Surprise
Original
Airdate: January 19, 1998
Writer:
Marti Noxon
Director: Michael Lange
This two parter comes at a pivotal
point in the series’. For a superficial
if not irrelevant reason today, this was the last time “Buffy” would air on
Mondays, so it had to pack a punch to get the viewers to move to another
night. However, the more substantial
reason is the growing pains Buffy goes through, as she loses her virginity to
Angel and deals with the aftermath. The
show could’ve continued to have Buffy simply fight monsters of the week and
nothing else, but that could eventually devolve into a series that would be
better fitted among lame Saturday morning cartoons, and “Buffy” had ambitions
for more. Frequently this episode and
“Innocence” are cited as the “mission statement” of the show, and it’s easy to
see why: this is the beginning of “Buffy” as we know it.
The growing intensity of Angel and Buffy’s feelings was
designed to set us up for the major fall in the second half of the story. As all relationships go, this one has reached
a critical mass: something has to happen to these characters and both Buffy and
Angel are aware of it. Of course, the
impending doom always hanging over their heads has to move things along, as The
Judge does in this episode. They could
possibly never have a “next time” to have that happiness true love affords. Nonetheless, Joyce’s cryptic “Do you really
think you’re ready” in Buffy’s dream adds an air of doubt that she can handle
this new complexity in her relationship.
Some teens in relationships feel this way, and the translation into
supernatural allegory works extremely well.
Those who know character arcs involving romance can attest
to the fact that having the long simmering romance consummated often blows the
years of anticipation. Sam & Diane
on “Cheers” is one of the more frequently cited occurrences. This placed the writers in a difficult
position: how were they going to address this pressing issue while maintaining
the compelling drama. Angel’s agony at
the end of the episode dashes any hopes of this being
the start of a new, happy level in their relationship, but rather gives us
something far more interesting.
Another couple on the alternate side, as a
non-couple, is Xander and
Oz’s connection to the group is cemented when he witnesses
Buffy staking a vampire at The Bronze (which apparently rents out to private
parties of a handful of people). His
reaction is interesting, as he had some suspicion. Giles has said in the first episode that many
rationalize away whatever supernatural thing they come in contact with, but Oz
didn’t. He felt something wasn’t right,
but his level head and common sense prevented him from considering that
monsters were real.
As Oz becomes more a part of the gang, Jenny’s past
threatens her status, like Giles’ did in “The Dark Age”. This episode reveals Jenny’s secret, that she is
a part of a gypsy family that had one of its revered daughters murdered by
Angel when he was Angelus. Despite his
recent heroism, Jenny’s uncle charges her to keep Angel miserable to uphold the
curse the gypsies placed upon him. It
does explain her sudden arrival in Sunnydale after
the events of “Angel”, as the gypsy mother must’ve sensed that Buffy and
Angel’s relationship became more serious.
However, Jenny’s resolve has wavered as she has grown
attached to members of the gang and as Angel saved her life. It’s never said what Jenny was planning to do
to keep them separate, which makes her bringing Buffy to the place where a
bunch of vampires are stealing a piece of The Judge a bit sinister. That is rather silly to believe that she
would conspire with vampires, but that interpretation will later prove to be
divisive with her and the rest of the group.
Had she been more open to the group, the tragedy would’ve likely been
avoided, but where’s the fun in that?
While fans have known since the epilogue of “What’s My Line,
Part Two” that Spike and Dru survived, the gang
doesn’t discover this information until this episode. Their absence could be explained simply as
them laying low and collecting pieces of The Judge to serve as the usher of
Spike and Dru’s reign of terror. Spike’s limited mobility also keeps him from
action he’s used to or likes. However,
he is still doting over Drusilla, making sure her coming out party is as
glorious as she wants it to be.
Buffy’s apparent ability to see the future through her
dreams illuminates some of this. It is
through this that she first gets the impression that Drusilla is still
alive. As for the dream itself, it’s
hard to interpret completely, since some elements were thrown in because it’s a
dream sequence and they are by nature weird (hence Willow and the monkey, a
reference to their conversation in “What’s My Line, Part Two”). Joyce’s appearance dropping the dish validates
this source of information when Joyce does that in reality. This makes the threat on Angel very real for
Buffy, which only pulls them closer together.
The Judge is the MacGuffin of the
episode, but he is a rather impressive one.
At full strength he could kill someone by looking at them! Even shortly after his assembly can he
incinerate poor
This episode is another piece that is critical to the
development in the series, more than the “What’s My Line?” episodes. Buffy is growing up with this major life
changing event, and the writers have clearly raised the stakes of the series
with it. Things will never be the same
for the show and its characters, and it makes for some great drama.
Overall
Score: 9/10