While out on patrol, Buffy finds herself bursting into song. When it turns out that everyone in Sunnydale is affected, she must find the cause and stop it before everyone is forced to sing out their deepest feelings in song.

It's the musical episode, and it's another Joss Whedon triumph. The mass hype is very much worth it, with a series of songs that are not only superbly written but cross many musical genres as well. Okay, so the tunes themselves aren't the cleverest in the world, a couple sounding awfully similar, and the cast don't have universally good voices, but it's a wonderful conceit and to everyone's credit that it's pulled off as well as it is. For those wondering, here's the run-down: Anthony Head's voice is superb, as is Amber Benson's. James Marsters does pretty well considering he's also putting on an English accent while singing, and Emma Caulfield is pretty good too. Sarah Michelle Gellar doesn't have a strong voice but copes well, Nicholas Brendon just about gets away with speaking most of his parts, Alyson Hannigan can't sing at all but is kept out of it most of the time and Michelle Trachtenberg seems okay but has little to sing, doing a bit of dancing instead.

This is the kind of episode you have to watch at least two or three times to really get to grips with it; because most of the dialogue is in song and this story contains all of the revelations and secrets that have been held since the start of the year, it's difficult to get all of it the first time round and it will certainly reward repeated watchings. Tara's I'm Under You Spell song aims a little towards the slushy, but makes its point and becomes ironic later, but that's really the only weak link in some good compositions. Spike's rocky number is pretty cool, Xander and Anya's number reveals a couple of surprises yet shows them to still be pretty strong as a couple and the ensemble work at the end, specifically Caught In The Fire and Where Do We Go From Here are superb.

Somehow, putting everyone's emotions into song gives them more power than they might have otherwise, so we're left stunned as it seems the Scooby Gang's actions and secrets will keep them split apart for some time to come. There's still time for some comedy; the other Sunnydale residents singing are funny, as are the dance routines going on behind our heroes at times, and Anya's sudden interjection in song about bunnies is hilarious, as is Spike's sudden realization at the end that he doesn't have to sing any more. Plus there's the fun revelation of who is responsible for summoning the demon in the first place. And then there's the way it ends, on a kiss that comes totally unexpectedly yet is somehow oddly welcome. Where do they go from here, indeed...

*****

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