Something special. Or blue.

[gillo]

And we're back. Apologies for the unintentional hiatus - various family and fandom things got in the way. But at least we have a pretty special episode to return on. Music to the heart of any Spuffy fan, but sheer hilarity for almost any viewer. This is the Buffyverse, though. There are dark overtones.

Comments

[snogged]

As a Willow fan, I struggle with this episode. We have seen Willow support Xander and Buffy through their break-ups. Willow dated Oz almost as long as Buffy and Angel dated... He was her first love, her first kiss, her first first. I don't blame her for trying a spell to make the pain go away. I think that's something that at least I can relate to. I hate when people call her self-obsessed and whiny. She's just trying to process her loss in her own way.

Also...I really don't care much for Spike/Buffy. I do agree that the one shot does look like the scene from School Hard.

[gillo]

But she wants more - she wants everyone to drop everything for her. And she wants to use magic to change the world. Dangerous stuff.

[shapinglight]

I may be wrong (I wasn't online when this episode aired) but surely even people who didn't like the Spuffy relationship enjoyed it at the time, because it is very funny (and back then they probably thought Spuffy was never going to happen in reality and they were safe just enjoying the comedy)?

As I said to snogged above, I think the way Xander, Anya and Buffy react to Willow's continuing misery is pretty accurate. Young adults can be quite cruel and dismissive of others' pain that way - even if it's been caused by something that's happened to them. They're too young to have learned just yet that there isn't a magical moment when grief just disappears.

I do admire the way Willow's personality is built up over the seasons. She does need to control things. She does, in certain sitatuations where she doesn't feel in control, feel the need to alter the situation to get control back. Something Blue is an early pointer of what will happen in season 6

[gillo]

I love the fruit roll-ups gag, but the way Buffy and Spike can't stop bickering even when they are in love and engaged is hilarious, like an old married couple. "Mr and Mrs Big-Pile-of-Dust"!

[trepkos]

It's wonderful! I especially love how Spike immediately turns from rebel vamp to conventional old fart , given the chance! (It's like Giles is his father-in-law! He's going to be the breadwinner!) Also love the perceptiveness ...
I'm definitely in the "Willow's friends are unsympathetic" camp; if they weren't prepared to deal with her being sad, they should have been more tolerant of her being a bit drunk for one night.

[shapinglight]

they should have been more tolerant of her being a bit drunk for one night.

Agreed. It's not even like she's so drunk. She's certainly still coherent.

As for Spike, he's probably come over all Victorian at the thought of being married.

[gillo]

Xander's disapproval is very much in character, though - beams and motes, one might say. I do draw the line at Willow's resentment when Buffy has to go to find Spike, though.

[shapinglight]

I do draw the line at Willow's resentment when Buffy has to go to find Spike, though.

I agree that Willow's being very unreasonable there. I suppose it's a culmination of a whole day of feeling ignored/barely tolerated.

[infinitewhale]

Honestly, I come down on the side of Buffy and Xander on this one. It's not like Oz just left. It had been 3 episodes at this point. They've all been trying to help through it. They're all supportive of her and she's antagonistic toward them in this ep, particularly Xander. It's one thing to want commiseration from friends, it's another to expect them to put their lives entirely on hold for you, which is what Willow seems to want. At this point, they've held her hand, cursed Oz out, stayed with her, tried taking her out... What exactly are they supposed to do? Which is kind of the point, I suppose. You have to just wade through the grief. The script mentions more than a couple times that Buffy and the gang are really helpless with her.

[shapinglight]

I am kind of torn, I must admit. I really feel for Willow and understand why she would want to skip over the stages of grief and get to the end of it quick as possible (and it's not like she sets out to bespell everyone else. It's herself she wants to fix). I also feel bad for her that behind her back, the others are discussing that they're sick to death of her pity party.

On the other hand, they don't say that to her face, and it's understandable they'd want to let off steam in safety (ie. where she can't hear them). It can be very emotionally draining dealing with someone in the state Willow's in, no matter how you feel for them.

In other words, I as usual can't make my mind up as to the rights and wrongs of it so I'm just going to sit on the fence. ;)

[infinitewhale]

I think what makes me less sympathetic is her attitude towards them. Her pain should be everyone's pain and she pushes her Oz issues onto them. She wants help but when they try she does the insult thing. It's not just moping, it's spreading misery.

[shapinglight]

Well, I suppose anger is one of the stages of grief. Or something.

[rebcake]

I have trouble seeing how the Scoobies are anything less than sympathetic and caring with Willow. They spend time with her, agree with her that it's hard, and Buffy explicitly tells her that it takes time to get over - speaking from experience.

Willow: I just can't stand feeling this way. I want it to be over.
Buffy: It will. I promise. But it's gonna take time.
Willow: Well, that's not good enough.
Buffy: I know. It's just how it is. You have to go through the pain.

Even Giles has a pretty good grasp of what's going on, but he comes to her pain from the point of view of somebody who's been there before, and lived to tell the tale. She doesn't want to hear it.

Willow is behaving like "nobody understands my pain", when everybody understands it. It's just that they can't solve her pain, which seems to be what she really wants. That she dismisses Xander's problems as unimportant doesn't win her points, either.

I for one am relieved when the whole thing gets silly!

[shapinglight]

I for one am relieved when the whole thing gets silly!

Well, me too. And as usual since writing my comments at the top, my sympathies have veered away from Willow and towards Buffy and Xander. It's true that everyone's pain is unique to them, but it's wrong for Willow to extrapolate from that that her pain is worse than anything her friends have suffered.

Really, it's a good thing for everyone that it all devolves into silliness.