Villains

Villains
Written by Marti Noxon
Directed by David Solomon

Original Airdate: May 14, 2002

Plot: After Willow's desperate attempts to resurrect Tara fail, she turns to the dark side of magic to seek vengeance on Warren for killing her lover. Meanwhile, Warren tries to find an ally in town to stop the Wiccan scorned. Buffy recovers from her assassination attempt and Spike tries to get back in touch with his inner demon...

Review

Warning: Do not attempt to absorb all the information below if you haven't yet seen the latest episode of Buffy "Villains." There are MAJOR SPOILERS just ahead....

In short: Strong in spots, weak in others...

Once upon a time, a little over four years ago now, Buffy the Vampire Slayer took a huge risk that forever changed the course of the series--Joss Whedon and company had the audacity to kill off Jenny Calendar. That was a water-shed moment for Buffy. Yes, we'd had Angel fall to the dark side, but that episode was Joss's statement to the world that Buffy was willing to take risks and stand by them. It also stated that any character was fair-game in the Buffy universe to put through the wringer, to change radically or to even die if the plot needed it.

Since that moment, there have been a lot of other defining moments for Buffy--Faith's turn to the dark side, the exploration of Willow's sexuality, Joyce's death. And the one thing that was made all of these "events" work so well was that Joss Whedon and company were always willing to take the time to set up the plot twists. Like master magicians, Joss and company put all the cards on the table, but they would often distract us. But once we got to the big moment, it is easy to smack yourself on the head and say, "Of course! That's what they're doing. I should have seen that coming!" (Farscape is another show that is very, very good at that subtle manipulation of the audience leading to a glorious pay-off in the end).

This year, there have been a lot of plot twists and turns on Buffy. Some of them are stronger than others. But as we reach the final run of episodes for season six, the simmering question of Willow's use of magic, the dark arts and just how far she can go into it have suddenly gone from a simmer to a full-boil.

And just in the nick of time, too.

If nothing else, the last two episode have ratcheted up the dramatic intensity of the season six and pushed Buffy back into it's mythical "I want to see how this all turns out and I want to know NOW!" status that it had in the end of seasons two, three and five. It certainly makes it difficult for me because I want to avoid SPOILERS at all cost and I find my resolve being tested time and again. But it's only six days and I think I can make it.

Picking up where "Something Red" left off, "Villains" continues the theme of power and who's got in in Sunnydale.

Certainly, Warren thinks he's got it. He mistakenly thinks he'd taken out the Slayer and will now run the town. He also thinks that he's some kind of huge bad-guy and that all the other town demons and monsters must know who he is. The scene in the bar and the scene with Rack as he tries to build up his reputation as a leader of "The Trio" were superbly done. The look on Warren's face as he realizes he has virtually no power and has failed in all of his attempts to establish himself as any type of big bad--except in his own mind and that of Andrew. Indeed, Warren has become little more that what Buffy described him to be--"a pain my ass." Yes, he's murdered and killed to try and get a sense of power--but in the end, he's nothing more than a little boy playing at being a man. And in the end, he has no power that can stop him from reaping what he's sewn in spades. He has casually handed out death to two women and now he is casually handed his own death at Willow's hand.

Certainly the scene in the woods with Warren trying to plead with Willow for his life was intriguing. And it was interesting to see Willow bring out a vision of his old girlfriend as a way to bait Warren. Seeing Warren descend into his calling of names and degrading of her was an interesting twist and it probably sealed his fate with Willow. I have a feeling that nothing could have saved Warren after he called Katrina a bitch and said she deserved what she got.

On the other hand, you have Willow, who has set herself up as one of the most powerful forces in Sunnydale. She's given into the black arts completely and her need for vengeance is consuming her--so much so that all the demon forces in town can feel a great disturbance and know that she is coming. It was interesting to see Rack's comments about Willow tearing Sunnydale apart as well as Anya feeling her. It makes me wonder a bit just how far Willow's new power can be detected and felt. Will Cordelia feel it in L.A. being part demon? Will Giles somehow know in England and if so, what will he do about it? (It was Giles who chastised Willow early this year for her use of the dark powers to bring Buffy back....and it may only be Giles as the group's father-figure who can bring her back from the edge she has jumped over).

And it's interesting to see that with her power, Willow becomes just as amoral as Faith or Warren ever were. Willow feels that because she has the power, she can use it however she wishes. She brings her friends along for the ride, but quickly dismisses them when their ethical standard gets to be too much for her. Willow does use her powers for what she perceives as good--healing Buffy. But then she uses the bullet that was intended to kill her friend to rip apart Warren, slowly and painfully. We saw how evil Willow could be as a vampire way back in season three--and it's interesting to see our Willow become that way now. Even down to the chilling use of vamp-Willow's line "Bored now." (That was one moment that sent a chill up and down my spine).

Somewhere in the middle, we've got Buffy, who has proved time and again to be a power in Sunnydale. But of all the power run amok that we've seen in Sunnydale, it's only Buffy that keeps it in balance. Buffy has apparently read her Spider-Man and understands that "With great power comes great responsibility." And Buffy walks a fine line between being the hero and being an enemy. We even saw that earlier this year with "Dead Things" and Buffy beating herself up for possibly killing another human. Buffy's horror at how far Willow has gone and is willing to go is superb as well her resolve to try and save her friend from herself. It almost echoes the Faith storyline from season three--Buffy wanted to redeem and save Faith, but quickly realized she couldn't. Like her former boyfriend, Angel, Buffy carries around some guilt and she may see Willow as a way to atone for not saving Faith. That could be interesting not only next week but also in season seven. Because we may have a long summer in front of us as we wait for the emotional fall-out from the events that are transpiring here.

But as compelling as the Dark Willow moments were--from the hospital scene to the chasing the Warren-bot to the final confrontation in the woods, there were still some parts of Villains that didn't seem to mesh so well. Emotionally, I liked what they did with Dawn finding Tara and her reaction to it. But act three of the story felt like it was merely treading water between Willow finding the Warren-bot and catching up to Warren himself. It seemed as if we were in a holding pattern and I found myself getting impatient to get to the final scenes. Maybe it was because of having seen the previews and knowing what's coming and maybe a second-look will help it flow better. But overall, I felt these scenes lack the intensity that we had early on and late in the story. And while I am all for giving Nicholas Brendon something to do, the scenes at Buffy's house didn't thrill me. They felt too much like we were trying to understand that Warren needed killing and that we understood why Willow would and could do it. As an audience, I think we all understood that Warren needed killing...and the reasons why. We didn't need a scene where the characters once again explained it all to us.

And the third act also featured the Spike plotline, which while good felt like it was tacked on to meet the SAG rules and have James Marsters in there. It also raises some huge questions of the internal chronology. Based on what we saw here, I'm assuming Spike has gone to Africa. Well, my big question is--how the heck did he get there so fast? Back in "Innocence" (another Marti written episode...so she should remember these things!) Angel stated he couldn't fly on a plane for fear of exposure to sunlight. So he had to use ships. Seems the same thing would hold true for Spike. And it doesn't seem like enough time has passed for him to have sailed to Africa, track down the people he's looking for and begin the tests. Not that I don't like where it's going...but I just find the internal chronology to be a bit off and that is always something that bugs me.

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

--I loved the give and take of Andrew and Jonathan in jail. Andrew's belief that Warren would come and get them out was nicely done as was Jonathan's worry about his small hands...

--Poor Dawn...both her mother-figures have died in the past year. This girl is going to need therapy.

--So, did anyone else find it odd that two people are shot at Buffy's house and we never see the police?

--Boy, you've got to think the events we saw here will have social services out in a heartbeat. I can't imagine how they're going to explain away the shooting by Warren.

--Warren's death...wow..that was some kind of gruesome.

--Let me just say it again...if Allyson Hannigan and Sarah Michelle Gellar don't get Emmy nods, there is no justice. (File under: Beating a dead horse).

So, I guess that's about it for now. Except for the third act, this was a strong episode of Buffy that moved well and left me yearning to see how it all plays out next week. Is it Tuesday yet?!?

My rating: 9.0

Next up: Buffy vs. Dark Willow.

"Bored now..."

--Willow