Hell's Bells

Hell's Bells
Written by Rebecca Rand Kirshner
Directed by David Solomon

Original Airdate: March 5, 2002

Plot:Xander and Anya's wedding day arrives, along with friends and relatives who can't get along, hideous bridesmaid dresses and a mysterious stranger who offers Xander a glimpse of what his life might become should he go through with the wedding.

Review

Warning: You don't need a magic orb to show you the future--if you read ahead, you will see major SPOILERS for the latest episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, "Hell's Bells." If you don't want to see them, please turn back now...

In short: Solid.

Of the three original members of the Scooby gang, it's Xander Harris who has made the most successful transition from high school--at least from the outside. He's got a stable relationship with a woman he loves, he's got a good job and he's living out on his own and supporting himself and the woman he loves. Not bad from a guy who on career day many years ago figured he'd be part of the pizza delivery industry.

However, as we saw here in Hell's Bells, everything isn't so peachy for Xander. He's haunted by a specter of his own past--namely his parents. I think the one thing Xander fears most of becoming his father. For all we know, Xander's father could have entered into this marriage, loving his wife and thinking it would be the greatest thing he'd ever done. However, now he's turned into a bitter, vindictive, foul-tempered man who has drifted away from his wife, alienated his son and turns to the bottle as his form of escape.

Outwardly, Xander has it all--the job, the beautiful bride to be, an apparent path in life. But inwardly, he's still the same Xander we've known and loved--the same insecure guy who covered that insecurity with his quick wit. He allowed people to get close to him, but yet he always found a way to sabotage the intimacy he found when it got too much. In season three, when he and Cordelia were actually in a stable relationship, he suddenly found the appeal of his best-friend Willow. And here in season six, as he's set to marry Anya, he becomes overwhelmed the security he has with her (I think it's intersting that FX repeated "Into the Woods" with Xander's remarkable profession of love for Anya on the same night that UPN ran "Hell's Bells.").

Because it doesn't take much to bring Xander's self-doubts to the surface and to make him realize what he's actually getting into.

A little glimpse into his possible future with Anya and Xander head out to clear his head and think through what he's doing.

Of course, it was a pretty bleak picture of the future. It's one of those "what if" moments that Buffy does so well. We see Xander and Anya's life together--or the life as they grow apart. Apparently in this version of the future, Buffy dies saving the world, Xander slays one demon too many and hurts his back so he can't work his construction job, the kids dislike him, he and Anya grow apart to the point that she has an affair and Xander ends up hitting her with a cast iron skillet. None of the scenes are what you'd called domestic bliss. I think the thing that frightened Xander most was how close to home these glimpses were to the descriptions we've had of the Harris homelife over the past six years. Xander suddenly realized he could become his father and that's the one thing he's struggled not to become over the past six years.

Which is why he's heading for the hills--walking in the rain to clear his head and come to a decision about his future.

Of course, we later learn that this vision of the future isn't how it all works out. Instead, it's a guy who Anya once put the vengeance on who's none too happy about it and wants to see Anya suffer in the same way. (Anyone else find this plotline eerily similar to the plotline of Holtz wanting Angel to suffer for his sins over on Angel?) The demon's delight in seeing Anya cry was nicely done as was his reason for wanting to destroy Anya's wedding day. And it's intersting to note that he could possibly lead Anya back to her previous life--of doing to others what has now been done to her.

Personally, I'm not too sure if we should have Anya go back to her vengeance demons days. I think she's learned a lot about love and being human. I realize she's in pain right now and if I were Xander, I'd head for the hills if she gets those powers back. But I wonder if Anya will still have the same temperament for the job she once did. She clearly enjoys making money and being human. But she also enjoyed being in love with Xander and planning their future together, so it could be that she could easily revert back to her old ways. If so, it may be interesting to see if she goes up against Buffy since she knows the ins and outs of the Scooby gang and their strengths and weaknesses. She could be a more dangerous enemy that Angel was back in season two. (I don't think she'd come after the Scooby gang right away, but in her grief over Xander's basically jilting her at the altar, she may find all kinds of circumstantial evidence that leads her to the wrong set of assumptions).

I'm glad that we got an episode that finally focused on Xander. He's been far too long shuttled to the background. Hell's Bells felt like the most substantial screen time and work we've had from Xander since "The Replacement" last year. And Nicholas Brandon once again took the ball and ran with it. His performance here reminded me of some his best work such as "The Pack" or "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered." He was able to convey through a look and body language all of what Xander was going through. The scene when Xander looked at his parents and then looked at Anya was superbly done. A myriad of emotions went across his face at that moment and each one was totally readable. It was at that moment, that you realized that Xander wasn't going to marry Anya. I'd almost forgotten how good Nicholas Brendan can be when given the right material. And he was given the right material here and he ran with it. Thank you, Rebecca Rand Kirshner for giving Xander a chance to shine again.

But also of note was Emma Caulfield who continues to astound as Anya. It's Caulfield who took a character who could have been a one-time character and breathed life into her. Yes, she was a bit limited here in what she was asked to do--be the nervous bride and then the rejected bridge, but she did it all very well. Caulfield has been a great addition to the Buffy cast since she showed up and I only hope we aren't seeing her eventual exit from the show beginning.

And as with any wedding, there were some definite subplots--subplots that even Xander and Anya weren't aware of.

The biggest was that Spike brought his own date to the wedding. I guess the game of who can have the better life post-break-up has begun. I am not sure I'd declare a winner in round one, but I'd give the edge to Spike. As Buffy stated, seeing him with the new demon girl, who was not exactly portrayed as a high class of girl, did hurt. But then again, you've got to wonder if she'll figure out at some point that Spike is just using her to get back and Buffy and how she'll take that. (Of course, as she was portrayed, it may take her a long, long time to come to this conclusion). This brings up a question for me--will Spike now try to get Harmony back? That could be interesting and as much as I think Harmony needs to meet the business end of a stake, her cropping back up right now would be hugely interesting.

I did enjoy the quiet awkwardness of the scene between Buffy and Spike as they talked. It's nice to see that Spike actually appears to have some feelings--his leaving the wedding showed this. It's also obvious that Spike still likes Dawn and cares about her--a plotline that has been far too obviously missing all this year. I liked the way that Buffy could have portrayed this as some huge melodramatic moment, but instead chose to go for a quiet, emotional scene that resonated because of the characters. I liked that--and I'm sure it gave a lot of hope to Buffy and Spike shippers that they might get back together soon. (I will go on record as saying, I'm not sure this is the best idea--right now.)

As for the rest, it worked well. It's nice to see the continuing reconciliation of Tara and Willow, if only because we get to have Amber Benson back on the show.

So, I guess that's about it for now, except a few small things...

--Possibly the highlight of the show was the scene between Xander and Willow. Such an amazing summation of the six-years of friendship we've seen on screen and the years we didn't see. I loved how Willow thought that had it not been for her meeting Tara, that this might be her day with Xander.

--The bridesmaid dresses scene worked pretty well, though having been a Buffy fan for a long time, I figure it was going to be something like this.

--Dawn's flirting with the demon guy was interesting. I would love to see how Buffy reacts to this if they go out on a date.

--So, how did Spike get to and from the wedding? He showed no signs of his usual covering up for the sun and yet it was obvious the sun was shining. Just one of those small things that Buffy usually gets right.

--Buffy's ripping the dress so she could fight the demon was priceless.

--OK, at the end, as Anya walks up the aisle, I admit a large part of me hoped Xander would come back, sweep her up front and marry her right then and there. I know, I know, it's melodramatic and clichéd, but part of me still had hope for them. Again, see Xander's speech to her in Into the Woods and you'll understand why.

Well, that's it for now. A solid and entertaining hour of Buffy and one that once again defied expectations. What else do you expect from the best show currently on TV?

My rating: 8.5 (out of 10.0)

Next up: Is it all just a bad dream? (Stay away from that shower, Buffy!)

"Do you know how much I love you?"

"Only half as much as I love you."

--Willow and Xander