Ep by ep; First Date
The Good; So we finally find out Wood's secret! Some nice comedy stuff with Xander and Danny Strong surprisingly creepy as Jonathon/The First. It's amazing how funny Chao Anh can be with just such a simple old gag.
The Bad; Buffy really should take more care with her cellphone. Who opens a French restaurant down a creepy dark alleyway? Note Woods doesn't lock his door after Buffy leaves whilst he's putting away his knife. Honestly if you were Xander on your first date with Lissa would you ever dream of telling the story of leaving your bride at the altar? Not exactly something that makes a girl think 'Boy this one's a keeper!' (although considering the attraction to bad boys in this series maybe it would impress her?)
Best line; Buffy; (of Xander's date) "Good thing you're not jealous!" Anya; "Are you nuts? Can't you hear my bitter ranting? The shrill edge of hysteria in my voice? Little hardware store whore!"
Kinky dinky; Needless to say Ashanti is GORGEOUS especially when she puts on her sacrificial gear and into bondage fun. The bleeding bit not so much fun nor is her demon form. Half naked Xander, NB slimmed down a lot since season 6. Andrew admires the contents of Buffy's underwear drawer 'Nice things' and notes she has thongs amongst her intimates (as we saw before in Shadow) Interested in her wearing them or him? We also see Buffy in her sexy camisole top. Andrew considers Dawn 'A peach'. Buffy considers Wood's French pear desert 'The best thing I've ever had in my mouth', a line which would make the Carry On team blush! (and she says it in front of Spike!).
Captain Subtext; Xander; "Willow, gay me up!" imagining Scott Bakula in his underwear which Andrew also appreciates. Buffy worries that this would just attract male demons, Dawn mentions that Clem always liked Xander further portraying him as Buffy's gay friend. Willow considers Buffy a 'frisky vixen'. Buffy's description of Woods is very reminiscent of Riley which hardly bodes well for him as a potential lover. Buffy wonders why she's so attracted to 'wicked energy', in the next ep we find out why. Interestingly when Willow asks about Spike Buffy says 'Why does everyone still think I'm in love with Spike?'. Her use of the term 'love' is unprecedented. Buffy is attracted to Woods, another older man for her, older than Riley although still much younger than Spike and Angel (Hank leaving really screwed her up even before all the Slayer dark energy lust kicked in, one wonder's if Dawn will be the same?) And of course Woods whose mother was a Slayer who died when he was four, breaking his heart now finds himself dating one. He comments that he 'Doesn't know how that happened' but I think it doesn't need Freud to guess? Kennedy and Willow now make out and hold hands under the table although she tries to hide it.
Kills: 1 Bringer for Giles, 3 vamps for Buffy plus Lissa giving her her 200th kill! 2 vamps for Woods plus he says he's killed 'A few vamps and some demons' previously so we'll give him 3 more vamps and 2 demons at least.
Total number of scoobies: 15-Chao Anh and Woods join the group. Andrew really picks his side here and starts taking a major step to becoming a proper Scooby. Xander, Buffy, Dawn, Willow, Anya, Spike, Giles, Kennedy, Molly, Vi, Chloe, Rhona, Amanda, Chao-Anh, Woods
Xander demon magnet: 6(7?) yet another demon digs Xander Preying Mantis Lady, Inca Mummy Girl, Drusilla, VampWillow, Anya, Lissa (arguably Buffy & Faith with their demon essences?), Dracula?
Notches on Scooby bedpost: does Xander get anywhere with Lissa before she ties him up? (or afterwards?)
What the fanficcers thought; Once read a HORRIBLE fic where Giles really was killed by the Bringer and season 7 Giles is Ethan Rayne in a glamour spell. In the follow up fic they magically bring Buffy and Spike back from the dead (AGAIN!), Ethan Rayne reforms to become Buffy's new Watcher and Anya and Amanda survive instead of Woods and Giles.
Questions and observations; Note in the scene where Giles' is leading the girls through the graveyard one of the tombs reads 'Snyder'. Only a limited number of Potentials each ep as they can't afford more. Buffy says she believes in Spike. The First knows about the gun implying that Amy was one of it's agents, otherwise how would it know? Of course the 'blood' on Buffy's blouse that Anya is trying to clean is actually the pizza sauce Dawn spilt on it in 'Conversations with Dead People'. People constantly mock Buffy's counselling skills, she seems to actually enjoy her job, something in her life that's NOT connected to slaying (Woods feels the same way saying he enjoys being the headmaster). Woods has no slayer powers, if he was a Slayer's daughter you wonder if that might be different. Buffy seems intrigued that Slayers can have children, something she and Faith might now have the chance to do (certainly post-Chosen). Note Amanda still has her forehead scar from Potential. So anyone's blood can open the seal? Why doesn't the first just have it's Bringers kidnap random people? Why does The First want Woods to kill Spike, isn't he it's agent? Poor Woods, how heartrending for him to find his mother's killer after all this time. When Woods tells the First 'You didn't raise me at all' is he saying "You're the First so you didn't raise me' or is he mad at his mother for dying and leaving him alone? I always thought vamp limbs went to dust when they were removed from the body but here we see they don't (luckily for Spike in 'Damage').
You'd think that The First would value Andrew more as a spy than as an assassin? Wood has hidden his past but that's hardly surprising if he has demons after him? Jonathon as The First plans a shooting massacre just as he was suspected of doing in Earshot. The First also seems to manipulate people by telling the truth. This is a fun, fairly lightweight episode until that very last scene between Woods and The First as his mother whereupon it takes on a whole new level of seriousness. I think that's one of the show's great strengths, it can balance both effortlessly.
Marks out of 10; 7/10