Overall Rating: 9.6
Two absolute truths are on display in this episode that I find deeply insightful.
a) Building a public image (no matter how impressive) can't change a man...only searching within and finding a higher purpose can do that.
b) A cause is not enough...the slayers die because eventually, they lose their desire to keep fighting. True strength comes from love, and that is what makes Buffy special. This will be the overarching theme of the 5th season and the biggest reason we love it so much.
Plot Synopsis:
This chilling story is described in detail here, courtesy of BuffyGuide.com.
The Skinny:
Two things I want to mention about the production values in this episode, one technical, the other artistic). First, I very much enjoyed seeing Spike evolve in appearance, in the way he carried himself, and in the way he fought...while (notably) Angel never did. Spike's roots are indeed a fascinating story, as is his tie to the Fangsome Foursome, and somehow, in one short episode, the writers managed to tell almost the entire story of Spike's role in that fearsome group...and without much in the way of dialogue! My mother, when her health was better (and maybe some day again if she gets a firm diagnosis for her maladies), was a costume designer for community theater groups (following from her pedigree as a fashion designer). I think even she would have been impressed with the way Spike's hair and make-up changed, the way his attire changed to match his personality, and the way the artistic elements always seemed to conform with the blocking and stage combat perfectly. You can do a lot to tell a character's story just by showing him in action and changing his appearance and swagger.
Second, I was very impressed with the use of interlocking flashback and present day fight blocking and other directorial choices about position and camera angle (and even lighting). That must have been a BEAR to get right in the editing room. Beyond what was already in the WORDS of the script...the life of this episode comes from the presentation at least in part.
Most crucially, perhaps, was the moment when Buffy threw Spike to the ground and dropped a pile of money on him, insisting that he was "beneath her." This was brilliant as a bookend to the first flashback sequence, but also from a technical standpoint, it was brilliant since it echoed the final position of both dead slayers from his combat diary. Watch the episode carefully...in both fight scenes, Spike winds up holding the broken body of his slayer victim in exactly the same pose that he finds himself at this damning moment. Head off the ground, knees in the air, but otherwise reposed. I don't know if this was intentional, but to me, the final death blow to Spike's false persona - the evil thing that replaced his pathetic (but basically well-meaning) former personality - happens here. Now that he knows his feelings for Buffy, her decisive rejection of him undoes every bit of the work he did to wallpaper over his mortal life and its' perceived failures. From this moment on, everything Spike does will be motivated by Buffy...rather than by a desire for personal success or power. This is step one in his redemption arc. He has moved from good (but weak) man to pathetic, but strong, villain...and now his motivations, for the first time ever, turn to someone else besides himself. This will lead him to many great deeds even before he earns back his soul and becomes a white knight in the 7th season - although most of them will be done for reasons that fail to live up to Christian moral intent. :)
Writing: 9.3
If I had a separate column for production values the way we do for movies (where an understandably greater emphasis on the technical exists), this episode would score a perfect 10.0. As a piece of pure literary work, ignoring the technical elements, this script is still feature-worthy. The understanding of characters shown here compensates nicely for the long swaths of television taken up by wordless fight blocking. :)
Acting: 10.0
James Marsters isn't just popular with fandom because he's HHHAAAWT (ugh)...no...he's popular because he's the perfect casting choice for this character and a brilliant actor besides. Here, his reactions to Drusilla, to Buffy, and to Cecily are among the best work in the franchise. Thank goodness Spike is Buffy's new vampire opposite as opposed to the lifeless Angel.
Message: 9.5
No invention of our own design can change us, so long as we are only looking within for solutions to our problems. Spike built a century's worth of bleach and leather and bloodshed around himself in the hope of burying the insignificance and weakness of the man he was and it could all be destroyed by a single line from the one person who actually mattered to him. You see...all of us need the recognition of others to believe our own identities...no facade can hide us from the truth if it comes from someone about whom we care...on any level.
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