OK, so y'know everything I said about this season being potential-full of goodness? I take it back. Oh my lord, how epitomising crappy was this episode?!!? I haven't seen anything this lame since "The Puppet Show", s1. And that was taking into consideration the early 90's hair and fashion! In fact, this episode actually used the plotline from "Nightmares", where everyone's worst fears came true.
"Fear, Itself" was played as though someone who mocked and despised BtVS had written the script. If the Zeppo was what was on the intention list, lemme just say that the scriptwriters failed miserably; this episode could not possibly have been more groan-inducing.
But let's get on with the agony:
There was a severe lack of funnies in this ep, and the lines which did pull a smile were either tense (Buffy/Riley interaction), awkward (Xander/Anya), lame (Oz pulling the cord to cut the screaming noises), ridiculous (Giles as Halloween party-guy, then as the Terminator), half-hearted (Xander bickering to himself about being invisible), or really predictable (the squashing of midgit monster man).
I'm not even going to *enter* into a critique of the extreme patheticness of the storyline, effects, and conflict resolution, because I think the whole thing groaned for itself.
As for character development, puh-lease! So over-spelt out for us poor dumb idiot viewers:
Willow: branching out into her own as a witch, and away from Buffy, into a superhero of herself. Whatever.
Oz: fearing his dark animal side (the only non-Willow's boyfriend side we see these days), a build up to "Wild at Heart".
Xander: as usual, no development - but getting closer to Buffy with the mutual feeling left out scenario.
Anya: what character? Yeah, I like her a heap and all, but the girl is just a living ode to Xander - not music to my ears! The sex-crazed routine is getting old. I miss Cordy :(
Buffy: OK, I get the dealing with Parker stuff. I was hanging out for her to mention the "A" word, but I guess that was too much to expect. Besides, Buffy angst ultimately leads to Angel angst, so I can console myself with fanfic. It was just the Riley scene that got on my nerves. Worry not, my fellow B/A shippers, I am back on the light side. No more "well, Riley's not *that* bad" from me! No s'ree, that boy is a big dumb talentless oaf! Sigh - I feel *so* much better now! He *really* could not act in their scene at all, and I don't know if it's he who's changed, or me, but he's not nearly as good-looking as I thought in "the Freshman". I'm interested by the way they're inserting knob-nose into Buffy's life; at the moment, he seems above her in status, age, maturity and social sphere - not a likely partner. And *so* NOWHERE REMOTELY NEAR as heart-throbbing as Angel. (Angel. Heave, Sigh.)
Last point - Joyce didn't annoy me excessively this time, much to my gaping shock! It was kinda (gulp) sweet how Buffy could turn to her bad-hairdoed mom in her time of emotional turmoil. The stuff about the divorce not being Buffy's fault is a bit past the due-date though, isn't it? Or is the father avenue a path to lead Buffy to LA? Ooo, ooo - Episode 8, please come soon!!!
The opening shot was an example of cool camera work that we're not used to on the show, deceptively leading us to anticipate amazing things from the rest of the hour, grrrr....
Giles: the man has transformed into another entity. What happened to our darling G man? The sombrero, the leather jacket - I can't handle it all!! PS: if he's unemployed, who's paying the rent and electricity? 