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Post by Techno-bot on Jun 12, 2004 23:28:07 GMT -5
Written by Drew Z. Greenberg
Directed by James A. Contner
Air date: 4/30/02
As the relationship between Tara and Willow heats back up, Anya returns to Sunnydale determined to exact vengeance on the man who left her standing at the alter.
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Post by stage1 on Oct 14, 2006 19:17:55 GMT -5
Entropy it basically means that the more you try to put things together, the more they fall apart.
Marti Noxon: "My main comment about this one is that the Spike-Anya thing really worked. Those two characters have a real chemistry together and it's fun to say, 'Oh, that works.' Also, we were just trying to put the knife in a little bit deeper
The biggest mystery comment
XANDER: That the kinda man you are? Why does he call him man then but only retract later?
The most awkward scene every acted by these three. It’s as if they never rehearsed it.It felt very clumsy acting on Brendon & Gellar's part not so much with Caulfield since seems more enthuastic in stopping Xander.
Shot of Buffy running around a corner farther down the street, running hard toward them.
Xander pulls a stake from his pocket, just as Anya opens the door and sees them.
ANYA: Xander, no! Stop it! Stop it! Stop it!
Anya runs over, distracting Xander. She reaches him just as Buffy does, coming up behind him and shoving him aside.
Xander pants and glares at Buffy. She pants and glares back
If this scene was meant to be dramatic - so not!
Why does spike reverse his strategy to flatter Anya
SPIKE: You do. That's why you're the only one of them I wouldn't bite if I had the chance.
But with Willow it’s was flattery if he thought about biting her?? It almost DG lost continuity here. Come on which its biting or not?
This was "The last hurrah" for Spike sex scenes since this would be his last in the series. So they seem to go for a little bit more. Maybe it just the way A-Lister! James & Emma play since we haven’t seen Spike like this since his Dru days with meaningful conversations 7 tenderness. Is it the first time we actually see Spike undress someone? It’s intimacy were rarely allowed to see with Spike that’s longer than I remember. There also not holding back either by the way Anya's splayed pose while shimmying on that table to grant "Spike access " is a scene I would not forget. I can’t help but think that SMG may see these dailies while thinking not only is Emma holding her own but She knocking it out of the park!
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Post by fish1941 on Oct 27, 2006 13:18:26 GMT -5
Why would you accuse Goddard of bad continuity? You're speaking of Spike as if he was the same person in both "The Initiative" and "Entropy". Isn't it possible that after having that chip for two years and helping the Scoobies during that period, his view on someone being "bitable" may have changed?
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Post by Rob on Oct 27, 2006 22:25:58 GMT -5
The most awkward scene every acted by these three. It’s as if they never rehearsed it.It felt very clumsy acting on Brendon & Gellar's part not so much with Caulfield since seems more enthuastic in stopping Xander. Shot of Buffy running around a corner farther down the street, running hard toward them. Xander pulls a stake from his pocket, just as Anya opens the door and sees them. ANYA: Xander, no! Stop it! Stop it! Stop it! Anya runs over, distracting Xander. She reaches him just as Buffy does, coming up behind him and shoving him aside. Xander pants and glares at Buffy. She pants and glares back If this scene was meant to be dramatic - so not! I have to comment about this. The scene you describe is one of the pivotal scenes of BtVS - not just in Season 6, but EVER. Xander and Buffy, at last, are forced to take hard and honest looks at themselves, and it triggers everything that goes right in those last four episodes. The subsequent argument in "Seeing Red," while difficult to watch, is a healing one. Neither Buffy nor Xander pull punches with one another, which was desperately overdue. Until then, everyone was putting on a brave face...yet no one was actually TALKING. It took the bizarre circumstances of "Entropy" to strip away all the fake layers and wring out the raw emotion. Buffy didn't want any of her family to know of her liaisons with Spike, but no one more so than Xander. Even though it was unrealistic and unfair, a part of Buffy liked the fact that Xander put her on a pedestal. This was the part of her Buffy wanted - desperately needed, in fact - to hang on to. Also, she knew that Xander would be the only person to openly question her actions. Everyone else would at least feign understanding, but Xander is a person of very little pretense. If he felt it, Buffy would hear it...and while she knew full well all the points Xander would make about Spike's circumstances, actually hearing them out loud was something she truly dreaded and feared. Of course Buffy and Xander's friendship survived...even thrived. They'd been through so much together, and were about to face an even worse trial with Willow. As usual, love pulled them through. I think a strong case can be made that Xander was Buffy's most trusted friend in Season 7, and the seeds for that deepened friendship grew out of the emotional ruin depicted in that final scene in "Entropy." And I'm sorry, but I have to respectfully, yet strongly disagree about the acting. All four were extraordinary in those moments, especially Sarah and Nick. The look on both their faces when Spike reveals he and Buffy's relationship? I get goose-bumps just thinking about it. Brilliant stuff. |
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Post by Lola m on Jul 22, 2007 18:22:33 GMT -5
Oh, my, what do we have here? Why, it's the 2nd week of the 2007 Sizzlin’  Episode Festival
Let’s hear it for the 9th (and 8th) most-voted-for episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer!  Yep - we ended up with a tie, folks, so for the next two weeks, we’ll be celebrating both of our “Number Eight and a Half” episodes. And Entropy is one of them!  Xander: I love you. I wish we could go back to the way things were before. Anya: And I wish you were never born! Dawn: I never use that word anymore. Anya: Coagulate? Dawn: W-I-S-H.  Anya: What are we doing- Spike: Moving on. Anya: Wait, you know I'm only doing this because I'm lonely and drunk and you smell really good. Spike: See? Forthright.  You let that evil, soulless thing touch you. It was good enough for Buffy I don't want to know this, I don't want to know any of this. So go forth and watch tapes or DVDs or re-charge the batteries in your memory or read the transcripts! 'Cuz it's time to turn the upcoming weeks into a celebration of Entropy.
Don't have the vids or DVDs? Haven't watched these eps recently?
Read the Buffyverse Dialogue Database conversation transcript for
Entropy
Discuss, laugh, swoon, lust, wipe away a tear, post pictures or trivia questions, swap gossip, think deep, think shallow!
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Post by Spaced Out Looney on Jul 31, 2007 20:28:32 GMT -5
I love Entropy. I think that it may be my favorite word in the English language and one of my most favorite scientific concepts. I love how this episode is the very conceptualization of entropy.
Entropy is the measure of disorder or chaos in a system; the Second Law of Thermodynamics states that total entropy of any isolated system tends to increase over time. The S'cubies at this point in the series can be considered and isolated system, completely withdrawn into themselves. Entropy can only be decreased if energy (effort) is put into the system (making it no longer isolated).
What all this means really, is what Tara says at the end of the episode: "Things fall apart. They fall apart so hard. You can't ever put them back the way they were... There's just so much to work through... It's a long, important process, and can we just skip it? Can you just be kissing me now?"
It's a long, important process, but if you skip it, then utter chaos will ensue, as we shall see. Sometimes even if you put in the effort, it's not enough, too little, too late.
Because entropy of an isolated system is always increasing, entropy is sometimes known as "time's arrow." The future is always more disordered than the past. The intercutting, both in the interview montage (love interview montages in the whedonverse!) and the Trio's lair/Buffy's house/Magic Box part towards the end give that feeling of an arrow, unrelentlessly driving home.
Also consider that the universe, which contains all matter and energy that exists, is itself an isolated system, and its entropy/disorder is always increasing. Living creatures, however, become more ordered over time (think of how we grow from a single cell into differentiated multi-cell creatures, and how we ingest small nutrients to grow and maintain ourselves). Because of this, the rest of the universe must become that much more disordered in "compensation." Hence, the idea in the Buffyverse (and elsewhere), that you can't get something for nothing; there's always a cost.
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Post by Spaced Out Looney on Jul 31, 2007 20:47:32 GMT -5
I wrote a post on my lj awhile ago about Human/Demon Prejudice in the Buffyverse, which comes to a head in this episode. And eetah to what Rob said about about everyone's acting, particularly NB, in the confrontation scene. |
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Post by Lola m on Aug 1, 2007 7:20:30 GMT -5
I love Entropy. I think that it may be my favorite word in the English language and one of my most favorite scientific concepts. I love how this episode is the very conceptualization of entropy. Entropy is the measure of disorder or chaos in a system; the Second Law of Thermodynamics states that total entropy of any isolated system tends to increase over time. The S'cubies at this point in the series can be considered and isolated system, completely withdrawn into themselves. Entropy can only be decreased if energy (effort) is put into the system (making it no longer isolated). What all this means really, is what Tara says at the end of the episode: "Things fall apart. They fall apart so hard. You can't ever put them back the way they were... There's just so much to work through... It's a long, important process, and can we just skip it? Can you just be kissing me now?" It's a long, important process, but if you skip it, then utter chaos will ensue, as we shall see. Sometimes even if you put in the effort, it's not enough, too little, too late. **nods nods nods nods** Too much has been hidden from each other, they've all been carefully looking away from what they don't want to see for it, they've been in their "isolated system", as you mention below, for things to not fall apart more. It's very Joss, but also very true for what we've seen all season, for us to have the momentary relief we'll see in the next ep (Tara and Willow happy together, Xander and Buffy having the talks they need to have) before it all goes even more to hell. I love the interview montage too!! Joss shows always have wonderful editing, placing lines and scenes next to each other for comic or dramatic or thematic effect. things with in Willow and Tara all confused, Dawn all confused and placating and jumpy, Buffy all "I haven't had that many guys!". Not to mention Anya and her "squish, squish, squish". ;D Very nicely put! Life, like magic, has consequences. |
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Post by Lola m on Aug 1, 2007 7:28:56 GMT -5
I wrote a post on my lj awhile ago about Human/Demon Prejudice in the Buffyverse, which comes to a head in this episode. And eetah to what Rob said about about everyone's acting, particularly NB, in the confrontation scene. I like how you point out that the Buffyverse shows us not just one perspective. We see a full range of attitudes from different people, including attitudes that change over time. We see hatred from both sides and we see, well, niceness. Along with a whole lot of territory in between. |
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Post by Spaced Out Looney on Aug 1, 2007 16:50:17 GMT -5
Wow, there is so much more I could say about this episode, but I'll just leave with this: Anya: Next thing you know, I'm changing to please him. I care if he cares! And I'm off my guard. Happy! I'm singing in the shower and doing my sexy dance?! Spike: Exactly. [beat] I have … no dance.   |
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Post by beccaelizabeth on Aug 19, 2009 14:52:10 GMT -5
Oddly little happens in this episode, yet everything is set up and a ton of things are resolved. The demon of the week plot doesn't manage to do much, the geek of the week plot goes nowhere, but the team relationships just play out beautiful.
Buffyverse is known for taking painful real emotion stuff and making it a demon. Well, this ep, they already have two demons, and they're both in painful emotional stuff. But instead of resolving things with magic or metaphor, they just have drunk sex and regret. Most straightforward. Saying what they mean.
Xander gets close to flat out evil here. He swings an axe at a guy just because he's shagged Anya. That would be known as 'murder'. All that about the evil soulless undead? He's the most consistently bothered about that, but he hasn't done anything axe related about it before. This was just a human guy reacting poorly. This, not the altar thing, is Xander's low ebb. And yet, Xander has been fighting evil for a few years now. That's the best his aim gets? Drunk surprised Spike in a doorway could dodge it. Not exactly accurate. So is that the best attempt at killing him Xander could make, or is it just shoving him around? Either way, too far.
Willow and Tara are so sweet. Ouch.
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Post by SpringSummers on Aug 19, 2009 19:23:28 GMT -5
Oddly little happens in this episode, yet everything is set up and a ton of things are resolved. The demon of the week plot doesn't manage to do much, the geek of the week plot goes nowhere, but the team relationships just play out beautiful. Buffyverse is known for taking painful real emotion stuff and making it a demon. Well, this ep, they already have two demons, and they're both in painful emotional stuff. But instead of resolving things with magic or metaphor, they just have drunk sex and regret. Most straightforward. Saying what they mean. Xander gets close to flat out evil here. He swings an axe at a guy just because he's shagged Anya. That would be known as 'murder'. All that about the evil soulless undead? He's the most consistently bothered about that, but he hasn't done anything axe related about it before. This was just a human guy reacting poorly. This, not the altar thing, is Xander's low ebb. And yet, Xander has been fighting evil for a few years now. That's the best his aim gets? Drunk surprised Spike in a doorway could dodge it. Not exactly accurate. So is that the best attempt at killing him Xander could make, or is it just shoving him around? Either way, too far. Willow and Tara are so sweet. Ouch. Been reading and loving your comments on the eps, becca. This is a low point for Xander, I agree. I think he doesn't kill Spike because it isn't his aim to kill Spike, not really. He's over the top, but not so far over the top that he completely loses control, IMO. His behavior reminds me of Willow's much more significant and total loss of control when Tara is murdered . . . as with Willow, at the crux of Xander's outrage is his anger at himself and his own mistreatment of his loved one - his own self-loathing. |
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Post by beccaelizabeth on Aug 20, 2009 17:36:11 GMT -5
Oddly little happens in this episode, yet everything is set up and a ton of things are resolved. The demon of the week plot doesn't manage to do much, the geek of the week plot goes nowhere, but the team relationships just play out beautiful. Buffyverse is known for taking painful real emotion stuff and making it a demon. Well, this ep, they already have two demons, and they're both in painful emotional stuff. But instead of resolving things with magic or metaphor, they just have drunk sex and regret. Most straightforward. Saying what they mean. Xander gets close to flat out evil here. He swings an axe at a guy just because he's shagged Anya. That would be known as 'murder'. All that about the evil soulless undead? He's the most consistently bothered about that, but he hasn't done anything axe related about it before. This was just a human guy reacting poorly. This, not the altar thing, is Xander's low ebb. And yet, Xander has been fighting evil for a few years now. That's the best his aim gets? Drunk surprised Spike in a doorway could dodge it. Not exactly accurate. So is that the best attempt at killing him Xander could make, or is it just shoving him around? Either way, too far. Willow and Tara are so sweet. Ouch. Been reading and loving your comments on the eps, becca. This is a low point for Xander, I agree. I think he doesn't kill Spike because it isn't his aim to kill Spike, not really. He's over the top, but not so far over the top that he completely loses control, IMO. His behavior reminds me of Willow's much more significant and total loss of control when Tara is murdered . . . as with Willow, at the crux of Xander's outrage is his anger at himself and his own mistreatment of his loved one - his own self-loathing. I'd like to think he doesn't want to kill Spike, but it's just possible either way. Which is fun from a writing point of view but not from a Spike point of view. And yeah, Xander is angry at himself. The fake vision was of Anya who cheats on him with demons and Xander doing violence. Vision, against Anya, reality, against demon. It's the behaviour he sees in himself, the stuff that worries him. Makes him angry... makes him understand stuff? |
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Post by SpringSummers on Aug 21, 2009 7:33:32 GMT -5
Been reading and loving your comments on the eps, becca. This is a low point for Xander, I agree. I think he doesn't kill Spike because it isn't his aim to kill Spike, not really. He's over the top, but not so far over the top that he completely loses control, IMO. His behavior reminds me of Willow's much more significant and total loss of control when Tara is murdered . . . as with Willow, at the crux of Xander's outrage is his anger at himself and his own mistreatment of his loved one - his own self-loathing. I'd like to think he doesn't want to kill Spike, but it's just possible either way. Which is fun from a writing point of view but not from a Spike point of view. It is possible either way, agree. I see it as "He wants to kill Spike, but he doesn't want it quite enough." Well, I think you have a point there. Xander sure seems to understand Willow, at the end of the season. |
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