3.20 The Prom

[Clare]

3.20 The Prom - Episode #054
Buffy's crushed when Angel breaks up with her but she has to rally round to stop a student unleashing Hellhounds on the prom.

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

[cyclica]

A pretty good episode, the big plot point being the buffy/angel break up. Joss had already decided that angel was going to get his own spin off, and for that to happen they had to break up. I wonder, if the spin off was never approved, would buffy and angel still be together? I mean, the issues surrounding the split (he won't age, no children, no picnics in the sunshine) were around since the start of the relationship, yet they are only being brought up now, when its convenient to the plot.

The whole plot about the hell hounds attacking the prom was ok, but those demons look even sillier than werewolves. And why is it tucker sent three off, but one stayed behind?

Anya is back, and she's interested in xander for some reason. You'd think hearing cordy complain about him in the wish would put her off him. Oh well, I'm just happy they found a way to bring her back.

Theres a few good moments in the show, like xander buying the dress for cordy. They've finally become friends after 3 years of fighting, even when they were dating. And I loved the scene wheere jonathan gives buffy the class protector award, showing that the students knew about demons this whole time, and are finally giving buffy the thanks she deserves.

It's not the best episode, but it was ok. I give it a 6.

[partcynic]

3x20 “The Prom”

Episode Rating = 7

When examining S3 in its entirety, it’s quickly apparent that while the year was uniformly strong, it suffered from a few slips here and there; the most major being the handling of Buffy and Angel’s relationship. Although it was never written badly or out-of-character, it consumed too much time, and much of the narrative consisted of the characters making googly eyes at each other instead of experiencing genuine development. After so long spent treading water, “The Prom” is truly satisfying in delivering the final blow to the relationship, cleanly cleaving the characters apart and actually progressing their stories for once. You might think it would be hypocritical to complain about Buffy/Angel and then praise an edition that has them as its primary focus, but this one delivered exactly what I wanted – it’s just a shame it couldn’t have happened ten episodes earlier.

What I Liked about “The Prom”:

- Ignoring “Lover’s Walk”, this is the big Buffy/Angel development ep of the season, and having it (finally) come is a pure ‘hallelujah’ moment. The plot worked constructively with the observations the Mayor made about their relationship in “Choices”, and having Angel then be confronted by Joyce was a good way of hammering home the necessity of facing reality. For all of its inevitability, the break-up scene in the sewers was still emotional (and written perfectly – it really feels like the end of an era for the characters), and while Buffy’s response was very teenaged, it was one hundred percent believable and relatable. After that, I could probably have done without the meeting at the butcher’s, but it was necessary for plot purposes, and Angel turning up at the prom to give Buffy one normal high school memory was suitably bittersweet (if anything, I think the last dance could have been a better exit for him than the eventual one in “Graduation Day”, but that’s no big deal).

- Despite being relatively serious, this episode had some liberal sprinklings of good-natured humour. There was nothing hilarious, but little moments like Anya trying to ask Xander out; the ‘sock-puppet of love’; Giles mistaking the prom dress discussion for one about demons; Joyce spying the chains at Angel’s mansion; the chat at the VCR; and the hellhounds being brainwashed by watching Eighties teen movies gave the story the right mixture of light and darkness. Considering that I always think of this episode as being super-dramatic, it’s good to be proven wrong, and the comedy actually serves to heighten the emotional impact when the more sombre material comes.

- I know I’ve mentioned this before, but you do have to wonder if there are still unresolved feelings between Xander and Cordy. Their constant bickering isn’t that of bitter exes or even mutual antagonism, and it has a mildly flirtatious vibe to it. It was rather telling that Xander seemed uncertain about entering the store until he saw Cordy inside, and their ensuing conversation was interesting. The revelation that the Chase family had lost of all its money was an excellent one, and a good choice by the writers in keeping Cordy viable for long-term development over on “Angel”. In addition, having Xander return and pay for her prom dress was a lovely touch (and demonstrated his increasing maturity), and the brief moment between them at the prom felt like a meaningful, conclusive underline to their complicated story.

- It’s fun to see the beginnings of Xander/Anya, and her attempts at asking him out are charming in a bizarre way (particularly “I know you like me – I’ve seen you looking at my breasts”). I like seeing an Anya that is humour-oriented while remaining properly characterised, and it was sweet how she begrudgingly admitted that dancing with Xander was nice.

- While it was basically a C-plot, Tucker’s scheme with the Hellhounds was cheesy fun, and I laughed upon learning his motivation for the attack (though I’m trying to block out his connection to the waste of space known as Andrew). It’s cool to have another set of demons to add to the show’s bestiary, and the make-up was about as good as the show could get with four-legged monsters.

- We don’t usually get to see Joyce do much beyond act with helpless concern or get in Buffy’s way, and this means that it’s great to witness her showing some initiative. Her conversation with Angel was written strongly, and managed to show believable amounts of discomfort and concern on her part. I lliked that she didn’t swoop in and behave authoritatively towards Angel, but was instead polite, firm and honest. Everything she said had truth to it, and I admired how she so clearly placed Buffy’s long-term welfare above all else.

- As I’ve said multiple times, I’m always a sucker for the Willow/Buffy friendship scenes (being one of those people who prefers seeing characters being thoughtful and supportive over miserable and feuding), and the one here was great. It was a big moment for Buffy to realise that her relationship with Angel had nowhere left to go (with the “I can’t breathe” bit being heartbreaking), and I liked that while Willow tried to take the ‘condemning the guy’ position, she also realised that the break-up was the best thing for both of them.

- The prom itself is fun, though I would have liked to have seen a few other minor characters (Harmony; Amy; Larry etc) in the background. I loved Wesley’s reaction to seeing Cordy arrive (and Giles’ comment about him having “the emotional maturity of a blueberry scone”), as well as Jonathon turning up with a hottie. Sarah Michelle Gellar looked gorgeous in the prom dress, and Buffy’s ensuing ‘class protector’ award is one of the show’s all-time heartwarming moments. It was especially meaningful that Jonathon was the one to present it to her, and the school body’s awareness of the supernatural makes their later contribution to the fight against the Mayor much more believable.

What I Disliked about “The Prom”:

- Since when was Xander anywhere near the definition of an ‘alpha male’? You’d think that Anya of all people would realise that he isn’t (unless she was trying to butter him up, though I don’t think that’s the case).

- If Hellhounds are such vicious, deadly killers, how was a nineteen-year-old able to safely keep and rear them? In addition, how exactly did they know where to go once they were unleashed? I’m assuming that Tucker had trained them to go directly to the school instead of randomly dispersing through Sunnydale.

- Buffy’s dialogue could have done with being toned down a bit. I get that she was over-invested in the prom’s outcome due to her split with Angel, but the constant proclamations that anyone who’d attack the dance would have to be an absolute sicko were over the top.

- Wasn’t it a bit risky for Tucker to have a test run with a Hellhound in the middle of the day and on Main Street? Granted, there may have been few other choices, but you’d think he’d be wary of being seen and identified after making the attack.

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

I like it just as much as before. “The Prom” is a respectable entry into the show’s canon that gives much-needed progression to the important Buffy/Angel relationship, as well as featuring excellent character moments for Xander, Cordelia, Willow, Wesley, Giles and Anya. It also has a good combination of drama and comedy, and both its happy and sad emotions feel natural. It’s rewarding to see Marti Noxon pick back up after being responsible for most of the season’s lesser eps (“Dead Man’s Party”; “Beauty and the Beasts”; “Consequences”), and I’m pleased to resultantly score “The Prom” a strong seven out of ten.

[cyclica]

This is another one of those episodes that surprised me with how good it is upon rewatching.

The ep starts with buffy and angel all snuggly in bed, and buffy wants a drawer of her stuff to be put into angel's home. It's pretty sad knowing what's gonna happen later, and knowing these two will never be this close again.

The main plot of this episode is the break-up, with the supernatural story about hellhounds being only the subplot. Angel is having doubts about having a future with buffy, thanks to what the mayor said to him a few eps ago. Joyce then enters and tells him pretty much the exact same thing the mayor did, which is a little redundant, but it's still nice for the two of them to have a scene together. I don't think the two of them have appeared onscreen at all this season, aside from brief moment in 'lovers walk', so I assume buffy told joyce all about angel offscreen at some point.

Later on angel has a dream where he and buffy are getting married, and upon going out into the sunshine, it's her who bursts into flames, showing how they can't possibly have a future together without her being hurt. The dreams on this show are getting better all the time. I cringed watching buffy and angel on a beach at the start of the season, but now the dreams make me feel like I'm watching something epic.

So then we come to the sewer talk. You really feel for buffy even if you side with angel (and even if, like me, you're not a big fan of the ship anyway), it's such a heart breaking scene, especially when angel calls their relationship a freakshow. Also, listen out for a couple of buffy's lines which would be repeated in 'soul purpose', sampling SMG's voice during a dream sequence.

The later conversation buffy has with willow is just as emotional as the sewer talk, as buffy reveals- "I think horrible is still coming. Right now, it's worse. Right now, I'm just trying to keep from dying". I can't watch that without feeling for her.

Meanwhile, some guy called tucker is training hellhounds to attack people in formalwear. He's a cliche forgettable character, but you'd better remember him, because he'd be mentioned every other time andrew appears on screen throughout the last two seasons.

I really feel sorry for those actors playing the hellhounds. They did the best they could I suppose, but the sight of three guys in hairy suits bouncing down the street on all fours was just ridiculous. And what's the deal with them being remote-controlled anyway? Are they robot hellhounds?

There's also a miniplot about xander and cordy. He finds out she's lost all her money, and instead of rubbing it in, he hides it from the gang to spare her the embarassment, and buys her the dress she wanted. One of the all-time great xander moments, and it's a little sad how these scenes are so overshadowed by the buffy/angel break-up scene, and the ending, which are bigger, and more emotional.

Anya's back! Wooo! Like I said before, I'm not sure why she would pick xander to go to the prom with, considering she's heard nothing but bad things about him. It's not a big problem though, and it's nice to have her back, and getting a little closer to being a scooby member. Already her lack of social skills are becoming apparent, though I did get a bit tired of her constantly talking about the men she's killed/punished throughout the episode.

So buffy finds out about tucker and the hellhounds, and is determined to give everyone a happy, safe prom, "if I have to kill every single person on the face of the earth to do it". Xander's reaction of 'yay' has got to be the funniest moment of the episode. Though giles sarcastically saying he will go to the prom in pink taffeta is a close second.

Buffy runs into angel buying blood. It's nice that we finally see where angel gets his blood from... three years into the show, and right before he's about to leave. She then returns to the library, and in a nice scene giles comforts her by offering ice cream... only to be visibly concerned when she decides the way to vent her emotions is violence. She then finds tucker, and in a possibly unintentionally hilarious scene, he hits her on the head with a vase, which she barely feels, as though getting hit with a vase was just a minor annoyance.

Buffy then beats up the hellhounds and gets undressed (outside?) and enters the prom in a dress. It's nice seeing everyone happy, and wesley's feelings for cordy are amusing as always. I especially likes giles telling him he had the emotional maturity of a blueberry scone. ;D

The second big moment in this ep (after the break up) is when buffy gets the award for saving everyones lives over the years. It's great that she finally gets the recognition she deserves, though I can't help but wonder just how much the kids know. Are they vaguely aware she's put a stop to a few attacks, or do they know she fights vampires and demons? I also noticed one kid mentioned hyena people, which no one outside the scooby gang could have known about, or at least couldn't have made the connection that the kids from 'the pack' were acting like hyenas.

Then angel returns and dances with buffy one last time. It's meant to be a big emotional moment, but by this point I'm all emotioned-out.

Upon rewatching, I liked this epiosde even more than before. 7.

I forgot to mention- I also liked that scene earlier when xander complained the video of the hellhound in the shop couldn't do all the fancy features you see in the movies, but it can do pause.

[partcynic]

First, just a quick note to say that this review was particularly good (though I always enjoy hearing your thoughts).

The main plot of this episode is the break-up, with the supernatural story about hellhounds being only the subplot. Angel is having doubts about having a future with buffy, thanks to what the mayor said to him a few eps ago.

One episode ago!

Later on angel has a dream where he and buffy are getting married, and upon going out into the sunshine, it's her who bursts into flames, showing how they can't possibly have a future together without her being hurt. The dreams on this show are getting better all the time. I cringed watching buffy and angel on a beach at the start of the season, but now the dreams make me feel like I'm watching something epic.

I agree - they got so much better as time went on. Looking back, it would have seemed ridiculous that the same people responsible for the dream in "Anne" could produce "Restless" later. But the dream in this ep was a sign of clear progression in how they handled these things (I also really like the one in "Graduation Day").

So then we come to the sewer talk. You really feel for buffy even if you side with angel (and even if, like me, you're not a big fan of the ship anyway), it's such a heart breaking scene, especially when angel calls their relationship a freakshow. Also, listen out for a couple of buffy's lines which would be repeated in 'soul purpose', sampling SMG's voice during a dream sequence.

The later conversation buffy has with willow is just as emotional as the sewer talk, as buffy reveals- "I think horrible is still coming. Right now, it's worse. Right now, I'm just trying to keep from dying". I can't watch that without feeling for her.

Yep - those are really powerful scenes. Even though I was begging for B/A to finally end it, it was impossible not to feel Buffy's heartbreak.

There's also a miniplot about xander and cordy. He finds out she's lost all her money, and instead of rubbing it in, he hides it from the gang to spare her the embarassment, and buys her the dress she wanted. One of the all-time great xander moments, and it's a little sad how these scenes are so overshadowed by the buffy/angel break-up scene, and the ending, which are bigger, and more emotional.

I really liked that too. Maturity suits the character well - he's changed so much from the spiteful, judgemental ass he was at the start of the year.

Anya's back! Wooo! Like I said before, I'm not sure why she would pick xander to go to the prom with, considering she's heard nothing but bad things about him. It's not a big problem though, and it's nice to have her back, and getting a little closer to being a scooby member. Already her lack of social skills are becoming apparent, though I did get a bit tired of her constantly talking about the men she's killed/punished throughout the episode.

Imagine how I felt about her doing it for four-odd years.

[cyclica]

Feb 22, 2010 16:03:36 GMT -5 partcynic said:

- The prom itself is fun, though I would have liked to have seen a few other minor characters (Harmony; Amy; Larry etc) in the background.

You mean amy the rat?

Feb 22, 2010 16:03:36 GMT -5 partcynic said:

- Since when was Xander anywhere near the definition of an ‘alpha male’? You’d think that Anya of all people would realise that he isn’t (unless she was trying to butter him up, though I don’t think that’s the case).

Agreed.

I always assumed that comment meant he was the alpha male out of the guys in the scooby gang, in other words he's 'above' oz, and giles and wesley don't count, being grown ups. Though that explanation would mean anya has to know a lot about the inner workings of the scooby gang.

Feb 22, 2010 16:03:36 GMT -5 partcynic said:

- If Hellhounds are such vicious, deadly killers, how was a nineteen-year-old able to safely keep and rear them? In addition, how exactly did they know where to go once they were unleashed? I’m assuming that Tucker had trained them to go directly to the school instead of randomly dispersing through Sunnydale.

I'm guessing the hellhounds are as intelligent/loyal as dogs are.

First, just a quick note to say that this review was particularly good (though I always enjoy hearing your thoughts).

Thanks.

One episode ago!

eep.

It felt like longer.