Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 3, Episode 4 Review: Beauty and the Beasts

Beauty and the Beasts
Original Airdate: October 20, 1998
Writer: Marti Noxon
Director: James Whitmore Jr.

Angel’s return from hell becomes an opportunity to focus on the darker side of masculinity, with three “beasts” at center stage. Angel is acting like a wild dog from centuries in hell. As “Phases” introduced, the usually calm and collected Oz has to deal with being a werewolf (which has moved away from a canine appearance) driven by primal urges. Finally the MOTW Pete has been experimenting on himself to become some hyper masculine animal to control his girlfriend and eliminate anyone who may raise his jealousy.

Despite the multi-layered theme, it might’ve been better just to focus on Angel, whose return negates all the progress Buffy appeared to have made in the last episode. She was ready to let go of Angel, but how does that play out when she learns he’s back? It was played out over a few episodes, but perhaps a closer emphasis on Buffy’s dilemma rather than Pete and Debbie in this episode would’ve been worthwhile.

The big problem comes from the Jekyll and Hyde allegory for domestic violence. Episodes that so explicitly tackle an issue like this one don’t end up on the top of any “best of” lists. Pete and Debbie’s story fails because they were introduced in this episode and have little development that would set them apart from a Lifetime movie or “very special” episode. They’re Scott’s best friends, but we just met him in the last episode. Ultimately the couple is dead and it hardly registers. Abuse in teenage relationships was far better played when it was the emotional abuse Angelus unleashed on Buffy in “Innocence” and throughout the latter season two episodes. They would have better luck at a similar plot on “Angel” a few years later, which was a better fit.

In “Anne”, it was established that time passes differently in other dimensions. To make things even worse for Angel, his time in hell amounted to centuries rather than a few months, leaving him with extreme PTSD. This only intensifies Buffy’s guilt. Through the first three episodes, she’s haunted by what she had to do: send her love to hell so the world wouldn’t get sucked into it. Now she knows Angel was stuck in hell for centuries enduring torture that would drive most people insane.

Buffy manages to find some help with Mr. Platt, who apparently lives in an alternate reality where guidance counselors can smoke freely in a 90s public school (ultimately that was only a device for Buffy to realize he had been mauled). Unfortunately they never had the time to develop any school staff besides Giles and Jenny as support for her, but that might’ve been a result of not enough time, so Platt quickly is dispatched. Getting rid of him just as Buffy reveals her feelings serves to keep her silent to her friends.

Although it’s not a great idea, Buffy decides to keep Angel’s return secret, initially chaining him in the mansion and presumably leaving him there after he escaped and saved her from Pete. Considering the distances she’s placed between herself and her friends last season, it would make sense that she’d keep a secret. She did make a big step in the last episode by filling in the blanks of what happened to Acathla, but that was with her assumption that she’d never see him again.

Oz gets left out of most of the action. “Phases”, the first episode dealing with Oz’s other side, was done just as Willow and Oz started to date. While it was hardly a knockout, the episode was an important step in that relationship. Perhaps it is fitting as he is the weakest threat of the three since he only manifests three nights a month and, like Angel, can’t harm anyone while roaming freely during the day. He is also easily contained in Giles’ book cage, whereas Pete ripped the door off and Angel managed to break free of the harness he was held in.

Faith hints more at her troubled background, expressing a deep cynicism towards men and their motivations. Her introduction mentioned her mother had died. It could be assumed she was left with a father or step-father who wasn’t a great guy or at least exposed to a lot of guys with similar motives, explaining her attitude towards men. It has never been explicitly said what happened to Faith growing up on the show, so that remains the topic of speculation, fan fiction and alternate media tie-ins.

Like many early in the season episodes, this one is a forgettable entry. The issue, while an important one to discuss when talking about teenage life, doesn’t get the coverage to warrant it above soapy melodrama. Had Pete and Debbie been removed or better detailed, it could’ve been a better episode.

Overall Score: 6/10

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 3, Episode 3 Review: Faith, Hope & Trick

Faith, Hope & Trick

Original Airdate: October 13, 1998
Writer: David Greenwalt
Director: James A. Contner

After a bumpy start to the season, which consisted mainly of throwing things back to where they were before “Becoming”, this episode effectively starts to introduce the major characters in the current season’s storyline. The first third of the show’s title, Faith, would be a major player for the rest of the season and later on “Angel”. They didn’t do much with Kendra as comparison to Buffy, but that’s likely because there wasn’t much story in it. Faith brings a lot to the table and this episode sets the foundation for what they would do with her.

Obviously the episode’s biggest contribution to the series is Faith, called after Kendra’s demise. Like Kendra, Faith serves as another possible avenue Buffy could’ve gone. Kendra was practically raised to be a slayer. Faith, however, came from a troubled background, which is hinted at throughout the episode. As identity is a major facet of this season, Faith is a “dark reflection” (as many have called it) of Buffy: what she would’ve been like had she not had her mother, Giles and friends.

Despite that, Faith is initially a hit with those close to Buffy (except for Cordelia). She is charismatic and outgoing, easily flirting with the guys (including Giles) and hanging out with Xander and Willow while they tour the school (a lot of call backs to past episodes). Xander’s attraction to Faith is obvious and believable as she is alluring and something dangerous compared to his other friends. Joyce likes her because she could possibly replace Buffy, allowing her daughter to have that normal life she desires (why no one said this between Kendra’s arrival and Angelus return is not clear).

While it is rooted in slight jealousy, Buffy’s concern that Faith likes slaying “a little too much” is warranted. As seen when Kakistos’ vamps attack the pair, Faith wails on one long after she would be declared the winner. Slaying is her way of dealing with deep rooted psychological problems and she’s placing that above her duty. Faith’s attitude is also rather cocky, believing that whomever she fights, she will win. She’s likely spent most of her life powerless, and this new calling is what she’s wanted her whole life. However, as this episode begins to show, this attitude is a defense mechanism. At her core she’s afraid. Following Kakistos’ slaughter of her Watcher, she bolted to Sunnydale in hopes that Buffy could do it for her. Like Buffy, she has to face something she’s been afraid to confront for some time and simply can’t do it.

Mr. Trick may have been seen as a potential big bad for the season, from the clear attempt to give him as many noteworthy lines as possible to the tradition of having vampires be the major villain. However, it’s clear this guy was more a follower, siding himself with the ancient, powerful Kakistos. More hints are made to the mayor, but nothing substantial is seen yet.

This episode’s major antagonist Kakistos, with his cloven hands and feet, recalls an early season one concept of old vampires appearing less human. Considering the centurion vampires who frequent the show, it’d be tough to guess when that’d happen, so the concept as a whole was jettisoned again after this episode, only brought back in one episode in the last season of “Angel”.

Scott Hope, the third of the eponymous characters, serves to give Buffy a shot at a relationship post-Angel. Scott’s pretty boring overall, but that’s something that isn’t a bad thing for a relationship, rather than a tragic romance that’s nothing but drama. Some of the things Scott does may cause concern, as he says he wants Buffy to be a part of his life. What 17-year-old, much less anybody, would say that to a crush?

Although Buffy reclaims the parts that made her life before she left, coming to terms with what happened isn’t as easy. Whenever someone, particularly Giles, inquires about what happened to Acathla, she explains as quickly and description free as possible. While some may question Giles’ tactics of lying to Buffy as a way to get her to face what happened, it’s not much different than parents lying to their children for what they perceive to be a greater good.

In the end, Buffy sees Faith’s attitude as a motivator to come clean about what happened, as well as move forward with a new relationship with a guy who is rather boring compared to the high tragedy of her last relationship. Of course, that is way too easy, so Angel is spit back from the hell dimension he was sent to in the finale.

Angel’s return is a point of controversy, one they tried to answer properly on his show a few years later. Considering he wasn’t removed from the man cast, it was unlikely that he’d be stuck doing fantasy/dream sequences for the whole season. While Buffy has said she killed him, technically that isn’t the case, as he didn’t dust like a traditional vamp. Rather, she sent him to the hell dimension Acathla planned to suck the world into last season. So resurrection discussion may not be worthwhile.

Some may think this negates Buffy’s impossible choice at the end of season two. That isn’t the case; complicating Buffy’s relationship with Scott is only the beginning. Since Angelus murdered Jenny, they can’t go back dating like nothing happened. Plus the “pure happiness” clause is still in effect. With Angel still around, he’ll have to deal with the consequences of his evil alter-ego, which also sets up his own show.

Willow’s excursions into magic make some developments as well. At the beginning of the episode she shows enthusiasm whenever spells are mentioned, but is insecure because she didn’t know the result of the restoration spell, believing it went bad because Buffy had to send Angel to hell. When Buffy reveals that she succeeded performing the spell, Willow simultaneously feels sorry for Buffy, but happy that she was able to perform a spell that no one alive has been able to successfully perform.

For Faith’s first episode, this episode does a good job of setting up her character, from her confident exterior to the troubled young girl inside. The parallels between her and Buffy are also well done. Scott Hope may be the dangling subplot of the episode, but it’s forgivable considering the set up we get for the other stories.

Overall Score: 8/10

Heroes: Season 2, Episode 11 Review: Powerless

Powerless
Original Airdate: December 3, 2007
Writer: Jeph Loeb
Director: Alan Arkush

This finale comes at a time of great conflict in the series. The writer’s strike made the staff retool these episodes so that the final completed script before the strike would give the audience some sense of closure. Considering there is no clear idea when “Heroes” will be able to resume production, this episode is also meant to serve as a season finale. Of course that has lead to some confusion among casual viewers of the show and those otherwise not following the strike. Regardless, this may be the last taste of “Heroes” fans will get until the strike is resolved.

The subplot affected most by the strike was the virus storyline. According to director Arkush, the original ending was the vial shattering before Peter could stop time. Nathan becomes infected, collapsing during his speech in the end. The build up to this moment, including the confrontation between Hiro, Nathan and Matt against Peter, is played out well, even though it is frustrating that Peter doesn’t read Adam’s mind when he has so many people questioning Adam’s intentions with the virus. It’s disappointing to know that the plotline originally was going to go a darker route had the strike not interfered. If something can shake up the show, it would be to give the bad guys a major victory and leave our heroes trying to salvage whatever they can.

As much as Adam’s death may avert future catastrophes, Hiro couldn’t kill him. Instead he decided to inter him alive near his parents’ gravesite, which wasn’t far off from my “Alias” inspired prediction, albeit a weird choice of burial location. Of course, considering he is still alive, his return to the show is always a possibility. It may be interesting to have him come back some time down the road, where being trapped in a small space and possibly dying repeatedly due to lack of oxygen drives him absolutely crazy and he goes on a rampage with some other supervillains.

This episode also seeks to bring Sylar back to power. His scenes with Mohinder were great to watch, particularly in the prologue where Maya was still clueless as to what Sylar’s true motivations were. Now that Maya is safe with Mohinder, one can hope her storyline will improve as well since it is no longer isolated from the rest of the action. Maybe Elle’s accidental heroic gesture will also play into their dynamic.

Obviously the confrontation between Mohinder and Sylar was meant to show Maya the truth, although I think Molly could’ve simply told her that Sylar brutally murdered her parents in addition to telling her what happened to Alejandro. It’s hard to write about Maya’s character as we’ve been given little reason to care about her. Hopefully now that she’s involved with the main characters (and hopefully won’t be doing the same storyline every episode) things with her may become interesting, but the court of public opinion may have already spoken for her.

Elle’s attempt to get on her father’s good side marks a turning point in her character. Bennet recently shattered the image she had of her father and in this episode details the cruel extremes Bob went to test how powerful she was. However, Elle doesn’t have much of a sense of self aside from getting the approval of her father. That changes when she tries to bag Sylar and gains the admiration of Mohinder, Maya and Molly. For once in her life she used her powers for, albeit unintentional, selfless reasons and she clearly liked being called a hero. It would be a smart bet to see her trying to continue that feeling.

One can hope that West will fade away and never be seen, heard or referred to again. He has been a misfire since day one, and only appeared not to be a raging sociopath in episode nine. By then, the damage was done, both for the character’s standing and Claire’s personal life. If they ever try romantic subplots again, this subplot should be held as exactly what not to do.

Bennet’s return to The Company is rather hard to believe. Neither side has any reason to trust the other. Bennet is only playing ball with The Company to keep Claire safe, and he has no assurance that The Company won’t dispose of him for what he did in season one. What they hope to get out this match up may be interesting, but hopefully won’t reset his character to season one. Ironically, Bennet being alive would’ve been enough to keep Claire quiet.

Nathan’s assassination comes as a mess of contrivance. While the writers wanted to get the message out that they were retooling the finale to fit the strike, this comes off as a rushed effort to get some sense of closure before the indefinite hiatus. Some people tore apart Nathan’s speech as being excessively cheesy, but the real problem with this is the montage during it. It would’ve helped if he had actually witnessed all the events in this. Since he’s talking about the things he’s experienced and how they changed his life, why show stuff that happened thousands of miles (or hundreds of years) from where he was?

Also, it’s never said, but did they bother to collect anything else in that safe after the virus was irradiated? It seems like that would be their smartest bet, as having hard evidence of The Company’s crimes in a safe place would make any assassination attempt moot, especially if they did the typical scene where they confront the bad guys and warn them if “so much as a hair gets touched” then their buddy will release it to the public.

Some suspect that Bennet was the gunman behind the hit, doing it to make up for his actions against The Company. While that has a lot of dramatic potential, especially where Claire is involve, it seems more likely that whoever shot Nathan had powers. How else could he have gotten close enough to Nathan in a crowded police station, pointed and fired a gun (not a long distance sniper rifle) and walked away without getting tackled like any other gunman has?

Ultimately, Peter has become powerful enough that he could override any obstacle the writers placed in front of him. He had at least 5 ways to get inside the safe and retrieve the virus, but instead chose the most time consuming and strength taking method. Then in the end he could’ve used several powers to detect Nathan’s assassin and stop it before it could happen. While Peter has never been portrayed as smart the longer he continues not to use the logical power in his arsenal, the stupider he becomes (at least he knew nuking the virus was the best way to destroy it). After a prolonged period of having powers, it would make sense that he would know which ones to use in whatever situation he found himself in. Giving him amnesia was the way to keep him in check for the first half of this volume, but what are they going to do now?

Sylar was in a similar predicament going into this season. Their method of dealing with Sylar’s threatening array of powers was to neuter him by afflicting him with the strain that inhibits powers, having him menace on a smaller scale. Now that he is back to his old self, added to the fact that the third volume is called “Villains”, one could only think that he will be a major force in the second half of the season, whenever that airs.

Unfortunately, the New Orleans storyline remains the odd plot out. Saving Monica is insignificant compared to the virus. For a character who can mimic martial arts and wrestling moves, to be the victim feels forced to give Niki and Micah something to do while Mohinder deals with Sylar. If only they had developed another major scenario in New Orleans, then maybe they could have a chance, but sadly it’s not meant to be. In the end, Niki is presumably blown up and we have little reason to care. Yes, Ali Larter is attractive, but the Sanders/Hawkins storyline should’ve been left behind when season one ended.

As the season stands, the average stands at just above 7. It’s not as bad as some have said, but it’s dead average. For a show that continually brought high octane popcorn entertainment last season, this is discouraging. I’ll go in depth into the faults of this volume and how it can be fixed in a future review, but one can only hope that the writers during the strike think long and hard about their errors and come back strong when the strike is resolved.

Overall Score: 7/10

Heroes: Season 2, Episode 10 Review: Truth & Consequences

Truth & Consequences
Original Airdate: November 26, 2007
Writer: Jesse Alexander
Director: Adam Kane

This episode, like many this season, has been filled with subplots that work and those that don’t. When those that don’t sit out a week, we tend to get a better episode like the previous one. Unfortunately this is another uneven episode, where the storylines that don’t work bog down the episode as a whole. The strike’s impact on the writing is clear, as some threads get cut before they have any time to begin. One can hope the strike hiatus will strengthen the show as well.

Any idea that Adam is a good guy should be dashed by the end of this episode. Previous episodes established that The Company found him to be a threat for his near immortality. In this episode Hiro finds out he was locked up for trying to release the virus to the general public. Of course he thinks he’ll survive (and it’s likely he and possibly only other regenerators will) and perhaps hopes to rebuild the new society of survivors with him as the new leader. The centuries of life, likely propelled in part by Hiro’s betrayal, have lead him to believe that saving the world is to eradicate most of the people living on it.

Adam’s motives make Peter a patsy in his plan. Peter’s driven by a sense of destiny and saving the world. His thoughts are also on Caitlin, stuck in the possible plague ridden future. He feels guilty about bringing her there and being unable to retrieve her. So with Adam’s promises to save the world and Caitlin with it, in addition to the goodwill earned by Adam’s blood healing Nathan, it makes sense that Peter would be duped. Some have wondered why he wouldn’t just read Adam’s mind to know his motivations, but it seems out of character for Peter to be that thorough. Of course that leads to the showdown at the end of the episode between himself and Hiro.

Victoria is likely the biggest victim of the strike on the writing this season. The original plan must’ve involved a multi-episode arc at least for an established actress, but that was simplified, making her not more than a plot device to keep Adam and Peter from getting to the virus before the mid-way finale. Her story ends before it has any chance to begin, leaving Joanna Cassidy with little to do.

It almost would’ve been better just to keep Hiro’s sojourn to 1977 in the episode. It establishes Adam’s motives and why Victoria would want to be in hiding. Unfortunately the problem in this scene is the horrible actor they cast as the young version of Kaito. As ridiculous as it might’ve been, it would’ve been better to have Masi Oka do his George Takei impression. An actor playing his character’s father at a younger age worked on “The X-Files”.

One interesting point comes when Adam tells Peter that getting shot in the head or otherwise decapitated is the only way a person with regenerative abilities can die. The big question is how exactly does Adam know that? The only hint comes with the tie-in graphic novels (where he encounters a person who can clone himself), but his encounters with other people should be mentioned on the show, since that information shouldn’t be regulated to supplementary media.

The episode falters, as it has in the past, when the focus moves towards those not affected by the virus plot. Case in point: Monica and Micah’s adventure retrieving DL’s medals. Compared to avoiding the extinction of mankind, it’s really hard to care about this one. The Sanders are the most glaring example of the show’s original premise of featuring a different ensemble every season. Nothing they’ve done this season has justified keeping them around. Not even Monica and the underutilized Nichelle Nichols (just what purpose does she serve that couldn’t be served by Monica?) have helped move it out of neutral.

The plot is made worse by the lack of consistency in Monica’s powers, or at least her ability to know when to use them. Considering she knows martial arts and wrestling maneuvers and can replicate them exactly, the idea that she would climb to the ceiling and staying in a space between the supports rather than fighting the thugs is far fetched at best.

Also, the discussion on secret identities could’ve been useful, but is instead rendered pointless by Monica going in the worst disguise ever. Of course she cites Superman’s now infamous non-disguise of glasses, but come on! She couldn’t even find a mask at a party store or use make up to hide her looks?

Monica’s abduction serves ultimately to complicate Niki getting cured. However, with Sylar back in New York and holding Molly and clueless Maya hostage, that purpose is served, making Monica’s subplot even more useless.

Considering Alejandro isn’t credited as a lead character, his exit has been predictable, even inevitable. Also, with Maya able to control her power, Alejandro is no longer necessary to keep in the storyline. It’s also been building up as hostilities have grown between Sylar and Alejandro, who sees the serial killer as who he really is even before finding the article linking Sylar to his mother’s death (the fact that Maya has been developing feelings for Sylar isn’t making it any easier).

Unfortunately, like many hated new characters on established shows, his death is seen more to appease the unhappy than another step in Maya’s arc. Did anyone notice Alejandro speaking English outside of some “Heroes” blog saying so? Did anyone care to know how he learned to speak it and why he didn’t do so until that moment?

The growing problems between Bob and Elle continue as Bob chastises his daughter for making herself vulnerable to get shot. Last episode illuminated the differences between Bennet and Bob as far as parenting goes. Only now does Elle start to realize how horrible her father has been to her, placing The Company’s goals above her safety and well being.

The rift between her and her father seems to set up the major turn her character will undergo. It doesn’t seem likely she’ll deflect like Bennet considering her screwed up psychology. Whatever her motions are will be determined by self-interest rather than a greater good. She seems motivated to make nice with her father, but with his cards revealed, who knows where she’ll side ultimately.

Claire’s decision to go public with her powers may be more harmful than she thinks. Obviously the “death” of her father and her desire for justice have clouded her judgment. She needs to take notice of the secret identity discussion in the New Orleans storyline (the only worthwhile contribution it has in this episode), knowing that exposing her power makes her family, like superheroes in other franchises, vulnerable to nefarious agents.

Bennet’s survival appears to be keeping him out of the action of the story for now. Why they’d bring him back from the dead isn’t clear, as it seems like it’d be more reasonable for them to leave him the way he was. The Company also wants to perpetuate the myth that he’s dead to his family. So do they want him working in secret? Claire’s plans will have a major effect on that.

Overall, this episode is a great example of this uneven season. While those subplots connected to the main story work, those orphaned from the main action suffer. The strike also had a big effect on the storyline, causing some stuff to be rushed to a conclusion faster than they should have. If only they did that in the first couple episodes of the season!

Overall Score: 7/10