There's No Place Like Home
Written by Douglas Petrie
Directed by David Solomon
Original Airdate: October 24, 2000
Plot: As Joyce's condition continues to not get better, Buffy worries that
some form of evil may be attacking her mother. In order to find out what the
problem is, Buffy goes into a trance-like state that allows her to see what
is wrong, which leads to the discovery that Dawn may not really be her
sister. Meanwhile, a new evil (Clare Kramer) arrives in town, pursuing a
group of monks and "the key" which will unlock a gateway and Giles opens the
Magic Box for business.
Review
Warning: Tapping your heels together and saying there's "No Place Like
Home" will not help you avoid SPOILERS for the latest episode of Buffy the
Vampire Slayer. If you've not yet seen "There's No Place Like Home" I
suggest you turn back now while you still can....
In short: It reminds me of Babylon Five--answer one question, raise five
more....
One of the more interesting on-line discussions I saw last week was a
series of postings comparing Buffy to Babylon Five. Both series were those
that had long-term story arcs and each one was a series that foreshadowed
future events well (even though we, the viewer, may not have necessarily
known what was being foreshadowed). Also, both shows have seen entire
plotlines hinge on characters who you wouldn't necessarily call the lead
characters of the show.
And one thing Babylon Five did extremely well--it was very good at
bringing up mysteries and only shining the light so far on them. You
answered one question but it raised five more that the should would
eventually answer, once the pieces were in place for the audience to fully
understand the ramifications of the answer.
It's a double-edged sword. You can give the audience hints of what is
to come that are satisfying but on the other hand keep them intrigued as to
the overall mystery of what is going to happen for the rest of the episodes.
It's a delicate line to walk because you run the risk of a)answering all the
questions at once, thus ruining part of the fun of the mystery b)answering
them just enough to keep the audience satisfied but interested in what is to
come or c)not giving enough answers and creating a convoluted mess that
turns the more casual viewer away and confuses long-time, die-hard fans.
(If you want an example of "c" just look at how murky the mythology of the
X-Files has become at this point...I'm a die-hard fan of the show and I
can't even say that I could explain it to you).
Luckily, for the past four or so years, Buffy has been able to walk the
fine line of answer b. Indeed, I think back to the glory days of season two
when Joss really had a tight arc (the fall of Angel as well as the entire
season arc was foreshadowed in When She Was Bad, if you knew what to look
for) and made me look forward to watching the show each week. And for the
most part, most of season four has been like that for me, so far. Namely,
there's been enough of an overall storyline and compelling arc that I'm
intrigued not only for the hour I spend with the show each week, but also
with wanting to know more and feeling as if an hour a week isn't enough.
(And now to have to wait two weeks for a new episode--the horror!).
In many ways "No Place Like Home" felt like one of the "big" episodes on
Babylon Five. "Big" episodes were those that took the plotlines that had
been brewing all year and brought them to a bubble and then sent them off in
new directions. And that's what "No Place Like Home" has done for season
five of Buffy.
We've known all along that something isn't right in Sunnydale--namely
the presence of Dawn and that everyone remembers her. We now begin to gets
hints that things aren't right and why she has been sent to Buffy.
Namely, a new villain (who is called the Evil Who Cannot Be Named or the
Abomination) wants Dawn because she is the Key, given human form and sent to
the Slayer to protect. Certainly that tension drove large portions of the
episode and it was interesting to see.
As for the road to how we discovered that Dawn's not supposed to be
there, I liked it. I've got to admit that I've enjoyed the sibling ribaldry
nature of the Buffy and Dawn relationship since the beginning. Indeed, the
coda of "Buffy vs. Dracula" pretty much summed it all up in one short
scene--they both grate on each other's nerves and resent Joyce forcing them
to be together. All of that was certainly in evidence here. I liked Buffy's
annoyance at having to take Dawn with her everywhere she went. I also really
liked the way they had Dawn volunteer information that Buffy had said that
she didn't necessarily want others to know. I can only imagine that Dawn
displayed the unique talent all siblings have of fading into the background
while others are talking. I can only think that this conversation took place
between Buffy and Willow as it doesn't seem likely that this is something
that Buffy would usually discuss with Joyce.
Also, based on the events of the past few weeks with Buffy feeling a bit
of sibling rivalry when it comes to Joyce's affections, this type of
confession doesn't seem as likely as it once might have. I must admit that
I found the continued attempts by Buffy and Dawn to win Joyce's attention
and affection were nicely done--from the making of French Toast by Buffy and
Dawn's claiming partial credit to Dawn's offering Joyce tea when she came
back from her evening out. And to see Buffy's jealous streak flare up a bit
when she realized that Joyce had no cutesy nickname for her, but did have
one for Dawn was nicely done.
The process by which we discovered Dawn isn't really Buffy's sister was
interesting. I really liked the sequence in which Buffy in a trance-like
state with the washed out colors, the jarring camera movement and the blurry
focus. It gave an otherworldly feel to the sequence that it needed since
this is a form of magic Buffy is employing to find out the truth. And I
really, really liked the sequence in Dawn's bedroom where the room
alternated from a bright bedroom of a teenage girl to a dark, storage room.
One thing that bothered me about the sequence is that for the past
several weeks, we've been led to believe that Dawn knows a bit more about
who she is and what she is than she's let on. Indeed, her diary entries
have been dripping with double meaning on this point and the fact that they
keep bringing up that sequence in the "Previously on Buffy" each week makes
it seem that much more important. Even last week when Joyce fainted, there
was a moment of horror on Dawn's face when she realized that Joyce might
know she wasn't supposed to be there. This week, that was gone. I am not
certain if Dawn is unaware that Buffy has knowledge that she (Dawn)
shouldn't be there or if she wasn't clued in because Buffy used a special
slayer power to find out what was wrong or not. But this is a plot threat
that I feel will need to be addressed in the upcoming series of episodes. I
have a feeling Dawn is aware of what she is on a subconscious level so that
she will be able to protect herself from the forces of evil that want her
and want to use her as the key.
As for her being the key, I buy most of it for now. I wish we'd had a
bit more background on this set of monks and why exactly they sent Dawn to
Buffy. Or better yet how they knew she was the Slayer. Obviously, as Dracula
stated in the premiere, Buffy is known outside of Sunnydale (which makes it
odd that she goes to such lengths to be secret identity girl....it's like
other countries of the world knowing Clark Kent is Superman but having
Metropolis be aptly clueless...I'm not sure I buy it) and it could be that
the monks are some part of the Watcher's Council. It would certainly be a
good reason for them to send Dawn to Buffy to protect--except that as far as
the Watcher's are concerned, Buffy is no longer the Slayer since she quit.
Oh what a tangled web we weave...
Anyway, again all I can say is that I hope that these events will play
out of the next couple of episodes and that Joss and company will fill in
the blanks that have been left by this episode.
I've talked about some of the major ones but there are some others left
out there.
Namely--what is the glowing orb? And what is its purpose? It
certainly ties in with the overall mystery of who Dawn is and what is the
key? I wonder if the orb holds a trace memory of the way Sunnydale and the
world SHOULD be without Dawn. Namely that if the orb is used, it will return
Dawn to her nonhuman form as the key and return Buffy and the rest of
Sunnydale's memories to the way they were before the interference began.
"There's No Place Like Home" also introduced us to what is suspected to
be the main villain of the year--namely The Evil That Can't Be Named or The
Abomination as she was referred to. At first, I didn't find her all that
compelling but as the episode went along and we found out that the depths of
the evil she could find, I found it more and more interesting. Certainly
seeing the Abomination (for lack of a better term and it's shorter to type
out!) display a split personality was interesting and to see her drain her
victim was also of great interest. I can only imagine what this means to the
overall arc and I wonder if she must feed on "sane" people to keep herself
alive. That would certainly be of great interest though it does open up some
interesting comparisons to her being similar to a vampire in that she must
feed on humans to survive--in this case she needs them for her own sanity.
And I think that with the guard, we saw the after-effects of what does
happen when she feeds on your sanity. Not pretty...not pretty at all.
I can say that while I liked her obsession with finding the key and the
fact that she was powerful enough to be a good threat for Buffy (hopefully
she won't have to be toned down as Adam was in order for Buffy to stop or
defeat her), I found parts of her character a bit off. Her laments at being
human just weren't that compelling--namely because we've seen it all done
before with Anya. And her breaking her heel and then being apparently
crushed seemed a bit too much. I guess that we've seen villains supposedly
buried under rubble (Spike and Dru) and return to fight another day so it's
not that compelling.
As for the actress, who played her, Clare Kramer, the jury is still out.
At first she was flat, but she really grew on me as the episode went along.
Again, this is only her first outing so I'm not sure what I was expecting.
The problem is that James Marters and Juliet Landau set the bar so high when
we first met Spike and Dru back in season two that it's hard for other
villains to meet that standard. (I will also argue that Spike and Dru got
the benefit of "School Hard" being co-written by Joss which always helps!)
But in all of this sweeping plotline introduction and continuation,
there was some nice character stuff done with the other cast members.
The opening day of the Magic Box was a nicely done storyline. I liked
seeing Giles quiet desperation at first to actually have a customer and then
his later desperation to see them all leave so that he could have a moment's
rest. Also, to see the magic shop succeed beyond his expectations was
nicely done. I only wonder if it was just a first-day rush and if he'll
face a slow-down later this year.
Also, it was nice to see Anya have a head for business. And certainly
her being offered a job at the Magic Box should create some interesting
tension for the rest of the season. (I can only imagine how Anya will take
the little power Giles gives her and runs with it!).
The only plot thread that I didn't like was Spike's. Sorry, but I just
can't get behind the idea that our favorite peroxide-haired vamp has the
hots for Buffy. It was one of those rumors that surfaced last year and was
thankfully dealt with in an amusing way in "Something Blue." I'd hoped that
it was over and done with and it seemed to be until last week. Sorry but the
dream sequence was too far out of left field and having Spike mope around
outside, almost stalking Buffy didn't really work for me. (Also, does he
have permission to enter since he was invited in in "The Becoming" or does
the protection spell ward him off permanently...it will be interesting to
see).
All I can say is that the sooner this thread goes the way of the dodo, the
happier I will be.
So, I guess that about wraps it up for now except a few small things.
--OK, while I appreciate having Giles and Xander get some good screen
time, Willow seems to be suffering as a result. I realize that much of the
end of season four was Willow-heavy, but I can only hope we give Allyson
Hannigan something more to do and soon.
--I liked Willow's identifying with Dawn. Both being somewhat of an
outcast, that really worked.
--So, Buffy knows Dawn is the key. I wonder if she'll tell the rest of
the Scooby gang. And I wonder how this knowledge will affect her in future
episodes.
--One thing that interested me a great deal--namely that while Buffy was
in the trance-like state, Joyce suddenly felt better (the dialogue said as
much). I wonder if Buffy somehow negated the influence Dawn was having on
Joyce with the spell or if simply being close to Buffy while she was using
the power negated it. Notice that in the sequence Joyce doesn't once refer
to Dawn, which makes me wonder...
--I loved the effect of Dawn appearing and disappearing from the photos.
--OK, here's another thing....the monks made Dawn human. And implanted
Buffy and her crew with memories of her. That makes sense. But it also
makes you wonder how far reaching are these implanted memories. For
example--does Angel remember Dawn? Or Cordelia? Or Wesley? That has some
interesting potential cross-over ramifications should it ever get to that
point.
--The doctor we saw Buffy interact with--could he be a possible new love
interest? Or competition for Riley?
Well, that's about it for now. All in all, a solid episode of Buffy. As
I've said before I had one question answered but I've got five more to
speculate on. It's going to be a long two weeks until the next new
episode...
My rating: 8.0 (out of 10.0)
Next up: A special Halloween Buffy double-bill featuring one classic
(Halloween) and a fairly enjoyable episode (Fear Itself). If you can only
see one, I have to recommend you catch Halloween....
"I've always wanted to kill the Slayer."
"I've always wanted piano lessons."
--Vampire & Buffy.
Review Copyright 2000 by Michael T. Hickerson. All Rights Reserved.
|Main Page|Season One|
Season Two|Season Three|Season Four|Season Five|
|Angel Season One|Angel Season Two|
|