Storyteller, tell'er a story

What can I say? It was a solid episode. And a bit darker than I would have expected given its setup. But all in all, that was OK with me.

The "A" story took a backseat to a crash course in Buffy-dom (all the things that happened when Buffy was a student at Sunnydale High, happening all over again at hyper-speed) and a "staright to the heart" approach to Andrew.

What does that mean? The "A" story was supposed to be Andrew chronicling the exploits of the Scoobies. This created a few great moments, but took a back seat to its consequences. Anya and Xander, for example. Their relationship has been a big question mark this season, as that they never truly had the closure (is that word back in vogue?) that everyone was waiting for. Just as it looked like they were going to get back together, the brakes screeched to a halt, and awkwardness set in. Just like real life. And since then, they've had that awkward "what's up?" sort of relationship. A certain undefinable blob, if you will. Again, just like real life. Storyteller brought this back to our attention, as well as theirs. As to what the future holds for them, it is again, undefined, but is at least on their minds. If that doesn't make sense, I will just counter by saying "neither do relationships."

And what of Andrew? It was time for him to face his demons. He took his initiation, and finally, I think, joined the group. I don't believe that he can be a "hostage" anymore. He is truly on his way to redemption. All this, of course, fits in line with what Buffy and Giles have told us in the past. The time for fun is over. It's time to get serious.

To be honest, I almost thought Buffy was going to kill Andrew. That's how dark this season has been. I was relieved, but not terribly surprised when she didn't. Her speech was the first one she's made in a long time that did not conform to the usual "blah, blah, blah, this is important, we're not ready" motif. Yes, the elements were there, but this was the first time that she underscored the seriousness of the situation. Usually she just talks about it a lot, but saying "this is serious" over and over again, does not necessarily make the point. For the first time since her fight with the Uber-Vamp, she made her point. Go, Buffy.

Finally, this episode was the first one in weeks that actually made a difference in what is happening, although we have no real idea what sort of long-term effects this will have. The seal is closed now. But, what does that mean? Hopefully we will find out soon, because if we just start spinning our wheels again, the season will be a big waste. Also, if I am not mistaken, we only have one or two more episodes left before we hit the final story arc, as described in recent press releases as containing five episodes.

I pray that we do not have the same problem as last season, in that we spent so much time spinning our wheels, that when we get to the last episode, we're overstuffed with too much and it seems almost forced.

  posted by J @ 08:24