And so begins the fifth season of BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER, widely regarded as one of the show's strongest and most definitive of seasons but it likely wouldn't he heresy to claim that "Buffy vs. Dracula" is a rather weak and nervous stride into the show's fifth season. There's much about this episode that comes off as though a draft for an ambitious season ahead, whether it be the misfired dialogue that is tradition to the success of BUFFY as a series (with the exception of "Hush", created solely to negate that generic viewpoint), the lack of interesting and memorable character interactions, the stumbling attempt to re-introduce the characters sometime after the events of "Restless" and yes even the force revamping of the Buffy mythology to add Dracula.
Despite all these issues I find inherent within the script of the episode, by no means do I dislike this episode. It's just an episode that falls ever so short of what I love about BUFFY as a show and the episode's entire existence, with the exception of the startling bewildering and memorable final scene that sets up much of the season to follow, is an attempt to have Buffy confess to Giles that she needs his services as Watcher once more, and thus restoring the Watcher/Slayer relationship once more that was terminated in "Bad Girls". Dracula himself poses a number of interesting complications for the characters. For Buffy, Dracula represents the uncertainty of her path as the Slayer, questioning her own power while being simultaneously drawn closer and closer to his sphere of influence. There's minor parallels between Dracula's relationship with Buffy compared to that of Angel and Buffy, though this connection isn't as well explored. Both hail from other parts of the world and other ages long past and ultimately arrive in Sunnydale to meet the Slayer. Dracula roams the world over to find Buffy and make her his bride and for Angel, the Whistler put him on the correct path towards redemption and hope. Then there's the case of Dracula biting Buffy, striking some minor resemblances to when Angel bit her given that Dracula bites over the now healed wound. Some wounds – Buffy's at times traumatic relationship with Angel – will never heal.
The cold open to the episode confirms perhaps some dissatisfactions for Buffy in her relationship with Riley. Feeling a lack of thrill and danger and excitement, she leaves in the middle of the night to get a Slayer 'fix' by 'hunting' vampires, drawing parallels to Faith in season three. It re-contextualizes Buffy's position as Slayer and foreshadows early on a key narrative element to the season which is Buffy's darker power. Dracula draws comparisons between Buffy and rightly sees her thrills of being a Slayer as something that stretches beyond the moral realm and into the satisfaction and gratification.
The last and perhaps least interesting complication to arise out of Dracula's mostly forced and hammy appearance in the episode is the development of Buffy and Riley's relationship from the perspective of the ex-Initiative agent. In this episode can be ever more clearly seen the insecurities that Riley feels being Buffy's boyfriend and it's an insecurity that he slowly built ever since meeting Angel for the first time in "The Yoko Factor". As we will see a few episodes later in "The Replacement", Riley is aware that despite his all- consuming love and admiration for Buffy, she does not reciprocate those feelings of love for him. It's ultimately a touching and gloomy look at a girl who cannot bear a normal and healthy relationship.
Beyond some other minor elements, such as Giles considering on leaving Buffy to her destiny (which will take effect in season six), the episode is mostly a light-hearted and humorous episode but it's the humour here that doesn't work well for me. Sarah Michelle Gellar's performance oscillates between good and flat throughout the episode, an opinion no doubt that would have me crucified at the hands of any Buffy lover. Truth be told, I have found her performance since the beginning of season four to be largely inconsistent compared to the brilliance she exhibited in the show's early seasons during which the SMG performance was my single favourite element of the show. The rest of the cast, with the exception of James Marsters as Spike and Anthony Stewart Head as Giles do not leave much of an impression with their mostly limited material. Xander offers some amusing humour as he begins to adopt the persona of Renfield from the Dracula mythology yet even the writer Marti Noxon's commitment to maintaining that persona throughout Xander's entranced spell is disrupted at one particularly jarring moment where Xander, "slayer-sitting" Buffy asks her if he can take her to Dracula in exchange for immortality. It's a moment that is poorly acted by Nicholas Brendon, who is otherwise funny in the episode, and is such a frustratingly unnecessary moment in an otherwise amusing side story.
The climax between Buffy and Dracula is serviceable but ends with a gag that is awkwardly written, directed and acted whereby Dracula continues resurrecting after Buffy stakes her only for Buffy to stake him once more. In almost any other confident episode of BUFFY, that moment would be turned into something memorable and sharp but here, it's incredibly awkward and inorganic in the context of an episode that somewhat stutters to the finish line. It's too goofily acted, it's mildly awkward in how its handled behind the camera (there's really no clear geographical connection established within the location that makes Buffy's 'surprise' re-entry into the frame convincing) and it falls short in the writing from what it is intended to be, much like the majority of the episode.
Despite being deeply critical of the episode, it's an episode that I don't dislike but rather one that I'm frustrated by. It's at best fine but it's the weakest season premiere to date.
Despite all these issues I find inherent within the script of the episode, by no means do I dislike this episode. It's just an episode that falls ever so short of what I love about BUFFY as a show and the episode's entire existence, with the exception of the startling bewildering and memorable final scene that sets up much of the season to follow, is an attempt to have Buffy confess to Giles that she needs his services as Watcher once more, and thus restoring the Watcher/Slayer relationship once more that was terminated in "Bad Girls". Dracula himself poses a number of interesting complications for the characters. For Buffy, Dracula represents the uncertainty of her path as the Slayer, questioning her own power while being simultaneously drawn closer and closer to his sphere of influence. There's minor parallels between Dracula's relationship with Buffy compared to that of Angel and Buffy, though this connection isn't as well explored. Both hail from other parts of the world and other ages long past and ultimately arrive in Sunnydale to meet the Slayer. Dracula roams the world over to find Buffy and make her his bride and for Angel, the Whistler put him on the correct path towards redemption and hope. Then there's the case of Dracula biting Buffy, striking some minor resemblances to when Angel bit her given that Dracula bites over the now healed wound. Some wounds – Buffy's at times traumatic relationship with Angel – will never heal.
The cold open to the episode confirms perhaps some dissatisfactions for Buffy in her relationship with Riley. Feeling a lack of thrill and danger and excitement, she leaves in the middle of the night to get a Slayer 'fix' by 'hunting' vampires, drawing parallels to Faith in season three. It re-contextualizes Buffy's position as Slayer and foreshadows early on a key narrative element to the season which is Buffy's darker power. Dracula draws comparisons between Buffy and rightly sees her thrills of being a Slayer as something that stretches beyond the moral realm and into the satisfaction and gratification.
The last and perhaps least interesting complication to arise out of Dracula's mostly forced and hammy appearance in the episode is the development of Buffy and Riley's relationship from the perspective of the ex-Initiative agent. In this episode can be ever more clearly seen the insecurities that Riley feels being Buffy's boyfriend and it's an insecurity that he slowly built ever since meeting Angel for the first time in "The Yoko Factor". As we will see a few episodes later in "The Replacement", Riley is aware that despite his all- consuming love and admiration for Buffy, she does not reciprocate those feelings of love for him. It's ultimately a touching and gloomy look at a girl who cannot bear a normal and healthy relationship.
Beyond some other minor elements, such as Giles considering on leaving Buffy to her destiny (which will take effect in season six), the episode is mostly a light-hearted and humorous episode but it's the humour here that doesn't work well for me. Sarah Michelle Gellar's performance oscillates between good and flat throughout the episode, an opinion no doubt that would have me crucified at the hands of any Buffy lover. Truth be told, I have found her performance since the beginning of season four to be largely inconsistent compared to the brilliance she exhibited in the show's early seasons during which the SMG performance was my single favourite element of the show. The rest of the cast, with the exception of James Marsters as Spike and Anthony Stewart Head as Giles do not leave much of an impression with their mostly limited material. Xander offers some amusing humour as he begins to adopt the persona of Renfield from the Dracula mythology yet even the writer Marti Noxon's commitment to maintaining that persona throughout Xander's entranced spell is disrupted at one particularly jarring moment where Xander, "slayer-sitting" Buffy asks her if he can take her to Dracula in exchange for immortality. It's a moment that is poorly acted by Nicholas Brendon, who is otherwise funny in the episode, and is such a frustratingly unnecessary moment in an otherwise amusing side story.
The climax between Buffy and Dracula is serviceable but ends with a gag that is awkwardly written, directed and acted whereby Dracula continues resurrecting after Buffy stakes her only for Buffy to stake him once more. In almost any other confident episode of BUFFY, that moment would be turned into something memorable and sharp but here, it's incredibly awkward and inorganic in the context of an episode that somewhat stutters to the finish line. It's too goofily acted, it's mildly awkward in how its handled behind the camera (there's really no clear geographical connection established within the location that makes Buffy's 'surprise' re-entry into the frame convincing) and it falls short in the writing from what it is intended to be, much like the majority of the episode.
Despite being deeply critical of the episode, it's an episode that I don't dislike but rather one that I'm frustrated by. It's at best fine but it's the weakest season premiere to date.