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Post by Clare on Sept 26, 2008 11:12:02 GMT -5
6.14 Older and Far Away - Episode #114
An increasingly isolated Dawn makes a wish that leads to the gang becoming trapped in the Summers' house with a monster.
Review (also post a score out of 10) and discuss this episode.
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Post by cyclica on May 30, 2009 12:08:56 GMT -5
Older and far away. For some reason I keep thinking it’s called older and futher away. So the plot for this ep is that dawn was fed up with being alone so she made a wish that everyone would be trapped in the house with her. Even though she never actually made a wish, unless maybe halfrek read her mind or something. And even though presumably dawn has friends her own age (certainly there’s janice) so clearly she’s not ‘alone’. And the end result of the ‘dawn is a klepto’ subplot is that the gang discovers she steals, and tells her to stop stealing. Wow, what a great subplot, and such an unexpected twist! On the plus side there’s some nice continuity to past episodes here- slug candles, halfrek/cecily knows spike (though this was never explanded on), clement returns, buffy gets a leather jacket like the one angel gave to her, spike is still injured from the last episode, xander makes jokes about being responsible for the deaths in OMWF, dawn running to her room and screaming get out...wait scratch those last two, I could have happily done without those scenes. There’s also a funny recurring joke with tara noticing spike has a ‘cramp’. And anya for once gets to actually play a part in the story rather than being the comic relief or being part of the wedding subplot. On the down side thought there is some terrible editing in this episode, especially during that painful scene where dawn says ‘you know I’m in high school right’ and anya says ‘yes you are’.  And upon rewatching I noticed a scene that went by me the first few times watching – willow was going to attend a spellcasters anonymous meeting. She doesn’t think maybe they’ll tempt her into using magic? And what was the point of the ‘regular people’ that were trapped along with the gang? My rating- a high 3. |
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Post by partcynic on Dec 14, 2010 13:40:43 GMT -5
6x14 “Older and Far Away”
Episode Rating = 0
At this point in my rewatch, I’m getting to the stage where no matter how much I type, I’m basically saying the same things over and over. So far, S6 has been drab and lifeless (with a couple of noteworthy exceptions), and so much of that has been due to its insistence on dragging out simplistic plots and mischaracterising people in order to fit them. It’s weird to think that we’re now fourteen eps in, yet so little has happened – the same points are getting repeated again and again, and there’s little in the way of creative stories or clever humour to alleviate these problems. “Older and Far Away” is a case in point, featuring no theme, no story, no wit, no character development, but much in the way of annoyance and pointless time-wasting. And if that wasn’t bad enough, it’s also stuffed to the brim with Dawn whining and screaming, making for a frequently painful 42 minutes.
What I Liked about “Older and Far Away”:
- Tara’s moments were relatively entertaining to watch, and she was used effectively for comedy (teasing Spike about his cramp), as well as serving as the mature voice of reason in her chats with Buffy, Willow and Anya. I really like the new Buffy/Tara dynamic, and wish it could have been developed further.
- The melting demon was an okay concept, and the special effects had a retro style that reminded me of “The Secret World of Alex Mack” (am I showing my age?)
- Halfrek’s dramatic final speech and realisation that she’d ended up trapping herself were funny, and served as a believable way of getting her to break the curse.
- Even though it was inconsequential, it’s a welcome change to have a positive/upbeat ending instead of a cliffhanger/angsty cry-fest.
What I Disliked about “Older and Far Away”:
- As is the S6 style, there’s no substantial plot or framework for this episode, and we’re instead given a procession of slow-moving, humourless scenes that advance nothing. This type of writing is what’s killing the year (and would go on to ruin S7), and I’m sick of being shown tiny variations on the same old topics.
- The melting demon’s appearance could have done with some work. Between the horns, constantly open mouth and big hair, he looked like he’d stepped off the cover of a cheesy Eighties metal album, and was more goofy than frightening.
- Dawn’s thieving subplot has been pointless since day one (can you believe that it’s almost a year since it was first introduced?), and it exists only so that she can have an issue befitting the season’s ‘everyone must be miserable’ theme. I’m glad that the uninteresting thing is now done with, but that didn’t make the focus on Dawn any more bearable. I don’t believe her claims that she’s all alone (she’s always going out for sleepovers with friends), and her accusations at Buffy are ignorant of the fact that Buffy’s working to keep a roof over their heads, and also has her slaying obligations. I think it might have worked if they’d reframed the episode to look at Dawn’s feelings regarding Joyce’s death and the lack of stability in her life, but even that would have been more fitting for an after-school special than “Buffy”. Either way, the ‘abandonment’ idea didn’t work (prior to the start of this ep, how many times have we seen Dawn try to reach out to Buffy and get ignored/rejected?), and produced no character development (as come “Normal Again”, we’ll be right back at the bratty comments).
- Beyond the poor quality of Dawn’s ‘story’, you have to look at the dialogue and behaviours of the character herself. As soon as the party started, her self-centred obnoxiousness was on full display, and I don’t understand why the writers can’t have her show anger/upset without resorting to teen clichés. The pouting, flouncing about and screaming are irritating (and whoever thought it was a good idea to reprise “get out, Get Out, GET OUT!” should have been fired on the spot), and I didn’t feel bad for her for a second. As much as I may criticise Michelle Trachtenberg for her bad acting, I have to admit that she has a thankless task to do.
- The characters simply not being able to leave the house didn’t work for me. Some kind of literal barrier would have made their inability to go outside more believable.
- Willow’s ‘plot’ was yet more time-wasting, and trod a path that was worn out six or seven episodes ago. There was no significant story or character progression for her, and the continued insistence that magic is wholly to blame for her problems is infuriating. I hate the way she’s gone from being a warm and three-dimensional figure to a flat character informed only by her addiction, and it would have been good for her to do something (anything!) that didn’t revolve around that issue.
- Xander and Anya’s material continues to be filler, though I guess it was good to have them do something besides talk about the wedding. However, I didn’t buy Anya’s horror at the thought of Richard dying (hasn’t she seen and caused far worse?), and her sudden claustrophobia was contrived to lead to the discovery of Dawn’s thieving.
- Can anybody put their hand on their heart and honestly explain how Buffy and Spike’s behaviours made any sense based on what happened last week? Given that Buffy pinned him down and smashed his face in before confessing all to Tara and weeping about how much she hates him (and herself for being with him), why on earth were they suddenly back to joke/flirting mode? If it wasn’t for the minor bruises on Spike’s face, you’d be forgiven for thinking that “Dead Things” never happened, and it becomes impossible to follow the story when you see how the characters’ motivations and personalities are changing based on the writers’ whims.
- The minor characters were terrible. Although I liked the reference in Richard sporting a red shirt, the character himself was bland and boring, as well as being poorly acted. Sophie was also a waste of space, and her comments about her allergies/intolerances weren’t funny (and why bother bringing the character in if she’s never seen or mentioned again?) Then there was Clem, who’s the best of a bad bunch, but nonetheless problematic in representing the degradation of demons from monsters to corny comic devices. If anything, he’s the show’s campy take on itself, and that’s a surefire indicator that the series needed a fork put in it.
Do I like this episode more or less than the last time I watched it?
I still thought it blew, so my grade is staying the same. “Older and Far Away” adds nothing interesting to S6; failing in its meagre attempts at conjuring sympathy for Dawn and developing her character. Not only did the material for Little Miss Whiny prove as hair-pullingly annoying as ever, it was surrounded by go-nowhere sludge that either regurgitated stuff we’ve heard multiple times before (Willow; Xander/Anya), had no logical connection to prior events (Buffy/Spike), or was unfunny and pointless (Sophie; Richard; Clem). As such, I have no real choice but to give “Older and Far Away” the lowest grade possible. While I do hate to award back to back zeroes, there’s just nothing here to commend, and even its infrequent passable moments mean nothing in the long run.
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Post by cyclica on Jan 20, 2011 16:27:07 GMT -5
- Tara’s moments were relatively entertaining to watch, and she was used effectively for comedy (teasing Spike about his cramp), as well as serving as the mature voice of reason in her chats with Buffy, Willow and Anya. I really like the new Buffy/Tara dynamic, and wish it could have been developed further. Yep. - The melting demon was an okay concept, and the special effects had a retro style that reminded me of “The Secret World of Alex Mack” (am I showing my age?) Maybe. I must confess I've never watched that show. I thought the effect was ok, it didn't stick out as being retro. Now the construction site demons from 'life serial' on the other hand... - The melting demon’s appearance could have done with some work. Between the horns, constantly open mouth and big hair, he looked like he’d stepped off the cover of a cheesy Eighties metal album, and was more goofy than frightening. Meh, I thought he looked ok. Certainly there were many other demons on the show (and angel) who looked less frightening. I was happy just to see a demon that wasn't a quirky, chatty human with a different appearance. - Dawn’s thieving subplot has been pointless since day one (can you believe that it’s almost a year since it was first introduced?), and it exists only so that she can have an issue befitting the season’s ‘everyone must be miserable’ theme. I’m glad that the uninteresting thing is now done with, but that didn’t make the focus on Dawn any more bearable. I don’t believe her claims that she’s all alone (she’s always going out for sleepovers with friends), and her accusations at Buffy are ignorant of the fact that Buffy’s working to keep a roof over their heads, and also has her slaying obligations. I think it might have worked if they’d reframed the episode to look at Dawn’s feelings regarding Joyce’s death and the lack of stability in her life, but even that would have been more fitting for an after-school special than “Buffy”. Either way, the ‘abandonment’ idea didn’t work (prior to the start of this ep, how many times have we seen Dawn try to reach out to Buffy and get ignored/rejected?), and produced no character development (as come “Normal Again”, we’ll be right back at the bratty comments). - Beyond the poor quality of Dawn’s ‘story’, you have to look at the dialogue and behaviours of the character herself. As soon as the party started, her self-centred obnoxiousness was on full display, and I don’t understand why the writers can’t have her show anger/upset without resorting to teen clichés. The pouting, flouncing about and screaming are irritating (and whoever thought it was a good idea to reprise “get out, Get Out, GET OUT!” should have been fired on the spot), and I didn’t feel bad for her for a second. Agreed. The klepto arc was pointless and her feelings of abandonment were selfish, and didn't make for a good story. Darn, you're starting to turn me around and get me hating dawn too.  I still like her, just when she's not written so badly. I preferred the clueless-kid dawn from s5 and the member-of-the-team dawn of s7, in s6 she's the not-entertaining-to-watch dawn. - The characters simply not being able to leave the house didn’t work for me. Some kind of literal barrier would have made their inability to go outside more believable. I would have liked them to bump into something right as the reach the open doorway. Instead they just stand there, which doesn't fully make sense. I kept waiting for someone else in the house to just walk right in front of them while going from one room to another. I also wonder what would happen if spike picked everyone up one by one and just threw them out. Or if the house was knocked/burnt down, would they still be stuck? - The minor characters were terrible. Although I liked the reference in Richard sporting a red shirt Hah, I doubt the writers were clever enough to be making a star trek reference there. Sophie was also a waste of space, and her comments about her allergies/intolerances weren’t funny (and why bother bringing the character in if she’s never seen or mentioned again?) Agreed. Sophie was a character that I liked, when she was on screen anyway, because I assumed they were going to do something with her. But looking back, knowing how pointless she was, makes me dislike her in retrospect. Then there was Clem, who’s the best of a bad bunch, but nonetheless problematic in representing the degradation of demons from monsters to corny comic devices. If anything, he’s the show’s campy take on itself, and that’s a surefire indicator that the series needed a fork put in it. I really hated how clem was just some goofy guy. I kept expecting him to suddenly reveal something 'demonic' about himself. Like in the episode where he's left to look after dawn, I was hoping he would suddenly grow huge claws and try to eat her. That would have been funny. ..... I stand by my high 3. It's an episode I might want to watch again. |
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Post by partcynic on Jan 25, 2011 13:58:19 GMT -5
She does actually make one. When she meets Halfrek in the guidance office, she says that she wishes people would stop going away.
Agreed - the writers should have done much better.
Yep.
Wouldn't the group be composed of other recovering magic addicts? Sure, they could tempt her, but they could also give her support and have an insight no-one else could provide. It's just like the alcoholic equivalent in real life.
Ah, my evil plan is working. ;D There's just no defence for S6 Dawn. Though she definitely improved in S7 - easily her most watchable year.
Considering the Trek references they've had the nerds make, I don't think it's particularly unlikely. It's not like the red shirt thing is an obscure piece of trivia.
Agreed.
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Post by cyclica on Jan 25, 2011 14:26:15 GMT -5
She does actually make one. When she meets Halfrek in the guidance office, she says that she wishes people would stop going away. Oops.  I guess I missed that. Wouldn't the group be composed of other recovering magic addicts? Sure, they could tempt her, but they could also give her support and have an insight no-one else could provide. It's just like the alcoholic equivalent in real life. Oops again! For some reason I didn't equate 'spellcasters annonymous' with 'alcoholics annonymous', I just assumed it was the name of the witch group from s4 where she first met tara. How many magic addicts are in this town, that a 'spellcasters annonymous' group would even be required? |
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And upon rewatching I noticed a scene that went by me the first few times watching – willow was going to attend a spellcasters anonymous meeting. She doesn’t think maybe they’ll tempt her into using magic? And what was the point of the ‘regular people’ that were trapped along with the gang?
I still like her, just when she's not written so badly. 
I guess I missed that.