Review of Once More, With Feeling (Buffy 6.7)

[unfeathered]

As it's my favourite episode, and I'm only a couple of episodes past it, I think Once More, With Feeling is a good place to start my reviews.

I’ve always felt it’s completely impossible for me to write a review of OMWF. For two reasons: a) it would be thousands and thousands of words long, and b) it would be pretty much just a description of the entire episode interspersed with “I love this bit”. Because I do love it, the whole episode, every second of it. Not just because it’s a musical and I love musicals. Not even because it’s one of the best musicals I’ve ever seen. I love even the (few) parts that aren't music because, probably because Joss was trying to cut it down as much as he could, every second of OMWF counts. And the direction and choreography and camera-work and the score…everything combines to make this one hell of an episode.

 

So I thought instead I would try writing a list of my top ten things about the episode. Of course it was impossible to narrow it down to ten, so it’s turned into my top ten ‘moments’ (i.e. performance/visuals) and my top ten ‘quotes’ (i.e. the genius of Joss’ writing).

 

Top ten moments:

 

1. Anya’s “Bunnies” song. So unexpected and so much fun.

 

2. Tara’s “I’m cured! I want the boys!” and her bright little laugh that follows. You don’t often see Tara so happy and confident enough to joke around like that.

 

3. Xander and Anya in ‘I’ll Never Tell’ at the “knight in armour” bit: facing each other, holding hands, looking so gorgeous and in love.

 

4. Spike rolling his eyes as he realises he’s singing a song even though he doesn’t want to.

 

5. Dawn’s little hip wiggle when Sweet has her dancing with him. Dawn’s so young, so innocent, and yet just starting to be aware of herself, and it shows in her dancing.

 

6. The moment in ‘Standing’ when Buffy goes slo-mo as Giles launches into the chorus – just moments after Buffy’s line about hoping it won’t turn into a training montage from an 80’s movie and Giles’ reply that if they hear any power chords they’ll lie down until it goes away. Fabulous.

 

7. Finally getting to the word “Burn” in ‘Walk Through The Fire’ and the group striding towards the camera with the fire engines charging by behind.

 

8. Willow’s face when she realises she pulled Buffy out of heaven. Alyson Hannigan does crying so well – and still manages to look pretty! Especially here, with that little plait in her hair at one side, and her blue coat. (I like her in blue, too. Don’t often see her in blue.)

 

9. The choreography for “Understand, we’ll go hand in hand, but we’ll walk alone in fear” – everyone inconspicuously moving into a line, then clasping hands firmly one by one down the line, then throwing their arms up in the air and letting go, and only moving a couple of paces away from each other but ending up so scattered and lonely and far from each other. Fantastic.

 

10. Giles’ “Tell me” immediately following that. In fact, all of Giles’ singing and the acting that goes with it, but that particular moment always sticks with me. Anthony Head is so cool.

 

 

Top ten quotes:

 

1. Buffy’s “It’s do or die – hey, I’ve died twice!” and Giles’ frown at her declaration that there was nothing to worry about turning into an affectionate smile.

 

2. “His penis got diseases from a Chumash tribe.” – You can always rely on Anya to lower the tone! Hilarious.

 

3. “When things get rough he just hides behind his Buffy, now look he’s getting huffy ‘cos he knows that I know.” – Hilarious, and inspired use of internal rhyming. Only Joss could find so many things that rhyme with ‘Buffy’.

 

4. “You’re the cutest of the Scoobies with your lips as red as rubies and your firm yet supple – tight embrace!” Again, hilarious and witty rhymes, and I love this sung version of Xander’s classic foot in mouth syndrome.

 

5. Giles’ line about the police taking “witness arias” instead of statements. Hardly heard behind the end of Marti declaring she’s not wearing any underwear, but just makes me laugh. It’s such a tiny thing, but classic Joss.

 

6. “She’ll get pissed if I’m missed, see my sis-ter’s the Slayer.” – Again, beautiful internal rhyming, and making it funny by deliberately breaking the rules.

 

7. “Wish I could stay, your stalwart standing fast, but I’m just standing in the way.” – Says it all, encompasses Giles’ dilemma, and the anguish on his face and in his voice is fantastically acted.

 

8. “I’m under your spell. God, how can this be, playing with my memory? You know I’ve been through hell. Willow, can’t you see? There’ll be nothing left of me.” – Just four lines of song, but in them you get Tara realising she really is under Willow’s spell (love that going from a good thing in her previous song to a bad thing in this one), and the reminder that’s she’s already had her mind messed around with by Glory which makes it doubly bad – and by the time she gets to the end of those four lines, you know she’s going to leave. Such economy of words. (I admire economy of words even though I can’t get it myself. Perhaps because I can’t do it myself!)

 

9. “She needs backup. Anya, Tara.” Love that double meaning. You’re thinking ‘Backup? Anya and Tara? Surely Willow, the witch, or Giles himself? Oh, I see! Backing dancers!’

 

10. “Bugger this.” So quintessentially Spike. Makes me smile, every time.

 

10/10