3.12 Helpless

[Clare]

3.12 Helpless - Episode #046
As her 18th birthday approaches, Buffy finds she's losing her powers.

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

[cyclica]

I give this one a 7. Not the best episode, but no real flaws.

I loved seeing un-powered buffy coming up against a vampire, and still kicking ass. It goes to show that buffy was chosen to recieve powers because she's a naturally resourceful and skilled fighter, it wasn't that she aquired those skills along with the powers.

[jennf10]

I LOVE this episode. One of my favorites from season 3.

Buffy's 18th birthday. As a rite of passage, when a Slayer reaches her 18th birthday, she is put through a test. How can she defend herself against a vampire without her super strength? However, caught up in the mix is Buffy's mom. Anyone who knows anything about Buffy knows that protecting her mother always came first. And the hurt she feels from Giles' betrayal is similar to that of a daughter finding out something she can't believe about her father.

Why did Buffy NEVER have a good birthday on this show??

My score: 8/10.

[partcynic]

3x12 “Helpless”

Episode Rating = 6

The first episode I’ve properly reviewed since my forced hiatus, “Helpless” was a great ep to come back to, and one that provides a powerful start to the second half of S3. A big improvement on the sub-par “Gingerbread”, “Helpless” dials back the silliness and instead focuses on interesting character development, progressing the stories of two of the show’s most important figures and initiating a far-reaching role change for Giles. It’s also notable for its incorporation of classic slasher film elements, giving the ep a unique tone that stands out even twelve years after its first airing.

What I Liked about “Helpless”:

- The introductory scene with Buffy and Angel is good-natured, pushing the characters a little beyond the two-dimensional angst that’s defined them so much this season. The sexual tension is understandable, and it’s good to see that they’re (mostly) refigured their dynamic into a ‘post-couple’ one.

- Buffy and Giles’ first library session is cute. I smiled at Buffy’s quip about dirty auras, and the scene managed to establish the episode’s theme, as well as subtly informing the seasonal arc with the news that Buffy and Faith are still distant.

- Buffy’s reaction to her sudden powerlessness is intriguing from a story standpoint, and very believable. It’s ironic that the first vamp she fights ends up turning her own stake on her, and her distress when Cordelia – of all people – saves her is good (and amusing, in a depressing way). The slow transition from believing it’s a flu bug to a curse (and then learning the truth) is handled well, and you can feel her confusion and uncertainty. Buffy’s chat with Angel about ‘Spordelia’ was particularly noteworthy, and it’s heartening to see how her perspective on her destiny has changed, given that only a year ago, she’d probably have welcomed losing her powers. I also liked the joke that followed the “I saw your heart” conversation, which saved that talk from becoming sickly sludge.

- Thematically, this is heavy-handed, but I still loved the examination of Buffy’s father figures and the roles they play in her life. Knowing what happens to Mr Summers’ characterisation later on, I appreciated seeing the episode try to justify his absence, and Buffy’s disappointment was tangible. Her subsequent shift to focusing on Giles was sweet (especially her attempt to get him to take her to the ice show), and her response to his betrayal was affecting. For his part, Giles’ clear tear in loyalties kept him sympathetic, as did his decision to tell Buffy about the Cruciamentum. Repudiating the Watcher’s Council with no regard as to the consequences was a lovely indicator of his true priorities, and the wordless moment where he tended to Buffy’s injuries was quite moving,

- Zachary Kralik is an excellent villain with a memorable personality. I also liked his sense of humour, and his comment about mothers while tormenting Joyce was witty. His later confrontation with Buffy was also great, and netted him memorable stuff such as using her cross as a pain reliever, as well as his hide-and-seek motif and nursery-tale referencing dialogue.

- After being a shadowy background presence for so long, it was cool to finally see members of the Watcher’s Council, and Quentin was an excellently portrayed and delightfully smarmy character. I liked the obvious detachment from reality he displayed with his insistence that protocol be followed (how matter how barbaric or cruel it was), and it emphasised the difference between being a bureaucratic agent versus an active participant in the fight against evil.

- This episode is unique for its atmosphere, which is ably fed into by the plot. Having Buffy be reduced to an ordinary teenage girl allows the writers to capitalise on Sarah Michelle Gellar’s history as a scream queen, and the scenes of her fleeing Kralik (both in the streets and at the abandoned manor) had more than a touch of “I Know What You Did Last Summer” to them. It’s a pleasant surprise for Buffy’s hero role to be turned on its head, and it’s even better that she still manages to subvert the horror film cliché, by mentally outpacing the monster. After all she’s been through, seeing the character pull out the empty bottle of holy water and quip that if she were at full power, she’d be “making a pun right now” is awesome, and just goes to show that you can’t keep a good Slayer down.

- Although they’re too dark in places, the manor scenes are creepy. The gloomy, subdued lighting and endless procession of bricked-up doors conjure a sense of dread, and keep things consistently ominous.

- While the Scoobs are mostly absent, that’s not a problem, and they’re used effectively in their brief scenes. I was fond of Willow having opted to buy toys for the Amy-rat instead of trying to cure her, and the closing kitchen scene had a great joke with Xander (as well as giving the audience assurance that Giles would still be around).

What I Disliked about “Helpless”:

- The drug Giles injects Buffy with is a mere plot facilitator, but I have a hard time believing its power, especially since it was biological and not magical/supernatural.

- From the Council’s perspective, is the Cruciamentum really worth it? If the Slayer fails the test, it means that for the next few months, the world’s safety is in the hands of a novice – and that’s assuming the girl’s actually been identified and has a Watcher assigned to her. Given the importance of the Slayer’s role, you’d think that they’d develop less fatal methods of testing her ingenuity, like the (equally mean, but fairer) assessments they run in “Checkpoint”.

- To earn their pomp and arrogance, the Council’s workers should be more skilled. Maybe I’m more genre savvy than they are, but when an insane monster keeps beckoning you to come closer, it’s a good idea to avoid doing so, no matter how tightly secured he seems to be.

- The dialogue could do with preening in places. Lines like Buffy’s “touch me and I’ll kill you” are straight out of Hackneyed Drama 101, and the overwrought phrasing detracts from the situation’s genuine emotional substance.

- In trying to underline its drama, this episode takes a number of liberties with plot. There are numerous contrivances here, like Kralik abruptly discovering Buffy (how did he know where she was? It’s unlikely he knows what she looks like, and he can’t have tracked her scent. Or was he just after a kill, and didn’t realise who she was?); Giles driving past just in time to perform a rescue; Kralik’s predictable seizure just as he was about to kill Buffy; her dive down the laundry chute conveniently taking her to where Joyce was held; and Giles bursting in from nowhere to dust the final surviving vampire. Also, how did Kralik know where the Summers live?

- The holy water reveal is amazing, but shouldn’t Kralik have started burning as soon as it touched his lips? The act of drinking it should have left him in instant agony, instead of it having a delayed reaction.

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

I like it just as much. “Helpless” isn’t brilliant, but it’s engaging, excellently paced, nicely creepy/disturbing in places, and has crucial development for Buffy, Giles, and their relationship. On top of this, it has one of the series’ better single-appearance villains, and nice moments of humour from the supporting characters. However, despite of all these qualities, it’s overdone in places and occasionally tries to force emotion rather than letting it flow naturally. Still, this ep remains a strong S3 offering and an above-average showing overall, making it good for a six out of ten score in my ratings.

[cyclica]

This was a big buffy/giles episode. It was a nice change having a whole ep dealing with their relationship, and having the scoobies appear in only peripheral roles.

There is a lot to enjoy in this episode. They raised the issue of what buffy would be like without powers, whether or not she could still fight, and whether or not she would want to. We also get an insight into the watchers council, and see that giles puts buffy's wellbeing above following the council's orders (by the end of the episode at least). The story as a whole works really well, it's genuinely scary when giles seemingly turns on buffy and drugs her, and having her face a vampire when she's de-powered is much more dangerous (and therefore entertaining) than the usual buffy vs vampire fights. And giles being fired at the end was a huge moment the first time watching.

There's also some nice little touches in this ep I enjoyed, like the reference to amy still being a rat, and buffy's mild anger at faith's walkabout ("I hate being the good one", how prophetic . There were a few really funny moments too, such as angel's speech about buffy's heart (which was gross if taken literallly , buffy's "If I was at full Slayer power, I'd be punning right about now", and xander at the end needing willow's help to open a jar.

However... cue the nitpicks.

- Buffy lost power in the middle of a fight, with an accompanying sound effect. How would the drugs make her loose all her strength in one go like that? Surely it should have happened gradually.
- She can no longer throw knives at a target.... why? Since when was her aim/co-ordination one of her slayer powers? Is this an effect of the drug too?
- How does looking at a crystal make buffy 'zone out' like that? I can buy that a crystal in the buffy universe might have hypnotising powers, but I would have liked to have been told its a magic crystal rather than have the implication that buffy just didn't notice giles injecting her.
- Why are slayers tested on their 18th birthday, years after they are called? Surely if they've survived that long, they don't need to be tested. And why would the watchers want to ruin the slayer's birthdays when it could be any day of the year?
- Why did giles weaken buffy days before her birthday?
- For the first half of the episode we are left in suspense as to the contents of the mystery box. Discovering it was just a vampire was kind of an anticlimax.
- Since when could vampires take medicine? They're dead! The pills should pass through without being absorbed.
- That conversation between xander and oz regarding kryptonite was meant to be amusing, but it was pure garbage. None of the types of kryptonite mentioned do any of the things xander and oz said they do.
- I loved cordy's appearance in the library near the end, breaking the tension between giles and buffy. But why was she in school at night? And she really must have felt like an idiot when she got home and realised she'd gone all the way to the library and back and had forgotten to pick up the book she went there to get.
- Why did the vamp take hundreds of photos of joyce? How many hours must that have taken? Why was it written into the script at all? Was a room full of photos meant to be scary?
- After buffy tricks the vamp in the basement and goes to untie joyce, giles and malcolm reed from enterprise appear from out of nowhere. How did they get there?
- If giles knew all about the test performed on slayers throughout the centuries, how can he not know he'd be tested too?

Overall I liked this episode. The flaws are overlookable, and although the plot and its ramifications no longer leave the impact on me they once did (knowing not much will change after giles was fired), it's still an above average story. I give it a high 7.

[partcynic]

There is a lot to enjoy in this episode. They raised the issue of what buffy would be like without powers, whether or not she could still fight, and whether or not she would want to. We also get an insight into the watchers council, and see that giles puts buffy's wellbeing above following the council's orders (by the end of the episode at least). The story as a whole works really well, it's genuinely scary when giles seemingly turns on buffy and drugs her, and having her face a vampire when she's de-powered is much more dangerous (and therefore entertaining) than the usual buffy vs vampire fights. And giles being fired at the end was a huge moment the first time watching.

I agree - this ep is nice and 'full'. I love it when a standalone story has so much content.

Buffy lost power in the middle of a fight, with an accompanying sound effect. How would the drugs make her loose all her strength in one go like that? Surely it should have happened gradually.

I think it's feasible that it could cause that effect. What happened was similar to when people are drunk - they can often lose muscle control temporarily (hence all the falling over they tend to do), but then be fine a little later. It would depend on the dose and time since it was administered, but it's not implausible story-wise.

- She can no longer throw knives at a target.... why? Since when was her aim/co-ordination one of her slayer powers? Is this an effect of the drug too?

I think it makes sense that improved co-ordination would come with the Slayer package. Since Buffy doesn't do many activities requiring it (outside of slaying), it also makes sense that if her powers were suppressed, she'd get worse. Bear in mind that she isn't the most physically co-ordinated person at full strength (her driving). And yes, her bad aim was supposed to be another effect of the drug.

- How does looking at a crystal make buffy 'zone out' like that? I can buy that a crystal in the buffy universe might have hypnotising powers, but I would have liked to have been told its a magic crystal rather than have the implication that buffy just didn't notice giles injecting her.

Judging by how those scenes were filmed, acted and scored, the implication was supposed to be that looking at the crystal's flaw put Buffy in a kind of trance. It's what I've always thought, and I haven't met anyone who's interpreted it any differently. Though they could have indeed made the crystal's power more explicit.

And why would the watchers want to ruin the slayer's birthdays when it could be any day of the year?

Do you think they'd care whether the girls had nice birthdays or not? Bear in mind that Giles is the exception to the typical Watcher standard, and even he was willing to have it go through on Buffy's (despite his personal objections).

- Why did giles weaken buffy days before her birthday?

How soon before her birthday was the first injection? I'm assuming the first one happened just prior to the initial graveyard struggle, which would make it one or two days prior. I'd imagine that adminstering the drug early would give it longer to act (since it's organic, it would take longer to have an effect, and require multiple doses to be maintained), and be less likely to tip the Slayer off as to what's happening. After all, if the Slayers started getting weak a few days before the test, they could chalk it up to illness and dismiss it, but if it happened on the day, they might wonder if the two events were linked (and thus invalidate the test).

- Since when could vampires take medicine? They're dead! The pills should pass through without being absorbed.

Very true! But it's at least consistent with Buffyverse vamps' abilities to get drunk and enjoy cigarettes.

- I loved cordy's appearance in the library near the end, breaking the tension between giles and buffy. But why was she in school at night?

Bear in mind that this ep takes place in January, so dark doesn't necessarily mean night. Cordy could have finished school at three and then had a few hours of cheerleading practise, taking her to 6pm and darkness outside (like in "Some Assembly Required", in the scene where Angel follows her and she hides in the dumpster).

And she really must have felt like an idiot when she got home and realised she'd gone all the way to the library and back and had forgotten to pick up the book she went there to get.

Wasn't she going to have Giles write her a note to get her out of the assignment? I can remember her saying "If the world doesn't end, I'm gonna need a note", or something to that effect.

- Why did the vamp take hundreds of photos of joyce? How many hours must that have taken? Why was it written into the script at all? Was a room full of photos meant to be scary?

Yeah, it was supposed to be scary. Though Kralik doing it isn't an issue - after all, he's crazy and wouldn't be thinking logically.

- After buffy tricks the vamp in the basement and goes to untie joyce, giles and malcolm reed from enterprise appear from out of nowhere. How did they get there?

It's convoluted, but it just about works. The vampire was lurking around the manor (he pulled the stake Buffy placed under the door away, then attacked her and got a bookcase pushed on him), and Giles immediately went there when Quentin told him Buffy was undergoing the test. Giles could have easily gotten to the manor, encountered the now-free vampire and fought him, ending up in the basement where Joyce was being held in the process.

- If giles knew all about the test performed on slayers throughout the centuries, how can he not know he'd be tested too?

If no Watcher has ever gone against the test, he may simply not have known that it impacted their assessments too - the Council doesn't strike me as the type of organisation that would give its lower members the full details. It could also be that the test didn't actually assess them, but that Quentin knew that Giles was becoming disobedient (there have obviously been rumblings for some time, given that even the fired Ms Post knew) and used it as an excuse to remove him.

[cyclica]

Jan 26, 2010 18:38:30 GMT -5 partcynic said:

I think it makes sense that improved co-ordination would come with the Slayer package. Since Buffy doesn't do many activities requiring it (outside of slaying), it also makes sense that if her powers were suppressed, she'd get worse. Bear in mind that she isn't the most physically co-ordinated person at full strength (her driving). And yes, her bad aim was supposed to be another effect of the drug.

I always assumed that she already had her coordination and acrobatic skills, and that they were one of the reasons she was chosen, and given strength/healing to go along with these skills she already had.

Though now that I think about it, it was only the buffy in the movie who was shown with gymnastic talents before she was chosen, and I had no real reason to assume that the same applied to the buffy on the show.

Jan 26, 2010 18:38:30 GMT -5 partcynic said:

Bear in mind that this ep takes place in January, so dark doesn't necessarily mean night. Cordy could have finished school at three and then had a few hours of cheerleading practise, taking her to 6pm and darkness outside (like in "Some Assembly Required", in the scene where Angel follows her and she hides in the dumpster).

I had forgotten the ep took place in january.

Jan 26, 2010 18:38:30 GMT -5 partcynic said:

Wasn't she going to have Giles write her a note to get her out of the assignment? I can remember her saying "If the world doesn't end, I'm gonna need a note", or something to that effect.

I took that line as a joke, and that the reason she went to the library was to get a book.

- To earn their pomp and arrogance, the Council’s workers should be more skilled. Maybe I’m more genre savvy than they are, but when an insane monster keeps beckoning you to come closer, it’s a good idea to avoid doing so, no matter how tightly secured he seems to be.

I agree. The watcher had no reason to take an extra step forward, he should have known what would have happened.

- In trying to underline its drama, this episode takes a number of liberties with plot. There are numerous contrivances here, like Kralik abruptly discovering Buffy (how did he know where she was? It’s unlikely he knows what she looks like, and he can’t have tracked her scent. Or was he just after a kill, and didn’t realise who she was?) ... Also, how did Kralik know where the Summers live?

He could have overheard the watchers talking about her.

- The holy water reveal is amazing, but shouldn’t Kralik have started burning as soon as it touched his lips? The act of drinking it should have left him in instant agony, instead of it having a delayed reaction.

Maybe he only noticed the pain in his stomach after the pain in his head went away?

[partcynic]

- In trying to underline its drama, this episode takes a number of liberties with plot. There are numerous contrivances here, like Kralik abruptly discovering Buffy (how did he know where she was? It’s unlikely he knows what she looks like, and he can’t have tracked her scent. Or was he just after a kill, and didn’t realise who she was?) ... Also, how did Kralik know where the Summers live?

He could have overheard the watchers talking about her.

That would explain how he knew where her home was, but not how was able to randomly find her on the street.

Maybe he only noticed the pain in his stomach after the pain in his head went away?

Perhaps - I guess his psychiatric condition could have been that intense. But I don't know if I believe it could overwhelm the sensation of having your internal organs dissolve.