Buffy Reviews

Helpless

Character - by Adreenis
I thought that this episode was amazing because it really focused on the fact that Buffy was the slayer, and didn't know how not to be the slayer. There were also interesting developments in the Xander/Oz relationship, and of course Giles participation in this episode was a shock to all of us. Overall I would have to say that the test, however barbaric it was, did strengthen Sunnydale's slayer, and we can expect to see a new side of Buffy.      It has always been obvious that Buffy loves her strength, but never this obvious. Buffy uses her slaying as a way to vent her anger. I didn't pay much attention to it before this episode, but Buffy is really cocky when she fights. Obviously when her powers go, so does this. Buffy is super-concerned when she loses her powers and it's not just about physical strength. It hurts her much more emotionally than it ever did physically.      Without her powers Buffy feels that she is nobody, she's just that stupid good for nothing girl that she thought she used to be. Buffy loved being able to take advantage of her powers to fight bullies and skanky old men, but now I think she'll appreciate them even more.      Another noticeable advancement with Buffy is her relationship with her dad. The only other mention of her dad so far in the show was when he bought her shoes pre-when she was bad. It's obvious that she misses having a close relationship with him and is desperate for a father figure. Hopefully Giles can fill this gap.      Although Angel was not a big part of this episode, he advanced in a few minutes more than he could have in a whole hour. Angel is still playful with Buffy and wants her to train, but he can't keep his personal feelings out of it. He finally admitted to loving Buffy before they met. This was a big step for him. It also made Buffy feel like more of a person, which at that time was what she really needed. Angel convinced her that she always had a big heart, and only needed love in return in order for her to be able to use it. It was also cute to see that she and Angel think along the same literal lines :)      Giles comes into light more as a father figure in this episode than ever before. When I first saw the crystals, I got the impression that Giles was trying to make Buffy "bookier". More like himself, and Kendra. Then we saw what he was really up to and it broke my heart. Giles didn't seem too worried about her loss of powers, but we are to assume he was ordered to show no emotion on the matter. However he does seem very preoccupied with the crystals.      We finally saw the Council in this episode and how different Giles really is. All season they have been building up to revealing Giles' true character, from Faith's comments about his youth and beauty to his becoming to "Americanized" in Revelations. We see that he's not just a watcher like everyone else, he's also a doer, which could be partly because of his mysterious past. Giles doesn't want to hurt Buffy, he's just following orders. When he finds out it has gone awry he realizes he never should have drugged her. Giles would rather save his slayer than keep his job which I'm not sure is true about the rest of the council. Giles' feelings towards Buffy can be compared to her own emotions. At first Kendra felt that they were a weakness, but Buffy proved that they were a strength. The same is true for Giles' love for Buffy as a daughter. He hates the council for what they did to Buffy and couldn't care less about being fired at this point in time as long as Buffy is alive.      The whole gang seemed really concerned with Buffy's loss of powers, maybe because it makes them feel special too, but Willow was reassuring. She knows that a "normal" Buffy wouldn't be that bad. Cordelia is finally accepting Buffy, and somehow managed to get her brash wit across during their "end of the world" conversation. Joyce is still adjusting to Buffy's slaying, but I think after seeing Buffy destroy that vamp and save her life she will finally understand just how skilled her daughter is at what she does. At the end Joyce seemed extremely proud of her daughter.      Finally, as an honorable mention in the character section is Xander/Oz's developing relationship, which started in Gingerbread. Their conversation about kryptonite is quite memorable and suggests a possible friendly competition between the two. I also must give kudos to the writers for the ending of this episode, "Uh...Willow" was brilliant, and a perfect Xander reaction. This is also a great lead up in to The Zeppo.      This episode was jammed packed with emotion and really brought into light how Buffy's slaying makes her special, at least in her own eyes. The relationships between Buffy-Joyce and Buffy-Giles will never be the same after this. I give this episode 4 eh's out of 5 :)
Story - by JaKaL
Helpless was a change of pace from what we usually see in this series. However, it fits perfectly in other ways with the various episodes that we have seen this season. It is action-filled and an emotional live wire to boot, though it manages to balance this nicely with the occasional humorous quip.      The episode begins with a Buffy and Angel sparring scene, which ends with a bit of humorous tension with the two of them being a little too close to each other. Also, the way in which Buffy describes her upcoming birthday date with her dad, and Angel's reaction to that description were amusing. Also in the opening scenes we are introduced to the fact that Giles is training Buffy in the use of crystals. More importantly, the scenes also pay lip service to a question that has bothered many BtVS fans, myself included. Where is Faith during many of the crisis situations in Sunnydale this season? Though Buffy's mention of Faith's "walkabouts" are vague and distracted, it does give us at least some reason as to Faith's absence.      The first true glimpse of the central theme of this episode is shown as Buffy fights a vamp while on patrol, and is momentarily weakened, a situation we see continued over the following few days at school. In addition, we are treated to a moment of emotional vulnerability from Buffy as she finds out that her father has cancelled their date. These two events blend together as the episode progresses and we are allowed to see much more of Buffy's emotionally sensitive side in this episode than any other I can remember.      The plot begins to twist as we see mysterious preparations at the old rooming house, a situation which is furthered as we first see that Giles is playing a part in Buffy's physical weakness. This is also in tune with the current season's type of plot lines. In Gingerbread, we saw suspicion thrown to Willow and Amy, and now we are shown Giles in a compromising situation as well.      The situation is cleared somewhat as we see Giles meet with the Watcher's Council representative and learn of the test they plan to administer on Buffy. Though this does not excuse Giles' actions in the minds of many fans, it does explain them somewhat. The test is further complicated by the fact that the vampire captive of the Council escapes, makes an accomplice of one of the Council's own, and begins to hunt the slayer on his own terms.      To this end, he chases Buffy and when she escapes, he captures Joyce as an incentive for Buffy to come and fight him. Buffy's escape scene as she runs from the big bad monster is eerily reminiscent of the old Horror Movie Genre where the beautiful but weak blonde is faced with slow-moving but ever-present evil that stalks her. It is my opinion that, while this is not what loyal fans are used to seeing, is an interesting and important contrast to the almost all-powerful Slayer we are used to seeing.      At this point, Giles, whose actions vilified him in the eyes of many loyal fans, redeems himself somewhat by explaining to Buffy just what had been planned for her and how it went wrong. After an emotional outburst towards what Giles has done to her, and the anguish he caused her, the powerless Buffy nevertheless continues in true slayer style, by preparing and going to meet the vampire she was to be tested against.      Despite her lack of physical prowess, our favourite slayer does triumph in the end, by using her wits in a way I found particularly riveting. She tricks the vamp into drinking holy water that incinerates him from the inside out. As well, we see the concerned Giles break in at the last minute to kill off the vampire henchman. After all is said and done, and the audience believes this to be a finished episode we are treated to one final shocker. The Watcher's Council considers Buffy to have passed the test, but fires Giles for his breaking of protocol.      This episode was an excellent example of the manner in which the show has evolved from its earliest episodes. The emotional upheaval in Buffy's life is blended almost seamlessly with her slayer-related crises. As well, we are shown the caring side of Giles, as he expresses his distaste at the test and his attempts to help Buffy. In addition, this episode had many humorous scenes which were placed in such a way as to not take away from the emotional strength of the entire episode. For example, the scene in which Angel gives Buffy her birthday present, and proceeds to explain his feelings to her, followed by their moment of discussing just how gross it could be if it were interpreted literally or the scene in which Buffy and Willow discuss Amy's continued rat form. All in all, I'd have to say it was an immensely enjoyable episode all around, and well deserving of 4.5 out of 5 eh's.
Villian - by Kaboo
In Helpless, Buffy must confront some unexpected villains, in addition to the regular vampire types who haunt Sunnydale. While initially it seems that her own body is betraying her, it becomes clear that a much more menacing threat is waiting for her. Without her Slayer powers, Buffy must use her inner strength to face the villains in this episode.      As Buffy's 18th birthday approaches, the legal passage from adolescence to adulthood, Buffy sticks to her regular routine of destroying vamps, hoping to avoid the horrible mishaps that have struck on her birthday in recent years. It is during a routine slaying that Buffy notices her loss of strength and other Slayer powers. Suddenly, vampires who were no match for Buffy in the past become a real and dangerous threat.      Even ordinary humans, such as men who try to intimidate women with crude remarks, become a threat to Buffy now. In doubt about whether her powers will return, Buffy must confront some inner demons: the confusion of her purpose in life without her Slayer calling, and the betrayal by her own body which leaves her vulnerable to the monsters that inhabit Sunnydale.      In the midst of her own confusion, Buffy does not suspect that it is Giles who has betrayed her. Although he is under orders from the Watcher's Council to drug Buffy and direct her to the old boarding house at the appropriate time, it does not excuse Giles for violating Buffy's trust. In his loyalty to the Watcher's Council, Giles becomes a more frightening villain than his "Ripper" self of years past.      The Watcher's Council is shown to be a group of villainous conspirators in their treatment of Buffy. They plan for a dangerous hazing: on the pretext of making her stronger, they perpetuate a cruel and deadly tradition. They ignore Giles' pleas to abandon their plans to lure Buffy into their terrible game. It becomes clear that they do not view the Slayer as a person, but an object to be manipulated. Clearly, they do not have Buffy's best interests at heart.      The Council's manipulations set the stage for Buffy to confront Zachary Kraylech, an insane and dangerous vampire, who even in life was a vicious serial killer. Even though the plan goes awry, and Kraylech's escape allows him to change the rules of the game, the Council's representative (Quentin Travers) does not interfere. His depraved indifference to the change in circumstances in the test shows his true villainy.      In the end, Buffy passes the test. Saving her mother's life is her motivation for continuing to play the Council's game. She demonstrates the creativity and cunning that Giles already knew she possessed, using Kraylech's craving for his pills against him by tricking him to down them with a glass of holy water. In this act, Buffy proves to herself, as well as the Council, that her life is meaningful even without her Slayer powers.      Giles redeems himself as well by destroying Blair, the Watcher turned vampire, thus allowing Buffy to continue with her mother's rescue. Giles' decision to help Buffy comes at a cost. True to the Council's ruthlessness, they fire Giles and prohibit contact between the now former Watcher and the Slayer. This final decision shows that the Watcher's Council is just as villainous as the monsters Buffy fights. They condemn Giles because of his loyalty and "father's love" for Buffy. The stage is now set for further conflicts between The Scooby Gang and the Watcher's Council.      I give Helpless 4 out of 5 Ehs.