"It's just with…"
"Little sis coming, I know. So much to do before she gets here!"
Gosh, that's an interesting bit of dialogue. What on Earth could it possibly mean?
This episode is probably more fun of stuff than any Buffy episode ever, as Faith wakes up at precisely the least convenient moment. Even the "Previously on…" segment is the busiest one ever. Not only do we have all the "current" characters making an appearance, plus Faith, but Joyce and even the late Mayor put in an appearance. There's a fair bit going on here.
It's interesting, given the fact that Adam is at the forefront of all our minds, that the early scenes, with Faith in a coma, should use imagery which so strongly hints at Frankenstein. Also interesting is that Faith should spend much of this episode subtly but symbolically dressed as Red Riding Hood. I have no idea what either of these things mean. The extended dream sequences early on are interesting and mystifying, too. The Mayor is obviously the father figure, taking Faith on a fatherly picnic, but the snake? Obviously it refers to his death but also, you know. It's a bit phallic. Faith makes a joking reference to "some stuff about cigars and a tunnel", but most of this subtext is going right over my head.
Still, Faith is back, and she's dangerous. Everybody's scared of her. But there's so much else going on here, albeit with her as the catalyst; she isn't going to really move beyond that and start doing the bad stuff until next episode. So here she just lurks around, while her presence causes things to happen, such as Buffy failing to explain about her sunlight-averse ex to Riley, Joyce realising that Buffy hasn't paid much attention to her for months, and Spike having to exclaim "Can't any of you damned Scooby club at least try to remember that I hate you all?". Of course, this is also a bit of a rebuke to us viewers for too quickly accepting Spike's unwilling role as good guy, and thus pleasingly meta.
Riley is learning to live in a world with shades of grey in it, with the help of his adoring girlfriend. They're very lovey-dovey here, but there's an underlying tragedy; Riley has given up everything he believed in for her and firmly deciding whose side he's on, agreeing to act as the Scoobies' double agent in the Initiative. Buffy is now the sole centre of all meaning in his life. And yet… the signs are that Buffy isn't that into him; for all her fussing over him and her genuine deep affection, there are all sorts of signs that the relationship isn't going to last for ever. When it ends, where will Riley go?
Once again I have to give a shout out to Amber Benson for some outstandingly good physical acting, but also to Sarah Michelle Gellar who, as the star, is easy to take for granted. The last five seconds of the episode remind us just how good an actress she is.
Oh, and I like the new wardrobe for the Watchers' Council. Very fetching.
No comments:
Post a Comment