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Post by Clare on Sept 24, 2008 6:26:48 GMT -5
3.06 Band Candy - Episode #040
Ethan Rayne returns with candy bars that make Sunnydale's adults act like teenagers.
Review (also post a score out of 10) and discuss this episode.
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Post by cyclica on Oct 1, 2008 12:20:16 GMT -5
As a fan of comedy episodes, I can't help but love this episode. There were so many great scenes, not least of which was snyder tagging along with the gang.
There was nothing really bad about this episode. I did think it a little odd that oz accompanied willow and buffy through much of the ep, filling the xander role, but that wasn't a bad thing. And you would have thought that that the demon would want more than just four babies to eat considering it eats annually. But that's a minor nitpick.
Anyways I'm giving this one an 8. Very entertaining.
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Post by partcynic on Dec 19, 2009 14:10:26 GMT -5
3x06 “Band Candy”
Episode Rating = 8
One of the highlights of the first half of S3 (beaten only by “Lover’s Walk”), “Band Candy” marks the debut of scribe Jane Espenson, who’d go on to become one of the most dependable and consistent members of the writing team. Showcasing her trademark wit, this episode is an excellent example of the success “Buffy” can have with its low-plot, high-comedy entries, and is particularly noteworthy for using its (genuinely funny) humour to present an interesting theme with important character development. This helps it stand out from many of the lesser episodes in its genre, and makes for the best episode of S3 so far.
What I Liked about “Band Candy”:
- In terms of structure, the narrative progresses in the classic “Buffy” style, by presenting a worthy character issue; using a humorous/dramatic supernatural plot to examine it, and then wrapping up by showing how the characters have developed. Despite feeling that Buffy’s complaints about her life not being her own were an unwelcome repetition of issues dealt with in early S2, I loved how the story acknowledged how petulant she was being, and Joyce turning her whininess back on her was a satisfying moment.
- This episode is awash with good-natured, clever humour, and the dialogue has a consistent sparkle to it. I loved the introductory study scene in the graveyard, and how it seemed as though Giles was discussing some sort of prophecy before the reveal that it was actually SAT prep-work. Buffy’s attempts at dodging the study session were funny and believable, and I liked seeing her use her pencil to dust a vampire (no matter how impossible it is).
- I enjoyed the numerous establishing scenes that paved the way for the main plot. I could understand both Buffy and Joyce’s perspectives on the driving issue, and Joyce’s concern about her daughter leaving felt like a more believable consequence of Buffy running away than the overblown angst of “Dead Man’s Party”. Buffy seizing the opportunity to play her mother and Giles (great training session with the two, by the way) against each other was an oh-so-plausible teen scheme, and felt very real.
- In general, any Mayor is good Mayor, and he was his usual, humorous self (“now where’d I put that scotch?”) I was interested in seeing how he and Mr Trick would work together following the latter’s forced recruitment in “Homecoming”, and throwing Ethan Rayne into the mix was a lovely surprise. It was much fun to see Ethan after a season-long hiatus, and he definitely makes for a memorable antagonist.
- The theme (of interactions between the generations, and how frightening it can be if those defined as stable authority figures suddenly cease being so) is excellent, and acted as a strong mechanism for making the Scoobs grow; reflecting their own immaturity right back at them. Oz summarised it wonderfully with his “Sobering mirror to look into, huh?” comment, and it was worthwhile to point out that the curmudgeonly adults are often right.
- Once the spell kicks in, the episode begins to soar (though it was hardly slacking at the start), and everything with the teen-ified adults was brilliant. I liked how the spell slowly progressed from initial immaturity and slips into slang into full-blown adolescent selfishness, and it’s wonderful to see so many straight-laced characters loosen up. Above all else, I loved the return of Ripper (with Anthony Stewart Head doing an amazing job of making him seem real – is there anything to guy can’t do?), and having him hook up with Joyce was the perfect way to play on the existing bond between the two. Watching them out and about was engaging from start to finish (especially stealing the coat from the store, neutralising the police officer and getting ‘acquainted’ on the car), and I laughed out loud when Buffy headed to the factory, saw them kissing and did a double take. On top of that, Ripper’s attempts at exercising authority were an interesting way of showing both Buffy and the audience how Giles had changed, and Joyce producing a pair of handcuffs to restrain Ethan with was a funny scene closer.
- Teen Snyder was a big success, and the contrast between his dorky adolescent self and the stern authoritarian we know was effective. I was entertained by all of his dialogue, with the best moments being his lines at the Bronze; “Summers, you drive like a spaz!”, and his attempt at hitting on Joyce.
- Despite being generic, Lurconis was fine as a minor threat, and it’s good to see some CGI instead of bad costuming. It was also nice that the script had the Mayor acknowledge the exposed gas pipes, meaning that when Buffy used one as an impromptu flamethrower, it didn’t feel contrived.
- As the crowning glory to an already classic episode, the final scene with Giles and Joyce meeting awkwardly was a riot, and their uncomfortable looks as Buffy says she at least got to them before they had sex would certainly leave the audience smiling.
What I Disliked about “Band Candy”:
- In what was otherwise a very well paced narrative, the Buffy/Angel segment was a bit slow. It would also be nice if Angel could go a whole episode wearing a buttoned-up shirt.
- While the plot was admittedly a frame for the excellent jokes, it needed some additional effort and justification. If I take the Mayor or Mr Trick’s position, I have to ask why supposedly intelligent men would think the candy plot was a good way of obtaining the babies they needed for the sacrifice. Given that the Mayor probably has a good selection of resources at his disposal, I wonder why he didn’t go for something simpler like casting an amnesia spell on the hospital staff (or, with Ethan’s powers, having him do something like the “Halloween” spell on them). And why would turning the adults into teens ensure a successful kidnapping? Isn’t it possible that some would have been mature and responsible at that age? Or did the curse also make them really stupid?
- Following from the last point, we also have to consider all of the illogical leaps the story takes. If the medics were the true target of the spell, why didn’t the candy just get sent to the hospital? Why distribute it through the school network, when that provides no guarantee that all of the hospital staff would get it? And why did Ethan et al assume that every adult would consume the chocolate bars – what if some didn’t like candy, or refused to eat it due to a diet or medical reasons? In addition, handing the sweets out via Sunnydale High would provide an opportunity for Buffy (who they know is the Slayer, and aware of magic) to come into contact with the candy and potentially observe its effects first hand (as she did) – and since teenagers wouldn’t be affected by the curse, she’d be left unharmed and free to try and stop the plan. Suffice to say that story-wise, this is incredibly flimsy.
- More thought could have been applied when constructing the adult characters’ teen personae. As is, they all behave as though they came of age during the Seventies, when many (such as Ms Barton) would have been teens prior to that era.
- While Principal Snyder was admittedly under the influence of powerful magic, would Buffy et al really be comfortable with mentioning spells and demons in front of him? Wouldn’t it be better to try and preserve their secrecy and distance from the supernatural?
- It’s weird how the show seems to have become enamoured with car crashes. Perhaps it’s the larger budget permitting the stunts department to do more, but they need to keep an eye on it. Both this ep and “Anne” featured gimmicky act breaks with vehicular accidents, and they cheapen what are otherwise great stories.
- So, Lurconis dwells in the sewers – but in a town of Sunnydale’s size (with a huge sewer system, multiple underground caves and a Hellmouth), how did Buffy, Giles and Joyce know where to go? Unless I missed something, it seems that they just pop up in the right place and at the right time, which is too much of a coincidence.
Do I like this episode more or less than the last time I watched it?
The very first time I reviewed this episode, I think I only gave it a five, and then revised the mark to a six a little later. However, my feelings have since changed again, and I’ve grown to really appreciate this episode as time has passed. While I’m not usually fond of editions that sacrifice plot for laughs, I love the ones that combine humour with meaning, and “Band Candy” does that with aplomb. As a result, I’ve bumped my score up to an eight, which is much more indicative of its top-tier status.
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Post by cyclica on Dec 22, 2009 14:31:29 GMT -5
There's a lot going on in this episode. The mayor teams up with mr trick and ethan (I'm glad he was brought back), to drug all the adults in town into acting like teenagers. It's a good thing every adult in town likes chocolate, or their plan wouldn't have worked.  We also get some more xillow scenes, a token angel scene (and he's topless :  , and we see more of the ripper side to giles, though again I have a problem beleiving this rebellious 'teenager' would one day become the uptight rupert giles of season 1. There's a lot of funny scenes in this ep, like buffy throwing a ball at giles during training, all the scenes in the bronze, and willow's 'kiss rocks' comment at the end. But it's snyder who steals the show, as he tags along with the gang (for seemingly no reason, other than him possibly being a sad lonely guy with no friends, who's closest 'relationship' is the adversarial one he has with buffy). Every scene he's in is hilarious, especially when he tells buffy she 'drives like a spaz'. He also has discussions about demons with the other characters in the know, so we can assume he knows everything about the supernatural side to sunnydale, though I find it a bit odd that this is never brought up again in later eps. The only problems I could find all occured late in the episode. Like when buffy points out that the vamps aren't feeding on the easy prey in the town now everyone's just wandering. From this they deduce that all the vamps are busy elsewhere, but this would imply that every single vampire and demon in town is working for the mayor, or at least in on the plan, as we never see any vamps feeding on the townspeople. And why only four babies? I don't see why the abduction of four babies is such a huge deal they felt the need to make the whole town turn into teenagers. It seems like a huge amount of effort when they could have just drugged the hospital food, making just the staff there regress. Or the vamps could even have just broke in, taken the babies and ran out, not caring about the consequences. And what about willow's discovery that the demon is paid a tribute every 30 years? Are there people being turned into giant snakes every 30 years like the mayor will be? And speaking of giant snakes... this week's big bad villain is a CGI eyesore. Upon rewatching I noticed something else I hadn't picked up on before, and that's that buffy gets giles and her mother to help her in the sewer... putting them in danger, when she could easily have just called up faith or her friends to help. Buffy wouldn't put joyce in danger like that on a normal day, so why is it ok now that joyce is being irresponsible and childish? I'm bumping this one down a bit, to a low 8. It has flaws, but it's too much fun for me to dislike. |
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Post by cyclica on Dec 31, 2009 12:41:23 GMT -5
- Teen Snyder was a big success, and the contrast between his dorky adolescent self and the stern authoritarian we know was effective. I was entertained by all of his dialogue, with the best moments being his lines at the Bronze; “Summers, you drive like a spaz!”, and his attempt at hitting on Joyce. Agreed, his scenes are the highlight of the episode. - While Principal Snyder was admittedly under the influence of powerful magic, would Buffy et al really be comfortable with mentioning spells and demons in front of him? Wouldn’t it be better to try and preserve their secrecy and distance from the supernatural? They may have assumed that once the spell wore off, the adult's memories of being teenagers would have vanished. Which turned out not to be the case, since joyce and giles clearly remember what happened. For me mentioning demons around snyder wasn't a problem, but I don't get why they never mention the supernatural later on. Especially if it means buffy can give slaying as an excuse for some of her activities, like fighting in school. - So, Lurconis dwells in the sewers – but in a town of Sunnydale’s size (with a huge sewer system, multiple underground caves and a Hellmouth), how did Buffy, Giles and Joyce know where to go? Unless I missed something, it seems that they just pop up in the right place and at the right time, which is too much of a coincidence. The demon's location may have been in the book willow had. Or they asked ethan or one of the guys giving out the chocolate, who would have been in on the plan. |
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Post by partcynic on Dec 31, 2009 13:19:26 GMT -5
Agreed with all. They really needed more work on the plot here.
No - the demon is just fed some newborns once every 30 years.
I didn't mind it - it was a big improvement on the last snake demon (Machida).
That needed to be mentioned in the episode - we could hypothesise anything, but it remains a plot hole without a statement in the script.
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, and we see more of the ripper side to giles, though again I have a problem beleiving this rebellious 'teenager' would one day become the uptight rupert giles of season 1.