Tuesday, October 7, 2008

2.14 - Innocence

Buffy's worst nightmare comes true.

SPOILERS

SPOILERS

SPOILERS

This may be the finest episode of season two. I may change my mind later, but when I first saw this back in 1998, I was a gooey mess for a week or so. Now, ten years later, I feel the gooeyness coming back all over again.

Joss Whedon wrote and directed this episode...and those always seem to be the best, don't they?
I consider myself to be a pretty stereotypical man. I like heavy metal, I like monster trucks, and I enjoy my Maxim magazine from time to time.

But Joss Whedon has a way of making me simper and blubber like a sissy.

Seriously. Between Sarah Michelle Gellar's hurt puppy dog acting (which is EXTREMELY convincing) and the trauma that I can totally understand of a girl losing her virginity to someone she thought loved her but who then says the most hurtful things to her AND wants her dead. The scene of Buffy crying on her bed, curled up with wracking sobs, is pretty tough to watch and not get a little choked up. Not even to mention the whole bit here about true love lost.

And again with the ending...just really really powerful and moving.

On a happy note, this has a line I love, when heard in context is pretty awesome.

"What's that do?"

I give this a 10/10. It's literally perfect.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

This one and Surprise are two episodes that I really can't watch because they turn me into a little girl. They're so good and SMG is fantastic...They messed me up for awhile...and still do if I dare put them in.

Heath Holland said...

I know what you mean. How can a TV show have such an effect? It's just a tribute to how great a creative team they had on this show. And the acting, as well. At the time, this was so far outside of anything I'd ever seen before. I'd never cared so much or related so well to a show.

Andres Salazar said...

ok, I'm going to chime in. I jsut watched it 2 minutes ago. Its darn good!
first off, a bazooka in a high school?? awesome.
Kicking a vampire in the balls and it having the same effect? kinda lame, but I'll go with it. I jsut kinda have to remember that Buffy Vampires are not the same as other vampires...I'm trying to 'go with it'

I have to admit, I figured that Angel would go evil....but MAN, do I like him EVIL. Striking that match on the table and lighting his cigarette, I loved it. I know the actor must be having some serious fun with the role now.

I also will say that the scene of Buffy on the bed crying got to me man, and the scene, where Angel acts like an ass to her, after she has been intimate with him, damn, thats some hardcore stuff right there. Its very very good writing, and I bet hit a chord with alot of people (unfortunately)

so its a damn good show.

Heath Holland said...

I'm glad that this episode succeeded in it's intentions with you, Andy. When Sarah Michelle Gellar was crying on the bed, that was rough.
And from listening to the commentaries, I have learned that she actually cries during those scenes. She goes to a sad place and really goes through those emotions. Rough stuff. I don't want to see the girl cry.