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2.19 I Only Have Eyes For You

Buffy: "I'm telling you, something weird is going on."
Xander: "Something weird is going on. Isn't that our school motto?"

Interesting episode. While being possessed by the ghosts of two lovers who came to a tragic end, Buffy worked through some of her Angel issues -- with Angel, who certainly didn't cooperate voluntarily. In the beginning, Buffy was unable to forgive Angel for what he's done, but when the ghost of Grace (possessing Angel) was able to forgive the ghost of James (possessing Buffy), Buffy realized that she had to forgive herself.

And that was a really busy paragraph. Still with me?

This is not a particularly outstanding episode in my opinion, but there were things I liked a lot about it -- the chief one being the way the ghost story was finally resolved. What a great idea, having Buffy play the young man and Angel the older woman. It sort of had to happen that way in order for the loop of James killing Grace to finally stop; because Angel couldn't be killed by a bullet, it allowed James and Grace to get past that horrible moment and move on. But it was still delightful as a plot device entirely on its own.

Bits and pieces:

-- The Buffy/Angel role reversal theme was echoed by the Sadie Hawkins Day dance.

-- Willow is taking on Jenny's mantle in more ways than one: teaching and witchcraft.

-- Spike's fury at Angel's poaching of Drusilla finally got him out of his wheelchair.

-- Angelus seems to like flowers. He stroked Drusilla with one, and held one when he met Theresa.

-- Our vampire trio have moved from the burned out factory to a mansion. The exterior is actually of the crumbling Ennis-Brown house, which was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. I've been there, and it's a stunning house that looks like an Aztec temple.

-- Obligatory dog reference: Buffy: "What do we know?" Xander: "Dog spit is cleaner than human?"

Foreshadowing:

-- The Mayor of Sunnydale is mentioned, and it's clear from the conversation between the principal and the police chief that supernatural activities in Sunnydale are routinely covered up.

Inconsistencies:

-- The flashbacks were set in 1955. The version we hear of "I Only Have Eyes For You" was released in 1959.

Quotable quotes:

Willow: "You're thinking too much. Maybe you need to be impulsive."
Buffy: "Impulsive? Do you remember my ex-boyfriend, the vampire? I slept with him, he lost his soul, now my boyfriend's gone forever, and the demon that wears his face is killing my friends. The next impulsive decision I make will involve my choice of dentures."

Giles: "The only tried and true way is to work out what unresolved issues keep it here, and, um, resolve them."
Buffy: "Fabulous. Now we're Dr. Laura for the deceased."

Buffy: "He should be doing sixty years in a prison, breaking rocks and making special friends with Roscoe the Weightlifter."
Xander: "Yikes. The quality of mercy is not Buffy."

Spike: "You might want to let up. They say when you've drawn blood, you've exfoliated."

Let's say two stakes for the episode itself, and four for Sarah and David. That averages out to three stakes,

Billie





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