Bring on the Night

*Kris sits on the couch with her trusty laptop fired up and ready to go, and Fuzzy!Spike curls up on her feet, basking in the glow of the lights of the Christmas tree...*

I'm still shaking my head over this episode, gang... and while I did take some notes, there was more action than analytical-type story lines this week... (at least to my stressed out brain)...

So: Let's get to the quick commentary!

Happy Moment of the week:

GILES!!!!!!!!!! Oh, Giles is back... yay! The fact that he brought the three Slayer Girls Gruff with him - still thinking on that one. But... it's Giles!!!

Buffy-as-Daphne Moment:

The pose Buffy strikes when she's complaining about her imposiness being shot to all heck just made me wonder where her purple mini dress was...

Got More Than You Bargained For Moment:

I guess Willow isn't going to be slinging any spells around any time soon... youch.

Heavy Analysis:

I'm having a real problem coming up with any deep and meaningful analysis this week. Maybe it's the stress of getting ready for the holidays (That's it! I'm still recovering from standing in line at Mailboxes Etc for 45 minutes tonight to ship a package!), or maybe it's because this was such an IN-YOUR-FACE kind of episode... but there are a couple of things that I noticed along the way.

First off: could we be any more obvious in the parallels between Andrew and Spike? We get Andrew spouting off about how he's all about the redemption now, we get more reminders of Spike being tied up in Giles' living room as we watch Andrew tied to a chair in Casa Summers... we even get Xander losing patience with Andrew left and right. Strangeness.

And then... there's Buffy and Spike, and all of the parallels we're seeing with their characters. They're both having to make choices about who they are and *what* they are... they're both getting beaten up by the same baddie, and they're both clinging to the strength of the other in order to face their current ordeal. Spike tells the First that he's going to be his own man, and that he knows he can do it because Buffy believes in him. Buffy has pretty much told everyone who says that she needs more strength that she needs to find Spike to make it happen. Something tells me that we're not just talking about *physical* strength here, folks, but that could just be my shippery tendencies coloring my vision. My, things certainly look pink in here, don't they?

And was it just me, or did Spike and Buffy suffer a number of injuries that were frighteningly similar? They were both spitting blood, the left sides of their faces were trashed, and they're both fighting internal injuries... makes me want to grab the Excedrin Migraine just thinking about it.

So, now Buffy wants to go on the offensive - be ProActive!Buffy. I wonder what Principal Woods will think of this...? And what's with him, anyhow? Dear Hubby is convinced that he's a good guy - he says that we wouldn't be getting all of this ambiguousness surrounding the character if he wasn't. I'm not sure of what to think, but I know I can't wait to see how this all plays out.

And we even got a new episode before the Christmas break. Joss truly has a heart. :-)

Quotes of the Night:

"Peachy... Except that my knees bend backwards now." Buffy, answering Giles' inquiry as to how she was holding up after her unexpected drop into the lair of the Ubervamp...

"... the Satanic Manhole Cover." - Xander, finally coming up with a more pronouncable name for the Seal of Dan-thel-a-za-ah-ah-ah-choo!

"Because she believes in me." - Spike, mightily ticking off the First, and making fans of the Buffy/Spike relationship think Christmas came a week early...

Dear Hubby Quote of the Night:

"That's not good." -- After seeing the Ubervamp pull the stake out of his chest... and we know that Buffy doesn't carry plastic woodgrain...

Ewwwwwww score:

6 out of 10. Watching Buffy and Spike (especially Spike!) get the snot beat out of them was painful... I kept whimpering every time Spike was brought on the screen. Youch. And Youch Again.

Furry Spike score:

3 Paws. This was a solid ep, and it certainly set the tone for next year... but it didn't really leave me with my jaw hanging. I figured that Buffy was going to get her tushy kicked by the Ubervamp (why bring it up now if she wouldn't?)... but I'm pretty intrigued by the sudden return of Giles - especially after we never got any explanation for how he survived the attack in Robson's apartment...

All in all, I liked this one. It certainly kept my attention, but when we've had so many incredible eps this season, it almost felt like a bit of a let down. And the many shots of Shirtless!Spike certainly didn't hurt my scoring any...

Hopefully, we'll see Buffy (and the gang) rescue Spike soon. They need him (whether some members of the Scooby gang want to admit it or not), and he needs them... and when the group is united, we know what they can do.

I hope that you and your families have a wonderful holiday season.

Hugs to all,

---

Kris