The Harsh Light of Day

The Harsh Light of Day
Written by Jane Esponsen
Directed by

Original Airdate: October 19, 1999

Plot: Spike returns to Sunnydale in search of the Gem of Anarra, which will render him impervious to harm. Meanwhile, Buffy's relationship with Parker heats up and Anya returns to try and get Xander out of her mind...

Review

Warning: Unless you've got a special ring that makes you impervious to SPOILERS, I'd recommend turning back now. There are major SPOILERS just ahead for the latest episode of Buffy, "The Harsh Light of Day."

In short: Enjoyable.

In the past three seasons, Buffy has shown that the third episode of the year is often the one to circle as an absolute, can't-miss episode. Two years ago we got the instant classic "School Hard" as the third offering of the year. Last year we got "Faith, Hope and Trick." And this year, we get "The Harsh Light of Day," which, quite honestly ends up somewhere between the first two in terms of overall quality.

Of course, I'd circled this episode on my calendar as one that I absolutely had to see for three reasons--Spike, Spike and Spike.

I missed Spike last year. Yes, we got one meeting with our favorite vampire villian in the underrated "Lover's Walk," but once just wasn't enough. I understand that in the television world that producers can be at the mercy of the schedules of actors, especially those in a recurring role such as Spike has been. (Which is why I jumped for joy when I heard Joss had signed James Marsters up for the entire season! )

Spike brings a different intensity to Buffy. Part of it is that as played by James Marters, Spike draws your attention to the screen and refuses to let you look away. The other is that the writers have such a good grip on this character and have really allowed him to develop and become a much more interesting villain than, say for example, Mr. Trick was last year.

And in turning to "The Harsh Light of Day," we see just why.

For one thing, we, the viewers, have a long, established history with Spike. Unfortunately, I'd read one too many spoilers going into the episode so his appearance at the end of act one just wasn't shocking to me. I can only imagine how it might have been to those of you who don't read spoilers....:-) Also, the fact that he's dating Harmony seems a bit odd--at least at first.

However, in viewing the episode as a whole, you can see why.

Jane Esponson went to great lengths last night to show how people will manipulate each other to get what they want--in this case, it was sex. Seeing Spike with Harmony makes a great deal of sense, especially after the basket case we saw him as last year in "Lover's Walk." Let's face it--Dru manipulated and controlled Spike at times. But, yet, Spike still loved her. Her was scorned by her and went out and found someone that he, in turn, could manipulate and control. Mainly, Harmony. From a character stand-point, you've got to like that. Harmony never had much of a memorable personality when she was on screen in previous episodes, so to see her come across as a whiny, shallow version of what we originally thought Cordelia might be, makes perfect sense.

To see Spike basically use Harmony for what he wanted--a replecement for Dru (and not a very good one at that) worked really well. The only scene in which we saw any tenderness from Spike towards her was when he wanted her sexually. Before and after, he was a jerk. And that really worked well. (Of course, I've got to admit that by halfway through, I was ready to see Harmony turn to dust...but that's a whole other issue!)

That plot-line paralleled well with the stories of Buffy and Xander and their respective mates. To see Buffy used and then discarded is harsh and, personally, I think she should use her slayer powers on the guy. But it worked. Let's face it--like Spike, Buffy is vulnerable. Like it or not, she is still hurting from Angel's leaving Sunnydale (shown so well in the final sequence in which Buffy says the ring should be taken to Angel and then she promptly ends the discussion). And to see Parker step in and maniupulate this to his own advantage was nicely done. To see the stages he went through in his seduction and then dumping of Buffy were painful, but they rang so true.

As for Xander and Anya, we saw a bit of the shoe-is-on-the-other-foot plotline. Basically, Xanders' two sexual encounters have come at the hands of strong, aggressive females how make the first move. What does this say about Xander? Well, it may suggest that he's a bit less confident than he appears on the surface. If so, I like that part of his character. Indeed, Anya's return and the assumption of a relationship was nicely done. Also, seeing her appear to Xander and demand sex was funny. (I about fell off my couch laughing when she threw in the line about the softner).

However, in the end, we saw that Xander becomes essentially no better than Spike or Parker. He sleeps with Anya and then proceeds to brush her off. We see this in not one but two scenes--in the scene in which they are dressing after the deed and in the sequence in the hallway outside Buffy's room. I think that of the three romance-gone-wrong plotlines, the Xander/Anya one has the most potential for postive resolution in upcoming episodes. The first sequence might have been Xander's not knowing how to react and the second can be chalked up to the fact that Spike had the ring and Buffy had to be warned. Overall, in the whole scheme of things, it sets itself up well for a bit more exploration in the future.

I also loved the way all three of these romance plotlines came together not only by themetically but in the final scene. That all three women would now doubt thier own value and worth based on being basically used by men is wonderfully done. Of course, we see a bit more of Buffy's internal monologue in her conversation with Willow. But, the final scene with all three walking alone down the three divergent paths just really worked. It's one of the more haunting final moments and an image that really has stuck with me long after the episode was over...

So, on that level, it really, really worked for me.

On the other issue--namely Spike trying to find the Jewel of Anarra, that worked pretty well as well, though at times it seemed to drag down a bit. I understand that some things had to happen in the script in order to advance the plot overall--such as Buffy meeting up with Spike, etc. But at times, they seemed forced. It was only once Spike got hold of the ring that things really took a turn for the better.

Part of it may have been that Harmony was just too whiny to be a good sounding board for Spike's sarcasm. Or it may have been that the idea was amusing at first, but the joke got old quickly. It worked well in the opening scenes with Spike holding the vampire down while he goaded him and being interrupted by Harmony. But as the episode progressed, it got more and more annoying. It may hav been intended to be that way. If so, you've got to applaud the producers for making it this way.

But, the plotline finally reached it's zenith with the fight scene. The battle between Buffy and Spike had to easily be one of the best choreographed and executed since the Becoming or the battle between Buffy and Faith in GD, Part One. Man, that really worked. It's so nice to see a good battle sequence. Also, the witty give and take from Buffy to Spike was nicely done. It's a shame that there can't be any future daylight battles, because this one worked so well.

So, overall, Buffy is three for three this year with solid offerings. I've got to admit I've got a good feeling about the season so far....

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

--Buffy's reaction to if she'd ever dated Spike was great.

--The whole Harmony returning scene really did a great job of paralleling the last time we really saw her in Graduation Day, Part 1.

--Buffy's speech to Giles about being an adult after coming in from the night with Parker worked pretty well...

--Will we see more of Parker in the future? Wouldn't you love to see him try his bit on Anya? Oh, if only she had her powers...

--How upset will Anya really be? If I were Xander, I'd worry about scorning someone who used to be an avenging demon for relationships gone bad...

--I loved Xander's apartment. Exactly what I imagined it would be...

Well, that's about it for now. Except for a few random, cross-over thoughts...

I've got to admit I was worried that the a cross-over event would happen this early in the year. I honestly expected it to wait until November sweeps. But, overall, we got two scripts that were linked and not seen as continuations of each other, which was nice. You can watch one without necessarily watching the other and pick up, in general, what they're going for. I liked that. If this is how future crossovers will be, I am a lot less worried about them...

Also, anytime you get a double dose of Spike at his best, that's all good in my book...

My rating: 8.5 (out of 10.0)

Crossover as a whole rating: 8.0 (out of 10.0)

Next up: The gang faces their fears....