"Buffy the Vampire Slayer" Get It Done (2003)

Director:

Douglas Petrie

Writers:

Joss Whedon (creator)
Douglas Petrie (written by)

TV Series:

"Buffy the Vampire Slayer" (1997)

Original Air Date:

18 February 2003 (Season 7, Episode 15)

Genre:

Action | Drama | Fantasy

Plot:

The Scoobies use a spell to transport Buffy into a shadow world, where she meets the men who created the first slayer. However, in order for her to return home, the gang must find and slay a ferocious demon

Plot Keywords:

Heroine | Lesbian | Sister Sister Relationship | Female Protagonist | Demon

Cast

Sarah Michelle Gellar	...	Buffy Summers
Nicholas Brendon	...	Xander Harris
Emma Caulfield	...	Anya
Michelle Trachtenberg	...	Dawn Summers
James Marsters	...	Spike
Alyson Hannigan	...	Willow Rosenberg
Tom Lenk	...	Andrew Wells
Iyari Limon	...	Kennedy
Clara Bryant	...	Molly
Sarah Hagan	...	Amanda
Indigo	...	Rona
Kristy Wu	...	Chao-Ahn
Lalaine	...	Chloe
D.B. Woodside	...	Principal Robin Wood (as DB Woodside)
Camden Toy	...	Übervamp

Runtime:

41 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Swahili | Latin

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

USA:TV-PG

Company:

Mutant Enemy

Trivia:

Answering Principal Wood about whether the rise in school violence is normal, Buffy says, "The Hellmouth has begun its semi-annual percolation. Usually, it blows around May." This is an in-joke referring to the fact that season finales, which usually center around Hellmouth problems, are always shown in May, as American [network] shows run from September to May.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Buffy emerges into the desert she has different boots than in the house. In the house she had spike heels, in the desert she has chunky heels.

Quotes:

Spike: I've changed.
Principal Robin Wood: Oh, now that you have a soul.
Spike: Yeah. That was a big deal. Very... private.
[in hurt tones, to Buffy]
Spike: What, are you just telling everyone now?

Buffy visits another dimension

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

The middle of season seven is filled with episodes that don't really accomplish a lot. From "Don't Ever Leave Me" to "Get It Done," it seems like the season is just spinning it's wheels and setting stuff up for later. This isn't the most important episode, and you could probably skip it if you're in a hurry to get through the season. But it does show Buffy's growing rift with the Potentials and Mr. Wood's hatred of Spike, both of which will play into later episodes. All in all, it has some good parts, but it's not vital.

"Get it Done" revolves around Buffy visiting another dimension. Principal Wood comes to the Summers' house and gives Buffy a bag of Slayer stuff left to him by his mother. Inside is a cool little shadow puppet thing that, when activated, opens a mystical doorway. The First has been tormenting the Potentials, driving one girl to suicide. Willow is still scared to do magic. Spike won't fight full out anymore. And Buffy is frustrated with all of them. When Dawn translates the shadow puppet instructions to mean something about the Slayer gaining more power, Buffy jumps into another dimension. As soon as she does, a giant demon appears in the Summers' living room. It beats up Spike and the others and runs off. In order to get Buffy back, they need to throw the demon through the portal again. But the Scoobies now have two big problems: (1) The demon is gone and (2) the portal has closed.

Willow and Spike, the two "people" that Buffy was most annoyed with for holding back with their powers now have to save her. Willow agrees to use magic and get the portal open again. In doing so, she begins to lose control. She sucks the life energy (or something) out of Kennedy in order to create a portal. Kennedy is scared, but Willow keeps the doorway open. Meanwhile, Spike stops by Sunnydale High and retrieves his leather coat. Feeling more like himself, he heads after the demon. After a rousing fight, which cheers him up considerably, Spike drags the dead demon back to the Summers' house and tosses its body through the portal.

In the Shadowland (or whatever it's called) Buffy has met up with the men who made the first Slayer. Apparently, they tied this girl up and infected her with the essence of a demon in order to create a better fighter. Now they tell Buffy that she is the "Last Guardian of the Hellmouth" and offer to give her even more power to fight the First. When they try to infect her with more demon essence, though, Buffy refuses. She fights them off. One of the men shows her a vision of what she will fact in the final battle. Then she's swept through the portal gain. Buffy is worried that she should have taken the extra power. The vision that the shadow man showed her is of an army of UberVamps waiting to attack.

There are some good parts to this episode. I love Andrew and his "Big Board." The silly drawings and colorful markers he used to make are just adorable. He's so happy to be a "guest-age at the Summers' house. He finally has a place to belong. And I like Spike and Principal Wood eying each other warily in the basement. Neither one of them is gonna back down. The more Mr. Wood tries to question Spike and get real answers, the more evasive and smirk-y Spike becomes. Honestly, Spike always seems more comfortable dealing with assertive women than men. With Mr. Woods pushing he's gotta push back. And when Spike hears that Buffy filled Mr. Wood in about his soul, his annoyed, hurt, embarrassed, "What are we just telling everybody now?" just cracks me up. I also enjoy Buffy's "everybody sucks but me" speech. When she starts Chloe's eulogy off with "Chole was an idiot" I just have to smile. It's about time some put the Potentials in their place. (Have I mentioned that I hate the Potentials?) The scene with the shadow puppets coming to life on the wall is also pretty cool. They begin moving all by themselves and there's drum beats and screams as they spin faster and faster. It's creepy.

On the down side, I must shout "Shut up, Kennedy!" forty times whenever I watch this episode. She's incredibly annoying as she tries to lecture REAL characters like Willow, Spike, Buffy, etc... I just can't stand her. Also, I think that Buffy has a point. Willow and Spike, especially, are holding back. They're afraid of going evil again and the don't want to risk hurting anyone. It's gonna get people killed and they need to cut it out. But did Buffy have to confront them about it in front of the Potentials? Willow and Spike have legitimate fears and I think Buffy could have been a little more sensitive. Also, if those guys in the desert put a demon essence inside the first Slayer, does that mean that Slayers are part Demon? Like Cordy over on "Angel?" Why couldn't Spike always hit Buffy then? Am I just understanding that wrong? Finally, isn't this around the time of the season that Buffy traditionally has her birthday episode? Why don't we get a Buffy party this year?

My favorite part of the episode: Spike finally gets his coat back!! YAY!! I have no idea how it wound up in the school basement, since he left it at the Summers' house last season in "Seeing Red." But, who cares? At least he's wearing it again and acting more like himself.