Halloween, a Vampire's Night Off (except that it never is)

[shapinglight]

At last I get an episode to talk about that's generally loved by all (it is, right?) rather than cheerleading for episodes everyone thinks aren't any good (even though they are, so there! Except for Some Assembly Required).

Such a fun episode.

Comments

[gillo]

I was a little envious that this was your turn, till I checked what comes next, and after that - we're into a run of episodes that positively sparkle, and not in a broody faux-vampire way.

My thoughts on Halloween:

"Your dress? Everything is strange. How did I come to be here?" Buffy's reaction to 'waking up' in the twentieth century is interesting - almost a dry run for S6?

Buffy’s costume is utterly wrong. Yes, I'm a costume geek, and clearly ME had no access to a decent costumier, but honestly, it's so much more Disney meets Barbie than 1775. The shape of the skirt is screamingly wrong, the bodice is the wrong shape, the colour is one that was unobtainable until the invention of chemical dyes decades later. [/rant]

Soldier!Xander is gentlemanly to Cordelia - gives her his jacket. Is this the real start of their relationship?

"Someone will marry me. Possibly a baron.” Nope, not a 1770s thing to say at all - "a lord", possibly, but not "baron".

Giles and the card-catalogue. I loved that moment when they all flew up in the air, even if it does date the show terribly nowadays.

“Catwoman? You’re with me.” It's rather nice to see Xander being assertive and decisive, yet also gentlemanly.

Spike with small minions - children who have changed? How did he gather up so many of them so quickly?

Why doesn’t Buffy stake Spike when she beats him up? I'm very glad she doesn't, of course, but this is the second time they've met and she lets a chance to kill him slip past her.

Willow has learnt self-confidence. I love the way she throws away the ghost costume and struts across the road. No wonder Oz is impressed.

“Be seeing you”, the message left for Giles - is this a reference to The Prisoner?

This episode is a lot of fun. It's about judging people by appearances and how that twists our expectations of them. Not just the costumes, but the roles - Spike is watching the appearance of the Slayer to see what he can expect of her in a fight. That's never going to work. Dru hits the theme perfectly with her question about the inside and the outside, while Spike slightly misses the point in his answer. Sunnydale Denial Syndrome must be working overtime here, however. And where did all those costumes go if the shop was empty when parents tried to return them, I wonder.

[shapinglight]

I was a little envious that this was your turn

I reckon I earned it, after having to do Some Assembly Required, and don't forget that further down the line I'll be stuck with most of the forgettable MoTW episodes.

Buffy's costume may be wrong, but I don't think it matters. It is, after all, a costume she got from a fancy dress shop, not the real thing.

Which is not to say that the Mutant Enemy costumiers are forgiven everything. I'm still traumatised by having to rewatch the Victorian party scene from FFL.

Why doesn’t Buffy stake Spike when she beats him up? I'm very glad she doesn't, of course, but this is the second time they've met and she lets a chance to kill him slip past her.

Because he was supposed to die in WML? I dunno. Pretty much every time Buffy doesn't kill Spike in season 2 (and again in season 4) doesn't make sense.

[kikimay]

Good point about Buffy's reaction! I always feel that way when she looks at the photo. It makes me think about her arc in S6, but ultimately I think that detachment is something that she always deal with.

Also good point about the dress! I don't know anything about the bodice and the skirt but that color is OUTRAGEOUS. I wish we would see a more historically accurate Buffy's costume. People who do fanart, please!! Do this!

Soldier!Xander is cute and kinda sexy.