"Arbitrar Of Quality" <tsmtsm@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in message
news:26ffbcd7-aeb3-488b-9c47-dfda2be1862c@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER
> Season Six, Episode 11: "Doublemeat Palace"
> I may have actually laughed harder at this the second time.
This episode has steadily improved for me, though it's never going to
crack
the Good threshold.
> It's a
> big dumb silly episode that lives up to the limits of its premise, and
> no more. In this case, I'm not so big on the plot relevance,
I know you're not big on Halfrak (I love her myself), but this episode is
really pushing Anya's part in the coming wedding debacle. Anya cheerfully
explains why demons are better than people and then gleefully greats her
demon best friend just as Halfrak is threatening Xander with untold
horrors. Halfrak is here to demonstrate the part of Anya that she
continues
to idealize - unable to even grasp that it's a problem in her human life.
We've discussed this before. Right now I'm just pointing out that it's a
pretty substantial side story for this episode - and a new development.
Willow's story is fairly substantial too, though I think a bit confused.
This is a period where I think the series is uncertain what addictive
magic
means, but feels compelled to push the recovering addict story for a
while.
Gone through As You Were each bring in their own unique attributes that I
don't personally think fit together particularly well - especially
compared
to how S7 seeks to redirect the whole concept.
Spuffy's story is fairly scant, but includes an especially scuzzy moment
of
sex - emphasizing the dirtiness of it all so much as to be kind of
upsetting.
So the episode does have notable plot advancing elements. I suppose the
main story is aimed for the becoming an adult theme with actually
facing up to the compelling need for an income. I'm sure one could
construct something to make that sound important, but I don't think it
merits more than a shrug. The Doublemeat experience works best for its
humor, which keeps the overall impression of the episode pretty light
weight.
> but it
> also succeeds in delivering some isolated belly laughs with the look
> into the fast food industry and its pro-cesses and grease buildups and
> such. I laugh harder than at "Gone," but the latter seems like a more
> worthwhile episode overall despite its flaws, so, a wash in the battle
> of unfairly maligned S6 lightweights.
Gone remains my least liked episode of the season, but that's only because
I
don't find anything close to Weak in S6. I don't quite get why DP has
been
so maligned. It has controversies of sorts, but pretty mild compared to
the
rest of the season. Mostly I think it's funny.
> Amy makes one last appearance
> in DmP as her plotline gives up on making any kind of sense to me
> around now,
I think it's the continuing addict resenting and sabatoging the recovering
addict. Which naturally causes friction and provides, I think, a good way
to end her part this season. Amy wants Willow to stay hooked. The magic
itself, however pretty it is, seems an awkward fit, but Amy's behavior
makes
sense to me.
> and it also kicks the "unfunny demons" part of the Xander/
> Anya story into high gear with the introduction of Halfrek
> Rating: Decent
Yep. Decent.
> Season Six, Episode 12: "Dead Things"
> I said that this was one to slowly digest, and I think I was right on
> that one. There's a lot going on here that isn't immediately obvious
> - one could argue that that's a flaw, but in this case I'm inclined to
> be glad it's there.
The episode tends to sucker you with a seemingly lightweight beginning
that
feels nothing like an important episode. But the elements incrementally
dig
deeper and harder, with the opening lightweight stuff redounding to great
effect, until finishing off with two emotionally draining climaxes. When
it's over Buffy's reached, I think, three different peaks/valleys with
regards to Spike, and has made one of the most important reconnections to
her natural self that she'll make all season - even though it hurts her
like
hell and feels to her like failure.
Spike's seductive words and manner (which are simultaneously crude and
degrading) come the closest they will all year to winning Buffy over - so
much so that I think Spike standing at the door of his crypt, sensing
Buffy
outside, believes for a moment that he's actually won his campaign. But
then it gets blown away by some bizarre event. It's all downhill from
here
for Spike as he never regains his balance. Never grasps what's gone
wrong.
Remains stubbornly sure that he's right, that he's Buffy's solution. The
episode does a really nice job of showing the paradox that is Spike. The
unfeeling preying monster as opposed to the devoted lover who will lay
everything down for his love. The only vampire we ever see who turns to
human face when beat upon.
Meanwhile the Trio at their most juvenile, ga-ga over big boobs and such,
suddenly find themselves murderers - a moment after realizing they were
trying to be rapists. Now they're caught in a seriously evil spiral
that they're so no ready for. And they can never be quite so cute and
funny
again. The latter is a bit of a loss, but somehow making their story
serious is a bit of a miracle for the series. Their parallel to the
Scoobies - especially Willow - is really coming out now as we see their
past
indulgances catching up with themselves too. You can really sense now
that
this won't end well for them. But that doesn't mean it will end well for
the Scoobies. How different, really, are the two opposing groups?
The contrast of Warren being energized by his evil deeds with Jonathan
being
appalled is great, but it's Andrew switching sides from Jonathan to Warren
that really moves the balance of power to Warren's favor. Because they
really are getting away with murder. That's so cool. You can practically
see him thinking that, wow, maybe they really are super villains. I
remember being least interested in Andrew when I first watched this season
-
there seemed to be so little there. I surely didn't imagine him being the
enduring one of the three. But I've since modified my views considerably.
That he is the balance of power within the Trio is reason enough. But I'm
also intrigued by the peculiar purity of his character, that never lets go
of the fantasy world that feels so real and rewarding to him.
This is great stuff in a pivotal episode that also looks good and has some
fine music.
This episode is also a nice example of how every positive step for Buffy
comes with so much pain that it feels like a step back.
Tara: You're the same Buffy. [that she was before she died]
It's great news. And it makes Buffy weep in despair, begging Tara not to
forgive her. Amazing.
> I've complained about my general boredom with the
> Buffy/Spike "relationship" because with characters so interesting,
> shouldn't the show be able to come up with something layered and
> twisted and miserable? Well, "Dead Things" gets it totally right
> (although I still say the balcony scene is just silly).
I think they struggle a fair amount all season physically depicting
eroticism on a family hour TV show. But don't the words and situation
work?
To me it's the peak of Buffy's sense of disconnect with her friends
matched
with her attraction to Spike away from them. Spike sees this in her and
pounces - makes her really feel that conflict in a way that can only point
to Spike as the solution. I think it's a great Spike moment where the
conniving monster in him is making the play, but the motivation - which I
think Buffy always gets, at lest subconsciously - is to cure Buffy of her
despair. Spike really believes he knows what's wrong with her and that
he's
the cure. Come to the dark side. (I suddenly have this urge to make
thematic comparisons to Star Wars. But I'll resist.) And the poor guy is
never entirely wrong either. But... evil bloodsucking fiend. What's a
vampire to do?
Anyway, I really like the image looking down on the Scoobies happy and
dancing where Buffy can see, but can't reach.
> It's. In a
> few episodes, Buffy will claim that being with Spike is "killing" her,
> but this is the episode that sells the audience on that notion, with
> the way her mind sees her as the abuser and with her rage during the
> alley sequence. I think I've also expressed my appreciation of the
> way that scene resonates more if one has seen "Consequences" and "Who
> Are You?" (what could frighten Buffy back into caring more than the
> idea that she could end up like Spike or Faith?) but stands on its own
> just fine too.
I think Ted helps too, though the two you reference connect more directly.
The one way that I don't think it stands quite so well on its own is that
Buffy is specifically re-connecting to a core principle established so
strongly in those earlier episodes. That past isn't just character
foundation in the usual sense, but a more literal connection where
circumstance and Spike's inadvertant choice of words force back to the
surface Buffy's then defining experience in Consequences.
> Connected but separate, this is also the episode that
> takes Warren and company to their logical conclusion, and makes damn
> sure that their lust for power and women and power over women won't be
> so pathetically funny anymore once they actually get their power, and
> gives us a Big Bad that's scary because it's so human. Unfortunately,
> the execution of Buffy's show-closing breakdown is leaden in how much
> doesn't work for me, which is a shame, because it's a reasonable idea
> conceptually that maybe should have been the perfect cap to a very
> strong hour.
Works for me. I'm totally engaged in it. I'm guessing that it's the kind
of emotional display that isn't going to be appreciated universally.
(Your
reaction here reminds me of my indifferent reaction to Kate's emotional
break-down in The Prodigal. Again, no problem with concept. The
performance just didn't fully work for me.)
> Ah, well, I'm just thrilled to have Tara back for the
> third quarter of S6 (she wasn't even gone for as long as it feels
> like), and with a life outside Willow at that.
While not a major part of this episode, it does slowly advance one of the
Buffy cure threads where she reconnects with her friends. Connecting with
Tara is a little like connecting with Spike since she's kind of on the
outside, which also makes it easier. But obviously she's so much
healthier,
and it's a little interesting that Buffy's probably feeling closer to Tara
here and in the next episode than she has in the entire BtVS run. And
even
though it hurt like hell, it probably helped Buffy a lot to finally reveal
to somebody what's going on. Buffy advances herself several ways this
episode. Past the mid-point, I think, of her metaphorical climb from her
grave.
> Rating: Excellent (up from Good)
Still Excellent. It's around here that I start losing the ability to make
an all-time BtVS top ten list. This feels like it belongs on that list,
but I wouldn't know what to push off. (I know you'd say Hells Bells, but
that doesn't work for me.) It's damned good wherever it belongs.
> Season Six, Episode 13: "Older And Far Away"
> Writer: Drew Z. Greenberg
> Director: Michael E. Gershman
>
> This is easily my favorite of Drew's contributions, a distinction akin
> to the proverbial "world's tallest midget" honor. I'm just impressed
> at how a theoretically Dawn-centric episode can fail so completely
> with its Dawn storyline and generally be good in spite of it. I tend
> to lose patience with characters who are loud and irritating even when
> it's understandable, and reacting to life-threatening containment
> spells with "hihi" ain't understandable.
Dawn's character is a bit of a dramatic paradox I think. As I mentioned
last time, I think that her juvenile acting out (more juvenile than her
age)
is intended to demonstrate how Buffy and friends aren't letting her grow.
And the way she's seeking attention has progressively become more
reckless,
so that now she hands what she steals directly to Buffy with the security
tag
still attached - something she obviously can't afford. In context, I
don't
really have a problem with her irrational response to Halfrak's granted
wish. Also remember the constant influence of the Sunnydale effect.
Inner
fears turned monstrously real. The wish isn't some random evil. It's
drawn
directly from Dawn's inner desires. So it would naturally touch her in a
way that wouldn't make sense from the outside. The show addresses that
disconnect too. Everybody in the house is completely taken aback that she
would take personally their desire to break the spell. It's no more
understanable to the people in the show than it is to you.
The problem is, of course, that she's so damned annoying as a result.
That
whiney little brat. I definitely appreciate the sense of Dawn fatigue
that
this episode produces.
Still, I appreciate the ending of Buffy staying inside with Dawn too, and
recognize it as another step in Buffy reconnecting with the people around
her. (Though she's still got a ways to go to understand that she's got to
let Dawn grow.) I like the story part for Dawn. It's just a chore at
times
having to witness it.
> Fortunately, OAFA keeps Dawn
> off-screen enough to give us a reasonable looking party that yields a
> rare chance for Buffy to chill without being either excited or
> distressed, a fair amount of Clem, and Tara of all people giving Spike
> a hard time.
Tara cracks me up this episode. I also appreciate the simple way she
explains her understanding of Buffy's situation by referring to Buffy's
reluctance to tell people about Spike as not coming out. An economy of
words that I've never been able to achieve.
I'm also realizing that the Tara/Buffy connection is a major trigger to
Tara/Willow reconciliation. Tara never stopped caring for Willow, but
just
last episode she still exhibited the expectation that Willow would screw
up.
What drove them apart hadn't been rectified. She needed to see Willow up
close, which Buffy's invite provided, to thaw her trust issues some and
introduce hope. It's a nicely organic construct that may be subtly more
important than the particular fireworks about magic this episode. (And
I'm
still wondering why Spike seemed to be on Willow's side in the argument.)
> The Willow/Tara, W/T/everyone else yelling at them, and
> Xander/Anya moments speak for themselves, really, but jump out at me
> for believability of dialogue while incorporating the personalities of
> these characters we know so well. These are good people to spend a
> little time with, even if you're dying to get out by the end.
Most of the episode is positively cheerful. And even the scary parts
offer
happy endings. I note that Buffy mostly acts very normal and - well -
Buffy
like. Sometimes even chipper. ("Ooh. Shiny.") The natural Buffy
personality is snuck into various places this year a lot more often than
the
dirge like reputation of the season might suggest.
While the Willow/Tara part of the episode is a big deal, I personally
think
the Anya element is the greater of the side stories. She has a larger
than
usual role, repeatedly showing up at or near the center of action. (I'm
especially struck at how hurt she is by the discovery of Dawn's stealing -
completely forgetting how moments before she was ready to accuse Dawn of
anything.) There's a lot of good stuff in that, but there's also a larger
subtext around the whole situation having been created by a vengeance
demon.
Halfrek is Anya's mirror, but Anya can't grasp the implications of what is
being shown in it.
> Rating: Good
This is another episode that keeps improving for me. This one might make
it
to Good sometime too. But not this time. Between the annoyance that is
Dawn and an exaggeration in some of the scenes and performances that comes
across a little stilted to me, it feels like it falls short of genuinely
being Good. I am entertained though.
> Season Six, Episode 14: "As You Were"
> A certain highly influential poster has suggested viewing this episode
> Zeppo-style, thinking of it as being filtered through Buffy's
> emotional viewpoint rather than as literally true in all the details.
Is influence peddling more than artful subversion? If a few carefully
chosen phrases are switched, would it collapse to trolling? Did Willow's
downfall really begin when she was reduced to saying, “Oh yeah? Well, -
so's your face!”.... Boy, do I digress!
I lean towards a Zeppoish interpretation, but it's considerably less than
Zeppo as an episode construction. The Zeppo was a carefully devised
concept
piece that included a Rosencrantz and Guildenstern like story within a
story
and a bunch of self referential elements to mock - in addition to the
exaggerated single character viewpoint. As such I think it's much more
impressive.
AYW seems to me to use the exaggerated viewpoint frequently to get across
how much Riley's appearance throws Buffy off balance and jolts her out of
her self loathing. I think virtually everything showing Riley as a larger
than life action hero is mostly Buffy going ga-ga. Sam is also the
idealization of what Buffy imagines she could have been like with Riley.
It
seems impossible to me that either of those images are really true. Hence
the Zeppo reference.
There are other theories. Elisi pointed me towards a delightful one where
it's all a Riley plot bedazzle Buffy and get her away from Spike. Maybe
even payback to both. That would explain many of the seeming plot holes.
It's a fun idea, but I'm dubious of it. It seems awfully obscure for a
devious plot to be depicted with no sign of anyone plotting, nor bothering
to hang around to see it pay off. It has lots of gaps too.
Sometimes I like to think of Riley and (mainly) Sam as demony products of
the Sunnydale effect. (Inner demons come to life, blah-blah.) That's
very
consistent with BtVS's traditional use of metaphor - just a little sneaky
in
using a past character as its embodiment. One of the nice things about
the
Sunnydale effect is that you can blame so many problems on it. (Oh, it's
just the hellmouth at work.) So what if Riley didn't properly tell Buffy
what's going on? He's a hellmouth demon out to mess with Buffy, not deal
with her straight.
> It's an excuse, but it does let us ignore things like Riley not
> bothering to mention that they want the monster alive, or the extent
> of Buffy's disbelief that Spike could be involved in anything evil,
> and the cheesiness of that helicopter shot, and basically enjoy the
> episode a little more.
There's at least one mundane explanation for Riley's faltering. (Which
also
can be seen as a hint that Buffy's viewpoint is distorted.) He just
screwed
up - mainly because he's all discombulated by being around Buffy. Riley
pretty much says so.
Riley: Look ... you think this was easy for me?
Buffy: Yeah! I think it was a rollicking adventure, fun for the whole
family.
Riley: I was terrified about seeing you again.
Riley's military training let him hide behind a facade of certainty, but
maybe he was trembling the whole time inside.
Buffy's disbelief that Spike could be The Doctor (which probably is an
exaggerated concept itself) is something else, I think. One of the points
of the episode is to snap Buffy out of a mode where she has become so
accustomed to dismissing Spike's bad behavior as Spike just being Spike,
that she's stopped even noticing it. This especially goes to the trust
theme that will eventually become the deciding factor. You can't trust
Spike. DT brought the notion up. But here is where it becomes tangible
in
a way that jolts Buffy.
> Even if one isn't annoyed by that stuff, one
> has to deal with a show I've always considered to be a fairly slow
> one, since we spend a lot of time with Riley and Sam, whose lives are
> only interesting for Buffy's reactions. That's especially true
> because AYW isn't really about Riley so much as about Buffy and her
> view of herself, and where Spike fits into that. It has a good pep
> talk to that effect, but the ending has never struck me as the big
> deal that it should, given that it really is the end of Buffy and
> Spike as fuck-buddies. Others have commented on how moving it is when
> she calls him "William," or on how Gellar looks like she's had a huge
> weight lifted as she exits the episode, but I have honestly never been
> able to see the scene as particularly noteworthy.
From comments on this episode following your first review. (It's one of
my
favorite posts too.)
-- But what could be more humiliating than being caught naked with Spike
by
-- Riley? Riley, the guy she drove away in considerable part because she
-- couldn't accept his turning to vampires for comfort - to feel.
Evidently,
-- just about anything. For Riley finds no shame there. Kind of a shock
until
-- you realize that Riley's probably the one person who could best
understand.
-- He's been there. And now, in a secure and happy relationship with Sam,
he's
-- freed from the jealousy that might cloud that understanding. Instead
he
-- stands like a beacon showing Buffy that it really is possible to
overcome
-- something like this.
--
-- Yet again, something she desperately needed to know.
--
-- So we get the ultimate payoff for the episode when she breaks up with
-- Spike - again - but seemingly more honestly than before. No
vindictiveness
-- here. (Thank you, Riley.) She's decent to Spike. Accepts his nature.
-- Admits affection. Even calls him William - a reminder of the respect
she
-- eventually offered Spike in S5 when they'd actually found a pretty good
-- relationship for a while. But she's honest with him too in letting him
know
-- that being with him is destroying her.
It's not so much the drama of the moment in itself as it is the
demonstration of Buffy changed - even almost at peace with their
relationship. (Though it must end. There's some irony I think that the
moment she stops wanting to fight Spike is when she stops being his
lover.)
It also stands out as a gentle, even tender moment in what has been such a
stormy relationship. Perhaps most of all it's healthy. It exhibits growth
for Buffy in a way that DT most decidedly does not.
> You know what I
> think my problem is? As far as I'm concerned, this part of the story
> was over after "Dead Things."
I've thought about this some more since our prior exchange. I think the
simplest distinction - the reason that this part of the story wasn't over
after Dead Things - is that the stripping away of illusion in DT acted to
accentuate Buffy's self loathing. She thought she was more worthless than
ever. Here is where she found her self worth again.
Riley: ...it doesn't change what you are. And you are a hell of a woman.
The sentiment might be too pat and kind of sappy, but it's something Buffy
desperately needed to hear.
This is mostly what I meant by Buffy finding her low point with Spike this
episode. With most of the illusion stripped away, she still goes back to
Spike. Riley, and especially Sam, initially only prove to her how
worthless
she's become. She used to have an excuse. She used to have rage. Now
she's just pitiful. Until Riley re-awakens who she really is.
> Rating: Decent
Yet another episode on this disc that keeps improving for me, making this
disc one of the more entertaining ones for me right now - somewhat beyond
its actual value. I find it fascinating in construct and content both.
And
it feels good too. You need doses of that in hard storyline. This is
creeping awfully close to an Excellent rating, but I'm going to stick with
Good for now.
One last thing about our prior conversation. What really keeps Buffy
going
to Spike? (Not just after DT, though it's especially surprising then, but
all along.) There are surely multiple influences. Gratitude over Spike
saving her life. The oft mentioned turning to him to feel. The
disconnect
with Buffy's living friends that constantly leaves her with Spike. And a
host of other things. But I believe the strongest element gets expressed
in
this AYW exchange.
Buffy: Tell me you love me.
Spike: I love you. You know I do.
Buffy: Tell me you want me.
Spike: I always want you. In point of fact-
Buffy: Shut up
Buffy's pent up feelings about Riley aren't just something to get past.
They reveal Buffy's own neediness. (Including, maybe a little of the on
demand the she wants it part. "Shut up." Though that line is probably
more
about obscuring Spike's faults - why he can't meet her needs.) I think
Buffy reaches towards her loves as safe havens. More than sex, though sex
seems to be the expression she understands best. Spike came to Buffy in
OMWF as a lifeline to cling to. And cling she did. That clinging is
pretty
much all that's left by this point. All the things wrong with Spike were
killing her - in the sense of being anathema to who Buffy is. But that's
not the totality of Spike. I think the lifeline was always a good thing.
I find myself struggling to express this properly. Perhaps a look ahead
to
S7 will help. That was mostly a non-sexual relationship until very late.
But Spike was filling a need for Buffy none the less. The almost domestic
quality to their interactions betrayed a letting down of her guard with
him
while she was building walls everywhere else. The haven Spike represented
was something she desperately needed then too, even though it's not
expressed quite the same way. It may even have preceded OMWF. I can't
help
thinking of how she imagined how Spike was supposed to fix all her
problems
in Life Serial, or her long history of using Spike as family protector.
Maybe Buffy understands these feelings by the end of S7. I don't know. I
really doubt she does in S6. But I think the sense that Spike will stand
with her when she needs it, however she needs it, really attracts her.
Hell, even Riley wouldn't go that far. (That, incidentally, might be the
greater source of her guilt about "using" Spike. Riley couldn't tolerate
the on demand quality to that. But Spike can.) This may be the center of
the trust issue too. She'd come to depend on Spike this way, but can she
really trust Spike to come through? Spike said he'd never hurt her.
Seeing
Red says otherwise.
OBS
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