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Buffy The Vampire Slayer
Smashed
Episode Air Date 11/20/01With Giles gone and Willow heading to her witchy-gone-bad status, this would be the episode where Buffy and the Scooby Gang would have to fend off the worst villain yet. It would be, except that Whedon and his gang (specifically writer Drew Z. Greenberg) are far more clever than that.
Willow has gotten a taste of real power, but at the price of alienating her friends. As she gets further and further over her head with the addiction to magic, Tara isn't around to care, Giles isn't around to guilt her about overusing her abilities, and Buffy is too depressed about Giles leaving and confused about her lust for Spike.
What's a girl with too much magical ability and no one to play with going to do? Bring back an old classmate and fellow witch who has been living in the body of a rat for the last three seasons, of course. Willow and Amy (the rat-girl) quickly bond as Willow updates her on all that she's missed. They spend most of the evening at The Bronze enjoying their magical abilities to the point of boredom.
Meanwhile our favorite Geeky Gang of villains returns with another evil plan. Phase one consists of stealing a large diamond, freezing the museum security guard as a means of escape. As the town waits for the guard to thaw, the Scooby Gang tries to sniff out a demon that eats diamonds and freezes people. Outside of D&D, no one fits that role, which causes the Scooby Gang to question their gumshoeing abilities sans Giles. We see only phase one of the Geeky Gang's latest plot in tonight's episode, leaving us all to wonder what they're up to.
Spike, realizing the chip in his head didn't activate when he hit Buffy, assumes it's no longer working. However, when he tries for a cheap kill the chip kicks back in, causing Spike pain and allowing the potential victim to get away.
Only a true geek can be trusted to look into Spike's brain, and coincidentally, Sunnydale has three. When Spike came crashing in to the lair demanding his anti-violence chip be evaluated, why did none of the geeks hide the giant rock sitting on the table? And furthermore, don't those geeks know you have to keep Boba Fett in a nice display cabinet so that all can see him, but not break him? (That's where you'd find him in our house.)
Diagnostic tests reveal that the chip is in perfect working condition - leaving Spike to realize it isn't working on Buffy because she's not really human anymore (having recently been returned to the grave).
Dawn spent the day bonding with Tara and secretly wishing her and Willow will get back together. Tara fills a very maternal role for Dawn. Ever since Dawn's mom died, Tara has been the one to look out for the former Key.
It will be interesting to see if Tara fades away as Willow becomes scarier, or if she takes over Willow's position in the Scooby Gang. Buffy and Spike continue to have this strange lust thing that makes me giddy, but routinely leaves me yelling at the TV. Next week should bring us more of the Geek Gang's plot, more of Willow descending into bad girl status, and hopefully some answers about Spike and Buffy.
