"Phases" [2x15] Review by Mikelangelo "MikeJer" Marinaro Posted by MikeJer on October 30, 2005 Writer: Rob Des Hotel and Dean BataliDirector: Bruce Seth Green Quick Links Spoiler Warning! This is a retrospective review and may contain spoilers from anywhere in the series. Read at your own peril. Review This is a relatively lightweight Oz episode that makes him even more part of the group and manages to also further his relationship with Willow. We find out that Oz is a werewolf, amusingly bit by his cousin. I have really mixed feelings on this revelation. I'm not too happy that another one of the group is a supernatural being. Buffy's a Slayer, Angel's a vampire, Willow's soon going to be dabbling in witchcraft, and now Oz is a werewolf. While the writers do a great job of using the supernatural as a metaphor for life, I actually liked the mix of regular humans to supernatural beings. Now things are beginning to get weighted in the supernatural and I suppose I'd have preferred otherwise. The episode begins with a series of light and entertaining scenes. Oz is looking at the same cheerleading trophy that Amy's mom got stuck in back in "Witch" (1x03), which is beyond cool. This is a subtle reference to something that only the viewers even know about and is further proof that the writers of this show have respect for its viewers. I also love the P.E. scene where Oz says he got bit by his little cousin and Buffy 'acts' all weak with Willow cutely nodding approvingly. Larry then grabs Buffy's ass, and she flips him over her shoulder in response. I guess I've got a soft spot for seeing Buffy flex her supernatural muscles in front of the "regular people" from time to time. This is why I also loved Buffy bending the hunter's rifle with her bare hands towards the end. The werewolf turning out to be Oz is actually pretty unexpected. I love his comment after waking up in the forest naked: "huh." Reminded me exactly of Mal's 'huh' in Firefly's "Serenity." Oz discovers part of him is now a monster and that he is a danger to those around him. We know from "Wild at Heart" (4x06) that the instincts of the beast are within him even when he's not in werewolf form. There's also a lot of anti-men dialog in this episodes with Buffy basically saying that the typical male has no conscience, is preditory, and is aggressive. All these comments seem to fall flat when they discover Oz, one of the most gentle guys around, happens to be the savage beast they've been hunting. Perhaps what's being said here is that all men have a beast within them, but what's important is how they use those instincts. If used in a positive way, such as to create a sense of self-confidence and motivation, then having some 'beast' within them becomes an asset. But if not kept in balance all you'll see is the beast, which in turn will create a predatory and aggressive individual. Oz becomes the counterpoint to Buffy's opinion of the typical male here and essentially proves her wrong. On the smaller side of themes, I found it amusing to see Buffy's name appear at the top of the list on Willow's search for school offenders. I also found it very intriguing to consider the possibilities of the reason behind Buffy giving Xander a close hug after he kills a vamped Teresa who had her pinned down. Buffy hugs on tight, then right after she lets go she looks up at him for a second like she's considering saying something important to him, but instead storms out of the room. Xander's reply perfectly reflects his confusion, "Oh, no, my life's not too complicated." Xander is still is very attracted to Buffy and wants to date her quite badly (I can't say I blame him either). Us viewers can tell Buffy didn't mean anything romantic by her glance or her hug, it was meant as comfort with a friend. But to Xander, who is still sexually attraction to her, it means a lot more and now has him thinking about possibilities again. This confusion is directly dealt with in the next episode. Willow also got some good development here. She complains about Oz showing so much affection for her one moment and then going quiet and cold on her the next. At this point in the show, Oz is still a very new member of the Scooby Gang, so it is understable that he isn't immediately able to confide in them when he finds out he's the werewolf. In defiance of this lack of communication, Willow goes over to his house and unleashes Willow-fury (even an angry Willow is cute, in the first three seasons at least) on him right as he's changing into the werewolf. Willow's gradual confidence boosts gained over the course of the season, which prominently began back in "Halloween" (2x06), is finally put to full use here. It's great to see Willow be so up front with her feelings. At the end Willow goes to talk with Oz about everything that happened. Oz is gentle and offers to give her some space after what happened. The new and improved Willow, though, decides to say "screw it" with needing time and tells Oz she very much wants to actually begin dating him and that she doesn't care that he's a werewolf. This series has the most subtle and wonderful character development I've ever seen. Willow's slow growth of confidence over the season is simply one more thing added to a long list of character growth for proof. So while there were a lot of strong and intriguing themes running through the episode, some stuff didn't make it through so well. The werewolf suit looked preposterous and only worked when it was in the dark so I couldn't see it. In addition to the werewolf, the werewolf hunter was also dumb and came across completely one-dimensional. That's never good. I also didn't appreciate Buffy's semi-light attitude considering what she had just went through. She seems almost content with the way things are until Angelus reminds her with a dead student that he's bad now. Overall, though, the strengths overpowered the weaknesses in this solid episode. Minor Pros/Cons (+/-)
Quotes WILLOW:So did you like the movie last night?OZ:I don't know. T-today's movies are kind of like popcorn. You know, you forget about them as soon as they're done. I do remember I liked the popcorn, though. BUFFY:Have you dropped any hints? WILLOW:I've dropped anvils. OZ:Oh, don't worry. I mean, they might not look it, but bunnies can really take care of themselves. GILES:Quite. And it, uh, acts on-on pure instinct. No conscience, uh, uh, predatory and, and aggressive. BUFFY:In other words, your typical male. XANDER:On behalf of my gender, hey! GILES:Yes, let's not jump to any conclusions. BUFFY:I didn't jump. I took a tiny step, and there conclusions were. OZ:Aunt Maureen. Hey, it's me. Um, what? Oh! It's, uh... actually it's healing okay. That's pretty much the reason I called. Um, I wanted to ask you something. Is Jordy a werewolf? Uh-huh. And how long has that been going on? Uh-huh. What? No, no reason. Um... Thanks. Yeah, love to Uncle Ken. WILLOW:He-he said he was going through all these changes. Then he went through all these...changes! WILLOW:Well, I like you. You're nice and you're funny. And you don't smoke. Yeah, okay, werewolf, but that's not all the time. I mean, three days out of the month I'm not much fun to be around either.
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Comments (24) All Comments | Link2 | TamoraSep 21, 2007 God, I loved the scene with Larry and Xander! I mean, the moment Larry started talking about how they'd run him outta town... I knew, and it was beautiful. :) And at the end, how Larry walks by and just pats Xander on the back. Buffy's like "That was weird," Xander gets all defensive, and she restates - "I mean he didn't try to look up my skirt." Lovely lovely lovely. I also adored the phone conversation with Oz and his aunt. "Is Jordy a werewolf? Uh-huh. And how long has that been going on?" So bluntly Oz-like. I love the guy. All Comments | Link3 | buffyholicOct 14, 2007 Gotta love this episode, there´s a lot of great scenes and wonderful dialogue. I just love Oz here, the scene where he talks with his aunt Maureen is amazing. I love him with Willow, so cute together. I think Willow, in every relationship, gives away her heart and soul, she loves the other person unconditionally. One more thing, I was watching this yesterday and I noticed the following dialogue: Larry: (refering to Willow) ... Let me guess. That little innocent schoolgirl thing is just an act, right? Oz: Yeah, Yeah, she´s actually an evil mastermind. It´s fun. I don´t know if this is any foreshawdowing but I remembered Dark Wilow right away. btw, mike, I have a question for you, just for curiosity, why do you say you would rather have more regular humans than supernatural beings? All Comments | Link4 | BuckbeakJul 6, 2009 i think buffy's sudden onslaught of anti male comments are obviously a reaction to what had happened with Angel, who has clearly returned to his inner beast. this would seem out of place coming out of her mouth at any other time, but at this moment of course, that would be exactly how she would feel. surprised this wasn't mentioned. loving your reviews by the way! am a newcomer. All Comments | Link5 | BuckbeakJul 6, 2009 i think buffy's sudden onslaught of anti male comments are obviously a reaction to what had happened with Angel, who has clearly returned to his inner beast. this would seem out of place coming out of her mouth at any other time, but at this moment of course, that would be exactly how she would feel. surprised this wasn't mentioned. loving your reviews by the way! am a newcomer. All Comments | Link6 | IdaJul 26, 2009 What I don't like about this episode is that the werewolfs have never been mentioned before. The hunter had killed a lot of them, which means that they have been around for a while. And then all of the sudden they start attacking and killing people. But except for that, I like this episode. I love Willow and Oz together! All Comments | Link7 | NixJul 26, 2009 The hunter's been going all over the world for them. They could be quite common on a *global* scale but very rare individually. (Now *this* is a huge hole in the Slayer mythos. The numbers just don't add up: either vampires are really common, in which case one Slayer is not enough and humans are extinct, or they aren't, in which case any one Slayer will hardly ever meet a vampire. Since they can reproduce exponentially this actually requires the vampires to consciously control their numbers in order that they neither overrun the earth nor become rare enough that they can't be slain. However, this is a hole I can live with: it's a hole which is ubiquitous in vampire tales anyway.) All Comments | Link8 | KatieJNov 24, 2009 @ 6:42pm My favorite thing was the scene in the school right before the Buffy/Xander embrace in the funeral home: Willow: It used to be so much easier to tell if a boy liked you. He'd punch you on the arm, then run back to his friends. Buffy: Yeah, those were the days. At which point, Xander comes along and punches Buffy on the arm, and she gives him this great puzzled, pensive look. I waited for seven hopeless seasons for Xander and Buffy to get together, so I gotta take what I can get. All Comments | Link9 | Smallprint84Mar 10, 2010 @ 4:10am IMO I liked this werewolf costume/grime more than the S3/4 outfit. It's more wolfy. The newer looked just like a heary hellbeast. Also the werewolf grime in AtS-S5 was good. It reminded me of that great cult werewolf film "An American Werewolf in London". BTW, I liked the episode All Comments | Link10 | LizzieJun 29, 2010 @ 9:19am Willow is so cute I wanna die when she says something like "Well, he better hurry, I don't wanna be the only girl in school without a boyfriend" Sees Buffy's face. "Oh, I'm such an idiot. Do you want me to go away?" Reminds me of their meeting: BUFFY: Uh, Hi! Willow, right? WILLOW: Why? I-I mean, hi! Uh, did you want me to move? LOLZ! *Quotes from Buffyverse Dialog Database. I love Oz's character, so I love this episode that is almost completely about him and Willow. All Comments | Link11 | nathan.taurusJul 28, 2010 @ 9:13pm I finally put two and two together and realised that the werewolf hunter, Kane, is the same guy who played, Sahjhan, in "Angel" the series. Jack Conley. Anyway, another below-par episode in the inconsistent season 2. Oz being the werewolf is good and his phone conversation to his aunt is priceless. Theresa is pretty good looking too and the same age as Sarah. The hunter got stale. Although his response to Buffy and Giles being in lover's lane together was great. All Comments | Link12 | SeánAug 21, 2010 @ 4:32pm The one thing that bothers me about this episode is how Xander stakes Theresa in the funeral home, the funeral staff aren't suspicious and don't hear anything and no-one comments on Theresa being dust on the floor. The writers never put any thought into the deaths of minor characters. Plus the werewolf looked ridiculous although the CGI on the morphing into werewolf was fantastic! All Comments | Link13 | DavidSep 8, 2010 @ 6:02pm Willow: What's his number? Oh yeah, 1-800-I'm dating a skanky ho. That has got to be one of the best Willow lines in the whole series! All Comments | Link14 | HolleeAug 16, 2011 @ 5:27pm This is my absolute favourite Buffy episode, just wanted to state that to start. It contains my favourite line of the series (Larry: "Oh, let me guess. That little innocent schoolgirl thing is just, uh, just an act, right?" Oz: "Yeah, yeah, she's actually an evil mastermind. It's fun.") as well as one that makes me really angry that they left in (the a fore mentioned werewolf in love line that irks me to no end). Anyway, my sister and I were just re watching the episode, and there was one thing that really annoyed us: Willow falls and gets her bright yellow overalls all dirty, then they are magically COMPLETELY clean when she enters the library. Just as a final note, Seth Green is AWESOME :) All Comments | Link15 | AfterthebattleNov 12, 2011 @ 4:54am I agree with Buckbeak. I think there are obvious parallels between the werewolf and unsouled Angel. When Kane arrives at The Bronze after the werewolf escapes, Kane tells her: "You know, sis, if that thing out there harms anyone, it's going to be on your pretty little head. I hope you can live with that". She responds: "I live with that every day". Angel(us) much? From now on she has to live with the murders committed by Angel (Theresa in this ep, Jenny later) are "her fault", although they really aren't. All Comments | Link16 | AfterthebattleNov 12, 2011 @ 5:08am Another parallel, and I believe this is a huge piece of foreshadowing. Buffy says - when she believes that the werewolf has killed Theresa - ”I can’t believe I let that thing get away. I should’ve killed it when I had the chance.” In "Passion", she says to Giles: ”I'm sorry I couldn't kill him [Angelus] for you ... for her ... when I had the chance.” All Comments | Link17 | nitramneekDec 6, 2011 @ 12:35pm In response to #7 Nix above. This subject has been dealt with in the movie Daybreakers.In the movie, the earth has been overrun by vampires,nearly making both vampires and humans extinct.Very bleak,but very good.Just thought i would let you know. All Comments | Link18 | Gemma Dec 16, 2011 @ 12:02pm This episode is palpably one that focuses on Men and and there treatment of women. Most prominently displayed through Larry and the way he paws over Buffy and the other girls during a self defence class also Cain the werewolf hunter; his statement 'this is what happens when a woman does a man's job'. This is a poignant expression of woman power from Joss. What the shows underlying mission statement is; a blonde little woman is having a show down with a killer and she is the one who emerges victorious. Much like in Showtime from season seven. The outcome on both situations is that a woman trumps both of them, this woman being Buffy. While Larry is closest gay he is acting out on society's stereo type of women whereas Cain it seems is a believer in his views. This theme is made more poignant when Giles says that werewolves are 'potent, extreme representation of our inborn, animalistic traits' Note that this description does not signify a sex, it is Buffy who supplies that it is like any red blooded male. - I want to point out that Ms French from Teacher's Pet would fit this description, as well in some sense does Faith. This theme though is slightly subverted as it comes to light that Oz, who is most gentle and kind hearted man on the show is the werewolf, which damages the feminist in some extent. The character fluency is on top notch this episode as well as the comedy value. Like any horror flick Xander and Cordelia are attacked by a werewolf while making out! A quintessential derision of an old horror movie! Buffy reporting on gossip she found out to Giles is genius as well as Giles wanting to knock on windows to ask if anyone has seen anything...naive Giles is the best! Xander and Larry's discussion is a great subplot, Xander talking about the time he was possessed by a hyena and Larry's admission of being gay is light hearted. A pretty solid episode humour wise. Oz's reaction to him being the werewolf was perfect, he was just so Oz about it. His inherent coolness and laid back approach was spot on. What i didn't like is that we didn't see him really come to terms with it apart from the brief conversation with Willow about Giles having a big globe and that three days out of a month he will be baying at the moon. The episode had a feel of simplicity to it, it never felt contrived or derided. I liked that WIllow was amenable to Oz's situation. The fact that Oz being a werewolf binds him to the world of Slayer, solidifies his existence within the group. I for one am pleased it isn't Oz who is killed by Angelus! Sorry Jenny fans but Oz is way better. I like that he isn't evil. On a final note i agree with Oz when he discusses movies of today; a lot of them are pretty forgettable these days! Nice touch writers. Angel dominated the show from the back row, Theresa's death was his presence and i felt the fear he was emitting, Resonating with Buffy when she felt guilty about her death. Xander's confrontation with his feelings for Buffy were present once more when they went to visit Theresa's corpse. Continuity is always a most in shows! All Comments | Link19 | x factorDec 16, 2011 @ 3:56pm You definitely understate the hug and look that B/X shared. The hug was all about comfort and friendship. But the little look after and the awkward silence? Those arent the kinds of moments that i've shared with any of my opposite sex friends. Not saying that Buffy wanted to jump his bones or anyting, but if Xander had leaned in for a kiss...very possible that Buffy would have responded. All Comments | Link20 | Gemma Dec 17, 2011 @ 12:55am I'm not so sure, Xander and Buffy were never destined to be, even when SMG and Nick asked Joss if they could get together the idea was shot down. If she had responded she would have apologised and regretted the decision almost immediately not simply because Xander is her best friend but she is all to aware of Willow's conflicting feelings for him then of course there is Cordelia and Buffy may just be reeling from her bad situation with Angel. She's feeling emotional and worried and alone. All Comments | Link21 | Gemma Dec 17, 2011 @ 1:00am OH and i forgot to say that although i do agree that the scene is a prominent one, it highlights Buffy being slowly ready or coming to terms with killing Angel? Plus Xander starts to realise he has escalating feelings for WIllow particularly in Becoming pt 2 when she is laying in the hospital face. Cordelia was far from his mind. All Comments | Link22 | thebuffsterAug 1, 2012 @ 12:45pm Everything time I rewatch I discover something new! It's so great(: anyways joss said that he was contemplating making Xander gay and I thought that convo between Xander and Larry was a bit for foreshadowing in case they did take Xander in that direction. Obviously they didn't so set a thought. All Comments | Link23 | SummerDec 18, 2012 @ 1:33pm Yeah, this is a good episode. I like the Xander/Buffy discussion. I guess I never really shipped them but it would have been interesting. I don't think it was meant to be. Interesting that Joss was thinking about making Xander gay but he took it to Willow. Hmmmmmmm.... I have my own theories. All Comments | Link24 | Ryan ONeilDec 20, 2012 @ 10:10am I love how they made it look like Angel/Oz would get into a cliche vampire/werewolf fight, but nope :) 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 Brachen Man [Supernatural Rewatch] "Sin City" is criminally underrated. That was Jeremy Carver's first episode as wel... View PostMay 21, 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 MikeJer [Critically Touched Reviews: Frea] w00t w00t! View PostMay 19, 2013 |
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Gotta love Willow when she is nervous and awkwardly trying not to be awkward:
WIllow: Oh There, i have my friend... so ...I will go to her.