I don't know if it's considered sacrilege to say this, but I can't stand Tara. Or maybe I just can't stand Amber Benson's portrayal of Tara? Either way, I find her frustrating. I don't think she's funny, I don't think the writers gave her a whole lot to work with to make the character interesting, and I don't understand why Amber played her in such a way that I can only describe as... mentally challenged. Even before her brain-suck, Tara is so strange in that ridiculous way she walks and the pained expression she constantly wears on her face. Her body language on that bench is just bizarre. She's slumped there in such an obviously "sad" kind of way, like it's Acting 101. I just don't get her performances at all. I do get that Tara is supposed to be shy and awkward, but I never, ever thought Amber sold that. Tara became a much stronger character in season six, but she's just awful here. Gah. Sorry for the rant.Amber's acting wasn't the only thing that bothered me here, since it was one of a whole bunch of things that felt more than a little artificial. I'm usually a huge fan of this show's dialogue, but a couple of lines here had me rolling my eyes. I guess it takes a while to ease into writing for such famous characters, but newbie writer Rebecca Rand Kirshner's has responsible for a pretty clumsy script. Buffy is written as obnoxiously sanctimonious when she tries to adopt a maternal role over Dawn, while Dawn is more annoying than usual. She also uses the exact same "Oh, that's not what we're talking about" fake-out twice in ten minutes: "Maybe there's a wicked demonic creature living inside you that takes control of your body?" and "We both know that she's more than just a kid". Ugh. Clunkety clunk-clunk.
Before I'm accused of shitting all over this, I did like Willow being made aware of how powerful she's getting, and how she's letting her magic override her common sense. She's been acting recklessly for a while now, and finally she's gotten confronted with that. I also liked Glory a lot here, too. She's been pretty stagnant all season, but Clare Kramer nails the whole 'evil valley girl' thing, and I loved her calm reaction to Willow's doomed attempt at a takedown.
Tough Love feels a lot like the show staggering events for the big finish, and most of the characters come off badly. Only Giles has a scene which feels fresh and interesting, but that only lasts thirty seconds or so. Blah. D+
Credits
Guest stars Clare Kramer (Glory); Charlie Weber (Ben); Troy T. Blendell (Jinx); Anne Betancourt (Principal Stevens); Leland Crooke (Professor Lillian); Amber Benson (Tara Maclay)
Writer Rebecca Rand Kirshner Director David Grossman
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ReplyDeleteFinally it's so nice to read a rant about Tara that expresses EXACTLY how I felt all those years. Bravo Max excellently stated!
ReplyDeleteHow did you NOT mention the ending? Aside from Willow's awesome attack and Buffy saving her, I LOVE the creepy scene of Glory surprising the gang by literally ripping the wall out! It used to creep me out with its awesomeness!
It's funny, I love Tara, and Amber Benson for that matter, but now that you've pointed her 'mentally challenged' performance, I actually have to agree with you; it's quite strange. I do like her performances elsewhere though.
ReplyDeleteI love Willow's power advancement too, the confrontation with Glory is amazingly done, as is the ending, which Nadim already pointed out. The season really took off here.
I can't agree with you on the rating though, it's easily above B standard for me, but maybe age will open me up to its flaws like it did for you.
It's weird with Tara, since I never actively 'disliked' her, it's just all these little things suddenly became more and more annoying, and then it all came crashing down while watching Tough Love. Amber's a sweetheart, but some of her acting choices are a little baffling.
ReplyDeleteAnd, yeah, this is where my season five reviews kind of spin off away from popular opinion. I found this last run a real drag...
Slumped on the bench!.. it's true..
ReplyDeleteI think she comes across as fairly interesting because we don't get to see her in her best light, maybe that's a strange way to look at it considering they could've shown her in that light already but I think the shy quality is enough to go by and there are little nuggets of likeability. Willow's devotion and Glory's savouring of her mind make Tara quite intriguing, (I know- tactics for the gullible!) I'm interested in how she's written for the next season.
I think it's quite an evaluative episode though, of not taking for granted what you have, Willow and Tara, Buffy and Dawn, I liked that moment where Spike went to comfort Dawn on the head but then withdrew- he was afraid of going too far in showing his true self. At a streeetch Ben losing his job also relates, I'm wondering if he's going to play the back end of the horse for much longer! That moment when Tara turned smiling only to face Glory felt really powerful to me, like everything in their world really isn't as secure as it seems- Glory wrenching off the front of the house within that tender scene was similar also- something to do with revelations and waking up- the key being discovered- and light, other than the darkness of Spike's cave, I think this might have been a rare episode where there weren't any night scenes, but I don't know if I'm right in thinking that's rare?
I would agree this episode was a bit gloopy and clunkified (well, very clunkified!) but C+ is nicer than D+! But you're right, we shouldn't go easy on a show like this!