"Surprise" [2x13] Review by Mikelangelo "MikeJer" Marinaro Posted by MikeJer on October 25, 2005 Writer: Marti NoxonDirector: Michael Lange Quick Links Spoiler Warning! This is a retrospective review and may contain spoilers from anywhere in the series. Read at your own peril. Review A powerful and compelling two part romantic tragedy that will go down in history as a classic. These episodes also completely change the tone and the scope of what this series is going to do from now on. BtVS has just went from a fun show with a handful of standout episodes to groundbreaking and spellbinding television. This is superb material with a masterful setup and a grand slam finale. Where "What's My Line? Pt. 1" (2x09) and "What's My Line? Pt. 2" (2x10) failed, these episdoes succeed. It is exhilarating to watch them each and every time! I have a few minor complaints that rob it from being a 100, but by and large this and "Innocence" (2x14) are absolutely perfect. It begins with BtVS's creepiest scene yet. Buffy is dreaming that she is walking down the hallway outside her bedroom. While she is walking Drusilla starts walking right behind her in that black outfit she was wearing at the end of "What's My Line? Pt. 2" (2x10), with blood dripping down her mouth. This scene always gives me the goosebumps. Buffy proceeds to open a door which leads into The Bronze where a somewhat surreal song is playing in the background. She walks by Willow who is sitting at a table with a monkey (remember, all monkeys are French!), and then Buffy spots Angel and smiles. They exchange some romantic glances when Drusilla appears out of nowhere behind Angel and stakes him. There's a beautiful shot here where Buffy and Angel's hands are trying to touch each other as Angel's hand then body slowly disintegrates away. Buffy is in shock and Drusilla says, "Happy birthday Buffy." She then wakes up in panic. What a haunting introduction dream! I love it! The Buffy and Angel romance is propelled into full heat mode now. They even have a theme song for their love which I think is perfect. Buffy heads to Angel's place first thing in the morning after waking up from her nightmare to see if he's alright. Angel tries to sweetly reassure her that there isn't a problem. They kiss a bunch and the scene ends with Buffy saying "I like seeing you at bedtime" out of context. This stirs up some heat, though, and gets the hormones running a little wild. So Buffy finally heads to school and tells Willow everything that happened. Willow's all cute and wide-eyed saying "woah" over and over again after hearing Buffy admit that she thinks Angel and her are going to sleep together soon. All of this stuff is setting up the fact that Buffy is preparing herself to give up her virginity to Angel, and is handled very well by SMG. While Buffy and Angel are in hormone land, Oz and Willow are beginning to bud into a couple which is accomplished through the wonderfully cute scene outside. This relationship really begins, though, in the next episode. I complained in the last review that if the Xander and Cordelia relationship didn't move beyond groping in broom closets I'd grow tired of it. Well, fortunately Xander steps up and tries to convince Cordelia to go to Buffy's surprise birthday party as a 'couple.' Cordelia unfortunately shuts him down, but at least Xander is trying to mature this relationship. Also getting a surprising amount of development is Jenny Calendar. We find out that she's not just a Computer Science teacher, but also a member of the same gypsy tribe that originally cursed Angel. It turns out she was sent to Sunnydale to make sure Angel keeps suffering. This revelation is handled perfectly. At first it looks like Jenny's going to turn completely against the group just because her uncle showed up, but I'm happy to say this show isn't stupid, so that doesn't happen. Instead we get a person torn between her obligation to her people and her obligation to her friends. She does what she can to separate Buffy from Angel by taking advantage of the opportunity to send Angel away with The Judge's arm, but Angel would have been the likely person to do this task even if Jenny hadn't suggested it right away. Aside from this, though, she really doesn't want to hurt Buffy nor does she know what will happen if Buffy gives Angel a moment of true happiness. The surprise birthday party at The Bronze was fun. The gang is trying so hard to give Buffy a nice and normal party but the vampires outside ruin the whole atmosphere. Then The Judge's arm really solidifies her failed party. This leads to the romantic moment on the docks, which seemed overly sappy, but once you've seen "Innocence" (2x14) you realize that all this love talk makes what happens next so devastating. The ring Angel gives to Buffy, though, is genuinely romantic. All of this quickly leads to their encounter with The Judge, which they barely escape from. They flee to Angel's place all wet. Things quickly get closer as Angel asks to look at a cut on her back. I love how Buffy is not sure whether or not to cover up her chest. After some tender touches the actors do the best they can exchanging lines like "I love you. I try not not but I can't stop" and "Me, me, too. I can't either." This whole scene is handled very well and comes across as both tender and pretty romantic. They both then bend down onto the bed and then the screen flashes. We see them sleeping happily in bed together when abruptly Angel gets up and runs outside screaming in pain. "To be continued." Quite the cliffhanger (though not if you have the DVDs)! I do have a couple small complaints about this episode, though, first of which is Buffy saying "we never saw a body" while discussing Drusilla, who would be dust if she was dead. My only other problem is with The Judge. First of all, he looks dumb even though I'm very pleased Whedon makes fun of this in the next episode. Secondly, he respresents yet another dumb armageddon plot. They really overdo these in these first couple seasons. Luckily they make fun of them more in S3 and S4. Overall, though, this is quite a fantastic setup for the amazing "Innocence" (2x14). Minor Pros/Cons (+/-)
Foreshadowing
Quotes OZ:I'm gonna ask you to go out with me tomorrow night. And I'm kinda nervous about it, actually. It's interesting.WILLOW:Oh. Well, if it helps at all, I'm gonna say yes. OZ:Yeah, it helps. It-it creates a comfort zone. Do you wanna go out with me tomorrow night? WILLOW:(cringes and slaps her hand to her forehead) Oh! I can't! OZ:Well, see, I like that you're unpredictable. XANDER:You're cooking? CORDELIA:Well, I'm chips and dips girl. XANDER:Horrors! All that opening and stirring. CORDELIA:And shopping and carrying. GILES:Dreams aren't prophecies, Buffy. Y-y-y-you dreamt that the Master had risen, but you stopped it from happening. XANDER:You ground his bones to make your bread. BUFFY:That's true. Except for the bread part. GILES:Round robin? WILLOW:It's when everybody calls everybody else's mom and tells them they're staying at everyone's house. BUFFY:Thus freeing us up for world saveage. WILLOW:And all-night keggers! What, only Xander gets to make dumb jokes? GILES:(whispers so as not wake Buffy) Seems Buffy needed some rest. ANGEL:Yeah. She hasn't been sleeping well. Tossing and turning. (everyone looks at him) She told me. Because of her dreams?
Screencaps
Comments (34) All Comments | Link2 | buffyholicOct 13, 2007 I don´t have enough words to do this episode justice. This is simply amazing, from start to finish. I love Spike and Drusilla, a joy to watch everytime. Drusilla is very creepy and a great character. Love the acting of everyone involved in this episode. This is a truly compelling, funny and heartbreaking episode. All Comments | Link3 | AndrewJan 11, 2008 Hmm. Certainly isn't a bad pair of episodes, and it does admittedly represent a new direction for the series, which is good, but my problem with it simple this: We have three relationships going on here: Willow/Oz, Xander/Cordelia and Buffy/Angel. The episodes focus on the only one of these that is completely uninteresting. Angel and Buffy, as a couple, are frankly dull. The best bits of both episodes were the Willow/Oz and Xander/Cordelia bits. Worse yet, the secondary plot, the Judge, while a long way from being bad, was good only because of Spike and Drusilla (and Angel, actually: Angel himself is cool, as is Buffy; it's them as a couple I find boring): The Judge himself is rubbish. All Comments | Link4 | MikeJer | CREATOR/ADMINJan 11, 2008 The Judge is rubbish, but hardly important. He's only a plot piece that puts everything into play. As for Buffy and Angel's romance, I think it's different for different people. I personally appreciated their romance for what it was. I also bought their infatuation with each other and felt their had a decent amount of chemistry. I know many people feel the same way. Others, like yourself, do not. Which is fine. It's important to recognize, though, what this kind of open-heart type high school love they had means in the context of the entire series. This relationship turns out to be massively important later on in regard to Buffy's relationships in the future. So even though you may find it boring, it's certainly not unimportant in the grand scheme of things. All Comments | Link6 | NixJun 5, 2008 Yeah, siv, perfect, except for the little soul-loss problem and consequent enforced chasteness. i.e., not even slightly perfect. It ends up so bad for both of them that *Joyce* tells Angel to stop it! It's romantic, but romance is not enough (at least not when your beau turns evil whenever you do more than kiss him). All Comments | Link7 | PaulaJun 18, 2008 I don't hate the Buffy/Angel relationship, but I was getting seriously bored with those two (particularly the endless kissing on graveyards) by these episodes. So Innocence in particular was a breath of fresh air, so to speak. (And that sentiment made even me think of myself as a heartless monster, but there we are.) I appreciated Buffy's broken heart at the end of S2 and the beginning of S3, and was kind of interested to see Angel come back, but by the end of S3 those two were again mostly just boring me out of my skull. I welcomed Riley. And I particularly welcomed Spike. I do kind of understand those who strongly feel that Buffy & Angel = epic true love forever, but I can't really see that happen. I mean... how could it? I appreciate that they for many reasons have a special bond and that Angel was Buffy's first love and so on, but she still was a teenager when they fell in love and not only she has grown up since, these two are also very much going their separate ways. And that's on top of the whole "he can't be happy even for a blink of an eye without turning into a soulless monster" issue. All Comments | Link8 | JadenJul 15, 2008 ahhh i can't help but agree with paula on the angel/spike relationship. its just with angel i never understood what kind of personality he was made to have. this confuses me as to why buffy loves him and even more why he loves buffy. angel mostly feels like a character created to fill the negative space of the plot leaving the actual character very thin. riley and spike had very clearly defined personalities and attractions to buffy. with angel im always left wondering what else he thinks about aside from his subtle obsession with buffy. while seasons 1 and 2 was able to cope with this relationship (and dealed with it very well) but season 3 crumpled under the strain and left them in emptily dating with no true flair. All Comments | Link9 | JadenAug 25, 2008 oh yeah i also want to say one of my biggest problems with this episode and that is the attitude that willow and buffy appear have about relationships towards the beginning of the episode. willows excitedly telling buffy that they should "take it to the next level" and stuff like that while buffy smiles and nods along. not only is this attitude downright innapropriate (for 17 year olds) but it completely negates the powerful emotions that lead buffy and angel to have sex in the first place! also it was incredibly lame how angel jumps into the water at the dock immediately after buffy gets pushed in. i mean she can swim can't she? All Comments | Link10 | PaulaAug 25, 2008 Jaden, whether she can swim or not, falling in deep water with all your clothes and your shoes on can still be very dangerous. I didn't consider Angel jumping after her lame at all. All Comments | Link11 | bigmoneygripOct 11, 2008 Wow. I never saw that coming. This is definitely the ep where Buffy turns from a great show to a classic! The Judge is what Hitchcock called the "macguffin", a device that drives the plot, but doesn't really have a lot to do with the tenor of the show or the film. All Comments | Link12 | KatzchenNov 6, 2008 Jaden, you don't know very many seventeen-year-olds, do you? All Comments | Link13 | EraymorDec 22, 2008 My only issue with this episode is the whole reasoning for why Angel has to be the one to take the box across the world. Here's how it plays out: JENNY: (to Buffy) What, you're just gonna skip town for a few months? BUFFY: 'Months'? ANGEL: She's right. I gotta get this to the remotest region possible. BUFFY: But that's not months. ANGEL: I gotta catch a cargo ship to Asia, maybe trek to Nepal... BUFFY: You know, those newfangled flying machines really are much safer than they used to be. ANGEL: I can't fly. There's no sure way to guard against the daylight. No where in there is a legitimate reason for why Buffy can't just hop on a plane to Nepal and be done with it in a couple days. I guess that's irrelevant, but it still bothers me a little. All Comments | Link14 | NixMar 8, 2009 In the initial dream, I wonder if there's any significance to Angel's apparent /situs inversus/? (Dream-Drusilla stakes him on what would in a human be the wrong side.) All Comments | Link15 | ChanahJul 9, 2009 I could be wrong, but in the second dream where Angel is killed by Drusilla - isn't Buffy wearing one of Drusilla's gowns? It always struck me as a bit forshadowey (oh, what this show has done to my English!), because later in the episode, Buffy does 'kill' Angel. All Comments | Link16 | ScoobasteveAug 25, 2009 I truely love these two episodes, but there actually is one little thing that bothers me a bit. It is at the very end, when Angel feels that he's going to lose his soul and jumps out of his bed. How did he manage to get get ALL these clothes on? I mean, it's not just some pants, but rather pants, shirt, his coat and EVEN HIS SHOES!! Of course I LOVED that twist at the end and really got the goosebumps when I saw Angel crying for Buffy, but I would've appreciated it, if he just had his pants on, nothing else. Would've also looked better from an aesthetic point of view imo. I think an Angel, stripped downto the waist, crying in pain for his girl would have just looked amazing!!(I am NOT gay btw :-) ) All Comments | Link17 | nathan.taurusJul 28, 2010 @ 9:01pm The reveal scene of Jenny being a member of the gypsy clan was horribly done. It felt forced and out of nowhere that this would happen, especially when she says, "I know...Uncle...I know." Forcing info down the viewers throat is not good Buffy. Apart from that crap-o-rama, I enjoyed the episode and the first of Buffy doesn't get a real birthday celebrations. Juliet Landau is a much better actor in this season then James Marsters. A great scene is when Dru replaces the vampires broken glasses and pauses then says "Hurry back then" and pats him on the head. It seems improvised as James looks away and smiles before Dru goes to him. Not a 95 episode though, In my opinion. All Comments | Link20 | John RobertsSep 22, 2010 @ 5:56am "The reveal scene of Jenny being a member of the gypsy clan was horribly done. It felt forced and out of nowhere that this would happen, especially when she says, "I know...Uncle...I know." Forcing info down the viewers throat is not good Buffy." Yeah that was awful alright. The scene was clunky, and the "there's a traitor in the Scooby clan" is a lame concept for writers who can't imagine anything better. Fortunately, the BtVS crowd *can* imagine better stuff, so the episode went in a different direction. Not much to add to what has been said already. The Judge. Smirk. We already had the Assassins of Antara, no Takara, OK whatever; the Master; the Annointed One (ooh, scary); Geydon or Geyon or .... you know what I'm saying, every week it's look-it-up-omigod-we-drew-that-monster?, he killed an entire army once for fun. Scooby Doo is starting to look more sensible. But again, that's not really the point of the episode. And everything else is really really good. All Comments | Link21 | Michael CarruthersSep 22, 2010 @ 1:47pm The Judge didn't bother me really. Apart from his line "I need CONTACT". Looked like the actor was struggling to speak through the fake teeth and heavy make-up. It's badly delivered, but it's unintentionally unfunny which counts in its favour. I always crack up after that line. This episode was great. I'd say a 90/100 at the most though. All Comments | Link22 | AndreaApr 18, 2011 @ 8:09pm Lol, here's my petty complaint about the Judge: why did the people who destroyed him by severing all his limbs place them into boxes that fit perfectly together to immediately reanimate him? Wouldn't that just make it way easier for the person who managed to gather all the different pieces? All Comments | Link23 | AndreaApr 18, 2011 @ 8:17pm One other quick comment: I'm always surprised at how eager Spike is in S2 to 'hire' other individuals to kill Buffy when he (already) has such a jones for Slayers. Admittedly in this episode he can't kill Buffy what with the wheelchair and all, but he brought in the Order of Taraka, for example, and was quite giddy about it. When I think of Spike, I would assume he'd never deprive himself of the pleasure, no matter how long it took. And we know he already admires Buffy greatly as a fighter, and would probably consider her his greatest conquest. So considering what we learn about him and Slayers in the future, I sort of view this S2 tendency as out of character. All Comments | Link24 | smallprint84Jul 27, 2011 @ 6:43am Yes, the haunting song in Buffy's dream is Shawn Clement & Sean Murray - "Anything" and the Drusilla party song is the wonderful Rasputina with "Transylvanian Concubine." Wonderful music! All Comments | Link25 | KarenOct 11, 2011 @ 12:56pm I loved this episode....ESP the relationship blossoming between oz and willow. I, too wondered about angel being fully clothed at the end of the episode. Really, how and why? I also wondered about Buffy and angel climbing out of the sewer. They jump through a crack in the floor of the factory to escape the judge, walk a few steps, hide behind a door, walk a few more steps, climb up the escape stairs and end up, where? The park? How did they get to the park when they moved maybe 4 yards in the sewer under the factory? Still and always,though,love Buffy. All Comments | Link26 | OdonJan 24, 2012 @ 7:10am re: Andrea - I'm always surprised at how eager Spike is in S2 to 'hire' other individuals to kill Buffy when he (already) has such a jones for Slayers. Remember that Spike's priority at this point is to make Dru better - he specifically calls in the Order of Taraka to prevent Buffy from interfering. Also at this stage Buffy was just another Slayer -- he hadn't yet developed his obsession with her. Even Spike had only killed two Slayers in a century; it's clearly not something he does lightly, especially after this one put him in a wheelchair. As for Angel wearing pants after having sex; well we just have to accept that happens in TV that children will watch. Even the fanservice-heavy Season 6 had Spike still wearing his underwear after boffing the Buffster. All Comments | Link27 | DaveFeb 18, 2012 @ 4:16pm I think one part that was sutel but funny was the part where oz comments on a vampire turning to dust and xander talks about how they are real and willow would fill him in the way he says it and walks past them the face he pulls gives a little impression that is he getting sick of repeating to diffrent people about vampires and slayer i thought it was pretty clever All Comments | Link28 | JustJennaMar 15, 2012 @ 12:08pm Did anyone else notice that the Judge was played by the same guy who played Luke? That bothered me. I felt it was glaringly obvious even with the "smurf" makeup and thought "What, they couldn't afford someone we haven't seen before?" It didn't make sense to me, especially since it's not like that actor is especially talented and there are plenty of big thugs around Hollywood that could have played that role to the same level, or maybe even better. All Comments | Link29 | AntoinetteApr 4, 2012 @ 8:32pm @justjenna lol i noticed that too. so i have a question that has bothered me for years. did angel know he was going to lose his soul. did he know one moment of true happiness (sex with buffy) would cause him to lose his soul? he never mentions it before, but you do get little hints before. in bad eggs he says he cant have kids, that can be interrupted that he cant have sex. or in the beginning of their relationship he would warn or her that things will turn out badly. but i still idk if he knew All Comments | Link30 | Gemma Apr 5, 2012 @ 12:54pm I don't think he did, I'm not even sure he knew that the curse could be broken. The reference to him not being able to have children may in fact be a reference to his body being dead and *ahem* the sperm therefore being dead too? His cryptic message that things will turn out badly...i think was made in reference before Buffy knew he was a vampire and thus could be what he means, she slayer him vampire? The prophecy went that a slayer must slay so i'm guessing it could be that? All Comments | Link31 | DaveMay 2, 2012 @ 10:22am Way too much melodrama when Angelus is leaving with the arm. He can still use a phone. All Comments | Link32 | SummerDec 17, 2012 @ 5:14pm *in reply to Dave (#31) lol Dave your comment made me snort. It was really melodramatic but, hey, that's a high school relationship for you. Everything is super dramatic!And Andrew, I would have enjoyed more focus on Willow/Oz and Xander/Cordy too but they get their chance to shine later. This episode is just as compelling to watch now as it was back then. I liked when Buffy was covering her chest when Angel was going to take a peek at her back. I was like Buffy, you've worn less to Mini Golf! Cordelia was funny in the surprise party. I also liked her conversation with Xander. He's always getting rejected. Also, some more insight to Xander's family with his mom not knowing who he is over the phone and that weirdo fantasy he had about Buffy and Angel's failed future relationship. I mean, really? You would be happy if Buffy were crying about Angel over some prime rib? That sort of disturbed me... oh teenage boys. But yeah the whole scene leading up to the sex was very charged and I liked that. I don't think Angel knew what was going to happen but he did know, and he knew the whole time, that getting that close to her could lead to some seriously bad consequences and he probably should have listened to his gut a lot more. But that's amore! All Comments | Link33 | Ryan ONeilDec 18, 2012 @ 6:33am *in reply to Dave (#31) Actually, if his own series is anything to go by: no he cannot :)All Comments | Link34 | SeeleJan 30, 2013 @ 8:20am *in reply to DFAS Giles (#19) Probably because that's where Oz went to stop being such a spaz. Because that was so necessary!Post a Comment
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Latest News  Delays... MikeJer - Feb 24, 2013 Hey all!I just wanted to let you all know that I'm looking forward to getting going on my Season 2 review updates. I recently started a new job, so life has been extra bu... View Full Post Latest Comments Ryan ONeil [Gingerbread] *in reply to Vishal (#60) The popular theory on the forums is that:Before Buffy showed up, ... View CommentMay 21, 2013 Ryan ONeil [Consequences] *in reply to James (#30) Probably public property View CommentMay 19, 2013 Waverley [Family] This episode makes me cry like a big girly man every time. That bit where Buffy says 'Take h... View CommentMay 18, 2013 Latest Forum Posts buffyholic [Supernatural Rewatch] I agree that Mark Pellegrino is amazing as Lucifer. But season five isnīt all that perfect... View PostMay 22, 2013 buffyholic [Dexter] The trailer for season 8 has been released. What do you think will happen? And how do you f... View PostMay 22, 2013 Ryan ONeil [Xander Harris] The problem with DMP isn't the argument. It's A] the party being over the top and out of cha... View PostMay 20, 2013 |
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"No sure way to guard against sunlight" ? I can think of a few, airmail himself and the hand in a box to Nepal...oh well doesn't really matter since he didn't go.
Xander: I feel a birthday spanking coming on!
Jenny: I'd curb that instinct if I were you.
Xander: (Speaking into coat, secret agent style) Check, cancel spanking.