My 67th favorite Buffy episode of all time:
Season 7, episode 18.
Written By Drew Goddard.
Faith is back in Sunnydale, and just in time, as the army Buffy has raised gets ready to go on the offensive in their fight against the First Evil.
This was the beginning of the five episode arc that ended season 7, and "Buffy" in general. I remember it being advertised as the time they stop with the bullshit and cut to the chase. And cut to the chase they did; it just so happened that the chase wasn't all that thrilling.
The dynamics Faith has with everybody are great. Say what you will about her acting abilities in "Dollhouse" - in "Buffy" she fits right in. In "Dirty Girls" she gets set up for the leadership role she'll receive one episode later, and it's done subtly and gradually enough. I also like the false tension they built up between her and Spike that would lead to rivalry rather than romance.
We also get introduced to Caleb, who's played by the excellent Nathan Fillion. The character is written very well, and is played very well, but there's something missing. I guess we don't have a personal connection to his story, as is the problem with villains such as Adam and the Master.
I guess that's part of the final season's problem - we don't care enough about the villain, we don't care enough about the potential slayers, we don't care enough about principal Wood - you see where this is going. So it ends up coming off as… detached I guess is the word I'm looking for. And this episode does nothing to dispute that feeling.
Our heroine, Buffy herself, is best described as "detached" herself. In the last episode, she admitted to Giles she would have sacrificed Dawn to save the world had she been presented with the dilemma today. And that's basically what she does in this episode - making the hard decision that no one wants to make because in order to do so, you have ignore the lives that would be put at risk. And in result, a bunch of potentials die and Xander loses an eye. Old reliable Xander, the one who has always been there and always will, was put in grave danger and had been handicapped. It worked as a stakes-raiser, for sure. It had me staring at the compu… I mean, TV screen in disbelief. And it sent Buffy even further in her detached path.
All in all it was a very solid episode which unfortunately suffered from the coldness the entire seventh season suffered from. It was setting things up for the series finale, and I understand the need to make everything harder and more confusing right before the final conclusion, but it was nonetheless a bit frustrating to watch.
High point:
Xander's dirty dream was great. But the best part was his speech about Buffy's heart, which was really touching, especially considering the episode's outcome.
Low point:
Caleb taking credit for all the evil things done during the season. I guess the writers planned it this way, but a clue or two along the way would have been nice.
Quality Quote:
Faith: Are you the bad slayer now? Am I the good slayer?
Riddle:
Name
the four Firefly cast members, besides Nathan, who appeared in other Joss shows. Answer correctly and you'll get to decide on the thread's
title! These opportunities do not present themselves every day, you know.
