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by Frederic Germay
Every now and then, an episode of television comes along that delivers a truly memorable moment of television. As time progresses, most elements of the episodes fade from memory, but that solitary unforgettable moment remains burnt in your psyche. Some examples include Lost's Walt being kidnapped off the raft, and 24's Jack Bauer losing wife, Terri Bauer. "Intervention's" conclusion certainly isn't the best moment in Buffy the Vampire Slayer's history, but it remains as one of the most memorable endings of the series.
In this particular episode, the deliciously insane goddess, Glory, sends her evil minions to find out who the key is. I have to mention that Claire Kramer is one of the best villains in Buffy's history, besides Angelus and The Mayor. The minions stalk everyone Buffy encounters, desperate to find the new addition in her life, which would be the key.
This episode marks the reappearance of Warren, who would later go on to become a member of Season 6's annoying nerd trio. In "I was made to love you," Warren made a vividly realistic robotic girl for his…er…needs, and was recruited by Spike to make a robot version of Buffy. The Buffybot is an incredibly funny and fascinating character, and its no wonder why its existence was prolonged all the way up to the sixth season. The Buffybot remains to be one of the most memorable (there's that word again) roles the talented and beautiful Sarah Michelle Gellar has ever played. The bot is but a footnote on the infinite list of reasons why Gellar is the best actor/actress on the planet!
Meanwhile, Buffy starts voicing concerns about how her slayer duties are hardening, and emotionally numbing her. Therefore, at Giles's suggestion, the two of them embark on a quest to the Spirit Guide in the desert. After watching Giles doing a hilarious rendition of the Hokey-Pokey, Buffy finally learns that "death is her gift." By the way, did anyone else find it incredibly odd that Buffy was wearing an incredibly large and thick trench coat in the desert!?!
As for the Buffybot and Spike, the Scooby Gang quickly discovers their horrific relationship. It is a wonder why it took as long as it did for them to discover, especially during the graveyard scene when Spike is trying to pull away from a clearly enamored Buffybot in front of Anya and Xander. I still marvel at how undetailed the profiles of Buffy's friends and family are…there's only three lines for each person!
In the end, Glory's minions discover the relationship as well, and quickly come to the conclusion that Spike must be the key. Therefore, they kidnap him, and Glory finds out right off the bat that Spike couldn't possibly be the key, seeing as he's a vampire. Glory then proceeds to torture the heck out of Spike in order to find out who the key is, and Spike still doesn't give up the info even after the brutal beating!
Eventually Spike barely escapes down an elevator, which is also an incredibly cool action set piece, and is rescued by the two Buffys and the Scooby Gang. In order to find out whether Spike divulged the true nature of Dawn, Buffy impersonates the Buffybot and visits Spike. Spike reveals that he would die before telling Glory that Dawn was the key, because it would devastate Buffy, and the two of them share a brief yet touching kiss, where halfway through it, Spike discovers that it really is Buffy and not the robot.
Say what you will about the Buffy/Spike relationship, but after this episode, I actually wanted them to be together. Of course that all changed once we entered into the sixth season, and Buffy was self-destructing by being with Spike. That was one of many reasons why the sixth season is my least favorite. I actually think that the Buffy/Spike relationship is better when they are apart. Throughout the fifth and seventh season, I felt as though the two of them had better chemistry than in the sixth. Then again, I'm not exactly an expert on the subject matter.
Some honorable mentions and quotes….
Buffy- "A quest? Like finding a grail or something?"
Buffy- "I love you, really love you."
Dawn- "Gettin' weird."
Buffy- "Weird love is better than no love."
Buffy- "A guide, but no food or water. So it leads me to a sacred place, and then a week later it leads you to my bleached bones."
Giles- "Buffy, please. It takes more than a week to bleach bones."
Buffy- "I can't resist the sinister attraction of your cold and muscular body."
Buffybot to Anya- "How is your money?"
Anya (positively delighted)- "Fine, thank you for asking."
The whole sequence with Spike claiming that the key was really Bob Barker was absolutely hilarious.
Buffybot- "Angel's lame. His hair grows straight up and he's bloody stupid." (Definitely the work of Spike.)
Glory about Spike- "What the hell is that, and why is its hair that color?"
Xander describing Glory's minions- "they're kind of like hobbits with leprosy."
Then my personal favorite -- the Buffybot mispronouncing Giles' name. I think Whedon may have mentioned this in the commentary, or one of the featurettes, about how many people, who claim to fans of the series, mispronounce Giles' name. That reminded me of my older brother, who likes people to think that he is a big fan of certain shows, but he gets the facts completely wrong. For example, he thinks that he's the most dedicated fan of 24 just because he has seen the past two seasons and he belongs to some kind of Facebook 24 fan group. I don't think he even knows who George Mason or Nina are, but that's beside the point!
This episode was one of my favorite episodes of the fifth season. Admittedly, it was forgettable when placed against "The Body," "The Gift," and "Fool for Love." However, I think it was a great eppie, and I give it a 8/10.
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