Selfless

<Kris collapses into her comfy chair, glaring at the sleet falling outside her window, as Spike the Wonder!Pup curls up at her feet...>

Well. I think I *need*a Diet Coke after this episode...

This episode left me feeling like a big "HUH?" was hanging over my head at the end... Buffy just didn't seem *right* - and I can't quite figure out if it's intentional, or if it was uneven writing/directing... Emma Caulfield was a joy to watch, and I was just giggling over our flashbacks to Sweden...

Oh, goodness. Let's just get to the quick thoughts, shall we?

Favorite recurring character's return:

Olaf the troll!!! Yippee!

When did *that* happen moment:

When did Dawn start trying to copy Buffy's hairstyles? And what's with the comment about "Try acting like everyone else?" Does that tie into the theme of the episode? More on that thought later...

Xander needs a clue moment:

It's not like Anya did any real damage, huh? What about Frankie? I seem to remember Anya getting all choked up over the poor pup's demise...

Say *what* moment:

Anya? Holding a rabbit? What gives?

Say *what* again moment:

I am the law? Since when? Someone needs to take this girl down a peg... but that's just my not-so-humble-opinion... (more on that later....)

More fire references:

First we see the man in St Petersburg running around in flames... and then we see D'Hoffryn make Hallie go poof - what gives?

Favorite nickname of the night:

Lady Hacks Away. <Snerk> It's so appropriate... especially for this ep.

Lack of continuity moment:

Was it just me, or was Anya's hair much shorter and *redder* during the musical than we saw tonight? I did, however, love the fact that we heard David Fury and Marti Noxon's duet out in the courtyard - that was a nice touch (no matter how I may feel about their writing, but that's another story....).

More nitpicky stuff:

Did anyone else notice that the Gamma in the frat house was backwards? (And to think that my mom thought I wouldn't get anything out of being in a sorority...)

Here's the thing, gang... something's up.

This episode just didn't feel *right,* and it ended with everyone essentially being alone, didn't it? Buffy managed to alienate Xander with her "take no prisoners" attitude about Anya, Anya's cut herself off from everyone and everything she knows in an effort to discover who *she* is (as opposed to simply mirroring whatever she has glommed onto), Willow feels like she's still not really accepted (and makes a point out of not helping Buffy to destroy Anya), and poor Spike is still abandoned down in the basement, no thanks to Tough Love Buffy. Heck - Giles is all alone in England (at least as far as the Sunnydale group is concerned), and Dawn - well, she's kinda there, but she wasn't really a focal point of this ep.

So... aside from seeing a pretty nice backstory fill in for a character who, at least in my mind, was way overdue for such a story... what was the point of tonight's ep, other than to confuse/irritate/enrage so many viewers?

There were definite parallels between Anya and Buffy... all that Anya had at the beginning of the ep was her Vengeance Demon identity, and Buffy is becoming more and more The Slayer, as opposed to Buffy, The Vampire Slayer. Big difference there, no? I've already seen some chat about this on the list, and I apologize if I'm repeating something someone else said - but let it be said that I heartily agree. Buffy seems to be losing herself in her mission, retreating into her world where there is only black and white (witness the clothing choices)... back at the end of Season 5, she was at least willing to see the grey in the middle.

I did love the fact that Xander called Buffy on her attitude, even if I didn't really like how he brought Spike into the whole picture (although you knew he would). And here's my question: if Spike was so *harmless,* then why did Buffy keep bringing Dawn to him for protection? Geez, that irked me... <grumble> I don't know if that was a writer's issue, or if that was meant to show that Buffy just *isn't right* - just like so many other little things that just added up in this ep. Speaking of Xander: like I said, I really did like him in this episode. Between standing up to Buffy instead of just going along with her plans, to trying to protect Anya from Buffy, to trying to be Anya's friend (or more) in the end... I think the boy finally realized just how much he screwed up last year. He may have the nice car and clothes, but if you're alone, what's it all worth?

Other things that made me go "whoa":

Willow using her magic and temporarily going Dark!Willow - you didn't see her telling Xander and Buffy about that, did you? Hmmmm... And Spike's one short scene was just so sad... I'm in the camp of people who couldn't tell if Buffy was wearing the same pants in the end of the scene as she was in the pencil scene - to me, it really did look like she was wearing leather pants in the basement, but not in the woods. I'm so confused... and I have a feeling that that's exactly how the writers want us to be, dang it.

And what about the big use of D'Hoffryn, eh?

He really does seem to have a talent for seeing things inside of people - even if they aren't things that you might not want publicized. He tells Willow that he can see her darkness, says that Xander is the gallant one (for once, I wasn't really mad at Xander), and says that all that Buffy knows is to swing first, ask questions later. I'd be really interested in hearing what he has to say about Spike these days... and D'Hoffryn can also tell that Anya really doesn't, pardon the phrase, have her heart in what she's doing. He does inflict his own version of vengeance on her, which just goes to show that he really is an evil guy... but the fact that he said *what* he said about the three characters just makes me wonder...

Last thought:

Dawn kept talking about "Trying to Act Like Everyone Else." Does that fit in with the theme of being "Selfless?" The minute that you lose your individuality - your spark, as it were - who are you, really? And what does this have to do with the scooby gang? Enquiring minds wanna know...

All in all - not the best of the season, not by a long shot. But we got Olaf the Troll (getting fruit hurled at him, no less), Anya's backstory (and I would be interested in finding out the meaning of her real name - Aud is rather pretty), and we got Redemption-Haired Spike. We also got Anya kicking Buffy's butt while laying out the truth for Buffy, whether or not Buffy wanted to hear it - and that made my night. Is it a good thing when I'm cheering for the title character to get stomped by the demon? Just wondering.

Quotes of the Night:

"Just like a Slayer... Solving all her problems by sticking things with sharp objects…" - D'Hoffryn, commenting on Buffy's problem solving skills...

"Aaaargh!" - In Subtitles! Bwahaha!

Ewwwwwww score:

8 out of 10. The spider was enough to creep me out, but the sight of the frat boys... yeesh.

Furry Spike score:

3 paws, no wag.

That's it for now, gang... hope my ramblings made sense to someone.

Hugs to all,

---

Kris