Normal Again

Normal Again
Written by Diego Guiterrez
Directed by Rick Rosenthal

Original Airdate: March 12, 2002

Plot:Buffy searches Sunnydale to find trace of the Nerd Herd and is attacked by a demon who injects her with a powerful chemical that creates a series of hallucinations for her--that she's really a patient in a mental hospital and the last six years have all been a product of her paranoid fantasies and delusions.

Review

Warning: There are no mind-altering substances here that will allow you escape the reality that SPOILERS are just ahead for the latest episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, "Normal Again." If you've not yet seen the episode and want to go into the story unaware of any of the plot twists and turns, please turn back now....

In short: Buffy de-constructed.

One of the earliest themes that Buffy delved into on a regular basis was Buffy's desire to have what she thought was a normal life--she wanted to date, to study, to be a cheerleader, all the things that "normal" teenagers do--and how that conflicted with her life as the "Chosen One" and being the Slayer. A lot of season one and early season two episodes dealt with this conflict and it's one that's come up from time to time over the past few years, though with decreasing regularity. I chalk a lot of this to the fact that Buffy has come to accept and embrace her role as the Slayer and see that it's that role that is just part of defining who and what she is.

But it's still an interesting theme to bring up from time to time. Just because Buffy has accepted and embraced her role in life and what she feels is her destiny, doesn't mean she's always going to necessarily be happy with the life she's chosen. And if anything, the episodes leading up to "Normal Again" have taken great lengths to point out just how far from happy with her life Buffy is. She's sleeping with Spike, her mother passed away, her father is distant and unavailable, Dawn has problems from stealing to possibly being removed from their home, her ex-boyfriend is married to another and happy. Even her friends aren't doing so well from Willow's attempts to kick magic and the misunderstanding over what's going on with Tara to Xander leaving his bride, Anya at the altar.

As Buffy herself points out to Willow, it's been easier for Buffy to withdraw into herself and emotionally cut herself off from her friends than to deal with the real issues of being an adult. It's also interesting that the only person who is able to draw Buffy out of this shell is Spike--the one person she claims to despise the most, but yet goes to time and again as a friend and confidant. (And we see that again here with the nice interplay between the two in the cemetery before Xander and Willow show up and ruin the moment.)

The world Buffy has created for herself isn't very comforting right now. No matter where she turns, there's pain and suffering and she's not sure she wants any part of it. Which makes it interesting timing that she'd be injected with a poison that could possibly alter that reality and invalidate the event that seemed to cause the downward spiral to start with--the death of her mother. (I'd argue this spiral began with Riley's departure, but that's another time). Buffy's loss of her mother was her loss of one of the few things that gave her life a sense of being "normal."

And suddenly Buffy is presented with the chance to find a reality where not only is her mother still alive, but her father is still a part of her life. (Indeed, the desire to have her father as a major factor in her life is one that goes all the way back to season one's underrated classic "Nightmares"). And at this point in her life, the idea that maybe the reality that is Buffy's universe is one that she created to escape the pressures of her normal life is an intriguing one and it makes sense that it would be something she would reach out for and cling to.

Seeing Buffy have two very basic things that she's wanted since the beginning of the series given to her--her mom and did still together and both involved in her life was a huge temptation for her to abandon one reality for another. One thing that was also extremely consistent was that despite the fact that Hank told Buffy he wanted to be involved with her life, it was Joyce who reached out to her, nurtured her and it was only Joyce who cried when the insane asylum Buffy retreated back into herself.

But what made this episode stand out as more than just an interesting "what if" story was that we find out that Hank and Joyce once had Buffy committed, after she first found out about vampires. It's an interesting question of the possibility that all of this could be Buffy's way of dealing with the reality of seeing vampires and how her mind retreated into itself. And while I liked this development, it seems like something that might have come up at some point in the six years leading up to this story, instead of just being thrown in as an apparent plot detail here. This idea is hugely important. And I buy it--simply because it makes you go back and look at some of the early episodes in a new light. It explains a bit why Buffy is so eager to run from Giles and react the way she does when they meet way back in "Welcome to the Hellmouth." But I honestly wish that it had been hinted at before now. It would have felt a bit more authentic than it came off as being.

There were a lot of things about the reality of Buffy being a mental patient I liked. Hearing the doctor de-construct every plot twist that Buffy has had in the past couple of years was superbly done--as were his comments on Dawn's appearance and the entire Nerd Herd plotline from this season. Also, seeing him de-construct the basic premise of life--that the demons are actually metaphors for real-world issues and evils we face was a nice little in-joke. These lines walked a fine line of not being too self-aware and thus, disconnecting us with the reality that is Buffy. And some of the points the doctor brought up seemed to come right out of discussion board conversations that I've read over the years. (It makes you wonder if Joss and company aren't out there on-line lurking around. If they are--howdy!)

And the final two acts--as Buffy is forced to make a choice between realities were nicely done. It's interesting that the catalyst to her feeling as if she needed to retreat into the world of the sanitarium came out of a conversation with Spike and his upping the ante on their relationship. Spike states that Buffy needs to come fully into his darkness and presents her with an ultimatum--tell your friends about us or I will. (Indeed, I can't wait to see Xander's reaction to all of this when the light goes on over all the moments he's interrupted between the two). That sets Buffy off and makes her decide that she can't deal with the Sunnydale reality any longer and decides to fully accept that maybe she is crazy, thus setting in motion the events of the final 20 minutes.

Seeing Buffy lock all of her friends up and then set the demon upon them was interesting. I'm glad that we didn't see Buffy forced to kill them and for a bit I thought the whole idea of putting them in the basement would be some kind of metaphor. But I like the idea of Buffy indirectly killing her friends in order to silence them in her mind.

The only part of this that I didn't like was how confidently it wrapped up.

OK--show of hands here. How many of you were honestly shocked that it was Tara who saved them? I had not read SPOILERS but based on seeing Amber Benson in there early-on and the fact that it was full daylight when Buffy did that, I wasn't shocked that it was Tara who happened to come by and save everyone. The ending, while necessary, took too much suspension of disbelief for my liking and ended up putting the last five or so minutes in a negative light for me.

But I will admit I liked everything that story had done up to that point--with the exception of the coming out of left field with the "Buffy was once committed" twist.

I also liked that the story seemed to be concerned with advancing plotlines and setting things up for the year's end.

We see Xander return and we see and hear his side of the jilting. Nicholas Brendon did a superb job with the material he was given. The scene where he talked about his need to find Anya and the hole in his life he'd created was nicely done. I have a feeling he's got no idea that Anya is thinking of returning to her demon ways or else he'd be heading for the hills. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, goes the old saying.

Also, seeing Xander try to get back enmeshed into the old Scooby gang lifestyle was nicely done. Also, his being evasive about where he'd been was consistent. We've seen Xander clam up before at being embarrassed at where his choices in life have taken him--"The Freshman" is a good example--and it's nice to see that continue here.

We also had some continuation of the Dawn is the moody teenager plotline, which I, for one, was not too thrilled to see resurrected. I thought we'd seen the last of it and I'm hoping it goes somewhere--and soon.

We also saw some continued reconciliation between Willow and Tara, which I say if it brings Amber Benson back with something to do besides be a plot device, I'm all for it.

I have a feeling there were a lot of dropped hints as to what's to come for the final five of season six and that when we look back on "Normal Again" in June, we may see them more clearly. For now, the biggest thing I noticed was the cracks in the Nerd Herd alliance and the mis-trust of Jonathan. That should be interesting to see how and if it develops.

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

--The concept of the episode--a main character hopping back and forth between conflicting realities is not a new one. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine did a very similar episode back in its sixth season with "Far Beyond the Stars" where Sisko starts having flashes that he's not really Ben Sisko on the space-station DS9 in the far-future but is instead a Depression era sci-fi writer who is trying to get the story of DS9 that he's created published. The hook of that episode was that everyone on the show who normally appeared in make-up was there as a character but without the usual Trek-alien make-up. Also, the idea that our hero might be a bit insane has also been done on Quantum Leap with "Shock Theater" in which Sam leaps in just in time to get a huge zap of electroshock therapy and then starts tripping back through previous leaps (and this was when my disillusionment with the Emmy's began because how Scott Bakula didn't get the Emmy for this performance alone...well, the mind boggles). Farscape has done the same thing on several occasions--the last being "Won't Get Fooled Again" with Crichton being on Earth and seeing various members of the crew there as various other characters.

--I liked Buffy's pursuit of the Nerd Herd. And Warren's continuing darkness was interesting. And are the plans they were coming up with a continuation of their desire to steal the diamond that we've seen hinted at over the past couple of episodes or is it something more? Also, what happened to their desire to take over Sunnydale and is this part of that master plan?

--Pretty much the entire cast gave superb performances.

--One thing that occurs to me. It might have been interesting to have ASH there as the doctor in the hospital and to see how Buffy from that reality's troubled mind put him into both realities. But that might have been a bit too much of the crossing over of realities.

Wrapping it up, except for a few small things, I must say I liked "Normal Again." It did a good job with the concept and was really a nice chance for the show to de-construct itself and its conventions. It's also a good place to leave us for the next five weeks or so until we see new Buffy. It left me wondering--not as much as the "why don't they have new episodes NOW?!?" that Angel did, but I'm still ready to see where it all goes from here.

My rating: 8.0 (out of 10.0)

Next up: Well, repeats for five weeks and then the final five of season six. I'll see you then!