Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 2, Episode 3: School Hard Review
School Hard
Original Airdate: September 29, 1997
Writer: David Greenwalt
Story: David Greenwalt & Joss Whedon
Director: John Kretchmer
Up to this point, "Buffy" had been a show that was entertaining, with some solid episodes in the first season, but it had yet to show what it was fully capable of. Then Spike crashed his car through the "Welcome to Sunnydale" sign, and the show started to gel. With The Master and the Order of Aurelius, they tried to show old school vampire mythology as a bridge for what they eventually wanted to do. Spike seems to be the counter to that; someone who ultimately shot down the old standards as outdated. He's charismatic and brash, just what the show needed to get in its groove. As he said before taking out the "Annoying" One (an event that was overdue, I mean, we never see the kid vamp out), it's time for "a little less ritual, and a little more fun".
Originally, Spike wasn't going to be on the show as long as he was. Therefore, there are some discrepancies in Spike's mythology. Although it would come three years later, the flashbacks in "Fool For Love" are considered canon. This makes Spike being "nearly two hundred" and sired by Angelus not true, which in turn hurts this episode. Later episodes would paint Spike as a vampire whose notoriety is only exceeded by Angel, but Giles needs to consult his books to learn about him. Also, Spike knew of Angel's soul before, as we see in future "Buffy" and "Angel" episodes, but it doesn't come up here.
Regardless of the discrepancies, Spike's arrival does add to Angel's back-story as Angelus, his evil alter ego. They flirted with this concept back in "Angel", but it was fleeting as Darla was staked shortly afterwards. Now we have an on going representative of Angel's past, which would play a big role in the mythology of the show.
Drusilla and Spike are like the Sid and Nancy of vampires. They are decadent, and share a twisted romance. However, Spike's feelings toward Dru are far more intense. Had Spike been unwell, it's unlikely Dru would be as adamant about helping him out. She seems to see him more as a pet. Of course, vampires don't have the capability to love, but it seems that Spike actually has some of that in him. His de-vamping when he Drusilla entered in one of the early scenes is telling for that.
The other major piece of information in Spike's back-story is that he killed two Slayers before. This helps explain why he is fascinated with the Slayer lore. You have to wonder if he ever spent time between them looking for the latest chosen one. It certainly will come to play later with Buffy and Spike's dynamic. So far, he is a far more compelling nemesis than The Master and that status will remain untouched for some time.
Others moments add to the canonical knowledge of vampires. Spike's brief memory of getting high at Woodstock (from eating a human who was high) shows that vampires can be intoxicated from the blood they drink. This will become the impetus for an entire episode of "Angel" a few years later. It's never said, but it would've been nice to know if drinking from a human with a blood disease like leukemia or suffering from some type of sepsis would affect a vampire.
This episode does show that while vampires can survive numerous things humans can't, they can get sick. What exactly did the mob in Prague do to Dru? A stake to her heart would've been much easier way of handling whatever problem she was causing.
Throughout the series, especially in this season, Buffy tries to balance her personal/school life with her duties as Slayer. Unfortunately, trying to save the world on a routine basis has her lumped together with burnouts like Sheila. This raises the stakes (so to speak) of this episode, as she tries to avoid suspension while thwarting a major vampire attack and keeping her mother unaware of the demons. This would be a major piece of the second season, and this episode serves to kick-start that arc in a big way.
This episode makes Joyce a lot more endearing. Previously she voiced some concern for her daughter getting into trouble, and seemed ready to punish her after she heard what Snyder had to say. However, during the vampire siege, we saw how much she admired her daughter. If you didn't cheer a little bit when she smacked Spike with the axe, I don't think this show is right for you. Go Joyce! This is a great example of why she became one of the few parents on this show who was genuinely good.
For Snyder fans, we have many funny moments as he puts the presses on Buffy and shifts the blame on "a gang on PCP". The major point in this episode is the revelation that Snyder is aware of the demons infesting his town, and his role is to help keep it quiet. One has to wonder if Flutie had any idea, or if those in power in Sunnydale aided Snyder's ascension to principal.
This is the first great episode of Buffy, and a great indicator of what the show would become. The themes of the season are in effect, but Spike and Drusilla's arrival make the episode. In this first episode so much of their characters are established, which is impressive considering how far they would go in the Buffyverse.
Originally, Spike wasn't going to be on the show as long as he was. Therefore, there are some discrepancies in Spike's mythology. Although it would come three years later, the flashbacks in "Fool For Love" are considered canon. This makes Spike being "nearly two hundred" and sired by Angelus not true, which in turn hurts this episode. Later episodes would paint Spike as a vampire whose notoriety is only exceeded by Angel, but Giles needs to consult his books to learn about him. Also, Spike knew of Angel's soul before, as we see in future "Buffy" and "Angel" episodes, but it doesn't come up here.
Regardless of the discrepancies, Spike's arrival does add to Angel's back-story as Angelus, his evil alter ego. They flirted with this concept back in "Angel", but it was fleeting as Darla was staked shortly afterwards. Now we have an on going representative of Angel's past, which would play a big role in the mythology of the show.
Drusilla and Spike are like the Sid and Nancy of vampires. They are decadent, and share a twisted romance. However, Spike's feelings toward Dru are far more intense. Had Spike been unwell, it's unlikely Dru would be as adamant about helping him out. She seems to see him more as a pet. Of course, vampires don't have the capability to love, but it seems that Spike actually has some of that in him. His de-vamping when he Drusilla entered in one of the early scenes is telling for that.
The other major piece of information in Spike's back-story is that he killed two Slayers before. This helps explain why he is fascinated with the Slayer lore. You have to wonder if he ever spent time between them looking for the latest chosen one. It certainly will come to play later with Buffy and Spike's dynamic. So far, he is a far more compelling nemesis than The Master and that status will remain untouched for some time.
Others moments add to the canonical knowledge of vampires. Spike's brief memory of getting high at Woodstock (from eating a human who was high) shows that vampires can be intoxicated from the blood they drink. This will become the impetus for an entire episode of "Angel" a few years later. It's never said, but it would've been nice to know if drinking from a human with a blood disease like leukemia or suffering from some type of sepsis would affect a vampire.
This episode does show that while vampires can survive numerous things humans can't, they can get sick. What exactly did the mob in Prague do to Dru? A stake to her heart would've been much easier way of handling whatever problem she was causing.
Throughout the series, especially in this season, Buffy tries to balance her personal/school life with her duties as Slayer. Unfortunately, trying to save the world on a routine basis has her lumped together with burnouts like Sheila. This raises the stakes (so to speak) of this episode, as she tries to avoid suspension while thwarting a major vampire attack and keeping her mother unaware of the demons. This would be a major piece of the second season, and this episode serves to kick-start that arc in a big way.
This episode makes Joyce a lot more endearing. Previously she voiced some concern for her daughter getting into trouble, and seemed ready to punish her after she heard what Snyder had to say. However, during the vampire siege, we saw how much she admired her daughter. If you didn't cheer a little bit when she smacked Spike with the axe, I don't think this show is right for you. Go Joyce! This is a great example of why she became one of the few parents on this show who was genuinely good.
For Snyder fans, we have many funny moments as he puts the presses on Buffy and shifts the blame on "a gang on PCP". The major point in this episode is the revelation that Snyder is aware of the demons infesting his town, and his role is to help keep it quiet. One has to wonder if Flutie had any idea, or if those in power in Sunnydale aided Snyder's ascension to principal.
This is the first great episode of Buffy, and a great indicator of what the show would become. The themes of the season are in effect, but Spike and Drusilla's arrival make the episode. In this first episode so much of their characters are established, which is impressive considering how far they would go in the Buffyverse.
Score: 9/10
posted by Matt @ 11:25 PM
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