Vampire automation? Now THAT'S cracktacular. :) Seriously, this episode and its' companion script "Dopplegangland" have created more fan fiction than the entire rest of the series COMBINED, and as fans, you've got to appreciate that! The truth of the matter is, it generated that much fan interest because it was compelling horror, and it's nice to see that Buffy's crew can still write horror (that IS their chosen genre, afterall).
Plot Synopsis:
Still reeling from her discovery of Xander's secret affections for Willow, Cordelia is further battered by cruel mocking jokes from her former peers in the in crowd. It seems she can't even keep a geek satisfied (or so says the common plastic valley girl). Sensing the radiant glow of her anguish, a pretty blond approaches her with a bunch of leading questions. Finally, she gets her lead when Cordelia, in a fit of rage, casts her blame on Buffy. If the slayer had never come to town, Cordelia would never have fallen in with the wrong crowd and lost her social standing. One more push is all it takes...Cordelia blurts her fondest wish - "I wish Buffy Summers had never come to Sunnydale!" And, revealing her true demon nature, Anyanka cackles "Done!"
Suddenly we are plunged into a universe where Buffy never made it to Sunnydale. Cordelia quickly realizes through the stunned looks she gets from her friends that this town has changed for the far...far worse. The Bronze is no longer a happening teen hot spot, the kids no longer wear bright colors (for fear of attracting attention), and the school is littered with warnings about staying out past curfew. Dazed and confused, Willow stays out too long and is soon chased down by none other than Xander and Willow...it seems they're an item in this brave new world. An eternal item. Both vampires...both extremely demented (and boldly dressed, I might add)...they give Cordelia a head start (Willow loves to hunt). Only when Giles and his merry band of "white hats" show up to rescue her does she get a moment's peace. Of course, she's unconscious at the time.
But wait...the fun is not over! As Cordelia regains consciousness and tries to tell Giles of her encounter with Anya, he finds himself locked in the book cage and Cordelia is left to the tender care of Xander and Willow. Giles is forced to watch as Cordelia is killed. Others in the white hat crew return and free Giles. As they're about to clear away Cordelia's body, Giles notices the necklace Anya had given her and takes it for further study.The mere mention of the slayer has aroused The Master's anger. Willow and Xander are his leading henchmen and he's got "a plant" to protect. He is, however, pleased they've so quickly dispatched Cordelia and agrees to let Willow play with "the puppy." Willow delights in torturing a chained Angel (making Xander proud in that twisted vampire way) and promises him a slow and torturous death.
Giles realizes that the necklace belongs to Anyanka - a patron saint of scorned women who grants wishes (with a chaotic twist). He realizes that this world must be a result of such a wish and that to defeat her magic, he must destroy her power center, though he cannot discern what that might be. Just then, he notices a pack of vamps hording terrified students into a van and tries to rescue them. Unfortunately, he gets them to safety but gets himself surrounded in the process. As he's about to die, his adversaries suddenly turn to dust and an angry Buffy Summers demands to know why she's been called to Sunnydale. Giles tries to explain the whole Anya thing, but Buffy doesn't care. She heads off to find and kill The Master while Giles summons Anyanka.
She finds only Angel at the Bronze and frees him. He warns her about The Master's planned human-slaughterhouse and they get there just in time to hear a rousing speech about the wonders of mass production as the plant claims its' first human victim. She charges and chaos ensues. Xander manages to kill Angel and Buffy retaliates by killing Xander while Oz throws Willow into a broken wooden cage, ending her reign of terror. As Buffy squares off with The Master, Giles manages to get Anyanka to reappear. She tauntingly gloats about the unexpectedly awesome power of this particular wish and Giles realizes that her necklace must be the source of her power. Just as the Master is about to kill Buffy, Anya desperately tries to stop Giles from breaking the necklace with the cutting words: "You fool! What makes you think the other world is any better than this one?" Giles wisely replies, "because it has to be..." and smashes the necklace just as the Master snaps Buffy's neck. In a flash, all is normal again and Anya is a powerless mortal.
The Skinny:
SABR Matt - This episode is driven by primal fear, by a jostling re-definition of beloved characters, and by the oft-used (and frequently effective) TV trope: "be careful what you wish for..." (or its' sister trope "tug at one thread in the tapestry of life and all may be lost"). Without realizing it, Whedon's writers have once again channeled their inner Catholics and created a parable about the virtue of being thankful for what we have by God's grace. The slayer here is the stand-in for His protection and love and Anya's hellish creation is a representation of life without hope (basically...hell). Giles rightly proclaims that anything must be better than a world utterly without hope and providence.
The plot clips along with a disturbingly eye-catching series of events that bring us to the edge of our seats by sheer revulsion, though the script is not exactly packed with great language use (in that sense, it is pretty standard fare). What's more, all of the regular cast members make an appearance and a lot of credit has to go to Nicholas Brendan and Alyson Hannigan for playing such COMPLETELY different characters so PERFECTLY without any preparation time. When the viewer is as uncomfortable (while watching a horror story) as I was...you've done something very right.
Stephanie S. - My co-author's comments above are true enough, but it is the alternate Giles who pulls me into this episode. Watching the unshaven Wish!Giles struggle against this hell Marti Noxon has created is absolutely devastating. When W!Giles is forced to watch W!Xander and W!Willow murder Cordelia, my heart literally cracks in half - and W!Giles' arc only gets more impressive from there because despite all the horrors he's witnessed, he still harbors hope that there is something better beyond the terrible grind of his existence. By the time he declares that something - anything - is preferable to his alternate Sunnydale, I am a blubbering puddle on the floor. And you know what really kills me? No one in our reality will ever know that W!Giles made that incredible leap of faith and saved them all.
Now excuse me: I have to go sob in a corner now.
The Ratings:
Writing: 8.5 / 9.5
Crisp, thoroughly entertaining plot concepts are more important than sterling dialogue, but we do have to admit that there's been significantly better and more enriching language in other Buffy episodes. I feel the acting is what makes this story work as well as it does.
Stephanie S. Chimes In: There isn't much in the way of peppery, Whedon-esque dialogue, but I personally believe the emotional power of the concept more than makes up for that lack.
Acting: 9.5 / 9.5
Can I just say that Alyson Hannigan plays a vampire almost as twisted and scary as Juliet Landau's Drusilla? Wow...
Stephanie S. Chimes In: Alyson Hannigan is great, but I'm frankly shocked that my co-author fails to shower love upon Anthony Stewart Head, whose portrayal of W!Giles - honest to God - makes me cry.
Message: 9.0 / 9.5
Cordelia's anger is understandable, but this is a valuable lesson for the viewer - regrets are for people stuck in the past. Your life is what you make of it in the here and now, and if you focus on what you have (particularly on God's loving presence in your life), you won't be so apt to destroy yourself with anger.
Stephanie S. Chimes In: It should be noted too that it is W!Giles' faith that saves the day. That, I believe, is an even more profound thing to take away from this episode.
Highlights:
Buffy: You got plans?
Xander: I cannot stress enough how much I *don't* have plans.
Buffy: No luck reaching Cordelia?
Xander: I've left a few messages. Sixty... Seventy... But you know what really bugs me? (to Willow) Okay, we kissed. It was a mistake. But I know that was positively the last time we were *ever* gonna kiss.
Willow: Darn tootin'! (LOL...riiiight)
Xander: And they burst in, rescuing us, without even knocking? I mean, this is really *all* their fault. (heh)
Buffy: Your logic does *not* resemble our Earth logic.
Xander: Mine is much more advanced.
Harmony: God, Cordy, when I heard about... Well, I mean, I couldn't believe it. But it was smart. You know, the injury thing? You take a week off, let everybody forget about the temporary insanity that was Xander Harris.
Cordelia: (raises her eyebrows) Xander who?
Harmony: Oh! (They all exchange a little fake nervous laughter.)
Cordette: You know what you have to do. Start dating. Get back on the horse.
Cordelia: Oh, absolutely! I am ready to ride!
Harmony: Then I have just the stallion. He's *so* you. (She leads her over to the outside stairs where Jonathon is sitting, nursing a soft drink. He is taken aback by the sudden attention, and looks around to see if they didn't really mean someone else, but there is no one else. Cordelia realizes she's been had.) I'm pretty sure he won't cheat on you. At least not for a while. Plus, he's got a kill moped. (OOOOWCH...what a bitch...)
Willow: What I did... When I think that I hurt you...
Oz: Yeah. You said all this stuff already.
Willow: Right, but... I wanna make it up to you. I mean, if you let me, I wanna try.
Oz: Just... You can leave me alone. I need to figure things out.
Willow: But maybe if we talk about it, we could...
Oz: Look... I'm sorry this is hard for you. But I told you what I need. So I can't help feeling like the reason you want to talk is so you can feel better about yourself. That's not my problem. (wow...mega-ouchies...)
Cordelia: So... What's new? God, it's been, like, a gazillion years!
John Lee: (smiles) Look, the guys are kinda down on me lately. Coach has cut me back to second string. If anyone saw me hanging with Xander Harris' castoff on top of that... Death, you know, but... maybe... (makes suggestive eyes) If you wanna go someplace private...
Cordelia: (surprised to find the tables turned) What?
John Lee: Think about it. (and the brutal hits just keep on coming!)
Anya: Here. I think you need this more than I do right now. (Cordelia lifts her hair away from her neck and lets Anya put it on.)
Cordelia: Yeah, I can use some luck. (eyes Buffy) And a stick with pointy, sharp bits. If that Buffy wasn't... I swear. She's a pain.
Anya: But Xander, he's an utter loser. Don't you wish...
Cordelia: I never would've looked twice at Xander if Buffy hadn't made him marginally cooler by hanging with him.
Anya: Really? (looks over at Buffy)
Cordelia: Yeah, I swear! I wish Buffy Summers had never come to
Sunnydale. (Anya turns back to Cordelia, who gasps to see that her face has suddenly become very wrinkled and raw-looking, the embodiment of Anyanka, Patron Saint of all women scorned.)
Anyanka: Done.
Cordelia: Since when? Aren't we going out tonight?
Cordette: Curfew starts in an hour.
Cordelia: Curfew? Come on, I'm in a really good mood! Let's go to the
Bronze! (Harmony and her friends all stop and give Cordelia a disbelieving look.)
Harmony: Is that a joke?
Cordelia: Oh! The Bronze isn't cool in this reality. I've gotta make these little adjustments. (smiles)
Harmony: Cordy, what's with you? (the others leave) I mean, you wear this come-bite-me outfit, you make jokes about the Bronze, and you're acting a little schizo.
Cordelia: You're right. I just... Well, I bumped my head yesterday, and I keep forgetting stuff. Not that I care, but Xander Harris, he's miserable, right? And that Willow freak he hangs with, not even a blip on the radar screen, right? (smiles)
Harmony: (confused) Well, yeah. They're dead. (eeeeeep)
Cordelia: No. No! No way! I wish us into Bizarro Land, and you guys are
still together?! I cannot win! (LOL!)
Xander: Probably not. (vamps out) But I'll give you a head start. (very creepy...very...very creepy)
Cordelia: (gasps) No! )She drops her bag and begins to run.)
Willow: I love this part. (They kiss passionately with lots of tongue. Then Xander turns his attention to the chase.)
Xander: You love all the parts. (even creepier!)
NOTE: I'd highlight the moment when Cordelia is killed here...but...there's almost no actual dialogue...it's all in the acting! Tony Head and Alyson Hannigan are just breathtaking here.
Buffy: What's her powercenter?
Giles: Um, well, um, um... (glances at the book again) It doesn't say.
Buffy: Why don't I just put a stake through her heart? (goes to his kitchen bar)
Giles: She's not a vampire.
Buffy: Mm, well, you'd be surprised how many things that'll kill.
Giles: I don't want to kill her, Miss Summers. I want to reverse whatever effect she's had on this, this... world.
Buffy: You're taking an awful lot on faith here, Jeeves.
Giles: Giles.
Buffy: (shrugs) Kill the bad fairy... destroy the bad fairy's powercenter, whatever, and all the troubles go away?
Giles: Yeah, well, I'm sure it's not that simple, but...
Buffy: (interrupts) World is what it is. We fight. We die. Wishing doesn't change that.
Giles: I have to believe in a better world.
Buffy: Go ahead. I have to live in this one. (cold...amazing what impact Giles has had on our Buffy)
Anyanka: This is the real world now. (Cut to Giles' apartment. She still has him pinned to the wall.) This is the world we made. Isn't it wonderful?
(and a bit later)
Anyanka: You trusting fool! How do you know the other world is any better than this?
Giles: Because it has to be. (trust me, folks...this moment alone makes the episode a feature)
Highlights:
Buffy: You got plans?
Xander: I cannot stress enough how much I *don't* have plans.
Buffy: No luck reaching Cordelia?
Xander: I've left a few messages. Sixty... Seventy... But you know what really bugs me? (to Willow) Okay, we kissed. It was a mistake. But I know that was positively the last time we were *ever* gonna kiss.
Willow: Darn tootin'! (LOL...riiiight)
Xander: And they burst in, rescuing us, without even knocking? I mean, this is really *all* their fault. (heh)
Buffy: Your logic does *not* resemble our Earth logic.
Xander: Mine is much more advanced.
Harmony: God, Cordy, when I heard about... Well, I mean, I couldn't believe it. But it was smart. You know, the injury thing? You take a week off, let everybody forget about the temporary insanity that was Xander Harris.
Cordelia: (raises her eyebrows) Xander who?
Harmony: Oh! (They all exchange a little fake nervous laughter.)
Cordette: You know what you have to do. Start dating. Get back on the horse.
Cordelia: Oh, absolutely! I am ready to ride!
Harmony: Then I have just the stallion. He's *so* you. (She leads her over to the outside stairs where Jonathon is sitting, nursing a soft drink. He is taken aback by the sudden attention, and looks around to see if they didn't really mean someone else, but there is no one else. Cordelia realizes she's been had.) I'm pretty sure he won't cheat on you. At least not for a while. Plus, he's got a kill moped. (OOOOWCH...what a bitch...)
Willow: What I did... When I think that I hurt you...
Oz: Yeah. You said all this stuff already.
Willow: Right, but... I wanna make it up to you. I mean, if you let me, I wanna try.
Oz: Just... You can leave me alone. I need to figure things out.
Willow: But maybe if we talk about it, we could...
Oz: Look... I'm sorry this is hard for you. But I told you what I need. So I can't help feeling like the reason you want to talk is so you can feel better about yourself. That's not my problem. (wow...mega-ouchies...)
Cordelia: So... What's new? God, it's been, like, a gazillion years!
John Lee: (smiles) Look, the guys are kinda down on me lately. Coach has cut me back to second string. If anyone saw me hanging with Xander Harris' castoff on top of that... Death, you know, but... maybe... (makes suggestive eyes) If you wanna go someplace private...
Cordelia: (surprised to find the tables turned) What?
John Lee: Think about it. (and the brutal hits just keep on coming!)
Anya: Here. I think you need this more than I do right now. (Cordelia lifts her hair away from her neck and lets Anya put it on.)
Cordelia: Yeah, I can use some luck. (eyes Buffy) And a stick with pointy, sharp bits. If that Buffy wasn't... I swear. She's a pain.
Anya: But Xander, he's an utter loser. Don't you wish...
Cordelia: I never would've looked twice at Xander if Buffy hadn't made him marginally cooler by hanging with him.
Anya: Really? (looks over at Buffy)
Cordelia: Yeah, I swear! I wish Buffy Summers had never come to
Sunnydale. (Anya turns back to Cordelia, who gasps to see that her face has suddenly become very wrinkled and raw-looking, the embodiment of Anyanka, Patron Saint of all women scorned.)
Anyanka: Done.
Cordelia: Since when? Aren't we going out tonight?
Cordette: Curfew starts in an hour.
Cordelia: Curfew? Come on, I'm in a really good mood! Let's go to the
Bronze! (Harmony and her friends all stop and give Cordelia a disbelieving look.)
Harmony: Is that a joke?
Cordelia: Oh! The Bronze isn't cool in this reality. I've gotta make these little adjustments. (smiles)
Harmony: Cordy, what's with you? (the others leave) I mean, you wear this come-bite-me outfit, you make jokes about the Bronze, and you're acting a little schizo.
Cordelia: You're right. I just... Well, I bumped my head yesterday, and I keep forgetting stuff. Not that I care, but Xander Harris, he's miserable, right? And that Willow freak he hangs with, not even a blip on the radar screen, right? (smiles)
Harmony: (confused) Well, yeah. They're dead. (eeeeeep)
Cordelia: No. No! No way! I wish us into Bizarro Land, and you guys are
still together?! I cannot win! (LOL!)
Xander: Probably not. (vamps out) But I'll give you a head start. (very creepy...very...very creepy)
Cordelia: (gasps) No! )She drops her bag and begins to run.)
Willow: I love this part. (They kiss passionately with lots of tongue. Then Xander turns his attention to the chase.)
Xander: You love all the parts. (even creepier!)
NOTE: I'd highlight the moment when Cordelia is killed here...but...there's almost no actual dialogue...it's all in the acting! Tony Head and Alyson Hannigan are just breathtaking here.
Buffy: What's her powercenter?
Giles: Um, well, um, um... (glances at the book again) It doesn't say.
Buffy: Why don't I just put a stake through her heart? (goes to his kitchen bar)
Giles: She's not a vampire.
Buffy: Mm, well, you'd be surprised how many things that'll kill.
Giles: I don't want to kill her, Miss Summers. I want to reverse whatever effect she's had on this, this... world.
Buffy: You're taking an awful lot on faith here, Jeeves.
Giles: Giles.
Buffy: (shrugs) Kill the bad fairy... destroy the bad fairy's powercenter, whatever, and all the troubles go away?
Giles: Yeah, well, I'm sure it's not that simple, but...
Buffy: (interrupts) World is what it is. We fight. We die. Wishing doesn't change that.
Giles: I have to believe in a better world.
Buffy: Go ahead. I have to live in this one. (cold...amazing what impact Giles has had on our Buffy)
Anyanka: This is the real world now. (Cut to Giles' apartment. She still has him pinned to the wall.) This is the world we made. Isn't it wonderful?
(and a bit later)
Anyanka: You trusting fool! How do you know the other world is any better than this?
Giles: Because it has to be. (trust me, folks...this moment alone makes the episode a feature)
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