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Buffy Review: Once More, With Feeling

What you need to ask yourself about Once More Feeling is, first; does it work as a musical? And second; does it work as an episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

It’s a great musical; the songs are well structured, catchy and integrated perfectly into the plot. Skilfully, it employs the classical musical tropes to great effect, such as using the songs to reveal to the audience how the characters are really feeling. The songs are significant storytelling devices rather than being there for the sake of it.

Joss knows his stuff, he is clearly no stranger to the musical; he doesn’t randomly assign songs and knows where his players skills lie and how to get the best out of them; in another era and medium he would likely have found himself working with Kelly, Astaire and O’Connor. His work on Once More with Feeling has subsequently led to him being invited to direct an episode of Glee, the musical for the new generation.

Spike, the romantic interest of the piece, gets the angsty ballad laced with a rock star edge in ‘Let Me Rest In Peace’.

The melody and richness of the best voices are put together in a beautifully arranged duet between Giles and Tara.

And because she has the weakest voice, and at Alyson Hannigan’s request, Willow gets “a line that’s mostly filler”. But that’s ok because she gets to do the lesbian ballet with Tara. ‘I’m Under Your Spell’ is probably my least favourite number of the episode due to how saccharine it is, but then, it is a musical. And the clever double meaning of the song slows the sugar rush, because Tara is quite literally and unwillingly under Willow’s spell.

Once More With Feeling is the perfect Buffy episode – drama, intrigue and some of the most quotable dialogue of the series, even when singing! The episode is a major turning point for the series and features Buffy’s big emotional reveal, her first kiss with Spike (every good musical closes on a kiss) and it heralds in the dark journey that Series 6 will take its characters on.

Also, it has the coolest demon of the entire Buffy tenure. I don’t know about you, but I’d happily join Sweet in Hellsville; he, and the episode itself, is most certainly bringing the fun in.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 6 continues every weeknight at 7pm on Syfy.

Written by Louise Oliver

Louise is an arty type from Glasgow, she is Creative Director of theatre company Rhymes with Purple. Second to the arts is her love for all things Sci-Fi; favourite films include Aliens, Empire Strikes Back, Shaun of the Dead. TV – Buffy, Spaced, Firefly, Battlestar Galactica.
Personal Blog - http://alittleshorttobeastormtrooper.blogspot.com/
Twitter @lucilleburn