OK, when first I saw this episode, I was like, somebody hand me a paper bag, I’m about to throw up. Come on, even you die hard happy fic-ers out there have to admit that this episode was uncharacteristically and hence awkwardly mushy for our forbidden lovers.
B: Oh Angel thank god you’re alive, well as alive as you can get! I had this dream and oh hand on anxious forehead, I saw Druscilla kill you, and this makes me really scared because I’m like the Slayer and I face danger everyday so of course I’ve acquired a nervous disposition. Especially when it’s about you baby, hey while I’m here in my extremely short skirt, lemme just allude to sex because I can’t believe we haven’t done it yet, what’s wrong with you?
B: Sob. I can’t believe, sob, that you’re leaving me sob, to go help save the world, sob – on my BIRTHDAY sob! What if something happens – my hormones can’t wait around forever hunny, so I think we’ll have to make a clean break - have fun on ya own, I know I will - I mean, sob – don’t get killed or anything, my only love. Oh you’re giving me a ring – oh.. how... nice of you – devotion? Yeah, that was exactly what was on my mind too, sweetie. Hey – did I almost hear the L word come out of your mouth? So how many minutes did you say we had left – oh damn, a gang of extremely bad-timing vampires are beating us to the pulp now.
B: Yeah, I’m really cold, thanks, I think me on your bed is the best thing too, hey yeah, come, follow me for absolutely NO reason and then turn your back and don’t say anything of any importance and don’t like phone Giles and tell him what happened or anything useful like that. Just you stand there hunny and wait for me to complain about this scratch I have so you can give it your healing touch and say you love me and then we can in Willow’s words which haven’t been said yet – “do that thing”. And we won’t like show our devoted fans anything of course because showing in-bed scenes once in a season is so much worse for society than say, showing murder and carnage every episode.
But that was just my initial reaction. In retrospect this episode couldn’t have gone far enough in the romantic scene considering the suffering to come for the rest of the series. This was the last time we saw both Buffy and Angel as innocents. So soon they will both develop enormously, learning to strengthen and repent, defend and grow, face the truth and face past demons. Life after this episode ceases to be seen with a rose coloured tinge.
Therefore, this was a much needed and pretty well crafted, (though obviously low-budgeted) episode. What I still don’t fully understand is Buffy’s dreams. I’m guessin the party scene in her first dream refers to both her own Surprise b’day festivities, as well as Dru’s pre-end-of-the-world celebration, thereby establishing a parallel between the two. OK, but what was with Willow? I know her speaking french about pants, to a monkey, refers to her conversation with Oz in WML2 about those animal crackers, but – point being? Unless we can interpret that as her speaking the language of love, and the monkey representing Oz, indicating his presence at the party, and how Willow finally had the guts to talk to him... But that’s too far-fetched, even for me. And then how Dru kills Angel at the end – is that supposed to connect with the next dream?
Next dream: Buffy is wearing Dru’s white dress – thus supporting the parallel between them. But the dark head of hair she sees at the beginning isn’t Dru, it’s Ms Calendar, foreshadowing the revelation about the IT teacher's true identity, to come next episode. Then we see Dru – wearing the same white dress as Buffy is – about to decap Angel. Hmmm – does this mean that, since Dru is the parallel of Buffy – Buffy in fact is to ‘kill’ Angel. This could well be the intended meaning, but there are still some holes, and I can’t figure out why the writers would have taken such an obscure representation of the events to unfold, as they are only evident if rewatched a few times, and even then, they are pretty vague as far as prophetic dreams go.
Ok, I’ve killed that analysis for the meantime. Other points:
Xander: I actually liked the bozo this episode! He had some really great lines:
Buffy, I feel a pre-birthday spanking coming on... I’d check that urge if I were you, Xander... Roger, check spanking.
And we even saw the hurt unloved side of him, with Cordy’s refusal to make their relationship public. I almost gave a sympathetic aawww for him. Almost.
Oz and Cordy were their usual hooting selves. Her “surprise” really did sum things up, and I loved her complaints about the trials and tribulations of being chip and dip girl. And did everyone catch Oz’s look of absolute adoration of Willow as she was walking away after saying “date”? God, they were so cute together back then!!
Giles: he’s getting more fatherlish by the episode, it’s sooo cute! And Jenny: so what was up with her when she met up with Buffy to take her to the party? Just nerves after her encounter with Xfiles-guest star tall freak guy or was she planning to whisk Buffy away from the arms of her Angel to avoid any curse-breakage? Confusion.
Spike and Dru are so awesome together. So glad vamps have such fast healing abilities – I’m ashamed to admit that I stooped to superficiality by cringing for the not-so-pretty addition to Spike’s beautiful face. Dru's getting more loony by the minute, which in the end doomed her to the fate of hate in my regard, but even now she’s walking on the annoyingness path. And Joss really need to get some new monster-make up people – that Judge kinda lacked credibility, being a humanity-destroying thousand year old invincible demon who’s been in different corners of the world for the past few hundred years, and all. Jeez, what does he take us for? Hercules fans or somethin?!
Angel: have to admit, Hunny didn’t do his best this episode. I’m so sick of him being the devoted boyfriend slash lapdog person. Angelus is SO welcomed! Woo-hoo, next episode, next episode!!!
