| Character - by Siobhan | ||||||||
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| Phases showed a new phase in the Willow/Oz relationship, and some interesting changes in attitude by Xander, as well as a touch of Slayer/Watcher thrown in for good measure.
The main focus of this episode was on the Willow/Oz relationship (and on some new info regarding Oz). Even though Willow is more than ready to move forward, Oz seems to prefer to keep it at a steady pace. I believe this is because he figures that he has to let her decide on how do go about this, when she is ready, since she normally waits around for others to make the decisions for her. He doesn't want to be the one 'in charge', in other words, he doesn't want to be Xander. He'd rather that there be an equal give and take in their relationship. By the end of the episode, Willow has finally broken past her self-imposed barrier and is taking the next step, even if it is just 'smoochies'. [g] This, in my books, is further proof of Willow's growth. As to Xander, doesn't it seem odd that suddenly he's so hyperaware of everything to do with Willow? Could it be that he is feeling usurped of his position of 'adoration' by Oz, and he doesn't like it? Or is this the point he begins to discover deeper feelings that he expresses in the finale? I feel it's more of the first rather than the latter. He has become used to being the center of Willow's universe, someone who is always listened to and believed, no matter what. Now that she and Oz are together, he has become secondary, someone she'll still talk and listen to, but he won't always be 'the end all be all' as far as opinions go. Also, since we know now they talk every evening, could it be that she brings Oz up when talking to him and he's getting tired of that topic of discussion, or does she avoid talking about Oz, in order to spare his feelings? Speculating on this, I would say she's avoiding discussing Oz with him, and it's driving him crazy, leading him to speculate about the young man that has caught his best friend's fancy. Finding out that Oz is a werewolf didn't help though, and Xander will continue to want to see proof that Oz is 'worthy' of Willow. Finally, on to one of my favourite topics [g], the relationship of the Watcher and the Slayer. At last someone comments on those two being out alone together at night! One could just imagine what others at school might be saying if they found out the number of nights Giles and Buffy spend together, even though it is all in good, clean vampire slayage. For all we know, there already is talk going around, but they've been very good at hiding it when the Scooby Gang is around. It was nice to see Giles' defense of Buffy, something I'm sure he's quite used to by now, but, when Cain intimated that they were, well, intimate, Giles reminded me of a gallant knight protecting his lady fair when he went to defend her honour, although Buffy could do the job quite well. Just goes to show how much of an 'old school' gentleman he is, not that that's a bad thing. And, for once, he was the yang (action-oriented) and she was more the yin ('passive', or at least as passive as she got around Cain ;). It did show a bit of change for them considering it is usually the other way around, but it shows how they are rubbing off on each other. Overall, as far as characters go, this episode was pretty good, but not great. I'll have to give it 4 out of 5 'Ehs'. |
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| Story - by Wendy and Chris | ||||||||
An episode primarily written to fully integrate the character of Oz into the series, it focuses on this new love interest of Willow and his peculiar connection to Sunnydale, the city of oddities drawn to the Hellmouth's mystic powers. In addition. it not only details certain effects caused by the phases of the Moon, but it also outlines the different phases in the relationships created to date. Underlying all, there is a sub context that appears to take a subtle look at the male gender and its sometimes sexist attitudes. In the aftermath of their declaration of "interest" in each other as outlined in Innocence, Willow and Oz begin dating, and the episode opens with Willow bemoaning the decided lack of pace in the budding romance. Tired of being shy, she's anxiously awaiting "smoochies" while he plays it cool and at the same time, she has to deal with lingering jealousy over Xander's now open relationship with former persecutor, Cordelia. From the truly "meow" comments made, it is obvious that Willow is in the process of phasing into a more confident and "with-it" teenager, a fact that Buffy appreciates while acknowledging her own loneliness now that Angel has transformed. Xander and Cordelia discover the new monster in town when it attacks them during a heavy necking session in a local Lover's Lane and Giles subsequent research on werewolves indicates that it will appear for the three nights of the full moon. Working under the misapprehension that the werewolf is guilty of a local murder, Buffy and Giles return to the scene in an effort to trap and restrain the changeling. They meet their new protagonist, Cain, a testosterone-charged, big game hunter after the same prey who ridicules the female Buffy as any sort of serious threat to him. In the same manner, a gymnastics self-defense class has Larry, a self-admitted stud and sexist bully pitted against a shy Theresa and Buffy, who Willow cautions to be "girly-girl" like the rest of the female class rather than Slayer strong. This admonition is promptly discarded when the leering Larry makes his grab for her behind and is promptly flattened by the outraged Buffy. Later on that night while walking home, Theresa becomes the first of Buffy's friends to be slain by Angelus, an act witnessed by the werewolf. At the Bronze earlier that night, Willow and Cordelia ironically share each others frustration with the complexities of the male mentality while Buffy gets down to business in another fruitless effort to trap the werewolf who is drawn to the Bronze by the sexual energies within. Once again, the monster escapes, leaving a chagrined Buffy to deal with Cain and Theresa's death is mistakenly attributed to the werewolf. At dawn in a deserted clearing, the sleeping werewolf is transformed into his human persona, namely Oz. The disoriented, naked Oz awakens (by the way, just how did he get home in that state?) and is later horrified to learn of the previous night's carnage. Detective Xander, convinced that Larry is the culprit, confronts him in a funny scene of miscommunication and misunderstanding and is astounded to learn that Larry's sexist bluster is but a cover for being gay, a fact he reveals because he thinks Xander is also a "brother in the closet". Xander's facial expression is a priceless picture study of a typical heterosexual male reaction to the scenario. Theresa's killer is revealed after she resurrects as a vampire in the funeral home as Buffy and Xander pay their respects, but she is promptly dispatched by Buffy after giving her Angelus' regards. Willow, in the meantime, decides to grab the bull by the horns and confront Oz about their relationship. Barging into his house and disregarding his attempts to eject her, she discovers a goody box of chains, handcuffs and other restraints just as he is going into his lupine phase. In a wild chase through the neighbourhood, Willow heads for safety, leaving Cain armed with traditional silver bullets in hot pursuit of Oz. Buffy, Giles and Willow attempt to head off a tragedy and in the ensuing struggles, Oz is shot in self defence by Willow with a tranquilizer gun as he launches an attack. All's well that ends well as Buffy summarily immobilizes and dispatches the macho Cain with a impressive display of Slayer strength. With arrangements in place for future lunar cycles, Willow and Oz finally come to an understanding in dialogue that is synonymous with two ultra cool people. This episode was a refreshing break after the heart wrenching emotions of Surprise/Innocence. The phases of relationship development and self discovery were adroitly handled and brought Oz as a fully fledged character into the fold. |
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| Villian - by Kaboo | ||||||||
| In Phases, the search for a werewolf sees Buffy and her friends dealing with unexpected changes in their lives, including the introduction of new villains to the Buffyverse. An entire range of villains appear in this episode, from the everyday to the supernatural. The flaw which the villains seem to have in common is a fixation on a distorted "macho" image, leading to predatory acts of aggression.
The opening sequence introduces us to the "villain" who is the center of this episode: the werewolf. As Giles tells the scooby gang later, the werewolf acts on pure instinct, without consciousness. The werewolf is a reluctant, perhaps unknowing villain, who becomes dangerous when his or her animalistic drives are given full reign. What is important here is that Buffy and the gang recognize the humanity beneath the werewolf. Part of stopping this villain is to help the werewolf realize the truth about his or her condition, and then deal with it. Of course, when it is revealed to the audience that Oz is, in fact, the werewolf in question, the werewolf is transformed into a sympathetic villain. Ironically, the innocent act of tickling his two year old cousin results in a self-defensive bite from the tot, causing Oz's condition. When he learns the truth, the unflappable Oz is for once at a loss about what to do. Upon finding out that Theresa's death seems to be the result of the recent animal attacks, Oz is unable to tell his friends the truth, and so he attempts to deal with the problem himself. This uncharacteristic secretiveness on Oz's part (heroically intended to protect Willow) almost leads to disaster, putting Willow in danger when she confronts Oz moments before his transformation. In trying to protect her, Oz inadvertently sets her up to be prey for the werewolf. In a parallel sub-plot, Larry the Bully is seen in a new light. He, like Oz is hiding a secret, and fears society's attitude toward him if the truth is revealed. However, his secret is his homosexuality which apparently is demonized by Sunnydale society. Thus, Larry, in becoming fixated on projecting a "manly" image, acts cruelly to his schoolmates, beating up guys who are not as physically strong as he is (like Xander) and harassing the girls at school. When he finally admits the truth to Xander, the beast of aggression is controlled, and Larry's human side is revealed. In this case, it was the secret and society's own expectations that created the "villain". Another human villain is Caine the werewolf hunter. He, too is predatory, but in conjunction with the animalistic drives of profit and greed. He ignores the humanity of werewolves, justifying his murderous acts by citing the market for werewolf pelts. The pleasure he takes in the hunt, and his keeping of trophies after the kill show Caine to be more of a villain than the werewolves he hunts: the werewolves are aggressive because their condition suppresses human reason but Caine uses his reason to trap and butcher the werewolves when they are most vulnerable. Like a pirate, (Larry's costume in Halloween), Caine is only concerned with various types of plunder. If one isn't out for profit, Caine shows the deepest disrespect. Thus Caine shows contempt for Buffy because she wants to capture the werewolf rather than kill it. In general, he seems to have a derogatory attitude toward women: his first thought when he sees Giles and Buffy together is that they must be having and affair; he also discounts Buffy's abilities as a hunter because she is a woman. Caine's hunting of humans in werewolf form is paralleled to Angel's predation of regular humans. In this episode the repercussions of Angel's own transformation into an evil creature are explored (as this episode follows Innocence chronologically). In contrast to Oz the human who takes animal form, Angel is a predator in human form. He is able to trick Theresa into thinking she is safe, much like Caine tricks the Oz werewolf into security with bait. Angel can play the heroic protector perfectly, hiding the insatiable beast that he truly is. Theresa's death is a cunning message to Buffy, part of Angel's stalking of the Slayer. (Again, like Caine, Angel hunts the hunter, and relishes his conquests.) Angel's twist on the "macho" image is both imaginative and frightening: his "love" letters to Buffy involve the deaths of her friends. Yet Angel does seem to be obsessed with this macho image of the predatory lover, which he continues to promote in later episodes. Interestingly, in the meeting between Oz-wolf and Angel, it is Angel who is seen as a beast more than the werewolf, for he is the one who is defending his kill. Angel, Caine, Larry, and Oz as werewolf in Phases are very different villains, but demonstrate a common theme. Each is concerned with a distorted "macho" image in different ways. Larry and Oz overcome this distorted image, and thus transform from villains into heroes of sorts (Oz is able to discuss his problem with Willow, and Larry is able to help his classmates rather than hurt them). Caine and Angel, however, remain monsters, relishing in their desire to kill and destroy for pleasure or profit, and having contempt for Buffy as the Slayer. This episode is excellent in its weaving of theme layers through these villains. I give this episode 4 out of 5 Ehs. |
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