Innocence
Written and Directed by Joss Whedon
Original Airdate: January 20, 1998
Plot: Buffy must face the unexpected consequences of
her night with Angel--including the fact that it's changed him forever. Meanwhile, the Scooby
gang races against time to find a way to defeat the Judge before he destroys the world....
Review
Warning: If you are seeking "Innocence" from SPOILERS about the
conclusion of the big Buffy, 2-night event, please consider turning back
now. There are major SPOIlERS ahead that may ruin some of the plot twists
and surprises....
In short: Absolutely incredible.
I'm an opening credits reader. Basically what that means is that,
once I really start watching a show, I learn to read the opening credits,
paying special attention to the author of the show and the director. In a
majoirty of the cases, I can tell just by a writer how I will probably
feel about the show come the rolling of the closing credits. (This is
espcially true with Trek!) Yes, I am may be suprised either way, but
usually it's a safe bet.
So, when I saw that "Innocence" had been both written and directed
by Joss Whedon, I sat up with greater interest. Not that I wasn't hanging
on the edge of my seat from "Suprise" but the show being by Whedon only
raised the stakes a bit for me. After all, he had also given us earlier
this year the spectacular "Lie to Me," and I was prepared for more.
All I have to say now is that my expectations were not only met
but exceeded in every possible way. If anyone out there is looking for
the perfect episode to exemplify why Buffy the Vampire Slayer is one of
the best shows on TV, this one is it.
How do I love this episode? Let me count the ways.
The thing that I loved the most was the fact that the commercials
all said this would forever change the show and it did. I am a bit jaded
by other shows that promise big changes but they never happen. In
"Suprise," Joss and company put a lot of major changes into play. I was
certainly expecting a bit of reset button effect to occur here in part
two. Never happened. In fact, this has uppped the ante on the entire show
and was incredible. We have some major, major issues that are looked at
here but aren't neatly wrapped up by shows's end. It could have been very
easy to have Angel back to his nice self and he and Buffy make up by
episode's end. But it didn't happen. The ending is a tragic one and one
that is heart wrenching. After the happy ending last week of "Bad Eggs,"
the dull ache I feel after the events that unfolded here is almost
painful.
David Boreanz should, at the very least, be given an Emmy
nod for these two episodes alone. Not that his work isn't usually
excellent, but it taken up a notch here. Seeing his play our own sweet,
loveable Angel on Monday and then turn into the vicious Angelus he has
become here is wonderful.
His scenes all rippled with pure evil energy. I felt myself
sitting up and paying a bit more attention to what he was doing as he
plotted with Spike and Dru, chastised Buffy, and tormented her friends.
It is such a shock, mainly due to the nice Angel we've seen in the past.
And, at first, I had to wonder if it was a ruse such as he tried in
"School Hard," to get in good with Spike and Dru. None of that here. I
hate to say it, but a part of really likes Angel as a villain. At least
for a while. We've gotten to see the good side of him, and it's an
interesting change to see the evil side--the one who sired Dru and
destroyed her at the same time. It makes me wonder a bit if he has a
similar plan for Buffy.
The scene in his aparment was Buffy was purely painful to watch.
It was like a kick to the stomach and it really showed that here Joss is
pulling no punches.
On the other side of the coin was Sarah Michelle Gellar's
wonderful performance as Buffy. As usual, she continues to impress and
amaze and here she showed off a true range of emotions from her sobbing
scene when she realizes what Angel has become to her fury and anger that
is directed at Jenny and the Judge. I loved the way her dream pointed the
way to Jenny being the one who knew about Angel's curse. It's nice to see
that the seeds that were sewn in the library by the gang in Buffy's
subcosious came to fruit in that one scene. When she threw Ms. Calendar
on the desk, I felt sure all hell was about to break loose. Later her
grim conviction at realizing she has to destroy Angel is chilling to watch.
Just as Angel as closed off that part of his life, we see Buffy struggling
with trying to separate how she felt about Angel with the need to protect
herself and her friends. I liked the juxtaposition of the time she sees
Angel at school and tries to appeal to what is left of his humanity and
then the final battle where she shows very little mercy (well, allowing
him to live and not being able to slay him yet is a nice touch). Angel
expects her to roll over and die, but I doubt that will happen. And the
chilling reality that Giles points out at the end of Angel now taking a
special interet in her really drives home that point.
So, as the commercials promised, the story changed Buffy and Angel
forever.
But a lot of other relationships were changed forever. The whole
Xander-Cordy-Willow-Oz quadralateral took on a whole shape this week. I
am glad that we saw Willow finally catch Xander and Cordy in one of their
make-out sessions. Her pain and reaction to the situation was just as gut
wrenching to watch as the Buffy and Angel confrontation. Willow's line
of "You'd rather be with someone you hate than with me," was painful and
rang so true. All of the sequences between each member of this
quadralateral rang so true and was dead on. I am not sure what else will
come of Xander and Cordy and whether they will admit their relationship to
the whole school, but it will be interesting to see.
Add to it the nice moments in Oz's van between Willow and Oz and
it's perfect. The more I see of Oz, the more I like. I just hope the
rumors I've heard about Oz aren't true since I'd like to see him become a
regular part of the slaying team. Oz has a genuine honesty to him and a
way of seeing the situation at hand that is excellent. His observation
that he doesn't want to make out with Willow yet was a great moment in the
show.
This whole episode was full of really great moments. A lot of
them were painful to see and hear but they just worked so well. Giles
rejection of Jenny from the slaying group was another moment. Also, his
whole final conversation with Buffy at the end which offered a bit of
closure to the two-parter but also carried the events forward to the
future a bit (Angel's pursuit of Buffy now) worked so well. It's as
effective as the coda was in Lie To Me (also by Joss!). I think that
episodes like this highlight the strength of the Buffy/Giles relationship
and why it serves as the centerpiece for the show. They are like family
and it's easy to see why she is closer to Giles than her own mom and dad.
I like that and am glad they haven't casually tossed this area of the show
aside. I would love to see more small, quiet moments like this.
Of course, small quiet stuff works because you've got big moments,
like the Judge feeding at the mall. Wow! What a spectacular sequence.
First of all, I liked the fact that this plot was given enough
screen time to keep the tension going but no so much that we missed the
important moments of character. And while I'll be the first to admit that
I think it was a bit too easy to take down the Judge, it's similar to
taking out the Borg on Star Trek--make a villain too powerful and any way
you take them out seems a bit cheezy. However, I can forgive that since
the build up was so great.
For one, I loved the continuity to the Halloween episode with
Xander remebering his soldier training. And if you're wondering how he
could remember the layout of the base, I am willing to assume that the
military uniform pieces might have come from an army surpluss store or
that he just rented the gun from the costume shop and that when he
transformed it brought the memories of the soldier with him. And even if
it's just a glitch, it's a nice one and I can forgive it without being too
nitpicky. :-)
Then, you had the final confrontation in the mall. The editing of
this sequence as well as the taut, crisp music really made it come alive.
I also loved the arrogance of the Judge when he is struck by the arrow.
Joss' direction as we see the pan of the gang and then Buffy standing atop
the refreshment stand really added to the suspense. And then her using the
bazooka to take out the Judge really worked. Or at least to dissassemble
him. I like the fact that he's not dead and could come back. So maybe
his being taken down works a bit better now that I think about it a bit
more.
So, all-in-all, you've got a nice epiosde that really sums it
all up as to why this show is so darn good. To be honest, I am really
eager to see how all of this develops over the next several weeks and
months. And it seems like a LONG time until next Tuesday night. I
honestly can't wait for the next new installment of Buffy.
So, except for a few small comments, that about wraps it up.
--Was it just me or did anyone else find it funny when the
self-desribed Scooby gang went out on their errand in a van? Visions of
the mystery machine sprang to mind!
--Joyce seems oddly portrayed week-to-week. Last week she is
very authoritarian and bitchy, this week rather more supportive. I'd like
to see a bit more consistency here.
--Any bets on how long the Spike-Dru-Angel partership will last? I
don't think Spike was too happy with Angel's return since it means he
might not be the big dog much longer...
All in all, though, it was a great episode, worthy of being called
a 2-night event. Thanks to everyone involved for an hour of riveting tv.
Final Rating: 10.0
Revised rating for "Suprise": 9.0
Next up: Buffy protects a werewolf and Willow turns to Oz to help her get
over Xander.
"You won't slay me."
-"Not yet"
--Angelus and Buffy.
Review Copyright 1998 by Michael T. Hickerson. All Rights Reserved.
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