Buffy the Vampire Slayer - The Prom - S03E20 Review

THE PROM
SEASON 3 EPISODE 20

Oh prom, you so crazy!  Though widely regarded as a rite of passage that transitions you into adulthood (sometimes even in a gross, “You are now a man, winky-face” kind of way), I can confirm that prom sucks.  Yeah, it’s real bad – especially if you’re not into dancing.  Or awful EDM.  Or people.  I fear I have said too much.  But it’s a common TV Trope to glamorize events like this, and thus Episode 20, The Prom, was born.

We start with Angel staring awkwardly at Buffy as she sleeps.  Or maybe it’s cute, I dunno.  I guess to be fair, I have done that before, but I’m not sure that makes it any better.  They exchange some cutesy dialogue as they discuss the prospect of her spending the night after the prom.  Angel does not seem like a dance-y fun type (as his dance scene from Season 1 episode “She” on his own show will attest).  Buffy opens a curtain and mildly irritates Angel, and then we cut to opening credits.  I’ve always thought that was an incredibly strange place to end the cold open.  Oh no, Angel is agitated!  DUN DUN DUN!

At school, demon wishmaker Anya shows up to ask Xander to the prom.  It’s amazing how great Emma Caulfield is even though this is only her third episode, and as far as I know, she still wasn’t planned to be a main character at this point.  Afterwards, Xander does a humorous sock puppet bit for his friends.  Who Never Laugh At His Jokes.  Jerks.  Seriously, none of them looked amused at all.  Ungrateful is what it is!

Back at Angel’s, Joyce shows up to basically order Angel to break up with Buffy.  This is a scene that’s kind of difficult to watch.  Actually this whole episode has a lot of that.  Not that it’s bad, it’s just painful.

At school, Giles comes in to remind the gang that they’re working on a clock, and to fill in the casual viewers that missed the past couple episodes.  Cordy is hanging with them inexplicably and is flirting with Wesley, which is super weird in retrospect after seeing their friendship bloom on Angel.

Angel has a really well-done creepy dream about Buffy bursting into flames as soon as they become married.  The next day they’re hunting in the sewers and... oh god, this is it.  They get into a big argument and eventually Angel breaks it off with her.  This is incredibly painful to watch – they’re both just fantastic in the scene, particularly Sarah.  This is definitely one of her best scenes in the series.

Buffy:  I want my life to be with you.
Angel:  I don’t.

Brutal.  Seriously punches me right in the face every single time.  Angel confesses that he’s leaving to go to his own show after The Ascension.  And for a long time... this is kind of the note that the Buffy/Angel relationship is left on.  They get some good moments in later seasons, but Bangel shippers, this is kind of it (unless the Season Nine comics and later elaborate on the relationship).

Xander stops by the clothing store again, seeing Cordelia, and finds out that she actually works there, trying to buy a prom dress because she’s now broke due to her dad’s tax evasion.  Before Xander can apologize, a giant dog-man busts into the store and kills a kid (read: thirty year old) in a tux.  I like that Xander still goes into protector mode when the monster breaks in, and throws Cordy out of the way to take on the thing himself.  If you don’t think Xander’s a good guy after that, you crazy, son.  He even covers for her in the following scene so she doesn’t have to admit that she’s broke.

So the demon is called a hellhound and it’s being trained to kill people in formal wear by a dorky kid named Tucker Wells.  One thing that kind of annoys me is that they try to build the hellhound up as a fearsome enemy with Wesley and Giles delivering some “you haven’t faced something like this before, Buffy”-esque lines, but all things considered, they are ultimately super easily taken out.  Like even easier than that worm thing from Band Candy that dies to fire immediately.  Also, remember Tucker Wells.  He will be important three seasons from now.

Buffy decides to take charge of the one thing she CAN control right now, taking out Tucker.  She heads to the butcher and gets Tucker’s address from the butcher – yeah, I’m sure he’d just hand out his customers’ addresses.  She bumps into Angel buying blood.  It’s awkward, to say the least.  Cordy returns to the dress store only to find out that Xander has finished paying off her dress.  Aww, ain’t he sweet, kids?

Buffy has a heart-to-heart with Giles while the rest of the gang head to the prom.  Xander is bored to death of Anya, Giles and Wesley bond Britishly before Wesley heads over to mack on Cordy.  Is it just me or is Willow supes adorable in this prom dress?  We also see that even Jonathan got a date, nice!  Although realistically that would never ever ever ever happen to a kid that brought a gun to school (he would also have been immediately expelled, but whatever, TV and all that).

Buffy finds Tucker, who is a huge sissy and has one of the most hilariously brief motives in the entire series.

Tucker:  You want to go to the prom with me?
Girl:  No.

That’s the whole flashback, and it’s damn funny.  Also I only know this from watching a Season 4 commentary, but apparently the actor that played Tucker also did the singing voice for Aladdin.  Pretty neat.  Oh yeah, hellhounds and stuff.  Turns out they’re already headed to the prom, but Buffy finds ‘em and easily kills them all in the span of maybe twenty seconds.  That’s a Supernatural-level rush-through-the-action-scene, bravo!

Buffy finally gets to go and enjoy the prom, looking quite amazing as well.  Then Jonathan gets on stage and gives a really touching speech about how Buffy always looks out for everyone even though they may not understand how or why.  Then she gets an adorable little umbrella trophy.  It’s another one of the best scenes in the series, to be completely honest.  Afterwards, Buffy gets a nice little final surprise as a dashing yet perpetually awkward Angel-in-a-tux shows up to give her a dance.  And Bangel essentially ends, but on a touching, bittersweet note, only soured by the fact that Wild Horses is playing in the background.

For all of the filler of the actual episode’s plot, this one really does have some of amazing standalone scenes.  The breakup scene, the class protector scene, and even Xander’s sweet gesture to Cordy – this episode has a lot to like, despite the uninteresting main plot.  But enough with standalone stories, we’re gearing up for the two-parter finale!