Buffy: Once More, with Feeling (6.7)

One of the worst things I've ever seen was last year's Grey's Anatomy musical episode, in which weepy lesbian spirits sang Snow Patrol while watching themselves being operated on. It was just one of the most ludicrous, embarrassing and illogical things I've had the displeasure of watching; a perfect example of over-ambitious TV writers who think it'd be fun for characters to randomly burst into song. You see a similar mode of thinking on Glee, where kids randomly start performing some awful Katy Perry track that has nothing to do with the character's current predicaments. I'm obviously bringing all this up because Once More, with Feeling could have so easily been a collection of random scenes where characters began to sing Top 40 hits. Xander could have sung Mr. Cellophane, Anya maybe Material Girl. Buffy, with her recent death woes, could introduce a self-referential angle to an old Lesley Gore tune. It could have been so very silly.

But, bizarrely, Once More, with Feeling is one of the greatest television experiences I've ever had. It's the episode I've probably watched the most -- as much a glorious tribute to 1930's Technicolor wonder as it is a radical exploration into the collective psyches of the Scooby Gang. Each song is catchy and beautifully written, as well as breathtakingly insightful. It's so insanely creative and watchable, Joss Whedon cementing his stunning talents with a fifty-minute masterpiece of epic musical proportions.

Going Through the Motions

One of the major themes that runs through the musical is how sad each song is from a lyrical stand-point, no matter how chipper and catchy the melodies are. This opening number is all about Buffy's inner sadness, how she's no longer the Buffy of old but a walking zombie of sorts, trying to find some new form of meaning in her life but struggling to be 'alive'. It's a strong track, and I love the demons dancing along with Buffy and the great inter-cut dialogue of both 'she's not even half the girl she -- ow!' and later 'will I stay this way forever/sleepwalk through my life's endeavor/how can I repay? - / - whatever'.

I've Got a Theory/Bunnies

It's a typical research scene put to lyrics, but full of little moments of wonder, like Tara's little jazz hands and the 'midgets' line. Similarly, Anya's rock anthem about her sworn nemesis is one of the highlights of the episode, the matter-of-fact lyrics ('What's with all the carrots?') fitting so beautifully with her character.

Under Your Spell

Following on from the sadness versus musical angle, this is probably the saddest song of the episode. Amber Benson's voice is gorgeous, and the over-the-top happiness of Tara celebrating her love for Willow is so hauntingly undermined by the fact that Tara is literally under her spell. The thought that all of this joy is contrived via magic is so depressing. It's also important to note how ridiculously dirty this song is, which makes the memory of my thirteen year-old self playing the soundtrack CD around the house suddenly mortifying. "You make me commmme-plete". Gah. Sorry, Mom.

I'll Never Tell

A hilarious Fred and Ginger tribute with so many genius lyrics, from the penis line to Anya's casual interruptions to the knowing wink at how insane this entire story is: "Look at me, I'm dancing crazy!" Like Under Your Spell, it's a pop track with a sad undercurrent -- Xander and Anya covering up how they really feel about their engagement through elaborate lying and faking their way through things, hoping to miraculously break out of their respective funks sometime before the big day. Emma Caulfield's voice is so great here, too. I feel like she didn't get enough praise for her part.

Rest in Peace

This is a classic depiction of Spike's challenging emotions, that go against his vampire nature as well as what should be his vamp-slayer relationship with Buffy. It compliments Going Through the Motions in a lot of ways, too, with Spike noticing that Buffy wants to misbehave, almost referencing Buffy's own prior lyrics about formerly being 'righteous' but now 'wavering'. James Marsters has some incredible rock pipes, and I love the staging for this song, from the crypt to the graveyard to the destruction of the late-night funeral. I also love Sarah Michelle Gellar's silent work here, especially that great part where she stands up all alert in Spike's crypt as he begins to throw things around. Great pop video acting, SMG!

What You Feel

Not as arresting because it's a Broadway trained guest star's song, but this works. The choreography is impressive, and I love Dawn's dialogue where she's trying to convince him how icky their whole arrangement is.

Standing/Standing-Under Your Spell Reprise

I can't help but get weepy over this. It's about a father figure realizing he's not doing the best for his kid, and I guess that kind of resonated with me. Anthony Stewart Head's voice is so strong, and you can totally feel Giles' inner trauma as he tries to figure out his next move. It's also fitting that Buffy completely failed to notice that Giles just broke into song, once again reflecting how she's been taking him for granted lately. But what I find completely gorgeous is when Tara joins in the song, she and Giles singing over each other. It's one of the saddest scenes in the episode, as both characters gaze over at their lost loved ones, who have no idea how much pain they're both in.

Walk Through the Fire

It's the big group number, and I don't know how anybody doesn't get pumped up by this. Again, it's about Buffy being lost in the world, and how feelings that she once had don't seem to be there anymore. She may be resurrected, but she's certainly not 'alive'. She walks into battle unafraid of what's to come, as she's almost so unhappy that any badness can't possibly be worse than what she's going through in this dimension. The parts of the song where the Scoobies all sing over each other are glorious, and the badass proclamation of 'the point of no return' followed by the fire-trucks racing past is just so freakin' awesome!!!

Something to Sing About/Where Do We Go from Here

On a purely superficial level, I adore Giles' asking Anya and Tara to back-up Buffy's performance, and Sarah's dancing is incredible. Similarly, the big dance number at the end is so wonderfully corny, and I love that Spike recognizes it and quickly skedaddles. It's a song all about pain, and the harsh truths that Buffy has been hiding for a while. That's pretty much the theme of the episode, with everybody's secrets only coming out when they're experiencing the effects of a magic spell.

I hate to sound ridiculous, but this episode works on literally every level. The way each song is tailored to each character and their individual story arcs this year is genius, and you can totally see all the effort and rehearsal put into this hour. Even outside of the songs, there are some wonderful lines of dialogue: "I gave birth to a pterodactyl"/"Oh my god, did it sing?"; "One more verse of our little ditty and I would have been reaching for a gas can"; "I was able to examine the body while the police were taking witness arias"; "I love a good entrance"/"How are you with death scenes?"; "I'm a hair's breadth away from investigating bunnies at this point"; "I'm just worried this whole session's gonna turn into some training montage from an '80s movie"; "Clearly our number was a retro pastiche that's never going to be a breakaway pop hit". Couple all this with the romantic culmination of five years-worth of Buffy and Spike's sexual tension (before the horror settles in, naturally), and the old-Hollywood glory of it all is achingly beautiful.

Once More, with Feeling is a stunning masterpiece that ranks high in the finest Buffy episodes. Actually, it's one of the finest episodes in television history, a remarkably confident and breezy sing-a-long extravaganza with a ton of inner meaning and depth. Genius. A+

Credits
Guest stars Anthony Stewart Head (Rupert Giles); Hinton Battle (Sweet); Amber Benson (Tara Maclay)
Writer Joss Whedon Director Joss Whedon