Just saw it. Am rather alarmed at seeing that I share with Elena the love for this episode. Am I going to start hating Willow too? Please no.
(Willow couldn't do anything in "Older and far away" because she was in magic-detox mode at that moment!!!! Sheesh).
Okay, I'm done.
I was first a bit thrown at the initial sequence too, until I thought of it in more detail. Of the two main controversial points in it:
- Skipping Buffy's Big Angsty Decision-Making scene about whether to dechip Spike or not was actually a good idea. We didn't really need to see it, some people are already groaning at the thought of more Spuffy...
- As for Giles, it makes sense indeed if you think of the whole thing as a practical joke played on us, the too-obssesed viewers. What I don't know is whether I liked being played like that.
Other than that, the rest of it was just great. Trademarked Espenson funny writing, with throwaway gags that are just brilliant (Giles showing the sketches and saying "this is not a joke!!!! This is going to happen!!") (and, speaking of shout-outs to the fans: "Hush" anyone?), and the Andrew redemption that I had been expecting. I was waiting to see how could they inject some actual drama in such a shallow character; well, I completely bought the moment that FE!Jonathan shows him the consequences of his actions. That scene might be the equivalent to the one in "Dead things" where Katrina wakes up and shows the trio the reality of what they were trying to do.
I'm kinda bummed at the idea of the Principal being good after all, but I did like the idea of him being Nikki's son. I'd like the idea more, though, if I didn't suspect that it's a recycled storyline from "Angel" (Holtz anyone? I don't watch "Angel", so I'm not really sure if that's true).
I did like Spike and Buffy in this episode. That kind of relationship is the perfect one for them: best friends who have gone through a lot together, with no angst (or just carefully concealed angst) and no more romance. And I did like Spike's practical, "I'm fine" attitude.