Still torn up about the loss of Oz, Willow resorts to witchcraft to ease her pain. Unfortunately, the spell she doesn't believe worked has actually made the things she says about her friends come true.
The biggest problem this episode has is the way it deals with the whole Oz thing. He left three episodes ago, and although it's natural that Willow is having trouble getting over her loss, it's time to move on now. There's not a huge amount of mileage left in Willow's witchcraft either, as it's already becoming a way to create plotlines rather than as a fun diversion.
The scripting is as good as ever with plenty of funny lines, and particularly enjoyable is watching Spike and Buffy start planning their nuptials thanks to something Willow says. What lets it all down is that the problems Willow causes aren't that serious, and the more comedic one is played for more than the number of laughs it can realistically get. On top of this, after The Initiative, the viewer is waiting to push forward with the ongoing storyline, not pause for breath. At the end of the episode, the only thing that's changed is that Willow's slightly less upset than before. Giles is still bumbling around, Buffy and Riley are still beating about the bush and Spike is once again tied to a chair. This last aspect is particularly lazy. It's as if now he's been robbed of his vampiric abilities, no-one has a clue how best to use Spike as a character. Chaining him up may provide the odd giggle, but he either needs to be somehow integrated into the Scooby Gang or get free and cured.
There were also a couple of other aspects that irritated me. I can't believe after all they've been through and the support they've given one another that Buffy and Xander would be so caught up in their own lives that they're unsympathetic to Willow. At a time when she needs friends, they seem incredibly insensitive. Plus, if they were going to bring back Elizabeth Anne Allen as Amy the witch, it should have been more than just for a three second joke appearance. It seems unfair to the actress and to the audience who want to see more of her.
Lastly, Buffy used to be unpredictable. However, the vampire-slaying while continuing a discussion thing has been done several times now, and the outcome of Willow's encounter with D'Hoffryn is no shock at all, mainly because this late on in the episode, it's unlikely he'll cause any major trouble.
This is a good episode for non-regular viewers of the show, as it doesn't rely on much knowledge of what's been going on. However, all the characters seem to have become typecast into their roles and it's time to open things up a bit more, do away with the long-winded talks and make Buffy The Vampire Slayer zippy again.
***
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