School Hard
Original Airdate: September
29, 1997
Writer: David Greenwalt
Story: David Greenwalt & Joss Whedon
Director:
John Kretchmer
Up
to this point, "Buffy" had been a show that was entertaining, with
some solid episodes in the first season, but it had yet to show what it was
fully capable of. Then Spike crashed his car through the "Welcome to Sunnydale" sign, and the show started to gel. With The
Master and the Order of Aurelius, they tried to show old school vampire
mythology as a bridge for what they eventually wanted to do. Spike seems to be
the counter to that; someone who ultimately shot down the old standards as
outdated. He's charismatic and brash, just what the show needed to get in its
groove. As he said before taking out the "Annoying" One (an event
that was overdue, I mean, we never see the kid vamp out), it's time for "a
little less ritual, and a little more fun".
Originally,
Spike wasn't going to be on the show as long as he was. Therefore, there are some
discrepancies in Spike's mythology. Although it would come three years later,
the flashbacks in "Fool For Love" are
considered canon. This makes Spike being "nearly two hundred" and
sired by Angelus not true, which in turn hurts this episode. Later episodes
would paint Spike as a vampire whose notoriety is only exceeded by Angel, but
Giles needs to consult his books to learn about him. Also, Spike knew of
Angel's soul before, as we see in future "Buffy" and
"Angel" episodes, but it doesn't come up here.
Regardless
of the discrepancies, Spike's arrival does add to Angel's back-story as
Angelus, his evil alter ego. They flirted with this concept back in
"Angel", but it was fleeting as Darla was staked shortly afterwards.
Now we have an on going representative of Angel's past, which would play a big
role in the mythology of the show.
Drusilla
and Spike are like the Sid and Nancy of vampires. They are decadent, and share
a twisted romance. However, Spike's feelings toward Dru
are far more intense. Had Spike been unwell, it's
unlikely Dru would be as adamant about helping him
out. She seems to see him more as a pet. Of course, vampires don't have the
capability to love, but it seems that Spike actually has some of that in him.
His de-vamping when he Drusilla entered in one of the early scenes is telling
for that.
The
other major piece of information in Spike's back-story is that he killed two
Slayers before. This helps explain why he is fascinated with the Slayer lore.
You have to wonder if he ever spent time between them looking for the latest
chosen one. It certainly will come to play later with Buffy and Spike's
dynamic. So far, he is a far more compelling nemesis than The Master and that
status will remain untouched for some time.
Others
moments add to the canonical knowledge of vampires. Spike's brief memory of
getting high at
This
episode does show that while vampires can survive numerous things humans can't,
they can get sick. What exactly did the mob in
Throughout
the series, especially in this season, Buffy tries to balance her personal/school
life with her duties as Slayer. Unfortunately, trying to save the world on a
routine basis has her lumped together with burnouts like Sheila. This raises
the stakes (so to speak) of this episode, as she tries to avoid suspension
while thwarting a major vampire attack and keeping her mother unaware of the
demons. This would be a major piece of the second season, and this episode
serves to kick-start that arc in a big way.
This
episode makes Joyce a lot more endearing. Previously she voiced some concern
for her daughter getting into trouble, and seemed ready to punish her after she
heard what Snyder had to say. However, during the vampire siege, we saw how
much she admired her daughter. If you didn't cheer a little bit when she
smacked Spike with the axe, I don't think this show is right for you. Go Joyce!
This is a great example of why she became one of the few parents on this show
who was genuinely good.
For
Snyder fans, we have many funny moments as he puts the presses on Buffy and
shifts the blame on "a gang on PCP". The major point in this episode
is the revelation that Snyder is aware of the demons infesting his town, and
his role is to help keep it quiet. One has to wonder if Flutie
had any idea, or if those in power in Sunnydale aided
Snyder's ascension to principal.
This
is the first great episode of Buffy, and a great indicator of what the show
would become. The themes of the season are in effect, but Spike and Drusilla's
arrival make the episode. In this first episode so much of their characters are
established, which is impressive considering how far they would go in the Buffyverse.
Score: 9/10
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