Wednesday 22 January 2014

Buffy The Vampire Slayer, "Helpless" Review (3x12)

Brief Synopsis: "For her upcoming 18th birthday, Buffy declines the Scooby Gang's offer of a big party, hoping to celebrate with quiet reflection and a traditional trip to the ice-skating show with her father. Suddenly, Buffy finds that her Slayer abilities are fading, perhaps completely. Is this some natural event in the lifecycle of the Slayer or is it something more sinister?”

"Gingerbread" (3x11) quick link here                                                                                                         "The Zeppo" (3x13) quick link here


Four quick notes before we get started...

1)    I will be reviewing the episodes in bullet point form. This is because it makes the reviews simple to read, and helps break up the text.
2)    This review will almost definitely contain spoilers for episodes after this one.

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With that being said, let’s get started, shall we?




•    Originally called “18”, this episode explores what it would be like if Buffy were to suddenly lose her slaying powers. If a Slayer makes it to her 18th birthday (which is a happy statement about the life of Slayers in general), she undergoes a Cruciatus curse. No, wait, I’m confusing my fandoms. She undergoes a ‘Cruciamentum’ test. In essence, the Slayer is left powerless and has to destroy some evil fiend. This is done to test the Slayer’s resourcefulness, courage, and innovation. Can I just mention what a bunch of assholes the Watcher’s Council are to do this to the Slayer?! That’s their reward for making it to 18?! Were they all out of cakes or something? Buffy should just stop celebrating her birthday. At 17 she receives a charming Judge-arm as a gift, and now at 18 she’s powerless.
•    The episode opens with some sexual tension...sorry, that’s “training”, between Buffy and Angel. This is one of very few remaining episodes where ‘Bangel’ are a happy and loved-up couple. We’re just nine episodes away from Angel breaking up with Buffy and then leaving for Los Angeles after “Graduation Day”.
•    Buffy: “Actually, I do have a date. Older man, very handsome, likes it when I call him ‘daddy’.”

...Giles?...that’s a little more than I needed to know about their relationship off-screen if I’m honest.

•    In addition to the primary theme of the episode, “Helpless” also starts to very subtly lay the groundwork for the eventual breakup of Buffy and Angel. After a very sexually charged workout, Buffy starts playing with the phallus-shaped crystal, realises what she’s doing, and quickly puts it down. Someone’s getting frustrated with the lack of touching available in her relationship.
•    A powerless Buffy is an intriguing concept for an episode. It’s something that I saw coming sooner or later because the entire premise of “Buffy The Vampire Slayer” is that Buffy is a strong, superhuman woman, so taking away her powers and making her ‘normal’ was a perfectly logical writing decision to make. Buffy has to explore her entire identity again; her identity has been tied to being the Slayer for such a long time that she’s forgotten who she is without being the Slayer. It’s interesting to me that Buffy has been craving a normal life since she first arrived in Sunnydale. Now she gets her wish and is powerless and she instantly wants to get her powers back and fight evil. I like to think of this as phase one in Buffy’s appreciation and acceptance of being the Slayer. Season five is phase two. Buffy learns a lot about the history and mythology of a Vampire Slayer in that season and it makes her truly appreciate what a gift she has (pun-believable!).

Buffy being powerless is originally played as a joke. She tries to throw knives and it ends terribly. Seriously, she has zero aiming ability without her Slayer powers. However, the episode takes on a much more sinister aura after it is revealed that GILES is the one making Buffy powerless. I’m not embarrassed to say that when I first saw this episode, I was so shocked that I yelled. Loudly. WHY IS GILES MAKING BUFFY POWERLESS?! WHY IS HE LYING TO BUFFY?! GILES CAN’T BE EVIL, SURELY! What makes this betrayal all the more haunting is that Giles is such a convincing liar when telling Buffy that he doesn’t know the cause of the problem. It seems to come so naturally to him. Whether that’s because of his Watcher’s Council training or because he used to be a little juvenile delinquent, Giles’ lying abilities are far too convincing.

•    Oz: “Ice is cool. It’s water, but it’s not...”

Thank you for that insight, Oz. I’d never have known that without your genius.

•    What makes Giles’ betrayal all the more heartbreaking is that Buffy’s father is being a douchebag in this episode. His douchebaggery knows no limits in fact. Hank Summers no-shows on his usual ice skating trip with Buffy for her birthday. Her eighteenth birthday at that! I can really empathise with Buffy’s daddy issues in this episode. You all know by this point that I have a strained relationship with my own father. I see him once or twice a year for an hour and that’s about the extent of our relationship. Unlike me, Buffy has a surrogate father in Giles. That is what makes this episode work. If Giles was nothing more than her Watcher, the story would have no emotional impact. If this episode had taken place towards the beginning of season one, it would have been interesting, but not emotional in the least. This episode taking place in season three after Giles and Buffy’s father-daughter relationship has been fully established means that it crushes the audience and the characters.

Buffy is already having daddy issues after her own father abandons her, then Giles betrays her as well. Let’s not forget, Buffy having fears of abandonment in relation to her father is not a new concept for Buffy. Going all the way back to season one’s “Nightmares”, Buffy has had insecurities about her father not caring about her and her parents’ divorce being her fault. To this point, Giles has been everything for Buffy that Hank wasn’t. He’s cared for Buffy, loved Buffy, supported Buffy, and been willing to die for Buffy (in “Prophecy Girl” he was prepared to face The Master in Buffy’s place). The Watcher’s Council put Giles in the unwinnable position of having to choose between being Giles the Watcher and Giles the father.

Initially, Giles chooses to be ‘Giles the Watcher’. He poisons Buffy. Giles has always been the most reliable, dependent member of the Scoobies. He’s the wise old mentor that often puts his feelings aside for other people. Hell, Giles even put his personal feelings aside to help Angel two episodes ago! A man that murdered his girlfriend (technically it was Angelus). Yet when Buffy needed him the most, he chose to be loyal to his employers, not his Slayer.

I love Giles, but he was wrong for the vast majority of this episode. He should have told Quentin where to shove this ‘rite of passage’ at the very beginning. However, as we discover in season five’s “Checkpoint”, it’s not as straightforward as that. The Watcher’s Council have a great deal of power. They have the ability to deport Giles in an instant and make his life a living Hell. So even though I feel like Giles made the wrong choice at the beginning, I can definitely understand why he did. He was scared to oppose the Council.

This is a story that needed to be told though, as it’s key for Giles’ development. By the end of the episode he turns his back on everything he’s ever known in order to save Buffy’s life. Ultimately, he did the right thing. His reward? Being fired for caring too much about his Slayer (that’s what he gets for having two jobs, the greedy...). What a load of crap! How can you love your Slayer too much?! I understand that it could split Giles’ loyalties, but look what Giles was willing to sacrifice in this episode to save Buffy! He’s more capable of keeping her alive than anyone else because of that love. It goes to show just how out of touch the Council are with the Slayer. The Council aren’t interested in having the strongest Slayer it seems, they’re interested in having the most obedient Slayer. I’m sure they’ll have more luck with Faith...

Quentin: “You have a father’s love for the child, and that is useless to the cause.”

I also resent Quentin calling Buffy a ‘child’. She’s eighteen years old and just defeated your insane vampire without her powers.

I hate the Watcher’s Council. All they ever seem to do is show up and make Buffy’s life harder. “Helpless”, “Who Are You?”, “Checkpoint”...they’re too disassociated with Buffy to know that she’s better than other Slayers. Her support system works for her. With that being said, Harris Yulin is superb as Quentin Travers. His voice is wonderful and he should read audiobooks for a living.

•    Speaking of excellent guest stars, we arrive at Jeff Kober. What a performance! Any actor out there that wants to know how to leave a lasting impression on a show in just one episode, look no further than Jeff Kober. He nails this performance. He plays insanity and genuine creepiness so well. He does such a good job that they bring him back for a three-episode run in season six as Rack. My Buffyverse Facebook page (www.facebook.com/BTVSFC) is currently running a tournament for the greatest minor Buffyverse villain. Both of Jeff’s characters made it all the way through to the quarter-finals.
•    With regards to the Oz-Xander kryptonite argument, Oz is correct. There are three types of kryptonite that are toxic to Superman as far as I’m aware. Green kills, red mutates, and gold drains Superman of his powers.
•    “Helpless” is yet another example of an episode filled with flawless musical scores that really help to enhance the story. Christophe Beck is a genius. The Kralik scenes in particular are flawless. In fact, the musical score “Kralik’s House” is used again in “Graduation Day Part One” (as The Mayor is wiping the sword that Giles just shoved through his chest) and “Fear Itself”.
•    I completely understand Buffy’s fears about being powerless. As much as she likes to talk about having a normal life, she could never have one even if she was powerless. She knows about vampires, demons, werewolves, Hellmouths and a whole mess of other nasties. She’d never be able to just be a normal girl. Either she’d be constantly scared and paranoid or she’d want to go out and fight them without her powers and end up getting herself killed. It’s a similar situation to what Angel finds himself in during “Angel” season one’s “I Will Remember You”. Oh, sweet parallels, how I love thee.
•    Giles discovering the body of the Watcher’s Council member was a really powerful scene (especially with the score playing over it), but I wish we could have seen more! It’s probably a ratings issue, but we only really see a dead arm and a bit of blood. Perhaps they were going for a situation where the audience’s disturbed little minds could imagine a scene more horrific than they were capable of creating.
•    There are two scenes in this episode that make it stand out. The first of which is when Buffy discovers that Giles was the one who was poisoning her. Buffy’s face after the reveal is gut-wrenching to watch. Sarah was perfect in this scene. Her despair, shock, and disbelief were so believable that it made the audience feel everything that Buffy was feeling.

“Who are you? How could you do this to me?!” and “You stuck a needle in me. You poisoned me!” are the most powerful lines of a very, very emotionally intense scene.

•    Then Kralik escapes and ruins all the Watcher’s Council’s careful planning by kidnapping Joyce (when he appeared from under that Little Red Riding Hood cloak, I screamed...in a manly sort of way, of course). I find the scene where Kralik is talking to Joyce fascinating. The writers spend a lot of time showing the audience why Kralik is as mentally unhinged as he is. It’s a clever parallel to have Kralik’s relationship with his mother as the focal point, as it directly correlates to Buffy’s struggles with Giles in this episode.
•    The scene where Buffy is trying to find her mother by making her way through the creepy house is very well done. It’s directed well, it’s acted well, and the musical scores are again perfect. Kralik, please stop whispering “hide and seek”. This episode is creepy enough without you adding to it even more than you already have. Just when I thought this episode could get no more creepy, Kralik is sexually excited by the cross burning him.




  •    Look at all those Joyce photos! It’s a good job that Kralik has one of those cameras that develops the photos right after they’re taken, otherwise the cost to develop all of those would have been ridiculous. I think Joyce went overboard with her selfies.
•    “No friends, no weapons, no hope, take all that away and what’s left?”...“me”. Buffy killing Kralik using holy water completely embodies that quote from “Becoming Part Two”. Even without superpowers she’s intelligent enough and strong enough to kill Kralik. It’s one of the most creative deaths during the show and I believe the only time holy water is used to kill a vampire in the Buffyverse.
•    The second scene that makes this episode stand out is the scene where Buffy and Giles make amends. Giles cleans blood off of Buffy’s face like he’s trying to remove the stain of his betrayal. You can see Buffy forgive Giles as he’s wiping the blood away. He just threw away his career for Buffy. She just heard that Giles has a “father’s love” for her. I’m sure she’d thought before that Giles loved her as more than just his Slayer, but she’s now had it confirmed by an outsider. This episode ends on a rather touching note. David Fury tore Buffy and Giles apart in this episode to sew them back together even stronger by the time it fades to black. That’s impressive. You all know by this point that Buffy and Giles’ relationship is my favourite on “Buffy The Vampire  Slayer”, so this episode holds a special place in my heart.
•    Then, Xander tries to be all macho and ends up failing miserably, as we all knew he would. The perfect ending to an episode about female empowerment.



Quote Of The Episode

Angel: “I saw you before you became the Slayer. I watched you and I saw you called. It was a bright afternoon out in front of your school. You walked down the steps and I loved you.”

Buffy: “Why?”

Angel: “Because I could see your heart. You held it before you for everyone to see and I worried that it would be bruised or torn and more than anything in my life I wanted to keep it safe...to warm it with my own.”

Buffy: “That’s beautiful…or taken literally incredibly gross.”

Angel: “I was just thinking that too.”



I love that exchange. Firstly, Buffy finally gets to know that Angel saw her being called. It was a really sweet moment for Buffy and Angel as a couple (you know, if you gloss over the whole part where Buffy was 15 and Angel was 242 at the time...) and it’s so nice that they share it now. It’s also wonderful to see Angel show a bit of humour and personality at the end of that scene. Angel is one of my favourite characters in the Buffyverse, but almost all of that stems from after he moves to L.A. to live. Angel on “Buffy The Vampire Slayer” was still quite a cool character, but he was a little boring and far too broody for my liking. This is another instance of an emotional scene counterbalanced with humour. It’s pretty much Joss’ trademark by this point. Well...that, and killing characters I love. 


FINAL SCORE: 8/10



What are your thoughts on "Helpless"? Did you enjoy this episode? Dislike it? Let me know all your thoughts in the comments section below!

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14 comments:

  1. I loved the previous ep, Gingerbread and I find Helpless to be a superior ep as well. Throughout the series Buffy constantly wonders what it would be like to be a "normal girl". In this ep she gets her wish (notice the play on words and eps there). I find it odd that she first goes to Angel when she suspects her abilities might be slipping away. No one would be happier than Joyce to know her little girl is no longer the Slayer. That way Joyce could go back to her happy little world where her daughter is going to prom, running for homecoming queen, talking about boys on the phone or god forbid doing homework. And yes I am paraphrasing the speech from Becoming II. Joyce could also then pretend (without a spell or demon involve) that Sunnydale was just a normal place without an unusually high homicide rate/or strange occurrences. Instead Buffy went to Angel to see if he only loved her BECAUSE she was the Slayer. Perhaps she didn't go to her mom because she figured Joyce would love her MORE if she wasn't the Slayer. Anywho this ep centers around the best relationship of the series, Giles and Buffy, apparently Admin and I agree on that one.Since- Lie to Me and The Dark Age Whedon et al have been trying to show us how much Giles cares for Buffy and vice versa. We've seen little examples in other eps but the above eps really tried to drive the points home. I was shocked, SHOCKED when I learned Giles was responsible for her power drainage. I couldn't think of him as having gone all big or semi big bad so I thought he may have been giving her the gift of normalcy for her 18th birthday. To learn that he was "just following orders" was perfectly in character for him at the time and so was having that change of heart and telling Travers to sit and spin. Ironic that the same mother who asked if Buffy had "Tried NOT to be a Slayer" ended up SAVED by her daughter the Slayer. Interesting dynamic that the father figure does his duty until he realizes it puts his charge/surrogate child in danger and the mother ends up being saved by the very daughter she wishes were someone else. Incidentally the Watcher's Council was always kind of stodgy to me and as we learn later their origins are creepy. Not to give too much away but Buffy's line, "“Who are you? How could you do this to me?!” and “You stuck a needle in me. You poisoned me!” are akin to how the first Slayer was created. Ick! It goes without saying that Kralik's demise was the coolest on the entire series. RE: “No friends, no weapons, no hope, take all that away and what’s left?”...“me”. Buffy killing Kralik using holy water completely embodies that quote from “Becoming Part Two”. Even without superpowers she’s intelligent enough and strong enough to kill Kralik" Exactly but remember that past Slayers didn't have Scoobies or families to lean on so the Cruciamentum, as Giles said was used to test the smarts and ingenuity of past Slayers. The end of the ep is so emotional. With Giles getting fired, Travers declaring what we all knew, "You have a father’s love for the child, and that is useless to the cause.” Just playing Devil's Advocate. The Council is in affect a business/corporation. The individual watchers are middle management and the Slayer is the labourer. Notice the hierarchy. Giles chose his principles over his duty ultimately even though the council could have theoretically had him deported and or disgraced (look at what happened to Wesley and he WAS following orders). For whatever reason Giles was allowed to stay in the country and continue to work as the school librarian. Plot hole anyone? Anywho great ep and it gives us something to think about...

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    1. Perhaps the Council didn’t want to piss Buffy off so let Giles stay? Just a thought.

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    4. Giles is still lawfully employed by the school (as far as we know) so he would have a right to stay in the country. Unless you mean that the Watchers' Council was pulling strings to prevent Principal Snyder from firing Giles, which is interesting to think about...

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  2. "After a very sexually charged workout, Buffy starts playing with the phallus-shaped crystal, realises what she’s doing, and quickly puts it down. Someone’s getting frustrated with the lack of touching available in her relationship." Ha, never read into it like that, good observation!

    Yes, I see this as her first step towards accepting being the Slayer too. It also makes me think about how much she's grown since season one.

    I understand that, as an employee of the council, Giles has to follow orders, but I'm still mad at him for what he does to Buffy. I know that he regrets it, and reveals the truth to her, but I still wish he hadn't done it at all. But I guess we wouldn't have had this great episode then.

    You provide a very insightful analysis into Giles' character and his relationship with Buffy :)

    "I’m sure they’ll have more luck with Faith..." haha, I giggled.

    My favourite thing about the episode is the scene with Kralik and Buffy in the house...So tense and so captivating! To be chased by a deranged vampire in such a claustrophobic envirnoment...creepy as hell. They made really good use of space in this episode. In fact, when I was writing my essay on space and narrative I almost chose this episode to analyse. Alas, I went for Waiting in the Wings in the end, but this would have been equally fascinating to write about.

    "Giles discovering the body of the Watcher’s Council member was a really powerful scene (especially with the score playing over it), but I wish we could have seen more!" I was just thinking that.

    "Just when I thought this episode could get no more creepy, Kralik is sexually excited by the cross burning him."...Exactly...*shudders*

    LOVED this review, Shangel! So much insight, it was a treat reading it! Now I've caught up and I'm already craving for mooooooore. :D

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    1. :) Yes Angela! This review. I like it. Another!

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  3. Danielle Willmott22 January 2014 at 16:20

    This is actually the episode that made me think, 'Wow, this woman can act!' SMG is brilliant in this episode, I fell in love with her and Buffy even more after watching. It's interesting that you brought up how much Buffy has always wanted a normal life, then when she has a chance to have one, she immediately wants her slayer powers back. Which makes me love the fact that she finally has a chance at a normal life but will throw that all away to keep her friends and her town safe again.

    For me, this is the first insight into what the watchers council are really like. Wanting a slayer that will do whatever they say, instead of an empowered slayer who can still have a life and continue with her slayer duties. I imagine that there idea of a perfect slayer would be Kendra, who literally didn't have an inch of a social life because of her slayer duties. She was a perfect slayer in their eyes.

    I was so disappointed in Giles. Buffy was let down by her real father and her father figure. Buffy gave up her life because she was a slayer, and no matter what the watchers council would do to Giles, he wasn't willing to do the same. However in the end, he gave up his whole lifestyle without fear of what the watchers council would do to him, because he had a 'fathers love' for her. Which made me instantly forgive him, as he was willing to give everything up just like Buffy did!

    As always, it was a pleasure reading this review, making notes and commenting! I don't always have time to comment but I have read all reviews except a few from season 2! Which I will be catching up with when I have spare time and I can't wait! Good job, Shangel! :D

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    1. :) I can make up for any lack of comments :)

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  4. This is such a heartbreaking episode, I love Gile....and I hate how he is "poisoning" and liying to Buffy. It's so sad how Buffy's "fathers" let her down in her birthday. But it''s not only painful to see Buffy , I also feel sorry for Giles <3 because he love her, he wants the best for her and you can see that Giles feels shitty...I dislike the Watcher Council, by the way.

    Bangel...I love the awkward sexual tension between them, I love their conversation about Buffy before being the slayer. I remember in "Passion" when Buffy told Willow how B need Angel everytime sth wrong happened to her. I always thought that she refered she needed physically, but no! she needs Angel emotionally....

    I like your review, but personally I would rank this episode a bit higher...

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    1. Who doesn't dislike the council. Bunch of bloody wankers.

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    2. I concur, I love Angel/buffy sexually awkwardness it so endearing plus seeing Angel smile is awesome. It's their quite moments that makes me love this couple to death but their playful moments are gold. I also thought the same thing when buffy said that needed Angel in the Passion episode but now I also understand that she meant emotionally. Another reason why their love is amazing is the way they ground each other, they understand each other, they see the best in each other, make each strong. Darn it Shangel stop reminding me that in a few episodes our beloved Angel will piss me off by leaving his love behind, damn him and his selfless love!

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  5. Argghh – that’s the reward for making 18 years of age as a Slayer – an almost certain death!! Well done, you’re 18, an adult, let’s kill you! I hate the Watcher’s Council – I love Checkpoint so much!

    Can't say I blame buffy’s frustration – another reason I’m not so much a Bangel shipper.

    Powerless Buffy is a sad, sad thing. It is nice to see the beginning of her acceptance of being the Slayer.

    I cried when I found out it was Giles causing this lack of powers. I thought he’d gone all Gwendolyn Post on us. I think of all the betrayals in BTVS and this was is the suckiest. Giles is the one person who is supposed to have Buffy’s back and yet we have this!! Giles should have told the Watcher’s Council to bugger off. Not put her through some archaic test!

    After the shit storm of sadness it was good to see Oz’s ice/water geniusness. Always makes me laugh.

    I hate Hank Summers – he doesn’t deserve a daughter as awesome as Buffy.

    I can't believe Giles would help Angel but not Buffy. It is so stupid, even if they could deport him in an instant.

    Travers is a twat. That is all.

    I don’t think I could go from superhero to normal girl with all that knowledge of monsters. I feel for Buffy.

    It always puzzles me about Giles finding the council member’s body. They can show dead kids, but not a grown up?

    Oh the feels! Sarah’s ability to act through facial expressions is extraordinary. The tears that fell. And when she asks Cordy to drive her home. Oh the feels!

    Oh Kralik was so perfectly insanely creepy! Just when you think shit can't get any creepier, it bloody does!

    I love that holy water was used to kill Kralik. It was so unexpected.

    I was so happy that things were made right between Giles and Buffy in this ep. It would have sucked to drag it out.

    QOTE – awesome :)

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    1. I'm guessing it's not supposed to be certain death; with the vamp "under control" (as opposed to here, where he escaped) they'd probably stop the test if the Slayer were seriously in danger. Maybe I'm giving the Watchers too much credit...

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