Season 2, Episode 14

“Innocence”

I’m starting with a simple equation for Buffy episodes. Written + Directed by Joss Whedon= Awesome. ALWAYS. His episodes will also probably make you want to start dressing in all black, write poetry about wilted roses, and listen to emo music, but as Joss said in reference to this episode and people wanting a Buffy/Angel relationship, "What people want is not what they need.”

The day after Buffy and Angel make necrophilic beautiful love, she awakens to him being gone. Not your ideal situation, but this tends to happen a lot on television and things rarely go well from this point on. Buffy returns home where her mom notices that something is different with her and Buffy doesn’t help her case by acting guilty of some horrible crime.

Cut to Drusilla. I know she is an evil vampire, but I just love her. I feel bad for her too. Angelus tortured her until she turned insane, THEN turned her into a soulless demon.

Drusilla: I'm naming all the stars.

Spike: You can't see the stars, love. That's the ceiling. Also, it's day.

Drusilla: I can see them, but I've named them all the same. And there's terrible confusion.

Enter Angelus. He is not your typical vampire that kills to feed himself. He treats torturing and killing as an art form. But I can’t help but like him. He is just so funny, in an evil sadistic sort of way. And he’s a genius. OMG, Angelus is Joss Whedon! Anyways, the Judge can't burn Angelus, proving to Spike and Dru (and the audience) that he lost his soul. Please forgive me for adding how much I love this picture from this scene.

Why yes, I do ship Spike/Angel. I could put up much worse pictures, so be glad I went with this one.

Continuing from last episode, the Scoobies are still doing research. Cordelia and Xander are caught kissing, and my heart breaks every time I see the look on Willow’s face when she catches them. "It just means that you'd rather be with someone you hate... than be with me." Could there be a sadder sentence?

Oh wait yes there can because Angelus is about to rip Buffy’s heart out, figuratively, since killing her would be too kind. At first I questioned why Angelus doesn't just kill her now because she’s so defenseless and completely unaware of what has happened to him. That answered my own question. It's too easy and painless if he did that. That's why he's really evil. He wants to torture her mentally and hopefully physically before he kills her. Like Drusilla tells him later, "You want to hurt her like you hurt me."

Angelus: Yeah. Like I really wanted to stick around after that.

Buffy: What?

Angelus: You got a lot to learn about men, kiddo. Although I guess you proved that last night.

Buffy: What are you saying?

Angelus: Let's not make an issue out of it, okay? In fact, let's not talk about it at all. It happened.

Buffy: I, I don't understand. Was it m-me? Was I not good?

Angelus: You were great. Really. I thought you were a pro.

As Angelus leaves, Buffy says, “I love you” as if every word causes her immense pain, then Angelus says it back with obvious condescension.

That’s what this episode is about on a non-supernatural level. Sometimes after you have sex with someone, they change. They were either using you and are done with you now, or about a hundred different reasons, but regardless the reason Angel has changed into Angelus.

We find out more information about the curse via an argument between Ms. Calendar and her uncle. I like her character even more here because she is making some really good points. In the end, it doesn’t matter- the curse is broken. About this curse- could there be anything any dumber? Why have it where he loses his soul when happy? I know he is “meant to suffer”, but can’t you just make sure he suffers without having the loophole of him going insane and killing people if he has a moment of happiness? You kinda deserve what you got. I also love all the subtle foreshadowing about Jenny’s death.

The Scooby gang is attempting to move past all of their drama and figure out how to destroy the Judge. Oh yeah, remember him? Xander and Willow try to set aside their differences for the time being, although it doesn’t really go well.

Willow: You have gross emotional problems.

At least she helps give Xander and idea.

Xander: I think I'm having a thought. Yeah, yeah, that's a thought. Now I'm having a plan.

As all of this is going down, Angelus decides he wants to put into action his “torture Buffy” plan. He attempts to kidnap or kill Willow, but Xander and Ms. Calendar help her escape. Buffy shows up towards the end and finally learns that Angel is now Angelus. It shows how broken she is when he knocks her to the ground and she just remains there.

As if this episode had not filled its sad quota, Buffy goes home, curls up in the fetal position, and cries herself to sleep. We cut to her memories of her night with Angel. What could have been a hot and steamy scene now becomes beautiful and heartbreaking.

That night she dreams about Angel and Ms. Calendar, and is able to figure out Ms. Calendar’s secret. Because Joss is not satisfied with just stabbing our hearts, he has to twist the knife, so he breaks up Ms. Calendar and Giles now too. Jenny reveals all that she knows about Angel and who she really is. Of course, this causes everyone to turn on her. Later when Giles tells her "She said 'get out,’” the only think I could think at this point was “JOSS, WHY DO YOU HATE LOVE?!”

Xander saves the day with his stupid army thing. It's like they needed Xander to be able to do something special and not be useless so they came up with this lame thing. I prefer his carpenter skills because it's something he worked hard for and actually earned. Every time they bring up Xander’s “army skills” I want to hit something.

This scene does bring some cute Willow and Oz dialogue. Oz is just about the best person on the face of the earth right now. He doesn’t want to kiss Willow because its in response to Xander. "See, in my fantasy, when I'm kissing you... you're kissing me."  I love Willow just staring and smiling at him. That’s the moment she falls for him.

They steal a rocket launcher, Buffy blows up the Judge in a BAMF moment for her. I like how while the Judge is what is driving the plot forward, this episode is really about the characters and what each of them is going through. Joss, you are so good. Anyways, things sort of come full circle now. It rained before and Buffy went to Angel's. Now the sprinklers are raining on them as they are fighting. She can’t kill him and they both know it, but she kicks him in the nuts. Girl power!

Giles: It's not over. I suppose you know that. He'll come after you, particularly. His profile ... he's likely to strike out at the things that made him the most human.

Buffy: You must be so disappointed in me.

Giles: No. No no, I'm not.

Buffy: This is all my fault.

Giles: I don't believe it is. Do you want me to wag my finger at you and tell you that you acted rashly? You did. And I can. I know that you loved him. And, he ... he's proven more than once that he loved you. You couldn't have known what would happen. The coming months are, are going to be hard, I suspect on all of us. But if it's guilt you're looking for, Buffy, I'm not your man. All you will get from me is my support. And my respect.

I <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 GILES FOREVER. FAVORITE LINE BECAUSE GILES IS AN AMAZING FATHER FIGURE/MENTOR.

We end the episode with Buffy and her mom watching an old movie on television. Joyce gives her a cupcake with candle and asks how Buffy’s birthday was.

Buffy: I got older

Joyce: You look the same to me

This is a simple and great way to say that she may have lost her innocence, but she still remains the same Buffy.

-Kali!