That Guy in the Jacket

Episode 7.6: Him. Original Airdate 11.5.02

"Dawn's simple crush on Sunnydale High's star quarterback RJ starts to become obsessive, leading Buffy to investigate the boy herself. When Buffy, along with all the other women who see RJ, also fall in love with him [your grammar is a mess, imdb], Spike and Xander must team up to discover the source of this attraction. But first they have to keep the women from doing anything crazy in their competition for RJ's affection."

Zelda's Thoughts: 

• This episode - which I largely don't like, for a variety of reasons - features one of my favorite non-verbal sequences in the entire series. See gifs below. So I'm holding out for Buffy and the rocket launcher.
• Aaaaaand Spike is staying in the magical didn't-exist-before room in Xander's apartment.
• Also Buffy has weird wispy bangs.
• At least Buffy is a - communicating with the Scoobies, yay, and b - getting Spike out of the basement.
• I forgot Spike actually spoke this episode.
• Dawn calling out the ridiculousness of the Scoobies. Once again, Dawn is my favorite right now WHY. (Xander already had a soul when he stood Anya up, etc.)
• Oh look time for me to start hating the episode. RJ showed up.
• Hatred aspect #1 comes from the extremely squirmingly uncomfortable second hand embarrassment I feel for Dawn in the first half of the episode (especially the cheerleading routine). I have literally no desire to ever watch those scenes again, but I'm doing it. FOR YOU.
• D'Hoffrynfeffer? Anya, always on brand.
• The length of Buffy's bangs are changing scene to scene and it's confusing me.
• "Willow's not very good with the practical strategizing - except when she's evil. And Dawn, she's not really good for anything." The amount that I adored this line on initial airing tells me that my newfound love for Dawn is a result of this watching - I still hated her when this season was airing.
• OMG IT'S THE GIRL FROM GARFUNKEL AND OATES I FORGOT SHE WAS IN THIS DID I KNOW SHE WAS IN THIS.

"Pregggnant women are smuggg"

• How come Garfunkel is wearing the cheer top but a denim skirt? why isn't she in full uniform?
• This scene is so painful, I have to fixate on Garfunkel.
• DAWN STOP.
• god god god god god make it stop I can't
• Props to Michelle for fully committing to looking like a fool.
• RIP, Buffy's old cheerleading uniform
• Xander's "I miss the much-cuter me crush" has DIFFERENT IMPLICATIONS WITH THE COMIC CANON NOW. [Com-Ic? - D]
• The letterman jacket being the magical thing that makes women fall in love with the wearer is another adorable throwback to the early seasons' high school metaphors.
• Also the fact that Xander (jokingly) identifies what's causing the obsessive love is very reminiscent right now of where I am in my X Files watch, where Mulder walks into frame, already knowing what the mysterious mystery has to be, and he's right, and it's obnoxious.
• I haaaaaaaaaaaaaaate how dumb and dizzy Dawn is right now.
• siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiigh
• With the eye make up and styled hair, MT looks more like her future Gossip Girl self.
• Sooooooooo how come the magic letterman jacket doesn't worked on Willow and Buffy when they see him at The Bronze? Is it that they didn't have an unobstructed view of it yet, with Dawn dancing? Because we could still see it, including the letter. How exactly does this magic jacket work? Meh. I call shenanigans.
• Come on, Dawn, with the girl fight antics, we know you're a better fighter than this now. WE SAW "GRAVE".
• Buffy's really not a good counselor, you guys.
• THERE IS WAY TOO MUCH PEDO ACTION IN THIS EPISODE. First we had Xander's (and Willow, lowkey) creepy "Daddy likey" about Dawn, and now Buffy's about to HAVE SEX WITH A MINOR WHY and then later Anya and Willow will be pedolusting too and SERIOUSLY WHY DID WE NEED TO HAVE THIS EPISODE WHY.
• I HATE IT SO MUCH.
• WHY IS THIS EPISODE.
• We even have Buffy sabotaging her sister and it hurts WHY WHY WHY.
• gross Buffy don't do this don't do it.
• headcanon that's leftover Harriet the Spy sleuthing skills that enables Dawn to find the exact empty classroom where her sister is violating RJ.
• maybe they didn't have sex. maybe they were just dry humping. maybe Buffy didn't rape a teenage boy. maybe maybe maybe this is marginally less gross than it is.
• okay now the tone shifts again into pure silliness where Buffy thinks Dawn is under a spell but is in denial that she's under it, too. the episode becomes marginally more tolerable once this tone sets in
• Also here we have the crack team of Xander and Spike, and Spike reacting and reacting and not speaking and it feels like some weird inside joke the writers had with each other, and I don't really get why? It's just random and weird.
• I actually think it's kind of cute how excited Lance (RJ's brother) is about the little boxes of raisins.
• "No Buffy for you! Leave quickly now."
• And Willow and Anya don't fall for him til they see the back of his jacket HOW DOES THIS SPELL WORK.

I love that you can see Willow go "Wait, that's a boy" mid-head tilt

• Everyone is acting like a sitcom character. They're funny actresses so they're working hard to sell it but this is just so TONALLY WEIRD FOR THE SHOW. I can't cry out of character, because love spell, but I haaaaaaaaaaaaaaate this.
• Almost time for my favorite scene though!
• But first we gotta split screen this, and show Anya robbing a bank.
• "Aw man, now I gotta start all over. Hecate hates that."
• FAVORITE SCENE TIME.

• I read that the rocket launcher Buffy used to decimate The Judge was a one time use only thing, though, oops
• "I wouldn't put it past her. She's recently evil, you know." // "Well, so am I."
• Okay, time for the other good scene from this episode, after Buffy saves Dawn - not only the affirming stuff that no guy is worth Dawn's life, ever, but also the reminder that, even under a love spell, Buffy's love for her sister Dawn is still way stronger than that. "Dawn, I would give him to you in a second if I could - that's how much you're scaring me." Even under the love spell, Dawn is more important.
• Spike's reflection is showing! Shenanigans.

• It's kind of adorable that the way they "fight evil" this ep is stealing a boy's jacket and setting it on fire.

Daniel's Thoughts:

• I don’t hate this episode as much as Zelda but I understand why she does.
• Ugh, why is Spike moving in with Xander? Odd Couple?
• Dawn’s hair is lighter. Looks good.
• “Now go to your closet”….that’s bigger than most NYC apartments.
• Hey a Dawn episode….

• Dawn: “I mean Xander had a soul when he stood Anya up at the altar.” Sing it, girl.
• Michelle T is good with the comic falling
• Aww, Buffy stopped by! Being all apologetic about trying to kill her and all.
• Buffy’s a good friend after all.
• And Anya cut her hair!
• See? It takes so little. Just Buffy calling Anya her friend makes her happy.
• “Willow’s not very good with the practical strategies except when she’s evil. And Dawn – she’s not really good for anything.”
• Ugh, this is the part that makes Z and I cringe….Dawn being embarrassed…
• OMG. It’s that Garfunkel & Oates girl! She’s so young!
• Aww, Buffy’s old uniform. It’s cute that they brought it back.
• Oh man, it’s so embarrassing.
• So Dawn’s getting all obsessive – yeah, it’s mystical and magic and all that but what about the rest of the girls at the school? No one seems to be getting all obsessive over RJ. Not the way they did with Xander when we…already kinda had this plot line.
• It’s such a set-y school.
• Hey Principal Wood!
• Man, his dimples are the size of craters.
• Hey! The Bronze! I missed that place.
• See where slut-shaming gets you, Buffy?
• OK, so one other girl seems obsessed….or just a teenage girl.
• Seriously, what’s with the bangs, Buffy?
• Ugh, I can’t even watch this lame-ass flirting Buffy is doing with this tool.
• It’s so cringe-worthy.
• This was done so much better in Bewitched, Bothered & Bewildered.
• Someone called Anya? Yay.
• And why is she dressed like a lesbian comic from the 90s?

"What's the deal with airline peanuts?"
"You see it was the duck and not the man that spoke."

• Ugh. Another thing to hate about this episode. Willow is gay. The spell shouldn’t work on her. Again, they missed a huge opportunity, but instead, they went for the "gay as a punchline" laugh.
• “His physical presence has a penis!”
• I have to admit, SMG is knocking this out of the park.
• “What are you gonna do, use magic to make him into a girl?..... Damn!”
• Ugh, we get it. Love makes you do stupid things.
• This whole scene with Buffy and Spike outside Wood’s office is awesome.
• But also, what is Wood listening to? EZListening FM?
• “Hey Crazy chicks, look.” Dawn is about be killed by a train. Can we have a little more panic in your voice, Xander?
• I kinda like that Dawn’s potential death breaks the spell over Buffy.

Crossfire!

D: What is she doing?
Z: She's robbing a bank!
D: But why?
Z: Because money's the best!

Favorite Lines:

Zelda: "AJ is my best friend and dearest darling!" // "It's RJ!" - Anya/Willow

Daniel: "Willow's not very good with the practical strategizing - except when she's evil. And Dawn, she's not really good for anything." - Anya

Arc/Continuity Stuff:

• Recurring: Buffy's old cheerleading uniform, Principal Wood, The Bronze, Buffy's rocket launcher
• Spike is still kind of insane, but he's no longer in the whatment.
• D'Hoffryn's sending demons to attack Anya after she left the vengeance game.
• The love spell cast on the letterman jacket as a callback to "Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered"
• Shoutout to Xander's dysfunctional family while we're at it

Stats:

Anya's Hair - brown, shoulder length, flipped at the ends

Dead Humans - 0

Dead Undeads - 1

Dead Flashbacks - 0

Dead Cheerleading Uniform - 1

Buffy Breaks a Door - 0

Evil Reveal - 0 (the jacket isn't sentient, nor does it have autonomy; therefore it can't be evil)

Unevil Reveal - 0

Shenanigans Called - 2

Apocalypse Called - 0