Once More, Once Again

Okay, after all these years, I can finally join everyone else in admiring "Once More, with Feeling". Wait, where did everyone go?

Actually, this year they did still have the annual screening of the episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer at Comic Con, despite Joss Whedon, the former king of what he himself dubbed "nerd prom", being now persona non grata. Watching the episode is one of those glimpses of the past that reveals some of the horror of to-day. Listening to the unabashedly erotic lyrics Tara sings about Willow in this episode watched by millions in 2001, it seems odd that to-day controversy erupts over the hint of a lesbian relationship in a genre film or TV series.

That scene, of Tara starting to levitate while singing that she's "spread beneath my Willow tree", still comes off as a little awkward, though it's kind of meant to because it abruptly cuts to Xander commenting on how Willow and Tara probably aren't actually doing research. On the whole, though, Whedon's lyrics actually seem terrific to me now. They're pleasingly clever and also genuinely serve to develop each characters' issues. The thread about Giles needing to leave Sunnydale because Buffy must stand on her own still doesn't make sense but the song isn't bad, and I like how Whedon blends it with the reprise of "Under Your Spell" as both Giles and Tara--played by the two strongest singers in the episode, Anthony Head and Amber Benson--contemplate leaving.

I've heard the relationship between Spike and Buffy was something the network demanded but Whedon was reluctant to do. Yet it's the most effective part of this episode with many effective parts. Buffy's need to feel something to make her feel genuinely alive again coupled with Spike's impossible situation provide ample fodder for clever lyrics. The episode doesn't hit Willow's season arc about addiction too hard because Alyson Hannigan didn't want to sing. But this proves a blessing since switching magic from a metaphor for lesbian love to a metaphor for drug addiction was too abrupt and never really came off in the season. Buffy finally getting with Spike works so much better as a portrayal of self-destructive behaviour.

I even like Xander and Anya's song and I generally find Anya insufferable by this point in the series. But she's as cute as she's intended to be in their musical numbers.

Whedon spent a lot of extra time working on this episode and pushing to get it made. It's an admirable example of artistic integrity.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer is available on Disney+.