Comically Paralyzed Sister

Episode 7.3: Same Time, Same Place. Original Airdate 10.8.02

"Though they seem to be in the same place at the same time, Buffy, Xander and Dawn are unable to find Willow when she returns from England. Shortly after returning to Sunnydale, people start turning up skinned alive [the grammar here is ruining your intent, imdb]. As Buffy and Xander worry that this could be Willow's work, Willow sets out to find the creature that did it."

Daniel's Thoughts:

• Tiny Tiny Sunnydale Airport…that flies from England. There better have been three stopovers.
• I love that Buffy and Dawn are making fun of Xander’s yellow crayon speech.
• Also, they made it past security to meet her? Err, post-911 shenanigans?
• “She didn’t finish being not-evil?”
• Oooh, the opening lives up to its title. They’re all there, but they can’t see each other!
• So creepy, this demon.
• They don’t open with a potential here…I kinda wish they had continued that – although even someone like Kennedy or one of the potentials that actually makes it to the house. Not all of them have to die.
• Awww, Willow remembering what happened in that room. She hasn’t been back in that house since Tara died.
• Xander does mention a layover in Chicago. But I still refuse to believe a plane goes from Chicago to Sunnydale, even. At least three layovers. Or four.
• Are they on the same couch that Willow is sleeping on? So it’s not just that they can’t see/hear each other – they’re just in slightly different dimensions. Or something?
• Oh HEY, Willow can see Anya – WHICH MEANS SHE DOESN’T CARE ABOUT ANYA. So mean. I hate that.
• “You feel really responsible? You are responsible!”
• Anya: We don't groove with the "sorry." We prefer the "Oh God, please stop hitting me with my own rib-bones!"
• I was in Brazil yesterday. They love their soccer. lol.
• Ugh, Willow is such a – 'That’s great- I don’t really care about what you’re up to, just tell me about the others.' UGH, Willow. You may not be evil anymore, but you're still kind of an insensitive bitca.
• I actually really like this scene – where Willow is talking to Spike and Spike’s dialogue makes no sense until we realize that he’s talking to Buffy and Xander too. It’s really well done.  It's like some weird David Ives play.
• “He’s talking about Willow.” NO, he’s talking TO Willow!
• “Come in! Enjoy my personal space”. Anya is on this episode. Who are we kidding, she’s on every episode. (Just not….in every episode this season.)
• “Was it you? No!” ~Willow & Anya.
• “Is it difficult or time consuming?” THAT’S ME.

• “This isn’t going to be sexy, is it?”
• See? Anya/Willow scenes could be great if Willow didn’t get in her own way. (read: the writers didn’t fall on old habits.)
• "It did get a little sexy."  hehe.
• Man, Gnarl is terrifying.
• This Spike crazy thing. It turns on and off so much/fast. His: “I’m insane, what’s his excuse?” line was so…sane. Like he has moments – but couldn’t he tell them about Willow in those moments?
• I mean Gnarl must see all of them, right? He sees Dawn because he stabs her – yet he still says, all alone to Willow…while they’re all there.
• Man, he’s so creepy.
• “It says the paralysis is permanent.” – Err, Buffy doesn’t seem all that upset about that.
• She’s poseable! “Shall I make her salute?”
• “Willow, I’m here!” – she’s so sweet.
• What would have happened if Xander’s foot was in Willow when she reappeared? Inquiring minds.
• It’s cute that Willow is in Buffy’s room and Buffy is sleeping in Joyce’s room.

Zelda's Thoughts: 

• No cold open dead potential this week.
• YOU GUYS, IT'S TIME FOR THE SECOND OF FOUR CAMDEN TOY ROLES IN THE BUFFY CANON (second of five if you count his role on Angel)
• Man. I just. This is post-9/11. It would have been so easy to shoot this lolSunnydale Airportlol scene at baggage claim where you can actually collect passengers now, vs coming directly off the plane at the gate. I know Daniel already called shenanigans, but I wanted to register my complaint too.
• Dawn's delivery: "She didn't finish being not-evil?" I STILL DON'T HATE DAWN. THAT'S A THREE EPISODE STREAK WHUT UP.
• Actually it's possible I didn't hate her in Grave. I don't remember anymore.
• Gasp Willow did get off the plane! "Welcome home, me."
• I do think this episode is pretty clever in terms of the puzzle pieces of putting this together, as well as the metaphor of the week stuff (another callback to early Buffy seasons, when the metaphors were simple and clean). And it's so sad, that Willow thinks no one cares that she's back, that no one wants her back. And sad that, when they think she chickened out of coming home, they think that could mean she went off the rails again. They want to believe the best of their friend, but they can't ignore the warning signs.
• Although I find it unnerving - as I think we're supposed to - that Willow could cast a spell of this magnitude without even realizing it. That's, you know, that's not a good thing either. I guess it's the sort of thing to expect from someone who didn't finish her courses in being not-evil.
• "So Giles is blaming Giles, and we're blaming us; is anyone going to blame Willow? Oh, don't give me shock face. I mean, will anyone around here ever start asking for help when they need it?" Dawn's making a good point you guys. OH SHIT IS DAWN MY NEW CHARACTER OF REASON, WITH GILES GONE?
• I'm having some existential Dawn-related crises over here and Daniel is just IGNORING ME.
• Daniel and I just had a great riff about Anya even though we're not at her big episode yet - how she lost her job in the human world (thanks Willow), they won't let her do her job in the demon world (thanks Xander), of COURSE she sent a spider demon to kill an entire frat house. We would too!
• It's also not lost on us that, while Willow may be afraid to see Buffy, Dawn, and Xander, she clearly doesn't care what Anya thinks of her.
• "You feel really responsible? YOU ARE REALLY RESPONSIBLE." preach, Anya
• Anya's a way better friend to you than you deserve, Willow, especially considering you completely destroyed her livelihood at the Magic Box, and therefore one of her favorite things - being a cog in the capitalist machinery.
• "Spike's what in the whatment?" // "Insane. Base."
• OH I HAVE A NEW THEORY. Because largely Willow can't see/hear Buffy/Xander/Dawn and vice versa. But there are a few exceptions - she hears the door slam, they hear her drop the planner, and they hear her scurry up the ladder at the dig site where the body is. I think these are moments when either her guard is completely down (ladder) or her longing for them is hella-intensified. Just a theory. But I mean ... the spell breaks when she knows they're there for her and she's just talking about how much she wants to see them, so clearly this spell is operating nearly entirely on the metaphor-emotions level.
• I do like the math of the dual interrogation of Spike, especially when we don't realize at first what's happening. Willow answers Spike's "You went away, you've been gone since ..." even though it's directed at Buffy.
• heh "I can't find Buffy of Xander ..." Spike looks confusedly from Willow to Buffy and Xander.
• "What's a word means glowing? Gotta rhyme." Hmmmmm maybe EFFULGENT?
• "Everyone's talking to me. No one's talking to each other." hehehehe
• ANYA IS THE BEST. "Come in, enjoy my personal space." [dead body at Sunnydale High]: "Yes, that can happen."
• "When did you get all insightful?" // "I'm surprisingly sensitive."
• Anya's really killing it this episode. "Do you have your powder?" // "Oh, I ate that." this is entirely the bratty kind of joke in which I regularly traffic
• "The vengeance itself, it's not as fulfilling as I remember." Aw Anya. "Causing pain sounds really cool, I know, but turns out it's really upsetting. Didn't used to be, but now it is." Anya deserves so much better than she gets this season. She's so great.

• Dawn's research girl. She really is the new Giles. God, is she my new favorite? I don't know what to do with this. Especially knowing how much Giles's character gets ruined this season, I may need a new favorite.
• Dawn even figured out it's Gnarl! Good job, Dawn.
• "I'm sure there's tons of stuff like this. You know, procedures we can use that don't involve magic spells. Just good solid detective work. And we can develop a database of tooth impressions and demon skin samples and  I could wear high heels more often." OH NO SHE'S MY NEW FAVORITE WHAT DO I DO.
• "I'm insane, what's his excuse?" Man, couple this with Buffy's earlier "or we could be smart" dig, and we are royally trashing Xander's intellect this episode. It's fun.
• Camden Toy is amazing, you guys. Both a fantastic physical actor (he was one of the Gentlemen) and a fantastic voice actor.
• "Gnarl loves spells! He keeps them as pets. They love him. And they leave him alone."
• Paralyzed Dawn is hilarious you guys. "Stop talking about vomit!" She's also better at keeping her face frozen than Aly is.
• "Wouldn't it be tragic if you were here being kinda silly with your comically paralyzed sister while Willow was dying?" seriously every Anya line is gold
• God I forgot how much eye gouging happens this season. And Xander is the most squicked out that Buffy did it with her thumbs. The poor future-ly blinded fool.
• "There you are! There you are!" Strangely, this inflection is another one that I lifted and use a lot.
• OH WAIT MY FEELS GOT HIT. Buffy and Willow re-bonding.
• "I wanna be the kind of person that wouldn't think that. Xander never thought it." // "He did, a little. Heck, I did a little. Xander has the luxury of not saying it. But you're the Slayer. You have to say stuff like that." I'm glad Willow gets it and the show gets it and is having Willow say it, since we know Xander will rake Buffy over the coals for this bottom line stuff in a few episodes.
• FRIENDSHIP YOU GUYS. LOOKIT THE FRIENDSHIP. OUR SCOOBIES ARE FRIENDS AGAIN. (waits for it to collapse in Selfless)

Crossfire!

Willow: *lies on couch in self-pity*

Daniel: That's a big comfy couch.

Zelda: Yeah, you could die on that couch.

Daniel: Aww. Awwwwwww!

Favorite Lines:

Daniel: Anya: Spike is insane in the basement. Willow: Spike's what in the whatment?  Anya: Insane, base.

Zelda:

(it was too hard to pick among everything Anya said,
so I swerved left)

Arc/Continuity Stuff:

• Recurring: Sunnydale Airport, Camden Toy as a demon
• Shoutout to Spike rhyming words for glowing
• Shoutout to Anya's fear of bunnies
• Shoutout to Willy's bar
• Shoutout to Clem and his clearly meditation-achieved baggy skin

Stats:

Anya's Hair - brown, sloppy bun/half back

Dead Humans - 1

Dead Undeads - 1

Dead Flashbacks - 0

Buffy Breaks a Door - 0

Evil Reveal - 0

Unevil Reveal - 0 

Shenanigans Called - 1

Apocalypse Called - 0