Buffy: The Harsh Light of Day (4.3)

This felt like a big reunion episode, with Spike, Harmony and Anya all coming back into the fold. Whoever decided to bring Harmony back as a vampire deserves some major kudos. It's surprising though watching the previous three seasons that she was barely on the show. Then she gets vamped and suddenly becomes a major recurring character. The Spike/Harmony relationship is hilarious, not only because of their love/hate kinky/abusive chemistry, but also due to the hysterical reactions from the Scoobies.

Parker Abrams is a fucking asshole. I hated his 'too-goddamn-perfect' routine in his first appearance last week, and he's even more insufferable here. Buffy does that typical freshman thing of being far more open with your sexuality, dropping some of the more conservative hang-ups you have in high school (for some, at least). Unfortunately, she's manipulated into bed by this complete dickwad who completely plays on her insecurities and seduces her with his gross mourning of his dead dad. Ugh. It was horrible that, just like right after she lost her virginity, Buffy blamed herself for her lover's coldness. Poor Buffy.

I'm assuming Anya was brought back to fill the big humor vacuum left when Cordelia jumped ship, and I couldn't be happier. She's a really wonderful character, her unpretentious and cutting dialogue always hilarious, and her chemistry with Xander is really adorable. They're both nervous and unsure of what they're experiencing, but both for vastly different reasons. Xander because he's an inexperienced teenage boy. Anya because she's a thousand year-old demon who's never known romantic feelings. I love these two together.

The Harsh Light of Day feels a lot like the first episode of the 'new' Buffy. Season four opened with two episodes that merely set the stage, this feels like the gears changing and the show firing on all cylinders. The ensemble is working together perfectly, Spike's aggression and violence make him a formidable villain once more, and the more 'human' stories are painfully honest and relatable. Great episode. A

Credits
Guest stars Emma Caulfield (Anya); Mercedes McNab (Harmony Kendall); Adam Kaufman (Parker Abrams); James Marsters (Spike)
Writer Jane Espenson Director James A. Contner