School Hared

School Hard
Story by David Greenwalt & Joss Whedon. Telplay by David Greenwalk
Directed by John Kretchmer

Original Airdate: September 29, 1997

Plot: Buffy faces a week of hell--the celebrated Eve of St. Vigius, when vampires go on a killing spree, and parent-teacher night at school. To celebreat the Eve of St. Vigius, Spike and Druscilla come to Sunnydale and Spike immediately targets the Slayer for death. However, in his zest to do battle, Spike and a gang of vampires attack the school on parent-teacher night, leaving Buffy with an army of vampires to contend with as well as trying to keep the civilians safe.

Review

Warning: It's the Eve of St. Vigius and SPOILERS have are more powerful than usual. If you haven't yet seen School Hard and don't want to be have important plot points given away, I strongly suggest you turn back now.

In short: It doesn't get much better than this.

The beginning of Buffy's second season has an interesting trio of episodes that kick it off. First up, you have the effective coda to season one in When She Was Bad. Then, to allow our characters to breath a bit and to show that Buffy can still do monster of the weeks episodes, we get the less than stellar Some Assembly Required. But, then having given us these two episodes to ease into the second season, Joss and company give us an episode that not only sets up the season long story arc that will compose many of the better second season episodes, but is also supremely enjoyable in it's own right.

I'll have to admit something right here--School Hard was the episode that got me completely hooked on Buffy. Yes, I'd watched When She Was Bad and Some Assembly Required and enjoyed them both. But it was School Hard that moved Buffy from the realm of good show I enjoyed watching to the realm of must see TV every week. So, it's was difficult for me to come to this review and try and be objective. But, after having seen it for the third time this week, I think I can honestly try and be objective about it.

The episode's biggest strength is how it brings two forms of hell together--namely Buffy's personal hell known as parent-teacher night with the hell that Spike wants to unleash on the Eve of St. Vigius. And seeing how the two hells intersect is nicely done. Not only does is give us some great, humorous moments but it also gives the show a great deal of tension and drama, especially in the final two acts. Indeed, the entire episode made it hard for me to tear my eyes away from the events unfolding on screen.

I've got to admit that part of it was that it was great eye candy. The direction was superb--especially the parts with Sunnydale High under seige by vamps. The shadows were effectively used and really created a lot of tension to an already intense chain of events.

But, if the show had just concentrated on the action elements, I don't think it would be as good. I will admit that I like a good, mindless action movie as much as the next person. But I will also admit that when I got to the video story I often have a hard time remembering which ones I've seen because after a while they all become one in my mind. It takes something special to make it stand out to me--either some great direction, a good plot, or character devlopment.

School Hard could easily have been an episode that was pure action and that blended with other episodes of Buffy in my mind. However, it doesn't. Namely beause it goes farther and has some great character development, superb direction, and some nicely done action scenes. The scene where Spike and the crew of vamps crash through the windows is one that usually springs to mind duirng the story. Also, add to that that the story is populated by a group of fun, exciting characters and it all works well.

For one thing, we get foreshadowing of the dark side of Angel that will come to light in the second half of the season. His banter with Spike in the halls is a triumph, especially Spike's line about the whole Anne Rice thing. Getting these hints about just how evil Angel used to be before he was cursed are interesting and fun to see. Personally, I like the fact that Angel has a dark past and Joss isn't afraid to show it to us. And I've got to be honest that for a fraction of a second I thought he'd turn Xander over to Spike to feed on.

We also had some really great moments from the usual Buffy crew. Xander has his usual share of great one liners (I especially love the comment about a collar and a bell for Angel!) and Cordy's prayer at the end is probably one of the funniest moments she's had on the show. And, of course, we saw Buffy put through the ringer--both with having to endure parent-teacher night but also having to stand against the vampire invasion. It was a great hour for the gang we've come to know and love.

But, the real triumph is Spike and Dru. While they do go on to become some absolutely rivetting villains as the season progresses, they are never better than in their first episode. They are erotic, mesmerizing, and all around creepy. Spike comes off especially well. He's never quite as arrogant as he is in the episode. Part of it may be that he's too self-assured not having yet faced Buffy. And he is interesting when it comes to plotting strategy--watching Buffy fight before he makes his move. I like the way he's seen as cunning and coniving one minute but yet impulsively moves against Buffy before the official Eve of St. Vigius. It's a nice contrast from the Master who seemed to plot and plot and plot but wasn't much for a lot fo impulsive action. Spike is chilling in both of his comments before commercial breaks. Honestly that James Marsters wasn't nominated for an Emmy as best supporting actor is just a crime.

Of course, I'm a bit biased.

About the only thing that bugged me about the episode was the end when Buffy's mom hit Spike. At the time, it didn't feel right for the episode and while I've been able to overlook this relatively minor flaw in an overall great story each time I've re-watched it, I still feel cheated. I guess it just seems like such a cliched way to get rid of Spike for the moment. I'm not sure if there is a really good way, based on the set-up we're given, but these few moments just bug me. Though I will admit I loved seeing Joyce being like a mother bear protecting her cub. I'm willing to forgive the scene a bit because it plays into Joyce's character.

I think that Spike's humilation at Joyce's hands plays into his killing of the Annointed One. Personally, I am just as happy to see the Annoying One go to the great graveyard in the sky. Namely becuase he's been a pretty much useless character on the show. Also, because it signals the changing of the guard on the show in the vampire leadership. I like the fact that while Spike won't confront Buffy's mom and Buffy, he will end the life of the Annointed One when he is humilated by him. It's a nice little touch and shows how impulsive spike can be.

So, that about wraps it up for now. All in all a great episode and one that gets stronger every time I see it. And I can easily forgive the way Spike is "defeated" at the end beacuse the rest of the episode is just that darn good.

My rating: 10.0 (out of 10.0)

Next up: Buffy faces the Master....(It's a TV Guide Editor's Choice set up repeats next week!)

"How much sugar did you put in?"

"Sugar?!?"

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