Fool for Love/Darla Crossover
Fool For Love Written by Doug Petrie, Directed by Nick Marck
Darla Written and Directed by Tim Minear

Original Airdate: November 14, 2000

Plot: In Sunnydale, Buffy confronts Spike about how he killed two slayers while in L.A. Angel's attempts to save Darla lead to flashbacks of the times when Spike, Dru, Darla and Angel were at the height of the vampiring days.
Review

Warning: Yes, I am going to reveal large SPOILERS for both "Fool for Love" and "Darla" in this review. So if you haven't yet seen them both, I suggest you turn back now. You have been warned...

In short: A superb crossover, worthy of the title "event."

Back in the good old days, when there were two "Star Trek" series on the air, I used to cross my fingers each and every week, hoping that both series would have "classic" episodes in the same week. It rarely happened. Odds were that if TNG were great, DS9 wouldn't quite be up to snuff. Or if DS9 were superb, Voyager would fall well short (not any great shocks there is you watch Voyager). But there were times, when both shows would get it right and you'd have one of those great weeks in which both episodes really clicked, making you feel good about Trek as a whole.
(I will tell you that probably the two best hours of television I've seen back-to-back occurred a little over five years ago on an October Friday night. Those two hours featured two of television's greatest episodes. First up, was the classic X-File's "Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose" followed by DS9's "The Visitor." If you've not seen these two episodes, run out and get them. Both are available on commercial tape and are worth the money!)
When Buffy spun-off a show called Angel that aired immediately after it, I crossed my fingers yet again. I had faith that Joss and company could come through and deliver two solid episodes in one night. So far, this has only happened once--last year when the WB showed "New Moon Rising" and "Sanctuary."
But that wasn't a crossover event like "Fool for Love" and "Darla" were.
I'll admit that when I first heard about Angel spinning-off onto his own show, I figured the shows were ripe for a crossover event. Last season we had three. And I'd have to say that personally I found two of the three satisfying with the November sweeps one being the one I didn't find as satisfying as it could have been. (This mainly goes to the fact that I didn't really like IWRY and no how many times I see it I can't get convinced that it was a *GOOD* episode.)
Of the three crossovers, the one that was the most effective was the first one. Part of it could have been that it was the first and there was a sense of novelty to it. The other part of it was probably in large part because we got the talented James Marsters as Spike in the first crossover event.
So it is really any wonder that this year's first crossover event was such a success since it not only featured Spike but it also had the strengths of Dru, Darla and the Master.
It also delved a bit into the past of some of these characters and showed us how both Spike and Darla crossed over to the dark side of being a vampire and the consequences it's had upon them.
But what set this crossover apart from the other three we've seen is just how interconnected the stories were. Not in the portions in which the stories were framed--Spike telling Buffy of killing two slayers on Buffy and Angel remember his time with Darla on Angel--but instead of the events portrayed on screen. The events unfold at different points, with several cross sections making it on screen. And it's those cross sections that make it so interesting.
One of the main themes of this year is what a real bastard Angel was before he got his soul back and began his quest for redemption. And we saw hints of that here. Look only at his arrogant cockiness to the Master when he comes to steal Darla away and live among the humans. It's interesting that later, Angel will take on the role the Master does in that scene with Spike. At first Angel is content to be among humans, but at some point he is forced to consider laying low. Of course, that may be because Angel has run across the Slayer in that time period in between the cuts. We're never told this (this may be one of those details that will fill itself in later on in the series) but we can infer it based on Angel's attempts to not do anything to bring out said Slayer.
I've got to admit that I found it interesting the two takes on Spike's being vamped. In both shows, we see the two parties bumping into each other. It's only in viewing both that we see both sides--Spike's being his anger at being rejected by his love and then we see Dru's side--where Angel and Darla encourage Dru to make Spike her plaything as he's the first one that's come along. It's interesting to see this played out on screen. I doubt that Spike is aware of this, but it may be interesting to see if this comes into play later. After all, Spike may think that he was chosen by Dru for some reason--whether it be she found him attractive or special. However, it may come down to the fact that he was the first person she saw and thus vamped him. Could this revelation be used to tear down Spike's ego later on? We can only wait and hope.
Also, seeing Angel and his change across time is interesting.
I was concerned about the series contradicting established continuity when we saw Angel at the Boxer Rebellion in Buffy. As we know by the timeline established in the early seasons of Buffy, Angel had been cursed with his soul by the this point and would, therefore, not really be wanting to take part in the carnage portrayed there. It was interesting that Buffy is willing to bring up these issues and then have Angel resolve them. And I liked the resolution--namely that Angel is trying his best to get back to the only life he's known--being with Darla. Indeed, this is a counterpoint between the situation that both he and Darla face upon regaining their soul. To see both of them go to great lengths to get rid of the soul was nicely done. It's also interesting that in both cases neither of them was able to rid themselves of the soul they hated so much.
Personally, I have a feeling Darla will find a vampire willing to re-vamp her. Possibly Spike or even Dru.
But I digress.
All of this leads up to what I think is the pivotal scene of both episodes--not only because it was featured in both and I loved it. The scene with Angel, Darla, Dru and Spike all striding toward the camera as all hell breaks loose around them. Both shows featured the scene and it's prominent. Indeed, both shows feature the same lines. However, each time you get a different emphasis based on the characters you're seeing portrayed. And I loved how the meaning of the line, "I'm bored by this rebellion" from Angel changes meaning as you discover his purpose in being there.
The scene is a perfect one. One of pure symmetry and beauty.
I'm not sure who directed it--whether it be Minnear or Marck. Or probably both. But it was a thing of beauty and I'm glad that it was included in both shows.
Needless to say, I think this crossover is easily the most successful of the four we've seen to date. It worked well and we had two strong episodes. I can only say that if this is type of crossovers we'll see in the future, I am definitely ready for more. But not too many--it could end up being too much of a great thing.

Crossover as a whole rating: 10.0 (out of 10.0)

Review Copyright 2000 by Michael T. Hickerson. All Rights Reserved.

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