Overall Rating: 4.0
I can decide whether this episode pisses me off or sends a message that should shake the foundation of the modern assumptions about the joyous virtues of free sex and zero-consequence dating for the Cosmo girl. I think, however, that I am leaning toward the "pissed off" side and I'll explain why below.
Plot Synopsis:
See the rundown here, courtesy of BuffyGuide.com.
The Skinny:
The show is basically comprised of three sexual relationships - each with an entirely different dynamic, and each winding up on the skids or doomed entirely by the end of the hour. We'll tackle each relationship one at a time, then we'll pull it all together into one theme (with all of the analysis geared toward my reaction to that theme).
Firstly, and perhaps most importantly, we have Buffy's first college tryst. You've all heard the story - upstanding young girl heads to college, assumes that everyone is supposed to be having sex in college, and winds up discarded by a guy who's banking on that very assumption. On the one hand, I do have to appreciate the team's implicit rejection of the pseudo-intellectualism that runs rampant through the English departments at most colleges and universities. Parker is an absolute poster-child for the liberal hippie douchebag wannabe (or as Cartman would call them in South Park - the college know-it-all hippie...they're the worst kind of hippie, don't ya know!). I find it hard to believe that the same Buffy who didn't buy the smooth talking antics of the swim team captain - the same Buffy who, very early on, decided she couldn't date a "normal guy" who knew about what she did and liked it, no matter how much she wanted to - the same Buffy that rejected Faith's "uhhh" philosophy not one season ago...buys into Parker's slimy antics. So right away, I have a lot of trouble accepting the premise.
But it actually gets worse than that. Buffy has the opportunity for real personal growth in this episode...she does the self-destructive thing, ignores all of the hard-wiring in her female biology that connects sex to emotional attachment, and gets horribly burned. This would be a good time for Joss and company to have her friends say something like "We all make mistakes, and this isn't going to affect how we see you as a person...but I hope you realize now how serious sex is and will take better care of yourself in the future." But no...what message do we get? Willow boils it down to one line - "Parker's a poophead." Yep...all of the problems with the dating world can be summarized by that. To Joss...men are evil.
Meanwhile, Spike returns to Sunnydale with a new girl on his arm. Of course, this one is Harmony - the sycophantic sheep that followed Cordelia around all through High School. She's not too bright, she's not terribly vampire-like even while all vamped out, and uh...she's really REALLY f***ing annoying. I'd feel sorry for a girl that loved an abusive guy like Spike if I didn't CHEER when Spike staked her right through the heart. What a whiny, pathetic waste of space she is! UGH! Anyway, the message here again seems to be...guys are evil...especially the heart-throbs.
And lastly, we have Anya and Xander. This one plays out a little differently. Anya has an outsider's perspective on humanity, and Xander - generally the show's moral center when Buffy fails to fill that role - does try to keep Anya at bay. But even Xander, my personal hero for most of this series, fails to do the right thing. Anya, truly vulnerable for the first time in her life, finds herself lusting for Xander, and at the sight of her naked body, he takes advantage and leaves her out in the cold when she expresses a continued interest in a relationship. You can understand Anya's naivete, but I don't see Xander doing it with Anya in that situation...this is the same Xander that resisted when Buffy was in love with him for a day thanks to a love spell. Yes, he's hormonally crazed and a little oversexed (in the head), but he's always tried to do the right thing by his friends. This plot has the advantage of being occasionally funny and Emma Caulfield is INCREDIBLY charming every time she appears, but still...it leaves me feeling a little betrayed.
Add it all up and you've got men being evil all over the place and women getting hurt, but not learning from their mistakes, because, to this creative team, it is never a mistake to date and have sex casually...it's only a mistake to choose the guy unwisely, because as we all know, everything that's wrong with the love lives of women can be explained by the behavior of men. (/sarcasm) It could have been a good episode if they'd made better assumptions about the root causes for problems that are actually quite typical to the lives of young women (and pretty well understood, evidently, by the writers), but instead, it's vapid, dangerous and downright aggravating.
Writing: 4.0
Apart from some cleverly constructed (and admittedly alluring) humor involving Anya and a few cute moments for Willow, this episode lacks true depth of understanding and what's worse, commits what I believe to be character assassination on at least two fronts.
Acting: 7.0
Emma Caulfield and Nicholas Brendan work very well together and James Marsters is pretty impressive in his scenes. The score here is dragged down by mediocre performances by SMG and guest stars Mercedes McNab (Harmony) and Adam Kaufman (Parker).
Message: 1.0
Men bad...women good...sex good...women should be careful when choosing from the men. Or...we could try assuming that part of the responsibility for a person's emotional health lies with that person. Maybe if Buffy weren't so irresponsible, situations like this wouldn't happen.
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