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2.3 School Hard Spike: "If every vampire who said he was at the Crucifixion was actually there, it would have been like Woodstock." Spike and Drusilla have arrived, and nothing will ever be the same again. The vampires up until now haven't been all that interesting (with the obvious exception of Angel); can you say three-dimensional villains at last? Spike in particular works as an actual threat, since he has already killed two Slayers. Like so many other fans, I adore Spike. He's intelligent, canny, perceptive, and damned funny; a passionate guy who lives his un-life to the fullest. What creates the connection so many fans have with him? What makes him so appealing? Here, it is most likely the contrast between his evil vampire persona and his all-encompassing, gentle love for Drusilla; the tender way he treats her is a dramatic contrast to his villainy. James Marsters is a talented actor, and a marvelous match for the character. Drusilla, played by the equally talented Juliet Landau, is more clearly evil and unpredictable, but she's also fragile -- much like a disturbed child, as suggested by her dolls. Not your typical villain to be sure, probably because even this early, we can see that she must have been a victim, too. Spike and Drusilla are a physically striking couple, and the actors have a great deal of mutual chemistry. Speaking of chemistry... the intent way Spike stares at Buffy when he sees her for the first time at Bronze can be interpreted as both homicidal and sexual. James Marsters has since acknowledged that this is exactly what he was attempting to convey. Buffy's mother, Joyce (we finally learn her first name) gets more than a rubber-stamped line or two this time. Joyce is a strong woman who can handle herself; Principal Snyder even remarks on the mother-daughter resemblance. Joyce also sees Buffy in Slayer mode for the first time, and is quite appropriately proud of the way her daughter "handles a crisis." We can see how much love is there. The confrontation between Spike and Angel tends to stand out mostly because of inconsistencies with later episodes (see below), but there are some interesting moments -- particularly when they discuss the "Anne Rice routine." They are referring to the fact that Angel's good guy persona resembles the tortured vampire Louis in "Interview with the Vampire." One can take the analogy further and compare Spike to Lestat, her protagonist in the following five books of the series; Lestat is a much more flamboyant and morally ambiguous character who tends to dare anything, and do what is least expected of him. In a delightful bit, Buffy yells at Xander to fetch her a stake, and he runs into the Bronze and rummages through her purse. He pulls out a yo-yo, which Buffy had in the previous episode; a tampon, which Xander treats like a hot potato; and a stake. Later, during the fight at the school, Spike says, "Fe, fi, fo fum. I smell the blood of a nice, ripe girl." It is established two episodes from now that vampires have a heightened sense of smell, especially in reference to blood. Does Buffy have her period? And is Spike aware of it? Bits and pieces: -- In this episode, Spike is wearing a black tee, red shirt, black jeans, engineer boots, and a black leather duster. He ends up wearing this outfit for quite awhile. -- Spike kills three people in this episode: Sheila's guys, and one man at Parent-Teacher Night. He also kills the Anointed at the end of this episode. It was time we got rid of "the Annoying one" since he was never adequately developed as a character. -- Cordelia helps the gang by whittling stakes. She is now truly a member of the group, albeit a reluctant one. Jenny Calendar is also firmly part of the group now. -- Buffy burned down more than one school building? -- Mr. Dijon is the French teacher? Pardon me, would you have any Grey Poupon? -- Willow is wearing a Scooby Doo shirt. -- The title of the episode brings to mind comparisons with the Bruce Willis movie, "Die Hard," especially with Buffy going through the duct work. -- Jenny tells Giles that he has "got to read something that was published after 1066." The first printed book was the Gutenberg Bible (1455 or 6). Yes, I'm a librarian. It has to come out sometime. And yes, I know Jenny was kidding. -- Snyder and the police chief know what's really going on in Sunnydale, and they consistently cover it up ("gang-related, PCP"). Does Snyder know that Buffy is the Slayer? Is that why he is constantly targeting her? - Obligatory dog reference: Angel tells Spike that he gave Buffy the "puppy-dog, I'm so tortured act." Inconsistencies: -- The name "Angelus" is spoken with an accent on the first syllable. Later in the series, the accent is on the second syllable. -- The character of Spike was originally slated for only a few episodes before being killed off (probably at the end of "What's My Line?"). Of course, there are inconsistencies; who knew Spike would be around so long? -- Giles says that Spike is barely 200 years old. In season four, Spike says that he is 126. In season five, we learn Spike is a young man in 1880 when he becomes a vampire, which means that he must have been born in the 1850s, which would make him over 140. -- Spike refers to Angel as his sire and his mentor. We later learn that the sire line is as follows: the Master, Darla, Angel, Drusilla, Spike, meaning that Angel is not Spike's direct sire. Foreshadowing: -- As Spike is stalking Buffy in the Bronze, the lines of music we hear (Nickel, doing "Stupid Thing") are about being romantically obsessed. -- Spike knocks down the "Welcome to Sunnydale" sign when he arrives. This happens again, twice. Quotable quotes: Xander: "Well, Sheila's definitely intense. That guy with her? That's the guy she can bring home to mother." Willow: "She was already smoking in fifth grade. Once I was lookout for her." Xander: "You're bad to the bone." Willow: "I'm a rebel." Spike: "Oh, please. If every vampire who said he was at the crucifixion was actually there, it would have been like Woodstock. I was actually at Woodstock. That was a weird gig. I fed off a flower person, and spent the next six hours watching my hand move." Giles: "This Saturday's going to need a great deal of preparation." Willow: "Well, we'll help." Xander: "Yeah, I'll whittle stakes." Willow: "And I can research stuff." Xander: "And while I'm whittling, I plan to whistle a jaunty tune." Vampire: "Slayer!" Buffy: "Slayee!" Giles: "Spike. That's what the other vampire called him? That's a little unorthodox, isn't it?" Buffy: "Maybe he's reform." Cordelia: "You're starting to look a little slagged. What, are you just skipping foundation entirely now?" Buffy: "Cordelia, I have at least three lives to contend with, none of which really mesh. It's kind of like oil and water and ... a third unmeshable thing." Cordelia: "Yeah, and I can see the oil." Buffy: "Do we really need weapons for this?" Spike: "I just like them. They make me feel all manly." Four out of four stakes, Billie |
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