1.08 I Robot, You Jane

[Clare]

1.08 I Robot, You Jane - Episode #008
Willow releases a demon onto the internet

Review (also post a score out of 10) and discuss this episode.

[cyclica]

An ok, enjoyable episode that only deserves a 5 from me.

The whole demon-in-the-computer bit was ok, but the robot posessed by a demon was too silly. And the attitudes of the nerds and the computers themselves are really dated. Though I did enjoy xander being the one to provide info for once, and the great scene at the end with the three of them saying they'll never have a normal relationship.

Also, I feel like a big nerd for being the only one who noticed this but... the book of keyless? Why name the book after a star trek character? Were they hoping the people who watch buffy wouldn't watch star trek too?

[cyclica]

My opinion on this ep is pretty much the same, especially the part about the episode feeling dated. I give it a high 4, I'm bumping it down if only because the sheer datedness of the episode makes me not want to watch it much, even though the episode itself was ok.

I don't fully get moloch's powers. Can he put people under his complete control, like hypnosis, or does he just get people to do what he wants by promising them rewards? If he removes your free will, why is he trying to convince willow to love him, why not just take her mind and make her obey? But if he leaves your free will intact, how does he manage to convince those scientists to build him a robot body, and get those nerds to obey him? Is he really in a position to offer anything? Why would the scientist still obey him even after he kills that nerd?

One of the big things I did enjoy about this episode though was the giles/jenny interaction. They became one of my favourite couples on the show, and it's a huge shame jenny was killed off so early in the show's history.

Did you notice buffy's amusing line, 'a powerful demon with horns is walking around sunnydale, and no one noticed?' Buffy is right to point out that demons would be noticed, which makes countless later episodes featuring demons in public problematic. I realise that it's almost a running joke that the townspeople choose to ignore what goes on around them, but it's amusing to me that the show would ignore it's own established logic and constantly have demons roaming around town (even having their own demon bars) after establishing that the concept is ridiculous.

One last nitpick: According to the computer, buffy's birthday was the 24th of october, 1980. But in the very next scene it says it's the sixth of may, 1979. (Which would make her 28 or 30 now. I haven't read the s8 comics, but I didn't think they protrayed her as being that old).

[partcynic]

1x08 “I, Robot… You, Jane”

Episode Rating = 4

Of all the “Buffy” years, S1 is the one that’s aged the worst, and nowhere is this more apparent than in “I, Robot… You, Jane”. While most of the other stories could be adapted to a contemporary setting, this one’s so reliant on a mid-Nineties conception of computing that it appears rather goofy now, with a number of blatant inaccuracies and an unsubtle theme that’s pounded into the viewer’s head. Still, it remains an entertaining and enjoyable episode once you get past the cheese factor, with some minor development for Willow, the brilliant introduction of Jenny and a number of memorable moments.

What I Liked about “I, Robot… You Jane”:

- For all its execution-related flaws, the concept of the internet demon was imaginative, and the mechanism of its occurrence thoughtful. It’s noteworthy that even in its least impressive areas, season one is expending effort (and taking risks) in adding colour and texture to the show’s universe – something the series would stop doing once it settled into its eventual formula halfway through S2.

- I really liked the characterisation of Xander here – he was funny (“to read makes our speaking English good”) and contributed something important to the plot (knowledge about CRD). Best of all, his reaction to Willow/Malcolm was perfect – he had a miniscule grumble and then got over it. If only they could have kept this up when it came to Angel/Buffy and Oz/Willow later on.

- The development and exploration of Willow was pretty good, and it was nice to see her get her first proper spotlight piece. It was completely believable that she would meet someone online, and the insecurities she revealed about herself (saying that maybe she wasn’t Malcolm’s physical ideal either; wondering what the whole Moloch experience said about her desirability) were interesting. Overall, she maintained her sympathetic nature, and we got to see a little strain in her friendship with Buffy without either of them coming across as the bad guy.

- I’m continuing to enjoy the season’s portrayal of Buffy – she’s got just the right mixture of light-hearted flippancy and brains, and her ability to think on her feet and take charge makes her an excellent central character. She had a lot of amusing moments (teasing Giles; donning a trenchcoat and dark glasses; her main post-electrocution worry being the state of her hair), and was clever in luring Moloch to his death.

- Buffy placing ‘old’ on the same dating disturbance level as ‘crazy’, ‘weird’ and ‘a circus freak’ was funny (and so accurate in terms of actual teens), and the way she and Xander got riled up before laughing their unfounded suspicions off was one of the more realistic moments present here.

- Giles’ and Jenny’s material was by far the best in the episode, with everything about the coupling and their chemistry working. The contrast between their personalities makes their initial antagonism really spark, and the revelation that Jenny was a technopagan was both a good plot twist, and closer to portraying true Wicca than any of the show’s other magic users/students. In addition, their final scene was top-notch – Giles’ monologue on smell and its relation to books, computers and knowledge was excellent, and Jenny’s comment about her corkscrew jewellery was a wonderfully flirtatious line to end the moment on.

- The closing scene at the fountain is hilarious, and serves as one of the show’s first big continuity moments. It’s a shame that so much time would be spent ensuring that all the characters were indeed romantically miserable, but that’s (obviously) the fault of later seasons.

What I found to be a mixed bag about “I, Robot… You, Jane”:

- It was inevitable that a technology focused episode would date rapidly, and while I don’t usually see datedness as making something bad, there’s plenty of stuff that’s weird even when approaching it from a Nineties perspective. Having people talk to their computers is just odd (I get that they’re mind-controlled, and that it’s a necessary dramatic device to prevent the viewer from having to read what they’re typing, but it’s still dumb), and things like Buffy being able to attempt deleting Willow’s file by just logging on to the network (wouldn’t she need administrator privileges for that?) make no sense either. Then there are problems like Willow (who’s supposed to be computer savvy) ending a session on a public terminal by just turning its display off, and her home computer conveniently displaying her recent email just so Xander and Buffy could see it. The list goes on, but that’s the jist of it.

- It’s acceptable that the show might not have pinned down its characters’ birthdays yet (and since the ep was filmed in 1996 with Buffy being 16, she would have indeed been born in ‘79 or ‘80), but it would have been nice for the same school bio to be used in both screenshots – as it is, it’s pretty sloppy.

- Robot Moloch’s costume is so magnificently bad that it’s actually good. I liked the attention to detail and the fact that he looked like a metallic version of his original form, but my initial response to seeing him was (and always has been) laughter instead of the desired fear/shock.

What I Disliked about “I, Robot… You Jane”:

- The score music continues to be awful. I can’t believe that its composer thought it worthy of accompanying a legitimate television show; as opposed to some forgotten B-movie that no one would watch.

- The two “Demon, COOOME!” scenes were unbelievably cheesy. I think that Tony Head is a great actor, but not even he could salvage something so corny.

- The ‘internet predator’ theme pops up the instant Moloch gets online, and doesn’t quit bludgeoning you with its hackneyed obviousness until the end. The same message could have been communicated with far more subtlety without sacrificing impact, and having Buffy become super-suspicious the instant she found out Willow met Malcolm online was overkill. It would have been fine for her to be concerned when Willow started behaving uncharacteristically (ditching class), but her early behaviour was too much.

- For Giles to be a qualified librarian, he’d need at least some proficiency with a computer (in the present day, he’d need tons). I understand that his behaviour around IT stems from his dislike/distrust of it, but he should still be able to do the basics (and would certainly know what scanning is).

- More on Moloch’s goals and powers would have been appreciated. It’s weird that he’s willing to take the time to mess around with people’s essays and school medical profiles, yet doesn’t do any of the frightening things Buffy and Giles mention (okay, there’s some more sinister material on the radio while Giles is studying, but not by much). Was his goal to destroy the world, or just control/conquer it? If the latter, how do his powers work? Would everyone fall under them upon being exposed (a la Jasmine), or could stronger people resist? Was he hypnotising people, or was it some other form of magic?

- Given that the bulk of the episode takes place one week after the teaser scene, it’s fortunate that the Moloch book stayed untouched and unmoved on the library table so that Jenny could find it.

- Here’s a question. You’re trapped in a robot-demon’s impenetrable stronghold, and as far as you know, the only person who can save you has no clue where you are or what’s going on. Do you (a) humour the demon when he tells you he loves you and buy time to try and send a message/escape, or (b) tell him he stands no chance, thus guaranteeing your imminent death? I guess Willow’s smarts lie more with books than the streets.

Do I like this episode more or less than the last time I watched it?

A bit less, but not enough for me to change my grade. I think that the ‘4’ I originally assigned the episode was an accurate judgement, being below the series’ typical standard, but still entertaining and worth seeing. As is, “I, Robot… You, Jane” is undoubtedly a heavy-handed relic of the Nineties, but it’s still witty and paced well enough to be fun - provided you don’t think too hard about its plot.