‘Once more with feeling’ of course. I know this episode has been discussed at length here but I didnt read them as I dont watch Buffy.
However, I watched this episode because I was suckered in by recognising it was the musical one - no flies on me - and wondering how it would work - I thought it was genius! And fantastically brave.
I’m not interested in back story or who ends up with whom, but the songwriting and styles fitted to different characters was ace; the knowingnessof it’s own storylines -‘Dawn’s in trouble - must be Tuesday’ - the Cahnesque mid-rhymes and false rhymes were nicely done and although the premise of a dance demon was stretching it for me - I guess in the Buffy world it was ok.
My only gripes would be Buffy’s big song at the end - those awful synchopated changes meant I couldnt hear what she was singing; that she had to go alone - but then they had to follow; and the demon was going to take whoever had summoned him -but not if it’s a guy!
Overall TOP TV - and if they ever show them in order again -I’m in.
Another episode you may want to look for is Hush: it’s the one I use to suck people in to watching Buffy.
One of the scariest things I’ve ever seen on TV, with a gimmick braver than Once More with Feeling’s gimmick, and it works wonderfully both in the season and as a stand-alone episode. Good stuff!
Daniel
Another favorite with great cinemotography is The Body from Season 5.
Two of my favorites were Dead Things and Fool For Love—they weren’t “gimmick” episodes. They were just really well written and beautifully shot. I never realized how gorgeous the cinemotography was until I was making videos with clips from the episodes, and watching each clip carefully without sound…then they just blew me away.
They show them in order on FX. They’ll pause once in awhile for special marathons, or some days it’ll only be one episode instead of two. But they always play them in order. Tonight is…Goodbye Iowa…so they’re in the middle of the 4th season.
I can relate to Xander very well, so “The Zeppo” is my favorite episode. The one with Kindertot, where Xander faces down Angelus in a hospital waiting room, is the best scene. “Hush” has the scariest-looking bad guys.