Buffy The Vampire Slayer, “Halloween" Review (2x06)

Brief Synopsis: “On Halloween Buffy, Willow, and Xander are "volunteered" by Principal Snyder to take groups of kids trick-or-treating. Buffy seizes the opportunity to impress Angel by dressing as a woman from the time when he was human. After most of the kids in Sunnydale magically become whatever they were dressed as, it is up to soldier-Xander and ghost-Willow to find a way to break the spell and defend Buffy, who is now a weak and frail 18th century noblewoman.”

"Reptile Boy" (2x05) quick link here                                                                                                            "Lie To Me" (2x07) quick link here


Two quick notes before we get started...

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.
2)    If you are watching the show for the first time along with these reviews, please be warned that there may be a few spoilers for things that haven’t happened yet.

With that being said, let’s get started, shall we?



•    I don’t think you have to be a genius to guess what an episode titled “Halloween” is going to be about...no, not Christmas. An old friend of Giles’, Ethan Rayne, arrives in Sunnydale and everyone who buys their Halloween costume from him turns into their Halloween costume. On paper, that idea sounds absolutely amazing! In reality...the episode is absolutely amazing!
•    This is definitely one of the strongest episodes in a very strong season. It might not seem like this season is very strong thus far, as half the episodes have been below average (I’m looking at you, “Some Assembly Required”, “Inca Mummy Girl”, and “Reptile Boy”), but trust me when I say that this season is about to pick up drastically.
•    I like that Spike is secretly recording Buffy fighting. It makes sense for him to learn as much about his enemy as he possibly can, as it allows him to look for weaknesses. It’s a very intelligent technique. It makes a change from most of the vampires thus far that were just crush-kill-destroy. It’s also interesting to note that Spike had stalkerish tendencies towards Buffy right from the beginning. He stalked her in The Bronze the first time he saw her during “School Hard”, and he’s stalking Buffy again in this episode. This characteristic of Spike’s personality remains for the rest of his time on “Buffy The Vampire Slayer”. From his monologue up on high in season four’s “Wild At Heart”, to his lingering outside Buffy’s house all the time after he develops romantic feelings for her, he’s always had a certain fixation with Buffy. That’s not creepy at all...

•    Angel’s in a blue shirt! Angel’s in a blue shirt! It looks so unnatural. I think this is the first time that he’s worn anything other than black or white. It’s not such a big deal in later seasons as he wears colour more often, but it’s weird at this point. It’s like watching a dog walk on its hind legs. I appreciate the fact that he’s dressed up and made an effort for his coffee date with Buffy. For those of you that don’t remember, this coffee date was arranged at the end of the last episode, “Reptile Boy”. Gotta love continuity. I have the mental image of Angel frantically throwing clothes out of his wardrobe, desperately looking for what to wear and cursing the fact that he has no reflection, whilst Angelus is buried deep down inside Angel eye-rolling at the whole scenario. That is also now canon in my head.
•    I have no idea what Cordelia is talking about. Buffy looks great! Sometimes I feel like Cordelia is mean just to be mean. For example, in this instance Cordelia insults Buffy with something that isn’t actually true. Why? Because Buffy has something that Cordelia wants. It blows my mind how much Cordelia grows over the years.
•    It was an interesting twist for the show’s mythology that vampires just stay in on Halloween. The most supernatural night of the year, and vampires stay in because it’s too commercial. The one night a year where a vampire or demon could go out in public and not get any funny looks, and they choose to chill in their coffins and crypts. Oh the irony.
•    “Halloween” also marks the first appearance of Larry! So many main and recurring characters debuted between “School Hard” and “Halloween” (Spike, Oz, Devon, Jonathan, Larry & Ethan Rayne). That’s an all-star cast, right there.

•    Buffy definitely violated the guy code by saving Xander from getting pummelled by Larry. 99% of teenage guys have such fragile egos when it comes to “being manly”. I’ve witnessed it so many times first-hand. I personally always tried to be as manly as possible during my school years; with my eyeliner and black nails...clearly, it worked spectacularly, wouldn’t you agree?
•    To answer your question, Willow...based on Buffy, Darla, and Nina; I think Angel’s type is tiny, cute blondes, NOT noblewomen from the 18th century.
•    Buffy saying “it would be wrong” makes me instantly jump to Faith in Buffy’s body standing in front of the mirror saying “because it’s wrong” and “because it’s naughty”.
•    The look of disgust that Willow gives Buffy after Buffy lies to Giles and tells him that “Miss Calendar said you were a babe” is hilarious.
•    I cannot compute a time where Cordelia refused to believe that Angel was a vampire. Part of me wishes that they’d kept this up for all 3 seasons of “Buffy The Vampire Slayer”, and Cordelia didn’t find out that Angel was a vampire until the pilot episode of Angel.
•    How sexy does Buffy look when she says “sexy and wild” to Willow? Oh God, that conversation is a prelude to the film ‘Mean Girls’, isn’t it? With all those slutty Halloween costumes...
•    Xander: “Too bulky, I prefer my women in spandex.”
 
Agreed.

•    Robin Sachs! *sad face*. R.I.P. Robin Sachs. Such a talented and wonderful actor. I’ve seen him in quite a few things over the years (post-Buffy), and he always brought a lot of intrigue and mysteriousness to every character that I’ve seen him play. Ethan is such a memorable Buffyverse character after having only appeared in four episodes (and the season eight comics), and a huge part of the reason as to why is because Robin was so talented.
•    James & Juliet’s chemistry is off the charts. Both of them are such talented actors, too! They really understand their characters right from the first scene that they’re in.
•    I must admit, I rather like Buffy’s dress. Don’t get me wrong, usually I dislike dresses that are that big, but this one has a certain charm to it.
•    Buffy: “I can’t wait for the boys to go non-verbal when they see you.”
 
...you wouldn’t be able to tell the difference if it was Oz...

•    This episode is so much sexier than I remembered! Willow’s Halloween costume (not the ghost sheet) is so very, very hot. Cordelia dressed up in a cat suit (‘nuff said), and Xander is in a military tanktop showing off his arms (Nicky was in great shape here). Everyone looks amazing!
•    I am really impressed with the way that this episode explores Buffy, Xander, and Willow’s perceived conception of their identities through the choices they make for their Halloween costume. Let’s break this down a little bit...

Buffy

Buffy chooses a very feminine Halloween costume because she’s been feeling like she isn’t feminine enough (which she alludes to earlier in the episode when talking to Willow). Her life revolves around fighting and being strong, which she feels makes Angel not as attracted to her. After the debacle earlier in the episode where Buffy showed up to her date covered in dirt and straw, she’s making a point of looking ultra lady-like for Halloween to try to impress Angel. Of course, from an outsider’s perspective this is nonsense. Angel isn’t attracted to Buffy because Buffy is feminine, he’s attracted to Buffy simply because he’s attracted to Buffy. Angel fell in love with Buffy the moment he saw her in Los Angeles. However, this doesn’t take away from Buffy’s plight. It’s not about the reality of the situation; it’s about how Buffy feels.

Xander

Throughout this episode, Xander has been feeling insecure about his masculinity. It’s a perfect parallel to how Buffy is feeling about herself. Xander was saved by Buffy earlier in the episode and it’s making him feel less manly because he couldn’t protect himself. So for Halloween he dresses up as a soldier with a gun to try and give off the impression that he’s manly. Xander struggles with this issue for the first three or four years of the show, but this is the first time that it’s been brought to the surface so obviously. It turns out later in the episode that Xander (as the military man) is manly. He saves Buffy, he helps protect Cordelia, and he’s instrumental in keeping people safe. I think this highlights the Buddhist philosophy of “I think therefore I am”. When Xander thinks he’s cool, confident, and manly, he is those things. If he could just get over his insecurities he’d be capable of great things. I was recently asked “Why do you like Xander? He’s really annoying and immature!” While I agree that Xander is capable of both of those things in the earlier seasons, I like Xander for a number of reasons. The most important of which is that he’s relatable. Perhaps Xander is more relatable to males than females? To me, Xander is very similar to how I was when I was at school. I was hyper-sensitive to being perceived as un-masculine, I was bullied, I was unpopular, I used humour to mask pain, and I was terrible at talking to females. I’m 24 years old. I started watching “Buffy The Vampire Slayer” when I was eight years old (during season two’s original airing in the UK). So when I hit my early teens, I’d already seen Xander’s journey through high school life. That coupled with the fact that he was very similar to me made him more relatable than the other Scoobies. While Xander isn’t my favourite character, he is in the top three for “Buffy The Vampire Slayer”.

Willow

Let’s face it; Willow has zero self esteem during the first two years of “Buffy The Vampire Slayer”. Buffy uses Halloween as an opportunity to get Willow to come out of her shell (and clothes) a little bit. However, Willow decides to dress up in a big white sheet, rather than go out and be on display. If Willow went out in the costume Buffy wanted her to go out in, she’d get attention, and Willow doesn’t like having attention because she has no self-esteem. Just look at her nightmares in the Buffy season one episode “Nightmares”. Willow’s biggest fear was being on stage in front of people and having people look at her. So what does this episode do? It turns Willow into a literal ghost. The great thing about this episode is that it gives Willow her first moment at having a little bit of self-esteem. By the conclusion of this episode, Willow decides that she doesn’t want to be a ghost anymore (metaphorically speaking) and she decides to take the sheet off. Also, after everyone turns into their costumes, Willow takes on the role of leader. It’s often forgotten about, but this is such a huge episode for Willow’s character. Willow goes from wanting to be invisible, to becoming a ghost, to being the leader and deciding to go out in her skimpy outfit. Plus, this episode really lays the foundation for what is to come in the rest of the season for Willow, and that’s Oz. Oz sees Willow crossing the road at the end of the episode and is mesmerised by her. In just three episodes' time they will have their first conversation and soon after that Oz will become a member of the Scooby Gang and Willow’s boyfriend.

•    It’s interesting to see that Cordelia doesn’t change into her costume. Is this because Cordelia has no self-esteem issues clouding up her sense of identity? It could be. If that is the case, this episode is even more intelligent than I was giving it credit for.
•    Buffy fainted. Buffy, our Slayer and hero, just fainted. Feeble Buffy is a joy to watch. It’s a 180 degree flip from the Buffy that we’ve all come to know over the pat 18 episodes. I’ve always been drawn to episodes where characters are playing something different than what we’re used to seeing. Episodes like this one, “Tabula Rasa” (everyone forgets who they are), and “Spin The Bottle” (everyone reverts back to being teenagers), are wonderful because they flip the norm on its head.
•    Willow: “She couldn’t have dressed up like Xena?!”
This shout-out to “Xena: Warrior Princess” led to Xena giving “Buffy The Vampire Slayer” a shout-out back in their season four episode, “The Play’s The Thing”...
Younger Critic: “The play's not bad. I just don't buy that Xena.”
Older Critic: “There's the opening of Buffus, the Bacchae Slayer across the street.”

•    Giles’ reaction to Willow walking through the library wall remains one of the funniest moments ever on Buffy. His card index goes flying! I don’t even want to think about how long that will take Giles to put back in order. My O.C.D. is furious at Willow.
•    I love how uncomfortable Giles is talking to Willow in her leather outfit...“The ghost of what?”I C AN’T! I JUST CAN’T! *dies from laughter*
•    Ethan Rayne and Giles is one of the most unique relationships on “Buffy The Vampire Slayer”. Seeing Ethan instantly makes Giles revert back to being “Ripper”. It obviously stirs a lot of old, painful memories for Giles. Anthony’s acting is superb during all the scenes with Ethan (he’s usually excellent anyway). I remember when I first saw this episode; I was so desperate for backstory! WHY IS GILES ACTING THAT WAY?! WHAT’S A ‘RIPPER’?! HOW DID GILES GET THAT NICKNAME?! Luckily, it isn’t a very long wait, as in just two episodes time (“The Dark Age”) everything will be brought to the surface...except how Giles got the nickname ‘Ripper’. I have a funny story about the nickname ‘Ripper’, but I’m saving that for the “Band Candy” review.
•    Military Xander actually does something “damn manly” (which he threatened earlier in the episode) to save Buffy from costume-Larry. It’s a great little addition to the episode to have military Xander get revenge on his bully from earlier in the same episode. I think it’s trying to raise the point that everyone is capable of being strong if they tweak their thought-process a little bit. Perhaps I’m reading too much into it, but if that is what the show was going for, it’s a great message to send out to all the teenagers and young adults watching the show.

•    Buffy: “Hi honey, I’m home.”
•    Why did Buffy just let Spike leave?! I never understood that. Why didn’t she at least try to kill him? She knows how dangerous he is, she knows that he’s killed two Slayers, why not take him out?! This is way before they developed a friendship or before Buffy developed feelings for Spike, so I’ve never understood her actions here. Stupid, stupid Slayer!
•    Cordy, Cordy, Cordy...you can’t stop the Bangel.
•    “Be seeing you...” what a great cliffhanger to end a very strong episode.
•    To conclude, this episode ticks every single box for me. The basic premise is very simple: people turn into their Halloween costumes. It’s the wonderful way in which the episode uses this premise to explore the Scoobies’ identities that makes this episode truly special. It has a great plot, it’s well-paced, it’s funny, it helps introduce new characters, AND there is character development for existing characters (primarily Willow and Giles, but there’s also some for Buffy and Xander). What more could you want? There is just one thing that stops this episode from reaching that same level as “Prophecy Girl”, and that’s emotion. There’s not much emotional complexity in this episode. Sure, it explores Buffy, Xander, and Willow’s perceptions of their identities, but every episode of Buffy has some emotion. The episodes that reach that 9-10/10 level are the ones that have a huge amount of emotion, like “The Gift”, “Becoming Part Two”, “Once More With Feeling”, and “The Body”.


Quote Of The Episode

Buffy: “There's this amazing place you can go and sit down in the dark - and there are
these moving pictures. And the pictures tell a story.”

Giles: “Ha, ha. Very droll. I'll have you know I have many relaxing hobbies.”

Buffy: “Such as?”

Giles: “Well, I'm very fond of cross-referencing.”

Buffy: “Do you stuff your own shirts or do you send them out?”


I’ll have you know that by season four Giles’ hobbies include playing guitar, singing, drinking malt beverages, and watching TV! Giles develops a human personality in just a couple of short years.



FINAL SCORE: 8.5/10 

So what are your thoughts on "Halloween"? Did you enjoy this episode? Dislike it? Let me know all your thoughts in the comments section below!