Older and Far Away (12 Feb. 2002)

After Dawn talks to a guidance counselor about her feeling lonely, she accidentally puts a spell on Buffy and her friends, trapping them inside the Summer's house with a sword-wielding demon.

Director:

Michael Gershman

Writers:

Joss Whedon (creator), Drew Z. Greenberg

Stars:

Sarah Michelle Gellar, Nicholas Brendon, Emma Caulfield

Cast

Episode cast overview:
Sarah Michelle Gellar	...	Buffy Summers
Nicholas Brendon	...	Xander Harris
Emma Caulfield	...	Anya
Michelle Trachtenberg	...	Dawn Summers
James Marsters	...	Spike
Alyson Hannigan	...	Willow Rosenberg
Kali Rocha	...	Halfrek
Ryan Browning	...	Richard
Amber Benson	...	Tara Maclay
Laura Roth	...	Sophie
James Charles Leary	...	Clem (as James C. Leary)
Elizabeth Cazenave	...	Teacher

Storyline

Everyone gathers at the Summers home for Buffy's twenty-first birthday party and it goes well... at first. Feeling neglected by Buffy and the gang, Dawn's wish to keep people from leaving her is answered by Halfrek, who binds the attendees of the party to the house. When Tara tries a spell to free them, she only makes the situation worse by accidentally releasing a demon trapped inside a sword.

---

Plot Keywords:

female protagonist | lesbian | sister sister relationship | heroine

---

Genres:

Action | Drama | Fantasy

---

Certificate:

TV-PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 February 2002 (USA)

Filming Locations:

1800 Stewart St., Santa Monica, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Mutant Enemy, Kuzui Enterprises, Sandollar Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

When Anya angrily tells Willow that she should work some magic to free everyone who came to Buffy's party from the house, Tara steps between them and says, "...you're not gonna make her do something she doesn't want to. And if you try, you'll have to go through me first." The triumphant smile on Tara's face suggests her memory of Buffy saying, in Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Older and Far Away, saying to Tara's relatives, "You want to take Tara out of here against her will, you gotta come through me."

---

Goofs

Spike's reflection can be seen in mirrors/windows at three times: 18:28, 41:00, and 41:18.

---

Quotes

[Tara wants to know whether Buffy is okay after having confessed to Tara that she'd been having an affair with Spike]
Tara: So, is, um, Spike coming?
Buffy Summers: No. He may be a chip-head, but he still doesn't play too well with others. Besides, I'm definitely not ready to...
Tara: Come out.
Buffy Summers: Yeah. I'm all stay-inny.

---

Connections

References The Exterminating Angel (1962)

---

Soundtracks

"Rock and Roll Bar"
Performed by Mint Royale

User Reviews

Great episode.

Im sure no one seriously thinks it is plagerizm to have the theme of people unable to leave a get together. This "mexican film" is not the first or the last to feature such a story. The play "Waiting for Godot" has characters that are waiting to leave, but don't know what they are waiting for, and can't leave until it happens. Its common surrealist fare. I don't think that the party that never ends is really the central message of this episode. Its more of a running gag. The fact that Halifreck is obviously Ceciy is great. And the partial resolution of Dawns problems is gratifying. The characters being unsble to leave sort of forces them to confront each other in meaningful ways. That is in my opinion the point.