AOQ Review 3-2: "Dead Man's Party"
Arbitrar Of Quality
threads.
BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER
Season Three, Episode 2: "Dead Man's Party"
(or "They groaned, they stirred, they all uprose/Nor spake, nor moved
their eyes/It had been strange, even in a dream/To have seen those dead
men rise")
Writer: Marti Noxon
Director: James Whitmore, Jr.
So Buffy's back in Sunnydale at the end of the premiere. She
hasn't fully integrated back into her life yet, or even met up with
anyone besides her mom. Wouldn't it make sense to take a whole show
to deal with the aftermath of the summer rather than jumping back into
things with the next vampire overlord? Obviously Joss et al recognized
how badly a show like this was required.
The first thing we expect when Buffy reunites with the Slaypack is a
little humor and fun, which is delivered when Buffy first meets
Nighthawk and friends, especially the little part with Cordelia: "Oh,
hey, Buffy" [shove]. The vampire proves a little tougher that
usual to someone who's spent three months getting pasty. So, Joyce
is ready to accommodate her, her friends and Watcher know she's
back... what's next?
There's a lot of unresolved tension in these early sequences, making
them feel a little "off." It's more obvious with Joyce, but with
everyone else I think it's subtle enough that it's not as clear at
first. But there are unresolved issues, and of course no one wants to
bring them up right away. The writers are taking the risk that
audiences will tune out before they realize things are "supposed"
to be wrong. Hey, it looks fine to us DVD viewers. Also on Joyce,
good to see her back to being written like a real person again after
the (hopeful) aberrations of Bec2 and "Anne." She still doesn't
always know what to say, and tries too hard with the parenting, but
those are the flaws she's always had, the problems that spring
naturally from a character rather than a change made to accommodate the
script.
Meanwhile there a nice pair of scenes involving Snyder and his petty
(OR IS IT?!) enjoyment of the fact that Buffy's not coming back to
SHS on his watch. I'm a bit hard pressed to explain exactly why I
sometimes complain that Snyder scenes are too broad and sometimes like
them, but I think the difference is that here the humor comes entirely
from the joy in being thoroughly unpleasant that Shimerman gives the
character. He's just being a jerk for no (apparent) reason, so even
when more sympathetic people suffer for it, it's fun to watch for the
same reason that _House M.D._ is. But what's strange is that I had
to look again to remember how the final Snyder/Giles confrontation
ended. Great scene, and I always like seeing Tony Head put on his
Menacing Face, I just had no recollection of where it went the first
time. Odd.
Speaking of Giles, his sarcastic sense of humor is getting more acidic.
Which I love. "'Do you like my mask? Isn't it pretty? It
raises the dead!' Americans."
And speaking of that, yes, there's an ancient artifact (of course)
that's making zombies out of people, after a strange detour that Mrs.
Quality says is a lot like _Pet Semetary_. We were worried at first
because this plot seemed really dumb, and try as I might, I can't see
how it reflects on Buffy (beyond "buried things coming back"). But DMP
does the next best thing and pushes the zombie stuff firmly into the
background, letting it exist only to give our heroes a chance to fight
something together at the end. I shall thus say no more about it,
except that I say the single masked demon is actually less intimidating
than the zombie horde.
What the episode is primarily building to, of course, is the party in
Buffy's house. I wasn't so happy with the leaps of logic required
to set it up (yeah, I always invite live bands over to my friends'
houses without asking them). Even Oz's dissertation about the
different types of gatherings falls strangely flat. But then once we
actually start the sequence, it's one of best tours de force the
series has managed yet. It's pretty clear where things are going
(even before Buffy makes things explicit with "it seems like people I
don't even know missed me"), but actually watching it play out,
well, wow. Seeing Buffy exchange hollow trivialities with the one or
two people she actually wants to see, and then drift away... it hurts,
a lot. And then to overhear her mom expressing (the very real
phenomenon) that having her daughter back hasn't exactly lived up to
the everything-will-be-all-right expectations...
This takes us to Buffy's room, where, in what kids tend to imagine is
a mature decision, she decides to run again. And then Willow, after
refusing to give her the welcome she really needed, is yelling at her
about that too. That's what it finally takes to make our normally
fearless hero break down in tears, and I have never felt more empathy
for her. And yet we're also sympathetic to those getting in her
face, as the episode turns things around and confronts Buffy with what
she's done to these people ("we were doing *the best we could*!
It's not like we had a lot of choice in the matter!"). For once I
didn't mind Joyce demanding an explanation this very moment...
she's waited long enough. The scene loses a little momentum once
they go out in public and we take things to slight excess (even though
I liked the bit with Jonathan - "anyone else wanna weigh in
here?"), but a lot of the right notes continue to be hit. And then
it transitions back into more standard monster-killing with an
absolutely killer bit of contextual humor ("I was being
sarcastic!").
Every episode must remind me at some point that Cordelia is really
annoying. This time it's the "in her shoes" scene. But then she
actually gets a little AOQ goodwill for her sincere attempts to be
useful during the big zombie attack.
The closing Buffy/Willow exchange is reminiscent of the end of "When
She Was Bad." Now, as then, I'm willing to accept a little
reconciliation. They've earned the chance to be a little bit happy.
It looks like Sunnydale is now a one-SBC town to go along with the
Starbucks.
Now that it's been two episodes, I'm going to say that they should
have put together a Boreanaz-free version of the opening credits;
it'd build more mystery. (Yes, I know that in real life there are
agents to argue semantics with, and there's public knowledge about
who's signed what kind of contract, but still...)
This Is Really Stupid But I Laughed Anyway moment(s):
- "[Brie] smells like Giles' cat," "It's NOT MY..."
So...
One-sentence summary: Exactly what the series needed.
AOQ rating: Excellent
[Season Three so far:
1) "Anne" - Decent
2) "Dead Man's Party" - Excellent]
EGK
wrote:
>So...
>
>One-sentence summary: Exactly what the series needed.
>
>AOQ rating: Excellent
>
>[Season Three so far:
>1) "Anne" - Decent
>2) "Dead Man's Party" - Excellent]
Wow. It should be amusing to read the responses since Dead Man's Party is
often regarded as one of the worst episodes of the series by many people. I
don't personally find it that bad but have to admit I'm amazed you would
rate it higher than an episode like Becoming Part II or even Anne.
--
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
"There would be a lot more civility in this world if people
didn't take that as an invitation to walk all over you"
(Calvin and Hobbes)
Espen Schjønberg
> A reminder: Please avoid spoilers for later episodes in these review
> threads.
>
>
> BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER
> Season Three, Episode 2: "Dead Man's Party"
> (or "They groaned, they stirred, they all uprose/Nor spake, nor moved
> their eyes/It had been strange, even in a dream/To have seen those dead
> men rise")
> Writer: Marti Noxon
> Director: James Whitmore, Jr.
>
> good to see her back to being written like a real person again
Actually, I have tryed making posts about Joyce being demonised in this
episode, which of course makes people ask whether I noticed what
happened to Jouyce's friend.
"You made some bad decisions?" is what she is saying to Buff. I think
this is really low. Like, the really stupid adult so many shows got.
Buffy has not made any decisions an intelligent Joyce would not respect.
Her hatred agianst Giles is very on it's mark: her hatred against Buff
is totally wrong.
The "you have to pay the price" additude is way off any relevant mark.
The episode is stinking, rotten horrible bad because of this.
Also, it annoys me how cheap it ends: all those zombies has walked
around due to animation. Now, the animation is gone, and I would expect
them to drop down dead again. But not disappair. This is Marti
Noxon-writing, we don't need them, so they disappear. They should be
spread in he house! Of course, a problem, but not my problem: the
writers problem.
> [Season Three so far:
> 1) "Anne" - Decent
> 2) "Dead Man's Party" - Excellent]
Weird. Did I mention, weird? Anne, being great, DMP being crap.
--
Espen
kenm47
EGK wrote:
> On 6 Mar 2006 07:48:52 -0800, "Arbitrar Of Quality" <tsm...@wildmail.com>
> wrote:
>
>
> >So...
> >
> >One-sentence summary: Exactly what the series needed.
> >
> >AOQ rating: Excellent
> >
> >[Season Three so far:
> >1) "Anne" - Decent
> >2) "Dead Man's Party" - Excellent]
>
> Wow. It should be amusing to read the responses since Dead Man's Party is
> often regarded as one of the worst episodes of the series by many people. I
> don't personally find it that bad but have to admit I'm amazed you would
> rate it higher than an episode like Becoming Part II or even Anne.
> --
Yup. I'm one of them.
I consider it the mostf orced, artificial and absurd episode of the
first three seasons. I like parts of it, but the confrontations at Casa
Summers come out of nowhere. I tru;y thought then this show has had it.
Next week better reover or I'm done; I disliked it that much.
Willow comes across more selfishly concerned for herself than for
Buffy:
"Buffy: I know that you were worried about me, but...
Willow: No! I don't just mean that. I mean, my life! You know? I,
um...
I'm having all sorts of... I'm dating, I'm having serious dating with a
*werewolf*, a-and I'm studying witchcraft and killing vampires, and I
didn't have anyone (starts sobbing) to talk to about all this scary
life
stuff. And you were my best friend.
Xander comes off here and earlier as an absolute dislikeable creep,
more upset that Buffy was away when his "rival" Angel has been "killed"
than anything else. (His concern for Giles has a slight ring of
sincerity, but nothing said at the party does).
"Look. I'm sorry that your honey was a demon, but most girls
don't hop a Greyhound over boy troubles."
And Willow shuts Oz down when he tries to get Xander under control?
"No, let them go, Oz. (gets a look from him) Talking about it isn't
helping. We might as well try some violence."
Totally NOT a Willow thing to say.
And the inserted humor in the big confrontation scene seems unduly
forced, and is not funny, including Jonathan.
And of course we also have the huge wreckage at the Summers home and
the deaths of innocents (Pat and the obnoxious party guy). And yet here
the Sunnydale forgettyitus doesn't get a mention?
And let's not forget Buffy had wanted a "gathering" to talk, and
instead she gets a hootenanny. And then soap opera conveniently
overhears only the tail of the Joyce/Pat discussion, missing the "While
Buffy was gone, all I could think about was getting her
home. I just knew that if I could put my arms around her and tell her
how much I loved her, everything would be okay."
Which puts a different tone spin on: "Having Buffy home, I-I thought it
was gonna make it all better, but in some ways, it's almost worse."
And it all seems to come down to they welcome Buffy back ONLY because
of her superior "superhero" skills in defeating the big bad of the
episode.
Bah! Humbug. #56 of the first 56 episodes. A tremendous disappointment
in oh so many ways. Yet, enough other good things, including the home
schooling line, that keeps it one notch above "Bad."
Ken (Brooklyn)
vague disclaimer
"Arbitrar Of Quality" <tsm...@wildmail.com> wrote:
> We were worried at first
> because this plot seemed really dumb, and try as I might, I can't see
> how it reflects on Buffy (beyond "buried things coming back").
Sometimes things really are a simple as they seem.
>
> So...
>
> One-sentence summary: Exactly what the series needed.
>
> AOQ rating: Excellent
>
> [Season Three so far:
> 1) "Anne" - Decent
> 2) "Dead Man's Party" - Excellent]
As EGK says, this may just provoke quite a lot of discussion. The most
common complaint about this ep (I think) is the way characters are 'out
of character', especially unsympathetic Willow. Not an argument I
subscribe to, but it might be time to get your asbestos underpants back
from the cleaners.
--
A vague disclaimer is nobody's friend
Espen Schjønberg
>
> As EGK says, this may just provoke quite a lot of discussion. The most
> common complaint about this ep (I think) is the way characters are 'out
> of character',
I would say most of them have lost character totally, than being merely
out of it.
--
Espen
kenm47
merely
out of it.
--
Espen"
Or the worst aspects of those personalities being brought to the fore
and making that their personalities. Almost like the characters we
learned to love for a year and a half had been killed and zombies put
in THEIR place (except Giles, who muddles through admirably, and Oz who
tries to be Oz but gets shut down).
Ken (Brooklyn)
Steve Schaffner
> EGK wrote:
> > On 6 Mar 2006 07:48:52 -0800, "Arbitrar Of Quality" <tsm...@wildmail.com>
> > wrote:
> >
> >
> > >So...
> > >
> > >One-sentence summary: Exactly what the series needed.
> > >
> > >AOQ rating: Excellent
> > >
> > >[Season Three so far:
> > >1) "Anne" - Decent
> > >2) "Dead Man's Party" - Excellent]
> >
> > Wow. It should be amusing to read the responses since Dead Man's Party is
> > often regarded as one of the worst episodes of the series by many people. I
> > don't personally find it that bad but have to admit I'm amazed you would
> > rate it higher than an episode like Becoming Part II or even Anne.
> > --
>
>
> Yup. I'm one of them.
>
> I consider it the mostf orced, artificial and absurd episode of the
> first three seasons. I like parts of it, but the confrontations at Casa
> Summers come out of nowhere. I tru;y thought then this show has had it.
> Next week better reover or I'm done; I disliked it that much.
I find it tolerable and mildly enjoyable, but only if I skip
everything non-Giles from the start of the party until the killing
begins. That's just godawful dreck.
I can understand not being wild about Anne, but rating it lower than
this muddle of incoherent interpersonal relationship mush? I second
your bah. (I did like the dead cat, though.)
With Anne, I remember being uncertain until the "I'm Buffy" line. I
hadn't seen season 3, and I wasn't sure that I'd spent my money wisely
in springing for the DVDs. With that line, I decided the purchase was
worth it. Then I backed up and watched the scene again, and again,
just watching SMG's face in the lead-up to that line. She really
nailed that one.
--
Steve Schaffner s...@broad.mit.edu
Immediate assurance is an excellent sign of probable lack of
insight into the topic. Josiah Royce
Jeff Jacoby
>
> EGK wrote:
>> On 6 Mar 2006 07:48:52 -0800, "Arbitrar Of Quality" <tsm...@wildmail.com>
>> wrote:
>>
>>
>> >So...
>> >
>> >One-sentence summary: Exactly what the series needed.
>> >
>> >AOQ rating: Excellent
>> >
>> >[Season Three so far:
>> >1) "Anne" - Decent
>> >2) "Dead Man's Party" - Excellent]
>>
>> Wow. It should be amusing to read the responses since Dead Man's Party is
>> often regarded as one of the worst episodes of the series by many people. I
>> don't personally find it that bad but have to admit I'm amazed you would
>> rate it higher than an episode like Becoming Part II or even Anne.
>> --
>
>
> Yup. I'm one of them.
I wouldn't regard it as one of the worst, but on the
other hand there's no way (except in a bizarro world)
this deserves an Excellent.
> I consider it the mostf orced, artificial and absurd episode of the
> first three seasons. I like parts of it, but the confrontations at Casa
> Summers come out of nowhere. I tru;y thought then this show has had it.
> Next week better reover or I'm done; I disliked it that much.
The confrontation did not come "out of nowhere". The issues
were real and always present (re. some of the conversations
among the Scoobies in "Anne"). However, I thought the
execution (no pun intended) was very very poor.
> Willow comes across more selfishly concerned for herself than for
> Buffy:
Agreed.
> "Buffy: I know that you were worried about me, but...
> Willow: No! I don't just mean that. I mean, my life! You know? I,
> um...
> I'm having all sorts of... I'm dating, I'm having serious dating with a
>
> *werewolf*, a-and I'm studying witchcraft and killing vampires, and I
> didn't have anyone (starts sobbing) to talk to about all this scary
> life
> stuff. And you were my best friend.
>
> Xander comes off here and earlier as an absolute dislikeable creep,
> more upset that Buffy was away when his "rival" Angel has been "killed"
> than anything else. (His concern for Giles has a slight ring of
> sincerity, but nothing said at the party does).
A few points here (one I've been meaning to make since Becoming II)
- While he may be very undiplomatic about it (a "dick") he's
more able or willing than the others to face up to Buffy
and tell her she's wrong about something. I think this
only adds to the depth of their friendship.
- During his angry diatribe, he was concerned about the
effect of her apparent abandonment on others, not himself.
Very unlike Willow, as noted above.
- His rival was not killed by Buffy (at least as far as he
knows). Angelus was.
- She's his hero. Or course he'd be upset if his hero
abandoned them and the cause. Again, from his POV his
does NOT know what happened at the end of Becoming II,
except that the world is saved and she's nowhere to be
found (and didn't die heroically, because... here she is).
> "Look. I'm sorry that your honey was a demon, but most girls
> don't hop a Greyhound over boy troubles."
>
> And Willow shuts Oz down when he tries to get Xander under control?
>
> "No, let them go, Oz. (gets a look from him) Talking about it isn't
> helping. We might as well try some violence."
>
> Totally NOT a Willow thing to say.
It's been shown Willow can be all over the map at unexpected
times (re. "Bppnfvbanyyl, V'z pnyybhf naq fgenate.")
> And the inserted humor in the big confrontation scene seems unduly
> forced, and is not funny, including Jonathan.
>
> And of course we also have the huge wreckage at the Summers home and
> the deaths of innocents (Pat and the obnoxious party guy). And yet here
> the Sunnydale forgettyitus doesn't get a mention?
> And let's not forget Buffy had wanted a "gathering" to talk, and
> instead she gets a hootenanny. And then soap opera conveniently
> overhears only the tail of the Joyce/Pat discussion, missing the "While
> Buffy was gone, all I could think about was getting her
> home. I just knew that if I could put my arms around her and tell her
> how much I loved her, everything would be okay."
>
> Which puts a different tone spin on: "Having Buffy home, I-I thought it
> was gonna make it all better, but in some ways, it's almost worse."
>
> And it all seems to come down to they welcome Buffy back ONLY because
> of her superior "superhero" skills in defeating the big bad of the
> episode.
I agree with you here. The big problem for me with this episode
is issues that have built up and festered over the summer can not
simply be resolved with a few lines ("I've got your back."
"Good moves") or a discussion over mochas.
Jeff
kenm47
hadn't seen season 3, and I wasn't sure that I'd spent my money wisely
in springing for the DVDs. With that line, I decided the purchase was
worth it. Then I backed up and watched the scene again, and again,
just watching SMG's face in the lead-up to that line. She really
nailed that one. "
Absolutely. Yet, I feel with the party in DMP, pretty much from
overhearing Joyce up to the Zombie invasion, Marti and Whitmore had no
idea what mood they wanted, or what was to be revealed, and SMG looking
sieriously vulnerable about to burst into tears just seems all so wrong
like no one told her what they wanted from her in that scene, and all
so weak after the "I'm Buffy" declaration of "Anne."
Can anyone point to a link where Marti tries to explain what she wanted
here? It's a horrible muddle. It could be she did the best she could
with a tough assignment: bring Buffy back into the group but show some
rough edges to the harmonious unit that once was. An episode better
thought of as a time filler moving some things along, even if done
poorly.
Ken (Brooklyn)
kenm47
> more upset that Buffy was away when his "rival" Angel has been "killed"
> than anything else. (His concern for Giles has a slight ring of
> sincerity, but nothing said at the party does).
A few points here (one I've been meaning to make since Becoming II)
- While he may be very undiplomatic about it (a "dick") he's
more able or willing than the others to face up to Buffy
and tell her she's wrong about something. I think this
only adds to the depth of their friendship.
- During his angry diatribe, he was concerned about the
effect of her apparent abandonment on others, not himself.
Very unlike Willow, as noted above.
- His rival was not killed by Buffy (at least as far as he
knows). Angelus was.
- She's his hero. Or course he'd be upset if his hero
abandoned them and the cause. Again, from his POV his
does NOT know what happened at the end of Becoming II,
except that the world is saved and she's nowhere to be
found (and didn't die heroically, because... here she is). "
This seems to be the Xander split. Too often I see him as still
functioning from lust and jealousy, with his affections for the ladies
all over the place (Cordy, Buffy, Willow, etc). I have trouble seeing
the more noble Xander others see at this point. Sure, he has his
moments, and sure there would be no Buffy without his breath in PG, but
really he comes off as hormonically imbalanced at too many times.
BTW, one nit to pick: "killing" Angelus, as far as Xander is concerned,
would be killing Angel. 2 for the price of one. Besides, as Becoming
demonstrated, Xander repeatedly holds Angel responsible for the acts of
Angelus, including Jenny's death.
Ken (Brooklyn)
EGK
>
>EGK wrote:
>> On 6 Mar 2006 07:48:52 -0800, "Arbitrar Of Quality" <tsm...@wildmail.com>
>> wrote:
>>
>>
>> >So...
>> >
>> >One-sentence summary: Exactly what the series needed.
>> >
>> >AOQ rating: Excellent
>> >
>> >[Season Three so far:
>> >1) "Anne" - Decent
>> >2) "Dead Man's Party" - Excellent]
>>
>> Wow. It should be amusing to read the responses since Dead Man's Party is
>> often regarded as one of the worst episodes of the series by many people. I
>> don't personally find it that bad but have to admit I'm amazed you would
>> rate it higher than an episode like Becoming Part II or even Anne.
>> --
>
>
>Yup. I'm one of them.
>Bah! Humbug. #56 of the first 56 episodes. A tremendous disappointment
>in oh so many ways. Yet, enough other good things, including the home
>schooling line, that keeps it one notch above "Bad."
Repeat after me. "There are no bad episodes in seasons 1-3. Just some less
good than others". :)
The one I disliked the most in this season (which I thought was the best).
Ornhgl naq gur Ornfgf
kenm47
EGK: LOL
This one comes as close to "Bad" as any IMO in Seasons 1 to 3. It's
certainly the least of the "less good." I still can't see it as Bad
since as far as I'm concerned things never descend to this level again
and there are moments. The one you ROT13'd is better IMO and when we
get to it I'll say why again.
Ken (Brooklyn)
gree...@gmail.com
> Every episode must remind me at some point that Cordelia is really
> annoying. This time it's the "in her shoes" scene.
No points at all for her being the only person in the room even
attempting to see things from Buffy's perspective? You're hardcore.
> AOQ rating: Excellent
Bold choice. I've always liked this episode better than most, but even
so, DMP doesn't stand well with the truly excellent episodes.
Terry
Espen Schjønberg
> Also, it annoys me how cheap it ends: all those zombies has walked
> around due to animation. Now, the animation is gone, and I would expect
> them to drop down dead again. But not disappair. This is Marti
> Noxon-writing, we don't need them, so they disappear. They should be
> spread in he house! Of course, a problem, but not my problem: the
> writers problem.
Nice to see people seem to think the same as me: The heros closest
friends are way off, with the exception of Giles. (And possibly
Cordelia. But then again, she is not really close.)
But to comment the zombie-problem: In WTTH and The Harvest, something of
the same happens, and JW comments something like: we don't need the
corpses anymore, so they are gone.
It may seem like MN here just copies the trick. But it still feels more
of a problem to have a _home_ full of dead bodys, than to have some
corpses at a nightclub.
Regarding the corpses in The Harvest: it could look, for a casual
wiever, as if they just was unkilled by how Buffy slayed the Vessel.
What do you think, anyone any theories? I know, I did never see them as
unkilled, but still...
--
Espen
Scythe Matters
> The first thing we expect when Buffy reunites with the Slaypack is a
> little humor and fun, which is delivered when Buffy first meets
> Nighthawk and friends, especially the little part with Cordelia: "Oh,
> hey, Buffy" [shove]. The vampire proves a little tougher that
> usual to someone who's spent three months getting pasty. So, Joyce
> is ready to accommodate her, her friends and Watcher know she's
> back... what's next?
Two scenes with Giles -- first at his front door, and then again when
he's alone in the kitchen -- are extraordinarily acted by ASH. Absolute
perfection on his part, saying more with three words and two facial
expressions than paragraphs of dialogue otherwise might.
> The writers are taking the risk that
> audiences will tune out before they realize things are "supposed"
> to be wrong.
Hey, AoQ, I've got a news flash: not everyone is as impatient as you.
(feel free to assume an emoticon if it helps)
> Also on Joyce,
> good to see her back to being written like a real person again after
> the (hopeful) aberrations of Bec2 and "Anne." She still doesn't
> always know what to say, and tries too hard with the parenting, but
> those are the flaws she's always had, the problems that spring
> naturally from a character rather than a change made to accommodate the
> script.
"Real person" is debatable, but yes: this is Joyce, with all her flaws.
Major flaws, actually.
> Meanwhile there a nice pair of scenes involving Snyder and his petty
> (OR IS IT?!) enjoyment of the fact that Buffy's not coming back to
> SHS on his watch.
Two more clues to the mystery in this episode:
----
Joyce: This isn't over. If I have to, I'll go all the way to the Mayor.
(follows Buffy out)
Snyder: Wouldn't that be interesting.
----
Snyder: If that word is Buffy, then I have two words for you: 'good'
and 'riddance'. Now, if you don't mind, I have an appointment with the
Mayor.
[...]
Giles: Buffy Summers is a minor, and is entitled to a public education.
Your personal dislike of the girl does not legally entitle you to...
Snyder: (interrupts) Why don't you take it up with the city council?
He grabs the files and his briefcase and heads for the door.
Giles: I thought I'd start with the State Supreme Court.
Snyder stops and faces him.
Giles: You're powerful in local circles, but I believe I can make life
very difficult for you, professionally speaking. (confidently) And Buffy
will be allowed back in.
Snyder: Sorry. I'm not convinced.
He tries to go again. Giles grabs him by the lapel and shoves him back
into his filing cabinet.
Giles: (grining) Would you like me to convince you?
Snyder shakes his head ever so slightly and looks back nervously.
----
Here, again, more references to the Mayor, which isn't necessarily
anything new. But in the second exchange, there *is* something new: it's
possible to intimidate Snyder. So far, that hasn't been possible. One
wonders why this particular lever works, given the direction all the
other clues are pointing.
> He's just being a jerk for no (apparent) reason
You've been given plenty of apparent reasons. None of them confirmed,
but definitely quite apparent.
> But what's strange is that I had
> to look again to remember how the final Snyder/Giles confrontation
> ended. Great scene, and I always like seeing Tony Head put on his
> Menacing Face, I just had no recollection of where it went the first
> time.
Yes, a terrific scene. You've seen the face before in reference to Ethan
Rayne. And, also, Angelus in "Passion."
> We were worried at first
> because this plot seemed really dumb, and try as I might, I can't see
> how it reflects on Buffy (beyond "buried things coming back").
That's one. Here's another: what characterizes the zombies, as
opponents? They can't be killed; no matter what you do to them they keep
coming and coming and coming. To beat them, you can't ignore them or
fight them or take them on one by one. You've got to address the source
of the zombie-ism -- a metaphor for the root of the problem -- and deal
with it to make the zombies go away.
In this episode, Buffy's problem isn't her friends' seeming weirdness,
nor is it her mothers' difficulties having her back, nor is it Snyder
and the school. It's her having to realize a few fundamental truths:
running away doesn't solve a problem, and friendship isn't a one-way
street...even if you're the Slayer. Everything that upsets her in the
episode is a symptom, not the cause; much like the zombies are symptoms,
not the cause.
> Even Oz's dissertation about the
> different types of gatherings falls strangely flat.
Oh, man. That entire scene, from the encounter with the cat, through
Cordy's "I'm the dip," to Oz's tripartite party essay, is absoutely
hilarious. It *almost* redeems the episode. Almost.
> It's pretty clear where things are going
> (even before Buffy makes things explicit with "it seems like people I
> don't even know missed me"), but actually watching it play out,
> well, wow.
Fubhyq jr gryy uvz nobhg gur pbaarpgvba orgjrra fzbxvat naq qrngu ng
guvf cbvag? ;-)
> Every episode must remind me at some point that Cordelia is really
> annoying. This time it's the "in her shoes" scene.
I agree with Terry: she's the only one who seemed to see the heart of
the problem.
> Now that it's been two episodes, I'm going to say that they should
> have put together a Boreanaz-free version of the opening credits;
> it'd build more mystery.
But why? Angel's in this episode, too.
Part of the problem here might be what you're used to. On Babylon 5, for
example, the credits were sometimes changed episode-by-episode to
reflect rather dramatic plot surprises. Nothing that happened in the
credits could be relied upon to presage something in the episode.
> AOQ rating: Excellent
"Fair" at best, but that's probably too high. You respond positively to
the *oddest* things...
One Bit Shy
news:1141660132.8...@z34g2000cwc.googlegroups.com...
>A reminder: Please avoid spoilers for later episodes in these review
> threads.
> There's a lot of unresolved tension in these early sequences, making
> them feel a little "off." It's more obvious with Joyce, but with
> everyone else I think it's subtle enough that it's not as clear at
> first. But there are unresolved issues, and of course no one wants to
> bring them up right away. The writers are taking the risk that
> audiences will tune out before they realize things are "supposed"
> to be wrong.
I must preface my comment here by saying that to me this is the single most
surprising review from you so far. I would never have dreamed such a high
rating from you. Or really from anybody. That's not a criticism. For I
think you really found here just what Marti was going for. You may have
earned a hug from her. (Hmmm. I wonder if Marti Noxon hugs.)
Your last sentence above really nails something that I think a lot of people
didn't get or refused to accept. I confess I still struggle accepting some
of it myself. Xander's lecture especially annoys me. He's yelled at Buffy
before - and before I've been very supportive of his feelings - even if his
sentiments weren't entirely deserved. He was under great stress then -
emotionally running on empty. Here, I've never been as comfortable with
that explanation. His lack of compassion for Buffy bothers me.
I may be wrong though. I do have to remind myself that when he jumps in to
support Joyce, he's not really speaking about Joyce. It's his own hurt that
is speaking. Xander, self styled protector of Buffy, who mainly had to
endure repeated beatings in that seemingly futile pursuit, yet also once
breathed life into Buffy and perhaps saved Buffy at least once more. Maybe
his sense of abandonment is the greatest of all? I don't know. But your
enthusiastic acceptance of this episode gives me pause.
There is a paradox in creating a show with this kind of feel. It may be
dead on in an artistic sense, but the penalty is enduring that "off" feeling
that you refer to. At times it's down right unpleasant. It's funny, come
to think of it, because you did the same thing to me with Ted - another show
where my main criticism is how unpleasant it feels to go through the ugly
parts. In any case, the feel of this episode makes it impossible for me to
rate it so high. By your system, I would normally rate it decent.
But I admire your choice any way. Back in Season 1, one of my first
comments to you was concern that you weren't letting yourself accept the
premise of the show. Well, here you zoomed past me and did that in spades.
OBS
kenm47
comments to you was concern that you weren't letting yourself accept
the
premise of the show. Well, here you zoomed past me and did that in
spades. "
Boy. I wish I could get that.
I am appreciating all the Xander chat. I always reacted much more 2
dimensionally to him in this episode. Didn't see the nuance Still not
sure it was there. From Marti?
Ken (Brooklyn)
hopelessly devoted
Arbitrar Of Quality wrote:
> BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER
> Season Three, Episode 2: "Dead Man's Party"
Place me firmly in category "What the......?"
On the heels of Anne, DMP did nothing to make me feel better about the
show that gave us Passions, IOHEFY, B1 & 2. It was my initial fear
that the S3 would somehow succeed in proving me right by FAILING just
when I thought the show was proving me wrong.
Still reeliing from the shock of Anne, the opening scene of Buffy
unpacking and mom's reaction to no longer being alone in the house were
actually a very warm introduction. The discomfort and distance is
visible from the start. Joyce's questions showing her need to
instantly become a part of her daughter's life where she missed
originally while ALSO showing her need to "get back to normal" are
obvious and confusing for both J and B.
> The first thing we expect when Buffy reunites with the Slaypack is a
> little humor and fun, which is delivered when Buffy first meets
> Nighthawk and friends, especially the little part with Cordelia: "Oh,
> hey, Buffy" [shove].
I've always wondered about the look on Xander's face when he first sees
Buffy. Even to this very day, it is a very interesting expression but
I have never been able to get over the many questions that it probed.
Was there some guilt about "The Lie"? Just plain shock at seeing
Buffy? The expression seemed to say a lot more than they explained.
One by one revealing the new scoobs including Cordelia and Oz and I
love the look on Willow's face as she comes charging in after the first
vamp.
I found Giles' face when he opens the door the only honest reaction to
her reappearance. And his reaction possibly the only one who
understands??? However Buffy expecting to just rejoin the fold is
clearly unrealistic. Her own bout with denial without a doubt. The
conversation with everything just peaches and cream on the couch did
nothing to set up the ensuing scenes. Cookies and tea and everything's
great and I did not sense any real avoidance. I know that Marti Noxon
tried, but for me, it just wasn't there.
> So, Joyce
> is ready to accommodate her, her friends and Watcher know she's
> back... what's next?
Joyce's revelation that Mr. Giles and friends have already been invited
to the party after the "I blame you speech" was a complete shock and
there was a very small part of me that started to believe that maybe
she had a little split personality thing going. Ok, a bit of an
exaggeration, but you get the point. Along with the "No, she can go
with you" after Giles picks up the really pissed off dead cat was just
a little jarring. Everythiing between Anne and DMP just seemed very
disconnected. I thought it was a nice touch to have Buffy addressed
just out of the blue by her mother's "support group" a nice touch.
Although Pat annoyed even me.
> There's a lot of unresolved tension in these early sequences, making
> them feel a little "off." It's more obvious with Joyce, but with
> everyone else I think it's subtle enough that it's not as clear at
> first.
Agreed. I thought the tense moments between mother and daughter to be
the only real moments of the show but I did not get a sense of Uh-oh
with the others until much later. Although, I don't know if it would
be a viewer or a writer issue. I "knew" the tension was there but it
wasn't obvious from the screne. More in a minute.
> She still doesn't
> always know what to say, and tries too hard with the parenting, but
> those are the flaws she's always had, the problems that spring
> naturally from a character rather than a change made to accommodate the
> script.
Agreed.
> Meanwhile there a nice pair of scenes involving Snyder and his petty
> (OR IS IT?!) enjoyment of the fact that Buffy's not coming back to
> SHS on his watch.
More later. It is an "on first viewing" statement that I could include
here but probably better to wait until a later date. Although I did
find it amusing that Snyder would carefully remove the mini-sword from
Buffy's hands, especially after B2.
> Obviously Joss et al recognized
> how badly a show like this was required.
Part of the reason I had (and still do have) such a HUGE problem with
DMP is just as you said. A show like this was required. It had to
happen. There was no way around it. They just couldn't figure out how
to make it happen so they did. They made it happen. Forced IMHO.
Buffy's "What if he's mad" followed by Xander's comments were not an
indication of something argument to come. Xander has always been the
voice of "speak now, think later". Buffy waiting for Willow, we again
only get to see Buffy's perspective which also makes the blow up
initiated by Willow an out of nowhere scene because W/X/C reactions had
no support. The gang planning the party as if everything is fine,
Willow being "party girl", Xander's typical negative voice. Everything
was completely unrealistic. Where were the questions? If they didn't
want to deal with it with Buffy, the questions of where was she? what
happened? what do we do now? should have been there. Instead they
played an undiscussed group-denial thing that just didn't fit.
Especially for a "new tight group" of people who learned to fight
together without our superhero. Where was the newly found group trust?
The without-the-slayer bond.
Everything just seemed to be completely off. Personalities were, IMO
thrown by the wayside in order to "make it happen". Willows character
and aversion at the party completely out of the blue. The faking deaf
and first visible signs of discomfort and avoidance. Again, no setup
beforehand. Xander who normally speaks his mind, playing the role of
"everything's ok" with his "guess a lot of people are glad to have you
back." Xander? Is that you?
> Seeing Buffy exchange hollow trivialities with the one or
> two people she actually wants to see, and then drift away... it hurts,
> a lot. And then to overhear her mom expressing (the very real
> phenomenon) that having her daughter back hasn't exactly lived up to
> the everything-will-be-all-right expectations...
While I felt Buffy's pain, for me it was part of the problem. For a
show that normally does a very good job at allowing the viewer to see
all sides, they, in this instance, neglected to include the W/X/C side
of it. This is mainly what I missed in Anne. It is this part that I
waited all haitus to see. How how would the fold, the everyday
ordinaries deal and what issues would be cause by the absence of "our
hero". Anne pretty much said none and DMP said "there were issues and
we have to deal with them" without revealing the issues first. So I
felt blindsided by issues that I hadn't seen. Maybe that was the
intent of the writer, putting us in Buffy's shoes. But as a viewer, I
didn't feel in Buffy's shoes, I just felt cheated out of part of the
story.
Again, the drinking scene with Joyce seemed to be the only realistic
thing about the show. Her comments here are very honest as well as
Buffy's reaction to re-run away prompting the ever explosive arguement
from the rest of the fold. That I understand.
> For once I
> didn't mind Joyce demanding an explanation this very moment...
> she's waited long enough. The scene loses a little momentum once
> they go out in public and we take things to slight excess (even though
> I liked the bit with Jonathan - "anyone else wanna weigh in
> here?"), but a lot of the right notes continue to be hit.
The J/B fight was understandable and expected. The W/B argument was
fine even though the setup was not there. They didn't establish any
real loss in Anne and there was no build up to lead to the explosion.
The arguement seemed very contrived. Willow's "It doesn't make it ok
that you didn't", Xander again being a jackass jumping in where he was
not needed and the complete "stare-down" only made me want to smack him
(especially after "The Lie") and suddenly the Mother/Daughter fight
takes a complete backseat.
> "'Do you like my mask? Isn't it pretty? It
> raises the dead!' Americans."
> Mrs. Quality says is a lot like _Pet Semetary_.
This along with a few wonderfully funny moments (I liked the hootenanny
part) keep the ep from being a complete bore. (I know. Ouch!)
The Pet Semetary reference also came to mind.
> Great scene, and I always like seeing Tony Head put on his
> Menacing Face
With that smile on his face was a very cold and enticing moment. Once
again reminding us that there is indeed another side of Giles that
earned the name Ripper.
> But DMP
> does the next best thing and pushes the zombie stuff firmly into the
> background, letting it exist only to give our heroes a chance to fight
> something together at the end.
Saving grace. Plus Joyce beating the zombie with a baseball bat (Go
Joyce!)
> The closing Buffy/Willow exchange is reminiscent of the end of "When
> She Was Bad." Now, as then, I'm willing to accept a little
> reconciliation.
My two ep take at the time and still to this day......
Anne - Buffy's gone so let's get her back
Dead Man's Party - big fight, big battle, and big group hug.
> Obviously Joss et al recognized
> how badly a show like this was required.
Forced, contrived and disappointing. I don't know what they could have
done. I have my theories like everyone else. While neither Anne or
DMP is a complete waste of time they are also two of my least often
viewed eps in the season.
Having said all of that, at the time of airing, I still did not
understand the format of he show. S1 began mid-season and S2 was the
only substantial basis I had to form a theory about the show. My
appreciately for the ep has not really grown over time, but I did have
to learn how the Buffy rollercoaster actually takes off.
One Bit Shy
news:1141668695....@i40g2000cwc.googlegroups.com...
> This seems to be the Xander split. Too often I see him as still
> functioning from lust and jealousy, with his affections for the ladies
> all over the place (Cordy, Buffy, Willow, etc). I have trouble seeing
> the more noble Xander others see at this point. Sure, he has his
> moments, and sure there would be no Buffy without his breath in PG, but
> really he comes off as hormonically imbalanced at too many times.
I don't like the feel of this show, but I think the way people act in it
still makes sense and isn't as unfeeling as it appears on the surface.
Xander - I think we tend to take Xander for granted and miss his emotional
turmoil until it suddenly boils up in a seemingly inappropriate manner.
Remembering his hurtful rant at Buffy about Angel in Becoming, it might be
useful to note that we'd seen everybody mourn Jenny in their way. Willow
bawled her head off right away. Buffy was crushed with guilt. Giles
grasped at fantasy hopes of her continued presence. But not Xander. That
rant was the surprise expression of a grief we didn't know he had before.
Think about it. Xander was in a bad spot. His first real romantic
experience is with his life long enemy and has driven a rift between he and
his life long best friend. So there he is stuck in a somewhat abusive
relationship that never once has really made sense to him while he watches
Willow drift away into her own life with Oz. Meanwhile the world is going
to hell around him with one friend (Jenny) dead, and another (Kendra) soon
to become dead. The man he most admires - Giles - is in a personal hell
over it. And the anchor in his life, the one he really depends on (Buffy)
appears to be abandoning all her senses and all her responsibilities in
favor of an insane attempt to "redeem" her murderous boyfriend.
What's important about Xander having breathed life into Buffy is not his
nobility. It's the link between them. Xander feels it like a physical
bond. He chases Buffy around "protecting" her and getting the snot kicked
out of him over and over not because of hormones, but because he feels he
has to. Because every once in a great while he's the difference that keeps
her alive. Emotionally he literally thinks she'll die if he's not there.
To Xander, the whole Angel thing was Buffy abandoning him and everybody else
that loved and cared for her. And it brought into question everything he
had hung his life on for the past year since breathing life into her.
That's the context for his outburst at Buffy in Becoming. Add to it seeing
Willow in a coma and you've got the context for him not telling Buffy about
Willow trying the ensouling spell again. Emotionally running on empty. And
now, upon Buffy's return (from what looked like literal abandonment to him),
he's still got most of those issues unresolved and they burst forth again.
Xander's still got a lot of growing up to do. He may never get there. He
has a tendency to get right to the surface of the matter, invariably
understanding far less then he thinks he does. Here, he knows nothing of
what happened at the end of Becoming, nor what that meant to Buffy. His
outburst is hurtful, largely undeserved, and I hate it too. I hate how it
must make Buffy feel and how it makes me feel. But it's not indicative of
Xander's cruelty or lack of feeling. Hell, half the problem is he feels too
much.
There's a variation of this story for Joyce and Willow too.
I sometimes puzzle about BtVS's ongoing friendship theme. How they're
stronger together than apart. They came together naturally - even easily -
at the start. Built a bond and a seeming sensitivity to each other. But by
this point - which isn't the first time they've diverged - maybe we're
seeing that their bond isn't really that naturally solid. That they tend to
take things for granted, let wounds fester, and too often miss where each
other's heads are at by country miles. Yeah, they still get things right
sometimes too. And it's magic when they're on the same page. But maybe it
takes more work than they realized.
OBS
jil...@hotmail.com
episode. Nothing the characters did came out of the blue for me. We'd
already seen a very few times how self-absorbed Willow can be, this was
just the first time it was directed at Buffy.
However, as another point, Willow and Xander, along with their extras
(but not Cordy) had been staying up late and not sleeping well through
the summer as they tried to keep lesser vampires in check. They have a
very minor example of what Buffy has to do all the time, and they
resent it because they aren't the Slayer and this is something they
shouldn't have to do. They should be entertained by it, not having to
suffer from actually fighting unless she's there to take the main hits.
As for the tension with Joyce, heh, it's not over yet. You'll see.
And while most girls don't leave town over boy problems, some do.
Murdering the man you love (in Buffy's mind it was murdering) when he
has no memory of what happened that caused this, that's severely
traumatic. Of course, none of them know what really happened.
You'll see more Willow-selfishness come up later on just this subject.
Arbitrar Of Quality
> As EGK says, this may just provoke quite a lot of discussion. The most
> common complaint about this ep (I think) is the way characters are 'out
> of character', especially unsympathetic Willow. Not an argument I
> subscribe to, but it might be time to get your asbestos underpants back
> from the cleaners.
Yeah, we have indeed been seeing that a lot. Particularly Willow's
outburst. I thought you people were supposed to be the ones reminding
me that "out of character" is a pretty meaningless phrase given that if
it happens on the show it's done by a character? Or that these people
are interesting *because* they're flawed?
Willow's behavior definitely has an air of selfishness in this episode.
And so what? She's only human. I'm actually led to think back to
another time we saw Willow have an outburst of this magnitude -
Xander and Cordelia. What had Xander done that was so wrong, and
deserving of long-term bitterness? His main crime was making out with
someone she didn't approve of. Sure he kept it hidden, which she
wasn't used to from him, but why was it "wrong?" She doesn't
just yell at him, she also begins thinking about *revenge*. What had
he done to deserve vengeance? It only makes sense from Willow's
perspective if what she cares about is herself, and her feelings.
This is the way I've seen Willow over these past 2+ seasons. Under
her demureness she's capable of keeping a lot of strong feelings
bottled up, often because she wants to put other people before herself.
But stuff will fester and accumulate. And then when that moment comes
that pushes her over the edge, she will absolutely explode. Real
lashing out, no regard at all for the damage she's causing. In that
respect, her behavior in DMP is entirely consistent with her character,
or at least what I think her character is like.
The other problem most people seem to be having (which is again tied to
not allowing characters to be selfish sometimes) is that they side
entirely with Buffy on this particular issue, and not at all from
Xander or Willow's perspective. Let me repeat that, having watched
everything she's gone through, I empathize very much with Buffy in
both this episode and the ones leading up to it. So I think her point
of view is pretty clear here, and I understand where she's coming
from.
But now I'm going to take a look at it from the perspective of one of
Buffy's friends: I've followed Buffy into this crazy world she's
part of, and I've accepted her completely, Slayer and all. Everyone
else abandoned her at some point, but I didn't; we four Slaypack
types were trying to have her back, help her until the bitter end.
That didn't stop her from walking out on us. Hell, I even risked my
life to cover for her with the Slaying duties that she abandoned,
despite being patently not supernaturally qualified for it. Well, now
she's back, and it's great to know that she's all right. I was
worried to death. Would it have killed her to call? Not even a
postcard. And it'd be nice to hear an apology, or a word of thanks
for what we've done for her. Is she really going to just act like
nothing's happened? Well, I guess it's an uncomfortable topic, and
the most important thing here is that I love Buffy and care about her.
So I'll force a smile, give her time to ease back into things, and
I'll try to ignore this hollowness in all our interactions. And now
I discover that she's decided to leave again, just like that. You
*bitch*. You unfeeling ungrateful bitch. How could you treat us like
we're so inconsequential?
I feel for everyone involved. Not everyone handles themselves with
grace, but their emotions make sense to me.
-AOQ
Arbitrar Of Quality
> The big problem for me with this episode
> is issues that have built up and festered over the summer can not
> simply be resolved with a few lines ("I've got your back."
> "Good moves") or a discussion over mochas.
I can see why people would have that problem. I guess I'm willing to
allow that the characters value their friendship enough that they're
very forgiving of each others' flaws. People who really really like
each other can get over a lot. Like I said, the end of this one
reminds me of the end of "When She Was Bad;" it seems to be a recurring
trend on the show.
-AOQ
Arbitrar Of Quality
"I consider it the mostf orced, artificial and absurd episode of the
first three seasons. I like parts of it, but the confrontations at Casa
Summers come out of nowhere. I tru;y thought then this show has had it.
Next week better reover or I'm done; I disliked it that much."
Ah, I have the sinking suspicion that you were one of those people who
were always thinking that the show was in danger of Jumping The Shark
(though I don't think that term had been coined yet).
> Absolutely. Yet, I feel with the party in DMP, pretty much from
> overhearing Joyce up to the Zombie invasion, Marti and Whitmore had no
> idea what mood they wanted, or what was to be revealed, and SMG looking
> sieriously vulnerable about to burst into tears just seems all so wrong
> like no one told her what they wanted from her in that scene, and all
> so weak after the "I'm Buffy" declaration of "Anne."
But isn't it clear by now that Buffy's most vulnerable to the people
she cares about the most? I haven't been keeping an exhaustive list of
the episodes in which she cries, but I do know that it's pretty rare,
and that three of them have been "Nightmares," "Innocence," and now
"Dead Man's Party."
-AOQ
hopelessly devoted
Scythe Matters wrote:> Joyce: This isn't over. If I have to, I'll go
all the way to the Mayor.
> (follows Buffy out)
>
> Snyder: Wouldn't that be interesting.
>
> ----
>
> Snyder: If that word is Buffy, then I have two words for you: 'good'
> and 'riddance'. Now, if you don't mind, I have an appointment with the
> Mayor.
Going back to my "not sure I should bring it up". At this time, ofv,
along with the comments regarding the Mayor in IOHEFY and B2, my spidy
sense was really tingling.
hopelessly devoted
Juvyr ba bar unaq V guvax lbh unir n irel tbbq gnxr ba Knaqre, V nyfb
ungr gb guvax gung ur jvyy bayl ernyvmr gung va gur ynfg srj zbzragf ba
uvf qrngu orq, znlor gurer vf fbzrguvat gb gung jubyr guvax orsber lbh
fcrnx cuenfr. V'ir whfg arire haqrefgbbq gur snpg gung ur unq fb zhpu
snvgu va uvf bja ivrjf gb pbzcyrgryl vtaber gur enzvsvpngvbaf bs uvf
jbeqf naq npgvbaf. Nygubhtu V nterr gung, ng guvf cbvag va gvzr, ur
unf zhpu tebjvat hc gb qb.
One Bit Shy
I felt very much the same way towards Xander. This was - and may still be -
the absolute low point for me with him
But my feelings about Xander are evolving. I'm having real doubts about my
initial feelings. I still hate what he says - how it makes me feel and how
it must make Buffy feel. But I think I may be understanding it better. AOQ
reminded me of the obvious that everybody can't help but feel abandoned by
Buffy and can't just let go of the feeling when she walks in the door. One
way or the other it's got to be dealt with. I'm struck now by how the blow
up occurs essentially with the kind of trite sentiment of how could you do
this to your mother. In real life that's just as stupid... And just as
unavoidable. None of this is really rational. It's just pent up feelings
bursting forth. To a significant degree just letting them out releases
everybody from their binds. And one of the reasons why things can be mostly
ok after the work out of a good monster fight. (The other reason is that
the monster fight paradoxically brings order back to their world. A relief
in itself.)
OBS
Arbitrar Of Quality
> > We were worried at first
> > because this plot seemed really dumb, and try as I might, I can't see
> > how it reflects on Buffy (beyond "buried things coming back").
>
> That's one. Here's another: what characterizes the zombies, as
> opponents? They can't be killed; no matter what you do to them they keep
> coming and coming and coming. To beat them, you can't ignore them or
> fight them or take them on one by one. You've got to address the source
> of the zombie-ism -- a metaphor for the root of the problem -- and deal
> with it to make the zombies go away.
>
> In this episode, Buffy's problem isn't her friends' seeming weirdness,
> nor is it her mothers' difficulties having her back, nor is it Snyder
> and the school. It's her having to realize a few fundamental truths:
> running away doesn't solve a problem, and friendship isn't a one-way
> street...even if you're the Slayer. Everything that upsets her in the
> episode is a symptom, not the cause; much like the zombies are symptoms,
> not the cause.
That's great! I like the episode even more now.
[re: credits]
> But why? Angel's in this episode, too.
Given that BTVS has thus far kept the same opening titles all year, you
don't think that this strongly suggests that he'll somehow come back, a
development which might have been better as a surprise? It's of course
possible that he'll appear only in dream or flashback for an extended
period of time, but that's the less likely explanation.
-AOQ
