S06.E14: Older and Farther Away

[Joe Hellandback]

The Good; Everything with Halfrek who I really like for some reason. Clem really comes into his own as a character here for the first time. Tara and Willow

Spoiler

start to get back together

and I also adore Sophie. Once again contrast Tara standing up to Spike and Anya here with the shy girl in 'Hush', she really has grown tremendously.

The Bad; Note there's a Sunnydale High Razorbacks pennant behind Halfrek in her office. But Dawn doesn't go to Sunnydale High

Spoiler

(yet).

The potion that Tara mixes up to try to break the spell looks like she's trying to make a chocolate cake.

Best line; Spike; "I had a muscle cramp, Buffy was helping" Tara; "A muscle cramp. In your pants? You might want to put some ice on that"

Women good/men bad; Anya implies that Halfrek has 'daddy issues'

Jeez!; Upsetting to watch Anya have her panic attack.

Kinky dinky; Richard, the handsome guy Xander has set Buffy up with, even Tara thinks he's cute. Dawn not only in leather for the first time but check out her miniskirt, fishnets and knee boots at the party, Joyce's little girl all grown up! (Eliza Dushku always complained that she got a lot of fanmail from guys in prison and couldn't believe that they showed a TV series full of hot teenage girls to incarcerated criminals. You shudder to think what kind of letters MT must have received). Spike asks Buffy if she'd like to 'blow out his candle'? Willow's back massager present for Buffy is certain to provide 'Instant gratification for all aches' (anyone else think of Samantha and her 'back massager' from Sex and the City?)

Captain Subtext; Clem also thinks Richard is cute. In many ways he comes to resemble Buffy/Dawn's gay/demon male friend. Tara calls Buffy 'Sweetie'. They also refer to telling everyone their big secret and deciding it's time to 'Come out'. They probably mean Buffy's affair with Spike but what really happened after Buffy collapses into Tara's arms at the end of 'Dead Things'? Might she have jumped on the sapphic bandwagon a few years before Satsu? Taffy anyone?

Scoobies to the ER; Xander cut but Richard is the only one to go to hospital.

Missing scenes; Reputedly a scene was filmed where Buffy and Dawn run out of the house at the end but I prefer the subtle implication of the ending we have

Kills: Buffy kills one demon Buffy: 103 vamps, 43 demons, 6 monsters, 3 humans, 1 werewolf, 1 spirit warrior & a robot Giles: 8 vamps, 2 demon, 1 human, 1 god. Cordy: 3 vamps, a demon Will: 6 vamps + 3 demons +1 fawn. Angel: 3 vamps, 1 demon, 1 human Oz: 3 vamps, 1 zombie Faith: 16 vamps, 5 demons, 3 humans Xander: 6 vamps, 2 zombies, 1 a demon, Anya: 1 vamp and 1 a demon Riley; 18 vamps + 7 demons Spike; 8 vamps and 4 demons Buffybot; 2 vamps Tara; 1 demon Dawn; 1 vamp

Notches on Scooby bedpost: Giles: 2; Joyce & Olivia, possibly Jenny and 3xDraccy babes? Cordy: 1? Buffy: 4 confirmed; Angel, Parker, Riley, Spike. 1 possible, Dracula(?) Angel: 1;Buffy Joyce: 1;Giles, 2 possible, Ted and Dracula(?) Oz: 3; Groupie, Willow & Verucca Faith:2 ;Xander, Riley Xander: 2; Faith, Anya Willow: 2;Oz and Tara Riley; 3; Buffy, Sandy and unnamed vampwhore Spike; 1 Buffy

Questions and observations; Another appalling Buffy birthday, if I was her I'd just hide under the bed all day and have Dawn bring me the occasional cup of tea until midnight. The title is a quote from Empire of the Sun (the book not the band) which Dawn is discussing in class at the beginning of the ep. Xander refers to Children of the Corn, Nic Brendon having acted in one of the sequels. Halfrek refers to vengeance demons as 'justice demons' FYI. What does 'Total JD' mean?

Spike and Halfrek, hmmmm? Question is did Cecilly become Halfrek as Aud became Anyanka? OR was there NEVER a Cecilly, was there only ever Halfrek?

Subtle but very interesting final scene. Everyone leaves but Buffy and Dawn. They bid their friends goodbye then look at each other and smile. Because although they didn't want to be trapped there's no reason for them to leave because this is their house, this is where they belong together. Dawn wanted Buffy to spend more time with her and now when she has the option to leave she instead chooses to stay with the sister she loves and who loves her in return. Dawn is finally getting Buffy back in soul as well as in body.

Marks out of 10; 8/10, really like this one

[Halting Hex]

1 hour ago, Joe Hellandback said:

Clem really comes into his own as a character here for the first time.

When you're reduced to citing this as a positive, we know we're in trouble, right at the start.

1 hour ago, Joe Hellandback said:

contrast Tara standing up to Spike and Anya here with the shy girl in Hush, she really has grown tremendously.

Spoiler

Got to "get her over" with the audience before she dies, don't you know! So we'll all be sad and stuff.  Oh, boo-hoo-frickin'-hoo.  Yawn.

And I'd appreciate her "standing up to Anya" more if Xander wasn't in the middle of selling out Willow's sobriety to appease his Hellbitch, I'm just saying.

1 hour ago, Joe Hellandback said:

Best line; Spike; "I had a muscle cramp, Buffy was helping" Tara; "A muscle cramp. In your pants? You might want to put some ice on that"

Gee, given that Tara just had Buffy sobbing in her lap at the end of last episode about how horrible her "relationship" with Spike was making her feel, you'd think she might react a little more strongly to Buffy's "relapse" here than just a winking acknowledgment (and blessing?) to the Spuffy flirtation going on, no?  I guess Tara really has taken it on herself to cheerlead for "those two crazy kids" ("he's done a lot of good, and he does love you"), her memories of Buffy's breakdown (and the visible bruising on Spike's face), aside.  Not my idea of good judgment, I have to say.

1 hour ago, Joe Hellandback said:

Upsetting to watch Anya have her panic attack.

Even moreso when you remember she's never had any claustrophobia before (not when Xander locks her in the closet in Buffy vs. Dracula, for example) and thus it's just a cheap device invented for this episode to justify Xander's betraying Willow and endorsing Anya's utterly batshit "let's have the recovering witch just start throwing random spells around, never mind that we don't know what's causing the situation or what could go wrong" pathetic excuse for a plan.  So annoying.

Spoiler

The end of the season will tell you just how wretchedly stupid "let's have Willow do spells and hang the consequences" is as an idea, honey. Wait and see.

 

1 hour ago, Joe Hellandback said:

What does 'Total JD' mean?

"Juvenile Delinquent", nowadays called "Youthful Offender".  The Christian Slater character, J.D., in Heathers is a homage to the term.

1 hour ago, Joe Hellandback said:

Everyone leaves but Buffy and Dawn. They bid their friends goodbye then look at each other and smile. Because although they didn't want to be trapped there's no reason for them to leave because this is their house, this is where they belong together.

Of course, Willow lives there, too.  Willow's spent more time parenting Dawn than Buffy has, given Buffy's "summer vacation" and all.  But let's just erase Willow from the Summers girls' lives, let's treat her like another Sophie or somebody, just so we can have our unearned Buffy/Dawn moment.  Sigh.

And I seem to have skipped Tara reaming out Willow for (horrors!) keeping magic supplies, whereas Tara screws up the spell and nearly gets everybody killed and nobody says a freaking word.  Yeah, that's fair.  And again, sigh.

Slow and boring and contradicts previous canon on vengeance demons and beats up on Willow a lot.  And gross Spuffiness.  Other than that, reasonably passable.  4/10?  (One of the better grades for this season, you'll note.)

Also, note that Spike shows up at Buffy's birthday with nothing but a half-drunken six-pack, a party-crashing Clem, and an attitude.  Didn't he used to be a romantic?  He brought Drusilla better gifts in Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered, and he was in a freaking wheelchair then!  Oh, Spikey.  This "Bad-Boy Boyfriend" bullshit has been hard on you, too, I see.  Once more, sigh…

Edited October 29, 2018 by Halting Hex

[lembergwatcher]

45 minutes ago, Halting Hex said:

to justify Xander's betraying Willow and endorsing Anya's utterly batshit

One of the reasons I loathe that episode. Well, I do understand they needed everyone else to look a bit of an ass just to make Tara's and Spike's stars shine brightly. But there's limit to everything, you know. If they wanted me to continue thinking teenage Xander was way better than "mature" one or to despise the Hellbitch even more, then it worked. 

[Jack Shaftoe]

I usually adore Tara but her thinking that Buffy hooking up with a serial killer was not only not a cause for alarm but something to joke about is a clear sign that something was really, really wrong with the way the show was written.

Also, Halfrek's actions once again show very clearly that vengeance demons don't care a whit about justice. I wonder if that will cause any problems between her and the "reformed" Anya...

Spoiler

Answer: Nope.

[Halting Hex]

6 hours ago, Jack Shaftoe said:

I usually adore Tara but her thinking that Buffy hooking up with a serial killer was not only not a cause for alarm but something to joke about is a clear sign that something was really, really wrong with the way the show was written.

And it would be one thing if Buffy had asked Tara to trust her judgment on Spuffy or if Tara herself was letting things go because Buffy seemed happy…but Tara had just seen how miserable this made Buffy, how it turned Buffy into a sobbing wreck, and how Buffy was hating herself for letting it go on.

Quote

BUFFY: What? Using him? What's okay about that?

Buffy explicitly tells Tara not to let her off the hook for her "addiction" to Spike ("Please don't forgive me"), and yet here's Tara, all la-di-da, "a cramp…in your pants? Ha-ha" after walking in on the flirtage.  FFS.

Seriously, if it weren't for that one conversation that Buffy and Tara have when Tara arrives at the party (where they refer to Buffy "coming out" about Spuffy, which has to be really offensive to gay people, I should think), I wouldn't know that Drew Greenberg had even seen the script for the previous episode.  (Which, given how much I hate Dead Things, I can't blame him for wanting to skip reading that trash, but he was getting paid, so…)  

And things really aren't helped by what was apparently a last-minute decision to have Spike's face be bruised, as it's not mentioned at all in the script.  It is consistent with past continuity on this issue (Spike took a good long time to heal from the events of What's My Line, Part 2 way back when, and in S5, we saw him all bruised in Tough Love after Intervention), but it makes Buffy and Tara seem uncaring about an issue they'd just had an emotional discussion about, and it's flat-out weird that nobody else even raises the subject, that Richard (not knowing about the supernatural) doesn't ask what happened to Spike (and doesn't show concern about such a roughneck hanging around demure little Buffy…) and that Xander doesn't take the opportunity to stick the needle in ("What happened, behind on your kitten poker payments again?"), for example.  Just sloppy.

I wish I could put Cynthia Bergstrom's decision to have Buffy be wearing a dog collar and a leash down to mere sloppiness, but I suspect insanity is more likely:

I suppose we're going for some "love's bitch" symbolism, but screw that.  Honestly, it looks as though Spike's dressed her up in one of Drusilla's old outfits.  Ugh.

No wonder Dawn tells her to "Get Out".  Which, vid fun!

I particularly like the monocle…

[lembergwatcher]

2 hours ago, Halting Hex said:

I suppose we're going for some "love's bitch" symbolism, but screw that.  Honestly, it looks as though Spike's dressed her up in one of Drusilla's old outfits.  Ugh.

Spuffy is kinda reminiscent of Fifty Shades of Grey IMO.

[Joe Hellandback]

On ‎29‎/‎10‎/‎2018 at 9:16 AM, Halting Hex said:

When you're reduced to citing this as a positive, we know we're in trouble, right at the start.

  Hide contents

Got to "get her over" with the audience before she dies, don't you know! So we'll all be sad and stuff.  Oh, boo-hoo-frickin'-hoo.  Yawn.

And I'd appreciate her "standing up to Anya" more if Xander wasn't in the middle of selling out Willow's sobriety to appease his Hellbitch, I'm just saying.

Gee, given that Tara just had Buffy sobbing in her lap at the end of last episode about how horrible her "relationship" with Spike was making her feel, you'd think she might react a little more strongly to Buffy's "relapse" here than just a winking acknowledgment (and blessing?) to the Spuffy flirtation going on, no?  I guess Tara really has taken it on herself to cheerlead for "those two crazy kids" ("he's done a lot of good, and he does love you"), her memories of Buffy's breakdown (and the visible bruising on Spike's face), aside.  Not my idea of good judgment, I have to say.

Even moreso when you remember she's never had any claustrophobia before (not when Xander locks her in the closet in Buffy vs. Dracula, for example) and thus it's just a cheap device invented for this episode to justify Xander's betraying Willow and endorsing Anya's utterly batshit "let's have the recovering witch just start throwing random spells around, never mind that we don't know what's causing the situation or what could go wrong" pathetic excuse for a plan.  So annoying.

  Reveal hidden contents

The end of the season will tell you just how wretchedly stupid "let's have Willow do spells and hang the consequences" is as an idea, honey. Wait and see.

 

"Juvenile Delinquent", nowadays called "Youthful Offender".  The Christian Slater character, J.D., in Heathers is a homage to the term.

Of course, Willow lives there, too.  Willow's spent more time parenting Dawn than Buffy has, given Buffy's "summer vacation" and all.  But let's just erase Willow from the Summers girls' lives, let's treat her like another Sophie or somebody, just so we can have our unearned Buffy/Dawn moment.  Sigh.

And I seem to have skipped Tara reaming out Willow for (horrors!) keeping magic supplies, whereas Tara screws up the spell and nearly gets everybody killed and nobody says a freaking word.  Yeah, that's fair.  And again, sigh.

Slow and boring and contradicts previous canon on vengeance demons and beats up on Willow a lot.  And gross Spuffiness.  Other than that, reasonably passable.  4/10?  (One of the better grades for this season, you'll note.)

Also, note that Spike shows up at Buffy's birthday with nothing but a half-drunken six-pack, a party-crashing Clem, and an attitude.  Didn't he used to be a romantic?  He brought Drusilla better gifts in Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered, and he was in a freaking wheelchair then!  Oh, Spikey.  This "Bad-Boy Boyfriend" bullshit has been hard on you, too, I see.  Once more, sigh…

I think people loved Tara long before this, probably when she told Willow she was 'Yours'? Buffy has spent more time with Dawn, especially in everyone's memory and Dawn is made from her, much as she adores favourite Aunts Willow and Tara there's no comparison. 

 Good point on Anya in the closet although we don't actually see her reaction when trapped? And she knows Riley, Willow and Giles will inevitably be returning to free her. Yes both Tara and Willow screw up but so do all the Scoobs. 

[lembergwatcher]

Did it ever occur to Dawnie that her big sis, Willow, Xander or freaking Anya weren't the only people in the world? She could have come to Tara and I'm more than sure Willow's former girlfriend would have found some free time to spend with Dawnster. I mean why not go to Tara instead of "crying out" thus giving someone like Halfrek a pretext to intervene and make some serious mess?

[Halting Hex]

Well, it's not as if Dawn sought out Hallie; she was called to the guidance counselor's office and let the "counselor" do her job.  I'll blame Dawn for lots of things, but not knowing that a demon had sensed her psychic upset seems a bit harsh.

I give you that she shouldn't have said "W-I-S-H", but given that

a) Anya's never told her about any other wish-granting demons being out there (did either Anya or Xander tell Dawn about Halfrek's visit in Doublemeat Palace?)

b) Anya's shtick was "vengeance for scorned women"; this is the first we've heard of "neglected children crying out for help" (where was Hallie to kick Genevieve Holt's ass, back in the day?), and 

c) Anya did all her work with the help of her Magic Bling and Halfrek didn't hand over any necklaces

I'm inclined to cut Shiny McWhiny at least a little slack, but JMO.

[lembergwatcher]

I'm not blaming Shiny McWhiny for Halfrek's intervention. I'm just pointing out another, Tara-shaped option. 

[Halting Hex]

Meanwhile, back at the Magic Box, we learn that Willow is on her way to her Spellcasters Anonymous meeting.  (Perhaps not the best place to be hanging out, given Willow's issues?  Just a thought.) 

But if "magic addiction" is so widespread that there's a 12-step program for it, perhaps Tara shouldn't be relying on finger-wagging (All the Way) and ultimatums (Tabula Rasa) to keep Willow off the sage?  Either you're an addict or you're not;  you'd think Tara would be aware enough of the potential pitfalls to try and help Willow around them, rather than just go into shaming mode.  JMO.

Edited January 29, 2019 by Halting Hex

[Halting Hex]

In the "Ethics and Morality" thread, lembergwatcher pointed out that the Scoobs rather blithely allow Halfrek to retcon her job from "Vengeance Demon" to "Justice Demon" here, conflating two somewhat different things. 

What's even more annoying is that the series had previously specifically drawn the distinction between vengeance and justice, in a far, far, FAR better episode #14 than this one.

From Innocence:

Quote

JENNY: Buffy loves him.

ENYOS: And now she will have to kill him.

JENNY: (stands up) Unless he kills her first! Uncle, this is insanity! People are going to die.

ENYOS: Yes. It is not justice we serve. It is vengeance.

I grant you that neither Enyos nor Jana is around to set Hallie straight here, but still.  That whole "curse" thing turned out to be pretty important to Buffy (and Willow and Xander)'s lives;  someone could have paid attention.

(Perhaps the studious girl who went through all of Jenny's computer files, for example?)
 

Edited April 16, 2020 by Halting Hex

[lembergwatcher]

6 hours ago, Halting Hex said:

(Perhaps the studious girl who went through all of Jenny's computer files, for example?)

Good observation (as usual). But that studious girl you've mentioned was too busy thinking about sex goddess Tara and her private parts. While the only thing that mattered to the girl's best friend seemed to be endless pleasing of his money-loving crazy fiancée. At the same time the main protagonist was probably focused on getting some with Captain Peroxide somewhere in the Summers' backyard. So there's no one out there to pay attention. Sadly. 

[Joe Hellandback]

On 4/17/2020 at 1:36 AM, lembergwatcher said:

Good observation (as usual). But that studious girl you've mentioned was too busy thinking about sex goddess Tara and her private parts. While the only thing that mattered to the girl's best friend seemed to be endless pleasing of his money-loving crazy fiancée. At the same time the main protagonist was probably focused on getting some with Captain Peroxide somewhere in the Summers' backyard. So there's no one out there to pay attention. Sadly. 

Which is why we love them!

[Halting Hex]

I'm fairly certain that I love Buffy and Willow for reasons other than their possibly being sex-crazed lustbunnies. 

(Unless, of course, it's in the course of a "pajama party with weapons" sleepover, as in Passion, and this time they remember to video it for my Xander's benefit.  But I think even UPN might object to that.)

Chacun à son goût, but still.  

(Why is it "chacun" and not "Chaq'un"?  Since "chaque" is "each" and "un" is "one" and all that?  How can I remain properly pretentious if the Frenchies keep changing the langue on us? Merde.)

[Joe Hellandback]

On 4/20/2020 at 10:34 PM, Halting Hex said:

I'm fairly certain that I love Buffy and Willow for reasons other than their possibly being sex-crazed lustbunnies. 

(Unless, of course, it's in the course of a "pajama party with weapons" sleepover, as in Passion, and this time they remember to video it for my Xander's benefit.  But I think even UPN might object to that.)

Chacun à son goût, but still.  

(Why is it "chacun" and not "Chaq'un"?  Since "chaque" is "each" and "un" is "one" and all that?  How can I remain properly pretentious if the Frenchies keep changing the langue on us? Merde.)

Always wondered why the slash ficcers didn't make more of that? Nor Buffy/Anya/Willow in Xander's cellar. 

[lembergwatcher]

Btw, speaking of the episode's premise... So Dawn is upset because neither Buffy can spend some quality time with her nor Xander/Willow/Anya (seriously??? Anya??? Dawn wants to spend time with Anya???) have time to accompany her to the mall or whatever. Why can't she ask Tara - the way she did just a few eps earlier? And what happened to Janice? Or that girl whom Dawn had conversation with at the school bathroom before learning about Joyce's death (The Body)?

[Halting Hex]

2 hours ago, lembergwatcher said:

And what happened to Janice?

Apparently not much, since Dawn went to her house for a sleepover only the episode before.  (Buffy was skeptical and Amber Tamblyn was not in the episode, but Willow said she'd checked with Janice's mom and that's why Dawn is absent while the "adults" go swing-dancing.)

[Joe Hellandback]

9 hours ago, Halting Hex said:

Apparently not much, since Dawn went to her house for a sleepover only the episode before.  (Buffy was skeptical and Amber Tamblyn was not in the episode, but Willow said she'd checked with Janice's mom and that's why Dawn is absent while the "adults" go swing-dancing.)

Dawn refers to what happened to her in 7x1?

[Halting Hex]

12 hours ago, Joe Hellandback said:

Dawn refers to what happened to her in 7x1?

Spoiler

I don't recall that, but it sounds cool.  A Google of the transcript doesn't show Janice's name or any relevant use of the word "friend", though.  What was the reference?

[Joe Hellandback]

4 minutes ago, Halting Hex said:

  Hide contents

I don't recall that, but it sounds cool.  A Google of the transcript doesn't show Janice's name or any relevant use of the word "friend", though.  What was the reference?

I think I'm thinking of the deleted scene where Dawn tells her class her real life story

[Halting Hex]

Ah, well, if it was cut I don't feel so bad for not "remembering" it, then.

[mmecorday]

Quote

Btw, speaking of the episode's premise... So Dawn is upset because neither Buffy can spend some quality time with her nor Xander/Willow/Anya (seriously??? Anya??? Dawn wants to spend time with Anya???) have time to accompany her to the mall or whatever. Why can't she ask Tara - the way she did just a few eps earlier? And what happened to Janice? Or that girl whom Dawn had conversation with at the school bathroom before learning about Joyce's death (The Body)?

I watched this last night and I couldn't get over how incessantly annoying Dawn was in this episode. Made me wish that Doc had inflicted on her more than just shallow cuts, he should have just gutted her. "Nobody wants to spend time with meeeeeee. Buffy, you can't stand being around meeeeeee!" I was sitting on my couch screaming, "Shut up already! Damn!"

This episode is one of the reasons why I like to think the show ended after season 5 and the last two seasons are fever dreams. Really bad ones.

[Halting Hex]

Whining that nobody wants to spend time with you is usually a fairly effective self-fulfilling prophecy, I should think.  Another reason why the hugely-unearned "sister moment" at the end (created by sending everyone else from the party home…never mind that Willow actually lives in the same house, shoo former "friend"! Away!) never worked for me.

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BUFFY: What am I, Saint Buffy?  —Earshot

Apparently so; she's been martyred and now she displays incredible patience.  Huh.

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XANDER:  Those prophecy dreams of yours are getting wicked accurate, Buff.  —I Only Have Eyes for You

Now if only she'd see me coming into a large amount of cash…