'What’s My Line 1 & 2' has a very interesting pedigree. *''What's My Line (Part 1 & 2)'
It's the first writing credit in the series for Marti Noxon, who became a co-producer and major creative influence on Buffy in the later seasons.
The other writing credit went to Howard Gordon, who wrote 17 episodes of 'The X-Files',
three episodes of 'Angel' and later went on to write for '24' and 'Homeland'.
Perhaps unsurprisingly then, this pair of episodes represent a linchpin for the entire 'Season 2' story arc
and includes several important developments in the series' lore,
payoffs that have been building since the beginning of the season.
Holy crap, is there a lot to cover.
*'What's My Line (Part 1 & 2)'
It’s Career Week at Sunnydale which sets up an opportunity for Buffy to consider her future as the Slayer from a different perspective.
*sigh* "We're having this thing at school."
"Career Week?"
"How did you know?"
"I lurk."
She explains to Angel how unsure she’s been feeling about everything except him.
In this scene, there’s a very quick and telling shot in which Buffy glances into the mirror and sees only herself.
It's a nice visual to tell us that even Angel can’t or won’t always be there for her.
By the way, Angel cuddling Mr. Gordo has to be one of the most endearing things in the series.
Spike is still trying to find a cure for Dru but is afraid to make a move because he knows Buffy will be in his way.
“I need to bring in the big guns."
"They'll take care of her once and for all."
"Big guns?"
"The Order of Taraka.”
This to me feels like a throwback to 'Season 1'.
There are more than a few points in the show where some ominous sounding group of vampire killers are brought in in order to propel the characters one way or another.
"I will send The Three."
Usually, there’s one side character there to quake and say, “But isn’t that overkill?”
"No,"
"I think it's just ENOUGH kill."
The results of the career day survey are in
and Willow has been selected as a candidate to work with a famous company,
along with another student we’ve seen bits and snippets of since 'Inca Mummy Girl'.
Oz.
FFFFFINALLY, Willow and Oz meet.
"Canape?"
The...
*sigh*
...Order of Taraka arrive in town.
And the first one attacks Buffy in the ice rink.
Angel lends a hand, giving Buffy a chance to kill the assassin, and we get another endearing scene between Angel and Buffy.
"You shouldn't have to touch me when I'm like this."
This scene is my favorite in the two parter,
which is saying something because these two episodes are overloaded with fan service.
But this one raises an interesting question that will shortly be extremely relevant:
Has she learned to see past the demon that is still inside him, or is she ignoring it?
Angel goes to Willy’s Place to research the Order more
[OH SNAP]
[attack noises]
Kendra’s manner of trying to kill Angel seems like the least effective method of vampire slayage EVER.
Hypothetical line: “The sun will kill you.."
"...in like.."
"I dunno… three or four hours.”
What if Angel had a posse?
Why’d she attack him in the first place if she wasn’t going to do the deed on sight?
Anyway, Kendra locks Angel up and leaves him to cook
...then goes after Buffy.
After the two of them melee for a moment,
Buffy asks the important question:
“You attacked me! Who the hell are you?”
“I am Kendra, ...the Vam--”"
--Leeeeettt's get something out of the way.
In the DVD commentary for 'What's My Line', Marti Noxon said the decision to give Kendra an accent was a last minute one.
A dialect coach was brought in and the actress,
Bianca Lawson, was SUPPOSEDLY taught one of the more obscure Jamaican accents.
It's up to you to decide the level of success she has managed.
I find it REALLY distracting, and sad because it's so unnecessary.
The new Slayer could have been from ANYwhere. There’s a Hellmouth in Cleveland after all.
Even more interesting might have been a Slayer who didn’t speak English.
Or to get a French, Nigerian, or Japanese Slayer played by a French, Nigerian, or Japanese actor.
The level of distraction is so high for me that it prevents me from getting into Kendra’s character at all.
Kendra is a more prototypical Slayer than Buffy.
She has studied all the books, does not cavort with people her own age, and has no contact with the opposite sex.
Her presence as the “pure” Slayer and her perception of Angel as "monster only" and how that contrasts with Buffy’s perspective
is another opportunity to consider Angel’s duality and what that might have meant for Buffy.
There was an opportunity here to explore some of the more interesting and darker aspects of the Slayer lore
...but I can’t really think about that now because I’m too distracted by how Kendra says “chick fight”.
"Chick fiiiiiiight?"
Anyway, Buffy brings Kendra to Giles to clear up the Slayer confusion
and Giles explains Buffy’s brief death in 'Prophecy Girl'
must’ve triggered a new slayer to be called.
Kendra let's slip that she caged Angel,
who has been sold by Willy the Snitch to Spike and Dru.
Xander and Cordelia trap themselves in Buffy’s basement fighting off the bug assassin.
The confined space, mutual dislike and a squabble culiminate in…
[smooch]
If you’ve been paying attention to Cordelia’s slow transition over the course of the season,
and my complete unsubtle foreshadowing of it,
Cordelia and Xander’s sudden unexpected romance
...isn’t all that unexpected.
Their sudden kiss freaks even the two of them out and they manage to escape from the basement.
Kendra and Giles find they vibe together really well which triggers in Buffy even greater insecurity.
First she thinks she can’t really take part in Career Day (/Week) due to the fact that she has a destiny locked in,
but now she feels like maybe there are people more fit for her destiny than she is.
Aaaand Oz and Willow finally have their first conversation.
Yet again, a payoff that has been building up for quite a long time.
Oz first appeared in 'Inca Mummy Girl' and has had several cameos throughout,
mostly in spying on Willow and wondering who she was.
I think if I have a Top Five list of characters, Oz might be my Number 4.
Oz’s emotional serenity plays so well against Willow’s neuroticism.
Buffy is signing in for the Law Enforcement Career Day
when the actual third member of the Order of Taraka attacks her.
Oz takes a bullet in the arm saving Willow.
Kendra jumps in and saves Buffy.
Giles figures out Spike is organizing a ritual that will restore Drusilla to full health,
provided they sacrifice her sire, Angel.
Then comes a scene where Drusilla tortures Angel for the evil he did her before she became a vampire,
which raises interesting questions about the 'Buffy' soul canon.
Drusilla is soul free and inhabited by a demon,
yet seems to desire recompence for the things that happened to her before she became a vampire.
Then again, maybe she’s just crazy.
Spike comes in to bring Angel and Dru to the church for the ceremony
and Angel attempts to bait Spike into killing him rather than fulfilling the ritual.
When he does, we get another glimpse into some of the history that caused Spike’s jealousy in 'Lie to Me'.
Spike’s line, “Never was much for the preshow” certainly can have a double meaning.
And the whole cauldron bubbling ceremony to restore Drusilla definitely has sexual connotations.
Angel tries to bait Spike into killing him by speaking suggestively about Drusilla and he.
But I don’t think it would’ve worked if there weren’t truth to the things he was saying.
Spike's insecurity about the two of them is rooted in SOMETHING.
Regardless, the three of them have some awesome chemistry together.
Kendra and Buffy beat the location of the church out of Willy.
Willy betrays Buffy to Spike.
Kendra bursts in with the rest of the gang.
Spike tries to save Dru and Buffy nails him in the back of the head, collapsing an organ on him.
Where exactly is he running here?
It looks like he was running straight for the organ?
Was he going to try and jump it or something?
Anyway, Angel’s fine
...but Dru got enough of his power to be restored and save Spike from the organ fire.
When all is said and done everyone is in a relationship.
Cordy and Xander, try and swear off their weird chemistry and end up pulled right back by it.
[smooch]
Oz and Willow have some kind of meaningful...something.
And Buffy has Angel.
Accent aside, the final send-off between Buffy and Kendra is endearing,
especially when she says she doesn’t hug.
But this pair of episodes feel a little odd to me.
They’re SO dense with plot and season payoff that I find them a little hard to analyze
and I think it's because, for me, there are two different ways to watch the episode.
For my inner fan, these two are overflowing with endearing scenes that make me love these characters even more.
Cordy and Xander in the basement.
Willow and Oz and the monkey pants animal crackers.
Angel cuddling Mr. Gordo
and Buffy forgetting she didn’t need to come in the window.
This episode pair probably does more to grow Buffy and Angel as a believable couple than any episode yet.
We also get the first reference to the team as the Scooby Gang.
Kendra’s very existence came as a complete surprise to me when I first watched and is a very clever consequence to 'Prophecy Girl'.
BUT, taking a step back and watching the episode for the purposes of writing this review there were a LOT of things that bugged me about this,
pun intended.
The Order of Turoka is completely unintimidating and silly.
Sure, bug man is a fun addition and it's fitting that Xander is the one that has to face off against him.
But then you have the roadie for 'Metallica'
and the soccer mom cop.
Giles tries to build up tension, telling us how badass the Order is
and this induces an unintentionally hilarious scene that even Marti Noxon commented on in the DVD commentary.
[BAD ASS COMB GUY]
[Combing over it again]
The episodes' aesthetics take a step back as well.
The action blocking in the climax is really awkward and poor.
The music is very synthy again.
Buffy’s ice skating scene gave me flashbacks to long rides in the car being subjected to my Mom’s Yanni collection.
[full of grace]
Thing is the good here is great and outweighs the 'meh' by a considerable amount.
As much as I may prefer the more single minded episodes
rather than these payoff episodes with so many moving parts,
I AM a FAN and this review is now written.
So the next time I watch this episode in my free time and my inner critic starts to get all mouthy,
my inner fanboy will probably tell him to SHUT THE HELL UP
...Xander and Cordy are about to kiss again.
"Chick fight?"