Beauty and the Beasts

Beauty and the Beasts
Written by Marti Noxon
Directed by James Whitmore, Jr.

Original Airdate: October 20, 1998

Plot: A body is found in the Sunnydale, horribly mutilated and suspicion fall on Oz in his werewolf form. But when Angel turns up again in Sunnydale acting unusual, Buffy wonders if he might be behind the savage killings.

Review

Warning: If reading SPOILERS for the latest episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, "Beauty and the Beasts" will create a Jeckyll and Hyde reaction for you, please turn back now. There are major SPOILERS just ahead...

In short: A compelling, well-drawn episode.

OK, I've got to admit that as I sat down to watch Beauty and the Beasts I was a bit worried. Why do you ask?

Because last year I was blown away by School Hard, much as I was by Faith, Hope and Trick last week only to come up a bit disappointed by the next Buffy episode. After the events of last week, I honestly wondered if Buffy could keep up the intensity or if we were perhaps headed for a bit of a letdown.

So, I was hesistant as the opening credits rolled.

But give Marti Noxon credit once again. In the clutch, she stepped up and delivered a solid hit that was compelling and in the final act virtually impossible to take your eyes off the screen. So far this year, Noxon is two for two in giving us follow-up episodes following major events in the Buffy universe. My respect for her is growing every time I see new material from her.

In fact, at times as I watched this episode, I was reminded of her work last year on Passions. Both episodes are emotional wringers for the characters. Last year it was Giles in Passions, this year it's Buffy.

And let me just say again that if Sarah Michelle Gellar doesn't get the Emmy nod this year, there is no justice in the world. (Of course, there hasn't been any really since Charles Woodson won the Heisman over the clearly more qualified, better athlete Peyton Manning, but I digress.) Her performance in Beauty and the Beasts was wonderfully well crafted and executed. Seeing Buffy on edge because of her secret that Angel has returned was wonderful. It went from gritty detremination after she shackled Angel in chains at the old mansion to self-doubt as we saw in the therapist's office. In between, Gellar ran the gamut from her scenes with Giles in the library discussing what Angel might be like if he did return from Acathala's dimension to her hesitancy in dealing with Scott in the cafeteria scene. All in all, Sarah Michelle Gellar really made Buffy crackle alive this week and be the splendid character who is torn between her duty as the Slayer and the feeling she has. Gellar is becoming the master at this and it shone through again this week.

Of course, just as we saw two weeks ago in Dead Man's Party, Buffy is put through an emotional wringer. Her early scenes with Scott show a happy, confident Buffy emerging. But no sooner does Angel return than we see the conflict emerge within her about her sworn duty and perhaps her still trying to protest Angel.

It's a shame really that the therapist had to be killed in the course of the episode because I really liked what he added to the show. Giving Buffy a third-person objective observer who is totally removed from her situation might have led to some interesting character insight as the year went along. I think that seeing Buffy being forced to face her fears and weaknesses in another way besides her role as Slayer would have been really great to see.

Of course, Noxon's able pen didn't just give us some great Buffy character moments, but also character moments for the entire cast. I loved seeing the conflict among the Scooby gang--especially as Oz is first suspected of the murder of the student. Seeing Willow's firm belief in Oz along side Giles mistrust and Xander's usual barb was nice. Also, Xander's role in the episode had me questioning a few things--are we settng Xander up for a fall down the line? It seems as though this might be where we're going--a major episode in which Xander's sins come to light such as his lying to Buffy last year and his lack of responsbility here when it came to watching Oz. It seems as though Xander is becoming more self-centered than he used to be and it's a trend that's disturbing to see but yet compelling to see how it develops.

But the real strength of Noxon's script is it's examination of the theme of all men being beasts to some extent or another. Obviously, Oz is the most visible example of the two sides of humanity--man and beast and how they live in balance. We see it in Xander as well in his scenes. But where it really comes up is in Angel and the abusive boyfriend.

You've got to give Noxon a lot of credit more crafting an episode that examines the issue of abusive relationships without seeming preachy or condescending. Yes, the scene in the bathroom with Buffy confronting the girl strayed toward going over this line, but it never did. It was exactly the type of scene this episode demanded. Also seeing that fact that she refused to betray what was being done to her was a dead-on reaction and one that felt right. It would have been cliched to see her suddenly turn on the boyfriend and turn him over to Buffy. Instead, we saw her protect him until the bitter end. It was a shame to see her get killed at the end. It might have been nice to see her having to deal with the fall-out of the end of the relationship and if Buffy was able to be her friend through all that.

As for the reasoning behind his transformation, I can buy it. I like the examination of Jeckyll and Hyde being a literal one as well as an emotional one. The scene in the closet after he's beaten teh girl and then cries in her lap was more chilling than any scene we've seen all year. Namely because of the intense manipulative nature of the scene and the emotions involved.

After that, I was glad to see Angel kill the guy.

Which brings me to the only major weakness in the story--namely the coincidental nature of the ending. Once Angel broke free of his shackles, I knew that somehow he'd burst in to save Buffy once again. Adn that's exactly what happened. I also felt sure that his blood lust might be cured or diminished a bit after the kiling and it was. It may just be me, but I'd hoped for something different.

Of course, the battle between Oz and the guy was great. I loved Oz's dead-pan reaction that he had no idea what was coming as he goes wolfy. A great scene. In fact, this episode this is the first episode this year that I feel as though Oz has been utilized to his full potential as a full time member of the gang.

Also, a part of me wishs we'd be met the couple a bit before now. Been given a chance to get to know them more so that the events played out here would have even more meaning than they had. It seemed as though they were Mr. and Ms. Perfect High-School couple and it was nice to see the dark streak under the surface. But I think it would have been a bit more shocking had they cropped up before.

Well, I guess that about wraps it up for now, except for a few small things...

--So Buffy was in Acthala's dimesnion in Anne....interesting. Makes you wonder if they will be coming to get her back or maybe to take Angel back....

--Oz's wolf suit is getting better, but he still looks like a big bear in it...

--The morphing effect when Pete transformed into his Hyde persona was stunning.

--OK, does the Scooby gang know about Angel's return?

All in all, Beauty and the Beasts is a fun, entertaining episode. Definitely a keeper.

My rating: 9.0 (out of 10.0)

Next up: It's a repeat of last year's fun Halloween episode....if you haven't seen it yet, you should. If you have, watch it again. It's just plain fun.

"We're not to the flower stage yet are we?"

--Scott