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Storyline
Sunnydale is alive with the sound of music as a mysterious force causes everyone in town to burst into full musical numbers, revealing their innermost secrets as they do. But some townsfolk are dancing so much that they simply burst into flames, and it becomes clear that maybe living in a musical isn't so great after all. Written by
Alex
Plot Summary
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Plot Synopsis
Certificate:
TV-PG
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Did You Know?
Trivia
Buffy comments, "So... Dawn's in trouble... must be Tuesday." This, of course, refers to the timeslot in which UPN broadcasts the show.
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Goofs
When it shows a close up of Lethe's Bramble in the book, the blossoms were pointing to the left and beneath the description. When they show a different angle, the flower is facing the other way and on top of the description.
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Quotes
Sweet:
[
singing]
What a lot of fun, you guys have been real swell. And there's not a one who can say this ended well. All those secrets you've been concealin', say you're happy now. Once more with feeling. Now I gotta run. See you all in hell.
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Crazy Credits
At the end when the Mutant Enemy logo is displayed, the monster sings "Grr, ah" in falsetto (sung by
Joss Whedon).
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Connections
References
Magnolia (1999)
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Soundtracks
"Under Your Spell"
Written by
Joss Whedon
Performed by
Amber Benson See more »
Joss Whedon was very daring with Buffy, and this episode is no exception. I watched the episode on DVD as opposed to during its original run, and prior to watching it all I knew was that season 6 had a musical episode. I didn't know why, and I was happy to see how they explained everyone's lives in Sunnydale turning into a musical - Sweet was one of the best demons of the series.
If I could give the episode a 9.5, I would. The only reason a point was taken off was because of the singing during the episode; at times it got hard to listen to. Tony Head, Amber Benson, and James Marsters were all excellent for their respective musical styles that they sung during the episode. I've seen a lot of people criticize Marsters' singing, but his solo was rock and he did a great job with it. Sarah Michelle Gellar was decent; I've seen her criticized a lot, too, but I have no problem listening to her on the soundtrack, and I've been trained in music. Emma Caulfield was also decent, but the biggest problem I had with her vocals was that they wobbled sometimes. Nicholas Brendon and Alyson Hannigan were the ones I had the most trouble listening to, and I wish Michelle T. had taken a few lessons, because she has a good voice but the singing wasn't great.
As for the songs themselves, I love them, especially when you watch them in the episode (as opposed to simply listening to the soundtrack). The musical styles and lyrics all fit their characters perfectly. "I'll Never Tell" is a great duet, regardless of the singing exhibited in it. Other personal favorites of mine are "Rest in Peace" and "Walk Through the Fire," as well as "Under Your Spell." From the overture to the final scene (I won't spoil it for you), the episode parodies musical films in general, at the same time paying homage to them.
I also love various lines like "this is my verse, hello" when Anya interrupts Xander during "I'll Never Tell," or "first I'll kill her, then I'll save her - no, I'll save her, then I'll kill her" during Spike's portion of "Walk Through the Fire."
Everything is all very clever, and if I were given the chance to change anything I disliked about the episode, the only thing I'd change would be some of the vocals.