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Post by Clare on Sept 26, 2008 11:15:34 GMT -5
6.18 Entropy - Episode #118
Anya returns to Sunnydale, and attempts to use her restored vengeance powers to get back at Xander.
Review (also post a score out of 10) and discuss this episode.
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Post by cyclica on May 30, 2009 12:15:38 GMT -5
This episode starts with the same old crap we’ve seen so many times before. The episode doesn’t really start until ten minutes in when anya shows up.
Anya wants to hurt xander, and unable to do it herself she (in a hilarious scene) tried to get the other scoobies to wish bad things upon him. When that fails, halfrek convinces her to ask spike to make a wish. Why halfrek can’t do the wish herself, I don’t know. So in another great scene (Two good scenes in one episode! Season six is starting to turn around!)She and spike get to talking, which leads to sex.
This episode does have a few ‘been there, done that’ scenes, especially near the start, but for the most part this is an enjoyable episode that moves things along. The gang finds out about spuffy, the anya/xander relationship reaches a conclusion, and willow and tara get back together.
There are a few negatives I noticed, like buffy wearing the stolen leather jacket, spike not noticing anya was a demon, and of course xander acting like a jerk. But for the most part this was one of the better episodes of this season. I give it a 6.
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Post by partcynic on Jan 1, 2011 16:49:01 GMT -5
6x18 “Entropy”
Episode Rating = 2
The best of Drew Z. Greenberg’s S6 entries (though that’s not saying much, given that he also penned “Smashed” and “Older and Far Away”) “Entropy” is a strange episode in being one that could theoretically have been really good. We know from past episodes like “Innocence” and “Lover’s Walk” that the discovery of a secret tryst can make for powerful drama, but the crucial difference between “Entropy” and those eps is that they had plots and structure, and used the shock discoveries to develop the characters. Sadly, this offering doesn’t have or do any of those things, and its insistence on making Spike/Anya a linear A-plot takes away any shock value it might have had. Still, there’s at least some good humour present, and its two(!) decent scenes are pleasant to watch if you’re willing to slog through the treacle that surrounds them.
What I Liked about “Entropy”:
- Following Anya’s disappearance last episode, it was great to see her again, and I was on her side throughout. Xander deserved every nasty thing she said to him, and although I couldn’t condone her attempts at causing him a horrible death, I one hundred-percent understood where she was coming from. The sequence with her chatting with Buffy/Dawn/Tara/Willow and trying to trick them into making wishes was genuinely funny, and shifting her attention to Spike after getting nothing made sense.
- Spike and Anya have an interesting (and unfortunately underexplored) dynamic – this is only the second time we’ve seen them alone together (the other being in “Where the Wild Things Are”), but they really click. The two have a unique understanding of each other’s perspectives, and I could certainly see them working as a couple, even if it was only short term. For the most part, their conversation at the Magic Box was good, and Anya confessing her true fears about the wedding disaster was quite moving. It was also welcome for the show to present two characters having no-strings-attached sex without it being portrayed as some horrible, soul-tarnishing trauma – as Anya says in “Two To Go”, it was just about solace, and that’s fine.
- As in “Normal Again”, I like seeing Willow go back to computer-research mode, and I believe that the hacking she did here was the first she’d done since the end of S4.
What I found to be a mixed bag about “Entropy”:
- Dawn has been a particularly weighty kudzu dragging the season down, so it’s good that she’s now put the whining behind her and started acting like an adult. However, that doesn’t negate the tokenistic nature of her scenes. Her brief chat with Buffy in the backyard at least showed her in a positive light, but the other two were filler, and her sudden eagerness to join Buffy on patrol shows her regressing to the start of S5 (after all she went through with Glory, you’d have thought the last thing she’d want would be to get embroiled in that again).
- The Willow and Tara scenes were cute and romantic (especially the ending), but they were a waste as far as character insight goes. It’s nice that they’re now back on friendly terms, but the show hasn’t really dealt with the betrayal that drove them apart (instead subsuming it into the magic addiction). In addition, the ending was little more than a plot device, and it’s hard to be moved by it when you know it’s just an easy tool for bringing Dark Willow forth.
What I Disliked about “Entropy”:
- Once again, there was little in the way of structure or plot. It’s hard to be pulled in to an episode when it’s essentially a procession of talk-filled scenes where nothing happens, and while Spike/Anya had some good moments, it wasn’t enough to compensate for the rest. I’ve nothing against the season’s overriding concept of internal demons, but it would have been really helpful for the writers to develop some single-episode foes that had nothing to do with the nerds or re-emphasising what we already know about the characters, as it would have stopped things from getting so slow and repetitive.
- Over the last three episodes, Xander has almost overtaken Dawn in the race to be the most irritating character of the season, and he’s being constantly poorly written. The lack of explanation as to his motives for abandoning Anya is causing a lot of problems, and it seems like the writers never actually sat down and thought them through. In his first talk with Anya, he came out with generic platitudes that didn’t address any of their underlying issues, and his rant at the end had him begging for a smack in the face. Besides the issue of his trying to kill Spike (and since his actions were due to jealousy and not saving the world from vampires, it counts as attempted murder), we got the self-righteous “you make me feel sick” diatribe, which he had no place delivering considering that his selfishness and cowardice were what ultimately led to this situation.
- The nerd scenes are taking a long time to move very little, and although there was definite progress in their new scheme, it honestly didn’t need three eps’ worth of screentime (especially when you consider that they’re basically stealing money, which is exactly what they did in “Flooded”). Stuff like Jonathon’s continued reticence didn’t develop the character dynamic beyond what we’ve already seen, and Andrew continues to be excruciatingly unfunny.
- Spike/Buffy continues to be a bore, and I have to fight the urge to fast-forward over their scenes. The writers seem to be attempting to play Spike both as an abuser (attempting to blackmail Buffy into telling her friends about their liaisons) and a loving boyfriend (the conversation in his crypt), but they can’t have it both ways without severely compromising their attempted story. As I’ve said before, their dynamic has lurched about randomly over the course of the season, and the characters are changing personalities and motivations to the extent that little they do makes sense.
- If Anya is capable of remembering long lists of the people she’d killed (and how she’d offed them), surely she’d remember that vengeance demons can’t make wishes for themselves? Wouldn’t that type of thing be fundamental to such a being? I’m also assuming that vengeance demons can’t grant wishes to each other, given that Halfrek makes no such offer.
- The gang learning about Spike/Anya via the hidden Magic Box camera was telegraphed from the moment Willow started hacking the nerds’ video feed, and the subsequent reveal thus held no surprise.
Do I like this episode more or less than the last time I watched it?
I feel the same. “Entropy” is essentially soap-opera suckiness like so much of the season, but it’s undoubtedly better than many shows from the mid-year, and Anya’s material was compelling and engaging enough to be worthwhile. To give the writers a slither of credit, they’re doing a better job of showing the characters’ recoveries from bad things than the crises themselves, though that remains faint praise. At the end of the day, there just isn’t enough strong material here to warrant a score above the ‘sub-par’ range, and the best I can rate “Entropy” is a so-so two out of ten.
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Post by cyclica on Jun 3, 2011 18:41:46 GMT -5
...there’s at least some good humour present, and its two(!) decent scenes are pleasant to watch if you’re willing to slog through the treacle that surrounds them. - Following Anya’s disappearance last episode, it was great to see her again, and I was on her side throughout. Xander deserved every nasty thing she said to him, and although I couldn’t condone her attempts at causing him a horrible death, I one hundred-percent understood where she was coming from. The sequence with her chatting with Buffy/Dawn/Tara/Willow and trying to trick them into making wishes was genuinely funny, and shifting her attention to Spike after getting nothing made sense. - Spike and Anya have an interesting (and unfortunately underexplored) dynamic – this is only the second time we’ve seen them alone together (the other being in “Where the Wild Things Are”), but they really click. The two have a unique understanding of each other’s perspectives, and I could certainly see them working as a couple, even if it was only short term. For the most part, their conversation at the Magic Box was good, and Anya confessing her true fears about the wedding disaster was quite moving. It was also welcome for the show to present two characters having no-strings-attached sex without it being portrayed as some horrible, soul-tarnishing trauma – as Anya says in “Two To Go”, it was just about solace, and that’s fine. ^ Agreed with all. I'm not sure, but this may be the first episode since bargaining in which spike has scenes with a main character other than buffy (or a group which includes buffy). It's such a shame season seven messed up the anya/spike dynamic. While I never wanted them to become a permanent couple, I was hoping we'd see more scenes of spike and anya open ing up to each other, talking to each other about the 'humans' from their demon perspectives. But no, s7 gave us anya acting like an idiot whenever spike was around. - The Willow and Tara scenes were cute and romantic (especially the ending), but they were a waste as far as character insight goes. It’s nice that they’re now back on friendly terms, but the show hasn’t really dealt with the betrayal that drove them apart (instead subsuming it into the magic addiction). In addition, the ending was little more than a plot device, and it’s hard to be moved by it when you know it’s just an easy tool for bringing Dark Willow forth. I felt the same way about what happened with fred and wesley. She suddenly started liking him and they became a couple, just so she could immediately be killed off and he could become 'dark wesley' again. Though in tara's case it does make sense that she'd want to get back with willow, given her personality. Aside from one scene of willow spying on tara talking to a girl, I don't think tara has any kind of life outside of willow and the scoobies. - Once again, there was little in the way of structure or plot. It’s hard to be pulled in to an episode when it’s essentially a procession of talk-filled scenes where nothing happens, and while Spike/Anya had some good moments, it wasn’t enough to compensate for the rest. Yep. - Over the last three episodes, Xander has almost overtaken Dawn in the race to be the most irritating character of the season, and he’s being constantly poorly written. The lack of explanation as to his motives for abandoning Anya is causing a lot of problems, and it seems like the writers never actually sat down and thought them through. In his first talk with Anya, he came out with generic platitudes that didn’t address any of their underlying issues, and his rant at the end had him begging for a smack in the face. Besides the issue of his trying to kill Spike (and since his actions were due to jealousy and not saving the world from vampires, it counts as attempted murder), we got the self-righteous “you make me feel sick” diatribe, which he had no place delivering considering that his selfishness and cowardice were what ultimately led to this situation. Agreed, especially about that 'you make me feel sick' line. She didn't deserve that. Though I don't think his attempt to kill spike was really attempted murder, xander has always seen spike (and angel) as being a vampire. To him spike is just a killer with a chip, who does nothing but continue to cause trouble. Spike has always been 'buffy's problem', but now spike is doing something that hurt xander personally, he feels 'allowed' to take action and kill spike, like he's wanted to do for a while. Not that spike did anything wrong (in this episode anyway). - Spike/Buffy continues to be a bore, and I have to fight the urge to fast-forward over their scenes. Definitely agreed. “Entropy” is essentially soap-opera suckiness like so much of the season, but it’s undoubtedly better than many shows from the mid-year I may have given too high a score to this ep, for just that reason. After watching season 6 in a marathon entropy feels above average, though it most likely doesn't hold up compared to other episodes I've given a 6 or even a 5 to. Though I'd have to rewatch entropy before I can say that for sure. |
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Post by partcynic on Jun 4, 2011 11:32:54 GMT -5
Yep. It gets so dull waiting for substantial things to happen. I'm assuming it's to stop vengeance demons from abusing their powers, and getting their friends to grant wishes in their favour. Shocking, isn't it?  That's pretty close. The only other moment I can recall is when Xander and Anya talk with him outside the Summers house in "After Life". Agreed. It's very frustrating to see how the Scooby partners get such limited material. They usually work best when they're away from their significant others (Spike/Anya here; or even that Anya/Tara scene we chatted about when discussing IWMTLY), and it's a shame their development comes across as an afterthought. Agreed again. The 'get together with your partner, and someone dies/goes evil/both' story was exciting and gripping in "Buffy" S2, but the shows have mined from the same well over and over. I think you've described Xander's thought process perfectly here, but the justifications he'd give wouldn't change my perspective. Intent to kill + attempt to kill = attempted murder, and since it was about Xander's wounded pride instead of Spike doing evil, he doesn't have an excuse. That sounds fair. I also find myself falling for the comparison effect when watching S6/7. Of course, when you step back and consider the qualities of the first four seasons, the deficiencies here become much more apparent.  |
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Post by cyclica on Jun 5, 2011 17:11:44 GMT -5
I'm assuming it's to stop vengeance demons from abusing their powers, and getting their friends to grant wishes in their favour. That makes sense. I just wish we were told all the 'rules'. Like how at first I got the impression that only women could make a wish, but later on it was revealed men can too, it's just that anya doesn't like to ask men. And now it turns out vengeance demons can make the wish themselves. Well, can anya ask any woman, even say a vampire? Does the wish have to be vengeance related, like can a scorned woman wish to be a millionaire? Does the person have to make a wish of their own free will, or can anya just tell them what to say? What if someone wished for something huge, like 'I wish all men everywhere were dead'. And how many vengeance demons are there? Are they all capable of making world-changing wished like cordy did in 'the wish'? I wish... that more thought was put into this subplot and anya's backstory. |
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