"She and Willow are both witches. They do spells and
stuff, which is so much cooler than slaying. I told Mom one time I wish they'd
teach me some of the things they do together. And-and then she got really quiet
and made me go upstairs."
It was sooooo hard to settle on a
quote for this one. The dialogue sparkled, especially with Dawn narrating much
of the episode. This is one of the most fun episodes ever, and probably the
biggest, best and most in-your-face retcon of all time. The character is
likeable and fun from the start, and Michelle Trachtenberg (immediately in the
opening titles, which are more crowded than ever) is fantastic. David Fury's
script is superb, managing to be funny and ecomomically told while having to
put across an awful lot of exposition. The device of Dawn narrating how she
feels about all the regulars is a hugely efficient shorthand, as well as being
fun and nicely metatextual.
There's absolutely no explanation
as to how or why reality has shifted; Dawn has suddenly been there all the
time, and Buffy's life is even more complicated. This is starting to have
consequences; her University studies are starting to suffer, and so is her
doomed relationship with Riley. She seems to be living at the family home now,
a worrying indication of distance from her studies. And her new Slayer studies
with Giles are one extra thing to add to the mix.
It looks as though Giles may be
staying after all. He has a flashy new car, for one think. And the convenient
death of the magic shop owner, along with the apparently huge profit margins,
lead him to take over as manager, even though, as Buffy points out, "Most
magic shop owners in Sunnydale have the life expectancy of a Spinal Tap
drummer." I'm not sure how, legally and financially, he's in a position to
but the business, and from whom, but let's not ask such awkward questions.
Oh, and Harmony as a Big Bad with
minions is great. I love Buffy's reaction!
Other characters have interesting
moments, too: Tara still feels herself to be a
non-Scooby. Xander now has a steady job in construction, and is still a little
plagued by his ongoing self-doubt issues, which were emphasised last episode.
But the focus, obviously, is on Dawn, establishing who she is and how she
relates to everyone. Some mystery is established, too- we learn that Dawn has a
secret. And who is this dishevelled man who tells her that she doesn't belong
here? It's only the second episode, and the season arc is well under way.
No comments:
Post a Comment