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Post by Techno-bot on Jun 12, 2004 22:56:37 GMT -5
Written by Jane Espenson
Directed by David Soloman
Air Date: 10/9/01
As the gang battles a demon who hitched a ride on Buffy when she crossed back over into our world, Buffy tells Spike that when she died she thinks she was in heaven.
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Post by Karen on Sept 4, 2007 11:01:48 GMT -5
Written by Jane Espenson Directed by David Soloman Air Date: 10/9/01 As the gang battles a demon who hitched a ride on Buffy when she crossed back over into our world, Buffy tells Spike that when she died she thinks she was in heaven. The hitchhiker demon was pretty lame, but on rewatching I realized the metaphor was pretty terrific. The demon had to be made solid before Buffy could kill it. It also had one of my favorite Spike quotes - "Every night I save you."Tara had a cool line, too (which the Buffy Dialogue Database has left out): TARA: I like sunrise better when I'm getting up early than when I'm staying up late, you know?
It's like ... I'm seeing it from the wrong side.It seems like a throwaway line, but it's really not. |
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Post by Lola m on Sept 7, 2007 7:42:52 GMT -5
Written by Jane Espenson Directed by David Soloman Air Date: 10/9/01 As the gang battles a demon who hitched a ride on Buffy when she crossed back over into our world, Buffy tells Spike that when she died she thinks she was in heaven. The hitchhiker demon was pretty lame, but on rewatching I realized the metaphor was pretty terrific. Yeah, the demon itself looks kind of . . . meh. But the things it says, that show us some of the ugly truth? And the deeper meaning of them creating it, creating this bad thing by doing what they think is a good thing? It being the "price you have to pay" (or gift with purchase)? Well, I now realize I should have paid more attention to the ep at the time. **nods a whole whole whole lot** Can't fight something until you can get your hands on it. Can't deal with something until you actually, you know, deal with it. (Not to mention the whole "prequel to The First" vibe.) **happy sigh** Oh, yeah. That moment is so . . . And the fact that she keeps turning to him? Even when neither of them quite know why? **happy sigh** Oh, good point! **sniffles a bit for Tara** |
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Post by Squeemonster on May 3, 2009 20:32:26 GMT -5
Anya must have been one of the writers' favorite characters to write for. Every line of hers just cracks my shit right up. ;D "Every night I save you." Damn. That whole speech is just brilliant--cuts right to the core of Spike's anguish.  The last scene, outside with Spike and Buffy--I just noticed they have a "Beware of the Dog" sign on the door behind them. And they position the camera to where the sign is just above Spike. Way to be subtle. ;D |
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Post by beccaelizabeth on May 5, 2009 17:26:29 GMT -5
James Marsters is Actually Quite Good at this acting lark.
He has whole conversations with his face. Is very clever.
"Every night I save you" is beautiful, but every word he has in this episode is... they pack a lot in, every bit expressive, all of it saying something important about him and the story arc.
Willow going black eyes... rewatching is hard because you know where it's going so you wonder how it didn't look like that to start with. She steps out of unison and just sort of stomps on the world to make it do like she says. And if they found out the demony thing in one night of research why didn't she know with all the months of research in advance? She must have closed her eyes to uncomfortable possibilities.
Spike pretty.
JM interesting.
Spike/JM gets the most chances to show off the acting. Tara is subtle and supportive, Anya is very Anya, Buffy is doing the depression flatness. Dawn actually gets a lot to do.
I miss Giles, but I continue to like the story of what goes on when Giles isn't there. He clearly was doing something valuable, because *splat* without him.
I keep thinking of Torchwood and what JM could do there. Which is annoying because his character there was at least supposed to be a whole different guy. But he's so good, expressive, interesting, you just want to play with him some more.
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Post by SpringSummers on May 5, 2009 19:35:34 GMT -5
Great thinky thoughts, all. Hope to have this reviewed and posted before next Tues!  |
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Post by Julia, wrought iron-y on May 5, 2009 20:49:39 GMT -5
I think this episode has the best Buffy/Spike interaction of the whole series, minus, perhaps, the grand crazy plan at the end of s2. The part with him dressing her hands, for one lovely bit of interplay (and, as be says, JW tells stories with his face and gestures) and the scene in the alley point to another way things could have gone, if Spike the Victorian Romantic had been steering things.
Julia, instead, we get Buffy using him to work out her self-loathing.
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Post by Lola m on May 5, 2009 20:59:56 GMT -5
Huh. It's actually relatively rare for an ep that isn't one of a pair to start right up just at the moment the last one left off, rather than as if time had passed, isn't it? I mean, it's necessary for this storyline, but I never really thought about it like that before. Ah, Anya. Always the one everyone should pay attention to. "I think we screwed it up." And Willow continues the bad assumption that lay at the heart of their bad decision. If Buffy is screwed up, it's because she was in a hell dimension. The look on Buffy's face when she sees the photo of her mom . . .  Dawn taking care of Buffy and quoting their mom . . . Oh oh oh oh! The scene when Spike first sees Buffy on the stairs and knows it's her and then after . . . Damn! That kills me, every time! "147 days yesterday . . . " Dawn's "you did this". We'll hear that kind of language and tone later in the ep, when the demon possesses folks, won't we? "Be happy. We got you out." Dawn? All take charge and "everything will be OK now that Buffy is back" yet fiercely protective. Willow? All defensive and "everything's wrong". Anya? All doomed conviction "we were wrong". Xander? All surface jokey calm and yet not believing, or Spike's comments wouldn't have made him doubt Willow so easily (and, deep down he also knows it was wrong not to tell Spike - for someone so good at hiding his emotions, he can really suck at it sometimes). Spike? All emotion and pain and happy and really really knowing how badly this can go. And Tara? Tara is just "assume crash positions". Well, and also she's just loving Willow. Always. |
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Post by Lola m on May 5, 2009 21:36:12 GMT -5
Awwww. Poor traumatised Xander.  "Not any . . . dead person." "Not anymore"  "I just, you know, figured it was me. I was going crazy." "Maybe you are going crazy, from hell. **Willow gives her the look** Noo, you're fine!" Ha! I've always loved that exchange, for its very very funny and its deeply disturbing all at once. ;D Research! Monster research! Yay!! Classic Buffy move (not wanting to study, wanting to do), but in its first example of the season 6 version - Buffy retreating into surface action in order to avoid, to not think or engage. Aaaaaaand angel!Buffy image. Evil things have plans, they have things to do! **cue Spike, who doesn't have a plan or know what the hell to do** (OMG, he's so pretty!) Ahem. **comes back from the shallow** And now the admission Spike soooo hates to say, that he blames himself for her having to jump. Which is, like, insane, really. "Do something different, vastly more clever . . ." Xander goes to Tara for the real truth. What he's afraid to ask Willow . . . A side affect. A price. A gift with purchase. Heh! All rather good metaphors, really. "You can't mess with people's lives that way." Sing it, sister!! Ah, the sweet arc-y meta-y goodness! The fact that Buffy is trying to fight an insubstantial enemy and can't win until she's able to really grapple with it. The moment when Tara sees Willow just grab that power. The fight where the others help, but it's Buffy alone who must wack its head off. "It was bad when you were gone. But it'll be better now. Now that they can see you being happy. That's all they want." Oh, if only she knew what all that little conversation would help set in motion! You know, she's not totally unhappy to be in the midst of their hug, is she? She just can't put it all in context yet. Everything is still all overwhelming. **settles in to watch the third of the amazing Spike and Buffy scenes in this ep** "I was finished." (Man! That lovely subtle sour note in the music when she says "And now I'm not" right on the beat when she says "not". Excellent musical scoring!) Also? Such perfect facial work by both SMG and James. Her distant, inwardly directed, not really seeing anything. Him focused on her, seeing every moment of his reaction as he understands just exactly what she's saying. Oh, Buffy. Oh, Slayer!! "They can never know." Noooooooo!! That way lies badness! Man! It's fun watching this whole ep again and really thinking about it, not just skimming for my favorite bits. **bounces** Excellent ep!  |
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Post by Lola m on May 5, 2009 21:39:32 GMT -5
Anya must have been one of the writers' favorite characters to write for. Every line of hers just cracks my shit right up. ;D Yes! Not to mention how often she is right, even as she's being annoying and no one wants to listen. ;D Ha! ;D **channels Dru* "It tells you you're not a bad dog, but you are." |
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Post by Lola m on May 5, 2009 21:46:43 GMT -5
James Marsters is Actually Quite Good at this acting lark. He has whole conversations with his face. Is very clever. **nods** This is a great ep for James' faces! Each of the three scenes between Spike and Buffy are a veritable feast of faces!  **nods nods nods nods** It's not that she's leaving Tara behind, she's . . . stepping away from the circle and the spell itself and just imposes her will. Mmmmm. **goes to haze of pretty pretty Spike watching** Dawn has a lot more to do that I remembered. And I agree with the subtlety of Tara's scenes. I remembered the "being supportive" moments with Willow, but I'd forgotten the nuances in some of the other scenes, like the one with Xander at the Magic Box. ;D True! Mmmmmm-hmmmmm! I did love the outright no-holds-barred-mania of his Torchwood character. |
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Post by Lola m on May 5, 2009 21:47:22 GMT -5
Great thinky thoughts, all. Hope to have this reviewed and posted before next Tues!  |
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Post by Lola m on May 5, 2009 21:52:25 GMT -5
I think this episode has the best Buffy/Spike interaction of the whole series, minus, perhaps, the grand crazy plan at the end of s2. The part with him dressing her hands, for one lovely bit of interplay (and, as be says, JW tells stories with his face and gestures) and the scene in the alley point to another way things could have gone, if Spike the Victorian Romantic had been steering things. **nods ** Lovely lovely Buffy/Spike bits in this. And we can see the seeds of disaster starting almost right away, with conflicting and competing ideas of what is actually going on, not to mention the way the relationships among the entire gang are contributing to the mess. |
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Post by Queen E on May 5, 2009 22:30:30 GMT -5
I'm with Lola; although the staging is a bit obvious, it does undercut itself nicely: the "evil thing" Spike? Doesn't really have a plan at all. Not even when he was evil evil.
It's interesting, too, that Buffy has to be told what it is her friends expect, and shows how distant she is from them; even, I would argue, that she's angry. She can't admit that, yet, but...
And I actually think that Tara was freaked out by Willow's wresting of power in that scene; it's unclear whether Willow is relying on her own power or if she's taken something, maybe even stolen a bit of Tara's power (I'm thinking of the scene in "Get It Done" where she takes something from Anya and Kennedy to open the portal).
One final (shallow) thing: Sweet Jesus, that top that Willow is wearing in the final scene? More horrifying than any demon. It looks like she skinned Elmo to make it. No matter how many times I watch this episode that fuzzy red thing never gets any less ugly. *shudder*
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Post by Lola m on May 6, 2009 7:31:13 GMT -5
I'm with Lola; although the staging is a bit obvious, it does undercut itself nicely: the "evil thing" Spike? Doesn't really have a plan at all. Not even when he was evil evil. It's interesting, too, that Buffy has to be told what it is her friends expect, and shows how distant she is from them; even, I would argue, that she's angry. She can't admit that, yet, but... And I actually think that Tara was freaked out by Willow's wresting of power in that scene; it's unclear whether Willow is relying on her own power or if she's taken something, maybe even stolen a bit of Tara's power (I'm thinking of the scene in "Get It Done" where she takes something from Anya and Kennedy to open the portal). One final (shallow) thing: Sweet Jesus, that top that Willow is wearing in the final scene? More horrifying than any demon. It looks like she skinned Elmo to make it. No matter how many times I watch this episode that fuzzy red thing never gets any less ugly. *shudder* ;D I love all Willow's horrible horrible Muppet-fur sweaters. |
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Dawn taking care of Buffy and quoting their mom . . . 
