Count Dracula visits Sunnydale.Plot Highlights:
The gang hits the beach. Giles tells Willow he's going back to England. Dracula introduces himself. Buffy, Willow & Anya are star-struck. Xander becomes Dracula's emissary. Riley interrogates Spike. Buffy gets bit. Buffy overcomes her thralldom, stakes Dracula. Buffy asks Giles to be her watcher again.
Quick Review:
Life is tough for a season opener. You've got months of rerun-laden anticipation built up, but your mission in life is to set the scene for *later* emotional tidal waves. Having now seen the entire sweep of season 5 play itself out, I think it's only fair to give Buffy vs Dracula its due as an excellent set-up for the season, and an all around solid ep in its own right. It's "chock-full" of amusing bits (see Memorable Moments below) but also introduces all sorts of themes and ideas that will echo throughout the season, most notably Riley's helplessness to protect Buffy, Willow's growing casualness with witch-craft, Xander's frustration with being the class clown & Buffy's what-it-means-to-be-a-Slayer introspection. Giles, Joyce (& even Spike to a lesser extent) are all roped in from the hinterlands and brought in their own different ways back in as a meaningful part of the group, preparing us for the roles they will play as the season develops. Eminently re-watchable.
Memorable Moments:
- Xander's mocking of Dracula before he realizes who he is (Von, Two, Tree victims! Mwah, hah, hah!). Dracula recruiting Xander to be his eyes and ears and Xander's subsequent toadying and bug-eating.
- Spike's take on Dracula and his cheap gypsy tricks when Riley comes looking for back-story. Spike being forced to back down as Riley towers over him.
- Dracula wafting in to Buffy's bedroom with his music video wind and hypno eyes, telling her that the vamp who bit her was unworthy because he let her go.
- Giles being unwillingly wrested from the amorous Dracu-Babes by Riley and then later trying to insist that he was about to stake them.
- The thrall going out of Buffy's relationship with Dracula when she tastes his blood and glimpses her true nature.
Transcript Source:
Download from http://www.studiesinwords.de/79buffyvsdracula.html
Transcribed by joan the english chick (pisces@englishchick.com)
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