I don't know what it is about it, because there are some good sequences. For some reason, although I'm all for a strong female heroine who is simultaneously allowed to be feminine, I just don't like watching Buffy fawn all over a guy who may or may not be interested. Or, maybe that's not the issue. I don't mind Buffy having a crush. I guess the problem was A) that this crush had never been set up (and is never referred to again), and B) that it became less about the guy himself and more about what he represented; normalcy. Which, I understand the thematic significance of that, it's just less interesting to me to watch someone chase someone for their normalcy rather than for who they actually are as a person.
Summed up: Buffy has a crush on quiet, broody hunk (sound familiar? She's got a pattern) Owen. She manages to get a date with him, which is as badly timed as it could possibly be because whoops, there's this Anointed One prophesied to show up tonight to help the Master. They don't find him, so Buffy finds Owen, who is dancing with Cordelia at the Bronze. Buffy gets butthurt, then after a conversation with him, she realizes that he's not at all interested in Cordelia, really, so they set up another date. Except, hey, this time the Anointed One's ACTUALLY going to show, says Giles. Promise this time. Cross my heart. But Buffy's fed up and goes with Owen nonetheless, so Giles sets out to find the Anointed One and ends up getting trapped by a bunch of vamps. Buffy goes to rescue him, Owen tags along. Buffy rescues Giles, kills the Anointed One. Owen goes to her the next day thrilled with last night's events. He'd never felt so alive as that time he almost died. So, Buffy rejects him, because he'd get himself in danger if he stuck around with her. Meanwhile, the Master is pleased as punch (fruit-punch, oh I made a clever reference teeheeheeheehee) because hahaha, that vamp Buffy killed wasn't really the Anointed One. The Anointed One is this creepy little child, because as far as horror goes, you can't go wrong with small creepy children.
There are things about this I appreciate, namely the development of Giles and the development of Buffy. Buffy refuses Owen, because it would probably take all of three seconds for Owen to die while Buffy's Slayering. So, symbolically, she refuses normalcy. Which sucks and all, but it's a big step for Buffy. Up 'til that point, she'd been totally obsessed with being as normal as she could possibly be, but that just wasn't gonna work. She couldn't be both the Slayer and the Valley Girl. She's being forced to change. Which, you know, sucks for her and all, but it's great to see it happen nonetheless.
Also, Giles. Giles mentoring Buffy during the slaying. Giles going to the funeral home to find the Anointed One. Giles comforting Buffy about the whole having of the destiny. Giles has some greatness in this episode, but I think the trophy goes to the ending scene, where he tells Buffy that she wasn't the only one with a destiny. He was told when he was ten years old that he was destined to be a Watcher. He doesn't tell her now, but the general theory among fans (and I thought it was canon? I might have made it up) is that it was this push to become a Watcher that made Giles in his youth go so polar opposite; that punk kid Ripper, with the sex, demons and rock 'n roll. In any case, if anyone understands Buffy, it's Giles. If anyone understands running from destiny, it's Giles. Which, to me, is just so sweet.
Also, don't think I don't notice the similarities between Angel and Owen. Because, let's see, dark, mysterious, brooding hunk. Coincidence? I think NOT.
This episode really gets in it with the Scooby love-shape, as well. Willow's into Xander who's into Buffy who's into Owen, and Angel's into Buffy. Huh. When you put it that way, it sounds kinda convoluted. But there's some fun scenes with that, like when Angel encounters Buffy and Owen on their date (spoiler alert: he's kinda jealous). Or when Buffy's asking Willow and Xander what she should wear on their date (yeah, Xander. That's just how friend-zoned he is), and Xander pulls out a large overcoat and flappy-eared hat. 'Cause Xander isn't jealous and trying to sabotage them at all. Also, when Xander meets Owen, he advises him to not touch Buffy. Or dance with her. Or make eye contact. I find that to be fun.
But mostly, it just struck me how very bad Buffy is at covering things up. This is a gag/trait that continues through the seasons. From this episode's :
Owen: Where were you last night?
Buffy: Oh. Well, um, my watch broke, and we don't have any clocks in our house, so I didn't know what time it was, or even what day it was...
To season four's:
Riley: So what have you got going on for tonight?
Buffy: Oh, patrolling.
Riley: Patrolling?
Buffy: Uh, petroleum.
Riley: Petroleum?
Buffy: Uh huh.
Riley: Tonight you have crude oil.
Buffy: And homework. What about you?
Also, can I just take a moment to appreciate the fact that the first time we see this Anointed One, who is prophesied to lead the Slayer into hell, the first thing we hear him say is, "I went on an airplane!" Funny how such an innocent little child suddenly becomes creepy the moment you take away the toy airplane.
Um... yeah, but that was pretty much it. Not a particularly memorable episode, but in terms of big-picture stuff, we get a "Hey, welcome back to the plot!" for the Big Bad, and we get a big step for Buffy, so it's still important, thematically. I just wish they'd given Willow a little something more to do. I feel like they didn't quite have her figured out yet, so they just kinda kept her quiet for these first bits.
What does the Buffy Virgin have to say about this episode?
Okay. Um, yeah, they're making the vampires talk like that. When they're reading from/quoting prophesies. Which is, admittedly, half of what they do in these first episodes. But it sounds like that because they're reading ancient, scripture-esque prophesies. When you hear them NOT quoting prophesies - like when Darla talks, or when the Master gets his sass on - they're evidently NOT talking like that. This isn't even a matter of me getting defensive about the show. This is just, pay attention.
Darla: Is this the best you could do?
Other vamp: She's fresh.
Darla: Hardly enough to share.
Vamp: Why didn't you bring your own?
Darla: I did.
(Jesse stumbles in, bleeding from the neck)
Jesse: She gave me a hickey!
(Vamp gives Darla a look)
Darla: I got hungry on the way.
Yeah. It's not all ancient Bible-jargon, clearly. Just when they're, y'know, reading from prophesies. Honestly.
And yeah, that always kinda bugged me too, about how they only ever make reference to religion as a weapon against the demons. They use crosses and stuff, and holy water if it happens to conveniently be around in little bottles, but nothing about the religion the objects come from, and they make reference to this in season 7, when a new vampire comes out of his grave and, after a weirdly pleasant conversation, goes:
Vamp: Oh my God!
Buffy: Oh your God what?
Vamp: Oh, well, you know, not my God, because I defy him and all of his works, but - does he exist? Is there word on that, by the way?
Buffy: Nothing solid.
But the thing is, they're not trying to get all religious, and that's why they never do. For all the apocalypses they have on this show, there's no stuff from Revelations anywhere, because they're not making a statement about religion. They just were making a point to show that all the bedtime stories and myths that everyone hears and knows, they're all true. Also, they didn't have to make up an entirely new mythos for the Buffy vamps. So that's why.
Oh, I should probably mention that for all the forgetability of this episode, it did have one of the main lines that people quote from this show, and that is:
Buffy: (holding up a pager) If the apocalypse comes, beep me.
Also, I know I've said this for like every episode so far, but Cordelia. What a BITCH! Isn't she great? I adore her. The thing is, she isn't a bitch by nature. She's just harshly truthful, ("Tact is just not saying true stuff, I'll pass") and then also happens to have an extremely venomous tongue on her when she wants it, which is all of high school. Keep other people down, remain Queen B, and all that. Honestly, I love her. She's not so much a three dimensional character at this point, but boy does she earn those layers.
That's what I've got for you. Thanks for dropping by. That's all, folks.
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