AKA The Wedding From Hell

Wow.  If my Kleenex box is a meter of a good show, then this one was good.  No, better than good.  Damn fine.  

The theme for this season: "Oh, grow up!"  How well did this episode further along the journey?

Here we are.  The day has arrived.  The first of the Scoobies to walk down the aisle and pledge his life to another.  One would think that this is the ultimate in growing up.  IMHO, Xander was really planning on marrying Anya because he loves her and that is what is expected of you when you love someone.  It's a childhood fantasy, really.  Fall in love, marry, have children, die happy.  Xander deciding to not marry Anya was a very grown up thing to do.  He showed the greatest amount of courage that I have seen yet in a BtVS character (aside from Buffy sending Angel to hell, oh, and Buffy sacrificing herself for the world, oh, and...never mind.  He was brave, okay?)

Willow and Tara were in this episode.  They made googly eyes at each other.  Um, Tara grew up a bit by starting to forgive Willow and Willow grew up a bit by, um, not trying to steal Xander?  I don't know.

Dawn grew past her delinquent phase a bit.  She didn't steal anything this entire episode.  Good for you Dawny!  Keep up the good work.  (Now, where did my purse go?)

Now to the nitty gritty.  Spike.  I have mixed feelings about him in this episode.  Obviously he brought the ho-biscuit to make Buffy jealous.  I mean, he even admitted it to Buffy's face.  But, did he really take her back to his place for some Hide the Sausage?  (Where is he even living nowadays?)  I'd like to think no.  I have a lot of faith in Spike as a character.  Sometimes too much.  I think I will just fanwank away and say he dropped her back off at the street corner where he picked her up in the first place.  "Here's your 10 bucks, Sandy.  Thanks for the company."   Anyhow, all in all, Spike scores a big fat zero in the "Growing Up" category.  Frenching a trashy ho at a wedding, just to get your ex jealous, then treating said ho like garbage?  No, Spike gets no points this round.  Better luck next time.

You have to give the poor guy credit though.  As hard as he tried to act "Big Bad", he just couldn't.  Guy wears his heart on his sleeve.  Poor William.

And finally, Buffy.  I'll start by pointing out that this is the first time we've seen Buffy involved in activities that are not All.About.Buffy.  It's a refreshing change.  It shows growth.  But, then I have to take points away for her turning it into All.About.Buffy anyway.  She glows over Xander in his smart looking tux.  But she's not so much happy for him as she is for herself.  He and Anya are her light at the end of the tunnel.  If they can make it work, then there is hope for herself.  How immature is that attitude?!  When she finally grows up, she'll realize that her friends' abilities to obtain and sustain loving relationships have nothing to do with her own romantic involvements.  She's been doing this since  Riley left ("Triangle").

Then, after the wedding that wasn't, the four girls are commiserating.  Dawn, Tara and Willow feel terrible for Anya.  Willow refuses to hate Xander (another growth moment as she realizes there are shades of grey).  But Buffy?  She feels sad because her light at the end of the tunnel was a train.  Egocentric much?

But Buffy wasn't all bad.  She gets points for trying to calm the masses that were trying to kill each other.  The charades and juggling were fun.  Sophomoric perhaps, but fun.  

Points to Ponder

Does Xander still hold a flame for Willow?

It's about time we got to see the Harris family.

Or not.

Who doesn't want to hit Anya(nka) with a frying pan?

I'm glad we finally got some acknowledgement for the weight that we've seen Xander gain.  This kind of brings the whole addiction thing full circle.  Willow is addicted to power and control.  Buffy is addicted to sex, or something like that <rolls eyes>.  Dawn is addicted to being the center of attention.  Spike is addicted to pain <rolls eyes>.  Xander is addicted to food.  (Anyanka is addicted to Evil...did I just say that?  Naw, not me.)  It all fits nicely.

I'm glad the old Xander was fake.  Otherwise, I'd have another thing to bitch about.  The nose was not a Xander nose, and the eyes were the wrong color.

What is it with Summers girls and demons?  I'm sure he was a nice demon boy and all, but it's starting to look suspicious now.  Was Hank human?

The Season's Big Bad Revealed?

Favorite humorous line: "He's a minictor."

Favorite serious line: "You're welcome."

Screen Caps courtesy of Spirit Crow