School Hard

Buffy Episode Review

In which we meet Spike.

What Happened

Spike hits town, crashing Parent-Teacher Night, and putting Buffy on the spot as she juggles school and Slayage.

The Good

• "So, who do you kill for fun around here?" Spike, back when he was bad.
• "Miss Edith speaks out of turn." Dru, all kinds of creepy.
• "Are you getting a word picture here?" Spike's arrival and first attack; everyone hiding; Buffy telling off Snyder and going to find Giles; Snyder and the others trying to get out; Joyce telling off Snyder. They stuffed an awful lot in between the second and third commercial break.
• Buffy telling Giles that she trusts him to get her mother out. Wonderful look on his face, pride and determination, and they resisted to urge to back it up with a sappy musical flourish.
• "Gave her that whole tortured soul routine. Keeps her off my back while I feed." Little preview of Angelus.
• "I have a daughter who's brave, resourceful and thinks of others in a crisis." Joyce is so cool.
• "From now on, we're going to have a lot less ritual and a lot more fun!" Spike deserves the last word - "fun," however, is relative, considering the rest of the season.

The Bad

• Before going outside to fight the vamp Spike set up as bait, Buffy stopped to put her jacket on, but forgot to grab a stake?

The Cliche

• "As long as nothing bad happens." The ultimate jinx.
• Never. Ever. Never throw a party or school event on television.
• The Die Hard rip-off, with all the characters trapped in a building with an enemy force, forcing the Hero to crawl through ducts and ceiling spaces to take them out one by one.

Best Lines

Snyder: "Thursday is Parent-Teacher Night. Your parents, assuming you have any, will meet your teachers, assuming you have any left."

What Did I Think?

Spike is easily one of the great Buffy characters, and it all starts here.