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Post by Clare on Sept 26, 2008 11:02:16 GMT -5
6.07 Once More, With Feeling - Episode #107
A mysterious force compels the gang to burst into song, revealing their innermost feelings as they do so.
Review (also post a score out of 10) and discuss this episode.
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Post by cyclica on May 30, 2009 11:58:10 GMT -5
Once more with feeling is one of the highlights of season 6. Not just for the novelty of the singing but because there’s so much going on- giles planning to leave, tara discovering willow has been messing with her mind (I’m under your spell – literally!), the revelation of where buffy really went when she died, the xanya song that revealed they have doubts in their relationship, and a spike song that, well, added nothing. But he had to have a song too I guess. There were loads of great little moments, like the new opening credits, anya’s little bunnies song, and the fact that dawn’s song was cut short before it had really begun.  And I loved the look of the sweet’s minions, with their big heads. They didn’t really look demonic, but they still looked cool. Yep, it’s a great episode, well up until the end anyway. So it turns out it was all xander’s fault... but he’s not told off and it’s never mentioned again. And for some reason only the scoobies remember the events of this ep, all the townspeople forget, at least I assume. And what’s with that last song, when they’re not under the spell anymore, and spike walks away? Ok it was funny, but still it made no sense. And it lead to spuffy. Boo! I give OMWF a 7. For season 6 it’s a great episode, but it’s not without flaws. |
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Post by partcynic on Nov 14, 2010 11:32:23 GMT -5
6x07 “Once More, With Feeling”
Episode Rating = 9
Easily the best episode of S6, “Once More, With Feeling” is one of only two shows from the year I can watch with any regularity, and a shining example of why “Buffy” needs Joss Whedon. The series’ quality has steadily decreased in line with his declining involvement, and it’s no shock that the first year in which things started getting ropey (S4) was also the first he didn’t have a full hand in. You only need to look at this ep in comparison to the six ones that preceded it to see the strengths his writing brings to the show – unlike everything we’ve had in S6 this far, this one had humour and emotion, and the (multiple!) plot developments were substantial. It’s funny to think that this has the exact same, soap-opera structure as all the others, but that only serves to show what difference a bit of wit makes, and angst is far easier to digest when it’s paired with moments that are more light-hearted.
What I Liked about “Once More, With Feeling”:
- As with “The Gift”, it’s wonderful that Christophe Beck was brought in to handle the musical score – his material is much better than Thomas Wanker’s, and enhances the show instead of dragging it down. Though I do feel sorry for Mr Wanker – it must be an obvious burn to be deliberately excluded from the more important episodes.
- The opening sequence is very enjoyable, and nicely filmed. There’s lots of movement, and on repeat viewings it’s fun to listen closely and pick up the musical themes that will later emerge in the songs.
- This episode is very well paced. Something significant and interesting happens in almost every scene, and even the comparatively unproductive moments have some worthwhile jokes and singing.
- The cinematography is very good – there’s lots of colour and attention to detail, and the dance numbers were excellently staged; with special credit to the dynamic and fluid sequence in Xander and Anya’s apartment.
- It’s great that the characters acknowledge the bizarreness of everyone’s impromptu singing, and I appreciated that explaining the sudden musical inclinations was a fundamental part of the narrative.
- Sweet was a novel demon, and I thought that make-up team did a good job on his facial prosthetics. It was cool to have a monster who was more interested in obtaining nice things than causing mindless destruction, and his puppet-soldiers were unique for disposable henchmen.
- Overall, the songs were great. There was an excellent mixture of styles (straight-up Broadway; group singalongs; folk; pop; rock; jazz) and almost all of them were well-written. I’ll admit that I preferred the softer and more melodic moments when it came to arrangement and composition (the only track I’d consider listening to on its own would be “Under Your Spell”), but the lyrics were all strong. Each managed to capture the essence of where the characters were at that moment, and conveyed things like Xander’s worries about marriage far more effectively than any of material we had before (or will get after). It was also good that they were relatively brief – each song started, conveyed its point and finished, and the genre hopping helped keep my interest despite the thin plotting. Since the music was the focal point of the story, this is a huge plus, and largely responsible for my positive feelings.
- After so much super-seriousness, I loved that an ep came along that incorporated real humour (with none of that Trio, ‘let’s make yet another reference to Star Trek’ stuff that’s served as the season’s excuse for comedy), and it was a nice change to get some genuine laughs while watching.
- All of the character progressions were worthwhile. Tara discovering Willow’s betrayal; the gang learning that Buffy had been in heaven and the commencement of the Buffy/Spike affair were all important occurrences, and this was the first S6 episode I came out of feeling 1) fulfilled and 2) as though something meaningful had happened.
What I Disliked about “Once More, With Feeling”:
- Though I applaud everyone for having the bravery and effort to sing, it doesn’t change the fact that this ep consists of showtunes sung by people with little vocal ability. Amber Benson and Tony Head were comparatively better than their castmates, but even they could do with some extensive training.
- Some of the humour is over the top. Anya’s “must be bunnies” segue was way overdone, and the repetitive sex jokes (“what else would I pump you for?”) reeked of immaturity. There are also a number of clumsy quips (“I’m hardly quaking in my stylish yet affordable boots”, and Sweet’s cheesy “now that’s entertainment”).
- The vamp-face morph for Spike during his song is terribly done, and pulls me out of the scene whenever I see it.
- How did Sweet’s puppets get into the Summers house, and how did they know where to find Dawn in the first place? It’s also problematic that they appear behind her, when her room only has one entry point. Thus, getting in would require them to silently tiptoe past her while she was singing to the mirror.
- I didn’t buy Giles’ insistence that Buffy go after Sweet alone. Yes, he’s worried about her becoming dependent on him, but it’s not as though this was a generic case. With Dawn in danger, the gang facing a threat unlike anything they’ve encountered before, and the ‘bad guy summons Buffy to meet him at a specific place’ plan screaming “trap” (not to mention being something that they’ve already been duped by - on multiple occasions), I found his behaviour poorly judged and out of character.
- The biggest issue for this episode was the ridiculous reveal that Xander had summoned Sweet. Ignoring the fact that messing with magic is completely out of character for him (given his experience in “Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered” and his opposition to Willow’s delusting spell in “Lover’s Walk”), the episode makes no effort to have the reveal make sense. Early on, Xander is as shocked as the others by the singing (when he obviously shouldn’t be), and it’s inexplicable that he didn’t speak up when people started dying. Seeing that the show has made a huge noise about this in the past (and will again imminently, in both “Dead Things” and the Dark Willow arc), it’s really frustrating that Xander’s role is ignored. Why is bad behaviour that results in the deaths of innocent people fine and dandy when a ‘funny’ character does it, but horribly wrong for everyone else?
Do I like this episode more or less than the last time I watched it?
I still really like it, and enjoyed it all the more after slogging through “All the Way”. Although this does have more glaring problems than eps I’d usually put in my top ratings tiers, it manages to compensate for most of them by virtue of its fully realised ambition. It’s fantastic to see the show take a cliché that’s usually done as a ratings gimmick and structure an actual plot around it, and to make its songs key tools in both developing the characters and giving us a clear insight into their minds. With an original story (at least for the show), tons of creativity, lots of well-executed humour and drama, and sheer effort from the cast and crew, “Once More, With Feeling” is basically “Buffy”’s last hurrah, and one I feel is worth a (low) nine out of ten.
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Post by cyclica on Dec 5, 2010 15:20:52 GMT -5
Easily the best episode of S6, “Once More, With Feeling” is one of only two shows from the year I can watch with any regularity, Even though this is unquestionably the best episode of s6, not to mention unique, I actually rarely watch this one outside of marathons. Singing aside, the episode too much a part of the continuing s6 storyline for me to view it on it's own. and a shining example of why “Buffy” needs Joss Whedon. The series’ quality has steadily decreased in line with his declining involvement, and it’s no shock that the first year in which things started getting ropey (S4) was also the first he didn’t have a full hand in. You only need to look at this ep in comparison to the six ones that preceded it to see the strengths his writing brings to the show – unlike everything we’ve had in S6 this far, this one had humour and emotion, and the (multiple!) plot developments were substantial. ... All of the character progressions were worthwhile. Tara discovering Willow’s betrayal; the gang learning that Buffy had been in heaven and the commencement of the Buffy/Spike affair were all important occurrences, and this was the first S6 episode I came out of feeling 1) fulfilled and 2) as though something meaningful had happened. Agreed. This is the first episode since the gift that really 'feels' like buffy. I agree with all your positives, so on to the negatives- - The vamp-face morph for Spike during his song is terribly done, and pulls me out of the scene whenever I see it. It's strange how btvs and angel get the vamp-face-morph perfect almost every time, but now and again, even in the later years, they have a scene that looks like an obvious green screen. You'd think by s6 they would have perfected it. I can only assume it's a budget thing. - How did Sweet’s puppets get into the Summers house, and how did they know where to find Dawn in the first place? It’s also problematic that they appear behind her, when her room only has one entry point. Thus, getting in would require them to silently tiptoe past her while she was singing to the mirror. Teleportation powers? - The biggest issue for this episode was the ridiculous reveal that Xander had summoned Sweet. Ignoring the fact that messing with magic is completely out of character for him (given his experience in “Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered” and his opposition to Willow’s delusting spell in “Lover’s Walk”), the episode makes no effort to have the reveal make sense. Early on, Xander is as shocked as the others by the singing (when he obviously shouldn’t be), and it’s inexplicable that he didn’t speak up when people started dying. Seeing that the show has made a huge noise about this in the past (and will again imminently, in both “Dead Things” and the Dark Willow arc), it’s really frustrating that Xander’s role is ignored. Why is bad behaviour that results in the deaths of innocent people fine and dandy when a ‘funny’ character does it, but horribly wrong for everyone else? Not only is his behaviour ignored, but the gang burst into song of their own free will, soon after discovering he's the one behind all the trouble and deaths the spell has caused! I still really like it, and enjoyed it all the more after slogging through “All the Way”. Although this does have more glaring problems than eps I’d usually put in my top ratings tiers, it manages to compensate for most of them by virtue of its fully realised ambition. For me, this is a mostly average episode. The novelty of the songs is a big plus, but it's negated by the flaws, and that fact that it's a part of the s6 storyline. If these things cancel each other out, what you're left with is a typical buffy episode, and I'm not giving an ep high marks just because an episode feels like older episodes used to, or because this ep is a 'breath of fresh air' in s6 (which it is). I'm sticking with my 7. |
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Post by partcynic on Dec 8, 2010 13:03:44 GMT -5
Agreed. It was great to have a s6 episode where stuff actually happened, and where there was significant attention to detail.
That's a fair assessment - I can definitely see where you're coming from here.
If the minions could teleport, wouldn't they have used that power when being grabbed by Spike/leaving the Magic Box/fighting Buffy at the Bronze?
Definitely. It's a big shame, as the the ep was doing so well until that point.
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Post by cyclica on Dec 12, 2010 17:42:26 GMT -5
If the minions could teleport, wouldn't they have used that power when being grabbed by Spike/leaving the Magic Box/fighting Buffy at the Bronze? Perhaos it was sweet who teleported them, and they have to make their own way back? Like with anya as a vengance demon, they can only use teleportation powers for 'official purposes'. |
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And I loved the look of the sweet’s minions, with their big heads. They didn’t really look demonic, but they still looked cool.
