultimately prove
childs play for her to step away from and when she has nature on her side he
really doesn’t have a chance.
The Bad: For once Xanders objections do feel valid and
leaving Dawn with Spike so soon after he attempted to rape Buffy feels like an
unconvincing move. Fortunately it brings Clem back in the fold which is where
this episode gets its only release of humour from.
Orchestra: Is Thomas Wanker scoring this episode? It’s
dramatic, pacy music, superbly capturing the taste for excitement that the show
has recaptured. I especially love the dark undertones to the forest scenes as
Willow pursues Warren.
What’s it about: Dark Willow is on the rampage…and nobody in
the world has the power to stop her.
The Key: Dark Willow might not be the most rational of evil,
geek killing witches but she makes a fantastic point that everybody would feel
a lot better without Dawn’s constant whining.
Gorgeous Geek: Anya can teleport, Buffy is super-fast but
poor Xander has to try and reach his best friend the old fashioned way. The
background tension between the recently split couple provides some substance to
the (relatively few) quieter moments in Two to Go as Xander and Anya are forced
to try and work together to bring down Willow. He’s kicking himself for freezing
up when Warren approached with the gun but I think that is the reaction a lot
of us would have in the same circumstances.
The Trio: With Warren well and truly disposed of, that
leaves Andrew and Jonathan to deal with. How much more palatable are these
characters as victims rather than wanabee super villains? Gone is the juvenile
humour and all that is left are two frightened little boys who are in danger of
having their skin ripped off. Although Andrew still can’t help shoving in as
many pop culture references as possible (he’s a nerd, it’s in our blood and my
favourite has to be ‘You were out of the Trio a long time ago…in a galaxy
far, far away…’). I think I should probably hate him but I cannot help but
have sympathy for Andrew and his idiotic plans to start up the Duo – even when
their foolish schemes have taken them this far he still has delusions of
grandeur. He is mot definitely going to have to be taken down a peg or two next
season.
The Good: I’ve discussed this season as a whole quite a bit
throughout these reviews as well as looking at the individual episodes (mostly
because I think it is such a fascinating year, plumbing unexpected depths, with
bizarre periods surrounded by some of the best material the show ever
produced). To be fair to the creators when the best elements are presented as
they are at the beginning of this episode (Xander takes over from Giles for one
episode with ‘here’s what happened this year…’) you can see a clear
evolutionary path for all the characters leading to this incredible final run
of stories. It is exhilarating set pieces aplenty again as Willow tears apart a
police station, brick by brick, in order to gain access to Jonathan and Andrew
and finish the job. Surrounded by cops that she summarily sends into slumber,
or simply tosses into the nearest windscreen, Dark Willow stands before the
police station impassively as she scares the shit out of her next victims. When
they escape Willow lets rip the most terrifying, unearthly scream, frying Anya
into unconsciousness. The return of Rack was entirely unexpected but brings a
certain coherence to the season and whilst I love the moment where Willow
‘takes a little tour’ in exactly the same way he did to her in Wrecked, it is a
shame that this is the last that we get to see of this detestable character.
The fact that it is Dawn (and with her the adorable Clem) who discovers his
body, her second in as many episodes, is what gives the reveal it’s blood
curdling nature. Dawn was the character who previously got the closest to Dark
Willow so she has the greatest reason to fear her. The transition between
Rack’s joint and the Magic Box is effortlessly achieved and I didn’t realise
until it was too late because I was so invested in Willow’s character
annihilation of Buffy. Whilst Spike’s actions are completely disconnected from
the central storyline, once again they provide a dramatic and exciting
counterpoint. His fight against the action man with the flaming fists is
visually stunning and he obtains some nasty burns in the process. Whatever it
is he is proceeding through these tests for had better be worth it. Whilst I
don’t think the Buffy/Willow fight is quite up to the standards of the
Buffy/Faith ones in Graduation Day and This Year’s Girl, it is still a
marvellously destructive, violent and dynamically choreographed action
sequence. Far and away the most impressive engagement in the past two years.
And the fact that it is between Buffy and Willow gives it an extra frisson that
kept me on the edge of my seat. And boy do they tear the Magic Shop to shreds.
The Bad: Clem is such a delightful character, played with
real charm by James C. Leary. If they were looking to brighten up the next
season they could have brought him in as a regular rather than give him the
handful of guest spots he actually gets.
Fashion Statement: Somehow they manage to make the veiny,
black eyed Dark Willow look very hot. How did they do that?
Villains written by Marti Noxon and directed by David Solomon
The Chosen One: When Dawn states that she would kill Warren
herself if she had the chance (‘out of the mouth of babes’), it provokes
an interesting response from Buffy who finally admits where she stands on the
killing of humans. She might be the Slayer but she defers to the authorities
when it comes to murder in the human world.
The Key: ‘You’ve been through enough for more than
one…ever!’ I’m starting to wonder if Dawn is going to be scarred for life
after the traumatic events of season six. We’ve already seen the devastating
effect of returning home and finding one of your loved ones dead in The Body
but Villains taps into that nightmare again as Dawn discovers Tara’s body where
Willow left it. We cut away at just the right time so we can imagine her
panicked reaction and when we eventually cut back to Dawn later in the episode
we discover her sitting quietly by Tara’s corpse, mute and unable to process
what has happened.
Sparkling Dialogue: ‘It is a human death by human means. You
raised one killed by mystical forces, this is not the same. She is taken by
natural order.’
‘What’s up with the make over of the damned?’
‘You never felt you had the power with her, not until you
killed her. You get off on it. That’s why you had a mad on for the Slayer. She
was your big-o wasn’t she, Warren?’ ‘Are you done yet? Or shall we talk some
more about our feelings?’ – Noxon cuts right to the chase about what this
series has been about and starkly highlights Warren’s misogyny.
Moment to Watch Out For: ‘Now the one person who should
be here is gone and waste like you gets to live…’ Willow capturing Warren
and subjecting him to all manner of horrors is an extended torture sequence,
plain and simple. It is also one of the most deftly performed and protracted
periods of discomfort I have ever sat through. I’m not sure if Alyson Hannigan
was ever better than what she delivers here; Dark Willow is a cool,
effortlessly frightening presence who is getting off on punishing the man who
killed her girlfriend. Warren is a nasty piece of work for sure but I’m not
sure even he deserves to have a bullet bust into his chest in slow motion
whilst his mouth is sown up. She doesn’t just want to kill him, she wants to
hurt him first and hear him suffer. I’m not surprised that the censors get
itchy whenever this episode is due to be screened because the effect of Willow
tearing the skin from Warren’s body and leaving him a flayed corpse is stomach
churning. Noxon waits until Buffy, Xander and Anya have caught up with Willow
before allowing her to kill so everybody can see that she has crossed a line.
I’ve never really thought of Buffy as a horror show but this is probably the
furthest they indulged in the genre.
Result: It is only when you get to this blistering final run
of shows featuring the biggest badass the series has ever presented in episodes
full of action, excitement, scares and great effects that you realise how
lacking in these elements the majority of the year has been. Villains is
another heart-stopping number, one which starts running and just gets better
and better until it climaxes on a memorable and horrific final set piece. The
dramatic tension in Villains come from Buffy and her friends trying to catch up
with and stop Willow before she commits murder and takes a step too far over
the brink. Buffy’s shooting ultimately proves to be a bit of a time waster but
delivered this powerfully I am not complaining. All eyes are on Alyson Hannigan
and it is no exaggeration to say that she has stolen the show from Sarah
Michelle Gellar this season, and no she sets out to become the most commanding foe
the show has ever presented. Whether she is sucking dark knowledge from books,
drawing bullets out of Buffy’s chest, squeezing the life out of Warren’s decoys
or flaying men alive, Dark Willow is an awesomely powerful presence. It feels
as though season six has retained its strengths (dark drama, emotional
consequences, the willingness to push the show in some disturbing areas) and
jettisoned all of its weaknesses (indolence, juvenile humour) and is providing
material the likes of which we have never seen before. The final five minutes
prove to be the highlight although there really isn’t any part of Villains that
isn’t firing on all cylinders. I haven’t clenched my butt as much for an age as
I did during the tense climax which catalogues Willow’s first kill and finally
sees Warren get his comeuppance in vomit inducingly raw fashion. Top dollar
Buffy: 10/10
Two to Go written by Doug Petrie and directed by Bill L.
Norton
The Chosen One: ‘Please. This is your pitch? Buffy, you
hate it here as much as I do. I’m just more honest about it. You’re trying to
sell me on the world? The one where you lie to your friends when you’re not
trying to kill them? Or you screw a vampire just to feel and insane asylums are
the comfy alternative? This world? Buffy, this is me. I know you were happier
when you were in the ground. The only time you were at peace in your whole life
is when you were dead…’ Wow, what a character assassination by Willow. The
trouble is although Buffy has started to crawl out of this hole this is an
accurate summation of her path in life this season. Buffy categorically points
out that she is not trying to protect Jonathan or Andrew but that she wants to
pull Willow back from the brink because she doesn’t want to lose a friend.
They’ve been thorns in her side for too long now for her to give a crap what
happens to them.
Witchy Willow & Tasty Tara: ‘Let me tell you
something about Willow. She’s a loser and she always has been. People picked on
Willow in junior High School, High School, up until college. With her stupid
mousy ways. The only thing Willow was ever good for, the only thing I had going
for me were the moments, just moments, when Tara would look at me and I was
wonderful…’ Joss Whedon is a clever bastard. Slowly allowing us to see how
addicted to the magic Willow has become through her cracking relationship with
Tara and taking her to what we thought was an all time low in Wrecked. Then
kicking off her slow rehabilitation (Amy’s intervention in Doublemeat Palace
was especially clever because it was proof at what a difficult process this is
for Willow) and allowing us (and Tara) to fall in love with her all over again.
It has been a long, agonising process but it felt like we knew where it was
heading. To suddenly wrench Tara away from Willow and have her turn nastier
than ever as a result is the last direction I expected her to be taken at the
time but dramatically it is very satisfying and surprising. Suddenly it has
become Willow versus her friends as they try and stand in her way and stop her
exacting vengeance on those responsible for killing her girlfriend. What
incredible development for this character, not only just in this year but who
would have ever have expected that shy, geeky mousy young lady from Welcome to
the Hellmouth to evolve into the most frightening foe that Buffy and friends
have ever faced. Jonathan actually comments on her development when they are on
the run, reminding me that he has been with the show from the start and has
seen her progress with us. We’ve been
heading towards this moment for the past six years, a fight to the death
between Buffy and Willow. No seriously. Whilst this has always been
Sarah Michelle Gellar’s show I would say without a doubt that Alyson Hannigan
is the reason that a lot of people keep watching. As good as Gellar can be,
Hannigan is the superior actress and manages to steal most scenes without even
trying. In season six the focus has shifted between Buffy and Willow
alarmingly, their dual addiction storylines taking the largest share of the
year (Wrecked/Dead Things saw both at their zenith). With the emergence of Dark
Willow, Hannigan has finally wrestled the show away from Gellar and become the
focal performer and now is the time for the pair to wrestle to the death to see
who will emerge victorious. ‘Come on, this is a huge deal for me. Six years
as the side man…now I get to be the Slayer.’
Vengeance Demon: Clearly Xander has had some kind of effect
on Anya because rather than skip town at the first opportunity of Dark Willow’s
path of destruction, she actually wants to help Jonathan and Andrew out
instead. Her newfound teleportation skills are a lovely bonus of her being back
in the vengeance fold. Clearly splitting her and Xander up was the best move
for all concerned, she hasn’t had this much action for ages. She cares whether
Xander lives or dies but she can’t quite make up her mind which one she wants.
It is Anya’s fear at the climax that gave me the shivers the most, her
hysterical cry for help as Willow attacks her is horrifying.
Sparkling Dialogue: ‘Why doesn’t Willow just wave her arms
and make us dead?’ ‘Because she doesn’t want you dead, she wants to kill you.’
‘You’re back on the magicks’ ‘No honey, I am the
magicks.’
‘You saw her, she’s a truck driving magic mama!’
‘Now I’m pretty sure I’m strong enough to beat you to
death.’
‘And there’s nobody in the world who has the power to stop
me now’ ‘I’d like to test that theory…’
Dreadful Dialogue: ‘Get off super bitch!’ – not even
Hannigan can make that line work.
Moment to Watch Out For: Of all the thrilling sequences that
this episode sports my favourite has to be road chase between Xander in his
pathetic little roadster as Willow stands atop an enormous truck and drives
into the back her friends. When I first watched this episode I can remember
bouncing up and down with excitement as Willow stands tall like a spectre of
death and tries to score her second and third murders. It is the point where
Willow stops caring that her friends are in the way and is perfectly willing to
take them out too if they are going to get in her way. Dynamically shot in glistening
moonlight, its an unforgettable action set piece. Whilst Wanker’s score is
good, I wish it had been a bit more adrenaline pumping. Even Andrew, whose life
has been in danger the whole time, has to admit this is cool.
Oh, and the cliffhanger. Which sees the return of Giles in spectacular
style. Is he the one who can bring down Dark Willow?
Orchestra: What is up with that Wanker? Now he’s out the
door he’s finally delivering the sort of music I would have liked to have heard
all year! Especially good is the foreboding score when Willow first visits Rack
and the rising excitement at the climax when it becomes clear that Buffy and Willow
are going to have to thrash this one out.
Result: Another knockout episode. From the stomach turning
reaction of Buffy’s friends to Willow’s first kill to the incredible can’t-it-be-next-week?
cliffhanger, Two to Go is non-stop excitement from beginning to end. Few
episodes of this show have this kind of forward momentum and it is both
agonising and gripping to watch Willow as she sinks deeper and deeper into her
psychosis and loses any kind of grip on reality. A black eyed, veiny sorceress
tearing apart a police station, striding atop a truck, threatening to turn Dawn
back into a mystical ball of energy and giving Buffy the thrashing that she
thinks she deserves to bring her down a peg or two – Dark Willow is just awesome.
It feels as though the creators of Buffy have been saving up all their dosh,
imagination and most exciting ideas for the tail end of the season because the
last four or five episodes have been so much more edge of the seat viewing than
the rest of the year that it doesn’t really bear much comparison. On first
transmission I was practically pissing my pants with excitement and this recent
rewatch has re-awakened all those gleeful feelings again. You might point at
this and say it is melodramatic, overblown and unrealistic in the direction it
pushes one of the main characters but I suggest you go and bury your heads in
the sand. This is pure adrenalin fuelled television, dark and bewitching,
featuring some of the most enjoyable characters on television. The dialogue is
scathingly critical and revealing and the production values very easy on the
eye. It’s my personal favourite run of Buffy episodes following a disappointing
year and its not even over yet: 10/10
Grave written by David Fury and directed by James A. Contner
What’s it about: Can Giles bring down Dark Willow?
The Key: There’s a real moment of triumph from Dawn when she
slaps Buffy down (figuratively) and tells her that she cannot protect her from
the terrible things that life throws at you (as she has spectacularly failed to
do this year). Giving her the sword to help her to take down the root creatures
is a watershed moment between the two sisters, Buffy finally ready to share her
responsibility. Buffy admits how wrong she has been and that she know longer
wants to protect Dawn from the world but show it to her. This is a very
promising statement if they can go through it next year.
Witchy Willow & Tasty Tara: It seems appropriate that in
a season that has seen the regulars grow up and yet make some of the most
childish decisions since we have known them that the real Big Bad should turn
out to be Willow surrendering to her darkest impulses and not caring where it
takes her. I thought Willow was terrifying when she was using her powers to
flay men alive and rip apart buildings but that is nothing to the dark warning
she gives Giles when he traps her in a binding spell. Because we have already
seen how far she can go we know that as soon as she is free he is in for a
whole world of pain. Giles sums up Willow’s position perfectly, when you lose
somebody in your life that you love then the other people that love you become
meaningless.
Sparkling Dialogue: ‘Xander left Anya at the altar and
Anya’s a vengeance demon again. Dawn’s a total klepto. Money’s been so tight
that I’ve been slinging burgers at the Doublemeat Palace and I’ve been sleeping
with Spike’ – Buffy sums up this year since Giles left in about as succinct a
fashion as possible. Giles’ reaction: hysterical laughter. It would be mine too
if I hadn’t been there to experience it too. A delightful scene.
The Good: Thank goodness that dummy was handy because Giles
was due to become a complete bloody mess as all those weapons spin their way
into life from the wall of the training room and leap towards him at Willow’s
bidding. We keep cutting back to Spike’s storyline in Africa and his tests get
progressively worse, this time horrid cockroach type creatures crawl all over
his skin and up his nose. We started the season with Sunnydale battered and
broken and lit by destructive fires and almost as a commentary on how inward
looking this series has been (and I don’t mean that critically) we end the year
with similar destruction but confined entirely the battered and broken Magic
Box. The set is completely devastated and it is a positive mission statement
that the series is moving on from this location but seeing it out in
destructive style before it goes. In particular, Willow bringing down the whole
second level is especially dramatic. Now Willow has told Buffy exactly what she
thinks about her and her superpowers, it is time to shift that character
eradication across to Giles and his sense of self importance. We saw a moment
of tension earlier in the season when he tried to warn her away from dark magic
and Grave is loaded full of tense scenes where she highlights his feeling of
impotence. The first half of season six seemed to be about everybody keeping
their feelings to themselves (One More, with Feeling was so powerful because it
bucked the trend) but the latter half of the year has seen a self destructive honesty
spread into the series which has led to some dramatic moments and revealing
characterisation. Whilst Giles’ plan to stop Willow does seem imperfect given
the fact that in order for it to work he has to commit suicide (maybe he thinks
that is his lot given his abandonment of his friends) but how he manipulates
her into stealing away his magic is very nicely handled. Inside of Willow there
is good and bad magic raging inside of her, combating themselves and the
resulting rush of emotion and glance into the pain of every living person on
the Earth is superbly played by Alyson Hannigan and filmed by Contner. Kudos to
the set designers for the phenomenal below ground set that Buffy and Dawn find
themselves in, with graves jutting through the walls and with some truly
hideous mud demons to fight. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, it
really does feel like the majority of this seasons budget has been kept back
for the final third because this has been an expensive run of episodes the
likes of which we have never seen in Buffy before. Borrowing shamelessly from
horror movies, the show moves to an impressive cliff top location as a satanic
temple tears from the ground with a little help from Willow and threatens to
tear the world apart. Something Doctor Who often got very right was how it
revealed its monsters in a dramatic end of episode one cliffhanger. Whether it
was Daleks emerging from the Thames or Zygons baring down on helpless victims,
it had a glorious way of throwing its nasties in your face in great shock
moments. Buffy jumps on the bandwagon here, and the way the root creatures
burst free of the mud is incredibly effective. Whilst they are ultimately
little more than fodder (something for Buffy to fight whilst Xander saves the
world) they are executed with real panache. The final twist that Spike has
endured the trials in order to salvage his soul is not at all what I was
expecting (especially with dialogue like ‘make me what I was…’) and is
all the more effective for it. Next year should be very interesting…
The Bad: Willow’s plan to destroy the world does seem to
come out of nowhere and have been inserted to replace the apocalypse threat
that has been (refreshingly) absent this season. Saying that I understand her
motive for doing so (beyond wanting to end everything because she is in so much
pain she is also undergoing an inner battle of light and dark magic, the latter
attempting to reach out and take effect one last time) and the resolution to
this big bad threat (Xander’s redemption) is very effectively handled. It’s a
sudden gulp of jeopardy that the series felt it needed to add in order to
climax the season satisfyingly (I beg to differ, the violent conflict between
the regulars has been more than enough to power the series of late and then
some) but it does have some pleasing results.
Moment to Watch Out For: It’s Xander’s most triumphant
moment in the series. Whilst the series has revelled in throwing all manner of
exciting set pieces at the audience of late, the real strength of this show is
its characters and so by boiling everything down to a confrontation by two best
friends it regains it’s heart magnificently. You get a real sense of history
between these two characters, one that we have explored with them over the past
six seasons. Xander’s admission that he loves Willow whatever form she takes is
beautiful and forcing her to make the decision to murder him first is the
clincher that allows her inner Willow to re-assert herself (with a little help
from Giles’s magic). Nicky Brendon If
Alyson Hannigan’s tears don’t break your heart as Willow breaks down in
Xander’s arms then you need to check that you still have a pulse, buddy.
Grave written by David Fury and directed by James A. Contner
The Chosen One: There is some much needed discussion about
Buffy’s stance on life and her development since she crawled out of the grave.
Season six has taken her to some very dark places as she went through a feeling
of terrible displacement, feeling as though she returned from the dead with
something missing. It would seem that through her friends’ misery she has
discovered who she is again, why she wants to be here and that her aim in life
is to help. She knows that when she died it was her time and somebody would
have taken her place, although how that would have figured in the First’s
gambit next season is anybody’s guess. It was her destiny to be brought back
from the brink, to fight the good fight and to ensure that the series changing
development from next seasons Chosen took place. There’s a certain symmetry to
Buffy winding back beneath the ground for the season finale and having to fight
her way back to the surface again, but this time with an entirely different
outlook on life.
Ripper: ‘Remember that little spat we had before you
left? When you were under the delusion that you were still relevant here…’
It is easy to mirror the reactions of Buffy and Anya and bask in the return of
Giles, since he has left a massive hole in the series since he left. He’s never
looked more commanding, forcing Dark Willow to the floor and trying to reason
with the human side of whatever she has become. It is weird how a reunion of
all the regulars can be made to feel like such a triumphant moment (when we
spent all of last season with this bunch) but things have turned so sour this
year and a commanding adult presence has been desperately needed. When Buffy
and Anya cuddle up to Giles it is a moment of welcome relief and familiarity
amongst all the fireworks elsewhere in this run of episodes. Laughter aside at
this years insane developments, Giles is right to apologise for leaving Buffy
when she clearly wasn’t mature enough to handle her situation on her own.
Vengeance Demon: Even Anya, still boiling with rage, is
impressed by Xander’s actions at the end of the this story.
‘It was me that took you out of the Earth. Well now, the
Earth wants you back…’
‘Is this the Master Plan? You’re going to stop me by telling
me you love me?’
Result: There are some that will say that Grave doesn’t
reach the lofty heights of previous season finales, although I have a feeling
that that is a reaction to not seeing Joss Whedon’s name on the writer/director
credits. It is actually an extremely fine episode; full of wit, danger,
excitement and character development. I might be biased when it comes to Dark
Willow (my personal favourite Buffy baddie) but everything about the way she is
handled is exceptional. It’s such a personal antagonist because she knows the
Scoobies so well and can scrutinize their characters whilst inflicting blinding
torment on them. However, despite the fact that there are a number of superb
set pieces (the destruction of the Magic Box is unforgettable) it is the
character work that shines the brightest. The return of Giles is triumphant and
he brings with him a sense of stability that the show has lacked for quite some
time and I really enjoyed the not-so-subtle piss take of the character
development this season. Buffy gets to claw her way out of the ground again but
with a brand new outlook on life (and regarding Dawn), there is a glimmer of
hope that things might resolve between Xander and Anya, Spike has made a
surprising sacrifice in penance for his recent behaviour and most importantly
of all the core friendship between Xander and Willow shines brighter than ever
in the heartbreaking conclusion. It has been an incredible run of episodes
towards this finale and if Grave doesn’t quite match up to it’s predecessors
(my one major gripe is the sudden world-threatening disaster that springs from
nowhere), it is only heartbeat or so behind. It strikes me as odd that season
five was superb for its first two thirds before stumbling a little at the last
hurdle (although salvaging itself in its breathtaking finale) and season six
completely reverses that trend, offering a mixed bag of a season and triumphing
with the finishing line in sight. It has been a patience straining year and yet
it remains one of my favourites because it really pushed the show into new,
uncomfortable areas and eventually reaped incredible rewards for doing so.
Unlike previous seasons there are plenty of threads left hanging (Buffy’s
promises to Dawn, the return of Spike’s soul, the aftermath of Willow’s rage)
but there is an uplifting sense that things are about to get much brighter next
season, year seven taking away the emotional substance that season six has
brewed up but packaging it into much more optimistic fare. Personally, I can’t
wait: 9/10
1 comment:
The best scene by far features Spike making love to invisible Buffy. Something tells me this might have been the starting point for this episode and everything else was worked around it to make it happen. The sight of James Marsters grinding away to nothing was pretty amusing, although probably not enough to justify a whole episode being sacrificed to this New Adventures of Superman premise.
This scene disgusted me. It disgusted me because it started out as Buffy trying to sexually assault Spike and it ended with consensual sex. Worse, the entire scene was played for laughs. Sexual assault as comedy? Ugh!
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