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Date Posted: 02:02:15 02/26/02 Tue
Author: Rufus
Subject: Loey's review of "As you Were"

Loey's Review

As You Were
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"You are a hell of a woman."
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Buffy scrapes grease off the Doublemeat grill while an annoying co-worker discusses his brilliant future as a college graduate. Buffy mentions that she's re-applying to UC Sunnydale, but the guy is barely listening. He's kind of into his own wonderfulness.


On the way home, Buffy cuts through the cemetery, where she encounters a vampire who's ready to rumble. At least until he gets a whiff of her greasy, fast food aroma. He backs off, disgusted, and gets a projectile stake through the heart for his troubles.


Even dead guys think she smells funky. What a way to cap off an evening.



[credits]



Actually, the evening's not quite capped off yet. When Buffy arrives home, Spike steps out from behind his favorite tree, hoping for a little nudge-nudge-wink-wink. Buffy says no. Twice. As usual, however, Spike is unfamiliar with this term, and insists anyway. He pulls her over by the tree, and she sighs heavily.



After the nookie, Buffy finally goes inside, where she offers Dawn yet another dinner of Doublemeat burgers. Dawn and Willow are actually hoping to go to the Bronze instead, and invite Buffy along. Buffy declines, and tells Dawn to be home by 11.



At the Bronze, Xander and Anya argue over wedding stuff, sniping at Dawn when she asks if they're "nervous." Dawn takes a drink over to Willow, whose mood is about a billion times better than that of her friends. Why? Because Tara is speaking to her again. Not enough to warrant, say, inviting her over, but it's a start.



Meanwhile, Buffy continues her thrilling day of cleaning her grass-stained jacket and falling asleep on the couch. And forgetting to take out the trash the next morning. And getting a letter from the college rejecting her re-application.


And, of course, flipping burgers. She gets a reprieve from that activity when customers start to line up out front. She goes out to take orders, and sees a very tall guy in black standing at the counter.


It's Riley.


Needless to say, Buffy's a little taken aback. Riley doesn't have much time to explain his presence, either - he's been up for 48 hours straight, tracking something that has made its way to the Hellmouth. He needs help from the best person in town. That person would be Buffy.

Given a choice between kicking demon ass and "Do you want fries with that?", Buffy practically leaps over the counter to join the hunt. As they search for the beastie, Riley apologizes for the abrupt entrance and explains that this type of demon is a breeder, routinely leaving 10 offspring for every one that gets killed. They need to catch this one before it can multiply.

They spot the demon and fight it, but it can jump really, really far, and gets away. Not before Riley zaps it with a tracking device, however, and they hop in his big, manly vehicle to give chase. While they drive, there's time to talk, but they're both more inclined toward uncomfortable, work-related banter. This just doesn't seem like the time to discuss what they did last summer or the hideous train wreck that was their relationship.



In other driving-related news, Xander and Anya are on their way to the airport to pick up Xander's Uncle Rory. Neither of them is happy about having to put up his drunken relatives and her demon friends. The stress is clearly making them nuts.



Buffy and Riley track the demon to a dam, where they fight it once again. In the middle of the melee, an attractive woman with a faint Eastern European accent shows up and jokingly asks Buffy what she's doing with "my husband."


????????


That's right - Riley went and got himself hitched. Her name is Sam, and she enjoys wearing black, using military jargon, and pummeling demons. She does all three very well, as it turns out, but even she and Riley together can't defeat this creature.

Buffy steps in and snaps the thing's neck, thinking she's helping. Not exactly - turns out, they were trying to track it, not kill it. Sam rips on Riley for not filling Buffy in on the details, and he has to be doubly apologetic, for that and for not bothering to mention the whole married thing.


They go to Buffy's house, where Xander, Willow, and Dawn have been informed and assembled. Greetings and introductions are exchanged (and Willow quietly offers to hate Sam on Buffy's behalf, in case she's feeling petty). Riley and Sam explain that this demon had already laid its eggs, and they were hoping it would lead them to its nest. They're actually less worried about the eggs hatching than they are about a local black-market dealer who is trying to sell them to unscrupulous foreign governments. This dealer calls himself "The Doctor," and they need to find him pronto.

Sam suggests that Willow try a locating spell, having heard about her magical abilities from Riley. Embarrassed, Willow admits that she got addicted to the stuff and can't do it anymore, then retreats to the kitchen. Riley then suggests that they split up - he'll check with some local contacts and Buffy and Sam can look for the demon's nest.

Before they leave, Sam approaches Willow in the kitchen. She tells her that their unit had a couple of shaman on staff in Central America, and they both got addicted to dark magicks. They weren't able to quit, and it literally wiped them out of existence. Willow is the first person Sam has met with the strength to stop. Willow smiles slightly.



Buffy and Sam walk through the graveyard, and Sam tells Buffy how she and Riley met. Sam was a Peace Corps volunteer when her entire group got destroyed by a demon attack. She was rescued and ended up joining the commando unit, meeting Riley during her first firefight. Riley took a long time to get over Buffy, but he and Sam ended up together and married a few months ago. Sam then asks Buffy is she's got anybody new in her life right now, and Buffy is understandably vague on the subject. In fact, she suggests they split up so she can go talk to a skittish informant. Sam, thinking she's slowing Buffy down, goes to help Riley.


And Buffy goes to, um, "help" Spike. She starts out business-like, asking if he knows anything about this "Doctor" character. Out of nowhere, though, she says, "Tell me you love me." A startled Spike replies that he does. "Tell me you want me," Buffy continues. "I always want you," is the response.

In about a nanosecond, they're on the bed.



They wake up to the sound of Riley walking into Spike's crypt, much to Buffy's horror. Things get worse when Riley accuses Spike of being "The Doctor." Buffy quickly gets dressed, and joins Spike in protesting that there must be some mistake. Not that she thinks Spike is above such behavior, but she really doesn't think he's capable of anything this sophisticated. Riley is not convinced, and he goes downstairs to look around.

Buffy follows him, still insisting that he's on the wrong track....until they find several demon eggs, arranged neatly on the floor. Spike tries the old "I'm keeping them for a friend" routine, but Buffy punches him, telling him "no more games." Spike is visibly upset, and not just at getting caught. "No more games?" he yells, "That's all you've ever done is play me. You keep playing with the rules you make up as you like. You know what I am. You've always known. You come to me all the same." With that, he runs out.


Apparently, Spike was supposed to keep the eggs frozen, and his failure to do so has caused them to start hatching. A bunch of little bug-like demony creatures start skittering around, attacking Riley and Buffy. Unable to fight back, they climb upstairs, where Buffy grabs a grenade off Riley's belt. She pulls the pin and throws it down, obliterating the demon babies - and a good chunk of the crypt.



At Xander and Anya's place, the happy couple is hiding in the bathroom, listening to their houseguests fight. They're more worried than ever about the wedding, but they come to the realization that the wedding isn't as important as the marriage that comes after it. As long as they focus on that, they'll be all right.



Buffy and Riley walk outside the magic shop, and Riley is ready to say goodbye. He is authorized to take out "The Doctor," and asks Buffy if she wants him to. She doesn't, and admits out loud that she's been sleeping with Spike (sleeping being a figurative term, obviously). She's feeling super-pathetic right now, but Riley tells her that she's still the first woman he ever loved and the strongest woman he's ever known. She's having a bad time right now, but he's sure things will get better.


Sam and the others come outside and exchange pleasantries. A helicopter arrives to whisk the couple off to their next assignment in Nepal. As her friends wave happily, Buffy stands to the side, looking a bit morose.



The next day, Spike is surveying the damage in his crypt when Buffy walks in. Paraphrasing this scene won't do it justice, so I'm just going to transcribe it.


Spike: "So, she's back. Thought you'd be off snogging the soldier-boy."

Buffy: "He's gone."

Spike: "So, you've come for a bit of cold comfort? The bed's a bit blown up, but then that was never a..."

Buffy: "I'm not here to.... And I'm not here to bust your chops about your stupid scheme, either. That's just you. I should have remembered."

Spike: "Oh, this is worse, then, is it? This is you telling me..."

Buffy: "It's over."

Spike: "I've memorized this tune, love. I think I have the sheet music. Doesn't change what you want."

Buffy: "I know that. I do want you. Being with you makes things simpler, for a little while."

Spike: "I don't call 5 hours straight a little while."

Buffy: "I'm using you. I can't love you. I'm just being weak and selfish..."

Spike: "Really not complaining here."

Buffy: "...and it's killing me. I have to be strong about this. I'm sorry, William."



Buffy turns and leaves. A stunned Spike silently watches her go.






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FINALLY!!


Geez, I've been waiting months for Buffy to get her act together and deal with this. The constant back-and-forth was giving me whiplash.

So, she gave him the speech, and it was exactly what was necessary. She admitted she was using him. She apologized. She told him what the relationship has been doing to her. She ended it. She walked away.


Good.


Now we get to see how long it lasts. They've both done this little routine before, pushing the other away, only to start the game again whenever they get an itch. Will Buffy have the willpower to stick to her guns? Will Spike respect her enough to back off? Their track record up to this point isn't too promising.

There were some differences this time, though. Buffy was much more honest and forceful than she's been in the past, and Spike actually seemed shocked by the revelation that this is "killing" her (the look on Marsters' face is amazing). He didn't even try to stop her when she left, which may be a first. They've both known all along what was really going on here, but neither of them wanted to face it seriously. It was, as Buffy put it, so much simpler to just keep on the way they were. But they were both getting hurt constantly, and it couldn't continue much longer. Now, Buffy has made the big decision, and time will tell whether Spike can accept it and she can stand her ground.



How much did Riley's visit have to do with all this? Probably not too much - I think Buffy was headed in this direction anyway. Seeing Spike up to his old tricks again helped though, providing a needed reminder that he is still Spike. But Riley's reaction to their little tryst may have made a difference. Instead of being upset (and he wouldn't have much right to be, considering his own past in that area), Riley blew it off, insisting that Buffy remains the strong, beautiful woman he fell in love with way back when. Sure, she's going through a rough patch right now, but everybody does, and it's no big deal. It doesn't change who she is. That assurance - that this is not the end of the world and she'll be OK - was something Buffy really needed to hear. Things look bleak, but she can still walk out into the sunlight again.


I liked Sam, although that was an awfully quick courtship rebound. Anyway, she is a lot like Buffy, but without all the angst, which makes her a pretty good match for Riley, who could never handle the dark, misery-laden side of the Slayer's life. He belongs out there fighting with his commando buddies, with a woman whose emotional states don't require a 300-page instruction manual. He's found a life that truly makes him happy. Now let's hope Buffy can do the same. (Granted, she can't be too happy, because then there'd be no show, but nonetheless....)



Speaking of happy lives, Xander and Anya certainly aren't living one right now. At least they're aware that the wedding itself is only a temporary nightmare, and they both seem determined not to let it ruin the marriage part. If they can survive the ceremony, those crazy kids just might have a chance.

Since this is Sunnydale, that's a big if. Guess we'll find out next week.



Dawn and Willow were on the periphery this week, but they still had some nice moments. Dawn is behaving herself after the birthday party fiasco, and Willow is downright giddy at the fact that Tara is speaking to her again. And I liked that bit in the kitchen, when Sam acknowledges how strong Willow has had to be to give up her magic. It makes Will's "friend hatred" of Sam into the joke it was clearly meant to be.



I always like it when we get some closure after characters have left the show, and Douglas Petrie did a pretty good job of wrapping things up with Riley. It seemed rushed, though - the demon-hunting plot took up most of the episode, and there wasn't much time for the characters to catch up. A lot has happened in the last year, and it was barely skimmed over. We didn't even get to see Riley's reaction to Buffy's death and resurrection, which was kind if a big deal.

What we did get was nicely done, however. It allowed Buffy and Riley to come to terms in a believable and satisfying way, and gave Buffy just the nudge she needed to make some decisions about her own life. So, all in all, a successful endeavor.



8 out of 10.



This week's GLURP count: SEVEN episodes without Giles. SIX without a mention of his name. Yes, I intend to keep counting.

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