SMASHED
Episode 109, #9 of Season 6

WRECKED
Episode 110, #10 of Season 6

Previously on Buffy. It sums up to Willow’s doing too much magic and Buffy’s necking with Spike.

Two things to keep in mind. First is that these two 1-hour shows were actually just one 2-hour show. Second, this was essentially a Willow and Buffy show. Everyone else is just window dressing.

The Temptation:
Buffy – Buffy is into serious denial about Spike with renewed vows of having nothing to do with him. Any kissing that may hav happened was a very bad mistake and will never happen again. However, in the discussion Spike discovers that he can hit Buffy without the chip giving him a zap. A little experimentation determines that it still works against humans and Robot Lad of the Brotherhood of Evil Geeks assures him that the chip is working fine. Spike deduces that this means that Buffy isn’t human, that she came back different (but good). He confronts her with this, using it to point out that not only is she attracted to the darkness but there might be a bit of it in her as well. They smack each other around until we get to The Fall section of the review.

Willow – Willow uses a magic spell to find out the magic spell to fix Amy the Rat and then fixes Amy the Rat. Willow, feeling lonely and the need to fill her life with happy fun to counter the lack of Tara, goes to the Bronze with Amy. The two let loose with the magic turning the Bronze and the inhabitants into whatever strikes their fancy. To rub salt into the wound, Tara is at the Summer’s residence to hear Amy blurt out about how Willow was behaving and she leaves in a stuttering cloud of disappointment. Willow finds that, without her soul mate battery pack, she tires easily and feels let down that she can’t cast spells 24/7.

The Fall
Buffy – Buffy has sex with Spike. A house is destroyed in the process. Best not to ask or dwell too long on the whole thing.

Willow – Amy tells Willow of this warlock who can give her spells that aren’t as draining and all she has to do is, um, actually what she has to do isn’t too clear but rest assured that she doesn’t have the same expression on her face as she did when she did the flamin’ O spell with Tara. But it’s close. It also involves floating on the ceiling and pretty visions until a bad vision ‘wakes’ her up.

The Repercussions
Buffy – Buffy feels skanky, cheap and lower than low. Plus she has to listen to Spike be smug.

Willow – Willow, on the pretence of taking Dawn to the movies stops by the warlocks place to get a spell or two. She comes out acting spacey, about four hours later, to a worried Dawn. They head out and are jumped by the demon from Willow’s vision. They run, steal a car and smash it into a wall. Buffy and Spike arrive in time to stop the demon from munching Dawn and Willow, looking all black eyed, fries it.

The Resolutions
Buffy – Buffy resolves not to have sex with Spike because the long term guilt and self-loathing doesn’t make up for the short-term pleasure. The show ends with her sitting huddled on the bed, garlic hanging from the windows and a cross clutched in her hand.

Willow – Willow resolves not to do any magic again because she can’t handle it. The feeling of power totally overrides her self-judgement. The show ends with her twisting in bed, either unable to sleep or caught in nightmares.

Fade to black.

Random Notes:
I saw these two back to back. If you have the chance I recommend you watch it that way.

Obviously the person in charge of “subtle” was on vacation and the person in charge of “blatantly obvious” was filling in.

No-Prize if you spotted the ER reference in the summary.

Faith was an interesting character because she was a flawed version of Buffy. They seem now to be making Buffy into a flawed version of Faith.

For those of you wondering Amy was in The Witch (season 1), Bewitched, Bewildered & Bothered (season 2) and Gingerbread (season 3) where she turned herself into a rat rather than be burned at the stake by the members of MOO (Mothers Opposed to Occult). She made a very brief appearance in Something Blue (season 4). I guess the two episodes in season 6 is to make up for not working in season 5.

Once again Tara is shown as Dawn’s mother figure while Buffy and Willow are merely the big sisters. Big sisters stay out all night, mom’s don’t.

The house demolishing scene went way beyond what should be broadcast on television in the 8pm time slot. I never want to see that much Spike again, thank you.

Four words; seat belts, air bags. Dawn should have been wearing the first and the second should have gone off.

In case you didn’t noticed I didn’t like these two shows.

The best thing they did on these two shows was to not have Willow going to Tara at the end. The second best thing they did was to have Buffy walk away from Willow but then go back to her; a physical representation of the bonds of sisterhood and of friendship in conflict. When all is said and done I think this entire series is as much about the Willow and Buffy relationship as any other theme.

The worst thing they did was the ‘slap you around until you’re in the mood’.

This is your brain. This is your brain on magic. This is your brain. This is your brain on hormones.

Angel Notes:
You know, you could see it coming a mile away (2.2 clicks for the Canucks) and there was probably no other way to resolve the whole thing after ten shows of build up but, damn, that was a great ending. Then again, you knew it was going to be a great ending because it was raining. Maybe Joss does read Missy Good because all the great things happen in the rain.