Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 2, Episode 10 Review: What's My Line, Part 2

What’s My Line, Part 2
Original Airdate: November 24, 1997
Writer: Marti Noxon
Director: David Semel

With this second part, the pieces are coming together for the second season and in some cases, beyond that to even the final episode. It offers plenty of good character moments, comparing Buffy to the newly tapped chosen one Kendra. These pieces connect to the overall theme of the season.

Kendra represents what the Watcher Council wants a slayer to be; respectful of the rules, on top of her studies and socially isolated. The first two qualities make her a big hit with bookworm Giles, and even arouse some jealousy in Buffy. However, what Buffy lacks in studying “The Slayer Handbook”, she makes up for with experience. She’s already prevented one major catastrophic event (many more will follow) whereas Kendra doesn’t know how to handle a cross bow properly.

Of course, these two slayers with different techniques would clash, especially with regards to the social element. It’s puzzling to Kendra that Buffy would have as many people in the loop regarding her secret, much less call them her friends. Kendra doesn’t even have a last name she has distanced herself so far from other people. This detachment leads her to be awkward when around others (nothing ever came out of the Xander thing), but effective when in a fight.

It isn’t until Kendra steps in and helps Buffy combat the cop assassin that they reach some kind of agreeable coexistence. Ultimately Kendra learns a little about Buffy’s techniques such as channeling her anger towards her fight and being able to think on her feet. Also, Kendra gives Buffy the sense of normalcy she has needed. She isn’t alone in her calling.

It’s unfortunate that they would brush Kendra aside after her introduction, since these two personalities clashing would’ve been exciting to see developed further. Buffy had been looking for a chance to have a normal life, and Kendra provides the perfect exit. It might’ve been interesting to see Buffy try to take a vacation from slaying and let Kendra do the work, but they had other ideas for where this season would go.

Angel’s guilt over siring Drusilla is a major part of the psychological torture aspect of Dru and Spike’s pre-game. He must watch his handiwork, thinking that he will be responsible for her return and more bloodshed. Not to mention tying him up and watching them presumably have kinky sex in front of him seems like a perfect way to traumatize someone before killing them (since murder just isn’t enough for monsters).

While Spike’s allegiance and love to Dru is unquestionable, the feeling isn’t mutual. As Noxon noted in her commentary, Drusilla is attracted to where the action is and it’s with Angel. Angel’s her new toy and she is enjoying him a little too much for Spike, whose jealousy almost causes him to stake Angel and thwart his own plans. This character development is rather good considering how it will play through the rest of the season.

Although the police officer revealed as the third assassin was unexpected, having a cop start shooting in a crowded school wouldn’t be allowed in the post-Columbine/Virginia Tech landscape (as of this writing, only two months have passed since the Virginia Tech tragedy). Despite the fact that “Buffy” is in a fantasy world, there is a fine line for where they can go for student deaths. Generally they preserve the fantasy line by only having them be killed by vampires or the monster of the week rather than one of their own.

The third assassin provides a catalyst for Oz and Willow’s beginning relationship. They decide to go the rhetorical route by having Oz literally take a bullet for Willow. Luckily he’s only grazed, but Willow’s appreciative all the same. Unlike other guys in her life, Oz has shown her a genuine interest in a possible romantic relationship. His complements aren’t something she isn’t used to either.

On the other end, Cordelia and Xander, once stuck in the basement at the mercy of the bug man, deal with their antagonism with straight lust. This kind of “to the chagrin of the character” attraction is typical of these situations in romantic comedies. The swell of music during both kisses is a bit corny, but that could be a deliberate reference to those types of movies and TV shows.

An odd element is Willie “the Snitch”. Such a character, at least the way he’s portrayed, is more suited for old cop shows (Huggy Bear on “Starsky and Hutch” comes to mind). However, considering hell spawn are generally more dangerous than street criminals, he would be prime fodder for the various demons that set up in Sunnydale. It doesn’t seem like he’d be alive for long considering his loose lips.

One of the better decisions the show made was scraping the original idea of killing Spike in this episode or around this point in time. That reprieve was one that would define the series. The series would’ve been completely different had they followed their original plan. While it is usually good for arc-orientated shows to have a plan of where they are going, flexibility in this case is even better. If something works as well as Spike has, it would be fitting to have more of him.

Thankfully, they delve more into his character than just keep him around to satisfy fans. As the episode ends, the twisted vampire lovers have switched roles, with Drusilla proving to be quite strong, hoisting the ailing Spike out of the ashes of the church. This would only be the beginning for this fascinating character.

This is one of the most pivotal episodes of the series, as the original plan would’ve altered much of what’ll come later. The season is starting to take shape with Drusilla’s recovery, effectively ending the introduction phase of the season (perhaps a bit late than preferred). These episodes work well upon multiple viewing to see how much they set up for future episodes.

Overall Score: 9/10