LISTENING TO FEAR

Well, I really hope you didn't watch this episode expecting any great resolutions before it heads of into the Repeat Zone for the next few weeks.  Because it ain't going to happen.  Joss seems to put these cliffhangers within the season instead of at the end.  And now I have a mental image of Willow throwing herself and the Evil Skanky Vampire Willow into a lava filled chasm for some reason.

I should mention that this episode is being reviewed by myself, a head cold and low grade fever.  It may wander.

Previously on Buffy the Vampire we see clips of Riley and Sandy, Dreg and Glory as well as a bit of a recap on Glory attacking the security guard and the monk in the factory.  We then get more about Dawn being the Key and Joyce being sick.

Currently on Buffy the Vampire Joyce is still in hospital waiting for surgery which is going to take place in two days.  Joyce seems to think two days is a long time to wait.  She is also concerned that Buffy seems intent on spending much of that time at the hospital and forsaking her Slayer responsibilities.  Buffy assures her that it's covered.

Flashback to season three and the season opener "Anne" (aka "Buffy Goes to Hell" aka "AWOL Slayer" aka "Who I Slew on my Summer Vacation") where the the Scoobies tried to take up the Slayer duties and where totally inept.  Well, with two years experience they've improved to mostly inept.  Willow, Giles and Xander defeat two vampires (actually, Willow can put two notches on her stake) after a close battle.  When the dust settles they're mostly angry at No-Show Riley who has been a little lacking in the responsibility area.  But you can hardly blame him as he's busy having the blood sucked out of him by some vampire.

We cut to credits.

Next day at the hospital Willow drops by for moral support and homework dropping.  While there Joyce has an abrupt attack where she makes some nonsensical comment and then is back to her old self.  In the hall way Buffy explains that this is one of the side effects of the tumour.  Before they can go back into the room or head to the waiting room they see one of the crazy security guards from the factory leaving with his family.  He does the "let's freak out Dawn" tirade which strikes a little to close to home in Buffy's opinion.  Ben the Intern arrives to inform them (and us) that there are so many psych patients being admitted that they're having to release anyone with family to make room.

That night Willow and Tara are up on the roof star gazing.  Gab... er, Tara points out the "Big Pineapple" constellation while Xe... er, Willow at first pooh-poohs it before joining in.  They are rudely interrupted by the episode's main plot, a meteor that lands outside of town.  At the meteor we get a first-person point of view of something crawling along the ground and up a tree before cutting to the crazy security guard from earlier who walks under said tree, only to be jumped by the alien.  The alien then makes it's way to the  hospital where it sneaks in, crawling along the ceiling.

Joyce, meanwhile, is going nuts (sorry, bad choice of words) umm, stir crazy (sorry, still bad) frenetically bored waiting at the hospital and she and Buffy talk the doctor into letting her go home on the condition that Buffy give her the medication and looks after her.  While this is happening the complete Scooby gang (sans Spike) check out the meteor and find out it's hollow as well as finding the security guard's corpse.  All the gang head to the university's astronomy department library for research while Riley stays behind to check out the area and call the Boy Commandos on his cell phone (which was suggested as being a possible source of Joyce's tumour but youth today think they're immortal).

At the hospital the alien starts attacking patients in the psych ward.  Although the patients scream and yell they are ignored because, hey, screaming and yelling is normal in the psych ward.  The alien watches Joyce, still slightly incoherent, head for home where Buffy and Dawn tuck her into her room.  As the night progresses Joyce gets more and more agitated until she too is ranting about Dawn.  Buffy tries to comfort her but eventually Dawn resorts to a pillow and Buffy to a loud radio in order to muffle Joyce's increasingly loud and crazy babblings.

The Scoobies discover information about a hollow meteor that landed in the 12th century in Iceland as well as a few other incidents.  Apparently there would be outbreaks of mass insanity that would stop abruptly when the meteor landed.  The Iceland one was called the "Queller Impact" and the gang interprets "quell" to mean "kill" and the Glory is responsible for summoning the meteor.

Riley and the Boy Commandos trace the alien via its radiation trail to the hospital where they find out about the deaths.  Willow calls him there (cell phone again) where she gives him the information about the Iceland meteor strike.  The Boy Commandos track the radiation to the parking lot where Riley deduces that a) the alien took a car and b) it was Joyce's car and c) they should get to the Summer residence ASAP.

Speaking of the Summer residence the alien attacks Joyce but Dawn chases it off with a coat rack and locks her and Joyce in Joyce's room.  Buffy, running to help, is jumped by the alien who scuttles off again.  Buffy arms herself with a carving knife and investigates a noise in the basement.  However, it is just Spike stealing baby pictures.  He accidentally disarms her but throws her the knife in time for her to kill the thing.  Riley and the Boy Commandos arrive in time for Spike to mock Riley.

Dénouement.  At the hospital Dreg (the demon with the worthless and scabby hand) shows up in Ben the Intern's back seat.  Dreg asks why Ben is acting as he is and why Ben summoned the Queller.  Ben replies, "Because I'm cleaning up Glory's mess. Just like I've done my whole damn life."

It's now surgery day.  Joyce tells Buffy that she now knows that Dawn isn't what she seems but knows that Dawn is somehow important.  She makes Buffy promise that, whatever happens, Buffy will take care of Dawn.  Then she's wheeled away while Buffy and her "Family" (yes Riley, no Spike) watch. 

Random Quotes

Tara: We can't call Buffy.
Willow: I want to call Buffy.

Willow: We should call Buffy.  Except we can't call Buffy.  Can we?

Buffy: Homework?  I don't think I believe in the tiny Jewish santa anymore.

Random Notes:

Written by Rebecca Rand Kirshner, who wrote "Out of My Mind" which kicked off the whole brain tumour sub-arc,  and directed by David Solomon, who has directed seven previous shows, none of which reached out and shook me.

Speaking of Princess Leia (we were last week).  The name of the band that does the opening credit is named Nerf Herder, one of Leia's more colourful insults to Han Solo.

In a show known for it's curve ball plots I'd like to make the following observation.  Isn't it just too obvious that Glory is evil and Ben and the Czech monks are good?  I mean, the Initiative was good until we found out it was evil.  Faith was good until we found out she was evil and then was evil until we found out she was good.  So what if Glory is actually not-evil and Ben is actually not-good.  Tara was small-E evil until we found out that she was just real gullible where her father was concerned.  Yes, Ben says he's cleaning up Glory's mess but usually good guys don't kill the mess, they fix it or something.  So was he upset at the patients leaving because they wouldn't receive proper care or because they weren't neatly contained for the alien?  We're supposed to like this guy because he was nice to Buffy and makes Spiderman jokes but he's just one big cypher wrapped in an enigma.  And if someone could tell me what quote I just butchered and who I should be attributing it too I'd appreciate it.

Speaking of Ben why did he make a Spiderman joke when he saw how strong Buffy was?  I mean, Peter Parker is kinda effete but he is a *guy*.  Why not a female superhero like She-Hulk or Wonder Girl or Fury (an as soon as I remember what comic she was from I'll rest a lot easier).  Or Supergirl.

Ever notice how DC Comics superheroes all end with the gender of the superhero?  Like that wearing spandex it wasn't obvious?

I guess the CGI snake did eat up all the special effect budget.  The alien looked like a cross between Chucky and a Horta.

Apparently when Angel's roof blew sky high in the season closer it landed on Willow and Tara's building.

In White Wolf's role playing game "Vampire: The Masquerade" a vampire's bite is pleasurable to the point of psychological addiction.  Is that what's up with Riley?

Buffy's not very energy conscious.  She's  been at the hospital for hours and left every single light in the house on?  Really, just the foyer, a TV to discourage burglar and the bathroom on a timer.

Having hit on all my obsessions this review I'm off to take some asprin and neon-green cough medicine.  Later.

Angel Notes:

Three reasons.

Darla: Well, isn't it true that some vampires choose a mortal?  Someone they can sire.  Someone who can walk those lonely nights.  Hunt with them.  Feed with them.  Join with them.
Vamp: No.  That'd just be wierd.
Darla: Weird!?  It's mythic!
Vamp: No, you've been reading too much Anne Rice, lady.  You have no idea how this works.

Cordy: You were just soulless, bloodsucking demons.  They're lawyers.
Angel: She's right.  We were amateurs.

And speaking of Anne Rice the final scene which finally answers all those "how do they put the demon in the Cadbury bar?" commercials was a little reminiscent of Maharet's siring of Jesse in Queen of the Damned.  They may make fun of her but they read her books.