Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season Five
Starring: Sarah Michelle Gellar, Allison Hannigan,
Nicholas Brendon, Marc Blucas, James Marsters, Emma Caulfield, Michele
Trachtenberg, and Anthony Stewart Head
Synopsis
All 22 episodes of season five of Buffy the Vampire
Slayer. Buffy explored her Slayer roots, gained a little sister she
remembered always having, and fought off a God. And, oh yeah, died. Again.
Ratings out of 4 stars.
Comment
I hadn't watched most of these episodes in a while.
It's always interesting (to me, at any rate) to see them in retrospect,
knowing what's going to happen next. This was my reaction, episode by
episode.
 Buffy
vs. Dracula — Buffy meets up with
most famous vampire of all time.
• This one has aged pretty well — it seems less hokey
than it did at the time. It foreshadows her explorations in Season 7,
and her later attraction to Spike.
• The opening beach scene is a rarity. You can see Sarah's tatoo
— didn't Buffy get one removed from about that location?
• Emma finally makes the credits! And an uncredited Dawn shows up
at the end.
• I'm assuming that Dracula is not gone, but has just whisked
away somewhere.
Rating: **½
 The
Real Me — Meet Dawn, Buffy's pesky
little sister
I really didn't like this episode at the time, so had only seen it once
before. This time, I had to conclude that it really had some good scenes.
I was especially struck by:
• The opening scene of Dawn interrupting Buffy's intense handstand
concentration.
• Dawn really liked school? That sure changed.
• Harmony and unicorns — something that carried forward into
her stint on Angel.
• The hilarious “Game of Life” scene — the genesis
of Anya's love of capitalism?
• Buffy's rant about everyone over-protecting Dawn, something she
will soon be guilty of.
Rating: ***
 The
Replacement — A demon raygun gives
rise to two Xanders
This one, I knew I'd like (“He's a bad influence on himself”—hee!),
but I hadn't realized how much foreshadowing it contained:
• Spike's disturbing “Buffy doll” era begins.
• Willow's “Really?” about Anya fortells their future
troubles (and is quite funny).
• Anya's fear of death and aging become apparent—“Will
I look good when I've gotten old?”
• Joyce has a headache. Cue ominous music.
• And of course, the kicker ending, with Riley's comment that Buffy
doesn't love him. (And no, she never claimed she did.)
Rating: ***½
 Out
of My Mind — Riley needs treatment
from the military while Spike tries to get his chip out
Another spectacular final shot (see left), but I couldn't get into
the whole “super-Riley needs treatment” plot. I did enjoy
the juxtaposition of Harmony/Spike with Buffy/Riley, but overall, not
a fave.
Rating: **
No Place Like Home — Glory
is introduced, and Buffy discovers Dawn isn't really her sister
So, we finally get the origins of Dawn. Such a short ritual for such a
dramatic effect, don't you think? Overall, I found Dawn less annoying
and the whole idea of making the key human less ridiculous this time around.
Perhaps I'm nostalgic.
Rating: ***
 Family
— Tara's family claims she's demonic and must
return with them
I never thought I was that much of a Tara fan, so why do her episodes
often make me cry? I don't get it. She and Willow do have a lovely relationship,
though, don't they? Glory/Dawn stuff is relegated to the B plot for this
one. It's less interesting anyway, in retrospect. But good on Buffy in
confiding in Giles, at least. A few other notes:
• I had forgotten about Spike's bizarro sexual fantasies. But they
seem totally apropos.
• Why did Tara lose her Southern accent?
• Riley's just so at a loss. Sandy, the vampire he meets, was turned
by VampWillow in Season 4.
Rating: ***½
 Fool
for Love — Wounded by a regular vamp,
Buffy demands that Spike explain how he killed two Slayers
Ah, “Fool for Love.” What can I say? I find this one pretty
well perfect — the strong writing, the incredible acting (especially
by Marsters), the beautiful direction (the slow-mo in China, the cuts
between past and present on the subway and the alley), the character development...
Who expected Spike to be such a nebbish as a human? But then, that so
perfectly explains his softer side and why, even after seeing him horribly
kill two Slayers and a number of innocents, we still really feel for him
when Buffy insults him. And that gorgeous final scene between these two...
Rating: ****
The Extras
Real Me Commentary: Most interesting
is that Dawn was originally envisioned as much younger than 14, which
is probably why Dawn is often written as younger than she is. A few other
tidbits:
• Tom Lenk (Andrew) plays a vampire in this one.
• Harmony as head of prom committee sets the whole tone for Harmony
trying to lead her minions.
• Marti Noxon actually wrote the Buffy/Riley scenes.
Fool for Love Commentary: Well worth
it, much like the episode itself.
Usability
Next Television show: My
So-Called Life
|
