FEATURE: Buffy the Vampire Slayer - Out Of My Mind

Previously on Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Buffy's somehow acquired a sister. She's also decided to train harder, study better and generally become a more successful Slayer. Spike's chip is still in his head and he still plans on defeating Buffy somehow.

Holy foreshadowing, Batman!

Seriously, there is so much of it in this episode and I'm finding it quite baffling that I barely remember it as a result of this fact. Sure, I remember the major developments like Spike realising he's in love with Buffy and Joyce starting to get sick (oh dear god), but the Riley stuff? Not a jot. Let's talk about the good stuff first though. Do you remember where you were when you first saw that kiss?

I do. It was, as ever, a Thursday night on BBC 2. I'm fairly sure we'd had something like spaghetti bolognese for dinner. I'd converted my family on to the Buffy wagon by this point, so we were all watching it together. No more sneaking around and messing with the VCR for me. Someone, I can't remember who, shouted "NO!" in shock. We stared aghast. Spike kissed Buffy. Buffy kissed Spike. Spike was dreaming! He's in love with Buffy! Ah, it's never going to go anywhere... Or is it?! Well, we all know the answer to that question now, but then? What a shock that was. 

Elsewhere, we have the first arrival of the ongoing season arc outside of Dawn as Ben shows up to treat Joyce for the first time. He's still all Gentle Ben for now, but another jigsaw puzzle is in place. There's another in Tara starting to get a little concerned that Willow is overreaching a little with magic. The other key bit is that Joyce is on the decline, though again, we don't know it yet. Cleverly, the show distracts us with Riley's ongoing plight, yet it's all pretty ominous and, like her death will be, shockingly normal. There's nothing mystical in these bits of the episode, just cold, hard human reality. I'm not ready, you guys.

There was also the joy of seeing Spike and Harmony back together again. Exasperated and useless Spike really is the best Spike and it's amazing how successful the show managed to make him work that change as a character. Credit must go to James Marsters, of course, and to the writers, who'll keep crafting a truly fascinating ongoing and begrudging addition the gang. Plus, we get Mercedes McNab in full bimbo mode. Her scene with the surgeon is classic Harmony, full of little gems, but my favourite has to be her hastily extinguishing her cigarette upon seeing the No Smoking sign. Such a badass.

I supposed I have to return to the Riley stuff now. It's clear that they were running out of ideas for the character of Riley by this point. We've already done the Riley gets sick because of the Initiative's meddling bit, but now we get it with added masculine insecurity. As I've said before, I like that Buffy tackles the idea of men not being able to deal with Buffy's strength and doing it through Riley makes a tonne of sense. I love that Buffy immediately calls him out on it when he points out his differences to Angel. What I don't love about the episode is mostly that it, and the rest of the show, has forgotten to make us care. It also made Graham kinda sucky. The post-Angel relationship was always going to be tough to win people over, but Riley's just so beige. He really is everything that he fears he is, just not to Buffy.

Out Of My Mind is one of those episodes that's more important in the long run than it is in the moment. Buffy getting her life together and doing well is the biggest sign of doom we could possibly have, but there are plenty of other hints towards it in the episode. Oh boy.

Quote of the Week:

Spike: I will know your blood, Slayer. I will make your neck my chalice and drink deep. [Stalks off and immediately falls into an open grave.] OW!

Let's Get Trivial: Spike's watching an episode of Dawson's Creek in his crypt, which Mercedes McNab had previously guest-starred on.

- Becky

You can catch Becky's look at previous episode, The Replacement, here.

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FEATURE: Buffy the Vampire Slayer - The Replacement

Previously on Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Buffy now has a little sister that everyone thinks has been around forever. Xander's dissatisfied with his lot in life as a result of still living in his parents' basement.

A big, veiny luminescent demon comes gunning for Buffy, but instead whacks Xander with his very own glowstick of destiny at the city dump. Initially, it seems as if our boy's ok and is taken away by the gang, but then, what we believe to be the actual Xander wakes up still in the dump. He's not particularly good at, well, everything, whilst a considerably suaver lookalike inserts himself into Xander's life. Schlubby Xander turns to his oldest friend Willow as Suave Xander gets the Slayer onside. Eventually they figure out that Suave Xander isn't a demonic replacement, but Xander's other half. 

It's a Buffy classic storytelling device in this one; whenever any character needs to go through some kind of affirmation from the rest of the Scoobs, they have to go through some kind of transformation first. Think Giles turning into a demon in A New Man, Buffy when she turns invisible or Willow transforming everyone else. It's Xander's turn in this one as the two halves of himself battle it out for surpremacy without knowing they're two sides of the same coin rather than two distinct people. It's not quite Kirk in The Enemy Within but it does make for some good, concentrated Xander hijinks (also, they reference Star Trek together, which is just lovely).

It follows on from his desire to no longer be everyone's butt monkey, a rant seen in Buffy vs. Dracula. Xander's often the Buffy damsel-in-distress and frequently feels he is completely useless to the gang's efforts. It's Schlubby Xander's chief fear in this episode, that everyone's much more taken with Suave Xander and that he's of more use to the general scheme of things. Like The Zeppo, The Replacement is quick to demonstrate that, actually, that's really not the same. The promotion given to Suave Xander is earned by regular old Xander before the events of the episode, same with the credit check that lands him the apartment. As Giles says, everything in both Xanders already exists before the split. He is both Schlubby and Suave.

Also, the fact that the Scoobies keep saving Xander has got to count for something. As Primeval illustrated, he functions as the heart of the group and they'd quickly fall apart without him. His final scene with Riley, in which soldier boy admits he knows Buffy doesn't love him, is a clear indication of that; he's the one that people trust and he's the one that "sees" everything. It's something that will be more explored as the series continues, particularly in the seventh season where his sort-of outsider status helps with keeping Dawn on track. The Replacement is nowhere near as good as The Zeppo nor does it really say anything we don't already know, but it works as a solid reminder of Xander's strengths as well as building his confidence back up.

Quote of the Week:

Schlubby Xander: [Anya] entirely wants us to have sex together! Which would be wrong and very confusing...
Giles: We just, um, need to arrange the candles. Also, we should continue to pretend we heard none of the disturbing sex talk now.
Willow: Check. Candles and pretense.

Demonology 101: Jane Espenson revealed that Toth was so named, just so she could include the 'toth' is British slang gag.

Sunnydale Who's Who: Kelly Donovan, Nicholas Brendon's twin, plays the body double for Xander and gets to speak in the scenes where both Xanders have lines. Identical twins sure come in handy.

- Becky

You can check out Becky's look at the previous episode, Real Me, here.

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FEATURE: Buffy the Vampire Slayer - Real Me

Previously on Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Buffy has a sister. What?!

Dawn, Buffy's sister, is causing a few problems for the Slayer as she needs taking care of, seemingly full time given her habit of getting into mischief. When the gang head to the Magic Shop for supplies, Willow quite literally falls over the dead body of the owner. It's a vamp attack, announcing a new squad in town who are researching the Slayer and have a fondness for ceramic unicorns. Yes, Harmony's back in town and she wants a showdown with Buffy, but is thwarted when the Slayer happens to be on a date when Harmony calls for her. Dawn, being Dawn, inadvertently invites her in and the vamp returns later to kidnap the sister and lure Buffy into a trap.

So, Dawn's arrived. I'm going to get the negative stuff out of the way first because, Dawn aside, this episode is a joy. The new little sister? Not so much. God, Dawn's narration is horrible. Just gratingly irritating. And I think it jars so much because, at this stage, it feels like such a caricature of how a teen girl speaks, which is something the show has never done. The teenage characters of Buffy, Willow and Xander never fell into that trap of feeling cliched or sketched. Even Cordelia had layers. Real Me is not the best first impression of the character we could have had, though I know it's the sibling relationship that they clearly needed to set up. It just feels clumsy given how much of a mystery Dawn still is.

Which brings me nicely on to the positive aspect about Dawn; the writers have just dropped her in there. She got a few seconds in the last episode and now everyone in the show is acting like she's always been there. It's a clever, brave move and instantly gets the audience speculating about where this annoying, diary-writing teen has come from. There's not much of a hint to what she is here, just that she will become something, but the encounter with the mad, homeless man offers up a neat callback to Faith's prophecy of Dawn's arrival back in Graduation Day. He calls her "Curds and whey," referencing "Little Miss Muffet, counting down from 7-3-0."

Positives for the rest of the episode are numerous and mainly revolve around how hilarious it is. From Giles' brand new, shiny red penis car to Buffy's reaction to finding out that Harmony has minions. And then there's Harmony herself. I love that Harmony's plans seem to be taken from the ideas whiteboard of a crappy Bond villain, that she's got the management skills of Michael Scott and the villainous presence of a poodle. Mercedes McNab's comic timing is spectacular here and her sparring with Sarah Michelle Gellar ranks amongst the funniest of Buffy's exchanges with villains.

We also have the second big plot development of the fifth season as Giles decides to buy the Magic Shop, despite Buffy's understandable concern that Magic Shop owners have a very limited shelf life. The fourth season did suffer from having a particular location that the Scoobies could be based out of; Giles' place is lovely, but I always got the impression that everything was a bit cramped in there. Now, we'll have the Magic Shop, a nice training room for Buffy and plenty of magical items for hijinks.

Thankfully, there is enough about Real Me to love in the face of the annoyingly whiny teenager plonked into the middle of it. I understand why they drop Dawn into the midst of everything so equally, and why they do make her so irritating, but boy is it a culture shock.

Quote of the Week:

Harmony: So Slayer! At last we meet.
Buffy: We've met, Harmony, you halfwit.

Inventive Kill: Buffy slays Mort with a unicorn horn. Cabin in the Woods, eat your heart out. Um, not literally.

Let's Get Trivial: Michelle Trachtenberg's updated status from her first appearance in the show to series regular is the fastest in the series' history, appearing in just one episode before promotion. The show will now set the record for highest number of main cast members (8) until Riley leaves in Into The Woods.

Sunnydale Who's Who: Tom Lenk, who plays a Harmony minion, will return next season to play Tucker's brother... I mean, Andrew.

- Becky

You can read Becky's look at previous episode, Buffy vs. Dracula, here.

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FEATURE: Buffy the Vampire Slayer - Buffy vs. Dracula

Previously on Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Buffy, Willow, Xander and Giles combined magically to defeat Adam and take down the Initiative, but it wasn't without cost as the vengeful spirit of the First Slayer rose up to kill them in their dreams. Buffy's dream came with a lot of dark warnings.

Buffy's on the prowl for vampires, turning to hunting rather than simple patrolling. On one such hunt, she meets a tall, dark and handsome vampire that isn't Angel. He's got a lilty accent, mysterious ways of speaking and a big ole cape. He's freakin' Dracula. That's right. The Count himself is in town and desires Buffy, preying on her and intent on turning her into a bride. Not only is Buffy enthralled, so too is Xander as one of his minions. It's up to the rest of the gang to disrupt Dracula's plans before it's too late, but all of them underestimate his power and Buffy's own strength.

I do love this episode. As both a Dracula and a Buffy fan, it ticks a lot of boxes for me from the schlocky tone to the Stoker references to Marti Noxon in writing duties. It's a very funny episode, with each character getting a little moment to shine within it; Riley busting out the "you're under the thrall of the Dark Prince!", Anya's fangirl fawning over the undead superstar, Giles tangling with the three sisters and Spike's grudge all spark brilliantly. It's Xander though who steals the show here as Nicholas Brendon gets to do his finest Renfield impression, right down to the sychophantic epithets and bug eating (I couldn't pick a best Xander quote for Quote of the Week so you get three).

Buffy was always one of the most self-aware shows around, but Noxon clearly relishes the opportunity to play with that in this episode. Bringing in Dracula is no mean feat, but she's aware of her genre savvy audience and rather than using it to fill the episode with foreboding, she messes about with the familiar for comedic effect. One of my favourite moments is Riley commenting on the fact that he's never noticed "a great honking castle" in Sunnydale, a nod to the fact that it starts off in the pilot as a one-Starbucks town, but is slowly revealed to have an entire university campus just tucked away somewhere. And now a castle, because obviously.

Cleverly, the episode is used to keep laying the foundations of Buffy's self-discovery, the one that sort of began back in Restless. Dracula echoes Tara's line "you think you know what you are... what's to come... you haven't even begun" hinting at the deep dark mystery at the heart of being a Slayer. Though it will be explored considerably throughout the fifth season, it will also continue into the seventh with the Potentials and Buffy's ultimate battle tactic in defeating The First. Here, it's merely suggestion, confirmed by her heartwarming scene with Giles at the end in which she asks him to become her unofficial Watcher again.

There's a couple more key moments in the episode and I'll get to the 'big' one shortly, but first of all, Riley's continuing downward spiral into Jealous, Masculinity-So-Fragile Douchebag. I think I glossed over much of it in this episode because I was still a fan of the fourth season version of his character. I'm a lot less kind now. He's just a dick. An important one in terms of the various themes that the show explores in relation to masculinity and feminism, but a dick nonetheless. Then, of course, there's the big Dawn reveal. I remember this absolutely flooring me the first time I saw it. It doesn't pack quite the same punch now, but you've got to admire the balls of a show who can pull off the kind of history retcon that we'll soon see.

Buffy vs. Dracula might not rank highly in many people's lists of greatest Buffy episodes. As a regular standalone, it's a solid affair, but as a season opener, it's probably the best of the bunch. It's a "wouldn't it be cool if..." premise that pays off in spades and also sets a lot up for the season to come. 

Quote[s] of the Week:

Willow: I think we have Dracula factoids.

Xander: Like any of that's enough to fight the Dark Master...bater.

[Later]

Xander: I wouldn't jump to any conclusions about the Unholy Prince...bater.

Xander: Master, I deliver the Slayer, she who you most desire... Sorry, whom.

Xander: You know what? I'm sick of this crap. I'm sick of being the guy who eats insects and gets the funny syphilis. As of this moment, it's over. I'm finished being everybody's butt monkey.

Buffy: Check. No more butt monkey.

Inventive Kill: Buffy stakes Dracula not once, but twice. Not really effective as he'll later appear in the Drew Goddard story, Antique, but she does get to say that she "eurotrashed" him.

Let's Get Trivial: Dracula wasn't originally set to appear in this episode, according to writer Marti Noxon, who had written in just another cool vampire for the role and comparing him to Dracula a lot. Joss Whedon then asked "why not Dracula?" pointing out that Stoker's legendary character was publc domain and therefore available.

Sunnydale Who's Who: Apparently, it was Sarah Michelle Gellar's husband, Freddie Prinze Jr, lined up to play Dracula, but the role went to Rudolf Martin who had previously played SMG's love interest on All My Children.

- Becky

You can read Becky's look at previous episode, Restless, here.

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FEATURE: Buffy the Vampire Slayer - Restless

Previously on Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Buffy, Willow, Xander and Giles magically combined to take down Adam and the Initiative, invoking the power of the First Slayer to do so. 

Usually this is the point of the review where I give you all a little plot breakdown to remind you of what goes on in the episode. It might not be all the details, but just enough to jog your memory. For Restless, there's not really a whole lot of plot to sum up; Buffy, Willow, Xander and Giles settle in for a night of movies after they take down the Initiative, still feeling wired. Alas, they upset the First Slayer with their spell and she tries to kill them in their dreams. That's pretty much it, but the meat of Restless does not lie within its plot, but rather in everything else.

It would be absolutely impossible for me to talk about all the things I love or that are of note in Restless because it's so densely packed with thematic content, character exploration and that all important Buffy hallmark of foreshadowing. Dreams in this world have always functioned as a form of prophecy, particularly for Buffy herself, so it's fitting that we have one such narrative entirely constructed around what has been and what is coming takes place within a dreamscape. It's an episode that only gets richer on repeat viewings as a result, something which many instalments can boast, but not to quite the same levels. Later watches tend to be reference spotting, but my first watch was mainly revelling in how surreal and comical everything felt. A prime example is Buffy offering Xander popcorn:

"Butter flavour?"
"New car smell."

It's also an episode that gets a lot funnier when you've seen Death of a Salesman. Many dream sequences in television often feel a little too well crafted to really embody the random twists and turns dreams can take. Restless manages to keep that sense of unpredictability for the most part; it's tautly wound chaos, capable of spinning off in different directions as required. Whilst it's very amusing to hear these exchanges and to witness the kind of bonkers delights Whedon comes up with, there's also a lot of deeper work going on when it comes to exploring the characters and their relationships with the world around them. 

Willow's dream is positively brimming over with her various neuroses, but also foreshadowing for the character. There's even a nod back to her disastrous performance in Madame Butterfly from the first season episode, Nightmares. The big theme across her dream is the idea of her true self and people (including a cameo-ing Oz) make references to others finding out who she really is. The end of her dream indicates she still feels like the high school geek that everyone makes fun of behind her back. However, in hindsight, it's easy to see those comments as nods towards her future as a powerful, and briefly evil, witch and her addiction to magic that she works hard to keep hidden from everyone. Tara also notes that we don't know everything about her yet, something which will crop up again in the episode Family.

The erotic element to Xander's dream speaks a lot to how he's always treated the women around him, mainly that they're sex objects, even, perhaps disturbingly, Buffy's mom. Additionally, it also demonstrates his own feeling of inadequacy in the face of them, how he feels stuck in his basement and that he's of no help to his friends. The military aspect of his dream builds out from the history of the character as well as becoming another system in which he feels trapped. As if to really make the point that his journey is dark and aimless, there's Snyder at the end of it to confirm how pointless he is in the scheme of things. But he's the 'comfortador', a role that will become increasingly important in the show's later seasons.

Giles' dream is perhaps the clearest, simply because his role in the show is relatively straight-forward. He's the father figure for Buffy and their fairground night out in the cemetery reiterates that for everyone. Even his antagonistic relationships have an element of the paternal in them, such as his scene with Spike on the swings (Spike's wearing the suit he'd later wear in Tabula Rasa as well as Giles commenting that he's like a son to him). His big moment of the episode though is the classic Exposition Song (look out for composer Christophe Beck on the piano - also a quick shout-out to his awesome score), possibly Giles' greatest scene not involving a sombrero. He does his usual role of getting the audience up to speed on the episode bad guy and giving out instructions to the others, but via the medium of song (see Quote of the Week for some lyrics, obviously).

"Come on, put your back into it. A Watcher scoffs at gravity!"

Buffy's dream is the most important one when it comes to foreshadowing and as such, definitely didn't make very much sense upon first viewing. Her conversations with Tara, representing herself and the First Slayer, hint to Buffy's path for the fifth season. She's referred to as 'killer' several times by Riley, who goes on to leave her on her own. A lot of the fourth season has been exploring the successes and weaknesses inherent in being a Slayer with friends. Despite the magical joining spell that saw them all make up and take down evil last week, the message here is that Buffy, at the end, will be on her own. Tara cryptically states: "You think you know... What's to come... What you are. You haven't even begun" hinting towards Buffy's exploration of her Slayer heritage in the coming season.

The source of Buffy's power will become increasingly important now as the seasons develop and of course, there's a new character on the horizon: "Be back before Dawn..." Not only that, but we also have another nod to Buffy's impending demise, something which might not be apparent to any first time viewers of the episode. The focus on the incorrect clock in Buffy's room is a deliberate reference to her death. Back in her Graduation Day dream, Faith warns of something "counting down to 7-3-0." Buffy would die approximately 730 days after that initial warning. When Tara states that the clock is wrong, she is indicating that Buffy no longer has 730 days.

Hush was probably the moment when Buffy the Vampire Slayer truly started to embrace the more experimental aspect, but it's Restless that really runs with it, producing a season finale that is both wholly unconventional and entirely fantastic. It's a bold move to put something like this as a finale and it's a complete oddball of an episode, but it's an experiment that pays dividends for fans returning to the show. And so we come to the end of this season, which is the most consistently inconsistent of Buffy's entire run. When the story has focused on the Initiative, the interest waned, but episodes like Hush, Something Blue and Pangs keep the show going and Restless is the surrealist icing on the cake.

So after saying it would be impossible to talk about everything in this episode, I managed to give it a damn good go. It's hard to do it justice really, so layered is it as a piece of work. But what's this? I didn't mention the Cheese Man. He wears the cheese. It does not wear him.

Quote of the Week:

Giles: "I've got to warn Buffy / there's every chance she might be next / And Xander and Willow / Try not to bleed on my couch / I've just had it steam-cleaned..."

Let's Get Trivial: This is the show's only episode to begin straight away with the opening titles and not with a cold open.

Demonology 101: This is only the first appearance of the First Slayer. She will return later when Buffy embarks on her vision quest to learn more about her origins.

Sunnydale Who's Who: Originally this episode was to feature far more cameos than it eventually ended up with (just Oz, Olivia, Harmony and Snyder). Those supposed to appear were Jenny Calendar, Larry, Faith and Amy, with Angel and Cordelia having been written into the episode only to be taken out again once scheduling with Angel became too difficult.

- Becky

You can read Becky's look at previous episode, Primeval, here.

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FEATURE: Buffy the Vampire Slayer - Primeval

Previously on Buffy the Vampire Slayer: A secret government organisation known as The Initiative have been operating literally underground at UC Sunnydale. Buffy's dating one of their rejects and fighting their Big Bad, Adam, a patchwork monster of human and demon. Meanwhile, the Scooby Gang's feeling the pressure of living apart; Xander and Anya feel excluded, Willow's dating Tara and only just told people, Giles remains unemployed and Buffy's got her hands full. Spike, helpfully, has been pulling their strings.

After the big bust-up at the end of The Yoko Factor, Buffy goes off to find Riley, but of course finds him gone. He's with Adam, finding out that he was a part of the super-soldier program that Maggie Walsh was putting together and that he also has a chip in his nervous system that Adam can use to control him. The Scoobies all set about recovering from their fight, each as upset as the other at what has been said. However, a little bit of communication soon sets them right and they come up with a plan to stop Adam, magically joining themselves into one body. Buffy's. 

The fourth season stands as the only that openly flouts convention by not featuring a two-parter finale as the last two episodes. It's a bold move to wrap up everything major in the season in the penultimate episode, but it's probably for the best given the lukewarm reception to the Initiative plotline. Restless ends up embodying a far better season finale than anyone expected, but I'll save my enthusiasm for that one until next week.

The Initiative stuff is still ridiculously blah. I really couldn't care less about Adam's super-race plan because, although it's clear that there is something thematic link between Adam's composite soldiers and the Scooby Gang united in one goal, it's executed so badly. It's not an inherently bad idea by any stretch, but the quality difference between the two thematic plot strands is vast simply because of who is involved. We don't really know (or like) Riley enough to care too much that he might become part of Adam's composite demon army.

The real meat of the episode is the Scooby Gang themselves, the characters we know and properly care about. As I said last week, seeing the Scoobies fight is never fun and the problems between them all have been building all season. The best moments come as a result of the gang rediscovering their friendship. The lift sequence, in which Buffy and Willow have a heart to heart, is adorable, culminating in a hug that brings the gang back together again. 

It may make the joining spell a little on-the-nose metaphorically speaking, but it's a neat way to wrap up their combined plotline for the season. I love that it's a natural (albeit magical) way of combining their respective skills and functions within the group versus Adam's biological and scientific way of doing things. Like Buffy says, the Initiative is messing with primeval forces it doesn't understand the final battle between Scooby-Buffy and Adam is that clash made manifest. Let's just ignore the really dodgy sound effects as the spirits combine within Buffy. The voice effect of having them all speak at the same time is very cool though. That moment also points out a key difference between Buffy and the Slayers that came before her; she's never on her own.

After a nice Dr Strangelove board meeting, the Initiative is abandoned and the case closed in a move that feels a little more Mulder and Scully. Let's just be grateful that we got Cabin in the Woods eh? A much better take on the shady government installation type deal.

Quote of the Week:

Willow: Nervous?
Xander: No way. I'm full of that good old kamikaze spirit.
Giles: Xander, just because this is never going to work, there's no need to be negative.

Inventive Kill: Scooby-Buffy rips out Adam's core glowy thingy. Perfect.

Let's Get Trivial: After Nicholas Brendon remembered the established continuity from earlier in the show, the line "see what you get for taking French instead of Sumerian?!" was changed from "see what you get for taking Spanish instead of Sumerian?!" 

- Becky

You can read Becky's look at previous episode, The Yoko Factor, here.

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FEATURE: Buffy the Vampire Slayer - The Yoko Factor

Previously on Buffy the Vampire Slayer (and also on Angel): Faith caused havoc and fled to LA, leading to an almighty clash between Angel and Buffy. Riley's aware of their relationship now and is also on the run from the Initiative. Adam is on the loose and working with Spike whilst the Scoobies have been having issues in their friendship.

And so we continue with the Initiative plotline as things begin to descend towards the season finale. Spike revels in his new role as agitator, something bequeathed to him by Adam in order to weaken the Slayer before the monster's big move, Spike wisely pointing out she's nothing without her friends. As he proceeds, the faultlines that have been appearing throughout the season turn into wide, gaping cracks that turn them against each other at a time when a united front is necessary. Meanwhile, Riley learns from Xander the trigger for Angel's curse and when the vamp shows up in Sunnydale to apologise to Buffy after he beats the crap out of some commandos, Riley assumes the worst. 

The Yoko Factor is a very mixed bag of an episode (a lot like the season as a whole), but it manages to be one of the marginally better offerings in the Initiative arc by the simple virtue of placing the Scoobies at the heart of it. Its big problem is that it doesn't do it enough. We've been seeing the issues in their friendship arise since Buffy and Willow first started at UC Sunnydale, but it's only really been Spike who noticed anything was amiss amongst the characters, a fact he exploits mercilessly. It's a great, little divide and conquer plan that builds to the episode's best scene that doesn't involve watching Riley get thrown across an alleyway; the Scoobies falling apart.

We've seen them fight before (third season, post-Angel reveal is the most memorable), but it still hurts to see them going out to deliberately hurt each other. The gloves are off, metaphorically speaking (though Buffy looks like she wants to throw down), and every tension that's been niggling away is brought to the fore. Giles' drunk commentary stops it from getting too vicious, but even then, his little barbs about his unemployment demonstrate an underlying anger: "No, I am no Alfred, sir. You forget, Alfred has a job." When Buffy storms out at the end, that's the cliffhanger the episode should've ended with. Despite being more tolerant of fourth season Riley than most, I simply don't give a fig about him going to Adam. 

In fact, the only thing involving Riley that I do like in this episode is Buffy putting a stop to the fight between him and Angel by throwing them both across the room. Nothing like showing men who's the real boss. Angel showing up doesn't really do anything in the episode, other than to further Riley's toxic masculinity complex and apologising to Buffy for his actions in Sanctuary. It's nice that he does come back and I'm all for Angel and Buffy having slightly longing conversations about their doomed relationship, but it smacks of attempting to make the episode a bit more interesting.

One of the fun things about this episode (other than Drunk Giles) is spotting what things start to crop up in Restless (ie. one of the best episodes in the history of Buffy and possibly television). There's Willow on about taking a drama class, Xander thinking his friends want him to enlist in the army, Buffy's fear of being left alone and Giles' singing. I've still not worked out if there's a nod to the cheese man anywhere other than in The Initiative when Riley finds out Buffy's likes and dislikes though. The only trouble is, this aspect of the episode only works if you've already seen Restless. First time watchers need not apply just yet.

The final good thing about The Yoko Factor? It sets up for a cracking pair of conceptual finales in both Primeval and Restless respectively. Each deal with the isolation of the Scoobies and the power they yield when they work together. The Initiative arc might be a load of cobblers, but it does bring about some beautiful examinations of the Slayer and her gang.

Quote of the Week:

Buffy: Okay, that's enough! I see one more display of testosterone poisoning and I will personally put you both in the hospital.

(Un)Inventive Kill: Goodbye Forrest, your death (skewered by Adam) was as lame and as unmemorable as you were as a character.

The LA Connection: This episode follows pretty much directly on from the end of Angel episode Sanctuary. Wesley even asks Angel there and then if he wants to go after Buffy.

- Becky

You can read Becky's look at previous episode, New Moon Rising, here.

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FEATURE: Buffy the Vampire Slayer - New Moon Rising

Previously on Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Oz departed Sunnydale after realising that he wasn't as in control over the werewolf as he thought, leaving a heartbroken Willow in his wake. She developed a relationship with Tara, a fellow witch, instead which is now a romantic one.

The Scooby Gang meet to discuss Buffy's recent lack of demonic activity and the Initiative's sudden rise in inmates with Tara joining them in an official capacity for the first time. However, at the end of the meeting, Oz returns, throwing the wolf amongst the pigeons. His return not only causes problems for Willow, but also for Buffy as the revelation that he's a werewolf prompts Riley to exhibit some extreme anti-demon sentiments, naturally getting Buffy's back up. When Oz runs into Tara on campus, he realises that she's involved with Willow and the resultant reaction causes him to wolf out. When he's captured by the Initiative, Riley is finally forced to choose between Buffy and his career in order to get Oz out before he gets hurt.

Oh Oz. You continue to break my heart with your wolfy soul-searching. It may be an episode heavy on the Initiative (though thankfully points out they're all dicks in the process), but it's also one heavy on the emotion, particularly for Willow. We all know how badly the break-up with Oz affected her so seeing him back tugs on the heartstrings almost instantly. It's a lovely little goodbye episode for the two of them after the abrupt end to their relationship back in Wild at Heart, whilst also marking a new beginning for Willow. She finally reveals her relationship with Tara to Buffy and confirms it to Tara too. It's all a bit heartwarming.

New Moon Rising itself deals with the unconventionality of love in a variety of ways, largely seen through the metaphorical prism of humans in love with demons in order to. Buffy reacts the way she does to Riley's black-and-white view of the world because she's no stranger to an unconventional relationship, as we all know, and ends the episode telling Riley about her past with Angel. His belief that Willow's relationship with Oz is somehow lesser because he happens to be a werewolf doesn't quite function entirely as a metaphorical homophobic reaction to a lesbian relationship, but the recognisable attitudes are there. Buffy flying off the handle at him in defence of her friends is a wonderful moment, built on beautifully by the scene in which she finds out that Willow and Tara are dating.

That scene is one of the best conversations in the Buffy-Willow friendship, a testament to how strong their connection is, but also to how the show functions as an examination of human experiences. There's no demonic parallel here; it's just simply two best friends having a heart to heart in which one happens to reveal she's in a lesbian relationship now. Buffy's reaction, momentary wiggins followed by complete and utter acceptance, feels so human as does the trust that Willow immediately places in her best friend. It takes a hell of a lot to shake that relationship, let's face it. Buffy gets the opportunity to practice the acceptance that she preaches to Riley and for Willow, it allows her to properly begin her relationship with Tara.

The episode itself, aside from having it as the source of conflict for Oz and Willow, doesn't make a huge deal out of it when it so easily could have done for effect. Oz's problem with Tara is just that she has replaced him in Willow's affections and he didn't expect that to have happened with anyone. But there's no soaring, dramatic music, no tearful revelations or torturous monologuing. It just happens that two people have fallen in love. The show has a few faults over the years, but the Tara and Willow relationship still feels like one of their most quietly revolutionary moments, particularly at a time in which gay relationships on TV weren't as commonplace as they perhaps are now.

Watching it all these years later, New Moon Rising feels as if it's another step in the show's maturity with its deft handling of social issues that it has always had, but with perhaps more confidence in itself. The fourth season is a tricksy one, as I've mentioned a few times before, but it does form an effective bridge between the high school years of seasons 1-3 and the more adult years of 5-7. It's not surprising it feels a little muddled after it has to refind its feet, but this episode is a good demonstration of how it's getting there.

Quote of the Week:

Giles: How did you get in?
Spike: The door was unlocked. You might want to watch that, Rupert, someone dangerous could get in.
Buffy: Or someone formerly dangerous and currently annoying.

Let's Get Trivial: Although she would go on to become one of the show's most beloved characters, there was an initially negative reaction to Tara following this episode because she was seen to be breaking up Willow and Oz all over again.

Demonology 101: This episode proves that the werewolf condition is something that can be controlled. It doesn't necessarily impact the television side of the series, but Oz's continuing story in Season 8 explores it further.

- Becky

You can read Becky's look at previous episode, Where the Wild Things Are, here.

Don't forget, Becky's also doing an Angel rewatch alongside the Buffy one. Check out her look at Five by Five here.

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FEATURE: Angel - Five by Five

Previously on Angel: And Buffy technically. Faith is out of her coma and has already terrorised Buffy. Angel once tried to save her, but Wesley's intervention with the Watcher's Council destroyed her trust in any of them completely.

Faith arrives in LA and promptly beats a guy up, putting her on Wolfram & Hart's radar. After Angel convinces a witness to testify against a client of the demonic lawyers and loses them the case, they set Faith on his tail, paying her to kill him. She immediately starts messing with them and kidnaps Wesley, torturing him to tempt Angel into coming after her. Meanwhile, we get more flashbacks, this time of the curse as Angel's soul is returned to him and he struggles to cope with the initial guilt of all the people he's killed. 

Oh, this episode is a bit good, isn't it? 

Bringing in a lot of the things that have been developing over the course of the last few episodes such as Angel's redemption, Wesley's own desire to prove himself and the machinations of Wolfram & Hart all colliding as a result of the Faith catalyst. The episode's flashbacks serve a great purpose here too; it's not so much about Angel's own development, but allowing the audience to understand how well-positioned he is to work with Faith. He knows exactly what she's going through right now because he's been there himself, dejected, suicidal and alone. It provides a strong core through the episode that builds into the impressive climactic fight.

There's also a brutality here that is rarely seen in either Buffy or Angel except when Angelus is on the prowl, which solidifies further the comparisons between Angel and the rogue slayer. That final fight is an intense one, two incredibly strong beings fighting it out to the death, one reluctant to kill the other who is desperate to die. It's powerfully done too; the storm at the end that rains down on them and Angel's reluctance to fight back until the crucial moment builds that intensity to almost unbearable levels. When Faith finally breaks down, it's a relief for the audience too. Sure, she's a bad guy at this point, but she's too damn fascinating to want dead.

I love Wesley's trajectory over the course of the narrative too, occurring more in the background, for obvious reasons, than Angel and Faith. Angel makes it clear early that the former watcher is at fault for how Faith is now, something Wesley realises and clearly feels terrible about, to the point where he keeps trying to save her, only to be tortured for his efforts. He grows a little more backbone each time he's faced with adversity and this is no different, standing up to Faith admirably. It even pushes him to the point of being prepared to kill her in order to save Angel, but like the rest of us, doesn't want to see the act happen once he realises just how broken she is.

Eliza Dushku really owns the role here, channeling all of Faith's external arrogance and internal self-loathing into one huge, violent and unpredictable cocktail. It's easy to forget how few episodes Dushku actually appears in because she makes such a big impression when she does. Though her initial function was to be placed as an opposite to Buffy, she works hard to dig deep into the implications of that as well as transcend what could've been a simplistic alt-Slayer role.

The scene in the club is a perfect encapsulation of the character's act. She's fully prepared to start the fight and cause chaos, but utterly not fussed about the consequences happening around her. The beauty of Five by Five's narrative is that it breaks down that barrier, proving that not only is she paying attention to the consequences of her actions, but that they're affecting her deeply. Wanting to die is the only way out she can see for herself at this point. It's up to Angel to try and bring her back from that.

As we've seen in the first season, Angel's at its best when it dispenses with the procedural style affairs and instead uses the stories to focus on the characters we already care about. Sending Faith into Angel's world is a genius move; the two characters have so much in common (placed continually in parallel even beyond the TV series and into the comics). I didn't even get into the Wolfram & Hart stuff, but hey there Lindsey and Lilah, I love your sparring.

Quote of the Week: 

Lindsey [as Faith kicks the crap out of his colleague]: Jesse, I think you'd better make it three for dinner instead of four... 

Let's Get Trivial: The violence proved a little too much for our British censors and it lead to this being the only Angel episode to receive an 18 certificate in the UK.

Demonology 101: I love that Phantom Dennis tries to protect Cordelia from Faith. He's such a babe.

The Sunnydale Connection: The experience that Giles describes to Angel as "rough" is of course the events of This Year's Girl and Who Are You in which Faith swapped bodies with Buffy via a magical doohickey.

- Becky

You can see Becky's look at previous episode, Eternity, here.

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FEATURE: Buffy the Vampire Slayer - Where the Wild Things Are

Previously on Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Riley and Buffy have got things back on track after he accidentally slept with Faith in Buffy's body. Willow's in a relationship with Tara now and Xander's been with Anya for a while, who is still rather insecure in their relationship.

Ah. The sex house episode. There are some episodes you return to and wonder what on earth the writers' room had been imbibing the week they came up with this one. Buffy and Riley spend the entire episode having sex, pretty much, because of some weird curse that has been placed on Lowell House by the residents that haunt it. When a frat party is held, the sort-of-ghosts come out to play; there's all kinds of other weird sex things going on and it's up to the rest of the Scoobies to solve the mystery of the house and rescue Riley and Buffy before they're consumed by the building. It turns out the not-really-spirits that haunt the building were once ruled by a strict, conservative disciplinarian who would violently punish them for any transgressions.

I don't think this episode would be quite so odd if there was something concrete you could get your hands on as an audience. It's a weird jumble of ideas, each one able to fuel an entire episode, but smashing them all into a haunted house narrative doesn't work. Especially because the house itself isn't technically haunted and the explanation doesn't make a whole lot of sense; so, there are these kids, right, who get abused by their wacko Christian nutjob house director and it makes them really angry, obviously, so they manifest themselves in Lowell House, but only because Buffy and Riley start having sex a lot and their release of sexual energy turns them into human poltergeist batteries. Or something...

See what I mean?

At the heart of Where the Wild Things Are is a discussion about sex that the episode never seems to want to have. If ever there was a story crying out for some kind of sex positive message then this was it. The abuse of the kids happens because Genevieve Holt thinks they're all at it like rabbits behind closed doors. Riley and Buffy activate it because they are literally going at it like rabbits behind a closed door. 

Xander and Anya are going through relationship issues because Anya fears that all they have is sex and once that stops, so does the relationship. Their fight to make it through the house becomes a metaphor for their relationship as they get tangled up in other things, but ultimately make it through together. It's about the only real coherent thread running throughout the episode, but it never makes anything of it. It could have been used to demonstrate that sex is a healthy part of a relationship, something to be discussed sure, but nothing to hide away from. Instead, we get an orgasm wall.

In a sense, it feels like a Beer Bad style episode in that it's pulling towards having a moral message, but never goes as far as that previous terrible example because it doesn't commit to that message. Beer Bad even had a relatively solid concept at the heart of it. Where the Wild Things Are never quite sinks to those same depths (perhaps because it does stay so woolly), but it's not far off. 

The humour redeems it. Spike coming with Anya to an Initiative party and having to spend most of the night hiding from them is great, so too is the Scooby rallying moment in which he looks as if he's about to help but then, nope. Off he goes.Then there's the whole discovery that Willow used to have a crush on Giles and the fact that he's singing is made out to be the real horror of the episode. He's pretty good, you guys.

Quote of the Week:

Buffy: Ok, you get Fang, I'll get Horny! I mean-

Let's Get Trivial: GILES SINGS. It's the first time we see the musical talents of Anthony Head in the series and Behind Blue Eyes is great... It's no Exposition Song though. Bring on Restless.

Sunnydale Who's Who: Kathryn Jooston plays the horrible Genevieve Holt, but she's much more famous as cookie-wielding Mrs Landingham from The West Wing or battleaxe Mrs McCluskey from Desperate Housewives.

- Becky

You can read Becky's look at previous episode, Superstar, here.

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FEATURE: Buffy the Vampire Slayer - Who Are You

Previously on Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Buffy put Faith in a coma for 8 months prior to the Mayor's Ascension, but the rogue Slayer awakes and goes after Buffy, swapping bodies with her. The Scoobies have steadily been growing apart over the course of the season and fractures are getting worse.

Picking up directly after This Year's Girl, Faith finds herself trying to get used to Buffy's world and her body, picking up on the events that she's missed and the people she hasn't met yet (Anya, Spike). She takes advantage of her new freedom and the trust that everyone has placed in Buffy to get on and do what she wants for a bit. Meanwhile, Buffy is trapped inside Faith's body, dragged away first by the cops and then by the agents from the Watchers' Council, unable to convince anyone of who she says she is. As Faith has to get accustomed to being the good guy for a change and the effect it has on her, Buffy finds life on the other side difficult, fighting her way back to her own body.

Who Are You marks the halfway point of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and the turning point for Faith as she realises that she might need saving after all. It's an extremely clever way of doing it. Much of Faith's resentment towards Buffy is borne out of the things that our Miss Summers is surrounded with - friends, family, people who love and respect her - people that Faith has never had in her life and didn't know how to accept when it was offered to her. It's key that Faith's big freak-out comes after Riley tells her, believing her to be Buffy, that he loves her. He doesn't mistreat her, he doesn't use her, he simply wants to be with her. 

After that moment, Faith starts to see redemption as something she might want after all. That saving people and doing the right thing might be the path she wants to go down. Sarah Michelle Gellar's performance is a fantastic one, asked to perform a character that is so completely different to Buffy and to convey one of the character's most important moments within that. The climactic fight between Faith and Buffy brings out all of Faith's self-loathing, something which will be explored more once she appears in Angel soon. It's interesting though that once they've switched back, Buffy doesn't seem to have learnt anything from her time as Faith. She still sees her as a criminal who needs to be dealt with rather than someone who needs to be understood and helped. Maybe Faith has a point about that stick up her butt after all...

On the opposite side, Eliza Dushku gets to play the hero and does so with aplomb, capturing Gellar's mannerisms with ease, ensuring you never forget which one of them you're watching at any moment in time. Gellar may seemingly have the harder job, but it's Dushku on whom the episode's success relies. Her line delivery all the way through as Buffy is brilliant, particularly her scene in which she tries to convince Giles of who she is. The way she says "you were inching!" is perfect. Even the eyebrow movements are recognisably Buffy's.

There are interesting little moments in here about Tara's future role in the group, confirming her relationship with Willow for a start, but also, she's the first person to notice that Buffy, as Willow believes her to be, is not herself, something which the Scoobies miss. Later on, Tara and Buffy would go on to develop quite a close relationship, partly due to Tara's perceptiveness and Buffy's willingness to trust her. It's a good measure of just how fractured the Scoobies are at this stage in the season. None of them notice Buffy's exceedingly odd behaviour until it's pointed out to them in no uncertain terms. Tara proves to be the key to the episode, an essential component in the gang who they don't realise they need just yet.

But the episode belongs to Faith, a deeply fascinating character and one who undergoes one of the biggest arcs, probably behind only Spike's and Willow's respective stories over the course of the show. Bringing her back, positioning her once again in opposition to Buffy, but with considerably more sympathy, is a genius move, another soaring high point in the ridiculously mixed fourth season. 

We've still got a bit to go, but hey, have you heard about this amazing Jonathan guy? He's a superstar.

Quote of the Week: 

Faith: You're not going to kill these people.
Vamp: Why not?
Faith: Because it's wrong.

Let's Get Trivial: The expiration date of Joyce's credit card, glimpsed briefly, is May 2001, the month in which Buffy will die for the second time. 

Sunnydale Who's Who: The credits list "Eliza Dushku as Buffy" this time around.

- Becky

You can read Becky's look at previous episode, This Year's Girl, here.

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FEATURE: Angel - The Prodigal

Previously on Angel: Wesley's working for Angel Investigations now and Angel has carved out a troublesome relationship with Kate, a detective with the LAPD who has a difficult relationship with her father. Angel's human self, Liam, had a bad one with his own father, killing his family once he became Angelus after being turned by Darla.

It's all about the daddy issues in this episode as the title suggests, opening with a scene back in 18th century Ireland between pre-vampire Angel - Liam - and his father before cutting ahead to our current Angel battling a demon. There's an encounter with Kate and her father, it all gets a little awkward and the vampire slinks off to try and work out what the demon is doing. It turns out it's a largely peaceful demon and Angel needs to find out why it attacked the train when it's usually the demon equivalent of a kitten. As he digs deeper, it turns out that Kate's father might be involved somewhere along the line, dealing demonic drugs disguised as auto parts.

This episode should probably come with an advanced "David Boreanaz does his Irish accent again" warning, but it's interesting to delve back into the past we hear about much more than we see (probably due to aforementioned accent). The episode pulls off the clever move of combining the Buffy episode Becoming flashbacks and new ones that expand upon those stories, namely the slaughter of Angel's family at his own hand. It's a grisly reminder of everything our hero has to atone for and where it all began, as well as how he got his nickname; his sister believes him to be a returning angel. It also brings back Darla, which is always a good thing (and who becomes increasingly important as the series goes on).

For both Kate and Angel, their respective relationships helped shape who they are as people/vampires; for Kate, she became a cop in order to try and win the respect that was denied to her by Trevor after her mother died. For Angel, it's about defying his father in death as he did in life, destroying what he loves. Weaving them together makes the themes of the episode thuddingly transparent and with all the subtly of a brick through a window, but daddy issues are never really an understated thing to deal with. 

It doesn't help that Kate is still such a non-character, originally introduced as an unknowing human element in LA and as a potential love interest for Angel. That didn't really work out so she got her daddy issues back story. But that's all there really is to her character at this point; resentment towards Angel and her father. The episode advances her acceptance of the supernatural side of the city, but without that audience connection to her, it's tough to really care. She keeps wandering into situations she doesn't really understand, waiting for Angel to come and get her out of it. She may be able to kick ass, but it's hard to feel for a character that feels a far cry from the energy and subversion of the Buffyverse women we're used to.

As such, it's one of those episodes where the B plot tends to be a little more fun. Cordelia's decided to fit a security system in the offices to guard them against demons entering the property whenever they feel like it. Wesley and Angel aren't fussed, but eventually Cordelia gets it in place... just in time for a demon attack. How it warns them? It lets them know which door has been opened. As the fight ensues around the office, Cordelia looks despairingly on as invading demons are announced with "The left door is ajar" and Angel defenestrating one to the narration of "The window is open." It may just be one scene, but it's a moment of much needed levity in a grimdark episode.

You know it's probably not going to be the best episode when Angel gets his Irish accent on, but The Prodigal is serviceable enough for what it wants to do. If it hadn't been for Cordelia's security woes, I might not have been so forgiving of it though. It's just a bit dull.

Quote of the Week:

Angel: No, this is strictly recon. I need to know exactly what we're dealing with before we make any moves.
Wesley: Right you are! A deliberate, cautious approach would be the most sensible plan. Fools rush in.
Cordelia: No, he wants you to stay here.

Inventive Kill: Kate bags another vampire by shooting him in the shoulder to distract him and staking him before he realises she knows what she's doing.

LA Who's Who: The barmaid who points out Liam to Darla would be one Christina Hendricks, marking her first appearance in the Whedonverse before going on to become our infamous Mrs Reynolds in Firefly. 

- Becky 

You can read Becky's look at previous episode, I've Got You Under My Skin, here.

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