A quick review of Selfless - through the tears

by Mary

Well, the computer somehow ate my full review of this episode so I am going to have to make it brief today as I am in no mood to retype the whole darn thing. Here is the quick snark feed, hitting the many highlights and inevitable lowlights. Please keep in mind though that I adore Anya and am VERY biased in her favor and will not pretend to be otherwise. "Go Anya, get busy, it's your birthday...."

1. All Anya flashback scenes are must see TV. Do not miss them, keep your snacks handy. My favorite one was where she and Hallie were sitting down at an elegant dinner table where Anya had just killed everyone. They are discussing vengeance and the Communist Revolution of which Anya was partially responsible. She gives this whole spiel about the proletariat setting up heaven on earth that made me laugh out loud seeing as she is super capitalist now. Some of the stories are funny (troll Olaf and her quick decision to be a demon), some of them are sad (her life before D'Hoffryn), some are shocking (her casual attitude toward killing everyone at the dinner table), but all interesting and she looks good to me no matter the year. Did I mention I like her and have been waiting to see her past for years???

2. Xander kicks ass, mostly Buffy's, up and down the block. I suggest you put on your Xander or Bruce Campbell t-shirts when you watch this as he is "da man". If there is a Xander kicks it in "Selfless" fanlisting started, I will join. He stands up to Buffy like he hasn't since he threatened to kill her if anything happened to Willow in season 3. He was not falling in line like a good Scoob and that always gets you points with me. I do not lie when I say I found myself saying "You go Xander" or "Tell her Xander" on more than one occasion while watching this.

3. Willow is very intriguing in this one. She has kind of a dark Willow flash for a second but spends the rest of the time trying to help Anya and even summons D'Hoffryn to do so. I was loving on her in this episode because she did not fall into the "Scoobs are always right, others all always wrong" mode I so dislike. Still, I worry about her control over her powers and expect more accidents as the season progresses..

4. Dawn is hardly in here. Make of it what you will.

5. Buffy is so bizarre I am now convinced that something is seriuosly wrong with her. Her chant to kill kill kill the demon Anya was a lot like her actions in "Living Conditions" when she was getting her soul sucked and I think this is a viable option of what may be wrong with her. I am not just saying this. Take for example the Buffy-Spike scene which is FAR too short by the way. At first we have Buffy in a white shirt with soft music saying she is going to help Spike no matter what and it is beautiful. Then, BOOM, when the real Buffy comes in, she is dressed in black and scary music starts playing and she pretty much tells him to get the hell out of the basement with no compassion at all. Tell me they were not trying to make her look bad. Or take her reaction to Willow's call about the frat boys, she stops balancing a pencil cup on her head (I do not lie) and seems concerned for a second but then asks about physics. And she later tells Xander, "I am the law." I have watched enough movies and TV to know that is never a good sign. To quote Angelus, "Things do not look good for our heroine."

6. Spike has a small scene that is totally heartbreaking. He is talking about understanding Dru's ramblings now and how he could never ask for Buffy's help and I have had it he needs some love from someone! The line starts behind me. And he still has the sexy redemption hair. Shallowness is always good.

7. The Buffy-Anya fight could have been better had Anya's body double been remotely her size. What is of note is that, when Buffy comes in dressed in black with sword in hand, they cue the scary music again. Something being wrong with Buffy seems like an anvil at this point. And Mr. Harris is all tackling Buffy to save his ex, much to Anya's dismay. X-A-N-D-E-R Xander! I love him today.

8. The musical flashback made me downright sob, well, after the offscreen laundry man and mustard woman were done. Anya is really pretty and heartbreaking here. When you compare it to the other flashbacks and how everything turned out, well, I am tearing up right now. Let's suffice it to say Anya loved her some Xander. Now, like Spike, she needs some love too darn it. Maybe Clem should start a demon's need love too support group for them.

9. The whole ending with Hallie dying and suicidal Anya and heartbroken Xander parting ways at the end is very very sad. And everyone is very sympathetic but D'Hoffryn and Buffy aka "Ms. Hacks-a lot". And yes I was still sobbing.

10. I think Anya is going to be killed by whatever is beneath that devours, D'Hoffryn's ending comment to her clearly indicated that. I am preparing my so your second favorite character died giftbasket for myself right now. And by god, can I just say they need to get the Big Bad in some actual action and soon. The foreshadowing is getting WAY excessive at this point. We got it, now where the hell is this devouring from beneath thing?

11. Things of note: the lie from "Becoming" is mentioned as is how Buffy loved Angel more than she will ever love anyone. Take that sis and all my friends who risk their lives for me on a regular basis.

12. I liked this episode a lot, bad Anya body double and strange spider demon aside. I have been waiting for it for so long and it did not disappoint. But it left me feeling kind of creeped out as Buffy was SO bizarre in this one. Bad things may be headed her way. But I am more concerned about Anya and Spike, who really really need some love and compassion.

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Mary