Buffy The Vampire Slayer, "The Prom" Review (3x20)

Brief Synopsis: “The biggest night in a high school student’s life is just around the corner, when strange creatures start appearing around town attacking anyone in formal wear. Meanwhile, Angel tells Buffy that he wants her to have a chance at the normal life that he could never give her. He plans to leave Sunnydale after the ascension. Buffy must put aside her own pain and try to track down the source of the demonic Hellhounds in time to save the prom.”


"Choices" (3x19) quick link here                                                                          "Graduation Day Part One & Two" (3x21 & 3x22) quick link here


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1)    I will be reviewing the episodes in bullet point form. This is because it makes the reviews simple to read and helps break up the text.
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With that being said, let’s get started, shall we?



• This show will be the death of me, I swear. I cannot deal with all these feels. “The Prom” is one of the most memorable, bittersweet episodes of “Buffy The Vampire Slayer”. I like to think that “Choices” and “The Prom” are an unofficial two-part story. “Choices” sets up Buffy and Angel’s breakup and sets up the future. “The Prom” brings about this change. A great change is coming in the Buffyverse. Angel is leaving, Sunnydale High is coming to an explosive end, the Scoobies are going to college soon, and nothing will ever be the same again. My babies are growing up. “The Prom” signifies the end of the ‘high school era’ of the show. It’s almost over now. Joss decides to use this time to thank Buffy for everything she’s done for the students of Sunnydale High, in one of the most beautiful, heart-warming, tear-inducing scenes thus far.

The episode starts with a really, really cute scene between Buffy and Angel. Buffy wakes up in Angel’s bed after falling asleep there after patrolling. Buffy wakes up looking just like she does when she goes to sleep...‘cause that’s how people look when they wake up! There are about 11 hairs out of place and nothing else! Nobody looks like that when they wake up! Where are the bags under the eyes? Where’s the morning breath? Where’s the generally looking like someone who’s sniffed too much glue? I’m calling shenanigans!...where was I?...oh, yeah, a happy Buffy-Angel scene. Even at ten years old, I knew something bad was coming. After The Mayor’s speech in “Choices”, and the fact that Buffy and Angel look loved-up here, you just know Joss won’t stand for all that happiness to survive on his show. Like a Dementor, Joss lives off of the misery of other people.

Upon further inspection of this scene, Angel is definitely acting out-of-character. Angel looked uncomfortable when Buffy brought up the prom. He’s still thinking about what The Mayor said to him in the last episode. The Mayor called Angel selfish and asked Angel what type of life he could offer Buffy with Buffy being mortal and Angel being immortal. Is Buffy the greater purpose for Angel? The sad thing is Angel has been secretly having these fears for a long time. It was written all over his face when The Mayor was telling him off. I don’t think that Buffy staying there for the night helped matters either. It was a little too close for comfort in regards to Angel’s curse. Cuddled up in bed, Buffy stroking Angel’s chest...I think Angel is worried that if they stay together something could happen to make him lose his soul and kill people again. Also, Buffy, you’re dating a vampire. Do not open the curtains that face directly onto the bed where Angel is sitting if you’re not sure what time it is or whether the sun is out! That’s how piles of dust happen. It does beg the question of why Angel has a window facing directly onto his bed in the first place! The feng shui in Angel’s apartment is all wrong *sassy finger snap*.

The final nail in the coffin (pun-believable!) for Angel and Buffy’s relationship is Joyce. In a much nicer way, Joyce basically reiterates what The Mayor said to Angel. Angel confides in Joyce that he’s been asking himself the same questions as well. What can he offer Buffy? Angel loves Buffy, but he agrees with Joyce that Buffy would have a happier, better life without him in the picture. What I love about this scene is how calm it is. Joyce isn’t yelling at Angel, Angel isn’t arguing with what Joyce is saying, they’re just listening to each other and have a mutual respect and understanding. Joyce is looking out for Buffy’s long-term future and Angel respects that. Joyce respects that Angel loves Buffy. I’ve grown to really like Angel and Joyce’s cordial exchanges. There aren’t many of them and they certainly aren’t a patch on the hilarious Joyce-Spike scenes, but it’s nice to see that they respect each other. Angel’s fears and worries about what to do lead to an incredibly disturbing dream. Angel dreams that Buffy and himself are getting married (screw you, Whedon and Noxon! How dare you taunt us with marriage scenes!). In this dream, Buffy burst into flames. This is a representation of what Angel feels will happen if he stays with Buffy. He will be keeping Buffy from the light if they stay together. She’ll be in the darkness with him. Angel can never give her a normal life. Not that Buffy will ever have a normal life, as she’s the Slayer, but Angel thinks that Buffy deserves to be with someone who can go out in the sun with her, have sex with her, and grow old with her. Ironically, Buffy gets a boyfriend that can do all of those things in the next season.

All of these factors lead us to the inevitable breakup scene in the sewer. As much as I hate it because I’m a ‘Bangel’ fan, this scene is perfect. Sarah and David are flawless. Absolutely flawless. Sarah was so caught up in the emotion of the scene that after they finished filming it, they had to close the set for half an hour so that Sarah could recover. The impressive thing about this scene is that there is no villain, there’s no right or wrong answer. Angel is acting the best way he sees fit. After the breakup has happened, Buffy admits to Willow that Angel was right. Buffy does deserve more than demons and darkness. She does deserve someone who can take her into the light. As the Slayer, it’s even more important that Buffy has something normal in her life. Her entire world is darkness, chaos, and death. The last thing she needs is a boyfriend who will bring her more darkness and chaos. The only thing I don’t like is when Angel tells Buffy that he doesn’t want to be with her (“I don’t”). Ouch, kill me now. He’s lying! We know he’s lying, he knows he’s lying...even Buffy knows he’s lying! I feel like the “I don’t” was unnecessary. The breakup and reasoning was enough to justify it to Buffy. She didn’t need to hear the lie to be convinced. Neither did we. I know that a lot of fans give Angel a hard time for deciding to leave Buffy. They think that he didn’t care about Buffy enough to stay. I see it in completely the opposite way. Angel put his feelings for Buffy above his own desires. He leaves to give her a chance of living a happier life. It’s not just Angel who feels that way...Joyce, Giles, Xander, Willow, The Mayor, and Buffy ultimately agree with Angel’s choice.

Buffy: “Heart? You have a heart? It isn’t even beating!”

Again, ouch. I understand that Buffy is heartbroken and lashing out, but still...harsh! Once out of Angel’s sight, Buffy goes to Willow’s house and has a breakdown. Sarah’s acting has never been better than when she says “Right now I’m just trying to keep from dying”. So many feels! That line is a tear-jerker. It was a really nice touch to have Buffy go to Willow instead of Giles or Xander. Willow has been feeling neglected this season due to the arrival of Faith. Faith replaced Willow to a certain extent and then took Xander’s virginity to add insult to injury. It also makes sense that Buffy would seek out the advice of someone who is similar to her in age and gender. Willow can empathise with Buffy’s situation a little bit more than Xander or Giles would be able to. At least Buffy has Willow! How many of us have had to go through a traumatic or heartbreaking experience alone? When my best friend died, I felt completely alone in the world. Nobody was there. I’m so glad that Buffy has Willow to lean on. Even though Buffy is miserable, she accepts what has happened. She knows that Angel made the right decision in the long-run. Then, Giles offers to have ice cream with Buffy because she’s been dumped, and I cannot take anymore of this emotion! WHAT IS THIS EPISODE DOING TO ME?! It’s so emotional!  It has happy tears and sad tears IN THE SAME EPISODE! I DIDN’T SIGN UP FOR THIS! Giles is such a good father-figure to Buffy. I wonder if they ever did go out for ice cream? I like to think that they did after the prom. I want that scene! 

I have never loved or respected Buffy Summers more than I do in this episode. I know the pain she’s going through. Most people do. Most people know how heartbroken you feel after being dumped. Instead of wallowing in self-pity and depression, Buffy uses the breakup as motivation to stop Tucker and give the rest of the Scoobies the perfect prom.

Buffy: “You guys are going to have a prom. The kind of prom that everyone should have. I’m going to give you all a nice, fun, normal evening, if I have to kill every single person on the face of the Earth to do it.”
Xander: “…yay?...”

It’s so selfless of Buffy to put aside her own pain in order to give her friends a magical night. Buffy knows that her perfect prom is ruined, but she’s not going to let Tucker destroy everyone else’s prom as well. Speaking of Tucker, the Tucker and Hellhounds aspect of the episode is the only part I don’t like. I understand that a villain was needed in this episode, but did it have to be this? Tucker, Andrew’s brother (see what I did there?), raised four Hellhounds to attack the entire school because somebody said no to going to the prom with him? That’s it? Talk about overdramatic! I understand that teenagers are an overdramatic group sometimes and that the slightest knock can leave someone feeling bitter or upset for a long time afterwards, but seriously? I was way too caught up in the emotion of the episode to care about Tucker or the Hellhounds. I just wanted them off my screen to see what was going to happen next with the Scoobies. Buffy stops the Hellhounds and then shit gets real...

Jonathan asks if Buffy is at the prom. He then proceeds to tell Buffy that the students of Sunnydale High aren’t as clueless as they seem. They’ve noticed all the odd occurrences and deaths under mysterious circumstances. This scene has a wonderful air of closure to it. The students thank Buffy for her services to the school and award her with a gold umbrella that says ‘Class Protector’. It’s so refreshing to see ‘Sunnydale Syndrome’ disappear for a moment and have the students appreciate Buffy and recognise the fact that most of them wouldn’t have made it to graduation without her. I’m not too manly to admit that I openly sob my little heart out at this speech. Almost every time I watch the episode. It’s the culmination of three years of the show. It’s the pinnacle moment of the high school era. Jonathan’s speech sums up the first three years. It’s one of the biggest ‘feel good’ moments of “Buffy The Vampire Slayer”. What makes this moment all the more special is that it's Jonathan delivering the speech. After Buffy talking him out of suicide a couple of episodes ago ("Earshot"), he knows from personal experience just how special Buffy is and how many lives she's affected, because she saved his. Then, Angel appears at the prom to give Buffy one perfect high school moment. It’s a bittersweet moment because you know it’s going to be their last time together in a romantic sense (or so we thought), but it’s so nice of Angel to show up in a suit to give Buffy one perfect moment. They’ve both made peace with the fact that they’re doing the right thing. The Sunday’s “Wild Horses” plays as they dance. It’s the perfect choice of song for the situation that Buffy and Angel are in. How many emotional moments can one episode contain?! Marti Noxon and Joss Whedon, a plague on both your houses!

While Buffy and Angel take centre stage of this episode, there are some other wonderful moments for the Scoobies. Xander discovers that Cordelia is broke. I never thought I’d feel sorry for Cordelia, but hearing her talk about how she has no money, no longer has a home, and can’t even afford a prom dress is really sad. This sets up Cordelia leaving Sunnydale at the end of the season to move to Los Angeles to try and make a career out of acting. I would have really liked to meet Cordelia’s parents and see the dynamic between them and Cordy. Where is Cordelia living if she doesn’t have a home? Why do Cordelia’s parents never visit her in Los Angeles? Xander buys the dress for Cordelia. I’ve got to be honest, I didn’t see that coming. The Xander of old wouldn’t have been selfless and noble enough to do that to someone who’s been quite mean to him since he cheated on her. Since “The Zeppo”, Xander has started to mature just a little bit. I love Xander so much for doing this for Cordelia. I’ve always viewed Xander buying her the dress as his final way of saying sorry to Cordelia for the way their relationship ended (especially as after graduating Sunnydale High the two never speak again on-screen). Likewise, Cordelia thanking Xander and Xander’s “it looks good on you” is closure on their relationship. There’s no hate or ill-will between the two anymore and it’s time for them both to move on to the next chapter of their lives. Speaking of the next chapter...

Anya: “You can laugh, but I have witnessed a millennium of treachery and oppression from the males of the species, and I have nothing but contempt for the whole libidinous lot of them.”
Xander: “Then why are you talking to me?”
Anya: “I don’t have a date for the prom...”
Xander: “Well, gosh, I wonder why not. It couldn’t possibly have anything to do with your sales pitch?”
Anya: “Men are evil. Will you go with me?”

As the door on Xander and Cordelia closes, the door for Xander and Anya opens. I adore that Anya is becoming a main character very soon. She’s a personal favourite of mine due to her lack of tact and caring what people think of her. She’s similar to Cordelia in that respect...perhaps that’s Xander’s type. Also, the thought of a 1,120-year-old former Vengeance Demon trying to ask an 18-year-old to a senior prom is hilarious to me. Poor Anya. She can’t buy alcohol and she can’t get a date. What I’ve always wondered is why Anya asked Xander to go to the prom with her! Anya lost her powers due to Xander’s ex-girlfriend wishing something because Xander cheated on her!


Some other highlights of “The Prom”...

• There’s nothing wrong with going to the prom with the ‘sock puppet of love’, Xander. I’m sure you’ve experienced many romantic nights with that hand throughout your teenage years.
• VCRs can pause, Xander. This show has VCRs. It’s so old. My original Buffy collection was VHS. They used to release half a season on three video tapes. By the time I had every Buffy season on VHS it was THIRTY NINE TAPES (season one was three tapes)! It took up almost an entire wall of my room growing up! Thank goodness for DVD.
• Everyone looks great at the prom. Xander, Cordy, Oz, Willow, Anya, Giles, Wesley, Buffy, Angel…they all look fantastic. It’s such a nice change of pace to see everyone dressed up in formal wear.
• Oz got teared-up when they played “We Are Family”. Perfectly fitting for Oz’s character. I love it.
• Wesley: “Unless you count the nights you made the lower-class men get up as girls and watch them….dip is tasty, isn’t it?.....*he sees Cordelia in her dress and chokes* sauce is hot…very hot….”

Dorky Wesley is the best! I wish they’d explored his past more once he moved to Los Angeles. With the exception of his father, very little is known about Wesley’s life before he moved to Sunnydale. All we get is small titbits of information here and there.

• Giles: “For God sake man, she’s eighteen! And you have the emotional maturity of a blueberry scone. Just have at it would you and stop fluttering about.”

This was my runner-up quote of the episode. Bloody hilarious.


Quote Of The Episode

Was there ever any doubt?...


Jonathan: “We have one more award to give out. Is Buffy Summers here tonight? Did she, um…this is actually a new category. First time ever. I guess there were a lot of write-in ballots, and, well, the prom committee asked me to read this. ‘We're not good friends. Most of us never found the time to get to know you, but that doesn't mean we haven't noticed you. We don't talk about it much, but it's no secret that Sunnydale High isn't really like other high schools. A lot of weird stuff happens here.’"

Student: “Zombies!”

Student: “Hyena people!”

Student: “Snyder!”

Jonathan: "But whenever there was a problem or something creepy happened, you seemed to show up and stop it. Most of the people here have been saved by you or helped by you at one time or another. We're proud to say that the class of '99 has the lowest mortality rate of any graduating class in Sunnydale history, and we know at least part of that is because of you. So the senior class offers its thanks and gives you this *he produces a golden umbrella*. It's from all of us and it has written here, ‘Buffy Summers, Class Protector’.”

FINAL SCORE: 9/10

What are your thoughts on "The Prom"? Did you enjoy this episode? Dislike it? Let me know all your thoughts in the comments section below!

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