Phases

Buffy Episode Review

In which there is a werewolf.

What Happened

A werewolf is running loose in Sunnydale. It could be big nasty guy Larry or cute little guy Oz.

What Did I Think?

On the one hand, they make an awful big deal about how pig-like Larry is when it comes to just about everyone. And Oz is dating Willow, which is kind of like being painted with a big target. Instead of a scary werewolf stalking Oz through the woods, however, he gets bitten by his teething baby cousin.

Oz was always a cool guy. The fact that he obviously thought Willow was as adorable as the audience did built an immediate rapport. For him to be something other than just "Willow's boyfriend," however, he needed his own thing.

His reaction to waking up, naked, in the middle of a forest, is vintage Oz: a bemused, but calm, "Huh." He won points for dealing with Cordelia ("Halloween") and accepting the presence of vampires in Sunnydale ("Surprise"), but accepting with such lack-of-freakout that he's now a werewolf is like the ultimate example of how calm and unflappable, and just plain cool, Oz is.

He's also smart. Once he did realize what's going on, Oz took steps to protect himself and others by chaining himself up. Naturally, Willow chooses that precise moment to stand up for herself and demand to know why he's suddenly changed his attitude around her.

Willow shows her hero-streak here, quickly running for her life when Oz transforms, getting to the school and telling Buffy and Giles ("Just trust me on this one!"), then managing to get her hands on the tranquilizer gun when Buffy and Giles get knocked away from it. It's such a little thing that Willow knocks Oz out, rather than Buffy, but it is a nice example of how Buffy does not always insist on making it all about Buffy. The sidekick is allowed, every once in a while, to take care of themselves.

Rather than making this one time deal, where Oz gets cured quick and easy, being a werewolf becomes part of his character. It's nice when these stories have consequences that don't vanish at the end of the hour. And there is no forced breakup! Yay!