For a paranormally-themed show, there aren't too many instances of ghosts in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, so when they do appear, they tend to be quite special episodes. I Only Have Eyes For You continues the second season's solid back episode run, building in a creepy story of a poltergeist tormenting the students of Sunnydale High. On the eve of the Sadie Hawkins' Dance, strange things are happening in the school corridors; mismatched pairs of men and women re-enact a scene that ends with a gun produced out of thin air. A janitor shoots a teacher, but the gun disappears and he cannot recall why he did it. As Buffy and the gang investigate, it becomes clear that the poltergeist is a former Sunnydale student, James Stanley, doomed to re-enact the moment in which he accidentally shoots his lover, teacher Grace Newman.
At its core, I Only Have Eyes For You is an episode that about the chanc to move on from the mistakes of your past. For Buffy, this is all tied into her relationship with Angel, demonstrated perfectly in the symmetry with the tragedy of James and Grace's death. James is forced into a cycle of guilt and blame, something which Buffy exhibits in the episode's opening moments, turning down a date because she's still hurting from the breakdown of her relationship. Saddest of all though is Giles in his smaller episode arc. Although only glimpsed in a couple of scenes, he becomes convinced that the ghost is Jenny because he desperately needs to forgive her himself. He was robbed of that chance by Angel and clings on to any semblance of hope that she might still be lingering to speak to him.
The emotion stems from the central haunting of James Stanley and Grace Newman, trapped in limbo following the accidental murder-suicide. Buffy is consistently condemnatory of violence against women with tonight's ghostly pairing acting as another prime example. Denouncing James from the off, she declares her sympathy for Grace, making it clear that James is entirely at fault for the crime and deserving of 'sixty years in prison, breaking rocks and making friends with Rosco the weightlifter'. However, the parallels are there with her own situation. Still tormenting herself over her role in the loss of Angel's soul, Buffy is drawn into the role of James, begging for forgiveness from Angel, possessed by Miss Newman. The tragedy of both situations gives the episode a melancholy atmosphere which works well with the scares brought on by the presence of the poltergeist.
Several of the episode's ghostly set pieces work really well, particularly if you find snakes ever so slightly terrifying (hands up, who's with me? With this and Killed By Death, my dreams weren't safe for weeks). The repetition of the murder-suicide is particularly well done as it takes all episode for us to see the entire scene played out. Drip-feeding us information makes the final moments far more powerful; beautifully cutting between James and Grace and then Buffy and Angel, the episode makes the parallels clear and offering a moment of catharsis for the 1955 pair whilst reminding us all of just how far Angel has fallen.
As with any show adopting the Monster of the Week format in between the season arc, there is a tendency to coast through the filler episodes. Whilst I'd argue that the second season was guilty of that in the first half, the latter half is much stronger, using the monsters to say things about the central characters. Killed by Death arguably didn't push this far enough, not using Buffy's obvious survivor's guilt to be anything more than a device through which to propel the plot. In this episode, the parallels are drawn much clearer and, though much less subtle, do a lot of work in getting Buffy's character to open up a little and convey these feelings of guilt she's been suppressing. It also makes it all the more tragic that, unlike James, she's not offered the forgiveness she craves. Angel is still without a soul and is so physically disgusted by her, he takes a shower on returning to the mansion. She is doomed not to move on just yet and even in Becoming when Angel reverts, her actions are defined by the mistakes she has already made.
Outside of the main events of the episode, there's also another big statement demonstrating that the authorities are fully aware of what is going on in Sunnydale. Snyder comes up with a cover story nearly as good as his gangs on PCP line from School Hard to explain the snake problem whilst in discussion with a police officer. Brilliantly, this scene acts as a foreshadowing of the Mayor's increased role in Buffy's life as Snyder is warned that if he has a problem with handling Sunnydale High's odd occurrences, he should take it up with him. Snyder's reaction is enough to let us know that the Mayor is not a man to be messed with and though it won't have registered as significant at the time, it's one of those gems that rewards on a rewatch.
I Only Have Eyes For You is a deeply sad episode, one which works hard to allow the audience to see how the events of Angelus returning has wounded not only the main gang, but also Spike and Dru. It's also one of the best episode endings in the history of Buffy when Spike stands up from his wheelchair and vows to give Angel a run for his money. Everyone is now neatly positioned for the big finale in terms of their various mental states; Xander still hates Angel, Willow's starting to practice magic, Giles is tormented by Jenny's loss and Buffy is slowly but surely getting herself ready to take Angel down.
It's just a shame we have to go through Go Fish first...
Quote of the Week:
Giles: To forgive is an act of compassion, Buffy. It's... it's not done because people deserve it. It's done because they need it.
Let's Get Trivial: This is the first episode of Buffy that was followed by a public service announcement, read by Sarah Michelle Gellar, centred on suicide and its dangers for teens.
Sunnydale Who's Who: The guest stars for this episode are incredibly good with Christopher Gorham as James, later of Ugly Betty and Covert Affairs fame and George the janitor, portrayed by Deadwood alumnus John Hawkes (go watch Deadwood now if you haven't, that's an order).
- Becky
You can read Becky's look at previous episode Killed By Death, here.
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