An absolutely incredible episode! It had a little of everything -- laughs, scares, intense emotions, subtitles, a musical number, etc. -- yet managed to hang together brilliantly.

Frankly, I let out a yelp when Buffy talked about killing Angel and how Xander actually lied when he delivered Willow's message. I've waited 5 years for that plot point to be acknowledged, and it surprised the hell outta me that it would turn up tonight.

Terrific stuff!

You didn't happen to tape this espisode, did you?

I fell asleep and woke up too late to watch

Wonderful episode; maybe in my top 5 as well... Very funny and very moving. Some genuine lump-in-the throat moments, and hilarious dialog in the light scenes.... And all those great tie-ins from the past, from a first-time writer? Incredible. I hope they use this guy a lot more.

The song was superb too; it was such a sad moment, with all that hopefulness lost--I almost wished it was her real, final death because it was done so well...

Anyone else worried that Anya's days are numbered now? It sure sounded to me like her boss was saying the "from beneath" event would fullfill her "sacrifice" wish in good time. More truth-telling?

Are Anya and Xander are going to get back together--only to make Xander a widower at the end of the season?

Interesting sidebar, they actually said the word a$$hole on the episode tonight! I think thats a first for public television. I know you can get away with ass, but im not too sure bout the "hole" part. Anyways, in cased you missed it, one of the village mob extras yelled, "get off of him, you a$$hole"
Its in the scene after the guy says "lets hit him with various meats and vegetables" and before we get the glimpse of Anya and Demon guy.

Well, I enjoyed the episode, but I think some of us have set our standards low if it's a favorite from the show's run.

Liked most of it, too much to mention, so I'll focus on the dislikes:

Thought some of the Buffy/Xander scene was forced. It didn't all work. Came together when she reminded everyone that she killed Angel, a personal favorite when I believe the show was at its peak. Still felt like chemistry was off a bit.

Didn't like the "reset button" effect. I was thinking throughout this episode, "if Braga wrote this Anya would live, and they'd kill Halfrek or something." Lo and behold, it happened that way. I was disappointed.

Wasn't pleased with Buffy's knee-jerk "Anya must die" reaction. No attempt to find another solution, even for a moment. Combined with that, Xander was more bumbling idiot than usual. I know they needed to push the plot to the big fight scene, but I felt rushed. There's a lot of history to just toss it aside so quickly. Give her at least an hour of research, something.

Anyway, I was entertained, and it had some very strong moments, but in the 7 year run, I don't find it particularly memorable. It didn't feel as polished as stronger episodes. There was an underlying quality that seemed like it was struggling to get out and never quite made it all the way. That's not a criticism so much as just keeping it in perspective with relation to the whole series.

I am very glad they acknowledged Buffy can and will never love anyone like Angel. I know I'm clinging to old truths, but I refuse to accept any real love with either of them not together. I don't buy Angel and Cordy. And I don't buy Buffy and Spike. I know they have to have relationships, and I know some fans want to see it, but don't try to sell me on true love. Her true love is Angel, and they've neglected that for a few seasons. It made me very happy to hear her speak it outloud.

das

Anya and Emma Caulfield were so terrific, words cannot express. Her musical number made me cry. To know that her hopes would be dashed shortly after that. Her sense of self was so tied up in Xander that she didn't know who she was anymore. She really broke my heart right off the bat when she was sitting amidst the horror of the fraternity.

WhiteClothedBuffy in the basement with Spike was straight out of a fanfic, I think. So tender, so helpful. So Non-Buffy at this time. I am completely unspoiled, but I knew that was one of Spike's new hallucinations. But BlackclothedBuffy in the basement was issuing some tough love. It doesn't make sense that it would be Morphy b/c when Morphy was Adam, he said he had #17 right where he wanted him. Of course, he could have meant mentally instead of physically, but now I'm just making my head hurt.

And while I've never hated Xander (well maybe a little during "Entropy"), tonight when he so vehemently defended Anya and even tackled Buffy, he changed in my mind. Even more so that when he saved the world with his mouth . He became more of the man that I always knew he could be. Good job, Xander Harris.

What an amazing episode. Every week I am reminded of why Joss makes me glad I own a tv. I am so looking forward to the rest of this season. I'm very disappointed that we have a rerun next week, but I guess 5 new ones in a row wasn't bad. Here's to hoping UPN schedules the breaks a little better this season. Last season almost killed me with those looong rerun breaks. Okay, so, I'm melodramatic.

~wis

I loved the mix of comedy and action in this episode, and best of all, every character was written right. And there was continuity and history.

I did think the song slowed the episode down, but it made sense what with the whole episode being focused on Anya.

So, is next week's episode a rerun?

Yep, pretty good episode, and it also had some funny stuff...Was that language that was subtitled Swedish? I think next week's episode is going to be like a "Greatest His" or highlights show.

Yup, it's this season's opener where Buffy trains Dawn for some slayerhood.

Next week looked it was going to be a clip show of various Sunnydale demons/vamps, as a Halloween tie-in. Not a rerun, per se, but a combo of stuff that has already aired.

As for Selfless, great stuff!

D'Hoffyrn tossed out some great lines, especially the "little miss hack'em up" aside to Buffy

It was funny to see Willow's reaction to all of the various characters referring to her flaying past during the episode, and she kept reverting back to non-confident Willow, sitting there, taking all of the declarations of her recent sordid past.

(paraphrasing - I think):

D'Hoffryn: "Lloyd has a drawing of it on his wall."

How old is Nicholas Brendon(Xander)? He should be twenty-one on the show but I swore I saw grey hair on his head.

According to TV Guide, next week's episode is a rerun of the season premiere.

Nicholas is 31 years old. Xander should be around 22-23 years old on the show. Nicholas was a pro pitching prospect until he hurt his arm.

If you think that's bad, Charisma Carpenter (Cordy on Angel) is 32 years old (she was 25 when she was playing 16 year old Cordy in season 1 of Buffy).

Alyson Hannigan is 28 years old.

Sarah Michelle Gellar is 25 years old.

I disagree. This was in my top five of all time, because I think it was as strong, well written and entertaining as my favorite episodes.

Again, I disagree. I felt that this was the first "real" conversation the three main characters had had in a long time. And for once I wasn't completely rooting for one side over the other. What they said made sense, they acknowledged history realistically and they all contributed.

It completely fooled me. I didn't think Anya was going to be around any longer. Star Trek may have "ruined" this type of plotting, but it made PERFECT sense for D'Hoffryn to do this. Why kill her when he could put her in emotional pain for causing the death of a friend?

Normally, I would agree with this, but the show actually acknowledged this and made a good explanation of why it was so quickly decided. Buffy said she had considered this before. Buffy didn't kill Angel when she should have, and Ms. Calender died. Anya had already killed 12 people. She is a demon and if they had researched for an hour and Anya had killed more people, what does that say about Buffy? Yeah it sucks, but Anya MADE THE CHOICE to be a demon and kill again. And they even said that in the episode. So you know what? Tough ****. Buffy's job is to bring her down, and I would say that 99% of the time this is what Buffy SHOULD do and doesn't (Angel, Dawn, Willow, Spike) so I applaud this decision.

Again, I disagree. I didn't see anything that made me feel it wasn't as strong as the strongest episodes of the series. Just my opinion.

This I actually DO agree with I don't buy Angel and Cordy, and I only buy Buffy and Spike if she just needs a "sex toy." Nothing beyond that needs to be addressed. I actually wouldn't mind if either one of them stayed out of romantic relationships, but that's not going to happen.

Basically, if it hasn't aired yet as part of an actual episode, put it in spoilers. If the episode has aired, feel free to talk about it without spoilers. If it hasn't aired, then put anything... this includes next-episode-teaser stuff, TV commercials, stuff you read in TV Guide, stuff you saw on Entertainment Tonight, whatever... in spoilers.

Some folks make a real point to try and avoid next-episode-teasers and commercials about some shows... that's why we'd like people to put commercial stuff in spoilers, too. 24 was horrible last year with stuff like this... their teasers would give away the entire episode if you thought about them long enough.

The above is interesting in that with the exception of SMG, it really does show how long it can take to break into the Hollywood system. Nicholas, Charisma, and Alyson needed a break, and if that means playing someone way younger than themselves, so be it.

That said, I loved the episode as well. It was a perfect synopsis of all that is "Buffy" in one episode in terms of the show's spirit. Basically, the episode gave us some really good comedy and offbeat humor while still reminding us that there are dark undertones and occurances afoot, and they are truly horrific.
The best illustration was D'Hoffryn
I also like the approach they are taking with Willow. Rather than have her be the bashful and funny sort, they have made her more of a Batman type person. She's still good, but one you need to keep distance from as there is no telling when she might go off. I admire them for making the "evil Willow" a permanent yet restrained part of her persona.

Now to Anya. I honestly feel she might be the most tragic figure in the series at this point when you take all into consideration. Basically, she wants more than anything to become a human with feelings but cannot because of her past. Xander was her one hope of redemption. She wanted and needed love to be "human" in spirit, and it was eventually denied. I also feel that it was a stroke of editing genius to One question: was Anya's song made new, or was it cut from "Once More, With Feeling?" Emma could definitely get a stage career in musicals going with a little voice coaching. She seems to have the energetic approach required for such work in great supply.

Best line of the episode: "Uh - sitting right here."

I am quite upset over the loss on this episode.

superstringtheory -

I feel your pain.........

I was just happy to hear more about the Great Mustard Crisis of 2001...

Static Cling - I need you to clarify something for me. If I post the thread "Buffy 10/22/2002", that means we will be discussing that episode in this thread. If I post it one day or ten days in ADVANCE of the episode, it shouldn't matter. That means the subject of the thread is the episode that is due to air on that date. There should not be a need for spoilers if the topic of conversation is that episode. Is someone's speculation of what they THINK could happen based on events that have occurred in the show considered a spoiler? I'm not talking about posting what you read on some site that claims someone connected to the show said this would happen, I'm talking about pure speculation on the part of the viewers, based on what they are seeing.

das - Based on what I saw, the conversation between Buffy and Xander seemed a bit uneven but not overly forced. Buffy decided to kill Anya based on the fact that she was going to continue to be a vengance demon and was upping the stakes on the amount of damage she was willing to do in order to continue with her job. She did choose it. Also, when Xander said there had to be another way or alternative, she told him to find it for me. Her speech pretty well outlined why she felt she had to do this. If Braga wrote the episode, the price would have been Anya giving up her Vengance demon self and still being alive and everything happy and normal again. D'Hoffryn made it clear why he chose Halfreck and that really fits the nature of the beast. Plus things are not all happy and normal. Braga couldn't have thought up something so clever. Ron Moore could but not Braga. You'll have to consider me as someone who has lowered my standard's as overall I thought this episode was on the money.

• Quoth elektra •<HR SIZE=1>das - Based on what I saw, the conversation between Buffy and Xander seemed a bit uneven but not overly forced. Buffy decided to kill Anya based on the fact that she was going to continue to be a vengance demon and was upping the stakes on the amount of damage she was willing to do in order to continue with her job. She did choose it. Also, when Xander said there had to be another way or alternative, she told him to find it for me. Her speech pretty well outlined why she felt she had to do this.<HR SIZE=1>

Perhaps "uneven" is a better word than "forced." She says "find it for me," but there was no lead time. From the way it was directed, it looked like she gave Xander a 5 minute head start.

I liked all the events that happened in the episode; I just didn't feel that it flowed well from one point to another. It felt like they dropped some transition scenes to get to the Buffy vs. Anya segment as quickly as possible to set up the episode. There's a lot crammed in there from the flashbacks to the musical number, and maybe there just wasn't time. In fact, think what 'Once More, With Feeling' was like when they aired the shorter version. That's kind of how I felt last night ... like I was watching a shorter version of something.

das