The Killer in Me, Mini-Review.

by Dezdemona

I've never done a review before, even one of the mini-variety. However, since onexbyxone's review was so damning, and I had a somewhat better impression of the episode, I thought I'd give it a try.

Based on the wildfeed, I expected not to like very much about this episode. To my surprise, I was neither bored nor irritated in the ways I thought I'd be. True, it's a low-key episode, and the plot doesn't advance much. The whole searching for drugs at the Initiative bunker is pointlessly stupid, as they could as easily have gone there looking for information, schematics, and so on. There's too much Andrew and not enough Giles. Buffy doesn't declare her undying love for Spike, and the Scoobies don't throw a big "Good on you for winning your soul!" party for him either. That said, I thought the basic theme was well executed.

The episode opens with Giles preparing to take the SIT out to the desert on a vision quest. There's a humorous tone to his farewell exhanges with Buffy and the Scoobs. Not the funniest scene ever on the show, but it did make me smile. Buffy goes to the basement and chats with Spike about how nice it will be to have a break from the pitter-patter of clompy teenaged feet. We learn that Spike has manacled himself to the wall, and that he refuses to risk being around the the girls unless Buffy is nearby to make sure they stay safe. He intends to keep it that way till they're sure the First can't make him its bitch again. They chat comfortably till Spike is distracted by the chip firing. Within seconds, he's screaming in excruciating pain, and Buffy is alarmed and concerned. His preoccupation with the potential killer in him is made irrelevant... by a device that's been planted in his head by someone else that is, literally, killing him.

In the meantime, Willow has been taking care of an ailing Kennedy. As it turns out, the illness was just a ruse to avoid going with Giles and the other girls. Kennedy has her own agenda and persuades Willow to accompany her on a "mission". The mission turns out to be Willow, of course. Kennedy persuades Willow to stay for one drink at the Bronze, and initially, it is she that does virtually all the talking. Kennedy is blatantly flirting with Willow, who doesn't seem to know what to make of the other girl's attentions or sexual confidence. AH does a great job of acting conflicted, flattered, curious, scared, lonely, and attracted, all at once. Finally, she picks up her side of the conversation, and the two begin to get to know each other better.

When the two girls arrive home, there is a "first date" vibe. Kennedy, not being shy, moves in for a kiss. It's sweet and goes on for some time, and when she pulls back, Willow has been transformed into Warren. Kennedy freaks, as does Willow when she sees herself in the mirror. She runs downstairs and freaks everyone else out till she can prove she's really Willow and not the First in a Warren costume. She's sure she's caused this herself, just like the problem she had in STSP, and sets out on her own to find the solution. Kennedy trails along trying to be helpful. We later learn that Amy has put a hex on Willow, one that will let her own subconscious decide the form her "penance" will take.

We finally got a parallel story for Spike and Willow, though it takes a less obvious form than we might have imagined. Both of them have been killers. Both of them live with guilt. Both are insecure about being able to keep their power under control. Yet even the power each possesses and fears is not enough to keep them from being completely taken over by forces outside themselves. Both are vulnerable.

The Initiative implanted the chip in Spike's brain, and now it will be up to Buffy to decide whether it's to be repaired or removed. He's unconscious, and will surely die if she does nothing. The Initiative saw him only as a monster to be restrained, experimented upon. Now Buffy has to take his measure anew. Has he earned the right to continue to exist? Has he earned the right to free will? She can bring him back to her, if she dares.

Willow thought she'd taken on Warren's form because she felt guilty over killing him. She comes to realize that Warren is taking her over for a different reason altogether. She's become Warren because she feels that she, herself, has killed Tara all over again. By letting her go. By forgetting her when she was kissing Kennedy. It is in this scene that Kennedy begins to really know Willow. Where before she was all about Willow's sexuality, she now sees what's in Willow's heart. She sees Willow's pain, and her approach is now from the heart too. In one thing, however, she is unwavering. Willow needs to get on with living. She compares Willow to Sleeping Beauty in the fairytale, and wakens her with a kiss.

But who was the real Sleeping Beauty in this episode? Who lay unconscious on a table while Buffy stood silently watching from a few feet away? When the commanding officer explains the options to her, her expression is serious, considering. And Sleeping Beauty lies on the table right behind her. Does she dare?

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Dezdemona