Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 2, Episode 19 Review: I Only Have Eyes for You

I Only Have Eyes for You
Original Airdate: April 28, 1998
Writer: Marti Noxon
Director: James Whitmore, Jr.

The remainder of the season before the inevitable showdown would have to deal with Buffy’s guilt over accidentally reviving Angelus and Jenny’s murder by his hand. They attempted to tackle this feeling of helplessness in the previous episode, but the elements failed to gel largely due to introducing an unnecessary element to Buffy’s character. This episode tries again and succeeds leagues beyond its predecessor because it touches upon many elements of the series and the relationship between Angel and Buffy.

With the darkness surrounding Angelus following Jenny’s demise, it’s almost easy to forget that once his good counterpart was in love with Buffy. This episode serves to remind us, if only to intensify the tragedy in time for the finale. Both Gellar and Boreanaz turn in great performances when the lovers possess them that in the end the harsh reality becomes harder to accept. It was this episode that proved to Joss Whedon that David Boreanaz could carry his own show, the “Angel” spin-off.

Buffy’s guilt is apparent from the opening, as she can’t even engage with the harmless young man who flirts with her at The Bronze. Obviously, it would be a bad choice for her to get involve with someone else so soon after things fell apart, but it shows how badly her choices have affected her life and how extreme they are. She should be out enjoying herself, but can’t. Her slaying affecting her life has been boiling for some time, and now it is close to critical mass.

She finds an outlet to unleash her frustration in the story of fellow star crossed lovers James and Grace, a student-teacher relationship that ended in an accidental murder/suicide. Throughout the episode, she empathizes with Grace, as James’ actions could be compared on a superficial level to Angelus’. She uses the anger she’s had towards Angelus against James, which inhibits her judgment, explaining why she is far more extreme in her attitude than anyone else in the gang during their investigation.

Buffy’s staunch condemnation of James for his actions shows her reluctance to forgive herself for her own. Cordelia nails it after Buffy aggressively argues that James is a monster who must be punished for his actions, using words that could easily be applied to her. By proxy, Buffy would feel that she is a monster herself, and it isn’t until James possesses her that she realizes that, and such a revelation wouldn’t be easy to swallow. Her almost suicide under possession mirrors her self-destructive attitudes. It’s similar to her own conflict over seeing Angel as the man she loves or Angelus her arch enemy.

The twist, where the gender roles are reversed when Buffy and Angelus are possessed, is highly satisfying, and is one of the strengths of the episode. The original dialogue between James and Grace is deliberately vague enough to allow themes from Buffy’s life and her relationship with Angel to permeate: the desire for a normal life, the abrupt end of their love and her remorse over making it happen. It isn’t as forced as Der Kinderstod from the previous episode. The performances are also well done. It could’ve easily gone the other way and been unintentionally funny.

Like “The Dark Age”, Angelus’ undead status provides the perfect avenue to handle the supernatural phenomena. Being unharmed by the bullet and fall allowed Grace (inhabiting Angelus’ body) to tell James that what happened was an accident and that she forgives him. It’s possible that The Powers That Be (as they’d be known on “Angel”) orchestrated this to teach Buffy this very lesson. It would explain why this happened this year instead of every Sadie Hawkins’ Dance.

Giles experiences his own feelings of loss when he adamantly believes the spirit causing the mayhem is Jenny. His stubbornness rivals Buffy’s, even when none of the evidence validates his opinion. Only after James tries to pull Willow into the floor does he realize that she wouldn’t do anything like that. His disappointment is muted, but fitting as he had his major grieving in “Passion”, as well as the episode’s focus on Buffy and Angel’s relationship.

As things spiral out of control at Sunnydale High, Snyder’s role as principal is illuminated. The mayor (who is referenced for the first time in this episode) placed him there to handle damage control whenever the supernatural events happen. Since there was no evidence to the contrary, it can be assumed that the mayor reference in this episode was meant to foreshadow future episodes when he would be a major player. In a town filled with evil, it’s logical that the mayor is someone whose mere mention can scare someone to obey.

Another character turning point comes when Willow looks through Jenny’s old things as part of her substitution. Despite Angelus destroying Jenny’s computer in “Passion”, she obviously backed up her information elsewhere (this is a possible explanation for that plot hole). Since she was last looking for a magical way to restore Angel’s soul, there are a lot of magic documents, which will ultimately prove a fateful find for Willow.

The other big twist occurs when Spike emerges from his wheelchair, restored to his original health. With Angelus tormenting Spike with Dru for the past few months, it’s not a surprise he would keep his recovery secret. Now that Angelus reeling after feeling like a human again, he finally gets some payback. It is telling where his character is heading as the finale looms, and is also welcome, since impotent Spike is nowhere near as fun as the Spike we saw in the first half of the season.

Of the episodes between “Passion” and “Becoming”, this is the one worth keeping. One could skip the other two and not miss much, but “I Only Have Eyes For You” is a worthy entry, reinforcing many of the themes of the season and making this tragic romance harder to watch.

Overall Score: 9/10