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Favourite Buffy Episodes – The Yoko Factor (S4, ep20)

In Doomed we got to see how Spike uses words to manipulate the Scoobies. Back then, it didn't really work – Xander and Willow felt a bit bad about their lack of purpose in Buffy’s slaying activities but the general tone of the episode was one of hope and it essentially ended on a good note. In The Yoko Factor, tensions are rising and the team finds itself rather divided. What’s more, Angel pops in for some fun, which leads to yet more tension between himself and Riley.

We start off with an update from the newly Rileyless Initiative. Seems that with Adam running around instigating chaos, the captive demons want to join in, which the Initiative is having some difficulty handling. Still, the general’s arrogance is impenetrable and he continues to believe they’re on top of things. Back in Adam's lair, Spike and Adam are discussing the source of Buffy’s strength, coming to the conclusion that Spike has so far been unable to kill her because she has such a strong network of friends. Throughout the series, there has been a strong emphasis on the importance of Buffy’s friendships with Giles, Xander and Willow; but in this episode, we find out what would happen if all that were to fall apart – namely that Buffy can’t function without her friends.

The inspiration for this episode is referenced by Spike, who tells Adam (whose favourite Beatles song, worryingly yet unsurprisingly, is Helter Skelter) that the Beatles drifted apart naturally, but Yoko Ono always gets the blame. With the same methods he used in Doomed to make himself feel better, Spike verbally manipulates the gang into breaking themselves up. This is the good old fashioned Spike we grew to love back in Season 2, even though he is still unable to physically harm anyone. Through preying on the gang’s insecurities, Spike is able to once again gain a position of power. After having spent so much time observing the inner workings of the Scoobies, Spike is able to recognise the weak links in the chain – Giles feels that Buffy doesn’t need him anymore, Xander is an outsider and failure at working life, and Willow is worried about Buffy’s perception of Tara, the new love in her life.

On a similar note, the contrast between the Initiative and the Scoobies is once again displayed (or hammered in) by a confrontation between Buffy and Forrest in a, uh, forest. Both on their way to Adam’s lair, they argue over Riley and his decision to choose the Scoobies over the Initiative. Forrest says that with Buffy interfering, the Initiative ‘family’ is breaking apart. Buffy then remarks that the Initiative must be a family like the Corleone family (nice Godfather reference), painting the Initiative as being founded on manipulation and crime, against the gang’s more honest and less dysfunctional ways of coping.

After having visited Angel in LA, Buffy is already exhausted, although the confrontation with Adam in the forest wears her out even more. But there’s barely a moment to recover as she has to break apart the bickering Riley and Angel. The Riley/Angel subplot is a highlight of the episode. It essentially suggests that no matter how old a man is, whether 20 or 200, when it comes to ladies, jealousy will get the better of him. Angel of course came to Sunnydale to apologise for the hurtful things he said to Buffy in LA, a mature act no doubt. But when Angel is confronted by Riley (who thinks he is evil), he promptly turns into an insecure little boy – he doesn’t deny having slept with Buffy (which Riley presumes), he gets in a fight with Riley, and then he has the cheek to say ‘he started it’ when Buffy tells them both off. But Riley is no better, seeing as his stubbornness very amusingly leads him to having to stay in Buffy’s dorm room (‘not moving a muscle’) while Angel and Buffy talk in the corridor. Riley will always be in the shadow of Angel, in and outside of the show, and this episode very boldly draws attention to this. Still, it’s nice to get some closure on the whole ‘Bangel’ debacle. After Angel left for LA, there was always the possibility that he and Buffy would maybe work out their unique situation. These scenes put that possibility firmly to rest as both Buffy and Angel acknowledge that they are no longer a part of each other’s lives.

Spike’s manipulation of Buffy’s friends is serious, but the writers have still managed to retain that malicious humour that is a signature of Spike. His unsubtly feigned obliviousness of Willow’s new “hobbies” (i.e. witchcraft as a euphemism for her relationship with Tara) is hilarious, as is Giles’ sudden urge to drink. Xander’s wardrobe also once again leads to comedy in this episode, as he provides Riley with a pair of clown pants while his military gear is being washed. Xander himself was always enough of an oddball to pull off the sometimes comically bad outfits, almost. Making Spike wear cropped trousers in Doomed was funny enough, but Riley’s clown pants moment definitely takes the crown.

The message of the episode is obviously that people are stronger if they work as a team, and this can definitely be seen in The Yoko Factor. By the end of the episode, Buffy is willing to take on Adam alone, seeing as the group is divided and the characters feel bad about themselves. The situation finally reaches boiling point and Buffy realises that Spike is the culprit. This ironically unites the team – the one thing they have in common is that they were all stupid enough to fall for Spike’s plan. Only then are they able to move towards a solution to the problem Adam poses. Now they’re ready to take action, and the way they do it is by working together. Buffy’s friends may appear to be useless in battle, but they are actually what makes her strong. Buffy needs her support system, whether physically or emotionally. This is what makes Buffy special, and this will be tested in the coming seasons.

You can see The Yoko Factor on Monday at 7pm on Syfy.

Written by Miriam Kent

I grew up on Buffy, have a big love for comics, and am obsessed with cats. My favourite film is Evil Dead II. I have a love/hate relationship with Nicolas Cage movies and a soft spot for Harry Potter.