[spoiler] Just some quick thoughts, since I gotta rush. Quite a few things are resolved in this ep. and we’re left with a coule of new cliffhangers. Re-appearances by some old fiends are also fun. And Andrew is still a very good asset.
Spike’s chip is malfunctioning, the Scobbies are allerted to the fact that Giles might not be what he seems to be. And Willow gets to do some soul-searching. Tre parallelll plots, tension and sex. This ep. was fun. [/spoiler]
[spoiler]I don’t know if Drew Greenberg acts as a sock puppet for Joss, but Willow’s speach in the bar about being gay ASF seems addressed to those that objected to Tara’s death.
Kennedy is a babe.
And wasn’t the initiative filled with cement or something? IIRC, the gov’t guy at the end of S4, when evaluating the FUBAR, gave orders about it. Or didn’t he? (Pepper - you should know. I can’t find the energy to dig out my DVD)
Nitpick: They started the season with cell phones. But these handy devices have gone missing lately. One would think that the Scoobies would call the Buffster, before going on a road trip. Or are cell phones only part of the Buffyverse, when handy as plot devices?
[/spoiler]
Gorgon - as an added bonus this week: No Whiney!Dawn.
When I read the spoilers I wa sless than impressed and hoped they would change the dialogue and drop the scene where Spike enters the room, screams in pain, passes out on the floor, and no one notices. I hated all the Kennedy/Willow interaction. “Giles is the FE” plot is a C plot. The chip was a major plot point in several episodes of 4 and the only reason Spike stayed alive, and it’s a B point to Willow’s “Guilt”.
[spoiler]Mr. Ward: It is therefore our recommendation that this project be
terminated and all records concerning it expunged. Our soldiers’ll be
debriefed. Standard confidentiality clause. We will monitor the
civilians. And the usual measures prepared should they try to go
public. (ponders) I don’t think they will.
Cut to a black and white monitor showing the aftermath of the battle.
Camera pans around to show the carnage. Dead commandos and demons
alike. Several demons feeding on dead humans.
Mr. Ward: (VO) The Initiative itself will be filled in with concrete.
Burn it down, gentlemen. (pause) Burn it down . . . and salt the
earth.[/spoiler]
[spoiler]I had no real objection to people not noticing that Spike sreamed and collapsed. They were a bit distracted, what with meeting up with what appeared to be the return of Warren and all.
Glad they finally resolved the “is he or isn’t he” business with Giles. I never believed that he was but as a plot point it had served its purpose.
Did anyone else expect Amy to go all demon-facey and D’Hoffren to appear? I have to say, Amy’s rationale for casting the malediction lacked force for me. She’s pissed off at Willow because people like her? Gee Amy, maybe if you weren’t such an uber-bitch people might like you too. The gang certainly seemed to be liking you up until you turned yourself into a rat for years. Not really their fault you missed out on the bonding time, now is it? And what did you do upon being restored–by Willow whom you seem to hate so much? Hook her up with Wrack, then after she swears off the magicks juice her up as a “birthday present.”
And I have no idea why Willow would seek out a group whom she believes to be blessed wanna-bes with whom she hasn’t associated for three years instead of, say, calling the super-powerful coven she’s been involved with for the last year.
And I was thoroughly disappointed that The Initiative isn’t a concrete-filled hole. I don’t believe for a second that the U.S. Army would leave the bodies of any of their soldiers lying exposed in a pit. I have to admit I was sort of hoping that Adam might make a token appearance even though it would make no logical sense whatsoever. I just always liked Adam and the actor who played him.[/spoiler]
Golly, when i was watching the episode I really enjoyed it, but now that I’m thinking about it it kinda has started sucking.
Just in case my commentary is in a spoiler box. Not much in the way of specifics but I think the commens wouldn’t be so good to read before seeing the episode.
I liked the episode more than I disliked the nagging details. I think it would have been far better if they had run it straight up as a fairy tale style story. The episode would have been tighter and as an added benifit Kennedy’s final line could have been changed to leave out the explicit fairy tale comparison.
I think both sub-plots should have been hacked out. Spike’s chip is a good plot but it should get more of an episode and not totally break continuity by having the compound still there as anything other than a partially filled cement pit. While I admit that filling a hole in the ground overrun with demons may be difficult I am sure that the Army could figure out a way to do it.
The Giles as TFE plot was mornic. Now I admit the line “Wait, so you think I’m evil if I take a group of girls out into the desert and don’t touch anyone?” was really amusing as was the tackling scene. Still it is simply not possible to get from England to America with a group of teenagers without touching something while someone was looking. Additionally I refuse to believe he never ate with anyone else around. There as never a moment where it would be reasonable for viewers to believe that Giles was TFE and the farse just robbed us of seeing him get ripper on the Harbringer that was about to kill him.
All in all I’d give it a 6 or so out of 10. Most points lost for not living up to potential. I’m a tad worried about next weeks but I still have shreds of faith in Joss and company.
sigh
I was too busy yelling at the screen most of the episode to enjoy it.
The Iniative never gave Spike drugs. He refused to drink the blood, and he didn’ tknow about the chip until he attacked Willow. That was the point of the dorm scene. He didn’t figure out the chip until later. As a matter of fact, the chip didn’t “kick in” until after he escaped, or else he wouldn’t have been able to escape to begin with.
Oh ewll, the writers don’t care about the show enough to check details like that, or why Amy thought Willow was always more powerufl. Let’s see, she was able to turn Buffy into a rat (ando ut of a rat) and turn herself into a rat, and Willow wasn’t able to figure out how to undo that for 3 years. Yep, it’s obvious that Willow as always leaps and bounds ahead of Amy, even though her power didn’t grow into something manageable until the 5th season.
And the Giles subplot was absolutely pointless. The only thing I could think of it that would make non-pointless is if the Giles we have now is somehow Pod!Giles and we’re all tricked into believing he’s normal because he’s not First!Giles.
I give the ep 4/10 and that’s just because JM is the only one who’s not phoning in his scenes. SMG is less than impressive and during the Willow/Kennedy scene in the Bronze, I thought I was watching a high school play. It’s funny though that Kennedy and Warren have more chemistry than Willow/Kennedy.
I’ll give it an 8. Points lost for continuity. And since the episode has aired in all four time zones, I think we can dispense with the spoiler boxes. Also, I agree that the Spike’s chip story should have been the “A” plot.
Spike’s line about the chip going off when he got rambunctious and the Initiative boys giving him what was apparently a painkilling drug just didn’t fit. He didn’t even know he had been chipped until the dorm scene in “The Initiative” when he tried to eat Willow.
However, Giles saying, “Wait, you think I’m evil if I take a group of girls on a camping trip and don’t touch them?” was worth the price of admission.
Well, in defense of the writers, Spike’s explanation of what happened back in the initiative could be true, he just didn’t understand what was happening at the time it was happening, and now he does.
Hey, I’m holding on to whatever I can here, people. Work with me.
Well they did make a point of trying to tease the easily fooled by having Giles not be able to drive because his license had expired. Then there was that, “Oh Dawn, for no particular reason, you take this book out to the car” bit.
Of COURSE they never got around to filling the place with concrete. They called the contractor, who gave them an estimate and them promptly disappeared for six or seven years. Even for the Initiative, good help is hard to find.
I will forgive continuity problems, and lack of cell phone usage, because I enjoyed seeing Warren. I just realized that the writers didn’t use his full potential as an evil guy during S.6. I was annoyed that the Geek trio was played for laughs (almost) the whole time and on seeing Warren, me thinks it could have been a lot better last year if he had been more evil and less geek.
It was fun seeing Amy too (and whoa - she’s looking good). And I don’t agree Pepper - There is electricity 'tween Kennedy and Willow.
It’s not jumping the shark, people. Had this been an episode in S.2, everyone would have raved about its quality. Unfortunately, many in the audience expect the show to get better. I think it’s staying on par, with the occasional dip, and every now and then, we get a truly inspired episode. This was a standar ep, and thatäs fine with me.
