Goodbye Iowa

Goodbye Iowa
Written by Marti Noxon
Directed by

Original Airdate: February 15, 2000

Plot: Adam, a demon-human hybrid created by the Initiative is on the loose in Sunnydale, creating havoc and terror. Meanwhile, Riley mysterious gets weaker....

Review

Warning: If you're looking to say goodbye to SPOILERS for the latest episode of Buffy, "Goodbye Iowa," I urge you turn back now. There are major SPOILERS just ahead...

In short: Refreshing and entertaining.

Buffy reached a season high back in mid-December with the instant classic, Hush. That episode alone renewed my faith that Buffy could still but just as entertaining and engrossing as it had been all along, even after four seasons on the air.

Since then, the show has, in my opinion, been all over the map. There have been some good qualities and plot lines developed (even if it is a bit too quick for my liking), but at times it's the characters who have suffered, not getting the development or the screen time they really deserved or needed. That was my major problem with last week's episode--namely there was tons of action but not enough of how the actions impacted the characters we've come to know and love (or in the case of Riley and many fans on the Net these days, to dislike with an undying passion. I will warn you that I'm not one of them as I happen to like Riley).

Which is why "Goodbye Iowa" comes as such a breath of fresh air to the hurried nature of the past few episodes. Finally, we get to see some character reaction and consequences to actions that have taken place over the past few weeks and all season long. And it was all so wonderfully done by, who else?, Marti Noxon.

As long-time readers of my reviews know, I love just about anything by Marti Noxon. And so, when I saw her name on the opening credits, I settled in for what I hoped would be one of the more enjoyable Buffy episodes of the year.

I wasn't disappointed.

So, where do I start?

Well, how about at the beginning. The first thing I liked was the fact that this episode picked up just minutes after last week's did with Buffy and the crew facing the idea that the Initiative is now against them and what that could possibly mean to the Scooby gang. Watching each character go through a littany of ideas of just what the Initiative is all about was nicely done and interesting to see. And praise the stars, Anya got to add something to the plotline other than being just Xander's new girlfriend. (I've been waiting for her to have something to do since Fear, Itself). Seeing that this enemy is smart, intelligent and able to go out in daylight was nicely done.

Seeing each member of the Scooby gang's reaction to being on the outs with the Initiative was nicely done. The only thing that I wish we'd seen was Giles' reaction to Buffy joining or some indication he knew this was her course of action. Based on his reaction to Professor Walsh and the group as a whole a few weeks ago, he's got to feel a bit betrayed if Buffy joined the group. After all, he's been the one she's always come to about this. Just a few lines that he knew or that he wasn't too happy about her decision would have been greatly appreciated.

However, it was nice to see everyone acting in character--whether it be Spike (who I'll get to later), or Willow or Xander or Anya or Giles. They all worked and each was given a bit of screen time and they all made the most of it .

But, the lion's share of the screen time was given to Buffy and Riley and just about all of their scenes really worked.

For one thing, after seeing Buffy seem a bit out of character the past few weeks, it's nice to see her back to the character we've come to know and love over the past four years. Yes, last week we got glimpses of Inquisitive Buffy, but that's just about it. To see her concern for Riley as he went through the withdrawal stages was nicely done. Also her questioning of his motives in her attempted killing and just what Riley was worked well. I liked seeing Buffy move from suspicion to concern for Riley as the episode progressed. It showed that their relationship has really moved into something more than just a mushy feeling. It's a strong one--and a natural and interesting one to watch. It's also nice to see that while Buffy was able to put aside her feelings of betrayal and disappointment in Riley, that it seems these aren't over yet. After all, his boss and mother-figure did try to have her killed. That's not going to be resolved in one episode, nor should it be.

But the really great performance came from Marc Blucas. After weeks of impressing me by being, well unimpressive, Blucas finally stepped up to the plate and delivered. Seeing his anger at Buffy and her group was nicely done. Also, seeing Riley put together a few small tidbits of information into a completely incorrect hypothesis and then getting mad at Buffy about it worked as well. I loved the scenes where the group members stated that maybe Buffy needed to die, his reaction to finding her in the demon bar and the reaction when he saw Spike with the Scooby gang. All of those added up to the anger and irritation we saw. Also, the apology scene when he spurned Buffy for associating with demons worked nicely as well.

But where it all came together was the scene in the bar. Seeing Riley over the edge was nicely done. Blucas really came through there, delivering the scene on such a level that you knew somethign was up from the first moment he came in and it just built from there.

Riley's plotline also worked because it so accurately paralleled experiences Buffy has gone through--namely in the Becoming. There, Buffy lost everything that was important to her and support structure. And now Riley has done the same. Yes, sure he hasn't sent someone he loves to hell, but he's still gone through it. This should make Buffy and Riley's bond that much stronger over the coming weeks. Or it may serve to tear them apart because of the deep seated pain it brought to both parties. It will it be interesting to see how this develops.

Boy, this show is good when it clicks on all cylinders.

And it was in "Goodbye Iowa."

I even have to admit that I liked the monster plot. It's following a parallel structure as did the original Frankenstein novel and I like that. To have the "monster" Adam trying to discover its true purpose in life was nicely done. Also to see him strike out and kill his creator was also nicely done. (Even if it was last week). You've got to like the fact that Adam was quickly dealt with and that he's an enemy that it's going to take cunning and intelligence besides brutal strength to stop. I can only hope that he doesn't get drug out over a long period of time to where we get bored of him.

So, there was a whole lot going on this episode, just about all of it good.

Hopefully, Buffy can now pick up this momentum it's built and carry it over the next couple of weeks as the February sweeps conclude.

I can only hope.

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

--Giles sleeping in the chair and the gang hiding out at Xander's was a riot.

--I loved seeing that Spike had to face consequences for his actions of not only staying in Sunnydale but also killing demons. I can only hope this raises his dander at the Scooby gang in the next couple of weeks. I can only image that he's going to be less than happy should or when he gets cured....

--Willow and Tara's scenes worked pretty well. Not sure why Tara put the dust away unless she isn't really a witch but just saying it to get Willow's attention. Also, surely Giles would know that the spell Willow was casting would take two. Why didn't he say something?

--I loved Anya's reactions about Buffy not stealing Xander. That really worked for me. After she's been underutilized all year, it was nice to see Anya get some good moments here.

Well, that's about it for now. All in all, "Goodbye Iowa" is just yet another gem in the Marti Noxon collection. I only hope we don't have a letdown next week...

My rating: 9.0 (out of 10.0)

Next up: Faith's back.....and she's not too happy.