Seeing Red

Seeing Red
Written by Stephen S. DeKnight
Directed by Michael Gershman

Original Airdate: May 7, 2002

Plot: Warren, Andrew and Jonathan's evil plot to take over Sunnydale intensifies as Warren acquires the Orbs of Nezza'khan which give him Slayer-like strength and practical invulnerability. Meanwhile, the fall-out of the Scooby gang's knowledge of the Spike/Buffy relationship continues with Xander angry and hurt and Willow shocked that Buffy didn't tell her before. Spike comes to Buffy to try to win her back, an effort that quickly takes a dark and serious turn....

Review

Warning: If reading SPOILERS for the latest episode of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" will have you "Seeing Red" you may want to turn back now. There are major SPOILERS just ahead--and honestly, this is one of those episodes that it's best to see without knowing all the details before you see it...

In short: Dark, powerful and stunning....

There are times when I am glad that I avoid SPOILERS like the plague.

"Seeing Red" is one of those times.

OK, yes, I knew going in who the Big Scooby Death (tm) would be. But what I didn't know was how or why that event would unfold.

And it's the not knowing that makes watching Buffy so much fun.

"Seeing Red" was full of twists and turns, all of which worked. It also raised the ante for season six in a lot of interesting and new ways.

The biggest thing I was glad to see was the Nerd Herd's plan finally beginning to come to fruition. At first, I was a bit disappointed that their great plot to take over Sunnydale was to steal obscene amounts of money, but as it progressed it began to make more and more sense. And the idea that the three nerds would rob a theme park on one of the biggest cash days of the year made a lot of sense. The only thing that might have made more sense was them robbing a comic book store...but we all know that comic book stores wouldn't have the same amount of cash lying around that the theme park would.

Also, the dark side of Warren continues to come through. Just like Faith in season three, Warren has tasted blood and got away with murder--and it's not worked out so well for him. Warren wants power over all of those around him. From the back story we've had on Warren, it's fairly obvious that he was the guy in school that the bullies all picked on. To Warren's perspective, he wants to turn the tables and be the new big bully on the block. And in finding two partners in crime, he found two people that he could bully around and feel powerful.

For Warren, all relationships seem to come down to power and who has it. Warren built a robot girl so he could be the one in control of the relationship. He has power over Jonathan and Andrew--though we only in this episode get in confirmed just exactly the nature of the power that he has over Andrew. He wants to have power over those who bullied him in high school. It's interesting that as soon as Warren has the power to be the bully he heads off to a bar where he knows that someone who tormented him in high school will be--and with his girlfriend. Warren stops off to casually pick a fight--a fight he knows he can now win due to his enhanced strength and power.

He then takes on Xander and then turns his attention to wanting to draw Buffy out so he can take on the Slayer. And it's interesting that Warren is able to do such things as call Buffy a bitch and be the imposing bully when he perceives that he can hurt her physically. Once robbed of this power, he retreats and then comes back with the one thing that he feels might give him power--a gun. Warren wants everyone around him to fear him and to respect him. And he keeps trying to get that..but ends up failing miserably at each turn.

And it's his final attempt to instill fear and respect into Buffy that will probably be his ultimate undoing.

His final attempt is to shoot and kill the person he perceives as his enemy. I don't think Buffy is dead, though she is injured. But he takes out an innocent by-stander in Tara. And based on the last shot of the episode, if I were Warren, I would be heading for any hills I could find and hope and pray that Willow doesn't find me. (And if you know how this turns out, don't tell me please!!)

But Warren isn't the only male character trying to establish some power in the relationship. Spike is also struggling with not being the dominant side of the relationship. First of all, he's got a chip in his head that suppresses one of the things that comes most naturally to him--feeding on human beings. Then, he's been removed from his role of the dominant side of the relationship. It's becoming quite a pattern for Spike. With Druscilla, Harmony and Buffy, he started off as the dominant one. He could treat them any way he saw fit and they'd come back again and again. But at some point each of them woke up and realized how they were being treated and then they took the power over the relationship by ending it.

And we've seen that Spike doesn't handle endings well.

He obsessed about Druscilla. He got drunk and then tried to solve the problem by use of violence. He figured to get back at Dru with Harmony. And now that he's got Buffy and has lost her, he's back to his old pattern--booze and a wiling body to make his pain go away. He's also turned to violence--though this time it's far more dark and bleak than beating up Trick's minions in "Dead Man's Walk." This time he intends to show Buffy how much he loves her--even if it means forcing himself on her. The scenes in the bathroom were stunning and horrifying. Honestly, I found the intensity there to be far more horrifying than any of the demons, monsters or big uglies we've ever seen. It was perfectly played out and difficult to watch...but also difficult to tear your attention away from. It shows that even though Spike has come a long way, he's still a monster. And even though he may genuinely love Buffy, he still can't be trusted.

Both James Marsters and Sarah Michelle Gellar did such a great work with that scene. As it unfolded I found myself wanting to shout out to Buffy "You're the Slayer! Stop him!" But seeing Buffy's attempts to fight back worked. The horror of what was happening to her worked well and it was a cheer-worthy moment when she was able to kick Spike off of her.

In the end, Spike is forced to do what he did when he lost Druscilla--retreat and attempt to regroup. I have a feeling we've not seen the last of Spike and it will be interesting to see what happens to him on his retreat and when he returns. Also, I have a feeling Xander will have some issues with him--even though Buffy has asked him not to interfere. I can't wait to see how this all unfolds.

Speaking of Xander, wow, is it great to see him have a substantial role again or what?

These past two weeks have been showcases for Nikolas Brendon and he's stepped up and delivered. Xander has been too long on the sidelines and it's nice to see him have something significant to do. The scenes between Xander and Buffy were all superbly done--from the initial one where a drinking Xander tries to escape to the gentle resolution of the issue. Brendon did some fine work there and it's nice to see him have material to work with.

"Something Red" raised the ante in so many ways. It felt like Buffy of old with huge plot twists and turns based on the characters we've come to know and love. Everything about it--even the dark, horrible moments felt right. It was all portrayed with a brutal honesty that we've come to expect from Buffy. I'm sure there are some who would argue that it might have been too intense for the family hour of viewing....but overall it all felt exactly right to me. Plus, no one has ever claimed Buffy is family viewing to start with. :-)

So, I guess that about wraps it up for now except a few small things...

--Anya's scene trying to get the girl to wish for vengeance on her ex was hysterical.

--Isn't it interesting that the--by the world's view--the least "normal" relationship is the one that was the most healthy and stable this week? Specifically, Willow and Tara. Yes, I know part of it was to make Tara's death that much more shocking and to really send Willow over the edge....but wow, that all worked well.

--I loved the scene where Andrew tries to get away using his jetpack. Hysterical.

--I was so glad to see Jonathan turn on Warren and help Buffy defeat him.

--Dawn's reaction at seeing Tara back with Willow was a delight.

So, that's about it for now. "Something Red" was a strong entry and it may even be the strongest episode this year, outside of "Once More With Feeling." Super work and I'm ready for next week...(and I can only hope that Buffy won't disappoint me like Angel this week!)

My rating: 10.0 (out of 10.0)

Next up: Willow goes to the dark side....big time!