Looking good. Looking *very* good. A strong episode that brings long-standing plot threads to full boil.
Spoilers from here on.
Two guys come to blows with each other when it turns out they’re both really pìššëd øff with their moms. Paging Dr. Freud.
Well, Spike survived the episode, and I wasn’t 100% sure he would. So William had issues with his mother that he’s been suppressing for well over a century. The subtext of penetrative sexuality in vampirism (remember when Angel drank Buffy’s blood in “Graduation Day, Part II”?) goes completely Oedipal. Between this and Buffy’s encounter with the shrink-turned-vamp in “Talking to Dead People,” it’s starting to seem as if everyone in the cast needs serious couch time.
Dawn once again gets to scream, and little else…and did I blink and miss him, or was Xander even *in* the episode? Willow ties in to Angel one week late. What, they couldn’t bump one lousy rerun so it would actually flow from Tuesday night into Wednesday?
And dammit, I *still* keep thinking something is up with Giles. I mean, yeah, the argument can be made for Spike’s unpredictability, but Buffy’s also right: He’s one of the strongest warriors they’ve got. And if Giles is acting on the other side of the fence, it’d be in his interest to get rid of Spike.
The flashbacks made a nice companion piece to last week’s “Angel,” when you think about it, although I was a bit disappointed that Dru was only in the one scene. But it was worth it: The look on her face at the prospect of trekking around the world with Spike and Spike’s mum was utterly priceless. His hair looked less curly and less blonde then last time.
Continuity questions, though: First, wouldn’t Spike have had to be invited to enter his old house since he was now a vampire? Granted, he used to live there, but Angel had to be invited into *his* previous residence after he’d died. Second, how come his mother didn’t know he’d died? We know he’d had a funeral and was buried, because he stated in season six that he’d had to claw his way out of his grave upon becoming a vamp.
PAD
• 
**”Hmmm, well what two formerly close, well-liked characters *don’t* hate each other yet…?”
The answer to that is that Buffy, Willow, and Xander don’t hate each other, and I think it is the relationship between the three of them that is key, even moreso than the relationship between Buffy and Giles.**
Well, maybe they don’t hate each other but since Buffy generally communicates with them by barking at them because they don’t realize “people are going to die. We’re going to war” I wouldn’t say that I enjoy their scenes together. That is, if they actually *had* any scenes together…
My question is, if you only started watching this season would you have even a hint of the special friendship these three characters share, one of the things that kept adult viewers like me watching a show about a high school girl killing monsters?
“Counting down to Seven Three Oh,” said Faith in a dream. I think “Seven” refers to the number of seasons the show was intended to run, and “Three Oh” or “30” refers to the old journalism tradition of writing -30- at the end of a story to indicate it was concluded.
The general interpretation of the “7-3-0” comment DreamFaith made in Graduation Day (I can’t remember if this interpretation has been officially verified) was a foreshadowing of Buffy’s death.
Why? Because that happened at the end of season three. Two years — 730 days — later, at the end of season five, Buffy joins the heavenly choir.
(And I still think the Death of the Slayer prophecy from season one fits exceedingly well with the ending of season five, which — if that’s the case — would make one of the most brilliant uses of foreshadowing and misdirection I’ve ever seen…)
Anyone notice that Principal Wood’s apparently shopping from the same “Vamp-Be-Gone” store that Wesley shops at? One of his wrist gauntlet thingies looked quite similiar to Wesley’s spring-loaded “auto-stakeomatic” that debuted in the “Teenage Minds” episode of Angel early this season.
My question is, if you only started watching this season would you have even a hint of the special friendship these three characters share, one of the things that kept adult viewers like me watching a show about a high school girl killing monsters?
Yes, but only if you stopped around the time Giles showed up with Stripesey, Kennedy, and the Manger Babies and the show was overrun with the Wannaslayas subplot to the exclusion of dámņ near everything else.
What I find disheartening about recent episodes is that Buffy used to be about breaking the rules: She had friends helping her, she wasn’t following every order from her Slayer, she told her mom, and all of that helped her. I wish we’d seen — and hope against hope we still will see — Buffy decide she’s NOT going to be a general and she’s going to fiught the First in her own dámņ way and her friends are going to be the most important part of that fight.
I haven’t had a chance to read all the comments on this topic yet, but let me jump in with a hearty “yes, more like that please!” anyway.
Last week on Angel, lots of people got a charge out of Faith giving Connor a good whuppin’. I agreed.
But I like Robin Wood quite a bit — and I still got a big, big Good Feeling [TM] when Spike came into his own and decided to wipe the floor with brave, brave sir Robin. (As well he should, given the strength mismatch.)
And the Giles/Wood scene in the basement was one of the most convincing dark scenes I’ve seen on Buffy in a while. Season 6 had lots of darkness in terms of “let’s make our characters wallow in misery” — but that scene had two characters who were solidly on the side of good, yet still able to reach some conclusions that were … well, let’s call them “controversial.”
Not that this is entirely new to Giles — given what he did to Buffy in “Helpless” and how he dealt with Ben/Glory in season 5, the man knows from darkness.
If the last 5 of the season are this good, color me very pleased. I’m not sure yet if this is the best of the season, but it’s in contention — and I haven’t been able to say that for a while.
James Marsters got to show some decent range. We got a proper (though not prim) Drusilla rather than First-as-Dru. There’s some dissension about ends vs. means. And Willow’s gone off to get Faith.
More, please.
TWL
First off, I think Whedon always said the show would be 7 seasons. I remember reading an interview where he said something like, “…high school because I needed a premise which could last 7 years.” At the time I thought it was odd because HS usually only lasts 4 years…
Secondly,I really wasn’t all that fond of this episode but then again, I’m waiting for Faith’s return.
Also I think if anything, the Potentials storyline has been forgotten. I mean, now they’re down to 2? When did that happen?
Col
The rest of the potentials are still around, presumably hiding up in the upstairs bedrooms from 1) the weird old guy who keeps feeding the lactose intolerant Asian milk products 2) the not untriggered vampire killer in the basement 3) the old potential whose brevet drill sergeant assignment has gone to her head, but who gets away with it due to making out with the best friend of 4) the short blonde with the “You’re all going to die” motivational speeches.
I figure if they ever wake up and look at the situation they’re in, they’re all going to sign up with the First’s forces. 🙂 In the meantime, they’re just plotting how to become an actual Delta Delta Slayer sorority.
More seriously, given the lack of screen time for Xander, Willow, Anya, and Dawn, you do sorta wonder why Mutant Enemy bothered to have Tom Lenk, Indigo, and Iyari Limon on for 15 seconds or so at all in this episode. That and whether Anya has been reduced to raiding the closets of the potentials, given that awful hat she was wearing.
Another odd thing about Giles… He’s not in the credits. Still. “Also Starring…”
I think something is going to happen to him. :\
Just wanted to say something about the Jack the ripper comment. Spike is not the ripper since in an upcoming book from pocket we see the team up of angel and buff teams and they talk about Angel and Spike going against Jack the Ripper….I think it is coming out this summer.
Just wanted to say something about the Jack the ripper comment. Spike is not the ripper since in an upcoming book from pocket we see the team up of angel and buff teams and they talk about Angel and Spike going against Jack the Ripper….I think it is coming out this summer.
Of course books don’t count in continuity including things like the second slayer killed by Spike or Comander Riker’s middle name.
David
It is interesting that so many characters in Buffyverse are motivated by parental abandonment. Angel and Wes are still haunted by their overbearing father, Spike and Robin by feeling abandoned by their mothers. Even Buffy still latches to Giles as her father-figure.
I think this may have something to do with the complete lack of parental figures in society. Since the 70’s, folks have decided they’d rather be their kids’ cool best friend rather than having to make the tough decisions required of an actual parent. Heavens forfend actually having to grow up once you become a parent. Yeah, there are some real parents out there whose children don’t require years of therapy later, but mostly, parents are f***-ups.
On a not-bitter note (my parents are just fine, thank you-I’ve just had to watch far too many friends and acquaintences deal with this crap), this ep. rocked, if only for the show of Spike’s super-strength vs. Wood. I very much like both characters (not the least of which because they’re both so very easy on the girl-eyes), but this had to happen. And it was cool.
Also very good was the very tiny role That Annoying Kennedy B had to play in this week’s ep. I’m still hoping ME’ll kill her off (maybe she can slip in the shower), but until then, if they can never give her another line, I’ll be happy. I just wish I could get more of the original Scoobies. sigh
I’ve always thought that the bit about “the vampire wears your friend’s face, but your friend is dead” bit was made up by the Watchers so the Slayers would have less reservations about killing them. We’ve certainly seen enough examples of the Watcher’s Council twisting the truth to suit their goals, and Wes/Giles both have a strong “ends justify the means” attitude that probably came from their Watcher training.
Someone way up towards the top said this ep explained why Spike is Spike and Angel is Angel and Angleus. I didn’t see that. If it was there, can someone explain that.
Alan M. wrote:
“(And I still think the Death of the Slayer prophecy from season one fits exceedingly well with the ending of season five, which — if that’s the case — would make one of the most brilliant uses of foreshadowing and misdirection I’ve ever seen…)”
I agree with you, and your mention of the prophecy reminded me of another prophecy, the one from the first season episode of Angel where he became human again. In it the Oracles told him that if he remained human, and therefore had no vampiric powers to help Buffy, she would die (don’t remember the exact wording but I think they mentioned an apocalypse as well). Given that we know that Angel will show up in Sunnydale for the series finale, it’s reasonably safe to assume that, whatever else may happen, Buffy won’t die in it (so long as ME doesn’t decide to just throw continuity out the window again).
Raphy
> I may be mistaken, but when Spike first showed up in Sunnydale, he was talking to Angel (pretending to be Angelus) and said something like “You were my sire, man,” in a conversation they had. Which is just a little contiuity error in light of recent references to Dru being his sire. Does anyone else remember this? Or am I misremembering?
> Posted by William @ 03/26/2003 09:25 AM ET
Whedon addressed this a while back – Angel[us] is Spike’s GRANDsire (i.e. – he sired Dru), but the term “grandsire” doesn’t exist per se. Hence they just call their vampiric “grandad” “dad”.
Its a stretch, but it just about fits.
I agree with you, and your mention of the prophecy reminded me of another prophecy, the one from the first season episode of Angel where he became human again. In it the Oracles told him that if he remained human, and therefore had no vampiric powers to help Buffy, she would die (don’t remember the exact wording but I think they mentioned an apocalypse as well). Given that we know that Angel will show up in Sunnydale for the series finale, it’s reasonably safe to assume that, whatever else may happen, Buffy won’t die in it (so long as ME doesn’t decide to just throw continuity out the window again).
The oracles said that Buffy would die because the “End of Days” was beginning. So what’s the title to episode 21? You gotta respect writers who have the end of the story in mind a full three years before it is actually realized.
The sad thing about Principal Wood is that he had Spike.
He could have killed him but he pulled the Republic serial villain shtick and kept talking when he should have been acting.
\\Another odd thing about Giles… He’s not in the credits. Still. “Also Starring…”
I think something is going to happen to him. :\ \\
Actually, he’s not allowed to be in the credits, since he’s just a guest star now (only contracted to be in a certain number of eps.) It’s some SAG thing.