After a demon attack, Xander is left wondering if he is merely the doughnut boy for Buffy and co, so he tries to find out what's cool. Oh, and the Hellmouth re-opens.
This is one of the weirdest episodes of Buffy so far. As an apocalypse of Earth-destroying proportions hits Sunnydale, Xander embarks on a journey of self-discovery that turns into the strangest night of his life, going for an evening out with a group of zombies.
Xander is a great character, and he has been pushed to the background somewhat because his only use is wisecracks. In dealing with this. it’s nice to see a story in which he gets to experience a variety of new things, from crime to bravery to sex (with Faith, the lucky devil). The story succeeds in rounding out the character, giving him the satisfaction of knowing that although all Hell was breaking loose, he did his bit, even if no one will ever know about it.
There are some very funny moments as Xander tries to get to grips with the night he’s having, and a scene with Cordelia and some of her most barbed put-downs is also marvellous. It’s a shame that since being indirectly ousted from the Slayerettes, the writers don’t really know what to do with her. Xander’s final stand-off over a ticking bomb is also clever and effective, especially as even he isn’t sure he can get out alive.
The only real downside to the episode is what is happening in the meantime. The re-opening of the Hellmouth and Buffy and the crew’s fight to save the Earth again looks really good from what we see and made me want to know what was going on. Let’s hope that at some point it’s made as an episode in its own right. It’d be fantastic.
****
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