Becoming: Part 2

I must admit that I hadn't been watching BTVS when this episode aired, but I do remember that everyone at work was talking about it. I was surprised that a TV based on a less-than-ideal movie was generating such a buzz...

...and when the DVD set came out I didn't think about getting it until a friend insisted I watch the episodes that had the Angelus vs. Buffy storyline, which of course, culminated in 'Becoming Part 2'. I was so stunned by what I saw! Joss Wheldon had (again) turned convention on its' ear by not only making the good guy a bad guy (and a really bad guy at that!) but then plotting the entire episode so that, timing being what it was, Willow just managed to cast the spell that returned Angel's soul... just in time for Buffy to have to kill Angel, not Angelus to save the world! A scene that could have been so campy was instead transformed into one of the most poignant and tragic sequences ever. In the denouement, listening to the bittersweet strains of Sarah McLaughlin as Buffy makes her decision to leave town left me near-tears, and the final scene of Buffy riding the slow bus out of town... just amazing. There were plenty of scenes between all the major characters that were great, and some of the quotes from this show are still being quoted today! "Happy Meals with legs"? Too funny!

This was it -- the episode that cemented Buffy in my mind for all time.

One of the best episodes in the entire series! 10+ This episode has the drama and chills, and it has the comedy (Spike and Buffy... and her mom!). The ending is soooooo terribly sad.

It does everything well. It absolutely nails the use of music - for the battle scenes, for the reunion, and "Full of Grace" at the end. It takes everything that it has built as far as the relationships and the growth of the individual characters that has been built over the previous season and brings everything to an emotionally shattering conclusion.

In this episode, Angel has diverted Buffy's attention so that Drusilla could kidnap Giles and Angel could torture him to get the information on how to bring forth hell on earth via the "stone demon" they have stolen. In the process Willow is badly injured and Kendra, the other slayer, was killed by Dru, and the police walk in at an inopportune time and immediately suspect Buffy is the killer. She manages to escape, but now she's wanted. But she must get to the mansion where Angel is hiding in time to kill him before he can bring forth hell on earth.

Interesting alliances are formed, Willow is first shown to be someone who has the potential to be a powerful witch, and Xander holds back information that Buffy might have liked to know, but that might have hurt her chances of survival - that Willow was trying once again to curse Angel with his soul.

And why do parents lay down ultimatums to their kids if they don't expect the kid to take it seriously?

This hour long episode and season finale was quite the rollercoaster ride, mainly because creator Joss Whedon has made very fully fleshed-out characters and relationships that are easy to care about.

*This is a review of season 2 as a whole. The rating above is for the season finale as opposed to the season as a whole.

Following a first season which I personally thought was rather poor in general and which only featured two really good episodes (Angel, Prophecy Girl), season two of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" doesn't exactly get off to a fantastic start, as with the exception of the very good "School Hard", doesn't quite get going until its sixth episode, "Halloween", an episode which is so much smarter and more creative than anything the series had seen up to that point.

Overall, the first half of the season, all the way through to "Surprise" feels like a developing series that isn't quite sure of itself, however when it gets to "Surprise" it becomes an entirely different series, a brilliantly effervescent genre-bending series which features some wonderfully creative and intelligent writing.

I was discussing this show with someone recently and they said it better than I could ever say it: "Buffy" was excellent in spite of its simplicity. I don't really care if I offend any fans in saying this, but the metaphors on this series are pitched at a fairly adolescent level and the depth the show has comes from the writing contained within that format as opposed to the format itself.

Indeed, the actual plot of this season is at first glance a bit silly and is essentially cookie-cutter fantasy fodder, but here's the twist: great characters. There is not a single character in this season (other than, occasionally Drusilla) that grates on me. None. The characters here are excellent, oddly enough Buffy herself may be among the weaker ones, but that's alright as this is much more of an ensemble programme than its title suggests (its title suggests a lot of things which aren't true).

Another reason the series excels in spite of itself is that it really is smart, well-written stuff, the majority of it anyhow. Season Two is not consistently great, in fact, the first half could be considered consistently average with an occasional burst of greatness. However, when this series is good, it is very, very good. Considering the idea behind the series it's really quite shocking what they have managed to come up with. Consider the basic diversity of the season's best episodes:

"Innocence"- you don't get much darker than this in terms of subject matter but the genre-bending nature of the series turns it into a stunning television tour de force that effortlessly combines some of the series' best humor, character development, action, and drama.

"Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered"- Marti Noxon wrote this cheery, utterly hilarious, and very inventive Valentine's Day episode which is really pretty flawless. When you can fit something like this into a season of such darkness and complexity you know you've hit on something.

"Passion"- playing it almost completely straight for once, this is a remarkably well-written dramatic episode that manages to be truly scary and effective.

"Becoming, Part 2"- "Innocence" on steroids

The diverse nature of the series allows for endless creativity and very solid writing throughout. One thing I absolutely loved about "Buffy" season two was that it only took itself seriously enough to manage to be compelling drama when it wanted to be. I was never part of "Buffy" fandom and I probably will never be as it honestly is not one of my favorite series, but it's easy to see what many admire in this show.

The excellent cast bring the characters to life very well and are very charismatic. Direction, photography, and music are better than the TV standard at the time. All things considered special effects are done excellently.

Avg. Rating based on all episodes: 7.1/10- a solid season with remarkable highs but far too many lows to be considered a great television season overall.