Buffy 7.3 FAQ
What’s it called?
“Same Time, Same Place.”
Who’s responsible?
Teleplay is credited to the great Jane Espenson (“Life Serial,” “Doublemeat Palace”).
What does TV Guide say?
Buffy, Xander and Dawn are unable to find Willow, whose return to Sunnydale is marred by a demon (Camden Toy) who eats the skin of his victims.
What did Herc say about this one in his Aug. 13 spoilers?
“Dawn is made all stiff by a creature. Her stiffness will remain until the creature who stiffened her is dispatched. Xander worries that Dawn might suffocate if she vomits. Dawn implores her friends, through clenched jaw, to ‘Stp tking abt vomt.’ Willow, meanwhile, is back from England – and falls victim to a terrible misunderstanding. A demon named Gnarl has captured her. Gnarl seems to believe that Willow’s friends left her to be sacrificed to Gnarl. Gnarl’s misapprehension won’t be dealt with until the brief final act.”
Did Herc’s sources get it right?
They did!
What else is TV Guide not telling us?
This is one of the goriest “Buffy” episodes in recent memory. We actually get to see Gnarl slowly strip off Willow’s flesh in bloody, jerky-size strips and eat them. And Buffy's thumbs have to do something pretty high on the grossometer to make Sunnydale a little safer.
The big news?
No hooded figure chasing a slayer-in-training this week.
Didn’t I read somewhere that Willow was invisible to some people this week?
It’s more complicated. Buffy, Xander and Dawn can’t see, hear, touch or smell Will. Willow can’t see, hear, touch or smell Buffy, Xander and Dawn.
If I were to guess why this is happening, would I be guessing correctly?
Probably.
The last time we saw Spike he was hugging a cross and moaning, “Can we rest now, Buffy?” So does Spike nap this week? Does he have the vampire equivalent of a bad sunburn?
No napping or red marks that we noticed, but Spike is back to being every bit the yammering schizophrenic he was when Buffy stumbled upon him in “Lessons.” He’s still dwelling in the high school basement when Willow finds him.
What about Xander? Is Nancy still in the picture?
Nancy is absent this week.
And Anya? I heard she gets into hot water for reversing Nancy’s wish.
It’s true. The vengeance guild, or whatever, has taken away her spontaneous teleportation rights.
Which Scoobies are still pissed at Willow for nearly murdering them all a few months ago?
No Scoobies. Buffy, Xander and Dawn go to meet her at the airport. They’re all still a little wary of her, on account of she still hasn’t completed Giles’ evil-recovery course. Giles, explains Buffy, “said that it was really important that she come back early and that she was doing really well and we shouldn't worry.”
Is Morphy back?
Not this week.
What’s great?
The episode being packed with laugh-out-loud dialogue! Anya, especially, hasn’t elicited this many guffaws since Xander left her at the altar, but everybody gets his or her share of the funny. Dawn’s paralysis-induced helplessness is hilarious. Gnarl is one creepy-ass bad. The whole can’t-see-can’t-be-seen situation is an intriguing one, and especially so when ol’ voices-in-the-head Spike – who has no difficulty seeing or hearing any of the Scoobies – is thrown into the equation. And boy, it’s great to have Espenson and Alyson Hannigan back.
What’s not so great?
Let me think. Ah! No imperiled slayer-in-training.
How does it end, spoiler-boy?
Buffy and Willow sit on the bed and hold hands.
Herc’s rating for “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” 7.3?
****1/2
The Hercules T. Strong Rating System:
8 p.m. Tuesday. UPN.
