I WAS MADE TO LOVE YOU

It really doesn’t matter how good this episode is.  I mean, "I Was Made to Love You" could have been better than "Passion", better than "Hush", better than ice cream.. and all you’re going to remember is the last fifteen seconds of the show.  Which is a bit of a shame as the show on the whole was pretty good.

We start the show with an incredibly long string of scenes touching on the fact that Dawn is the Key, that Riley took a hike, that Dawn found out she's the Key, that Spike loves Buffy, that Buffy doesn't love Spike and that, finally, Ben and Glory are one special effect.

Currently on Buffy the Vampire Slayer the Buffster is in a rather “woe is me, what is it about me that attracts soulless evil bloodsucking demons like Spike and repel sensitive, kind non-bloodsucking humans like Riley?” mood.  Giles and then Xander try to convince her that someday her Prince will come and, as Xander points out, maybe living on the Hellmouth is delaying that a bit.  To prove that the scene switches to a car arriving in Sunnydale drops off a young woman (who will eventually be identified as April) who, when asked what she’s looking for in Sunnydale, replies “True love.”  We cut to credits.

After the credits Joyce, Buffy and Dawn are helping Joyce prepare for a date with some guy she met at the gallery.  Joyce is nervous and the girls are teasing but obviously happy that Joyce has a date who is actually human.  Cut to Tara and Anya who are bonding over Anya’s skill at online trading.  Okay, bonding is the wrong word.  However, just to keep the main plot active, April asks them if they’ve seen Warren.  When they reply in the negative she asks the next person the same question.

That night there is a party at the university.  Anya is quite proud of the fact that she’s not in the least bit threatened by Buffy dancing with Xander.  After the dance Buffy spots Ben and, after a bit of nervous chat, he asks her out for a coffee and, later in the scene, gives her his phone number.  At the gang’s table Xander tries to explain Chex Party Mix to Anya until April arrives causing a small drool moment from both Xander and Willow.  Then Spike arrives to continue his pitiful attempt to court Buffy and, when repulsed by her, propositions April.  April throws Spike through a window.  Buffy tells April to chill and gets tossed across the room.

After the party the gang thinks it over and comes up with the working theory that April is a robot.  See, I’d have had to think a bit more and have a few drinks before coming to that conclusion but they work it out pretty darn quick.  Willow says she’ll look for this mystery Warren (who, by the way was at the party and split with a girl as soon as he saw April) in her Hacker Girl guise.

Buffy heads home to rescue Giles from Dawn’s taste in music and descriptions of Joyce’s date.  Joyce then proceeds to traumatize Buffy into years of therapy while, elsewhere, April begins a door to door campaign looking for Warren.

Next day Willow finds Warren, an ex-Sunnydale student who’s parents are still in Sunnydale (notice I didn't say "living in Sunnydale"?  You just can't make that kind of assumption.)  They muse about why someone would make a robot girlfriend and, in the course of the conversation, Buffy decides to call Ben and they set up a date for coffee.  Buffy then heads over to Warren’s where she finds him and his new girlfriend Katrina packing.  After Katrina storms off Warren tells Buffy that he made April to love him but, as that was her only purpose, he soon tired of her.  Once he met a real girl he abandoned her in the hopes that he could hide out until her batteries ran out.  Do not buy this man a puppy.
 
Meanwhile, April and Katrina meet and Katrina tries to warn April off of her man.  April reacts poorly but Warren and Buffy arrive before she seriously damages Katrina.  Warren explains the situation to April who now focuses on Buffy, blaming her for Warren’s attitude.  While April physically expresses her emotions on Buffy’s head Katrina and Warren take off.  After awhile the batteries do start to wear down and the two end up sitting on swings, talking about life and love and platitudes.

Buffy heads over to her sounding board, Xander.  Buffy empathizes with April.  And she doesn’t want to live that way.  The best thing she can do, she tells Xander, is to get to know Buffy and then, when Prince Charming does show up, she’ll be ready for him.  Decision made she calls Ben to break the coffee date but Glory intercepts the call.  Scabby is of the opinion that Ben is merely dating the Slayer but Glory is convinced that he’s plotting behind their back.

Meanwhile, Spike arrives at Warren’s place bearing the contents of the Buffy shrine in a box and places an order for a custom made robot.

Okay.  Last scene.  Buffy arrives home and sees a bouquet of flowers from her mom’s date.  Calling out for her mom she finally spots her lying on the living room couch.  As she approaches she (and we) become aware that Joyce is lying just to stiffly and still.  Buffy calls to her mom three times, not getting and, finally, not expecting an answer.

Bloody hell, fade to black.

Random Quotes  

Joyce: Isn't anyone going to talk about my dress?
Dawn: I like it.
Joyce: You're sure?  It's not too mommish?
Dawn: Oh... that's why I liked it.
Buffy: You're both crazy.  It's not mommish at all.  It's sexy.  It screams randy sex kitten, buy me one drink and I'll... oh, that's not really good either.
Dawn: (whimper)

Tara: I go online sometimes but everyone's spelling is really bad.  It's depressing.

Xander: Somehow I don't think a girl that looks like that is going to be lonely for too long.
Willow: (appreciatively) Definitely not..  <sees Tara's "excuse me?" look> oh, not me.  I was just saying that a pretty girl like that there's always someone <sees Tara's "keep digging" look> lurking around looking for action.  <sees Tara's "yeah, right" look and throws a "am I on the couch?" look of her own.>

Buffy: (rubbing arm) Oww.  I don't know about you guys but I've had it with super strong little women who aren't me.

Buffy: So, what do you guys think she is?  I mean, it sounds nuts but I kinda got the impression she's a...
Tara: Robot.
All: Yeah, robot.  Robot. Un-huh.
Buffy: Yeah, I was going to say robot.

Joyce: Gosh, I'd forgotten how much fun dating can be.
Buffy: I don't know.  I was standing right here.  I didn't see Prince Charming.  I didn't even see a goodnight kiss.  It all looked pretty tame to me.
Joyce: I suppose by your standards it could seem pretty... oh dear.
Buffy: What?
Joyce: I left my bra in his car.
Buffy: Mother!
Joyce: I'm joking.
Buffy: Good god, that's horrible.  Don't do...
Joyce: I left it in the restaurant.
Buffy: (fleeing upstairs) No more!  No more!  No more!
Joyce: On the desert cart!
Buffy: I’m not listening.

Giles (as Ripper): We're not your friends.  We are not your way to Buffy. There is no way to Buffy. Clear out of here. And Spike, this thing? Get over it.
Spike: I don't know what you mean.
Giles: Yes.  You do.  Move the hell on.

Buffy: Mom? ... Mom? ... Mommy?

Random Notes:

Well, you know, damn.  I mean.  Damn.  Talk about a baseball to the head.  And apparently, unlike most TV and comic book deaths, this one is permanent.

This one was written and directed by old Buffy hands Jane Espenson and James A. Contner respectively.  Except for the final scene which I think was done by Joss as he's supposed to be writer/director for the next episode.

Okay, the rest of the show… there are two endings so let’s talk about the April one now.  Anyone else reminded of Bladerunner?  I mean, the two of them just sitting there waiting for the end.  There are differences (like April didn’t shove nails through her hands and it doesn’t rain in California in the summer time (or at least the song says so)) but the similarities are there.

This show may be compared to the episode “Ted” but it’s closer to the second season episode “Some Assembly Required” where a student was taking body parts of dead girls to assemble the perfect girlfriend for his re-animated and recently deceased brother.

I assume that this was the Brittany Speers role.  I hope it was.  Scary to think what still might be out there if it isn’t.

I assume Joss is going to burn in hell for that little stunt.  Sorry.  Still in shock here.

What else?  Oh yeah, Puffy-Xander.  I’m not sure what value that idea had other than comic.  I mean, the purpose of a protective suit is so that the assailant can attack and the defender can counter without fear of hurting them.  Puffy-Xander couldn’t stand up right let alone assail.

So, Spike wants a Buffy-Bot?  What zany and madcap episodes can come from that concept?  “Robot…Slayer”.  Then maybe an alternate reality crossover ala “Doppelgangland” for “Robot…Vampire…Slayer”?  Or a second alternate reality where, instead of being a skanky vampire the Buffster joined that convent from “Triangle” and we have “Robot…Novice…Slayer”.  I could go on, but won’t.

So, after the Energizer Bunny wound down, what exactly did Buffy do with April?  I mean, leave her in the playground to traumatize kids?  Call the cops?  Call Skynet?

When Buffy calls Ben from the Danger Room there's a nice shot of one of those dry erase planning boards.  Completely empty.  Guess they have an informal schedule.

Anyone else notice that Buffy is a lot less articulate this season?  Much more with the funny little noises taken by surprise or instead of an actual "duh".

Angel Notes:

You know, I can't think of a single reason to watch "Reprise" unless your goal in life is to be utterly depressed.  The point of a rift arc is to show how alone each character is without the other(s) and that, when the rift arc ends, the strength of the group is more than the strength of the parts individually.  This can backfire (see third season Xena) if the rift is created by having the characters act largely out of character or it can work really well (see last season Buffy).  (It also helps if the reconciliation is worked for and sincere but I'm not getting into that.  I've been arguing this one for three years <g>.)  Anyway, "Reprise" brought home how each of the A-Team, because of what they believe in and their willingness to fight it, has isolated themselves from the rest of humanity.  Last episode Gunn was shaken by how out of touch he had become with his old neighbourhood and sets off this episode to try and reconnect.  A chance comment by Wesley brings home the fact that Cordy has no friends other than Wesley.  Wesley's girlfriend breaks up with him, unable to live in a relationship with, effectively, a cop.  Kate is fired from the police force losing her one link to sanity and normalcy and, worse of all, the phantom respect of her now dead father.

Which, you know, is depressing enough until you come to Angel himself.  Angel, discovers that his true enemy isn't Wolfram and Hart.  That destroying the entire firm and all the demons of hell that support it won't change things in the slightest because Wolfram and Hart are merely the manifestation of the little kernel of darkness in every human soul.

The only thing that evil needs to win is for good people to stand by and do nothing.  And Angel can only see people doing nothing.  And so, unable to commit suicide in the traditional manner he sleeps with Darla in an attempt to kill "Angel" if only by releasing Angelus.

So, like I said, no reason to watch "Reprise" but every reason to watch "Ephinimy" to see how they save the lives and souls of the cast.