Reviewed by Sanguine

Sigmund Freud, a man who occasionally got things right, was interested in the symbolic meaning of houses. It would appear that the writers of BTVS share the psychoanalyst's infatuation with buildings as metaphors. In particular, the writer Drew Greenberg has gotten a lot of mileage out of this conceit. In his episode, Smashed, Spike and Buffy's sexual escapades literally bring the house down. Some interpreted their edifice-destroying encounter as a positive thing: those pesky self-made barriers were all crumbling, biting the dust. Although Mr. Greenberg was loathe to interpret his metaphor for the viewers, he did mention in an interview that bringing the house down wasn't a good thing. But what about being trapped in a house with a dangerous demon, unable to leave?

For Freud the house symbolised the womb: a space where the infant's needs were all met, a completely safe environment. Buffy's house in Older and Far Away, was anything but womblike. Demons were quite literally coming out of the woodwork. I have to agree with Spike's suggestion that Buffy not celebrate her birthday anymore. Badness always ensues.

The trapped-in-the-house scenario was the culmination of Dawn's feeling neglected. Dawn has been engaging in attention-seeking behaviours since last season. She started small, breaking into the Magic Box and stealing Anya's earrings. But her delinquency progressed from there, as she stole more and more objects from the Magic Box and even pilfered an expensive leather jacket from the mall. Dawn seems like she's begging to be caught. But nobody notices. They're too caught up in their own lives. And really, is it Willow or Anya or Xander's job to look after Dawn? Is it their duty to make sure a sixteen-year-old girl is entertained?

No. It's Buffy's job. And Buffy's been unavailable, tied up at work and, ahem, just tied up in general.

But someone is willing to listen to Dawn. Someone is taking notice. Dawn is called into the guidance counselor's office. Strangely, her guidance counselor looks remarkably like Cecily from Fool for Love, but as Dawn never knew William's former object of affection, she doesn't notice anything odd. Dawny spills her guts to the empathetic counselor and ends by wishing that people would stop leaving her. We, of course, know where this is leading. For the guidance counselor is really Halfrek in her human guise. [Cue ominous music]

Later that day, preparations for the big Buffy birthday bash are progressing in earnest. Anya is demonstrating her catering skills and Buffy and the happy couple discuss the guest list. "So, who's coming?" Xander asks, considering Buffy closely with something bordering on suspicion. "You invite anyone else?" Xander's behaviour during this little exchange made me wonder: does he know about Buffy and Spike? Is he wondering if Buffy invited Spike? The conversation that follows is about the nice, normal guy that Xander and Anya asked to the party. If Buffy doesn't have any male companionship options that are acceptable, they'll find someone for her. But Buffy's not really down with the "normal boy" thing at the moment. Her tastes are running towards the exotic. And the only person who knows Buffy's secret has just arrived at the party: Tara.

Just in case you missed it, Buffy's guilt about her sexual relationship with Spike is very similar to the guilt experienced by some homosexuals as they attempt to come to grips with their identity. Buffy knows her friends wouldn't approve of her lover and she's feeling a tad anxious about revealing the relationship. The conversation she has with Tara confirms that Buffy's sexual odyssey with Spike is actually a coming-out narrative. Tara asks Buffy if Spike is coming to the party and Buffy replies, "No, he may be a chip head, but he still doesn't play too well with others. Besides, I'm definitely not ready to . . ."

"Come out?" Tara asks.

"Yeah, I'm all stay in-y," Buffy replies. But the closet is a bad, dark place. As Buffy will discover, you can't escape your demons.

Speaking of demons, Spike arrives shortly thereafter, coming in through the back door. I couldn't help but think of the old blues classic, Back Door Man, as he strode through, his geeky demon pal Clem in tow. For a Big Bad, Spike sure does have goofy friends. Clem seems to be the demonic equivalent of Andrew, except he's not as evil. I don't see Clem rejoicing in getting away with murder. The worst thing this guy does is play poker with kittens. Oooooh. Nasty.

Anyway, Spike seems pleased to be there, and he even brought beer, the nectar of the working man. Apparently, Willow told him about the shindig. Spike "figured we were all part of the team. Thought I'd swing by." Buffy wonders what team Spike is playing on but just then the situation becomes even more uncomfortable as nice-guy Richard makes his big entrance, complete with retro Beatles 'do. I have to agree with Spike's assessment here: "stupid git." Tara can't resist teasing Spike and she gleefully comments on Richard's cuteness (and later, Tara's comments about Spike's muscle cramp were priceless). Clem cheerfully agrees with Tara's assessment of Richard, and Spike looks positively alarmed. Whether he's alarmed that Clem noticed how cute Richard is or he's alarmed that a boy is making the moves on his Slayer is unclear at this point.

But the next time Spike sees Buffy, he tries to stake his claim on his woman, so to speak. "Wanna slip away for a minute, luv? I'll let you blow out my candles."

Buffy responds with a firm but mostly polite no. She seems more amused than upset by Spike's innuendoes. Even though the Bleached One is still sporting a Buffy-inflicted bruise, the Slayer doesn't seem to be feeling any pangs of conscience about beating him into a bloody pulp, and, to his credit, he's not rubbing her nose in her domestic-abuser ways. Their relationship now seems to be on a more even keel. It's still not healthy, but it's not actively abusive or destructive. When Buffy rejects his sexual advances, Spike gently teases her about her sweet "new boyfriend." Buffy seems to enjoy their banter and accuses Spike of jealousy. Spike denies it, but he's not terribly believable. He may not think that normal Richard is a threat, but he still doesnÕt like to see Buffy with another man. But Spike shouldn't worry: Buffy doesn't seem too keen on pursuing Mr. Normal. Every time Richard tries to flirt, Buffy gently but firmly refuses to play along. Whether or not she knows it or even admits it to herself, she's taken. Sweet Richard just isn't her speed.

After the arrival of the last party guest, the rather timid and extremely food-sensitive Sophie (ironic for one who works at the Doublemeat), Halfrek grants Dawn's wish. No one can leave the house. But it takes many hours for the gang to even realise anything is wrong. They dance, chat, play board games, and poker sans kittens. As the sun rises over the house on Revello Drive, the party is still going strong. Richard needs to leave, to go to work, to do his normal guy things. But strangely, he just can't seem to go. Even after Spike makes a thinly-veiled threat to eat him, he still can't muster the resolve to step out that door. Buffy yanks her real boyfriend out into the hall for a real talking to. [A sidenote: Buffy's friends must be remarkably dense not to have noticed the vibes between Buffy and Spike. Are they just clueless or in a blissful state of denial? You be the judge.] After an exchange that smacked of vintage David/Maddie (the argument even ended with the trademarked Fine! Fine!) the couple realise that they cannot leave either. They are trapped. They are all trapped with each other. Forced to communicate. Forced to face their demons, both literal and figurative. The literal demon is released from a sword, and the Scoobies periodically have to fight him off until Buffy finally slays him. If only their figurative demons were as easy to slay.

As a result of this forced imprisonment, many revelations ensue. Richard finally catches a clue, realising that Clem is not, in fact, suffering from a serious skin condition. He is slashed by a demon shortly thereafter. Being Normal!Guy and hanging out with Buffy obviously aren't mix-y. Just ask Owen or Scott or Riley. They'll tell ya!

Anya's claustrophobia and tendency to panic is also revealed. Her behaviour seemed so out of character in parts of this episode, that I was unsure whether I should blame it on the writer (faulty characterization from the newbie) or Halfrek, who might have been playing games with Anya, stimulating her demonic impulses. In any case, Anya freaks out. First, she goads clean and sober, card-carrying member of Spellcaster's Anonymous Willow into performing a spell to release them from their prison. Xander agrees with his fiancŽe and encourages the recovering Wiccan to give it the old college try. But Virtuous!Willow resists temptation. [To quote Anya: that was sarcasm, by the way. I still hate the Willow as Addict storyline.] Interestingly, Spike is one of the most vociferous defenders of Willow's sobriety. When Anya is attacking Willow, Spike intervenes on her behalf. "Look . . ." he begins when Anya makes a snarky comment about Willow's magic junkie-dom. When Xander chimes in with "Anya has a point . . ." Spike shakes his head. He remembers what happened with Willow's last spell, and he's not eager to experience a repeat performance. Magic always has consequences, after all.

But Anya is not going to be swayed from a radical course of action. She is convinced that Dawn is behind the current badness, and she searches the teenager's room. That's when another personal demon is revealed: Dawn's kleptomania. Whilst investigating the contents of one of Dawn's boxes, Anya discovers a large stash of items, many of which were stolen from the Magic Box. Feeling betrayed, Anya asks Dawn, "How are we supposed to trust you?"

Ah, the issue of trust rears its head once again.

So why did Dawn make with the stealing? She's just told Buffy that she feels alone. Her sister has a mission, a clear purpose, friends who love her. Dawn is but a hanger-on, basking in the faint glow of Buffy's reflected glory. Last season everyone paid attention to Dawn; she was the key, able to open the gateway to hell on earth. This season, she's been demoted to Buffy's plain ol' little sis. Even though Buffy tries to convey how important Dawn is to her, obviously it's not getting through. "Why do I feel like this?" Dawn asks Buffy. Of course, Buffy cannot answer that question. She asked Tara something very similar last week after she found out she didn't come back wrong. And Buffy still hasn't found her answer. She still hasn't come to terms with her feelings for Spike. Buffy's the queen of denial.

This propensity for denial colours Buffy's reaction to Dawn's stealing. Buffy's initial impulse is that Dawn couldn't be a thief, even though all the evidence would suggest otherwise. Finally, she does accept her sister's problem, putting two and two together as she sees the mass quantity of Magic Box jewelry and realises that the store security tag on her jacket wasn't just an innocent mistake. There is no use denying it anymore. Buffy will need to deal with her sister. She will have to be a parent, whether she likes it or not.

But for the time being, she still can't leave the house.

Anya, the persistent ex-demon that she is, finally figures out that her friend Hallie is behind the whole mess. After Anya summons her imperious "Justice Demon" friend, Hallie realises that she can't leave unless she breaks the spell. The thing that piqued my interest in this otherwise anticlimactic scene was Hallie's recognition of "William" and Spike's uncomfortable, yet ambiguous, reaction. Of course, as I mentioned above, BTVS aficionados will recognise Halfrek as the same actress who played Cecily in Fool for Love. Could it be possible that Cecily became a vengeance demon, a victim of bad parents? Judging from her primping when she sees "William" she's gotten over her disdain for the lovelorn poet. Perhaps her parents told her William was beneath her and that's why she rejected him so many years ago.

Finally, the gang can leave, but after spending an evening with each other's demons, I'm sure they're all feeling a bit older, and wishing they were far away from the house on Revello Drive. Spike is the one who eventually opens the door, freeing the Scoobies from their prison. Perhaps in turn he will also free Buffy from the crippling guilt of her self-imposed closet. Perhaps then she will feel the dew on the grass and see the stars.