Wednesday 28 May 2014

Buffy The Vampire Slayer, "Buffy vs. Dracula" Review (5x01)

Brief Synopsis: “When Dracula himself arrives in Sunnydale, he leaves the Scoobies star struck. Can Buffy defeat Dracula before she falls under the thrall of the Dark Prince?”


"Restless" (4x22) quick link here                                                                                                                                               "Real Me" (5x02) quick link here



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



Ladies and Gentlemen, we’re reached season five! If you combine the reviews of “Buffy The Vampire Slayer” and “Angel”, this is the 101st review of the Buffyverse that I’ve written. That’s a lot of Buffyverse writing. I feel like I know these characters as well as I know most of my friends by this point...that’s probably not something I should admit in public. The fifth season of the show has an entirely different feel to it than its four predecessors. Seasons 1-3 focus on the high school setting and the very simple premise that high school is Hell. The  fourth season is in a similar vein, only its exploring the college setting instead of high school, and how relationships and friendships take on a difference appearance once this new setting is introduced. Season five steps away from the academic setting for the first time and thrusts the Scoobies into adult life. Unlike the four previous seasons, Buffy is now an adult and as such she has to start acting more like one. For me, this is the season where Buffy really starts to grow up. This is partially because of Buffy’s renewed interest in what it means to be a Vampire Slayer, but it’s also because Joyce’s death forces adulthood onto Buffy’s shoulders. Buffy has a young sister to look after (more on that later!), a household to run, a needy boyfriend to babysit, and a God to contend with. By the time this season approaches the end, Buffy is a significantly less carefree and light-hearted person.

“Buffy vs. Dracula” is a good – not great – season opener. What it does correctly is establish very early on (much earlier than most other seasons) what this season is going to explore. It has a terrific, shocking cliffhanger ending regarding Dawn, it gives Giles a reason to remain in the show, and it sets up Buffy’s growing obsession with discovering the root of her Slayer power and history, which was touched upon initially in “Restless”.

The episode opens with Buffy in a highly restless state (...see what I did there? With the restless comment? ‘Cause that’s what caused Buffy’s obsession....shut up, I’m witty...). She doesn’t seem content until she’s been out patrolling and killing vampires. While this is a good thing and has been a part of Buffy’s life for five years, the way in which Buffy goes about patrolling has changed since the end of season four. She’s no longer just killing vampires because it’s her job, she’s also doing it because she wants to do it. She’s craving the hunt. Slaying has gone from a job to an obsession since the First Slayer opened Buffy’s eyes to what she is. Dracula’s appearance offers Buffy (and in turn us, the audience) a glimpse into what a Slayer’s power is rooted in. Dracula has been around for a long time. He knows about Slayers, he knows that a Slayer’s essence and power stems from a demon (something Buffy doesn’t discover until season seven’s “Get It Done”).

I’ve mentioned this a few times, but I adore scenes where the Scoobies are just chillin’ out and having fun. They’re such a rarity that I find myself desperately clinging to them. Like a squirrel, we must gather this goodness to sustain us for the long winter ahead (Riley’s departure, Joyce’s death, etc.). In this episode, the Scoobies are happily relaxing on a sunny beach. Sweet mother, the rarity. While this scene is played as carefree and relaxed, it does give us a glimpse into how Willow is becoming more and more reliant on magic for the most mundane of tasks. Due to Xander having some trouble lighting the fire, Willow instantly uses magic to rectify the situation. She could have helped Xander try to light the fire by hand, but instead her first instinct goes straight to magic. Over the next couple of years, Willow’s reliance on magic to fix her life will increase astronomically. Willow will grow to manipulate everything and everyone around her to match her own needs and desires...including Tara.



I appreciate how quickly this episode gives us resolution to both Xander and Giles’ identity struggles that ran throughout the 4th season. In Giles’ case, we first see Giles preparing the Scoobies for life after he departs Sunnydale. Since Sunnydale High-go-boom, Giles has become increasingly frustrated with his place within the Scoobies. He knows that Buffy no longer needs him to guide her because she’s grown into a capable, powerful woman herself by this point. The cool thing about ol’ Ripper is that he’s not feeling sorry for himself when he says this. He’s proud of Buffy and what she’s accomplished. It just means that he’s rather redundant in her life now from a mentor and former-Watcher standpoint. Giles doesn’t want to tell Buffy yet about his plans to leave, so he confides in the only other person he truly trusts within the Scoobies...

Giles: “You promise?”
Willow: “I guess. Now that I know there’s something to know, I can’t not know, just because I’m afraid somebody will know I know, ya know?”

My brain hurts just reading that sentence. It makes a certain amount of warm, fuzzy sense that Giles would confide in Willow. After Giles departs for England, he knows that Willow will take his place as the researcher and brains behind Team Buffy. Willow has almost been like Watcher Jr. for the past four years and she’s earned Giles’ trust and respect.

The idea of having Dracula on “Buffy The Vampire Slayer” is very, very cool. The execution?...not so much. Rudolph Martin did a great job and I’m a big fan of his in general, but most of his dialogue and actions are downright cheesy and camp. Dracula is the most famous vampire in history, but I wasn’t the least bit scared of him or intimidated by him in this episode. I did get a kick out of Spike and Anya knowing Dracula and Dracula owing Spike £11, but it didn’t do much to add to Dracula’s credibility. I also demand backstory on Dracula owing Spike money and I demand it now. I have flashes in my brain of Dracula borrowing money from Spike to play kitten poker or to get a taxi home before sunrise. Speaking of Spike, I also enjoy his little hissy fit over Dracula being the reason why humans know how to kill vampires. Dracula was a show-off that became too famous for his own good and in doing so exposed vampires and their weaknesses. He’s been the cause of more vampire deaths than all of the Slayers combined.



Xander and Willow walking past a cemetery at night, talking to each other, reminds me so much of the opening episode of season two, “When She Was Bad”. It’s oddly poetic that exactly three years later the same two characters are doing the exact same thing, even though they’ve both grown so much as people. Their hairstyles are also vastly different. After they meet up with Buffy, as if by magic, a wild Dracula appears..

Dracula: “Leave us.”
Xander: “No, we’re not going to ‘leabe’ you. And where did you get that accent, Sesame Street? ‘one, two, three! Three victims! Mwahahaha’”. 

Oh, Xander. You deserve to be Dracula’s lackey after being so rude about his accent. It’s still better than Kendra’s.

Xander: “You know what, you’re not so big. One round of old-fashioned fisticuffs, I bet you’d fold like a bitty baby. Okay, let’s do it. But no poofing! Come on puffy shirt, pucker on up, because you can kiss you pale ass good...”
Dracula: “Silence.”
Xander: “Yes master.”

For those of you that love Xander and Dracula’s relationship, there’s a very humourous reunion between the two in the “Buffy The Vampire Slayer” season eight comic book continuation of the series.

Buffy: “Do you know what a Slayer is?”
Dracula: “Do you?”

This is an intelligent remark by Marti Noxon because this is what the entire season is about! Buffy discovering who and what she is, which ultimately leads her to the revelation that death is her gift. Dracula expands upon what the First Slayer told Buffy in “Restless” by reiterating that a Slayer’s power is rooted in darkness. Let’s not forget, the First Slayer (Sineya) was created due to the Shadow Men chaining her to the floor of a cave and forcing the spirit of a powerful demon inside of her. If that was my Christmas gift, I’d return it. Buffy is mesmerised by Dracula and temporarily falls under his thrall because the Slayer side of her is drawn to him and his powers of mind control. Buffy’s primal nature is shrouded in darkness and is therefore attracted to dark and dangerous things. Look at Buffy’s dating history! Angel, Spike (soon)...Buffy’s attracted to vampires because they offer her death, danger, darkness...generally ‘d’ words. Dracula is almost like a prelude to Spike’s relationship with Buffy in the 6th season. Dracula manipulates Buffy here and is able to do whatever he wants with her because of his power over her mind. In the next season, Spike is able to do that for an entire year because Buffy is battling severe depression. Due to her depression, Buffy allows her darker urges to manifest as opposed to holding them back like she normally does. She lets Spike use her and take control of her because she’s given up caring. Vampires do have a mystical power over Buffy and not just romantically. Spike explains it perfectly in “Fool For Love” later this season. Death is Buffy’s gift. It’s her art, her passion, her calling in life. Buffy’s so surrounded by death constantly that she’s drawn to it. Part of her wonders what it’s like to be a vampire. To be uninhibited and care about nothing except the chase and the bloodlust. Buffy is already starting to feel like that herself in this episode! We’ve seen Buffy hunting as opposed to patrolling, we’ve witnessed Buffy falling under Dracula’s thrall. Notice that when Dracula bites Buffy, a part of her enjoys the experience...just like she did when Angel drained her blood in “Graduation Day Part Two”.



It’s because of this that Riley starts to have major insecurities. Riley knows deep down that Buffy is attracted to dark, dangerous guys and that’s something that he simply isn’t. Riley is a corn-fed, family-loving, order-taking Iowa boy. He’s not dark in the least. Riley is jealous of Dracula after discovering that Dracula has bitten Buffy. The cracks in their relationship that have been visible since the last few episodes of season four start to widen here. Buffy is more interested in slaying and the history of her power than she is with Riley, which is understandable. Seeing things from Riley’s point of view, I can understand why he’s insecure and childish in this episode. He has enough foresight to know that Buffy doesn’t love him and that she’s strangely drawn to vampires and creatures of darkness. He knows that she’s slipping through his fingers and he’s powerless to stop it. Spike doesn’t help the situation when he plays on Riley’s insecurities and mentions that Riley is directionless and useless since leaving the Initiative...why don’t those two (and Angel) just get the tape measure out and be done with it? All that testosterone! Riley, like Giles, feels as though Buffy doesn’t need him anymore. Whereas Giles realises by the conclusion of the episode that this isn’t the case, Riley receives no such closure.

Joyce, Joyce, Joyce...you know your daughter is a Vampire Slayer. You should know better than to invite pale men wearing capes into the house! Rule #1: no inviting people into the house unless you’ve seen them in sunlight! It’s also apparent that Joyce doesn’t know about Willow and Tara’s relationship by this point. She does know by the time “Real Me” rolls around, so I can only assume that they tell her off-screen between this episode and the next.

Due to the thrally nature of their relationship, Buffy goes to visit Dracula in his spectacular mansion. While there, Dracula echoes Tara’s line from “Restless”...“you think you know, what’s to come, what you are, you haven’t even begun.” Oooh, cryptic. I really enjoy everything that takes place while the Scoobies are at the mansion, but it takes waaaaaaaay too long to get there. By the time Buffy drinks Dracula’s blood and proclaims “that was gross”, I was ready for him to be dead...then he comes back...then Buffy stakes him again...then he comes back...lather, rinse, repeat. Also, does anyone else think that Riley punched Xander far too easily? There was no hesitation at all! I thought he was your friend, man! 

My very favourite part of the episode, without a doubt, is Giles and the Dracky-babes. They tickle him and nuzzle him and you just know that he’s loving every second of the attention...

Giles: “My shoe! Silly me, I’ll just pop back...”

Clearly, ol’ Ripper hasn’t been ripping up anything since Olivia dumped him in the last season. Sexual frustration, thy name is Rupert.

Xander’s “no more butt monkey” speech is hilarious (and in the ‘Quote Of The Episode’ section), but it’s also pivotal for his character. After his dream sequence in “Restless”, his relationship with Anya, and his annoyance here, Xander does finally begin to grow as a person. He actually does stop being the ‘butt monkey’ of the Scoobies after this episode and becomes a more mature man who grows to ‘see everything’. Within two episodes of this, Xander starts a career in construction (as opposed to a job) and rents his own apartment with Anya. He’s growing up and becoming a man.

Buffy’s experiences with Dracula in this episode have made her more aware than ever that she needs to know more about her lineage and powers. She knows nothing about her powers or where they come from, she knows nothing about the history of Slayers, and she has no idea how the other Slayers died. If she studies slaying, perhaps she can be stronger and better than the ones who came before her and perhaps her life won’t be as short and brutal as theirs. Is Buffy doomed to live in darkness? Will her ‘hunting’ urges grow deeper? Can she resist the cravings she’s been feeling? Buffy tells Giles that she’s scared and that she wants and needs him to be her Watcher again. Ugh, it’s so touching I may vomit. For more than a year, we’ve watched Giles fall deeper and deeper into feelings of inadequacy. Now, Buffy’s just proven his fears wrong. Buffy doesn’t turn to her friends for help, she turns to Giles. The only person who can help her in this situation. Her father-figure and her mentor.

Then, just when things are looking positive and inspiring for the coming season, Joss Whedon drops a bombshell on us! In one of the most shocking, unexpected, jaw-dropping scenes ever on “Buffy The Vampire Slayer”, we casually discover that BUFFY HAS A SISTER AND THAT SISTER IS HARRIET THE SPY! WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON! Safe to say, when I first saw this scene, my brain melted. Get settled, kiddies. You’re in for a bumpy ride this season.


Quote Of The Episode

Xander: “Where is he?! Where is the creep that turned me into the spider-eating man-bitch?!”

Buffy: “He’s gone.”

Xander: “Damn it! You know what? I’m sick of this crap. I’m sick of being the guy who eats insects and gets the funny syphilis. As of this moment, it’s over. I’m finished being everyone’s butt monkey!”

Buffy: “Check. No more butt monkey.”


FINAL SCORE: 6.5/10


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

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7 comments:

  1. Awww! This is one of my favorite episodes. The funny ones always are my favorites, although I was disappointed that Buffy fell for this cheesy Dracula. There was so much happening that I really found it a watch every second type.

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  2. I think my favorite party was the end how he kept reappearing! Ha! But it seemed rushed and too quick of an entrance and exit for Dracula.

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  3. I can't watch any scenes of Buffy and Dracula together without feeling rather creeped out.

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  4. You know it's funny how Willow uses magic for mundane things, but never once thinks about using it as a means of attack (until this season anyway).

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    1. Also, to answer your question about Dracula owing Spike money in your review, there was apparently a comic that states that Spike bought Bram Stoker's Dracula for Drusilla and the real Dracula destroyed the book.

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  5. Boring and cliche! I realize this was supposed to be done as an homage to the entire vampire legend but come on! This MOTW was never defeated just ignored. I would have LIKED to know more about his origins (Whedon style) vs the legend. I would have liked to have known WHY The Slayer couldn't manage to kill or at least wound him. He was allowed to get away just like the First Slayer. Worst season premiere in the history of the show.

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  6. Fun side note, this song, “Finding me” by Vertical Horizon is the opener as the gang chills on the beach! It’s another good tidbit snuck in there by Joss tying together the theme of Buffy learning more about who she is! Thanks for the reviews Shangel!

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