Season Two Wrap-Up

Contained below and in the next several posts is a wrap-up review of season two. I will warn you I am going to give away lots of SPOILER, so if you haven't seen season two yet or all of it, turn back now. First up, some comments on each epsiode, then some general coments to follow. Enjoy!

Season Two-The Episodes

When She Was Bad
Written and Directed by Joss Whedon.
Original Rating: 7.5

In many ways this story is reminiscent of some of the great first season episode of Babylon Five-it makes a whole lot more sense and is far more enjoyable when you know the overall movement of the series. In this case, When She Was Bad stands out as being a better episode that I originally gave it credit for. It serves as an effective coda to the first season, giving us a chance to see Buffy having to live with the ramifications of having been dead and her anger at the Master, instead of just glossing it over. It also nicely sets up the power vacuum in the vampire chain of command, so to speak, that Spike and Dru will step into two episodes down the road in School Hard.

But, the episode also works because it telegraphs a lot of the events of the upcoming season. One is, of course, that Buffy falls into the same trap in Becoming, Part One. However, there's a lot more there. We see the beginning of Cordy's thaw toward the Scooby gang, we see hints that Cordy actually might care about Xander as she defends him outside the Bronze, we get a bit of foreshadowing that Snyder might be more than just a principle (watch his scene with Giles at the beginning of the episode again and you'll see what I mean). Also foreshadowed is Buffy's explusion. Another nice little thing is how Angel reacts to Buffy's turning on him, which in some ways will be mirrored when Angel loses his soul later this sesaon.

In short, When She Was Bad, does what a good premiere should do-it resolves issues from the previous year and brings up some new and interesting ones for the new season. It's definitely gone up a few notches upon another viewing

Revised Rating: 8.5

Some Assembly Required
by Ty King
Directed by Bruce Seth Green
Initial Rating: 6.5

The first fifteen minutes of Some Assembly Required are great Buffy-excellent character interaction, humor, with, an intriguing puzzle for the Scooby gang to solve. However, after the first major commercial break, it all begins to fall apart. Part of the reason is that the story brings up a lot of interesting ideas-from Angel's jealousy of Xander, to the exact nature of the mother's obssession with her Wayne's former glory days-and then fails to do anything with them. By the time it'd determined that these aren't flesh eating zombies and really a bride of Frankenstein gone wrong, the episode has lost much of it's early moment. I honestly wish more time had been spent making Wayne a stronger character or giving his brother a bit more motivation to why he wanted to revive Wayne, much less make him a bride. Was it an attempt to please his mom who seems obsessed with her dead son but then ignores the living one? None of these are answered. The episode would have been stronger had these issues been addressed.

What does really work well is the first fifteen minutes. And the final few moments as Cordy's thaw toward the Scooby gang and Xander in particular continues. Beyond that it's a paint by the numbers monster of the week show that's been done better.

Revised Rating: 5.5

School Hard
by David Greenwalt
directed by John Kretchmer
Initial Rating: 10.0

On the other hand, School Hard is just as strong on the second or third viewing as it was on the first. All of the classic Buffy elements are here together. The right balance is achieved between introudcing us to Spike and Dru and the focus on Buffy's preparation for parent-teacher night. Each plotline is given enough time to lure you into before the two come seamlessly together for the final two riveting acts. Spike and Dru are worth adversaries for the Scooby gang and rarely come across as well as they do in their first episode.

Buffy's attempts to stop the vampire invasion of Sunnydale High while keeping her mom in the dark about her being the slayer in a hoot, in many ways reminiscent of the first season of Lois and Clark when Clark went to great lengths to hide his secret identity. It all makes for a fun, funny, riveting episode that ranks up there as one of the classics of the series.

Revised Rating: 10.0

Inca Mummy Girl
by Matt Kiene and Joe Reinkemeyer
directed by Ellen Pressman
Initial Rating: 7.0

Inca Mummy Girl continues the early season trend of having interesting B plots coupled with not so interesting A plots. The biggest problem is that the curse of the mummy plotline never really grabs your attention and holds you very long. It's pretty much telegraphed from the opening moments what the solution to defeating the mummy will be-putting the seal back together. It lacks a lot of the necessary tension really needed to drive the plot forward. Part of it being that we know from early on who the mummy is and that she must kill to survive.

On the other hand, the B plot that surfaces out of this with Xander falling for Impata is nicely realized. It's nice to see Xander get the girl for a change (well, after being so blind to Willow's obvious affections for so long) and in some ways it sets up the events of the next episode, Reptile Boy, beginning to show Buffy's disastisfaction with the life of being the Slayer. However, these strengths don't really make up for the fact that it's overall a weak episode.

Final Rating: 5.0

Reptile Boy
written and directed by David Greenwalt
Initial Rating: 4.5

During the first few minutes of Reptile Boy I was beginning to wonder if I'd really given it a fair shake the first time. I was intriuged by the plots raised here-the biggest being Buffy's rebelling against the responsibilites of being the Slayer and her frustration over the lack of movement forward in her relationship with Angel. (I love Willow's speech about coffee being more than just a beverage!) This leads her to rebel by going out with Cordy to a frat party.

Which is pretty much when the interesting plotlines come to an end. Who hasn't at one time suspected that frat guys might be serving some kind of demon? J Part of the main problem is that once Reptile Boy appears on screen, it's a vast disappointment. The demon is not that well realized, nor are we sure on exactly what is the demon does for the frat guys. It's all left up to vague speculation and supposition.

It also raised the first of many questions about just how big is Sunnydale? We find out they've got a college of some type and will later see them having a mall and gym with a pool. How big is this town?!?

Final Rating: 4.0

Halloween
by Carl Ellsworth
directed by Bruce Seth Green
Initial Rating: 8.0

Similar to When She Was Bad, this one is a lot better than I originally gave it credit for. Part of my initial expectation may have been the massive amount of hype surrounding this episode. Another part, I think is knowing how some of these events that are set up here will play out in future episodes. One of the most obvious is Larry, who we will later find is gay and overcompensating by beating up Xander and trying to assualt Buffy in the alley. Another interesting element is Giles' dark past and his being referred to as the Ripper. We also witness Dru's ability to see the future firsthand in her prediction of Buffy's transformation. But what elevates this from just good to great status is how much tension and drama is going on. In only his second appearance, James Masters stamps Spike out as the vampire to be tangled with. There is so much tension from all angles in the story that the final fifteen minutes are some of the more taut and interesting this year. This one is an episode that really bears re-examination.

Final Rating: 9.0

Lie to Me
Written and directed by Joss Whedon
Initial Rating: 10.0

Joss writes and directs again and it's by far one of, if not the best episode of season two. Buffy's old beau crops up, just as she's hitting some speed bumps in her relationship with Angel. Joss gives us a treat because the plotlines examines the other side of Buffy and company-those who might think vampire are good in some way. And that want to be like them. But the real clincher is that Ford wants to become a vamp to prevent his own death by cancer. That is some great, great character motivation and it really elevates the episode beyond standard fare into the realm of classic. I prefer villains who are shades of gray with motivation like Ford to really bad vampires like the brothers from Bad Eggs. And as if that weren't enough, the coda at the end with Buffy telling Giles to lie to her about adult life is a perfect, bittersweet ending to a bittersweet episode. At the time I saw this one, I was sure Joss wouldn't be able to top himself this season..

Final Rating: 10.0

The Dark Age
Written and directed by Bruce Seth Green
Initial Rating: 7.5

Wow, did I ever more overlook how really good this story was the first time. I think a large part of it is once again knowing where stuff would lead later in the season that really pushes it over the top. The tension between Xander and Cordy, which has been boiling under the surface the entire season begins to move forward, culminating with the events that happen in What's My Line. But what really worked was the fact that we got to see a new side of Giles-one that is afraid of just what this demon can do. The other is that he wasn't all the stuffy guy we've come to know and love here. Indeed, his contrast between Jenny saying she's going to make him squirm on Saturday night and then his resolve and bitter anger at Ethan is quite remarkable. About the only thing that really keeps this one out of perfect rating land is the fact that Ethan's plan at the end is so transparent that it's hard to believe Buffy didn't see it coming a mile away. The real tension is already enough without having to put Buffy in mortal danger.

My other major thought on this episode was that as I watched through I am noticing a trend---when the episodes are both written and directed by the same person they are usually some of the more outstanding stories on the show.

Final Rating: 9.0

What's My Line, Part One
by Marti Noxon and Howard Gordon
directed by David Solomon
Initial Rating: 7.0

It's career week at Sunnydale and Buffy's not too thrilled-after all, her purpose in life has been foretold. She is the Slayer, pure and simple. A lot of fun is had with this storyline, esp. because it derives a lot of humor from the characters and what we know about them rather than turning them into stereotypes and charicatures to be laughed at. It's a delicate balance and a lot of other shows have fallen prey to it (Lois and Clark in some episodes was a big culprit as well as some of the "funny" Trek episodes!) Meanwhile, Spike decodes the information in the book that will restore Dru and decides to take out Buffy using the Order of Tanakra, a group of lethal assassins. What's My Line, Part One is brilliant set-up that honestly had me interested and intrigued for part two. There is enough time devoted to each running plot to have it grab and hold your interest and to really want to tune in for part two. Is it a self-contained episode? Not really. Yes, the plotline of the career week will be dropped in the next episode, but it serves the purpose of getting some events that will be touched on in part two in motion.

Final Rating: 7.5

What's My Line, Part Two
by Martin Noxon
directed by David Semel
Initial Rating: 6.5

One of Buffy's greatest strengths is the series' two part stories-with part two usually being superior to part one. What's My Line seems to be the only two parter in season two to defy that trend by having the second half not be nearly as interesting or entertaining as the first part. Part of it's Kendra, who starts to grate on the nerves (the Jamacan accent kills me every time) after about fifteen seconds. Another is that WB advertised this story as an earth shattering, life changing story. But unlike Suprise/Innocence, where the effects are quickly appparent, we are made to wait to see how the events played out in this episode will affect the Buffyverse. It's not as bad when you don't have a month and a half of repeats before you find out what exactly happened to Spike and Dru, but it still lacks. Also, the entire ending seems a bit rushed having spent close to an hour and a half setting it up. All in all, it's an episode that had potential but just didn't quite live up to it.

Final Rating: 6.5

Ted
by David Greenwalt and Joss Whedon
directed by Bruce Seth Green.
Initial Rating: 7.5

Entertainment Weekly named John Ritter the best guest star of the year for any tv show based on his strong performance as Ted in this story. Joss is able to deftly combine Buffy's fear of a new man moving into her mom's life with a chilling story that involves a real monster. Ritter attacks the role with relish, and like DS9's "Whispers" where knowing the ending adds depth to the story, so does knowing Ted is a robot add to the chilling nature of the story here. It seems obvious from his word useage that he's not all he seems, but only once you know the surprise Joss has in store for you. Add to it how the seemingly innocent phrase "Beg to differ" takes on deadlier and deadlier connotations as the show goes on. This was my first review of a story and it holds a special place in my heart. But upon further appraisal it's a strong, character driven episode that is one of the finest non-arc stories of the year.

Final Rating: 9.0

Bad Eggs
by Marti Noxon
directed by David Greenwalt
Initial Rating: 6.0

My major complaint with this one is that it really lacked focus. First you've got the wild West vamps, who are interesting in their own right. Then you've got the ugly guy in the basement, which is pretty much a shallow retread of the Heinlein classic, The Puppet Masters. Either one could have made for an interesting story if allowed to develop. Neither is and the episode as a whole suffers. The story pretty much serves as a holding pattern for character development until the two parter Suprise and Innocence. In my initial review, I said I was willing to consider moving the story up a few notches if it set up some future events. Unfortunately, it doesn't..

Final Rating: 4.0

Suprise
by Marti Noxon
directed by Michael Lange
Initial Rarting: 9.0

Buffy's seventeenth birthday rolls around and with it come some major, major changes in her life.

I was hesistant at first when I saw Martin Noxon as the script writer on this one, having been rather disappointed by her last solo effort, What's My Line, Part 2. Those fears were quickly allayed by a strong effort here. Suprise is an unfolding hour of TV, starting with Buffy's dreams of Angel's death and ending with the death of the Angel we know and the return of the Angelus of old. Along the way, the pieces are all put in place for Innocence, and for the Scooby gang to have the rug yanked out from under them in part two. Part one really lives up to the expectatin and hype of being a 2-night Buffy event.

Final Rating: 9.5

Innocence
Written and directed by Joss Whedon
Initial Rating: 10.0

Follows through on the consequences of Buffy's actions and signals major, major changes for the Scooby gang as a whole. Cordy and Xander come out of the closet, Willow and Oz move a bit forward, Buffy and Angel change forever, and in the midst of all that, Joss manages to put in a rivetting plot on just how the gang will stop the Judge. One of the true turning points in the show because after this one, nothing is ever the same in the Buffyverse. Unlike What's My Line, where the consequences aren't shown until later, this two parter examines the consequences of the actions taken in part one. A true masterpiece that shows Joss at the top of his form, both acting and directing wise. Another side comment is that the incidental music is unusually gripping in this one, esp. when Buffy confronts the Judge at the mall. An instant classic..

Final Rating: 10.0

Phases
by Rob DesHotel and Dean Batai
directed by Bruce Seth Green
Initial Rating: 7.0

After the intense, life changing events of Buffy's big move to Tuesday nights, this standard werewolf story seems a little, well, dull my comparison. It's a shame really because Phases is actually quite good and if you can watch it without having viewed Suprise and Innocence first, it comes off as really not too bad. It gives us some nice moments with Oz (regrettably the last moments that we'll see him really for the rest of season two) and Willow as well as a fairly decent story. The idea that Oz is a werewolf is a fun one, esp. when Willow compares it to her having PMS once a month and not being fun to be around either. The only major low point is the hunter is a bit too cliched and not very well realized. Otherwise, a good hour.

Final Rating: 7.0

Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered
by Marti Noxon
directed by James A. Cotner
Initial Rating: 8.0

Easily the biggest laugh riot of the sesaon, BBB is a great Valentine's Day ep and also has some nice nods to earlier Buffy eps. Amy, the witch returns (and I hope we see more of her next year!) and casts a spell that drives women mad for our hero, Xander. All except Cordy, who dumped him the day before Valentine's Day. An absolute laugh riot to rival such funny Trek eps as the Trouble with Tribbles or the classic X-Files, Jose Chung's "From Outer Space." Noxon is able to find humor from within the characters instead of making them shallow images of themselves for the humorous effect, which can be a difficult task to pull off at times. Also, we see a life change in Cordy that has been building all year as she accepts the fact that she is now officially part of the Scooby gang and no longer is as concerned with what her old friends think.

Final Rating: 8.5

Passion
by Ty King
directed by Michael Gershman
Initial Rating: 10.0

The fallout from Innocence continues as Angel targets Buffy's friends and family. If BBB is love gone wrong in an amusing way, Passions is love gone wrong in a horribly bad, Fatal Attraction way. The death of Ms. Calendar is shocking, violent, gripping, and tragic. The lenghths Angel will go to destroy Buffy's life are amazing. The scene in which Buffy and Willow find out about Jenny's death is one of, if not the strongest scene this year. Also, seeing Giles dark side surface with a vengeance when he goes to take Angel out is incredibly well done. But, while it was great the first time, I think part of my perfect rating was the shock value it held. It's still a good story, but when viewed with Lie to Me or Innocence, it just doesn't quite hold up as well.

Final Rating: 9.0

Killed by Death
by Rob DesHotel and Dean Batai
directed by Dorean Sarafan
Initial Rating: 2.0

In writing this year end wrap up, I determined to re-watch every Buffy episode again..and I did. And in most cases, even when the plot was dull or just not that good, at least a great B-plot rescued it. I kept hoping that as I approached Killed by Death I might find something new. All I found was the urge to hit the fast forward button. Those of you who scream character development at seeing this one, I strongly disagree. Everyone is very out of character and it never gels. The kids in danger plot is boring and Fredddy Krueger wannabe never turns out to be that scary. Overall, it was a bad episode to go into a long hiatus with because it really has little to recommend. The only thing I can recommend is the scene between Angel and Xander in the hospital. Otherwise, a complete waste of time and the worst Buffy ever..

Final Rating: 1.0

I Only Have Eyes for You
by Marti Noxon
directed by James Whitmore, Jr
. Initial Rating: 8.0

When I first saw the TV Guide synopsis for this one, I rolled my eyes. Figuring the teacher/student affair gone wrong came right out of Dawson's Creek, I was prepared for the worst. Instead, I was suprised that it actually worked quite well. The theme of forgiveness is strong and central to the story, which may be what saves it from being so bad. And unlike DC, the teacher/student affair is quietly, nicely done. I guess not having to see large portions of it like we did on DC helps a lot. Overall, a good effort to bring Buffy back after a long hiatus and to begin the journey to the season finale.

Final Rating: 7.5

Go Fish
by David Fury
directed by Dave Semel
Initial Rating: 7.0

The Sunnydale swim team is on the verge of going to the state championships and Synder is willing to overlook any offenses they might have. Meanwhile, the coach and the team have a deadly secret. A nice story because it makes you think some monster is eating the swim team when actually the swim team is becoming the monsters. A nice touch by Whedon to make this old plot new and interesting. We also learn a few things about Synder and gets hints that maybe he knows more than he's telling about his role as principle. Will we find out any more info next year? I certainly hope so. So far, Joss and company haven't disappointed us..

Final Rating: 6.5

The Becoming, Part One and Two
Written and directed by Joss Whedon
Initial Ratings: 8.0, 10.0

Because they share the same writer and director I am going to put my comments on this one together. Namely because if I don't I will just repeat myself. The Becoming is the perfect ending to the second season, bringing some resolution to all of the events that have gone on in the previous 20 episodes while setting up the next season admirably. There are a lot of things resolved here, so much so that the two hours literally fly by as you view them. The final fifteen minutes of each episode fly by and have you on the edge of your seat. Part two is heartbreaking and leaves you with the feeling that Buffy is going to face some major difficulties next year. A perfect coda to the season, making season two a package deal that is truly one of the best television seasons ever realized.

Final Rating: 10.0

Season Two-General Comments

The best thing I can think of to compare Buffy's second season to is the second volume in a series of novels. The season builds upon the themes, characters, relationships, and situations that we were introduced to back in season one. It's got a definite beginning, a middle, and an end. And while the major storyline of season two has been completed, Joss Whedon and company are wise enough to throw in enough interesting plot revelations and dangling threads to make this one very long, hot summer.

By the main emphasis of the season, I refer to, of course the Buffy/Angel arc storyline. Looking back on the season, it's easy to see that when Joss and company chose season two to move away a bit from the monster of the week as the emphasis and to concnetrate on this developing relationship that it was a wise, successful move. Indeed, looking back on season two, it's easy to forget that it took a long time for the Buffy/Angel relationship to take off, much less to see them actually have any real screen time in a romantic way. Indeed, there are only about three episodes that really do this, before events spiral out of control to take Angel from Buffy. Overall, I like that choice. I know there are those of you out there who like seeing Buffy and Angel together, and it did work rather well when they were together (well, except Bad Eggs, which just felt like spinning the wheels) but I think Joss and company learned a bit lesson from other such shows with great romantic tension that gave into the pressure to put the two leads together too quickly and then not know what to do with it. I think part of it this was the strength of having a setup from year one that Angel could turn on Buffy and do so in a quite remarkable, violent way. But, the thing is Joss and company had the guts to do it. Let's face it, Buffy losing her virginity to Angel and making love to him in Surprise was an emotional highpoint of the season. Many other shows could have just ended it there, allowing us to bask in the afterglow, but Joss choses this moment of happiness and joy to shatter the entire Buffy universe and change it forever. It's a fascinating choice because it was not only a change in the series' tone but also an actual change of night and timeslot as well. Honestly, I think Surpise and Innocence hit a high point for the season that I've only seen duplicated on other shows in a season finale.

It was nice to see the setup. Going back and watching the season over again, a couple of Angel/Buffy scenes jumped out at me as a good set up to this. I think seeing Angel is vampire face at the thought Buffy might be in danger during Reptile Boy saved it from being just really bad. Also, seeing the delicate dance they walked with her being the Slayer and his being a demon was nice. Spike's reaction to them was also interesting. Overall, I think there was so much lead time and set-up for the downfall of the realtionship built in that looking back on season two it's hard not to go, "Of course! That's where it's going." When at the time I had no clue where it might lead.

It's rare show where I enjoy watching repeats as much as I enjoy the first time around seeing it. But Buffy is an unusally great show.

I just hope that the accolades that are being poured on it don't go to the producers heads or cause some stars to get huge egos. I will concede that Sarah Michelle Gellar is superb as Buffy, but the episodes this year showed just how important, interesting, and vital the Scooby gang is. Add to it the tapesty of Buffy's mom, Principal Snyder, and the other recurring cast we see, and it's easily the strongest group of supporting players outside of Deep Space Nine. It's not quite DS9 level for me, but that's only because I've been with the DS9 crew for six years now. What does remind of DS9 and Babylon Five, is Buffy's willingness to have characters grow and change and to have that grow out of the events that shape them.

Once again, I turn to Buffy and Angel's relationship. In Innocence, Angel taunts her at not being able to slay him, to which Buffy responds not yet. The rest of the year sees a build up to her being ready to do just such a thing. It's a nice touch to see. I was one firmly in the camp that Angel needed to die after he killed Jenny. I understand redemption, but I also see that once Angel got a point, he had to accept responsbility for his actions. And I really liked seeing how Buffy went from not wanting to slay him, hoping she could get her Angel back to seeing that if she was to survive and see her friends make it through all the hell in Sunnydale that Angel had to die. It also made the final few moments of the Becoming, Part 2 that much more haunting and poetic. (And that Sarah McLaughlin song just huants me! I love it!)

So, it was a good season, overall. I loved the arc storyline. It gave us a reason to tune in each week and was interesting. It was truly a season of television viewing to be remembered. I've personally got all of them on tape and really found myself enjoying the hell out of rewatching the season again. Even some of the first eps that were initially a bit slow and pedestrian at the time really hummed the second time around. That doesn't mean there weren't clunkers. But there was only one that I would relegate to the category of playing in hell's waiting room-namely, Killed by Death. Now, I know there are some of you out there who will want to argue that it wasn't as bad as I initially thought. It wasn't. It was worse. Sorry folks, but it still bored the tar out of me the second time around. I was really tempted to hit the fastfoward button, which is why it ranks so low in my final season estimation. It was a waste of time and of a good hour of Buffy.

But, let's face it, there were episodes that made up for it. Ted, Suprise/Innocence, School Hard, Becoming, etc. Indeed, with only one bad episode and a lot of tens (I haven't awarded this many tens to a show in one single season in quite a while), it's hard to pick my favorite of the year. But, as I rewatched, there was one episode that really stuck out as being just barely head and shoulders above the rest. And it was Lie to Me. Simply put this is a superb episode that benefits from the fact that it plays with the Buffy vampire myth a bit by having Ford want to be a vamp. I liked that. But what really won me over was Ford's motivation to want to live forever and the final graveside converstation between Buffy and Giles. Superbly written and realized. I think if Buffy is going to win an Emmy it will be on that episode alone. It was just superb. It rose above the high standard Buffy set and easily won out as best episode of the year, standalone or otherwise. It's pretty much become the measuring stick by which I measure all other episodes.

So, it's been a good year. And I loved it. And who isn't looking forward to season three? I know I'm counting down days until the rumors come out because I'm anxious and excited. I haven't been this curious about a season opener since Star Trek: The Next Generation's, Best of Both Worlds, Part Two. Lofty, lofty company.

So, that's about it, except a few small things that I wanted to comment on.

--Where did Oz go after Phases? Yes, he was in a few episodes, but one thing that really struck me in the first part of the season was how carefully and precisely Joss and company set him up only for him to virtually disappear at the seasons' end. I understand that Seth Green might have other commitments, but now that he's a regular Buffy cast member, I expect to see him continue to grow and develop rather than being someone for Willow to sit on his lap.

--Xander and Cordy. Of all the relationship on the show, this one confuses me the most. It seems as though some of the writers like it, while others are content to ignore it having the two at each other's throats the entire story. A lot of people see them as being very much in love, but at times I don't. I can understand there is a bit of verbal sparring in every loving relationship, but I honestly think that Xander and Cordy take it a bit too far when together. I am not saying I want to see them falling all over each other being mushy, but just a bit less edge to their comments would go a long way toward selling me on this relationhip. And I need to be re-sold at this point. Unless, of course, they are setting up a triangle of Willow/Xander/Cordy next year.

--Spike was a great villain, even if he got a bit of the short end of the stick when Angel turned back to the dark side. Spike wins as best villain of the season, simply because James Masters played him with such flair. He is so easily memorable and exciting that it really worked. I hope we haven't seen the last of these two.

--As for Dru, sometimes I loved her, sometimes I loathed her. Part of me wishes that we'd see some more development of her. I'd personally love to see her convertion to vamp form and what Angel did to her. That would go a long way to explaining a lot about her. Maybe we'll see this next year. Also, does anyone see a bit of a rift that could form between her and Spike that could lead to interesting complications for the Scooby gang. Imagine a vamp conflict with Sunnydale in the middle and Buffy has to not only stop both sides but keep them from destroying Sunnydale. Interestng.

So, that's about it for now. It's gonna be a long, hot summer as I wait for new Buffy episodes. Thank goodness someone at WB heard by cries and decided to re-show season one to help tide me over. Now, if they'd just stop skipping episodes..

Final Season Rating: 8.0 (Note: This is a ratng as a whole, not an average of my review ratings!)

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