"Dead Man's Party" [3x02] Review by Mikelangelo "MikeJer" Marinaro Posted by MikeJer on November 5, 2005 Writer: Marti NoxonDirector: James Whitmore, Jr. 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 episode has two distinct halves to it, one which is great and the other which is poor. The first half is dealing with the unresolved issues from Buffy skipping town in "Becoming Pt. 2" (2x22). The second half is a somewhat poorly done zombie plot that seems to happen right when important dialog is about to be said. I can't help but feel cheated by the fact that all is forgiven just because they killed some zombies together. This is a cheap way out of having to find real solutions to the problems everyone has with Buffy taking off and not telling anyone. There are a few really powerful scenes, though, which help elevate this a bit beyond failure. The episode begins with Joyce telling Buffy she wants to put this whole mess behind them, which we find out later isn't that easy. The group's initial reaction to suddenly seeing Buffy back is perfect: they all looked kind of dazed and confused. None of their reactions can compare with the beautiful piece of subtle acting by Anthony Stewart Head when Giles, alone in his kitchen, gives us a potent emotional sense of happiness and relief just by his expressions. This is possibly one of my favorite "small moments" in the entire series. I was very pleased to see that it isn't going to be too easy for Buffy to get back into school. I do, however, love Giles' pressuring of Snyder at the end. I have some real issues with some of the characters' reactions though. First of all, while I can buy that the group has issues with how Buffy took off, they seem to be overdoing the anger and not at all understanding what she went through. This seems a tad out of character, especially Willow being so avoidy. However, the scene between Buffy and Willow in Buffy's bedroom helps exlpain why she feels the way she does and is quite touching. While walking around the stupid party she didn't even want, Buffy understandably gets the impression that everyone is ignoring her and would prefer she not even be there. She hears a guy say the party is for a "chick on rehab." Joyce even says that things were in some ways better before Buffy came back. I could feel Buffy's sadness and can understand why she nearly took off again. This leads to the big confrontation downstairs where Joyce and most of the Scoobies all start attacking Buffy for leaving without telling anyone. The group should be more understanding of what Buffy went through! I agree that she should have left some indication that she was at least 'okay,' but poor Buffy! It's great to see that at least Joyce admits she made a mistake when she gave the ultimatum to Buffy in "Becoming Pt. 2" (2x22). It's here when the zombies come literally crashing in and ruin the rest of the episode. These guys are hokey, boring, and completely spoil the incredibly important argument that was being had. So the final verdict is that I loved most of the scenes dealing with Buffy's return and really disliked all the zombie stuff. I would have been perfectly content if there was no supernatural threat. Overall it's an 'okay' episode at best. Minor Pros/Cons (+/-)
Quotes JOYCE:We got a very exciting shipment in at the Gallery. I, um, thought I'd hang a few pieces in here. It cheers up the room.BUFFY:It's angry at the room, Mom. It wants the room to suffer. XANDER:Check it out. The Watcher is back on the clock. And just when you were thinking career change, maybe becoming a... a looker or a... a seer. XANDER:So where were you? Did you go to Belgium? BUFFY:Why would I go to Belgium? XANDER:I think the relevant question is why wouldn't you? OZ:We should figure out what kinda deal this is. I mean, is it a-a gathering, a shindig or a hootenanny? CORDELIA:What's the difference? OZ:Well, a gathering is brie, mellow song stylings; shindig, dip, (Cordelia smiles) less mellow song stylings, perhaps a large amount of malt beverage; and hootenanny, well, it's chock full of hoot, just a little bit of nanny. BUFFY:(smiles) You're really enjoying this whole moral superiority thing, aren't you? WILLOW:(smiles) It's like a drug! BUFFY:Fine! Okay. I'm the bad. I can take my lumps... for a while. WILLOW:All right. I'll stop giving you a hard time. (pauses) Runaway. BUFFY:Will! WILLOW:(smiles and giggles) I'm sorry! Quitter. BUFFY:Whiner. WILLOW:Bailer. BUFFY:Harpy. WILLOW:Delinquent. BUFFY:Tramp. WILLOW:Bad seed. BUFFY:Witch. WILLOW:Freak.
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Comments (64) All Comments | Link2 | JessicaMay 1, 2007 I'm so glad you included the hootenanny quote! I actually became friends with a person based on that final line. We were planning my friends(his girlfriends) birthday party when we both recited the line at the exact same time:) All Comments | Link3 | spuriousAug 10, 2007 I am in the process of watching the entire series through for the second time; the first time I watched this one, I thought it was pretty weak because of the zombie plot. But, with the knowledge of how things develop in the series, it is a little more interesting. What I think is interesting about this episode is that it is one of the first times we see a recurring theme, that Bs friends don’t know how to handle her when she is having problems. We see this several times, such as with their reactions to Joyce’s death in season 5, and especially throughout season 6. In some ways, her friends are a lot like many of the show’s fans, who prefer Buffy to be light and “quippy,” but don’t know what to do when she starts to struggle with her dark side. Like many of us, Xander and Willow can be quite selfish in their relationships, and this is highlighted here. Maybe this explains why Buffy starts to keep so many secrets as the series progresses (about Angel returning, the truth about Dawn, her relationship with Spike). Anyway, I like it when we see these consistencies in the characters’ personalities, played out over many seasons. All Comments | Link4 | AustinAug 22, 2007 I thought the note that Joyce read at the end of Becoming was the I'm ok letter, at least thats how I took it. And about the zombies, especially their hokey music, I was under the impression they were supposed to be dumb, and I think kind of symbolic, crashing the party that Buffy didn't want to have, giving her a chance to do what she does best, save lives and fight evil. Kind of like saying, at least the Hellmouth welcomes you back. I do agree, however, that they should have let the confontation pan out, I'm interested in what would have been said, and does she really ever work out these, issues, I mean other than revealing that the curse worked, do her friends really ever forgive her? All Comments | Link5 | AustinSep 24, 2007 Dude Giles is really cool and freeky at the end when he basically threatens snyder All Comments | Link6 | AustinOct 5, 2007 I also really liked how coordinated and cool the scoobies were while Joyce was freaking out - like when she asks if these are Vampires and Willow cooly tosses Buffy a stake and then responds "no when he doesn't dust All Comments | Link7 | buffyholicOct 21, 2007 I don´t mind the zombies very much, what I really care about is her reintegration back in Sunnydale. The only person who I think is a bit harsh on Buffy is Xander. I can get Willow, though. I agree with Spurious here; her friends don´t want to deal with Buffy while she is depressed and sad, they want her happy. I think their issues stem from that too. They wanted her to move on, that she would kill Angel and just move on and be all happy. All Comments | Link8 | gabrielleabelleNov 8, 2007 This episode's always uncomfortable for me to watch cause of Buffy's situation. The confrontation scene during the party just hits a little too close to home for me. I was actually grateful that the zombies interrupted before Buffy totally lost it. SMG, of course, does a superb job. I'm always amazed by her acting in the series. All Comments | Link9 | MsFeasanceApr 14, 2008 This episode always leaves me yelling, "Oh, f**k you!" at the TV set; starting with Xander's assertion that she "ruined their lives", particularly given his role in Angel's trip to hell with the "kick his ass" deception. Given the arc of the full series, they all seem more accepting of the fact that Buffy slept with Spike than they do of her return here. All Comments | Link10 | cddApr 23, 2008 I just re-watched this episode for the first time in a couple of years. My recollection was that it was disappointing and, for the most part, it was. I too liked Giles. And SMG is, as usual, very engaging and exceptional acting. And I saw more interesting things in the dynamics knowing the future of the relationships. Regarding the idea that Xander's attitude towards Buffy is out of character, I think it's just a continuation of his jealousy of Angel. Of course, Xander knows (thinks anyway) that Angel is dead and Xander also has a girlfriend (though, as we've seen it's primarily on the physical rather than emotional level). But perhaps Xander is responding to the fact that Buffy's relationship to Angel seems to still override her relationship to Xander, even after she has "killed" him. In other words, Xander is thinking "Even after Angel's dead (thanks, in part to me), she's still thinking more about him than she is about me." All Comments | Link11 | PaulaDec 4, 2008 Just re-watched this episode for the second time. The zombie part is boring. The other part - Buffy and her mom and friends trying to reconnect after her return - is a good effort at actually dealing with such mutual issues in a realistic way, and has many good and fairly insightful moments (I actually do buy the anger from Xander and Willow, particularly since they tride to hide it at first; yes, things have been and still are hard on Buffy, but the same goes for her friends and Buffy is far from blameless), although it ultimately just resorts to "solving" everything by having everybody fight zombies together. The most interesting thing about this episode, though, is that I'm pretty convinced that this is where the writing team first started thinking about doing something like Season Six. The connections and similarities between this episode and S6 are many (of course there are differences too), but three seasons later, it was done thoroughly and properly without resorting to any quick fixes. All Comments | Link12 | ZillexMar 14, 2009 I enjoyed everything non-zombie related in this episode. It makes me sad that this could have been an incredible and pivotal episode in series, but the zombie attack and quick "resolution" (nothing was really resolved...just ignored) was disappointing. All Comments | Link13 | EmilyMar 16, 2009 I always hate the "kiss and make up" type scenes, except that here it's "fight against evil together and make up." It's dumb and stupid. Xander continues to be an a**hole, but I understand Willow's feelings. Willow was right, Xander was not- in the end, it's really him who ruined their lives because he lied to Buffy in Becoming. All Comments | Link14 | MissKittyFantasticoMar 16, 2009 "...in the end, it's really him who ruined their lives because he lied to Buffy in Becoming." I really have to disagree with you here, Emily. Soulless Angel would still have opened hell up even if Buffy had known that Willow was trying to restore his soul. In fact, although Xander's reasons for telling Buffy Willow said "kick [Angel's] ass" (if this is the line to which you're referring) were less than chivalrous, I could even make the argument that this is what Buffy NEEDED to hear. If she had known that Angel might get his soul back, she might not have fought as hard as she did - not on purpose, but because she was thinking about that possibly and trying to figure out how to save him if he became good again. This way, she focused on the fight and did what she needed to do to save the world, even when the tables turned at the last second. All Comments | Link16 | PaulaMar 16, 2009 Agreeing with MissKittyFantastico. It was selfish and bad of Xander to lie to Buffy, but it didn't ruin any lives and didn't change what was going to have to happen to Angel. (It's a little strange though that Buffy didn't - much before S7 - realize Xander had lied to her about Willow's message, since it's pretty obvious that it was Willow who had restored Angel's soul and she would hardly have sent Buffy a message like that if she was working on the soul restoration.) All Comments | Link17 | SamMar 16, 2009 OMG, how can you forget the best line in the whole episode??? Giles: Do you like my mask? Isn't it pretty? It raises the dead! Americans. :) All Comments | Link18 | EmilyMar 23, 2009 MissKitty and Paula, the Willow told Xander, "Go tell Buffy what we're doing...maybe she can stall." I think Buffy was a strong enough vampire slayer at this point to stall Angel for a few minutes. If she *had* gone in there knowing that Willow was trying, she would've stalled Angel, he would've never opened Acathla, and everything would be happy. of course, this is a Joss show and things don't happen like that here, but the blame has to go somewhere. And it lies on Xander, because he lied. Straight out, right through his teeth, to her face. And he never even felt bad about it- never fessed up or anything. So yeah, I do blame him. All Comments | Link19 | MissKittyFantasticoMar 25, 2009 Emily-- I honestly don't think getting a message to "stall" in her fight with Angel would have been all that helpful to Buffy. Buffy didn't know Angel might get a soul, but this didn't change her needing to keep Angel away from Acathla - Whistler had already warned her about Angel being the key anyway. Buffy and Angel were in the middle of an incredibly intense fight when he finally managed to grab Acathla's sword -- it's not as if she let him get it while they were fighting because she didn't stall enough. Also, if Buffy had been more worried about distracting Angel than fighting her best, she could have ended up dead. I also disagree that "the blame has to go somewhere". Buffy is a complex show. One thing did not cause Acathla to open; one person did not ruin all their lives. It was a combination of factors, and I don't think it's fair or correct to make it all Xander's fault. ... Maybe this is just something about which we have to agree to disagree. =) All Comments | Link20 | ShinosaiApr 27, 2009 Buffy telling Xander "it's all fun and games until someone loses an eye" while taking a stake from him is possibly foreshadowing. I've also always sided with Buffy over Xander and her mom. As Buffy tells Xander in season 6 about her depression, "You didn't wanna know." Xander doesn't want to know what Buffy went through, and his moral superiority here is sickening. He says she should have talked to someone, but who, Xander? Has Xander ever given her a reason to think that he would be slightly understanding about what happened with Angel? And her mom told her not to come back. She couldn't talk to mom, she freaked when she found out that Buffy had sex. I think her friends and family should have been more sympathetic. If my parents told me to not come back home, I wouldn't come back for a long while, either. It's just stupid that they get down on her for leaving, but not one of them attempts to talk to her about what happened with Angel except Giles. All Comments | Link21 | EmilyMay 8, 2009 "...Buffy and Angel were in the middle of an incredibly intense fight when he finally managed to grab Acathla's sword -- it's not as if she let him get it while they were fighting because she didn't stall enough." That's true, but I think that if she had known what Willow was trying, she would've tried harder to keep Angel away from the sword. Hope can change everything. Lack of hope can also change everything. Buffy had no hope because Xander lied to her. Maybe if she had *had* hope, she would've been stronger, would've fought better. She is always at her strongest when she is fighting for Angel (see 3x10: Amends and 2x10: What's My Line? Part 2). If she had known that there was even the slightest chance that she could get Angel back and bury Angelus forever, she would've fought her hardest. I also agree with you that Buffy is a complex show, but there is a point where if one person had said something differently, things would've changed. Yes, it is possible that even if Xander had told her the truth, she still would've had to kill Angel. That doesn't change the fact that Xander is arrogant and thinks he can make the choice *for* her. And he does this by lying. Maybe it is something we just have to agree to disagree on. Though I enjoy the debate:) Shinosai, I completely 100% agree with you. All Comments | Link22 | BethMay 24, 2009 I don't really blame Xander, Willow and Joyce for their reactions to Buffy's return. She did leave for months with no word that she was alive, if she was planning to return, if she was even going to be the slayer anymore, etc. Her friends fought hard for her, even though they had no real skills, and felt abandoned when she left. They continued to fight the good fight, always hoping that she would come back, but not knowing. On some level they did understand what she was going through, but a lot of time had passed which we, as the viewers, didn't get a good sense of as we only saw one episode with Buffy out of town. As a viewer I feel bad for Buffy but intellectually I understand her friends' and mom's reactions. I really liked these parts of the episodes - the zombie parts were hokey and one of the weaker monsters-as-metaphor plots. Too bad, because the rest of the episode was great. All Comments | Link23 | ChristianMay 25, 2009 I always disliked Xander’s reaction to the whole situation. I understand he’s hurt on some level but he should be more sympathetic with Buffy’s feelings instead of going blind with jealousy over anything that has to do with Angel. I’m glad Willow can see outside the box and really understand, or at least try to understand what Buffy’s going through. I’m sure that if Xander was in Buffy’s place he would have had a meltdown… he showed it clearly in season 7’s “Selflessâ€�. I hate it when people judge another’s condition before they have to face it themselves and realize how hard it is. I did like the episode… but I do agree with the discontent at how quickly they made up. I yelled, “yeah rightâ€� at the tv when Buffy and Willow shared the cheesy hug after the fight. Oh well… Sarah and Anthony’s acting made up for the flaws =) All Comments | Link24 | Jen BradleyJun 19, 2009 Wow, it's been a few years since I saw the episode, but I never felt negative about the Scoobies' reactions to Buffy's sudden return. I always enjoyed the episode, even the stupid zombies. The only part that bothered me was that Buffy killed her mother's only friend and didn't even feel bad about it just because Pat had the misfortune of putting on a zombie mask. Pat was still a human, after all. But back to the point. I think Willow and Xander were just teenagers, and they were thinking of their own pain rather than Buffy's. It's completely realistic that they would be angry with her. They didn't know what Buffy had was going through because she didn't tell them, and they (especially Willow) really felt bad that she hadn't bothered to confide in them. Were they right in attacking her? No. It was completely selfish and immature of them to try to punish her for leaving. Yet I understand it, and I don't think that it would be realistic for any of the characters at this point to just forgive and forget. That's what Willow and Xander did after Buffy treated them so badly in "When She Was Bad," but how could they really do it a second time? Especially after everything they'd been through together in Season 2? They deserved to be treated better, and if they weren't understanding about Angel, well that's Buffy's fault for not telling them. All Comments | Link25 | Lollypop75Jul 30, 2009 Er, Jen: Pat was killed by the zombies, dragged into joyce's room (when they thought she was just hurt). She then became a zombie and put the mask on. So Buffy didn't kill a human in this episode at all. On the episode as a whole - I felt what all the characters were feeling so much throughout this episode; it actually brought me to tears a couple of times (although it never has when I've watched previously). The zombies weren't great and it would have been nice to see *some* resolution between them all; this did let down the second half. But still I think this deserves a lot more than a C-. Everyone really has a point in the episode; obviously we understand why Buffy ran away, and it's a kind of realistic thing for her to do, and not helpful for someone to yell at her for that; but the others are just people too. As most people, I was really touched by Giles' reaction - I can't help feeling sad at the moment about all the stuff that comes between them in season 7 because of this. All Comments | Link26 | KatieJJan 4, 2010 @ 11:04am I'm in agreement with Sam. That is the best quote. Humor again serves as the Gorilla glue, holding together the less believable parts (relationship issues and plot devices) of the episode. All Comments | Link27 | Smallprint84Mar 31, 2010 @ 3:45am Also a cool foreshadowing: When Snyder says to Buffy "I noticed that hotdogstand needs new amployees. You'll look so cute in that hat.". Wow, if Snyder could see Buffy in S6-Double Meat Palace he would have had several tingle-moments. All Comments | Link28 | NixApr 28, 2010 @ 12:46pm We have our first mention of the season's overarching theme here, too, from Joyce: choices and consequences. All Comments | Link29 | MaxMay 4, 2010 @ 4:52am Syfy just aired this episode in the UK. Love the scene when Buffy yells for "MOM". Always has me in stiches for some reason! All Comments | Link30 | G1000May 17, 2010 @ 10:17am I'd have given this one a C . All the stuff with Buffy and her friends was extremely well-done. I personally didn't feel it was out-of-character at all. I would have liked to have seen Buffy call Xander out for lying to her in "Becoming: Part Two". Surely she's figured that out. Loved Cordelia actually stepping up and defending Buffy. She's become a far more mature and likeable character than she was in season 1. Zombies were awful. If they hadn't shown up, this would have been an A or A- in my book (I don't give perfect scores). All Comments | Link31 | fray-adjacentMay 21, 2010 @ 12:07pm I totally agree with MikeJer's review, and with spurious' comments. It's always surprising to me when viewers talk about being annoyed by Buffy's behavior, when what I find annoying is when characters keep a cheerful disposition no matter what they go through. Buffy makes a lot of mistakes in this series, but I can still usually sympathize. I think this is one of the great strengths of the show, and I think that they do a good job of this with most ALL of the characters. I love the way Buffy responds in the argument scene: she's frustrated, crying, defensive, inconsistent and even a little incoherent in her arguments. I found it totally believable. That's what people are like when they get in these kinds of fights with the people are close to. Too often you see fights like this where everyone's in grand monologue mode, and this fight was way more emotionally authentic (until the dumb zombies showed up). The Giles scene when Buffy returns is one of my favorites in the series too. I think the episode is worth re-watching just for a few of the moments like that. All Comments | Link32 | ShadowWeaverJul 16, 2010 @ 3:49pm I actually loved this episode. Buffy is a SUPERNATURAL drama series, after all. The characterisations were well-handled here and the series always needed some zombies to spice things up. Leave the deep, brooding darkness and hi-octane drama for the more mature later seasons (not that high school era Buffy hasn't witnessed plenty of that already anyway). For now, just take this episode for what it is - the very really solid episode of the season ("Anne" was good, but not great). All Comments | Link33 | ShadowWeaverJul 16, 2010 @ 3:51pm *meant to say the first really solid episode of the season. All Comments | Link34 | yippers6Jul 31, 2010 @ 12:49pm gathering , shindig ,or hootnanny all still wierd All Comments | Link35 | MapinguariAug 10, 2010 @ 12:12am Honestly, I could've watched that argument in the middle of the party go one for a whole other episode. That was some really great character development, and was so rudely interrupted. All Comments | Link36 | nathan.taurusAug 15, 2010 @ 7:07pm The Good: Nighthawk the Vampire Slayer. Xander the cool hunter guy. Buffy pushing Cordelia out of the way to stake the vampire. The Giles apartment scene. Buffy and Xander. "Belgium". Giles' reflection. "Gathering, Shindig or Hootenanny." The gang have a go at Buffy in a great scene. Jonathan by the dip. Giles threatening Snyder. Go Ripper! Buffy and Willow trading insults at the Espresso Pump. The Bad: Why was there a vampire behind a boarded up wall? No one takes into consideration Joyce's feelings towards a huge party at her house, or the neighbours. It just isn't in character. The party ruins the episode, too many extras. Good one of them got his neck snapped. The Future: Snyder says that 'Hot Dog on a Stick' is hiring. Buffy later works in the fast food industry at 'Doublemeat Palace'. Everyone has a go at Buffy for her actions. This happens again in 'Empty Places'. All Comments | Link37 | yippers6Aug 27, 2010 @ 12:02pm buffys talk about someone losing there eye and zander does All Comments | Link38 | John RobertsOct 3, 2010 @ 3:56pm Can't decide whether Joyce or Xander is the snivellest, whiniest, most self-centered asswipe on the planet. I couldn't enjoy this episode, those two had me wanting to put my fist through the computer screen. All Comments | Link39 | ShinyOct 3, 2010 @ 5:06pm On my current pass at the show, I've decided to watch the episodes (or an episode's portions) that I normally skip, and that covers a lot of this episode. The humour's great and I'm not actually bothered by the zombies, but I hate that it's all reduced to "we killed bad guys, now everything's okay". I disagree with the view that a great big battle puts things in perspective, so everybody'll just silently agree to never speak of their issues again - these guys fight the undead on a regular basis. I liked some of the negative reactions to Buffy's return, particularly Willow avoiding Buffy - in Anne, we saw how much Willow missed her and wanted her back. But once she is back, Willow has to deal with something she couldn't/wouldn't express while Buff was absent: how angry she is that her best friend abandoned her. That said... when Cordelia is showing more humanity than Joyce and Xander, something's very wrong. I can just about forgive Joyce, but this put me off Xander for at least half a season when I first watched the show (it wasn't helped by the upcoming Xander/Willow lunacy). It fits his character, as he flips at Buffy quite a lot throughout the series, but it's a real showcase for how selfish and aggressive he can be. That not a single person tries to defend her (except Cordelia, whose good intentions are obscured by her accidental insults) is surreal to me. On a semi-related note, it really, really bugs me that when Willow finds out that Buffy had to kill ensouled Angel, she reacts by asking Giles (again) if she can help him do a binding spell on Acathla. I like to think the writers just wanted to set up Giles' next line ("there is no spell"), because the alternative is that she would rather think of doing a new spell than what Buffy had really been going through at this point. That'd make sense given her future attitude to magic, but it makes me like her a little less. Anyway - basically, yeah. Everybody attacks Buffy, and then zombies magically make it all okay. Unsatisfying. All Comments | Link40 | DavidOct 20, 2010 @ 4:46pm While we the viewers can definitely sympathize with Buffy, I think that the anger/hurt that Joyce/Xander/Willow show is incredibly valid as well. Buffy only came back due to what happened in Anne. If she never met Ricky/Lily, maybe she would still be in Los Angeles working. Joyce: She has her daughter throw into her face that she's basically the only option to fight off demons and save the world. Creatures that Joyce probably can't even fathom. Then Buffy disappears, leaving only a note (of which we never see), and doesn't return for months on end. Did Joyce take Buffy's announcement well? No, but suddenly she becomes a mother having no idea what her daughter is up to and whether she is even alive. Xander: This is more dubious but I think Xander's anger revolves around the fact that Buffy basically ran off on them just because she killed her boyfriend to save the world. Suddenly Buffy's vanished (despite said boyfriend killing Jenny Calendar, somebody very close to Giles) and the Scoobies are left basically having to hold the fort and deal with no idea what is really going on. Xander has stated he's never liked Angel and probably sees Buffy's running away as choosing her love of Angel over her own mother (also remember that Xander's parents are far, far removed from the way Joyce usually treats Buffy so it likely strikes him on an even more personal level). Willow: Probably the most understandable (see the in episode reasons she lists). She winds up in a wheelchair, after coming out of a coma (and performing an incredibly dangerous spell that did in fact restore Angel's soul despite it being the second attempt). Her best friend has absolutely vanished with zero communication while Willow is stuck unable to convey in anybody else (Oz is still new boyfriend wise, Xander is a male best friend that she still has feelings for, and Cordelia is Cordelia). Willow is likely just as concerned as Joyce is that Buffy could be dead somewhere on any given night (see Willow's admonishing of Buffy for just patrolling while sick in Killed By Death). In total: They have to deal with protecting Sunnydale and possibly saving the world. Xander, Willow, and Cordelia aren't known much for their fighting prowess. Oz is a werewolf for 3 days of the month. Giles is skilled but also old and not nearly as spry. Any of them could have been killed (just look at the opening scene in Anne) fairly easily and if something "end of the world" happened, they would have had a very outside shot of stopping it. Buffy basically laid that burden on their shoulders. All Comments | Link41 | John RobertsOct 21, 2010 @ 8:58am David - Oh, I can explain Joyce's and Xander's behavior, just as I can explain why a toddler shrieks and throws a tantrum and pounds the cement when he drops his lollipop down a sewer grate. But I can't excuse it. No matter how many stupid and selfish things Joyce and Xander do, and they do a whole helluva lot, Buffy Summers does not preach to them in public. She does not shred her Mom in front of an audience, call her out and attempt to shame and embarrass her. She does not do that to her friends. What Joyce and Xander did was hypocrisy of the first order, and I may forgive but I will not forget. Good for Joss Whedon to get me to care so much. :-) All Comments | Link42 | StilichoDec 23, 2010 @ 12:43pm As with regards to Davids remarks, I feel that Joyce is the one person whose reaction I can to some extend understand. But the Xander/Willow reation seems to me highly exaggerated. That they bear Buffy a grudge, granted, but that this TOTAL lack of understanding and empathy? I wouldn't buy it, but here it is, and that makes the episode very annoying to me. All arguments that David brings forward are good points, but: Both Xander (he especially) and Willow (also Joyce, though as said in her case its more understandable) seem to lack COMPLETLEY the ability to watch it from a diferent, Buffy's, angle. It think very much they have this ability, but Marti Noxon denied it from them to stress his point overly, I'd say. That bugs me. I don't like his development and handling of the problems very much, and I don't feel that it is plausible. Ah, and the killing of Pat and "Nice moves" comment nail it. Some potential there, but I can't help, all in all an episode I really loath. All Comments | Link43 | DCBuffyfanJan 10, 2011 @ 8:29am Am I the only one who thought it was incredibly rude that Buffy's friend invited a band and other guests to Joyce's dinner party? All Comments | Link44 | odigityJan 17, 2011 @ 8:06am "I can't help but feel cheated by the fact that all is forgiven just because they killed some zombies together. This is a cheap way out of having to find real solutions to the problems everyone has with Buffy taking off and not telling anyone." Maybe not. After all, what exactly is the problem, and what's the solution? You said it yourself: "This leads to the big confrontation downstairs where Joyce and most of the Scoobies all start attacking Buffy for leaving without telling anyone. The group should be more understanding of what Buffy went through! I agree that she should have left some indication that she was at least 'okay,' but poor Buffy!" The problem is that Joyce and the gang are still too upset by Buffy leaving them that they're unwilling to sympathize with her situation, which is why the argument the zombies interupted was so unproductive. As Willow said, "talking isn't working, maybe we should try violence". She was being sarcastic, but she was right. Talking wasn't going to get them through their anger to emotional release. All the relevant information had already been communicated. Re-bonding over a zombie fight *was* a solution to the problem. All Comments | Link45 | MikeJer | CREATOR/ADMINJan 17, 2011 @ 9:49am odigity: I understand that the episode intends for us to buy that the zombie fight was a solution to all their problems, but my issue here is that the resolution was not earned from a character perspective (as opposed to a story perspective). The fight was a far too simple a way out of the complex feelings that the group had brewing around. Now if the fight had simply served as an ice breaker to allow for more productive communication -- communication that spilled into subsequent episodes, I would have been much happier with the results. As presented, though, the resolution feels abrupt, unnatural, and cheap to me. All Comments | Link46 | fray-adjacentJan 17, 2011 @ 1:41pm The end of the episode feels like a somewhat cheap copout of a complex conflict, but it becomes clear later on in the season that the problems *weren't* resolved. This is particularly true in "Revelations", when a lot of related problems come to a head (though not specifically the problem of Buffy running away). And MikeJer, you've pointed out a number of times that the gang isn't as close in this season as they were in S2. I read the resolution after the zombie fight as a temporary truce that the characters can come to since they've blown off some steam, but the show demonstrates later that the underlying problems haven't been resolved by showing the Scoobies' increasing emotional distance. All Comments | Link47 | MikeJer | CREATOR/ADMINJan 17, 2011 @ 2:48pm fray, all true, but the specific resolution to the issues surrounding Buffy's departure were not satisfyingly dealt with for me. Angel returning in the next episode sure didn't help matters there either. The follow-through from "Becoming" simply wasn't handled terribly well by these opening S3 episodes. It wasn't awful, but it could have been much, much better. All Comments | Link48 | fray-adjacentJan 18, 2011 @ 10:36am Yeah, I agree. Except I love the ending with Buffy and Willow's name-calling. :) All Comments | Link49 | RosieMar 17, 2011 @ 10:21am ["First of all, while I can buy that the group has issues with how Buffy took off, they seem to be overdoing the anger and not at all understanding what she went through. This seems a tad out of character, especially Willow being so avoidy."] ["But the Xander/Willow reation seems to me highly exaggerated. That they bear Buffy a grudge, granted, but that this TOTAL lack of understanding and empathy? I wouldn't buy it, but here it is, and that makes the episode very annoying to me."] I was not that surprised by the Scoobies' lack of understanding. They have never really understood Buffy. Not really. Regardless of their affection or love for her, they tend to view her as "THE SLAYER". To them, she is this ideal being of goodness and not an individual with both flaws and virtues. They have always expected Buffy to understand their needs and their flaws, yet they have always had trouble understanding hers. This attitude remained solid right up to the last season. And this is why I have always questioned her friendship with them. All Comments | Link50 | AApr 28, 2011 @ 10:09pm They also don't know that Angel was good again. They don't know /anything/ about what happened. All they know is that she made a deal with Spike and disappeared. No explanation, no nothing. Knowing what they know, I might be angry too. And upset that my supposed best friend didn't trust me enough to tell me hwat was going on. All Comments | Link51 | SimonNov 14, 2011 @ 3:57pm I don't think they knew she made a deal with spike as that was never mentioned. But you'd have thought they would have known the police were after her, she had been expelled and her mom told her to never come back. Totally disliked Buffy not standing up for herself and the hint at a resolution by a zombie fight. I can understand Xanders reaction and Buffys burial of the facts until she's processed it. But I can't tolerate the kill a zombie, get a hug approach. All Comments | Link52 | Gemma Dec 21, 2011 @ 2:23pm This episode is a one i have mixed feelings about, one thing it does do is give an insight into the resentment surrounding Buffy's return. The strong feelings are most palpable in Joyce, who is trying to understand Buffy's life but at the same time she makes some bad choices, she finds it hard to cope now that Buffy is back which is discusses at the party. The other character is willow. WIllow has been fiercely loyal to Buffy in season two, being on side when it comes to Angel, she was the one Buffy opened up to the most about her feelings for him most notably in the two parter Surprise and Innocence. Buffy picks up on Willow's hurt subtly when she finds a photo of the three of them, looking so cohesive and together. WIllow's anger and resentment of Buffy is believable, she is meddling with magic and dating, all things Willow is new too, Buffy failing to be there is hurtful. Willows, vote to go with the party is a means of preventing a heat to heart with her best friend, she is hiding. Xander too makes his feelings known in the library and once more at the party. This episode serves as in some ways a second part to Anne, seeing the reactions of her friends to Buffy's return and Buffy finding her place within the world she left. This is expressed visually in the dream she has with Angel. The arguments at the party somewhat dilute the strength of this episode. It makes a travesty of the main song that was sung in previous seasons that Buffy must keep her identity secret these arguments are done a showdown way with a few witnesses although must of these die in the zombie attack. The attack itself adds to the episode, it is creepy enough to add fear and keep the pace of the episode going. It is that builds the bridges with the slayer and her slayerettes. Nothing like a penchant for violence to make things right! Giles even goes as far as to threaten Synder to get Buffy back into school! Yey Violence in this retrospect anyway! I do wish the episode would have dealt with or discussed the issues of the season two final, all the gang were in divergent but dark places, WIllow was in hospital, Xander's arm was broken, Giles was tortured and nobody asks about Angel. But other than that it did what it was meant to. All Comments | Link53 | OdonJan 30, 2012 @ 2:55am Did anyone else like the gear the Scoobies were wearing? They should have kept it, with the requisite "Lock and Load" montage send-up. As for the zombie gate-crash, I see it as being entirely appropriate. The Scoobies *have* to put aside their disputes and issues because if they don't, they and other people will die. They're like soldiers in war. That's why Buffy's friends are angry at her - she left them carrying the can while she disappeared, maybe never to return. As a result quite a few vampires were freed to kill innocents and Xander and Willow were putting not only their lives, but their lovers in danger. Everyone *did* try to cut Buffy some slack but as we saw in Season 4 and 6 if problems aren't discussed openly, it has serious consequences for their safety. So the Scoobies repressed what they were really thinking, only for it to explode when it seemed Buffy was running away again. The zombie attack reminds them of the reason why they've become friends in the first place. All Comments | Link54 | joaquinFeb 20, 2012 @ 5:42pm nobady thought about pet cementery when the cat resurrects? All Comments | Link55 | LillyMar 29, 2012 @ 11:32pm Just watched this ep. again. This time round, I think I can understand Joyce's behaviour at the party because my Mother has humiliated me in this way too. I think it's just, when you love & care about someone, every emotion becomes amplified and they're really hard to hold in. The only character I cannot forgive is Xander. IMHO Xander's dialogue was true to his character but I don't understand how they kept on being friends with him. I hate the way everyone always seems to forgive him for all the things he's done, the people he's hurt. There's never been any big consequences to his actions- he just moves on, not maturing (much). I just wish there was a Xander-centric episode where he has to deal with his flaws. Also, Willow attacking Buffy was a bit wierd. I'd have thought Willow would have been a bit more understanding, having already "bonded". All Comments | Link56 | ArmandoJul 13, 2012 @ 9:23pm -cons : Zombies ...WHAT? how is that a con? zombies are always a PRO! because they're zombies! This is actually one of my favorite episodes, it's just so much fun! PLUS! NightHawk (coolest nickname EVER) A gather, a shinding or a Hootenanny Americans! What about you by the dip? This episode is all kinds of awesome! :D All Comments | Link57 | ArmandoJul 13, 2012 @ 9:23pm -cons : Zombies ...WHAT? how is that a con? zombies are always a PRO! because they're zombies! This is actually one of my favorite episodes, it's just so much fun! PLUS! NightHawk (coolest nickname EVER) A gather, a shinding or a Hootenanny Americans! What about you by the dip? This episode is all kinds of awesome! :D All Comments | Link58 | Pippa HallNov 7, 2012 @ 3:57am I really didn't like the way they handled Buffy's return and her friend's reactions. I was surprised at how horrible they were. The only person who was decent was Giles. Poor Buffy. That dream that she has early on when she asks Angel about how she thought all her friends should be here and then she says she’s afraid and Angel says she should be? SO RIGHT. Joyce, Xander and Willow are truly unpleasant to the girl who has just saved the world and them. Why can Willow and Xander in particular not join the dots? Willow knew the spell worked she said she felt something go through her. Xander knew that there was a chance Buffy may suddenly be facing a souled Angel. He was sent to Buffy, by Willow, to tell her that. Once he got there, he deliberately chose not to tell Buffy. Whatever his reasons, because of that Buffy was made to be emotionally unprepared for what was going to happen. When Buffy disappears after this – can they not begin to piece together from what they know – that Buffy has had to kill Angel – and he was souled? So I was totally on Buffy’s side here. The only thing she did wrong was not to let them know that she was OK, but after what she’d just been through I can understand that. I particularly hate Xander cos of these disgusting lines: Xander: (interrupts) And what'll we talk about at a gathering anyway? 'So, Buffy, did you meet any nice pimps on your travels? And oh, by the by, thanks for ruining our lives for the past three months.' Buffy didn't ruin anyone's lives, she saved them. Also how dare he indicate without any proof that she supported herself through prostitution. Xander: Look. I'm sorry that your honey was a demon, but most girls don't hop a Greyhound over boy troubles. WHOAA! What a hateful loathsome sneering condemnation! BOY TROUBLES? That’s an odd description for the series of events when Angel loses his soul and kills people while emotionally torturing Buffy and trying to end the world. Willow is also surprisingly insensitive – in Buffy’s room she starts to complain about her LIVE boyfriend when she must at least GUESS at this point that Buffy’s boyfriend is DEAD and Buffy might have had to kill a souled Angel to save the world. They complain that Buffy didn’t try talking to them…but then Willow, Cordelia, Xander, and Oz invited every teenager they know to Buffy's house to avoid talking to her. Joyce invited Pat. So cos of THEIR actions Buffy literally can't explain or justify why she was gone over their dinner party, since the details are intimate and painful, and the backstory is a secret. I dislike Joyce because she told Buffy; “You made some bad choices”. Buffy made a "choice" to run from the police. If she hadn’t, the entire planet would have been sucked into hell. Buffy made a "choice" to flee to the city? That was something Joyce drove her to do. Don’t tell me that Joyce doesn't know what is really going on! She has had three months to go and talk to Giles who has all the details of Buffy's life over the past couple of years and could explain some of why she had to do the things she did. Instead of trying to gain an insight into Buffy has been through she just blames Giles. She never apologises for what she did to Buffy; instead we get the flippant and dismissive words of “mom isn’t perfect.” Buffy won't be allowed to complain or defend or even speak at all. Mom never ever has to apologize or fix things or change cos she isn’t perfect. So I was totally and completely and utterly on Buffy’s side here. How they could have written Joyce, Willow and Xander so horribly – I do not know. All Comments | Link59 | SummerDec 21, 2012 @ 4:22pm *in reply to Pippa Hall (#58) I really like your post, Pippa. I just watched this and I had sort of forgotten how harsh everyone was. It really was an upsetting fight but I can see why everyone was angry. I mean even though it might have been an adrenaline rush and kinda fun to play "nighthawk" every night Xander, Willow, Oz and Cordelia were putting their lives on the line every night and in a moment everything could have gone wrong. Of course, they didn't have to do that but I think once you know the kind of danger in Sunnydale and that you might be able to do something about it then it's hard just to ignore it. So they were sort of forced into that position, much like Buffy was, but unlike her the scoobies really don't have the means to handle it, which further separate them from Buffy. So as much as they try to understand each other's lives there's going to be a wall there. And it's further exasperated by the stress of not know if Buffy was okay all summer. That's gotta hurt.I side with Xander on the case of not telling Buffy about the spell. He tends to be the hardest on her. Sometimes the tough love works, sometimes it doesn't. This time he's especially harsh, yes, but he opens the door for everyone to tell her exactly how they were feeling. She could have done the same but the timing was all wrong. There were just a lot of secrets and feelings and you can't keep those buried (IE Zombies, I thought that metaphor was a bit on the nose. How come they didn't eat people, though?) All Comments | Link60 | GonFeb 21, 2013 @ 10:41am I tottaly agree with MikeJer 47: all this Buffy-coming-back-home / Angel-coming-back-to-life episodes could have been much much better. One thing I really love about this episode is PAT! I tink she's fantastic. Not the zombi-Pat, of course, but the hippocrate, preachy, guilt-inducing, "I'm a morally perfect and yet active and super-fun" person. I've known people just like her, I think the actress was perfect. I guess she was meant to be a metaphor of how some people might judge one's actions without knowing the circunstances. Apart from that, may I say that in the firt part of this episode (I mean, before the party) Buffy wears some of the worst outfits I've seen? :) All Comments | Link61 | ArachneaFeb 23, 2013 @ 2:06am Rewatching Buffy when you're older and a parent gives you another perspective on Buffy. This is, I believe, one of the shows I'll still be watching when I'm a grand-mother. Contrary to the episode in season 7 when everybody ask Buffy to get out of the house, here I believe everyone is in character, albeit slightly over-written. I see them as kids, adolescents, which makes their analysis very selfish and flawed (some adults do the same...). Xander is the perfect guy to hate and like and was absolutely necessary on the show: his obsession over Buffy, his bad jokes, his over-jealousy, his bluntness. He doesn't realise it, but he uses Cordelia as a substitute, he never loved her and all through their relation, I pitied Cordelia who had true feelings for Xander. Of course, that relation made her grow up and she's one of the shining characters of the show(s). Sorry, I lost myself in typing... What I meant to say is what Xander tells has always a ring of true to it and the viewer may hate him for saying it the way he does (not very diplomaticly). He's mean, but he has a point. You can also see the difference between Giles' reactions and the scoobies - adult vs teenager - very interesting. Joyce is an adult, but also Buffy's mom, which makes a great difference and parents often make the mistake of shouting first (emotional outburst because of the worries) and understanding after. So, even if many times I wanted to slap her, I believe it's very much in character: more so, because we've witnessed her hammering the nail about Buffy's past instead of encouraging and supporting. It doesn't mean she's a bad mother, she just makes mistakes along the way, but in the end, she truly loves her daughter. What I like is putting myself in everybody's shoes and from that point, you can understand almost everyone's behaviour. Willow's grief is understandable because she always did everything to help Buffy, she was the more understanding and the less selfish of the lot. And when she needed her best friend the most, Buffy was not there. Her issues may seem (arguably) more trivial than Buffy's, it doesn't mean she didn't suffer a lot too. Buffy's big problem is that she carries the fate of the world (well, at least Sunnydale and america :p) on her shoulders because she is the slayer and she had to kill her boyfriend. Though very selfish, it's understandable why she needed to run away. But while she couldn't talk to her mother or Xander, she could have talked to Willow or even Giles. But the story is about a girl growing up; she did what many teenagers do, she ran away and then realised who she was and who she needed to continue on her path. Like Jammer, I really would have appreciated a lot more and the zombies stopped that. The setup was good, everyone being uncomfortable and not eager to talk. But then, where is the talk ? We only get the angry part, the bashing part. Where is the part where Buffy explains her reasons, her pain and her guilt ? When is it acknowledged that Xander made a huge mistake when he lied to her ? I would have been interested in seeing Buffy thank Willow for the risks she took by restoring Angel's soul. I'd have liked to see a tension between Buffy and Xander because his lie changed a lot of things. But at least, this episode is good in showing mutiple points of view, all flawed but all relevant. From the anger to be left alone to carry out a mission, the worry to be left with no clue about the welfare of the missing one to the feeling of being totally lost with no one to turn to. All Comments | Link62 | GeorgeMar 2, 2013 @ 11:15am *in reply to Arachnea (#61) I agree with most everything you said. But really if we would have gotten the cathartic ending we all wanted. Everyone sharing their feelings openly and freely, without being interrupted by zombies, we really wouldn't have the show that we have. Without burying their problems everyone might have chosen different paths and less dark endings. In short we wouldnt have the dark and flawed scoobie gang we all love. I think it shows that they are all well and truly on their way to kicking her out in season 7.The only thing I didn't like about the zombies is that it wasnt explained. Why did the mask come to life? Why wasn't it bringing everything to life everywhere it went. Why now? There is usually a cause and effect. But it seemed like that was all cut out. All Comments | Link63 | AdelineMay 12, 2013 @ 1:46am I think that the way her "friends" tore into her, in public, after she'd been missing for months, after she was forced to kill the guy she was madly in love with (who had just been en-souled), in order to save them and to save the world, was ridiculously overwritten. Being angry? Absolutely, I can see all parties involved being upset and hurt. But humiliating Buffy? Shaming her? Implying she was a prostitute? Accusing her of "ruining their lives"? This episode makes me so angry that I can hardly watch it, and usually choose not to. No one has the slightest idea what Buffy went through (except for Xander, who was directly responsible for robbing her of the chance to end the confrontation with Angel in any way other than death). And instead of making an effort to talk to her, or get her side of the story, or even sit back for a minute and think about it from her perspective, all of her "friends" and even her mother decide to rip her apart. The idea that she might have had to murder her boyfriend (Angel, not Angelus) has crossed all of their minds, but in their selfishness and spite, they've chosen to ignore it. I can understand teenagers being short sighted and angry. But the things the Scoobies said were totally uncalled for. The biggest failing in this episode was that Buffy was never given the chance to properly defend herself, and her "friends" never apologize for the horrendous things that they say to her (in front of half the school!). What's the moral here? It's fine to be ruled by your own insecurities, to be blind to the pain of others, to cause suffering in an effort to alleviate your own? And there will be no repercussions? No consequences? Even if I could get behind the Scoobies saying terrible, terrible things to the girl who routinely saves their lives and the lives of all the people they have ever cared about, I absolutely cannot stand the idea that they are never held accountable for their words and actions. No one apologizes to Buffy. No one even implies that they might have /slightly/ overreacted. It makes me sick. This episode is a "D" for me, and I will always skip it. All Comments | Link64 | AdelineMay 12, 2013 @ 1:49am *in reply to Pippa Hall (#58) I have to say, I agree with just about everything you've said. I'm really glad I'm not the only person who felt this way!The way the characters acted in this episode really colored my impression of them from then on. I could never look at them the same way again, especially Xander and Joyce. 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 Iguana-on-a-stick [Game of Thrones] From what I recall, opinion was divided on that. Some prefer book 2 for being more coherent.... View PostMay 23, 2013 Alexei [The "Annoying" Charact] I disagree on your views of Angel. Angel in BtvS certainly isn't the most interesting charac... View PostMay 23, 2013 Alexei [10 Years after Chosen] I came upon Buffy by accident, maybe 4 or 5 years ago. I think it was season 2. When i start... View PostMay 23, 2013 |
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I completely agree with your comments about this episode. Wasn't Giles wonderful throughout? The quiet emotion, the whole funny bit where he's going "Do you like my mask? Isn't it pretty?", where hotwiring a car's like getting back on a bicycle, and yes, the lovely bit with Snyder at the end.
Everyone else, non-Buffy, was getting on my nerves.