Well, we can’t say we didn’t see the events of tonight’s “Buffy” coming as Willow goes totally nova.
What’s interesting is how much sense it all makes if one takes the long view, on two levels. First, Willow has a history of using magic for immediate gratification, as a quick fix so she doesn’t have to deal with long, drawn out processes…be it emotional coping or even, in the current case, judicial proceedings. Second, Willow’s very first major use of magic was when she restored Angel’s soul back at the end of the second season. Keep in mind, what she did at the time was, technically speaking, *not* a positive thing even though it served a higher purpose. It was repeatedly referred to as “cursing” Angel. And Giles said it himself: That if Willow embarked on that course, she might be opening a dark door that she would not be able to close. Well, that sure as hëll turned out to be the case.
Excellent use also of what was essentially an in-joke for long time viewers: Willow’s singsong “Bored now” required knowledge of either “The Wish” or “Dopplegangland” from third season to appreciate. My work on “Captain Marvel” precipitated lengthy discussions about the use of in-references, and some people seem to feel that things which harken back to moments from years gone by are somehow a bad thing. This, I think, indisputably proves how such uses can be extremely powerful. To a newcomer, her blase “Bored now” was simply a throwaway comment. To the long-time fan, it was of course the chilling complaint that Vamp Willow would utter just before she committed some sort of fatal mayhem.
This has been an almost unremittingly depressing season. It seems odd to call this episode a bright spot. I suppose it is, mostly due to Alyson Hannigan’s frightening and tour-de-force turn to the dark side. It definitely did not leave me bored now.
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