Monday, July 30, 2007

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 2, Episode 15 Review: Phases

Phases

Original Airdate: January 27, 1998

Writer: Dean Batali & Rob Des Hotel
Director: Bruce Seth Green

With Oz’s status in the group cemented in the previous two-parter, they wisely decide to spend this episode developing his character further. Also, with the inclusion of Frankenstein, mummies and vampires (obviously) as story fodder, it’s fitting they would get to werewolves. This episode tackles both. That introduces the interesting contrast of Oz: he’s the most laid back of the main characters, yet he has a dangerous other side. Oz’s demeanor is so collected that even traumatic events like finding out he is a werewolf or waking up the first morning after in the woods naked don’t shake him as expected. With his animalistic other side, how can the gang deal with it?

His cool demeanor was a big draw for Willow, like Willow’s unique quirks were for Oz. The discovery of his bad side three nights a month shakes up what could’ve been a quiet joining. Unlike Angelus, this side is much easier to control, and isn’t persistently with him. Willow compares his “phases” to her time of the month. However, perhaps this was made to avoid another “my boyfriend is a monster” storyline that they were already handling; they could show how far the beast in Oz could go later.

While Oz’s appeal to Willow in “Innocence” is sweet and endearing, it contradicts the common teenage guy mindset (“Looking at linoleum makes me want to have sex”). Cynically, it could be determined that there was something else that made Oz want to keep Willow from getting too close. Like some people who are known for being in control, they don’t want it revealed that they are human and can lose their cool like anyone else, and the werewolf analogy is a good fit. This episode is about Willow discovering that and the beginning of Oz learning to accept it.

Before the Oz reveal, the obvious choice for the werewolf’s identity was Larry, the jerk who harassed every woman in sight (except Cordelia for some reason). This subplot, where Xander, through several vague questions, gets Larry to come out, serves as comic relief. While some may criticize Xander’s reaction to the allusion of his own sexuality as homophobic, it’s not hard to believe an insecure teenage guy acting that way. Considering where the show would go, you can hardly claim “Buffy” or her friends were anti-gay. Larry’s coming out changed his character for the better. The intention of these moments in relation to Xander was Joss Whedon’s wish that one of the central cast members be gay and this would be foreshadowing if they wanted to make Xander gay.

The biggest mistake of this episode besides the werewolf costume was the decision to show that Angelus, not Oz, killed Teresa before the gang discovered it. The scenes with Angelus weren’t necessary altogether. Having the audience know that the easy out is the case isn’t better than using it and revealing it later. As Oz realizes that he is a werewolf, we’re not subjected to the lingering doubt he has over his believed actions, which could’ve added to the episode, considering Buffy’s guilt. Plus it would’ve established the notion of Angelus being a present danger for Buffy even when they aren’t together.

This episode develops the concept of Buffy’s guilt over not being able to save someone from a menace she could’ve killed or incapacitated. This topic was going to be addressed eventually, as Buffy is only one person and she can’t kill every one of her adversaries as soon as they come at her. Not killing a demon, especially a vampire, will lead to further lives lost. When looking at future events, Buffy’s guilt over Teresa was more setting up future episodes, when her lack of action would prove costly to those close to her.

After Xander’s dusted the newly minted Theresa, he shares a near kiss with Buffy. Considering how poorly things have progressed and fallen apart with Angel, Buffy is likely wondering how things would’ve played out had she chosen him in “Prophecy Girl”. They are obviously close, and considering their genders, it makes sense that they might consider what it’d be like to have them get together.

Following Buffy’s recent heartbreak, it makes sense that Giles, who is still clueless in the way of teenage minds (bringing a flashlight and supplies to Lover’s Lane!) would be protective when Buffy confronts the condescending Kane (the actor would later play Sahjhan on “Angel”). Considering his own guilt over possible failures as a Watcher, he is putting Buffy’s best interests at heart.

Kane’s attitude is a toned down version of Angelus’: a guy who continually underwrites her achievements because of her gender. Such a character is a popular adversary for Buffy, and it’s fitting to bring one up shortly after Buffy’s been hurt so badly by another man. By standing up to him, it’s like a stepping stone for her to eventually confront Angelus. His other contribution to the episode is placing Oz in danger, since the monster of the week isn’t the main villain and Buffy can’t kill a human, even a werewolf.

“Phases” can be compared to the earlier “Surprise”/”Innocence” combo, in that they both show how two of the leading women deal with the reveal of a monstrous side of their respective boyfriends and how their understanding either brings them together or tears them apart. Unlike Buffy, Willow’s beau is easier to maintain: the werewolf is only there a few nights a month. While that may not be as exciting as Angelus going on a killing spree, there are hints of problems we’ll see later (besides that cheese ball line “A werewolf in love…”)

While previous episodes in between major stepping stones in the season have been filler, this episode takes some advantage by developing a new character, setting forth his motivations for the future. It also briefly touches upon the difficult concept for Buffy that she can’t save everyone, a fact that would explode in coming episodes.

Overall Score: 7/10

Monday, July 23, 2007

Lost: Season 3, Episode 15 Review: Left Behind

Left Behind

Original Airdate: April 4, 2007

Writer: Damon Lindelof and Elizabeth Sarnoff
Director: Karen Gaviola

With this episode, they are quickly approaching the end of the middle section of the season, and this episode sets up the end of this phase. It wouldn’t be fully resolved until the following episode, with the one after that setting up the stage for the resolution. The end of this middle phase of the season feels anti-climactic. For all the trouble the rescue party go through to get Jack back, the end result is The Others just leave all of them behind and disappear. Not to mention the lack of Rousseau, who was always a possible avenue for complication to the mission.

Much like the last phase, Kate gets the focus of one of the latter episodes. One problem with Kate’s story is that it revolves too heavily around the men in her life rather than her own issues that lead her to kill her father. It’s clear even when they aren’t around, as Jack is a major piece of conversation between Juliet and Kate in this episode. This makes her the weakest developed character of the prominent leads and often those focused on her tend to be weaker as well.

The story has some strong parallels though: Kate bonds with another woman who helps her achieve some goal, despite the other woman’s reservations over why Kate wants to succeed. Cassidy helped Kate maneuver around the security the Marshal set up to speak with her mother, while Juliet and Kate survive a night in the jungle with the Monster. Both Cassidy and Juliet are confused about Kate’s motivations, and so is the audience. Kate’s mom disowned her for what she did, and Jack explicitly told her not to come back.

This resilience/stubbornness in Kate is similar to Jack’s obsession with saving people, but it hasn’t been fleshed out the way they have with Jack. In both past and present, her resolve gets her in trouble. Killing her father was so heinous and extreme that her mother accused her of doing it more for herself (an accusation that is true to a degree). Currently her journey to the Barracks indirectly sabotaged Jack’s getting off the island because Locke tagged along. She’s going to do what she wants and there is a lot that can be done in that area but it is never clear why.

While it may not be much, it’s an interesting coincidence that Kate was the one to convince Cassidy to throw Sawyer in prison. Such a correlation reinforces the notion that they were meant to be on this island and their actions were responsible for bringing other people to the island as well. Had Sawyer not gone to prison, he may not have ended up on the flight.

Fans still waiting for a pay off to the “dad in a box” revelation in “The Man from Tallahassee” must’ve been disappointed not to see any follow up again, but it at least we’re seeing how seeing his father again on the island affected Locke. He hasn’t assimilated with them, but as I’ve suspected earlier, he’s latching on to The Others in hopes of learning whatever they know regarding the island and its power. The bandage on his hand is also another “Lost” worthy piece of speculation

They teased the Monster briefly in the last episode with the dot matrix printer sound before Nikki was bitten. This episode has some additional insight. It can’t pass through the sonic fence without being blasted, which doesn’t kill it, but stuns it so it’ll fly away. Some may complain that there is a plot hole in that the Monster can float, but we’ve only seen it a few feet above the ground, not 10-15 feet to clear the pylons. One questions I’m dying to know, where do the trees the Monster up roots go?

Seeing the Monster emerge towards the fence in three different directions was also interesting, adding credibility to the “The Monster is Cerberus”, Cerberus being the mythological three headed dog, theory that’s been around since “Lockdown”. Why the Monster split up like that is up for discussion. Each separate cloud may play a unique role in its operations and could function on its own, but requires to be together to work at peak capacity.

There is also the subject of what The Monster did when it faced Kate and Juliet through that little tree enclosure. The flashes of light recall what Locke’s description of the Monster in “The Cost of Living”. It fluctuated between darkness and light during the stare off, which could mean that Juliet and Kate have significantly different personalities. Producers have said that the flashes were the monster taking pictures of Juliet. As the Monster confronted Eko in “The 23rd Psalm”, we saw flashes of images of Eko’s life in the cloud. Perhaps the light the Monster projected on Juliet was a similar deal, but required the light to get the information from her.

The Others may not have knowledge or at least direct control of the Monster. Neither is whether the Monster was Dharma made or already there when the Initiative set up shop. However, it’s possible that The Others know more than Juliet is letting on, and released it to create a perilous situation where she could bond with Kate. The Others, including Juliet, are very good at deceiving people, as seen when Juliet stood in fear tricking Kate to believe that the Monster was something she wasn’t familiar with.

Assuming The Others did in fact cast Juliet out, they had to have been aware of what a liability she would be to them. Juliet did kill one of their own, and was branded as a result. She was going to leave the island, but Locke stopped that. What does Ben or even Jacob want to do with her now and how can they figure she’s still loyal to their operation? Perhaps dumping her in the jungle was supposed to leave her as fodder for The Monster and have it take care of her.

Although I’m inclined to believe Juliet is on the level with the castaways, she is clearly no pushover. She has the upper hand both during her trek in the jungle with Kate and when she lays Kate down after she tries to attack her. Where does a fertility doctor learn those moves? And how did she dislocate her shoulder three times before this episode?

The highlights of this episode are the tense confrontations between the two women in the jungle. It recalls prison movies (and maybe a few dirty thoughts) where the mismatched pair somehow get along. Juliet had to figure a way to get enough good will on her side to allow her to go to their camp, and cuffing herself to Sayid could’ve resulted in him ripping her arm off rather than dislocating it (which seems to have healed completely at the end of the episode).


Sayid’s suspicions about bringing Juliet should be taken seriously. If there is any true consistency on this island, it’s that Sayid is incredibly talented when it comes to reading people, although his vendetta against The Others could be clouding that judgment. Clearly she isn’t going to assimilate into the main group like the tailies or Desmond: she’ll have to answer a lot of questions, and given that this is “Lost”, that could be difficult.

Some wondered why the freed captives wouldn’t just gather the castaways and move them to The Barracks as their new residence. It’s a valid point: these houses are certainly more comfortable than the beach and the perimeter could protect them from The Monster. However, I wouldn’t necessarily be so sure that they would just leave their houses forever. There’s no guarantee they couldn’t come back and ambush the castaways. Since they’re making us believe this is permanent, where are they going and why do they have to leave The Barracks so suddenly?

Hurley’s leadership role in the castaways’ camp has been increasing as the season’s progressed and this episode gets to show his influence on others as an influential advisor. Considering that Sawyer needed the boost in popularity following his bumbling in the last episode and possibly out of fear of what would happen if a banishment vote were to happen, Hurley takes it upon himself to get the de facto leader to step up in his behavior. While Sawyer thinks it’s the worst con ever, it does well for him, as his difficulty playing nice shows a newfound genuine nature to the conman.


While this episode was a bit of a disappointment, it is only the second of two episodes from the spring season that ranked average or below. Considering how high the bar is set for “Lost” this season, it’s easy to be overly critical. However, there isn’t much bad going for it to warrant such a thrashing.

Overall Score: 7/10

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 2, Episode 14 Review: Innocence

Innocence

Original Airdate: January 20, 1998

Writer: Joss Whedon

Director: Joss Whedon

As “Buffy” was designed to be a feminist response to the blonde girl who always got slaughtered because she had sex in horror films, Joss Whedon had to be very careful to show the ramifications of Buffy’s first time without placing her in a role they wanted to avoid. They pull it off, due in part to having Buffy’s pain be psychological rather than physical and the rest of the cast stepping up their game for the darker material. This episode exposes a new depth to the series and the characters and is largely responsible for setting the mold for what was to come.

Having Buffy and Angel together is all well and good, but as mentioned in the previous review, the “Sam & Diane” factor often makes for uninteresting drama. Their relationship has always had a star-crossed quality to it. He’s a vampire. She’s the slayer. How could it work? The solution to keep them apart once they had no other option but to consummate the relationship is brilliant, and becomes a key piece of their storyline as well as Angel’s character, which will continue to be developed through his spin-off.

One moment of “true happiness”, presumably his orgasm with Buffy, whom he loved, turned him back to his old self. Of course, it would make sense for the gypsies to tell Angel this, since the guilt over what he has done would make him do everything possible to avoid unleashing that terror on the world again and by doing so, suffer for it. However, the gypsies’ code of vengeance isn’t logical, and they must’ve assumed he would be miserable forever and dwell in his demonic sins. Obviously something intervened to make Angel a changed man that the gypsies failed to acknowledge when it was cast. Enyos, and presumably those who cast in a century earlier, knew there was a way to reverse the curse, but proper boundaries were never placed.

A reasonable question brought from the return of Angelus would be why he doesn’t kill Buffy outright. As it is explained, Angelus is dramatic in his murderous work. He took pleasure in destroying Drusilla’s life and making her insane before turning her into a vampire, so it would make sense that he would make a production out of destroying what once made him feel human instead of killing Buffy as if she were just another victim.

Whedon boiled down the concept of these episodes to “I sleep with my boyfriend and now he won’t call me.” Unfortunately a lot of guys take advantage of women, sleep with them, and then treat them like trash or just another conquest the next day. Angelus is the ultimate example of the jerk ex-lover who takes that moment of vulnerability and exploits it to inflict the maximum amount of pain. He is excessively cruel, reducing his night with Buffy into a triviality and exposing it to everyone in hopes of humiliating her. There had to have been a lot of anticipation for Angelus showing up considering how he’s been built up in the past, and David Boreanaz makes it worthwhile (although some of his delivery in this episode is overdone).

It’s worth revisiting Buffy’s exchanges with Kendra from “What’s My Line, Part 2”, where they argue whether a slayer should be detached or connected to others. While the slayer is supposed to be isolated as a key to her strength, Buffy has forged tight bonds with her friends, mother and Angel. In an interesting juxtaposition, her bond with Angel causes her heartbreak, but her friends provide her with the strength to save the day.

With the idea that Angel’s soul may never be restored, Buffy has to prepare to kill him and unfortunately her personal ties to Angel kept her from doing it in this episode. Had Kendra been involved, she wouldn’t have had an issue doing it. These connections Buffy has with other characters become crucial pieces of the season and series, making this episode the fitting starting point of that theme.

Of her friends, it makes sense that Willow is the only one who can truly empathize with what Buffy’s going through. Buffy is living the dream romance that Willow had wanted for herself. With her recent discovery of Xander and Cordelia, the heartbreak is as real as Buffy’s, albeit not as intense.

Willow finding Xander and Cordelia making out makes up for all the instances where it was obvious that they were together but Willow somehow dismissed it. I’m not sure they could’ve pulled off a scene like this earlier in the series. Willow telling Xander that he would rather be “with someone [he] hate[s], than be with [her]” is simply gut wrenching, and before they can recover from that, Willow is in the middle of a three way stand-off with Angelus.

At first, Giles remains characteristically the clueless father figure, oblivious to the fact that his slayer is growing up. Ultimately he shows his unyielding support of her, even giving Jenny the cold shoulder. The best example of this is at the end when Giles drives Buffy back to her home after failing to kill Angelus. His sincerity is assuring in this time of crisis, and is another example of the maturing of the show.

In a nice call back, one that would be used in not enough future episodes, Xander uses his military prowess earned from his brief possession in “Halloween” to commandeer and teach Buffy to use a rocket launcher. It makes sense for them to use modern technology to blow The Judge apart since their research deadlocked them with the standard “no weapon forged”.

Jenny’s lack of disclosure to those she’s befriended leaves her in the dog house, where even Giles isn’t standing up for her. It certainly doesn’t help her case that she is inexperienced with the gypsy practices that are responsible for the curse and she’s completely useless to find a way to give Angel his soul back. This response must’ve been what they were foreshadowing in “The Dark Age”, but this pay off is far more interesting.

While The Judge was a MacGuffin of sorts in the previous episode, in this episode he serves a story device to tell Spike and Drusilla that Angelus has truly returned and he’s not merely playing along as a spy. Also, rendering him useless by the end of the episode explicitly shows that the “Big Bad” of the season isn’t him, but Angelus.

The Master from the first season was largely isolated from the rest of the cast until the finale (the dream in “Nightmares” doesn’t count). Now we see the new trend that will be used through the end where the “Big Bad” is an element that’s tangible to Buffy and her friends. It makes for better drama to have the heroes have a personal interest in the villains than simply preventing an apocalypse because ultimately these clashes serve to develop the characters.

In the “What’s My Line” episodes, they established Spike’s jealousy towards those who caught Drusilla’s attention, then a captured Angel. Now that Angelus has arrived, Drusilla’s flaky nature has her moving closer towards him, a reality that Spike clearly doesn’t like. This love triangle proves to be particularly powerful, as it sets up some major moments towards the end of the season and down the road.

Spike even can’t go with Dru and Angelus on their mission to destroy the people at the Sunnydale mall. One must wonder what was going through his head as he sat in a hidden corner of the factory when the gang arrived looking for them. It would probably be for the best, as Spike’s humanity, the most apparent of any no soul vampire, would make him a good target once The Judge came to full strength. The Judge called their human feelings in the previous episode, but it’s clear that Spike’s feelings for Drusilla are far stronger than vice versa.

Oz, as some fans reviled initially, wisely turns down Willow’s advances to make-out. By preferring to wait until Willow is ready for someone other than a rebound guy, it makes Oz far more endearing. TV fans can be a territorial bunch, especially when it comes to romances. Oz’s plan of patience is the best way to make nice with those wary of a new guy coming in to Willow’s life, and it feels very natural.

This is the most important episode of the series to date and as creator Joss Whedon has argued, possibly the most important episode they’ve ever done. This episode finds a new maturity to the show, as some relationships are left in shambles, while others grow closer. It is the beginning of “Buffy” as we know it.

Overall Score: 10/10

Tuesday, July 17, 2007

Lost: Season 3, Episode 14 Review: Expose

Exposé
Original Airdate: March 28, 2007
Writers: Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz
Director: Stephen Williams

Nikki and Paolo have been criticized by viewers from the second they were introduced in “Further Instructions”. They were hardly intriguing like other characters introduced midstream have been (Desmond, Ben, Juliet, Eko), nor was their introduction as fluid as those examples. However, critics of the first part of the season were likely just looking for something to complain about, and these new characters were easy targets. They may have had a dozen or so lines and not much more in way of screen time. There was too little coverage of them to warrant an opinion. Kiele Sanchez is hot (check baby check baby one two three four), so I was willing to see where they were going before criticizing them the way many viewers had. Unfortunately, the rampant public outcry over these two caused the producers to cut most of their storyline. According to interviews, one episode was to be built around Nikki’s show-within-a-show “Exposé”, a “Charlie’s Angels” type show that has been mentioned in previous episodes (a billboard in “Flashes Before Your Eyes”, Locke watched it in the last episode) that starred Billy Dee Williams, but they got booed off the stage before they could enact their long term plan.

This episode was likely to draw some controversy. It was the most polarizing episode of the season; some liked the episode showing us another perspective on the island, others thought it was a waste of time to develop these two so much only to kill them off in the end of the episode. Some wanted immediate answers to the “Dad in a box” reveal at the end of the last episode, but they should know by now that that isn’t how the show operates. The episode was the writers trying to make nice to those critics so they could move on with the season.

One thing many people criticized this episode about was the fact that Nikki and Paolo seemed to uncover a lot of stuff, but never mentioned it to anyone else, such as The Pearl Station, Eko’s plane or Paolo’s encounter with The Others. What they don’t seem to acknowledge is that neither Paolo nor Nikki care about any of those things. This was clear in the flashback of the day of the crash. Nikki, running amongst the survivors and all that chaos, can only think of the diamonds.

It could’ve been more compelling if the contents of the bag never been revealed. It doesn’t matter what was in them, just how badly Nikki and Paolo wanted to retrieve them. The lack of initial reveal seems to indicate that this is where they were going with the story, but ultimately they recanted.

There are a few winks to fans and critics of the show; Sawyer having no idea who Nikki is (although you’d think he’d try to put the moves on her at some point), the lack of acknowledgement for off island events like Thanksgiving and theories about the monster. This episode is probably the closest “Lost” will get to a self-contained episode, which is also a reference to “Lost” losing in its timeslot against the crime of the week show “Criminal Minds” in the fall.

They also talk about the tenacity of fans to refuse to call a character dead, with the “Nothing stays buried on this island line” (clearly a reference to The Swan) and Zuckerman’s assertion that they could contrive a way for Nikki’s character to survive several gunshots with her only protection being a coat and a bikini. Some thought the ending allowed some leeway for the buried thieves to find their way above ground again, but if Nikki’s “Exposé” counterpart is any indicator, the writers don’t want us hanging on to that idea.

The episode saluted, in a way, the red shirts on the island as well. Many of the characters who never got the screen time our main guys have and served more to advance the leads’ character arcs rather than having one of their own (Boone, Shannon, Arzt, etc.) It would’ve been nice to see something from the Scott/Steve duo, or especially something from Libby, who could’ve been featured in this episode.

If this episode did anything, it confirmed my belief that Arzt was killed off way too early. He’s the anti-Hurley: a schlub who is constantly high strung and bitter. Also, it’s too bad we’ve never seen Arzt’s lab before, since it was rather intriguing. No surprise that there are a bunch of new species on this island, but how did Arzt find out that the Medusa spider could paralyze someone for eight hours? Did he find an unwilling participant to experiment on?

With Nikki and Paolo lying (seemingly) dead in front of him, The Others considered suspect of the crime and Desmond’s prophesy fresh in his mind, it makes sense that Charlie would want to make amends for attacking Sun. Knowing Charlie’s upbringing, confession is the proper way to resolve his guilt over the issue. Of course Sun isn’t going to be too forgiving, but when Charlie mentions Sawyer, it turns the expected chain of events into a more interesting direction.

The lack of the leadership is given some time, with Sawyer being the only one around when two people are found presumably deceased with no explanation and the castaways don’t find out why even by the end of the episode. It also doesn’t help when the leader was seen fighting with one of the victims hours before she collapsed. This is an effective example of the flaws under Sawyer’s leadership and possibly hints at larger problems if Sawyer doesn’t step up or the leaders return to camp.

Nikki and Paolo’s death, buried alive, is unusually cold for the show, but it works. “You wanted them dead, we’ll do it in the cruelest way we can think of” must’ve been the writers’ mindset. It also works within the theme of redemption on “Lost”: those who don’t atone for their sins will pay for them. Nikki let greed lead to her ruin and Paolo failed to realize that Nikki was nothing but bad news. In a “Twilight Zone”-esque twist, they get what they want; Nikki gets her diamonds and Paolo gets to be with Nikki forever.

While some didn’t like this episode at all, it was a nice episode for the fans. It finally gave us reason to care for Nikki and Paolo and made the short sighted critics feel a little guilty by killing them off. What this episode has to do with the big picture probably isn’t much, but it’s still solid with a good one-off mystery.

Overall Score: 8/10

Friday, July 13, 2007

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 2, Episode 13 Review: Surprise

Surprise
Original Airdate: January 19, 1998
Writer: Marti Noxon
Director: Michael Lange

This two parter comes at a pivotal point in the series’. For a superficial if not irrelevant reason today, this was the last time “Buffy” would air on Mondays, so it had to pack a punch to get the viewers to move to another night. However, the more substantial reason is the growing pains Buffy goes through, as she loses her virginity to Angel and deals with the aftermath. The show could’ve continued to have Buffy simply fight monsters of the week and nothing else, but that could eventually devolve into a series that would be better fitted among lame Saturday morning cartoons, and “Buffy” had ambitions for more. Frequently this episode and “Innocence” are cited as the “mission statement” of the show, and it’s easy to see why: this is the beginning of “Buffy” as we know it.

The growing intensity of Angel and Buffy’s feelings was designed to set us up for the major fall in the second half of the story. As all relationships go, this one has reached a critical mass: something has to happen to these characters and both Buffy and Angel are aware of it. Of course, the impending doom always hanging over their heads has to move things along, as The Judge does in this episode. They could possibly never have a “next time” to have that happiness true love affords. Nonetheless, Joyce’s cryptic “Do you really think you’re ready” in Buffy’s dream adds an air of doubt that she can handle this new complexity in her relationship. Some teens in relationships feel this way, and the translation into supernatural allegory works extremely well.

Those who know character arcs involving romance can attest to the fact that having the long simmering romance consummated often blows the years of anticipation. Sam & Diane on “Cheers” is one of the more frequently cited occurrences. This placed the writers in a difficult position: how were they going to address this pressing issue while maintaining the compelling drama. Angel’s agony at the end of the episode dashes any hopes of this being the start of a new, happy level in their relationship, but rather gives us something far more interesting.

Another couple on the alternate side, as a non-couple, is Xander and Willow, branching off into separate relationships with their feelings left unaddressed. Xander is still trying to get Cordelia to admit openly that they are an item. Their relationship is based solely on lust rather than genuine interest in each other, which is easy to understand considering who we’re dealing with (if I had a girl who looked like Cordelia pining over me in high school, I’d throw my intuition out the window too!) Meanwhile, Willow is still yearning for her best friend. Buffy is right when suggesting that Willow has to stop waiting for him to realize who he has under his nose and move on, especially with a new guy who has a good report with her. The introduction of Oz and the hints of their upcoming relationship may have upset some Willow/Xander shippers, but in retrospect, their love was the tight bond of friendship rather than a romantic one. Regardless, these two relationships are heading to major crossroads as well.

Oz’s connection to the group is cemented when he witnesses Buffy staking a vampire at The Bronze (which apparently rents out to private parties of a handful of people). His reaction is interesting, as he had some suspicion. Giles has said in the first episode that many rationalize away whatever supernatural thing they come in contact with, but Oz didn’t. He felt something wasn’t right, but his level head and common sense prevented him from considering that monsters were real.

As Oz becomes more a part of the gang, Jenny’s past threatens her status, like Giles’ did in “The Dark Age”. This episode reveals Jenny’s secret, that she is a part of a gypsy family that had one of its revered daughters murdered by Angel when he was Angelus. Despite his recent heroism, Jenny’s uncle charges her to keep Angel miserable to uphold the curse the gypsies placed upon him. It does explain her sudden arrival in Sunnydale after the events of “Angel”, as the gypsy mother must’ve sensed that Buffy and Angel’s relationship became more serious.

However, Jenny’s resolve has wavered as she has grown attached to members of the gang and as Angel saved her life. It’s never said what Jenny was planning to do to keep them separate, which makes her bringing Buffy to the place where a bunch of vampires are stealing a piece of The Judge a bit sinister. That is rather silly to believe that she would conspire with vampires, but that interpretation will later prove to be divisive with her and the rest of the group. Had she been more open to the group, the tragedy would’ve likely been avoided, but where’s the fun in that?

While fans have known since the epilogue of “What’s My Line, Part Two” that Spike and Dru survived, the gang doesn’t discover this information until this episode. Their absence could be explained simply as them laying low and collecting pieces of The Judge to serve as the usher of Spike and Dru’s reign of terror. Spike’s limited mobility also keeps him from action he’s used to or likes. However, he is still doting over Drusilla, making sure her coming out party is as glorious as she wants it to be.

Buffy’s apparent ability to see the future through her dreams illuminates some of this. It is through this that she first gets the impression that Drusilla is still alive. As for the dream itself, it’s hard to interpret completely, since some elements were thrown in because it’s a dream sequence and they are by nature weird (hence Willow and the monkey, a reference to their conversation in “What’s My Line, Part Two”). Joyce’s appearance dropping the dish validates this source of information when Joyce does that in reality. This makes the threat on Angel very real for Buffy, which only pulls them closer together.

The Judge is the MacGuffin of the episode, but he is a rather impressive one. At full strength he could kill someone by looking at them! Even shortly after his assembly can he incinerate poor Dalton. But his formidability and lethal nature ultimately serve to drive Angel and Buffy together more than even a Spike and Dru confrontation. It could be, considering the commentary for “Reptile Boy”, that that monster was meant to be the figure in this episode.

This episode is another piece that is critical to the development in the series, more than the “What’s My Line?” episodes. Buffy is growing up with this major life changing event, and the writers have clearly raised the stakes of the series with it. Things will never be the same for the show and its characters, and it makes for some great drama.

Overall Score: 9/10

Saturday, July 07, 2007

Lost: Season 3, Episode 13 Review: The Man From Tallahasee

The Man From Tallahassee
Original Airdate: March 14, 2007
Writers: Drew Goddard and Jeff Pinkner
Director: Jack Bender

One of the series’ defining moments came towards the end of “Walkabout”, where we discovered that Locke had been confined to a wheelchair before the crash and was unexplainably healed upon his arrival to the island. The explanation for his paralysis has been highly anticipated, speculated and predicted to be answered in each subsequent Locke episode, with the writers teasing us with moments like Locke getting hit by a car in “Deus Ex Machina” and his interview with the disability screener in this one. Waiting until the sixth flashback may seem long, especially for those who have been criticizing the direction “Lost” has taken lately. However, this slow burn proved highly effective, as it gave the incident more meaning than if they just introduced Locke’s bad father, have him wreck Locke’s life and try to kill Locke all in one episode. It also ties in to the island’s ability to heal, which is important as Ben struggles in recovery.

The writers had a daunting task at hand: knowing that Locke winds up paralyzed, how do they concoct a dramatically satisfying explanation. As mentioned before, the previous episodes setting up Locke’s relationship with his father added to the impact (so to speak) of Cooper pushing Locke out a window. We knew it was going to happen, but it still caught some off guard. All Locke wanted out of Cooper was a father figure he lacked growing up, and unfortunately felt his biological father, a self admitted con man with no redeemable qualities, was the only route to go. Because of his openness, Cooper swindled a kidney out of Locke and ruined the only good relationship he ever had, leaving Locke a broken man. Even afterwards on the commune, Locke was still drawn to someone who ultimately betrayed him.

Despite all the things Locke has been through, there is still a sense of hope in him that eventually things will end the way he wants. Ever since “Walkabout” one of the key phrases of his is “Don’t tell me what I can’t do,” which is echoed in the heartbreaking scene when the insensitive nurse carries Locke into his new wheelchair. When faced with massive opposition to the things he wants to do, it frustrates Locke, and we’ve seen that when he’s sabotaged the ways of getting off the island.

With his arrival on the island, Locke felt it was in part a new start away from his father, where he could learn and become the great man he’s always thought he would become. However, this comes into conflict with Ben, another person who is deeply invested in the island and its power, who feels that it is important that Locke confront his father to achieve that growth and development. While Locke disagrees strongly with Ben’s ability to come and go from the island and live comfortably in the barracks with electricity and chicken in the refrigerator, Ben has the power to act on his desire (Locke can’t blow up everything yet).

It’s hard to believe that this is the first time Locke and Ben have been in a scene together since the end of last season (Locke’s vision doesn’t count). Some of the best moments of the latter half of the second season were the mind games Ben played on Locke, causing him to ultimately lose his faith and allow The Swan to be destroyed. This episode makes up for that lost time. Seeing Emerson and O’Quinn, two actors at the top of their game, playing characters constantly trying to manipulate and outwit each other is a pleasure to behold. Good portions of the episode are dedicated to the two of them alone talking, which usually never happens on TV.

Although Ben’s honesty is always in question, he seems genuinely interested in Locke’s condition, a sharp contrast from their previous encounters, where Ben was constantly undermining Locke’s confidence. This offers an explanation for why Ben acted the way he did: he was cruel to Locke out of jealousy because the island blessed Locke with restored legs and denied him a full recovery from his cancer. With Ben “in a wheelchair, and [Locke] not”, Ben is the one in awe, and Locke is callously dismissing all of it.

After teasing the subject for a few episodes, this episode delves directly into a major question surrounding Ben: why is he so slow to heal from his surgery and how did he get cancer on this island known for its healing properties? Producers have said that the healing factor on the island is directly proportional to the personality of the afflicted person, as is the case with Locke, Rose and possibly Jin. This says a lot about Ben, possibly his illness and complications are due to his attitude. Perhaps his “cheating” as Locke describes it cancels out the healing effects of the island.

Ben is aware of his status within The Others. His fragile state has already gotten some fragmentation within the group, as Juliet and Alex have started to splinter. The threat of Juliet and Jack leaving the island, as well as Locke destroying the submarine, also stand to undermine his power. He ultimately had to make a choice of which will affect his status the least. So he went after Locke, who he manipulated so well in the past and who he has a vested interest. Although there was a snag when he realized that Locke wouldn’t be bothered by whose plan it was to destroy the submarine. He had another card to play: Cooper. With The Others able to pluck Cooper and bring him there, Locke no longer has the luxury of running away from this problem. Now it seems that The Others want him to confront his father for some reason.

The biggest theory as to why Locke wants to stay on the island is the fear that leaving the island would negate his restored mobility. This was explored before with Rose’s cancer in “S.O.S.” It is in Locke’s character to want to keep everyone on the island. Back in “The Moth” he knocked Sayid unconscious to keep them from finding the radio tower. In the past few episodes he’s destroyed the communication station and now the submarine, the only equipment that could take someone to the main land.

At the end of “Par Avion”, Jack’s allegiances were questionable. There are signs that he may have switched teams, as he is getting along with The Others and even shaking Ben’s hand. Considering how we didn’t see Jack for almost three episodes, a lot could’ve happened and it’s hard to gauge his motivations. Some of his behavior could indicate turning, like telling Kate to answer Pryce’s questioning. However, it seems more likely that Jack has only been acting this way because it will ultimately help him. Ben promised him a way off the island so long as he operated on him and watched over his recovery.

Jack even indicates that he knows that she slept with Sawyer, but that it doesn’t bother him. His selflessness that allowed himself to be placed at The Others’ mercy while she and Sawyer escaped is still there. Also his rescue to the main land isn’t going to make him forget about every one else, which would be his major motivation had the sub remained in tact.

Everything is shot down when Locke blows up the submarine. Obviously Jack must be regretting his getting Ben to agree to release his friends after they had left, as if he could trust Ben to do that without Jack seeing it. Now we have every major leader of the castaways besides Sawyer in The Others camp with not much in the way of outside help. It also reignites the feud between Jack and Locke that hasn’t been an issue since late last season.

Rousseau remains an x-factor in this mission. Like Locke, she is on her own mission, to get back her daughter, but as indicated earlier, Rousseau isn’t about to run out of the jungle and embrace her daughter. As she has learned through years in the jungle, time is crucial to their reunion. Ironically, Sayid set the gears in motion by telling her that The Others lied to her about her mother. Nonetheless, the moment where Rousseau sees her daughter for the first time in 16 years, knowing in her heart who she is, is very powerful.

Alex is on shaky ground with The Others, and Sayid pushes that further by remarking about how much she resembles her mother. Alex apparently believed that Ben was her real father and her mother died years earlier. The Others have been starting to splinter and now the castaways captured are picking at those chinks in the armor the way Ben did while captured in The Swan.

This is the high point of season three so far and one of the best episodes of the series. Some long awaited answers are given and are actually worth the wait, along with some great twists for the rest of the season. Meanwhile the centerpiece of the episode is a masterful battle between two great actors with some great material (just seeing Terry O’Quinn’s face when he sees his dad is Emmy worthy). If critics of the early part of this season weren’t satisfied, perhaps they should just find another show to watch.

Overall Score: 10/10