Once More, with feeling is a musical episode of the TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and is definitely a proper musical so deserves its place in this class. If you haven't seen it you can buy the episode separately from the rest of the series, which I strongly recommend, or watch the behind the scenes video at the bottom of the page to get an overview. If you're not a fan of the series check out the characters section first so you get a bit of background on each of the key players before reading the synopsis or watching the clips.
Synopsis
At the start of the episode Buffy is out on patrol, killing vampires in a graveyard and singing about how she's not really enjoying her life anymore. The next morning, the whole gang are in the Magic Box (the shop where they hang out) discussing how quiet it is and how it's odd that there's nothing supernatural going on, until Buffy casually asks them whether they sang the night before. They're all relieved that it wasn't just them and set about coming up with theories to explain the strange turn of events. After a quick group number they discover that they're not alone and the whole town is affected. Dawn comes home from school and says how everyone was singing in her maths class too. Tara and Willow go home to do some "research" but really they want to spend some time together and, of course, Tara breaks into song on the way home. Xander and Anya's duet happens the next morning, with them confessing through song the things that annoy them about the other. They realise at this point that the singing isn't so innocent and insist that something evil must be to blame - they don't like spilling their innermost secrets for anyone to hear. Later that night Buffy goes to visit Spike and he confesses his love for her through a particularly rocky number.
All the characters have got their own secrets and their feelings are very raw and on the surface during the episode. This is drawn further to the viewer's attention when Dawn expresses to Tara her delight that she had made up with Willow after their fight a few days ago. Tara has no memory of this fight and realises that Willow must have used magic to wipe her memory, so leaves Dawn at home alone to look up a book at the Magic Box. Dawn is, of course, kidnapped within minutes of belng left alone and is taken to The Bronze (the local club) by the minions of the episode's bad guy, Sweet. He tells her that since she summoned him she must now become his bride although she denies doing any such thing.
When Buffy finds out that Dawn has been kidnapped she isn't happy but not suprised ("Dawn's in trouble. Must be Tuesday") and asks Giles what the plan is, not expecting him to say that she must go alone. Buffy heads to the Bronze while singing (of course) "Walk Through the Fire" but before the end of the song her friends are on their way to help her out. And it's a good job that they do as, although Buffy is doing a good job at fighting Sweet, she needs the help of her gang to stop her dancing into a fireball. In the end, Sweet goes away after the true summoner is revealed (I won't give the game away here) and the gang sing a final song, though it's not a true happy ending. Everyone realises that their secrets are now out there in the world and their relationships will not be the same again, all thanks to the songs. But of course, the episode couldn't end on such a gloomy note, and a dramatic kiss as the curtain comes down sets up the next few episodes perfectly.
All the characters have got their own secrets and their feelings are very raw and on the surface during the episode. This is drawn further to the viewer's attention when Dawn expresses to Tara her delight that she had made up with Willow after their fight a few days ago. Tara has no memory of this fight and realises that Willow must have used magic to wipe her memory, so leaves Dawn at home alone to look up a book at the Magic Box. Dawn is, of course, kidnapped within minutes of belng left alone and is taken to The Bronze (the local club) by the minions of the episode's bad guy, Sweet. He tells her that since she summoned him she must now become his bride although she denies doing any such thing.
When Buffy finds out that Dawn has been kidnapped she isn't happy but not suprised ("Dawn's in trouble. Must be Tuesday") and asks Giles what the plan is, not expecting him to say that she must go alone. Buffy heads to the Bronze while singing (of course) "Walk Through the Fire" but before the end of the song her friends are on their way to help her out. And it's a good job that they do as, although Buffy is doing a good job at fighting Sweet, she needs the help of her gang to stop her dancing into a fireball. In the end, Sweet goes away after the true summoner is revealed (I won't give the game away here) and the gang sing a final song, though it's not a true happy ending. Everyone realises that their secrets are now out there in the world and their relationships will not be the same again, all thanks to the songs. But of course, the episode couldn't end on such a gloomy note, and a dramatic kiss as the curtain comes down sets up the next few episodes perfectly.
Characters
- Buffy Summers - our hero! Buffy is the latest in a long line of Vampire Slayers assigned to Sunnydale to protect the residents from the evils that come out of the hell mouth. At this point in the series she has finished high school and died twice. The most recent time she was resurrected by her friends who thought she was in hell, though in reality she was in Heaven. Because of this she is feeling depressed and listless during series 6 with a deadend job (having dropped out of univerity when her mother died) and a feeling that she can't confide in her friends.
- Xander Harris - one of Buffy's best friends. He is geeky and witty and provides much needed comic relief for the series. He met Buffy on her first day at Sunnydale High and quickly became a reliable sidekick. He's had many relationships during the series but at this point is engaged to Anya, an ex-vengence demon who has been made human again but at times doesn't really act as a human should!
- Willow Rosenberg - Buffy's other best friend. Initially a shy, nerdy girl with very little confidence, she is the one the gang turn to when they need something looked up on computers. She has discovered magical abilities and is on her way to becoming a very powerful witch, something that will eventually consume her and put everyone around her at risk. She is currently in a relationship with Tara, a fellow witch who provides a positive influence to both willow and the rest of the group.
- Rupert Giles - the Watcher. Giles is the school librarian when they first meet but this is really just a cover for the fact that he is employed by the Watcher's Council of Britain to mentor the Slayer. Giles is a father figure to Buffy and she relies on his knowledge and decision making skills to keep her grounded and to provide important information to help her destroy the bad guys.
- Dawn Summers - Buffy's little sister. Dawn suddenly appeared at the start of season 5 with all the characters acting like she'd always been there, though this was part of a story arc which revealed that Dawn was created as a mystical key which could unlock the dimensions and it became Buffy's job to protect her. However, Dawn is a real girl and has real memories of her ficticious childhood. She seems to always get in trouble and has kleptomania, which is part of the reason she gets kidnapped in this episode.
- Spike - a Vampire! Once a feared demon and villian of the piece, Spike is never seen without his leather jacket. During an earlier series he has formed an alliance with Buffy and has since fallen in love with her, even though he has no soul - something that he will work on fixing as the series continues.
Popular Songs
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Creators
Written and Directed by Joss Whedon
Joss Whedon is an American director, producer, screenwriter, comic book writer and composer. Born Joseph Hill Whedon (1964) in New York to a family of TV writers he changed his professional name to Joss once he started writing. His early work in show business included working as a staff writer for sitcoms Roseanne and Paernthood. He wrote the Buffy film while script consulting for many other projects, although he was not happy with the way the film turned out and decided to rewrite it as a series. He has created many successful television series including Buffy, Angel, Firefly, Dollhouse and Marvel's Agent's of SHIELD. His filmography includes Toy story, Serenity, The Avengers and Avengers: Age of Ultron. He has won several awards including an Eisner Award for Best New Series for Buffy Season 8 and a Saturn Award for Best Director for The Avengers.
Joss Whedon is an American director, producer, screenwriter, comic book writer and composer. Born Joseph Hill Whedon (1964) in New York to a family of TV writers he changed his professional name to Joss once he started writing. His early work in show business included working as a staff writer for sitcoms Roseanne and Paernthood. He wrote the Buffy film while script consulting for many other projects, although he was not happy with the way the film turned out and decided to rewrite it as a series. He has created many successful television series including Buffy, Angel, Firefly, Dollhouse and Marvel's Agent's of SHIELD. His filmography includes Toy story, Serenity, The Avengers and Avengers: Age of Ultron. He has won several awards including an Eisner Award for Best New Series for Buffy Season 8 and a Saturn Award for Best Director for The Avengers.
Music by Christophe Beck
Born Jean-Christopher Beck in Montreal, he is a Canadian TV and film score composer who studied music at Yale University. He has worked on many television and film projects including Bring It On, The Hangover, Date Night, The Muppets, Frozen and Ant Man, as well as Buffy and Angel with Joss Whedon. He won an Emmy Award in 1998 for his work on Buffy. Although Joss wrote most of the music for this episode, he called on Christophe to write the scores as well as to write the Overture, Coda and Dawn's Ballet. |
Interesting Facts
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Warning: Contains some mild bad language
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Behind the Scenes
If you're interested in learning a little more about the shooting and rehearsal process this aweseome video tells you everything you need to know!
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