“Hush”
This is a fantastic episode, and I’m sure much has been written on the internet about it. The writing, the directing, the music, it’s all great. I need to remember to not watch it late at night while home alone, though.
Fairy tale monsters come to Sunnydale and steal everyone’s voices, and wordless communication becomes the order of the day. Buffy and Riley find out each other’s secret identities, and Willow meets Tara and does some magic.
And there’s the second, and last, appearance of Giles’ friend Olivia, as their relationship becomes a casualty to Giles’ life with the Slayer.
It’s also got one of my all-time favorite lines from Willow after she attends the disappointing Wicca meeting. I don’t know what it is, the joke, Willow’s indignant delivery, or what, but it makes me crack up every single time I even think about it.
“Doomed”
Buffy has to deal with an apocalypse, and Riley wants to talk about their relationship.
This is a Giles-punching episode. I hate Giles-punching. He’s feeling old and at loose ends, so he goes drinking with Ethan Rayne, which is a terrible idea but very enjoyable to watch. Giles gets so few opportunities to interact with other people his age and I know “frenemy” is not a word adults use but they have a beautifully charming and antagonistic relationship. And then Giles wakes up the next morning as a demon. This is still kinda Giles-punching, but it’s also hilarious as he gets Spike to help him find Ethan, since nobody else understands his demon language.
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| And Spike driving Giles' car is wonderful. |
“The ‘I’ in Team”
Buffy is inducted into the Initiative, but the director, Professor Walsh, thinks she’s a loose cannon and encourages Riley to think too much. So, naturally, she tries to kill her. I’m not sure why she agreed to let a college freshman with superpowers into the top-secret military facility and join the top-secret demon-hunting army if she was worried about not being able to control her, but there you have it. Buffy survives (of course) and Riley finds out, his trust broken. Walsh is then killed by her secret evil demon frankenstein project, thus ending her arc, which was awfully weak. I didn’t find her very believable, but then, neither am I looking forward to Adam being this seasons antagonist.
“Goodbye Iowa”
Riley has to face the dark side of the Initiative as he detoxes from the drugs they’ve been feeding him, and faces the pressure to keep away from Buffy. This episode isn’t very remarkable, but the sleepover in Xander’s basement (as they hide from potential Initiative repercussions after last episode) is incredibly charming.
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| Buffy has the best pajamas! |
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