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3.2 Dead Man's Party

Buffy: "What about home schooling? You know it's not just for scary religious people any more."

Buffy tries her best to mend her fences, but not everyone is ready to welcome her back with open arms.

The zombies and the Ovu Mobani Evil Eye demon/mask thing are a transparent metaphor for Buffy's situation that is even pointed out by Xander. Buried stuff is coming up, and masks hide what we feel. Heavy stuff happens, Buffy reacts by acting out instead of talking about it, and she doesn't ask for help. She is also feeling left out because her friends are all in couples, and she's alone, and she is not being permitted to return to school. The key here is that no one knows that Buffy had to kill Angel after he got his soul back. If they knew, they probably wouldn't give her such a hard time.

There is definite Slayerette resentment; Buffy's friends don't look all that happy to see her. They've been coping pretty well and enjoying their elevated status as real slayers to the point of giving each other code names, and now Buffy is back and the party is over. They had a whole summer, too, to nourish resentment at Buffy for running away without an explanation. The Buffy/Willow conversations were so well done; light, but with an underlying serious tone, the sort of thing this show does so well.

Joyce is trying to fit in and be a good superhero's mom, but she doesn't quite have the hang of it; inviting the whole crew over for dinner is trying to cope with an extraordinary situation by using ordinary coping mechanisms, an attempt to reduce vampire slaying to a somewhat unconventional but by all means still normal extracurricular activity. Joyce experiences Buffy's world up close and personal here for the first time (since she didn't know what was going on in "School Hard").

The "nasty, little, hard, bigoted rodent man" isn't about to let Buffy return to school without a fight. Giles is wonderful, here: showing emotion only when he's alone in his kitchen; hotwiring his own car; smiling at Snyder and threatening him at the same time in a very non-Giles-like manner.

Bits and pieces:

-- Angel again appears in a dream, and in sunlight (the high school courtyard).

-- Willow is studying witchcraft, and Oz is still a werewolf.

-- Joyce says if she has to, she'll go all the way to the Mayor.

-- Jonathan is at the party, by the dip.

-- Just about every window in the house got broken in this episode.

-- We see the Espresso Pump for the first time.

-- What's with Buffy's hair? The location of her streaks seems to change with every episode.

-- Canine report: Snyder: "In fact, I noticed as I came in this morning that Hot Dog on a Stick is hiring."

Foreshadowing:

-- Buffy says to Xander, "It's all fun and games until somebody loses an eye."

Quotes:

Xander: "Check it out. The Watcher is back on the clock. And just when you were thinking career change, maybe becoming a... a looker or a... a seer."

Oz: "Hey, so you're not wanted for murder anymore."
Buffy: "Good. That was such a drag."

Joyce: "But you can't keep her out of school. You don't have the right."
Snyder: "I have not only the right, but also a nearly physical sensation of pleasure at the thought of keeping her out of school. I'd describe myself as tingly."

Oz: "We should figure out what kinda deal this is. I mean, is it a gathering, a shindig or a hootenanny?"
Cordelia: "What's the difference?"
Oz: "Well, a gathering is brie, mellow song stylings; shindig, dip, less mellow song stylings, perhaps a large amount of malt beverage; and hootenanny, well, it's chock full of hoot, just a little bit of nanny."

Cordelia: "Time out, Xander. Put yourself in Buffy's shoes for just a minute. Okay? I'm Buffy, freak of nature, right? Naturally I pick a freak for a boyfriend, and then he turns into Mr. Killing Spree, which is pretty much my fault..."
Buffy: "Cordy! Get outta my shoes!"

This one works. The supernatural bits and the silly bits are well balanced with ... I want to say drama but I'm not sure that's what I mean. The acting was excellent, and the dialogue absolutely crackled with wit.

Let's give it three out of four stakes,

Billie





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