Surprise
1/19/98
guest stars: Seth Green (Oz), Robia LaMorte (Jenny Calendar), Kristine
Sutherland (Joyce Summers), Brian Thompson (Judge), Eric Saiet (Dalton),
Mercedes McNab (Harmony), Vincent Schiavelli (Jenny's uncle), James Marsters
(Spike) Juliet Landau (Drusilla)
Writer: Marti Noxon
Director: Michael Lange
Synopsis: As the gang celebrates Buffy's 17th birthday, Buffy has nightmares
of Angel's death at the hands of Drusilla, Willow asks Oz to the party
on a date, Xander gets in a fight with Cordelia, and Drusilla plans her
own party complete with mysterious boxes. Jenny Calendar is revealed to
actually be Janna, a gypsy sent to watch Angel, when her uncle comes to
visit her. When Buffy obtains one of the boxes, Angel discovers that Drusilla
is assembling the Judge, an ancient demon who cannot be stopped by any
weapon forged and can burn the humanity out of a person. He was disassembled
500 years earlier. Jenny tells Angel to that he must take the piece to
hide it, and he and Buffy share a tearful farewell. However, the boxes
is reclaimed, and the Judge is assembled and Dalton, who has traces of
humanity because he reads, is burned as a demonstration of the Judges power.
While the group decides to stake out the bus station, train stations, and
airports, Buffy and Angel do recon work in the factory but are spotted
by Spike and Dru. They escape into the sewers and out into the rain, and
return to Angel's apartment. Once there, they cannot deny or control their
feelings any longer, and they make love. Later that night Angel awakens
in obvious pain, and rushes out into the rain shouting Buffy's name.
.......... review: I am writing this after
having viewed Innocence, so if I am somewhat harsh it is because
it is impossible to separate the two. However, I have tried to evaluate
it as an episode in and of itself, and not as the first part of Innocence.
Along those same lines, however, I felt that this episode failed to adequately
deliver, even as a part one, as opposed to episodes such as Welcome
to the Hellmouth or What's my Line, part 1. The best thing I
can say is that I only had to live with it for a day, because the little
bit of suspense this episode did built would not have lasted a week. It
had its moments, but as a whole it failed to "click". The entire episode
screamed "filler", and when it was over I actually found myself thinking
that maybe "Buffy" isn't as good a series as it used to be.
.......... The things I didn't like:
.......... Jenny Calendar: I'm sorry,
this is my least favorite development on the show. Most good shows (like
Buffy, ER, General Hospital, Party of Five) I have faith in the writers
and generally accept where they go, even if I don't like it. But I think
that this is a mistake. I think that the past was rewritten, and the change
came to fast, and I don't think Robia did a particularly good job of making
us believe her. Jenny was completely different in this episode then in
any other one she has been in. Jenny Calendar is an entertaining character
and exceedingly valuable to the show. Whatever happens from here, too much
has been rewritten for me to like it.
.......... Spike and Dru: I can't put
my finger on what it was, but they seemed to be off. Dru's lunacy seemed
forced and Spike was stuck in this bitter defeatist rut that is really
not like him. They lacked the humor and chemistry of past episodes.
.......... Sarah Michelle Gellar: I don't
like saying anything bad about Sarah, but in recent episodes she seemed
to be losing her edge. Something has been missing for a while, although
you could see hints in Bad Eggs. It was too mushy, but there was
enough of the bad ass Buffy that I didn't notice. But in this episode there
was hardly any at all. The fight scenes were still good, but they didn't
have that extra Buffy touch.
.......... Anthony Stewart Head, Nicholas
Brendon, and Charisma Carpenter were severely under used in this episode.
Xander was used primarily for comic relief and didn't do anything that
funny. Giles didn't do much of anything, and Cordelia seemed to be desperately
trying breath some life into an otherwise dead episode. Her absence in
the entire second half was noticed and she was sorely missed.
.......... Joyce was almost a non-entity
is this episode, and the Judge, for all the hype, the judge was almost
laughable.
.......... Alyson Hannigan: I have a tough
time saying anything bad about Aly. Fortunately, I don't have to. For as
much as I disliked this episode, the Willow centered scenes were as good
as anything else this season. Aly is the best actress on television, and
her face lights up the screen every time she is on. Her chemistry with
Seth Green is amazing and their "date" scene was one of her best all season.
Aly's presence during the entire episode brings it up two full marks.
.......... Finally, the last scene with
Buffy and Angel. They're escape from the judge was contrived, but everything
after that was television magic, and it saved the end of the episode. The
scene in the rain was outstanding, and the raw emotions that came out in
Angel's bedroom were incredible. Angel finally told Buffy that he loved
her ("I love you. I try not to but I can't stop.") I said earlier that
Sarah Michelle Gellar was losing her edge but she still proved to be one
hell of an actress. As an emotional torn Buffy she was absolutely believable
as her feelings overwhelmed her senses. She played it perfectly in a scene
which would have been all too easy to go over the top. Also David Boreanaz
gave a performance that was consistently good throughout the episode and
exceptional in the last scene. The chemistry between these two would start
a fire on wet leaves, and this scene reveals so much more than the Buffy/Angel
mush which has plagued the show for too long. The final scene in the episode,
Angel in the rain, in obvious pain, calling out to Buffy is chilling.
.......... All and all, the episode was
a disappointment. The powerful Buffy/Angel scene at the end and the great
Aly stuff was only a small part of the hour, and the rest was not up to
par. There was no semblance of a plot, and the performances are good in
and of themselves but fail to click in a cohesive unit. It was my impression
that the cast and crue focused all of their creative energy into Innocence
and they kinda forgot about Surprise, or else part one was just
an inconsequential afterthought. It did well setting up the groundwork
for Innocence, but as an episode in and of itself it doesn't warrant
repeat viewings.
.......... One final note: According to
the credits, Mercedes McNab was supposed to be in this episode. Where was
she???
.......... Ratings, based primarily on
Aly Hannigan's performance and the last scene: 5.5/10 (the .5 for Giles
insistence that yes, dammit, we will have a party for Buffy.
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Synopsis: As the gang celebrates Buffy's 17th birthday, Buffy has nightmares
of Angel's death at the hands of Drusilla, Willow asks Oz to the party
on a date, Xander gets in a fight with Cordelia, and Drusilla plans her
own party complete with mysterious boxes. Jenny Calendar is revealed to
actually be Janna, a gypsy sent to watch Angel, when her uncle comes to
visit her. When Buffy obtains one of the boxes, Angel discovers that Drusilla
is assembling the Judge, an ancient demon who cannot be stopped by any
weapon forged and can burn the humanity out of a person. He was disassembled
500 years earlier. Jenny tells Angel to that he must take the piece to
hide it, and he and Buffy share a tearful farewell. However, the boxes
is reclaimed, and the Judge is assembled and Dalton, who has traces of
humanity because he reads, is burned as a demonstration of the Judges power.
While the group decides to stake out the bus station, train stations, and
airports, Buffy and Angel do recon work in the factory but are spotted
by Spike and Dru. They escape into the sewers and out into the rain, and
return to Angel's apartment. Once there, they cannot deny or control their
feelings any longer, and they make love. Later that night Angel awakens
in obvious pain, and rushes out into the rain shouting Buffy's name.