Caleb and the First lay some groundwork, but the extended scooby gang rebel against their gung-ho general.
Is this rebellion part of the First's plan, or the unexpected spanner in the works that will have good triumph over evil?
The most notable scene in this episode was without a doubt the extended conference scene, in which the slayerettes and the Scoobies declare their lack of confidence in Buffy's tactics. Buffy's conviction, that "I know I'm right" falls flat, and if you were paying attention when Caleb and the First had their little chat, "She got the message, even if she doesn't know it yet" suggested to me that Caleb has perhaps planted some kind of suggestion in Buffy's mind that is causing her to make bad choices.
it doesn't help that her plan "let's go back to the vineyard, find their power, and take it away from them" is alarmingly vague. I am glad the others stood up to her, and I would be very interested to know whether Spike would have supported her decision or not.
In answer to my own question above, I think that Caleb and the first expected the Scoobies to blindly follow Buffy wherever she wanted to go, and I think (hope) their rebellion is going to help the cause in the long run.
I can't decide whether I got a kick out of Buffy being wrong for once or not. She has been so sanctimonious recently, and it just felt like it was about time someone asked exactly why she had the authority to boss everyone around. So much for the mission not being a democracy.
There were some great comic moments in this episode, Andrew and Anya's presentation, Andrew and Spike's chat on the motorbye about the wonder of flower-onions (or whatever it was), followed by "Run is a four letter word".
The opening scene in which Clem put his foot in it with every single sentence he said.
This is the first episode this season that has made me feel like wanting to count down the minutes until the next episode.
And I'm still puzzling over the phrase that made Caleb so mad:
"It is not for thee. It is for her alone to wield."
What is not for thee? Is the 'her' Buffy? Could it refer to the slayer's power?
Is this rebellion part of the First's plan, or the unexpected spanner in the works that will have good triumph over evil?
The most notable scene in this episode was without a doubt the extended conference scene, in which the slayerettes and the Scoobies declare their lack of confidence in Buffy's tactics. Buffy's conviction, that "I know I'm right" falls flat, and if you were paying attention when Caleb and the First had their little chat, "She got the message, even if she doesn't know it yet" suggested to me that Caleb has perhaps planted some kind of suggestion in Buffy's mind that is causing her to make bad choices.
it doesn't help that her plan "let's go back to the vineyard, find their power, and take it away from them" is alarmingly vague. I am glad the others stood up to her, and I would be very interested to know whether Spike would have supported her decision or not.
In answer to my own question above, I think that Caleb and the first expected the Scoobies to blindly follow Buffy wherever she wanted to go, and I think (hope) their rebellion is going to help the cause in the long run.
I can't decide whether I got a kick out of Buffy being wrong for once or not. She has been so sanctimonious recently, and it just felt like it was about time someone asked exactly why she had the authority to boss everyone around. So much for the mission not being a democracy.
There were some great comic moments in this episode, Andrew and Anya's presentation, Andrew and Spike's chat on the motorbye about the wonder of flower-onions (or whatever it was), followed by "Run is a four letter word".
The opening scene in which Clem put his foot in it with every single sentence he said.
This is the first episode this season that has made me feel like wanting to count down the minutes until the next episode.
And I'm still puzzling over the phrase that made Caleb so mad:
"It is not for thee. It is for her alone to wield."
What is not for thee? Is the 'her' Buffy? Could it refer to the slayer's power?