The Dark Age

The Dark Age
Written by
Directed

Original Airdate: November 1997

Plot: Friends from Giles' past are being killed by a demon that Giles and a group of friends raised while in college... Review

Warning: If you've got a deep, dark demon in your past that hones in on SPOILER information and kills rather than letting you read it, I suggest you turn back now. SPOILERS for "The Dark Age" are just ahead.

In short: A interesting episode.

When I first saw "The Dark Age" back in November, I remember there was a lot of hype surrounding it. A lot of it had to do with the fact that we would finally learn a bit about Giles past and that he held a deep, dark secret there. I was intrigued and so when I first tuned into the episode, I was initially disappointed. I am not really sure why, because my subsequent viewings of the story have really made me realize it's one of the stronger first half Buffy eps of the season.

A large portion of my initial dissapointment stems from two factors--the hype and that it followed Lie to Me, which was the nicest surpise of the season.

However, were I to just dismiss The Dark Age as an episode that tried but didn't live up to expectations, I'd be doing it a grave injustice.

A very grave injustice.

Because "The Dark Age" is about everything I love most in Buffy--namely character exploration. We got to see a bit more not only about Giles, but also about Jenny and Buffy as well. And for the most part, all the scenes worked incredibly well. I liked the fact that Buffy was very protective of Giles, esp. when confronting Ethan. And overall as bad guy, Ethan worked pretty well, coming off as meancing when he had to be. I am glad that he got away and I hope that we see him again in future episodes.

There were two really great things that stood out in the story for me, though.

One was how Giles followed a path similar to the one we've seen Buffy on this year. She has been resisting her role as the Chosen One and questioning it a great deal. We see that Giles did the exact same thing and suffered horrible consequences for it. I like the fact that the consequences of his past actions come back to haunt him and might show Buffy that there is such a thing as rebelling too far. It may have consequences farther down the road that you initially realized. The scene with Jenny in the end so heartbreaking. But, I've got to give credit to Anthony Stewart Head and Robia LaMorte--they made the scene exactly as it needed to be--awkward, forced, and difficult for both sides. The pain on Giles face as Jenny turns away from him was like being hit in the gut.

The other thing I liked was the role reversal that Buffy and Giles had. The coda here reflected Lie to Me a bit, with Buffy in the role of offering sage wisdom instead of Giles. Also, seeing her as the cool headed, solution offering partner in their dynamic was a nice change. To see Giles dishelved and out of his element was really well done and a nice contrast to the usually straight laced Giles we've come to know and love.

It's these types of things that make the stories that much better.

What didn't work, thought, was Ethan's plot to get rid of the monster they'd released. The problem is it had all the subtlely of train wreck and I couldn't help but think that Buffy should have been less trusting of him. He did pull that stunt in Halloween, but yet Buffy is not as wary of him as she should be. Overall, that took the episode down a few points for me.

Otherwise, it was really quite enjoyable.

So, that about wraps it up, except for a few small things...

--So, Buffy doesn't want her mom to see the tatoo but then wear a top in which it would be easily revealed? Huh?

--I liked the use of Angel to destroy the demon. A nice touch.

--Willow's shouting at Cordy and Xander in the library was really a nice touch and foreshadows her stepping in as Ms. Calendar's replacment later a bit.

--Was it ever explained why Ethan calls Giles, "Ripper"? I may have missed this.

Well, that's about it for now. All in all, an episode that was a whole lot better than I originally gave it credit for.

My rating: 8.0 (out of 10.0)

Next up: Buffy faces an opponent she can't see....

"Bay City Rollers, now that's music..."

"I can't believe you just said that."

--Giles & Buffy. Michael Hickerson mhickers@usit.net.