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Lessons We've Learned
Also check out:
Lessons
episode recap
Quotes from Lessons
So, they're going back to the beginning. Well,
that's cool, because we just wrote those season
one recaps, and they'll be easy enough to retitle. Woo!
In spite of my bitter and cynical ways,
I was downright giddy about the new season. [Me
too! Me too! I can only mock old episodes for so long. I
needed moooooooooooore. -ST] Sure,
it had a little something to do with what I knew was coming early in the
episode, but there's just something about the new season of Buffy, all
shiny and full of promise. Melts right through my bitter heart. Sometimes
my hope is rewarded and I get Once More
With Feeling. Other times, I feel the painful stake of Adam. Or
Willow the teenage witch.
We liked a lot about this episode. Sure,
we spend the rest of this article mocking it, but we did mostly like it.
Once we got past Dawn's hideous sweater anyway, but we'll get to that
later. [I have a pet theory. I
believe that the person attempting to fill Cynthia's shoes tried to wean
the fans away from their traditional fare of clashing patterns and god
awful colors. The
sweater was the coup de grace. The methadone to our morphine. Dress
everyone else how she wanted, but leave Dawn to wear the requisite hideous
sweater. Distract
the fans from the overall issue. However,
she thought wrong. For
one, the colors were much too tasteful. For
another, it wasn't fuzzy. And,
seriously, did she just expect us to forget about Cynthia by throwing
a diamond pattern at us? Please,
as if. For
god's sake, the pants matched! Cynthia
would never go so far as to have the pants match! -ST]
I've been reading the reaction to this
episode online, by people who were unspoiled for it. I forgot that some
of the stuff that happened is all surprising. I bet that made it even
better. For those who weren't spoiled. I wonder what that's like. I don't
wonder enough to try it though.
Anyway, we felt fewer anvils than almost
any season six episode, so we didn't have to spend the episode hiding
under the couch. They really seemed to beat us over the head with the
"beginning" thing, but it might just seem that way to us since
we've read three hundred interviews with Joss telling me that's where
things are going. So, maybe we felt beat over the head before the episode
even started. We do think they could have done without explicitly telling
us, but all those new UPN viewers might not get the nice subtle references
throughout the episode.
Check back shortly for a full episode recap,
but for now, we give you the joy and the sorrow, the bitterness and the
boils.
Things that disturbed ST
Kit. She's
pushing 25, folks. Not
15. Dear
UPN, please learn to hire people in the appropriate generational bracket.
Thanks.
Giles. The forehead
was out of control. It
was, like, he saw all the press Michael Vartan's forehead was getting
and just couldn't let it go. I
don't want condescending Giles, I want smarmy, British, confused-at-our-bloody-colonial-ways
Giles. [I thought Giles was absolutely magnificent
in all scenes. Even his forehead. He and his forehead can do no wrong.
-SP] [But he was condescending Giles!
I'm not
in this for the condescending, pursed brow action! If
I want that, I can turn on Alias! You
must admit, it was puckered to the point of being strained. -ST]
[No. Giles is perfect. Always. -SP]
Repetition. We get
it, we're at the beginning. Use
a line or two more than once, no big deal. Use
a hundred old lines again, and you border on being a dumbass. Also,
Willow, we get it. Everything's
connected. Not
everything in the earth is good. Thanks
for the lesson. *gasp*
Lesson?
Get it?
Like the
name of the episode! Get
it? Can
you please stop repeating it? Thanks.
Also also,
just because the school is reopened doesn't mean it's wiggins time. The
hellmouth could have been opened just as easily in the charred remains.
As a matter
of fact, I believe some psycho-demons attempted that just a few short
painful seasons ago. If
you don't remember, don't worry, I'm sure it'll be reused later this season.
The Scoobygang redux.
Obviously
Dawn's building her own posse of misfits and slackers. So,
Kit=Willow. (only
she rather wisely goes for the black color scheme, I noticed, over orange
and pink. Bold
choice on Kit's part.) and Carlos?=Xander. No,
wait, I know, I know…we're back at the beginning, aren't we?
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Things
that ST would give 2 snaps and a twist to, if she could snap
Buffy/Xander goodness.
Not in a 'shipper way, in a good friends way. They actually talked, and
were nice, and almost issue-free! Fabulous.
Dawn. I did not hate
Dawn this episode. I don't agree with non-slayer strengthy Dawn fighting
vampires-what happened to the Buffy that wouldn't let her friends fight?
But that
aside, I actually quite liked her when she fell off the chair screaming.
And who
here never attempted to be aloofly amusing on class intro day, only to
fail miserably? Ah,
high school. [I too, liked Dawn a lot more
in this episode than most all of season six. A bee! She thinks a lot faster
on her feet than "I thought you were in danger of smoking" Buffy.
-SP] [Yeah, well, we've known that
Buffy's a dumbass for a long time now, haven't we?-ST]
Principal What's-'is-name.
I refuse
to learn it until he's lasted at least six episodes.
[For those who want to name the potential snack or evil villain, it's
Robin Wood. I think. Definitely not Robin Hood. -SP] He's
got big shoes to fill, what with following Snyder and all. [I'm
assuming that by "big", you mean "really teeny tiny".
As Xander once said to Synder, "I want to walk in your shoes. Not
your actual shoes, of course. Because you're a tiny person." -SP]
He's got
some things going for him. He's
also got some things going against him, like the fact that he appears
to be 18 and the last two principals were eaten. A
rather alarming trend, if you ask me. Oh,
and he appears to be macking on Buffy. Even
with her mom hair.
The joy of Lessons,
according to SP
Giles. On a horse!
Giles. On screen!
The swift and cunning
turn away from the never-should-have-happened Willow as crack whore storyline.
Goodbye annoying storyline! You will not be missed! [Right,
because as Giles said, it's not addiction. bah.
-ST]
"I just want to
be Willow." So do we Willow! That's who we want you to be too!
Buff Xander!
Spike's heartbreaking
scenes. Of course, James Marsters always steals any scene he's in. I'm
actually optimistic about the potential Spike arc this season, even though
season two Evil! Spike will always hold that special place in my heart.
[As
long as he keeps his shirt on, I'm all for Spike. I
mean, if they're not ever going to dust him anyway, we mine as well enjoy
having him around, yes?-ST]
The return of the Warren!
The Mayor! Dru! And the Master! Note the pointed absense of glee at the
return of Adam.
That we (and of course
by "we", I mean "the unspoiled") have no idea what
the hell is going on after all that. Hell, I'm as spoiled as they come
and I have no idea what the hell is going on.
Things ST is reserving judgment
on
The clothes. This
new person is no Cynthia. Buffy's
outfit, while not something I would ever wear, was not altogether offensive.
Xander's
clothes matched-a shock I'm still trying to recuperate from. And
Willow? Willow
wasn't in anything fuzzy. I'm
not sure how I feel about this. Also,
there was a distinct lack of hats…
Things of interest to SP
The use of quotes from
previous seasons. I noticed they started doing this last season, but they
really stepped it up this episode. They
also started and ended the episode with the same line, which is interesting
since they're (in some form or another) planning to return to the beginning
in this late season.
Giles! On a horse!
Did I mention that already?
Also check out:
Lessons
episode recap
Quotes from Lessons
Did you like Lessons? What moments gave you joy and what made you
bitter? Tell us all about it in the discussion
forums.
09.24.02 |