SCHOOL HARD
SEASON 2 EPISODE 3
This is actually a really important episode, even if the actual plot itself is pretty standalone. We open up with Buffy and random character of the week Sheila in trouble with Principal Snyder. First off, I'll say Sheila is awful, one of the worst I can think of. Snyder orders the two to set up Parent Teacher Night singlehandedly, which is kind of like telling the looney bin patients to schedule their own electroshock therapy. After school Buffy meets with Xander and Willow, who are both wearing awesome clothes. You could fit two Xanders in his giant button-up shirt.
Next thing you know a car comes crashing through the Welcome to Sunnydale sign and we get our first look at Billy Idol, I mean Sid Vicious, I mean Spike (played by James Marsters). Spike is a real Lost Boys punkish vampire, and adds some nasty personality to the villains. He shows up at the Anointed One's place to help kill the Slayer, bringing his psycho girlfriend Drusilla (played by Juliet Landau). Dru I'm not as fond of; both she and Spike are sort of one-note, but while Spike grows immensely throughout the show, Dru always stays sort of one-dimensionally insane. But Spike more than makes up for it.
Giles and Jenny come up to the gang with news of the anniversary of a vampire crusade in which some evil might be going down, and Giles scolds Buffy for letting her social life interfere with her calling. It's actually kind of a retread of Never Kill a Boy on the First Date, but more subtle. And there's some funny Xander lines (and funny Buffy reactions to said lines).
"I'll whittle stakes! And while I'm whittling, I plan to whistle a jaunty tune!"
Later that night Buffy is cramming French at the Bronze while Xander's dancing all crazy. He convinces the other two to dance as one of the cooler Bronze songs plays. Not really a song to dance to, though...Anyway, Spike starts to stalk Buffy and gets his vampire pal to attack somebody so he could measure up Buffy's slaying skills. She makes quick work of the guy, and Spike is sort of impressed (he even does the slow clap), but he still gives his "I'm gonna kill you" speech before disappearing. Soon after Sheila gets nabbed outside by Spike and his Cockney charm.
The gang are all talking about Spike at the library and Angel shows up to build him up some more, implying that he knew him in the past. Meanwhile there's a scene developing Spike and Dru, who seems to be sickly. They actually have a loving relationship in their own twisted little way; turns out Sheila was a meal brought to Dru by Spike. Yummy!
So the big night finally arrives and seems to be going pretty awfully. Buffy sucks at making lemonade, and Snyder tells Joyce what a crappy kid Buffy is. Meanwhile Giles figures out the origin of Spike a.k.a. William the Bloody, who has killed two slayers. He also says that Spike's "barely 200", something which later on would prove to be completely wrong. I'm not entirely sure why the writers would change that, it's a pretty big thing. But anyway, Spike attacks Parent Teacher Night, Hans Gruber style. Everyone gets separated into little groups and they all barricade themselves in separate rooms.
Xander escapes through the stacks in the library and finds Angel, because he's the only dude bad enough to save Parent Teacher night! Buffy climbs into the ceiling, leaving her mom, Snyder, and a few red shirts locked in one of the classrooms. She crashes through into the library and decides to take them out one-on-one, John McClane style. There's a really weird scene where Buffy stakes a vamp and he falls out of frame, and instead of CGI dust they just throw some glitter up into the frame. Looks pretty strange, although totally faaaabulous. She gets her mom and Snyder and the surviving red shirts out of the barricade and to safety.
Angel comes in the front door using Xander as bait to try and fool Spike. It's interesting that Spike pronounces Angel's vampire name Angelus as in "Los Angeles". Later on in the series it's always pronounced as "an-jealous". Despite putting on a good show, Spike doesn't fall for Xander and Angel's ploy, socking him right in the face. It's then we learn that Angel was the vampire that made Spike. Buffy then shows up wielding a fire axe to fight Spike, but discards her weapon to fight him like a real cowboy. She gets bested by Spike, but then Joyce conks him with the fire axe, saving the day as he bolts.
Afterwards, the cops show up and talk to Snyder, implying that the government is more aware of the vamp situation than people might think. Angel and Xander share a funny moment about Xand being bait, and Buffy and her mom are on good terms again. Meanwhile, Spike is pretty upset that he let Buffy get away, so he takes out his anger on the little brat Anointed One, locking him in a cage, raising him up to the sunlight and killing him. It's about time!
All in all it's definitely one of my favorite standalones of the season. Spike is a fantastic character, and a welcome addition to Season 2. It sets up the opportunity for some awesome flashbacks later on involving Angel and Spike. Plus it's just great to finally get the Anointed One out of the way.
****
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