Overall Rating: 6.0
The plot, as many reviewers of this franchise have already observed, is essentially a big fat rip-off of "Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors." Even the villain (der Kindestod - a demon who prays on the sick and the young, and who can only be seen by children with fevers) is a dead ringer for Freddy Kreuger. Although the plot is nothing special, the dialogue has the usual witty repartee to amuse you, and an interesting new relationship develops between Joyce Summers and Giles that, I'm happy to say, gets further exploration in later episodes. Nothing critical in this episode, but it's not horrible either.
Plot Synopsis:
Buffy is very sick with a severe case of the winter flu, but thinks she can still patrol. She thinks wrong. Angelus makes an appearance and tries to kill her in a very short fight that he wins easily, only to be interrupted by Buffy's posse. The strain of nearly dying causes Buffy to...nearly die...from the flu that is. She is rushed to the hospital and placed in intensive care to get re-hydrated and treated with anti-fever medication. Her friends stay with her during visiting hours and look after her, but at night, Buffy sees a strange shadow moving in the hall following a child and, in her nearly-delirious state, she follows it to her door, but is overcome with memories of her childhood experience of watching her cousin Celia die in a hospital and awakes back in her own bed the next morning.
She decides to investigate the children's ward of the hospital where she discovers that a young child has indeed died and the doctors are very upset about the possible ramifications. Another child approaches Buffy and says that an ominous figure he calls "death" comes every night - he was with this girl when she died and will return for the rest of them. Angelus, meanwhile, pays a visit to the hospital with a bouquet of flowers and Xander gets between him and Buffy's room. Angelus cruelly mocks Xander's love of Buffy before departing, promising to be back later. When the slayerettes return to Buffy's side, Buffy reports on the events of last night and Cordelia, ever the master of saying what everyone else is thinking but knows they shouldn't actually express, suggests that Buffy may be inventing a bad guy to slay so she doesn't feel so helpless being stuck in the hospital with memories of her cousin's death on her mind. The rest of the gang agrees to check out Celia's file and scout around the hospital just to be sure there isn't something sinister going on.
Cordelia and Xander steal the file (with a little well placed flirting on Cordy's part) - Xander gets cutely jealous and Cordelia reminds him that he's still got a thing for Buffy too, so the playing field is level. Meanwhile, Willow and Giles think a real person might be terrorizing the kids. Their first guess is a man named Dr. Backer, who has a record for testing out experimental treatments without proper authorization. However, Buffy witnesses Backer being killed by an invisible force. Unable to see the creature, she gets knocked on her back and loses track of it. When she returns to children's ward, Ryan (the boy who approached her earlier) hands her a picture of the creature he calls death and Buffy gives it to Giles to research. Sure enough, a demon called the Kindestod turns up matching the description. This demon feeds on sickly children by sitting on them and draining the life from them with protruding eyes. Buffy, hearing this, realizes that Celia must have seen the Kindestod (explaining her screams of terror before her death). Now the fight is personal.
When Buffy's mother comes to reclaim her and take her home, Buffy begs to stay in the hospital (a really shocking thing coming from her). Willow takes one of Dr. Backer's samples and deliberately spikes Buffy's fever so she can see the creature in order to fight him. That night, Buffy returns to the children's ward, but it's empty. She finds out that the kids have been moved to the basement floor and the Kindestod is following them there. While she fights with the creature, Xander leads the kids away from the scene. In her weakened state, she very nearly loses the fight, but manages to snap the demon's neck at the last moment.
Writing: 6.0
Derivative plot + occasional chuckles but otherwise unimaginative dialogue + sluggish pacing and a sort of forced feeling to the personal element of the story for Buffy = fairly uninspired viewing. It's not a bad episode...but I would hardly call it noteworthy. The Kindestod is a genuinely scary concept, but I feel their choice for implementing it was not particularly effective - the stretching eyes that go down to suck out your life energy...that looks more goofy than it does scary...and the fact that Buffy could kill the thing just by breaking its neck? I guess that felt a little uninspired.
Now some of the character work is good if you view it in terms of setting up plot points for future episodes. Xander's indecisiveness when it comes to the women in his life will bite him in the backside in about a year, for example, and it's on display here. Joyce and Giles getting friendly and Giles turning into Buffy's de facto father is going to be a VERY important motivator for future stories, and I enjoy that Whedon's team made this very intelligent decision. No doubt, this is a filler episode, though, and not a particularly deep one.
Acting: 6.0
Unlike the villains in "Hush"...who were legitimately creep-tacular in their portrayal...der Kindestod (James Jude Courtney) is extremely unfrighteningly portrayed. Unfortunately, the child actors they got to play Ryan, Celia and Little Buffy were weak, even by comparative childhood standards (we know it's tough to get a good child actor on a TV show budget). The regular cast does their usually solid job, although I think SMG could have done more to sell us on her personal fear...some of her reactions seemed a little purple to me.
Message: 6.0
This is not a message-heavy episode, I'm afraid. Anything I say here will be filler just like the episode was.
Highlights:
Xander: (after almost getting staked by Buffy) Man! Buffy...my whole life just flashed before my eyes! I gotta get me a life... (ROTFL))
Buffy: No, I feel fine. I mean, I'm... the world's spinning a little bit, but I like it, it's kinda like a ride. (LOL!!)
Xander: Visiting hours are over.
Angel: Well, I'm pretty much family.
Xander: Yeah. Why don't you come back during the day? Oh, gee, no, I guess you can't.
Angel: If I decide to walk into Buffy's room, do you think for one microsecond that you could stop me?
Xander: Maybe not. Maybe that security guard couldn't either. Or those cops... or the orderlies... But I'm kinda curious to find out. You game?
Angel: "Buffy's white knight. You still love her. It must just eat you up that I got there first.
Xander: You're gonna die. And I'm gonna be there. (awesome!!)
Angel: Tell her I stopped by.
Cordelia: So this isn't about you being afraid of hospitals 'cause your friend died and you wanna conjure up a monster that you can fight so you can save everybody and not feel so helpless?
Giles: Cordelia, have you actually ever heard of tact? (LOL)
Cordelia: Tact is just not saying true stuff. I'll pass. (heh)
Cordelia: Oh, right. Your obsession with protecting Buffy. Have I told you how attractive that's not?
Xander: Cordelia, someone's gotta watch her back.
Cordelia: Yeah, well, I've seen you watch her back.
Xander: What is that supposed to mean?" Cordelia: "Well, I was using the phrase 'watch her back' as a euphemism for looking at her butt. You know, sort of a pun. (yes, I think we all got that, Cordy)
Xander: Oh! Right. Hey!
Cordelia: Well, you do.
Xander: Jealous?
Cordelia: Fine. Watch my back. (LOL!)
Willow: I come bearing gifts!
Buffy: (seeing a pile of school books) Homework. (dryly)
Willow: It's my way of saying get well soon.
Buffy: You know, chocolate says that even better.
Willow: I did all your assignments. All you have to do is sign your name.
Buffy: Chocolate means nothing to me. (ROTFL)
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