Episode 5 - Homecoming
4 October 2011
Synopsis: Buffy decides to run for Homecoming Queen in part to spite Cordelia and in part to have a piece of the high school life she is missing. Their feud becomes so serious that the Scoobies put them alone into the limo they hired so that they can sort out their differences. Unfortunately the limo is hijacked by Mr Trick and a group of hunters who plan on killing Buffy and Faith as part of Slayerfest 98. Elsewhere Scott breaks up with Buffy, the Mayor recruits Mr Trick and Xander and Willow make out.
The Good: For the third episode in a row this was far too packed with developments and plotlines. There was a lot of good stuff mixed in there but none of it could thrive on its own.
Stories about Buffy not being able to live a normal life are always strong. The sense of injustice that comes with her calling makes it hard not to root for her. The build-up to her decision to run for Queen was very good. The way Cordelia forgot to tell her about the Yearbook photos was organic and a perfect illustration of her lost youth. The brief montage of photographs was a fun moment too. Then Buffy's favourite teacher couldn't remember her either which was poignant and believable.
On the Cordelia side of things there were positives as well. The writing and her performance have done a good job over the years making it believable that she could be so invested in her own success that she could perceive demons as just another inconvenience. She was pretty harsh to Buffy but there was a thread there where I could see her point of view. Buffy is Queen of the Scoobies so why does she have to muscle in on Cordelia's territory.
The idea of Cordelia having to take Faith's place at the Slayerfest was clever but didn't really pay off. There were some passable comedy moments as she waved a spatula around and stood up to Lyle Gorch. There was a vague sense that Cordelia had learnt to respect what Buffy does once more.
Mr Trick is becoming quite the hype man at this point. This is the second group of demons we have seen him inciting and now apparently he is off to work for the Mayor. The Mayor makes quite a splash too after many hints of his existence. Not only does he know all about demons but he also terrifies his employees and seems obsessed with manners and cleanliness. It was certainly an intriguing introduction.
The biggest story of the episode though is the sudden romantic interest between Xander and Willow. In her case it's entirely understandable because she has waited so long for him to notice her. In his case it seems more like teenage boy syndrome. He wants to be with Buffy, he wants Faith's attention, he has Cordelia but he still can't resist Willow. I can believe he would do that but it did feel like it came out of nowhere. Of course they are best friends but we had no foreshadowing of this moment. The sad part is of course that Cordelia admits her love for Xander just as he is betraying her.
The Bad: As I said there is just too much going on in the show right now.
The Slayerfest acted as the monster of the week story but it fell flat. It featured some of the most incompetent and least threatening bad guys that we have seen. The hunter and spiny headed demon were dispatched with ease while Lyle was always a comedy figure. The two German brothers were always going to look weak for not just gunning Buffy down on sight.
I don't think the episode did much for Cordelia really. Her aggression toward Buffy seemed a little much. They have spent over a season hanging out together and although that doesn't mean they have become best friends surely it should stop Cordelia from mocking her for her parents divorce? Even if we chalk that one up to the heat of the moment she came across as relentlessly selfish and there comes a point where her lack of sympathy for Buffy is just silly considering the danger she faces. Cordelia's big moment of honesty when she fears for her life in the cabin didn't work either. It just didn't feel like her life was seriously threatened.
If Willow and Xander's story felt abrupt then Scott's breakup with Buffy was even worse. It seemed so odd that he agreed to go to the Prom with her and then decided that she was being too sad. The use of his character was odd because discerning viewers could guess he wouldn't last once Angel reappeared on the scene. Yet the writers choose for this moment, when Buffy is actively campaigning for Prom Queen, to have Scott imply that her mind is permanently elsewhere.
The Mayor's introduction was intriguing but it did take away from the drama of the Slayerfest. Again Faith's presence or indeed Angel's were in the back of my mind. Buffy certainly had more options than just running to Giles for help and that does deflate the sense that she is in real danger.
The Unknown: Seeing the two corsage bugs disappearing from screen at the same time made little sense. Were they both destroyed by bullets? Or were they supposed to be picking up a heartbeat somehow?
Best Moment: Angel's brief appearance did lead to a tantalising moment when Buffy brings up Giles' name. Suddenly Angel remembers what Angelus did to Buffy's friends and the thought of resuming his life in Sunnydale became that bit harder.
The Bottom Line: This was a one step forward, one back kind of episode. Until the writers sort out the clutter these episodes aren't going to be as good as they should.
Homecoming
Season 3, Episode 5
Original airing: 11/3/98
My Rating: 53
The Good: This episode was rather up and down. We got some good stuff with the introduction of the Mayor, the hunting concept, and Willow and Xander, but we also got some bad stuff with Scott, the hunters and Cordelia.
The Mayor has been a looming presence for a while now and we finally get to meet him. It was very unexpected to me for him to be so cheerful, gregarious and informed. I really enjoyed the enigma he presents. His aide, Allan, is obviously terrified of him and we know he exerts considerable fear and influence over Snyder. However, we didn't see much of that here. He just seems overly concerned with hygenie. He's also completely aware of Buffy, vampires and SlayerFest. I expected he would have some clue what's going on, but he's very well informed. I look forward to the future of this character.
The hunting concept of the episode was also a good idea, but unfortunately never took flight. The hunters ended up being just a little too annoying and incompetent. The show also never really took advantage of the fact that they kidnapped Cordelia instead of Faith.
Finally, we had an excellent development with Willow and Xander. After two and some seasons of back and forth, she likes him, he likes her, they finally kiss. And it's a serious one too. This has felt like it's been in process for a while, but had almost reached a point of thinking it would never happen. It's an excellent example of a show causing drama to evolve organically. Of course, this is going to be a huge problem because we see in the second scene in Willow's bedroom, that neither Xander nor Willow can let it go. They are tender with each other and lightly hold hands. There will be fall-out from this and most likely broken hearts. So many possibilities are opened up here.
The Bad: Scott was very disappointing in this episode. His character seemed to have changed pretty drastically as he suddenly dumps Buffy with the excuse, "You seem unhappy a lot." That's really bizarre for his incredibly sweet, caring character. It was also out of place to have him dancing lovingly with a new girl a few days later at the dance. It felt like they wanted to turn his character into a plot point to make Buffy feel unpopular, so they chucked all of his previously defined personality out the window.
It was also disappointing to see Buffy and Cordelia revert back to despising each other, aka the first season. We've moved on from this. They may not be the best of friends, but they've been through enough together that this cat fighting shouldn't have flared up so quickly and been so persistent. It's ridiculous to think Cordelia still doesn't understand Buffy's desire to have more normality in her life.
Favorite Moment: I love seeing new depths in Giles' character and his joke at the dance was pulled off with aplomb. I love his grin after he pops up behind Willow and Xander and scares them by saying something has gone terribly wrong and they have to find Buffy.
The Bottom Line: Some good, some bad. This was not a stellar episode, but it had it's moments.
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