The Dark Age

Buffy Episode Review

In which we meet Ripper.

What Happened

It is revealed that in their younger years, Giles and Ethan Rayne (Halloween) once were part of a group that raised demons for fun. How do we know this? Because one of said demons, Eyghon, arrives in Sunnydale in the corpse of one of their old friends and comes looking for them.

While Giles "lost weekends" in shame and guilt, Ethan tries to save his own skin by sacrificing Buffy (though, mostly because she just happens to be nearest) and Jenny Calendar winds up caught in the middle after being possessed.

The Good

• "A sexy fuddy-duddy." Okay, Giles and Miss Calendar are cute. I still thinks she tries a little too hard at this free spirit thing, though. Call it the Dharma and Greg Syndrome.
• "Why did he call Giles 'Ripper'? ... Oh." Giles' reaction to Ethan still being in town. That right there would be cause for Buffy to know something Isn't Right.
• "I'm sorry." "Don't be sorry. Be Giles." Aw.
• Willow's idea. Angel throttles Jenny; Eyghon jumps to Angel; Angel's vampire demon kicks Eyghon's butt. Pretty cool.

The Bad

• This guy couldn't pick up a phone and call Giles? Warn him about Eyghon? Ask for a ride from the airport? Something?

The Cliche

• "His diapers were tweed." They always make a point of establishing what a dweeb a character is, just before they reveal his sordid past.
• They always wake up the corpse, who then scares and/or strangles the morgue attendant.
• Jenny as Eyghon. Predictable, yes, but it pays off in the effect on their relationship and where they stand when events start happening later in the season. I could have done without her snake neck wiggle as she talked, however.

Best Lines

Buffy: "What are you doing here?"
Ethan: "Snooping around."
Buffy: "Honesty. Nice touch."
Ethan: "It's one of my virtues. ... Well, not really." Love him.

Ethan: "This is actually quite good for your karma."
Buffy: "I'm going to kill you. Will that blow the whole karma thing?"

What Did I Think?

I was disappointed by this one the very first time I saw it. The fantastic menace Anthony Stewart Head had brought to his scenes with Robins Sachs in "Halloween" hinted at something far more interesting than a demonic play group. Robia LaMorte also overplayed Jenny's possession just a little, though the scene where she retreats from Giles at school is perfect. In the end, however, the great relationship between Giles and Buffy is still so central, the flaws can be ignored.