Warning: If reading SPOILERS for the latest episode of Buffy, "Something Blue" will make you very blue, please turn back now....

In short: An enjoyable effort...

It seems like all season long, I've been waiting for a "perfect" night of Buffy and Angel. A night in which both episodes really deliver and I walk away feeling that they're both of a consistent quality. Don't get me wrong--I like both shows. But it's similar to the feelings I used to have when TNG and DS9 were both on the air at the same time--namely that when one would have an outstanding episode, the other's episode would just be OK or mediocre. Part of it may have been that one show raised the expectations bar and the other just didn't quite live up to it.

As of yet, there have been a couple of nights of Buffy and Angel that have been consistently of good quality, but not a week where both series bat a home run. (Don't even get me started on last week's crossover, namely because Angel took the giant reset button ending, causing me to scream and want to throw things at my television set!)

But this week came incredibly close to it.

I will share my thoughts on Angel later, but I will tell you that overall, it was a bit stronger on the evening for me. Part of it may have been the huge emotional impact the death of Doyle had on me.

But, more on that later...

Focusing on Buffy...

Indeed, this was an episode that focused more on the entire Scooby gang and their antics rather than just focusing on individual characters, which was nicely done. I like to see the Scooby gang dynamic at work on screen, esp. when it's done as well as it was done here. Indeed, I liked the fact that while we got to see Willow grieving and being upset by the fact that Oz has called for his stuff and not told her, we also got to see the Scooby gang's reaction to it. To see them being supportive, but ready for her to move on was nicely done. It reminded me in many ways of an episode of Friends I saw repeated recently with Chandler going through the five stages of grief for a break-up. Of course here, it was done a bit more seriously.

It's nice to see that Oz's leaving has a bit more of a long-term affect on not only Willow but the rest of the Scooby gang. And the way they're writing it, you've got to wonder if the writers might be setting it up for Oz to NOT return at all. Certainly, I can imagine that he's going to get a chilly reception from Willow when he gets back. (I'll be interested to see how it plays out either way)

This plotline also brought up another interesting quandry in my mind--was this how the Scooby gang reacted when Buffy and Angel had their difficulties. You've got to wonder if these might be some of the moments we didn't see--namely Willow wishing Buffy would get over Angel and move on...or slay him as the case may be.

As for the plotline that came out of the depression, it worked pretty well. I've got to admit that the wishes and seeing them come to fruition was nicely done. Of course, the biggest laughs were mined from the Buffy/Spike pairing (which at times worked and at other times seemed a bit forced). I loved the "Mrs. and Mrs. Big PIle of Dust" arguement as well as the gang's in general reaction to the pairing. Also, to see Giles deprived of his sight was interestingly done and a nice sort of horror to the character as we've come to know him. After all, books are a necessity for Giles to effectively do his job as Buffy's watcher (Well, not officially, but you know what I mean...) and to have him robbed of his site was nicely done. I liked that from a character standpoint.

As for Xander's curse, well it sort of worked. I guess the idea of his being a demon magnet was OK, but it lost the funny value early and it seemed to be dropped at times for the sake of the plotline. I'm surely not going to believe the demons are going to stop chasing him just because he's gone to Buffy. I find that hard to accept on a lot of levels.

Otherwise, it was an enjoyable enough episode. It had the usual quota of amsuing moments, as well as a couple of total laugh out loud moments--most of them stemming from Buffy and Spike's engagement as it were. Indeed, I like the way the writers have played with the rumor that Buffy and Spike might get together this year in this way. It's certainly nice to see some rumors come true in an interesting way. I only hope Joss and company have more sense than to make this pairing permanent. I think it worked well this one time and that it should be dropped. Again, a Trek referecne here, but if you watched TNG's last season and saw the whole Worf/Troi romance, you'll know what I'm talking about. What is a good idea for one episode isn't necessarily going to be a good idea for the long term storyline.

Speaking of long-term storyline, I am not really buying into the Buffy/Riley romance of late. It worked at first, but at times here it seemed a bit first. Part of it may be that we know they are on opposite sides of the fence in terms of the Initiative and I guess there's a part of me that wants to see some sort of tension come from that. Of course, I may be expecting too much too soon. I guess we'll have to wait and see...

That's about it for now, except a few small things...

--Giles had a bigger part here, but his defiance of the council and his being fired are things that have been put on the back burner. I can't believe that the Council hasn't taken any action on this (well, apart from Wesley). Especially in the light of Buffy's open defiance and quitting last year...maybe we'll see more in the new year...

--Give Giles an episode while I'm on that soapbox!

--Anya needs more to do than offer just sarcastic comments. She has potential. Let's see it used!

--Anyone want to bet that if Oz returns, he won't be warmly greated the Scooby gang?

--Spike once again gets the best lines of the night. James Marsters is doing wonders this year, as usual....

So, that about wraps it up for now...Overall, "Something Blue" was nicely done...and a good wrap-up to the November sweeps...

My rating: 7.5 (out of 10.0)

Next up: A re-run of "The Freshman" and then a new episode on Dec. 14 (written and directed by the man himself!)