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Episode 4.19: New Moon Rising | Episode 4.21: Primeval
Characters:
| Buffy | Xander | Willow |
| Giles | Spike | Riley |
| Angel | Anya | Tara |
Overall (6/10)
Buffy:
This season has had a lot of themes centering around an individual's place in their group and the dynamics of that group. This is especially appropriate as it shows the Scoobies gradually drifting apart, which culminates in this episode.
Earlier in the season, we saw Buffy seek to identify with the Initiative instead of the Scoobies. Of course, this didn't turn out well for her, and she's been back on track with her own group. However, this episode sees her largely sidetracked by her current and ex-boyfriend.
She's obviously rattled by her trip to L.A. When Buffy's stressed or upset, she works. In this case, she goes out to hunt Adam. It's only after she and Angel finally meet up that Buffy can move on with her friends.
However, she finds that the Scoobies are not a happy group, and that they wouldn't be of any use to her while fighting. However, even before the fighting begins, Buffy is insistent that she fight Adam alone. Through the season, the Scoobies have become distant to a point where Buffy doesn't feel comfortable asking them for back-up. A lot of this is also tied into the belief that the Slayer is always alone, and Buffy's rejection of that idea at the end of the season.
Obviously, the next episode will show that it takes all four of them to defeat Adam. For now, we get a "to be continued".
Xander:
Xander's insecurities get goaded by Spike in this episode. Xander has spent the season bouncing around from job to job while his friends enjoy the college life. He feels dumb and worthless compared to them. And, worse, he fears that they feel the same way.
This is easily exploited, and Xander reacts defensively in the final scene.
Willow:
Willow's been through a lot of changes this season. In high school, she was an uncool geek. In college, she's become geek chic. She also has fallen in love with a woman, which is a signifiant life change. We see her planning her schedule for the next semester with Tara, and Willow wants to take drama. This is the Willow who had stage fright back in S1's Nightmares. This is an amazing amount of development for her to finally feel comfortable enough with herself to think about taking that class.
Until Spike picks at her fears. He mentions that Buffy and Xander were discussing the "witch thing" being a "phase". Willow, naturally, interprets this to be talking about her relationship with Tara. As we'll see in Restless, Willow links her change in image with her relationship with Tara. To criticize one is to criticize the other. Suddenly, Willow believes her friends are questioning her sexuality and her new identity.
Like Xander, she also gets a little riled up as a result in the final scene.
Giles has been largely drifting this season. He's not a Watcher anymore. He's not a librarian anymore. He's not sure what his purpose is, or if he's even needed. We saw his feelings of useless and alienation manifested in A New Man. Spike takes those fears and, like the others, just pokes at them to push Giles over the edge.
Unlike Willow and Xander, Giles doesn't get riled up, however. Instead, he turns to drinking and makes snarky drunken comments during the fight. It's fun.
And here we have the payoff for all the time Spike spent with the Scoobies earlier in the season. Spike has a keen sense of perception when it comes to other people. We've seen in demonstrated in Lover's Walk and Something Blue. He knows what makes people tick, and he knows how to influence people.
With Adam, he's found someone who sympathizes and understands how Spike's feeling. At this point, Spike's feeling very much caged in by the chip. He has a demon inside, and he isn't able to unleash it as he wants to. He's willing to do anything for Adam's promise of getting that chip out. And he's in the perfect position to break the Scoobies apart.
It's also telling that Spike recognizes how important Buffy's friends are to her, while the Initiative shrugs her off as "just a girl". Spike recognizes that Buffy is much more than that, and that she's even stronger when aided by her friends. Hell, it was the first lesson he learned about her back in School Hard.
Unfortunately, there's a kink in his plan, and it will be revealed in the next episode.
This episode really does set up a lot of the Buffy/Riley issues of the next season.
Buffy goes rushing off to L.A. to help Angel. Riley is, understandably, upset that she dropped everything for her ex. However, once he hears from Xander the details about Angel's curse, Riley seems to make the automatic assumption that Buffy slept with Angel. Trust issues, anyone?
It's Riley's lack of understanding for what "draws" Buffy to vampires, like Angel, that will lead him to getting suck-jobs from vampires in S5. And it starts with this episode. Riley truly believes that Angel has some strange sort of power over Buffy, which he will refer to in the next season. In this episode, he leaps to conclusions that Buffy rushed off and had sex with Angel without any indication of it.
Moving to the other aspect of the episode, Riley's former "family" is breaking apart, as Forrest puts it. Just like the Scoobies. And, at the end of the episode, Riley finds himself drawn to Adam by a chip that Walsh had implanted in him.
Okay, seriously? Angel needs to work on his introductions. Because he was a total asshat to Riley at the beginning.
Anya doesn't have a large role in this episode except to provide some needed comedy.
Tara and Willow seem to be making plans to move in together. Tara, along with Anya, also removes herself from the Scooby fight at the end to take refuge in the bathroom.
Angel shows up and throws people around. Forrest dies. Spike makes the Scoobies mad at each other.
This episode has several different plot threads going through it, each of which have different antagonists. Let's just say that the Scoobies' insecurities are the main baddie here.
A definite arc episode. Adam is forwarding his plan, and Riley's chip gets activated.
A decent episode, if a little disjointed. A lot of it is set up for the next episode. There are no major missteps, though.
Special performance award goes to Tony Head for his drunk acting. Cause it's funny when former librarians get drunk.
6 out of 10
The fight between the Scoobies at the end. It's been a long time coming. It's entertaining to watch. And, even if it was provoked by Spike, it speaks to very real fears that all of them have.
Episode 4.19: New Moon Rising | Episode 4.21: Primeval
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