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2.6 Halloween

Cordelia: "Oh, he's a vampire, of course! But the cuddly kind. Like a care bear with fangs?"

BtVS has an advantage over other shows in the Halloween episode competition, since there are already vampires in the cast. What can Halloween mean when your life is already full of demons? The premise that the *real* monsters tend to stay home on Halloween is just wonderful, partly because it taps into the actual traditional meaning of the holiday -- scaring away evil beings.

Having people turn into their costumes is a wonderful twist. Ethan Rayne tells us the central theme, which is division of self -- male and female, light and dark, "chunky and creamy. Oh no, sorry, that's peanut butter." When Buffy becomes a helpless, ornamental eighteenth century girl with no memory of being the Slayer, her desire to be a "normal girl" plays out, but ends badly. Soldier Xander finally lives out his fantasy of protecting Buffy, but unfortunately, he's not himself at the time. Willow illustrates the theme perfectly by dressing up sexy, and then covering herself up with a ghost costume before Xander can see her. Giles also reveals hidden depths, since Ethan Rayne turns out to be an old chaos-worshipping friend of his. We see Giles in a new light when we learn he has a "past," and when he coolly pummels Ethan for information.

This is the first time I noticed that there's a Scooby Chain of Command, and it goes: Buffy, Giles, Willow, Xander. This episode is a perfect example. Buffy becomes an eighteenth century airhead, Giles isn't there, and Willow automatically takes charge and tells everyone what to do; she even gives orders to soldier Xander. Willow goes off to find Giles, and Xander takes charge and gives orders to Cordelia and Angel. When Giles and Willow go to Ethan's shop, Giles is definitely the boss again.

Bits and pieces:

-- Ethan calls Giles "Ripper." This is the first episode that makes reference to Giles' past.

-- My favorite scene is a ghostly-sexy Willow walking through the library wall and shocking Giles, who tosses catalog cards into the air. My second favorite is a bemused Spike walking around with a huge grin saying, "This is just...neat."

-- Buffy and Angel attempt to have a first date. Sort of.

-- Larry (Larry Bagby III) is introduced. Xander is upset because Buffy violated the guy code by saving him from Larry. Xander usually deals pretty well with Buffy being stronger; perhaps it's because of the school setting.

-- Cordelia is told that Angel is a vampire, and doesn't believe it.

-- Willow's experiences give her new confidence, and she walks around after the melee in her sexy costume. Oz, driving by, sees her and again says, "Who is that girl?"

-- Oz has a zebra-striped van with the drivers' side on the right instead of the left.

-- Ethan leaves a card that says, "Be seeing you..." This is a catch phrase from the cult sixties series, "The Prisoner."

-- Obligatory dog reference: Spike says to Drusilla, "Come here, poodle." Cordelia tells Willow that she was "attacked by Jo-Jo, the Dog-Faced Boy."

Foreshadowing:

-- There are several references to Angel being a good guy ("care bear with fangs," "Angel is a good vampire. He would never ever hurt you").

Inconsistencies:

-- Angel was 18 in 1775, and human? That doesn't sound quite right.

Quotable quotes:

Larry: "Do you think she'd go out with me?"
Xander: "Well, Lar, that's a tough question to... No. Not a chance."
Larry: "Why not? I heard some guys say she was fast."
Xander: "I hope you mean like the wind."

Giles: "I'll have you know that I have very, uh, many relaxing hobbies."
Buffy: "Such as?"
Giles: "Well, um... I enjoy cross-referencing."
Buffy: "Do you stuff your own shirts, or do you send them out?"

Buffy: "So how come Halloween is such a big yawner? I mean, do the demons just hate how commercial it's become?"

Buffy: "I'll show him I can coif with the best of 'em."

Willow: "She couldn't have dressed up like Xena?"

Four out of four stakes,

Billie





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