Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Where the Wild Things Are Rewatch

September 24, 2015 12:25 AM - Season 4, Episode 18

Buffy and Riley can't keep their hands off each other, which becomes a problem when spirits of abused children start feeding on their sexual energy. Xander and Anya fight about a sexual slowdown in their relationship, and she commiserates with Spike about their lost powers. Giles sings!
posted by yellowbinder (12 comments total)

Oh dear. What to say. I mean, fundamentally the idea at the centre of this episode (maybe you're being too passionate?) is stupid. Really stupid. There are some kinda interesting bits here and there, but this is mostly a waste of time. The whole subplot of Xander and Anya breaking up, Xander immediately hitting up another woman, then deciding he can't do it, is kind of annoying, although it has it's funny moments.

The resolution to the episode just seems goofy, with Xander and Anya basically having to go get Buffy and Riley, and the house essentially letting them.

Also, this spiritual energy was just sitting round a frat house waiting for someone to have really good sex. Are Buffy and Riley really that good? i guess the superpowers combo might work out quite well.

-They reach for a condom, which I guess is a nice touch, although i'm not sure it'd survive that long.... maybe they have a large supply
-Tara and Willow talking about horses is fun
-"Is every frat on this campus haunted, and if so why do people keep coming to these parties?" i'm not sure pointing out your bad writing excuses it
-The cold open, where we reveal demons and vamps working together, is kinda stupid, because the implication is that Adam caused it, but demons and vamps work together literally all the time on the show!
-Hey we get Giles singing Behind Blue Eyes, so it's not all bad.
-Given the whole sex magic metaphor thing, it's pretty weird that Giles joins in....
-Occasionally the show will have a quite nasty image, and the stabbing of the hand here qualifies.
posted by Cannon Fodder at 3:29 AM on September 24, 2015 [1 favorite]

Seriously, yeah. This entire season is like "Don't go to college, kids, because you'll drink beer and turn into a caveman, and you'll have sex and summon evil spirits, and basically adulthood sucks even more than adolescence."
posted by Etrigan at 6:07 AM on September 24, 2015 [3 favorites]

I've seen this episode three times now and never been able to pay enough attention to follow the plot.
posted by skewed at 8:59 AM on September 24, 2015 [3 favorites]

By sheer coincidence, last night I hit this episode in my personal first time watching Buffy all the way through. Unfortunately, for this one-day synchronicity, I can only agree that this episode sucked. Except for "Behind Blue Eyes". I couldn't believe they actually paid for that! It can't have been cheap.

As a whole, though, it's been a real eye-opener. Back in the day, I would catch the occasional episode and think it was OK. But now, taken as a whole, I think Buffy is one of the best shows in the history of television.
posted by vibrotronica at 9:24 AM on September 24, 2015 [2 favorites]

I liked Giles singing, Spike and Anya getting nostalgic about the good old murderous demon days, and Spike's line here:
SPIKE: I know I'm not the first choice for heroics ... and Buffy's tried to kill me more than once. And, I don't fancy a single one of you at all. But... (pauses) Actually, all that sounds pretty convincing.

Other than that, I have not a single nice thing to say about this episode.
posted by creepygirl at 12:08 PM on September 24, 2015 [4 favorites]

I like the random power shot of the gang rushing to save the day on bicycles, which they never did before or again so it's a little jarring, but cool looking.
posted by yellowbinder at 12:32 PM on September 24, 2015

I like the random power shot of the gang rushing to save the day on bicycles

That was pangs, wasn't it?
posted by Cannon Fodder at 1:01 PM on September 24, 2015 [1 favorite]

Ah you're right. I confess to skipping Pangs and half watching this one at work.
posted by yellowbinder at 1:12 PM on September 24, 2015

So this is the episode that lead a 16 year-old me to realize that her best friend had no idea what an orgasm was. And then I had to explain it to her in a super crowded hallway outside of the lunchroom.

Just thinking of this episode gives me feelings of profound embarrassment that just makes the episode seem even shittier.
posted by dinty_moore at 2:34 PM on September 24, 2015 [4 favorites]

Ugh ugh ugh this episode. The Spike speech and Giles song really are the only good parts (but can we talk about Giles singing? I watched that scene an embarrassing number of times. I think the audio is still on my iTunes somewhere. Willow, you are not alone in that crush). Tracey Forbes writes "concept" episodes and some work, and some really don't.

However, at least this one has Kathryn Joosten in it! Hi, Mrs. Landingham! Also, it lays the groundwork for the Spike-and-Anya subplot in Entropy, etc. Both are basically neutered demons.

Okay, Anya yelling "Woo hoo" angrily is also a good moment. And Graham gets to show some range with possession, and this exchange is pretty funny:

GRAHAM: Touch not the impure thing...
FORREST: What?!
GRAHAM: Or ye shall perish. Find salvation in the cross of our lord and savior.
FORREST: Right.

I guess at least in the end they intimate that as much of a "punishment" as it seemed to incur, the sex was fun?
posted by ilana at 10:36 PM on September 30, 2015

"Behind Blue Eyes" is an awful song and does nothing to redeem this horrible, horrible episode.
posted by Navelgazer at 7:40 PM on November 1, 2015 [1 favorite]

I guess I'm alone in cringing at Giles's singing. No. Please just no. Keep that stuff private and make yourself a Duke Silver alter ego, but keep it out of Buffy.

We see him sing maybe one more time? I'm so glad we didnt have to go through that over and over and over.
posted by LizBoBiz at 9:53 PM on February 15