In the first two seasons reactors are all "Why doesn't Buffy tell her mother." There are hints in those earlier seasons about why but it's here where we finally get confirmed as to why.
I have always thought that they misunderstood the demon's power. I think it was making Buffy slip between two universes. I think both realities are real. It's hard to find people who agree with me. :)
I never thought of it like that, but since Whedon also wrote the Marvel universe with multiverses, then yeah, it makes perfect sense that both realities are real. But what a horrible reality for the "other Buffy"!
I always thought both realities were real and happening at the same time and our Buffy had to decide which one she wanted to live in. The venom was making her become unmoored, taking down the walls between the realities so she could see both of them at once and slide between them. One wasn't fake, one wasn't real. They were both real. But one Buffy was catatonic, giving her space in that Buffy's mind to move between them and giving Buffy the choice to be the Slayer or to be a girl with two parents, together, alive, and the chance at a normal life without the knowledge of the supernatural at all.
Great episode. They leave it up to us to decide which reality is the real one. For me, the one with Buffy in the mental institution makes the most sense since vampires and demons aren't real.
I think so too. It makes a _lot_ more sense. Haha. I usually wouldn't like the, 'and it was all a dream' kind of ending, but for this show, I think it would work, especially as I never saw it coming. I honestly like the idea, a lot, actually. 🤔
My theory is that both worlds are real. The demon just connected our Buffy with a different Buffy in an alternate universe who had hallucinations of her life, and that world continued existing afterward. Something similar happened in The Wish. The struggle wasn't just within our Buffy's mind, but between the two Buffys who were fighting for dominance. Our Buffy won because her mind was stronger from of all the character development she's experienced.
I was so lucky I watched the movie before watching seasons 1-7, this is the psychologically most scary thing I've ever seen. SMG and the writing knocked it out of the park. This is also a fav episode. I think this episode ends in the clinic because the venon is still active, which is why Buffy is asking for more antidote.
FWIW, I'm also a big fan of this one; this kind of story in general, and the ending in particular, hits a sweet spot for me. Couple of things I noticed on this rewatch that I'd never clocked before: first, notice it's when Spike issues his "tell them or I will" ultimatum that tips her over into treating the psych ward as the "real world". Her relationship with him is arguably the thing about her season-long depression that she's been most afraid/ashamed of the others finding out, so that being her tipping point totally tracks. Next, did you see how the lighting of Buffy's face changes @30:10 ? Defeating the demon/accepting the Slayerverse can probably be thought of as the start of her emerging from her depression; the change in lighting just reinforces the metaphor.
@@jaypeakay5864 It amuses me that it was a real thing. When it happened there was general confusion in our living room. It really pissed some people off. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tommy_Westphall?wprov=sfti1
Normal Again was a very intense episode in which we see Buffy's PTSD, which has obviously been there from the very start continue to manifest itself again. This time it seems even more severe with the scenes in the Institution very harrowing with Buffy seemingly locked in to a psychotic state. We see her turn on all her friends an place them down in the basement with the Demon. Eventually the Psychiatrist Doctor tells Buffy's parents she was 'gone' and a sinister ending where we see the camera pan away to the window in the door in the hospital, in the style of an X-Files episode. The Trio have becoming so annoying at this point. This episode is very much in sync with the tone of the whole Season exploring all kinds of dark avenues, and the Psychological effects on all the characters. The reason I think some fans didn't like this episode in particular was because it seemed to question was the world we have seen Buffy in real at all, or was it fantasy in her mind. It's as it was almost a 'Bobby Ewing Shower Moment' ( older people will get that reference ) but it was brilliantly done in that even though we are still not sure what actually is happening, we are left in a state of flux. This episode is very much similar in story and tone to the incredible movie Identity starring John Cusack, Ray Liotta and Rebecca De Mornay. Fantastic innovative writing again continuing the 'darkness' of S6
That was the point of the video - to make it seem like THIS could be "reality". They did an amazing job with this episode, I think its really under-rated by some. When I first saw this episode, it messed with me for days. I started questioning my "reality".
Choosing between her parents and the harsh reality - pretty f'd up. Thank goodness Joyce's comforting words had the opposite effect than intended. Or, maybe not. That last scene...
This is probably my favorite episode. I think it's the real world for Buffy, BECAUSE, they end in the asylum world. They didn't end in the Buffy world. I know that director and Joss said it was an editing thing... but I think it was intentional. I think people would have felt screwed if the show had ended this way.
People get mad at this episode, but I love it XD However, I'm glad this is not the series finale, I already had that with another show, and it was very disappointing... I won't say which show, just in case you haven't seen it!
Agreed. I thought it was great! I've seen it with another show too, but it might not be the same one so I won't mention it either. That said, I thought it was excellent in the one I saw. It was a UK show.
This is a weird episode. Loved it but it was totally unexpected the first time I watched it. I’m sure my face did a lot of the same expressions as yours did. 😂 I really like alternate reality storylines. Star Trek The Next Generation had a really similar storyline (Frame of Mind) where Riker is in a play and then suddenly he’s in a prison like hospital. It flips back and forth between the realities just like this one does. Loved it in Star Trek as well.
Oh, the old school online message boards were filled with unhappy fans after this episode originally aired! It really felt like a betrayal by the writers.
I think the MCU's Moon Knight did the same concept better. I never liked the idea that (as the crew of the show stated) the audience isn't supposed to know which reality is real vs fake). So, here's my head canon: The insane asylum reality is in Buffy's mind, but she brought it into being the first time she came back out of it to the world we have known since S1. The drug in the demon's arm allows Buffy to hallucinate the asylum universe and combined with the power of the mystical energy of the hellmouth, Buffy's imagination was turned into a second world that really exists and she's unintentionally using hellmouth energy to travel between them. How the episode ends is rather sad as while the Slayerverse reality continues to play out with Buffy continuing her life, the insane asylum Buffy is thought of as brain dead by her parents and doctors. I presume that without a depressed Buffy helming the wheel of her emotions and body, perhaps the asylum Buffy could have a chance someday. Or if not, it's an even sadder story as complies with S6 anyway. I also have a type of secondary theor, but that ties into the above main theory: Joyce wasn't originally very good at parenting, as in all three origin stories (the movie, the comic, and the movie's original screenplay) she acted very much like she did when hyped up on the band candy, in S1 she stated she needed to learn to say no, and had been reading parenting boolks. I bring all this up because I believe she got better on the parenting scale when Dawn showed up. Them adding Dawn into Joyce's memories helped out Joyce's parenting skills. And I brimg that up because before Dawn existed and she and Hank were together, Joyce and Hank having her committed before the series began (as Buffy states to Willow) explains so much about Buffy's fear of her mom finding out about her being The Slayer, and even not wanting to be actively slay in the first episode, as well as why Buffy's so confused about which reality is real and which one she'd rather be in. She's knows what those institutions are like. There is even some moments in _Becoming Part 2_ to support this: Buffy: I told you. I'm a Vampire Slayer. Joyce: (haughtily) Well, I just don't accept that! & Joyce: No. This is insane. (takes Buffy by the shoulders) Buffy, you need help. Buffy: (throws off her mom's arms) I'm not crazy! What I need is for you to chill. I have to go! Metaphorically, the writers were referencing Buffy being gay, but since Buffy isn't actually gay, my head canon is that their direct conversation is about Joyce thinking she needs to send her daughter back to said asylum (or get her more help in some other way (as the asylum would have been Hank's idea in my mind) because Joyce still doesn't believe it even after she saw a vampire turn to dust and is already trying to block it out. As Giles said people do at the end of The Harvest: "People tend to rationalize what they can and forget what they can't." And Joyce having put her daughter inb one is the only real excuse Joyce gets in that _Becoming_ moment, even when its still not an excuse for kicking her daughter out of the house.
In the first two seasons reactors are all "Why doesn't Buffy tell her mother." There are hints in those earlier seasons about why but it's here where we finally get confirmed as to why.
I have always thought that they misunderstood the demon's power. I think it was making Buffy slip between two universes. I think both realities are real. It's hard to find people who agree with me. :)
I never thought of it like that, but since Whedon also wrote the Marvel universe with multiverses, then yeah, it makes perfect sense that both realities are real. But what a horrible reality for the "other Buffy"!
I like that theory actually.
I always thought both realities were real and happening at the same time and our Buffy had to decide which one she wanted to live in. The venom was making her become unmoored, taking down the walls between the realities so she could see both of them at once and slide between them. One wasn't fake, one wasn't real. They were both real. But one Buffy was catatonic, giving her space in that Buffy's mind to move between them and giving Buffy the choice to be the Slayer or to be a girl with two parents, together, alive, and the chance at a normal life without the knowledge of the supernatural at all.
Great episode. They leave it up to us to decide which reality is the real one. For me, the one with Buffy in the mental institution makes the most sense since vampires and demons aren't real.
I think so too. It makes a _lot_ more sense. Haha. I usually wouldn't like the, 'and it was all a dream' kind of ending, but for this show, I think it would work, especially as I never saw it coming. I honestly like the idea, a lot, actually. 🤔
My theory is that both worlds are real. The demon just connected our Buffy with a different Buffy in an alternate universe who had hallucinations of her life, and that world continued existing afterward. Something similar happened in The Wish.
The struggle wasn't just within our Buffy's mind, but between the two Buffys who were fighting for dominance. Our Buffy won because her mind was stronger from of all the character development she's experienced.
I was so lucky I watched the movie before watching seasons 1-7, this is the psychologically most scary thing I've ever seen. SMG and the writing knocked it out of the park. This is also a fav episode.
I think this episode ends in the clinic because the venon is still active, which is why Buffy is asking for more antidote.
As a mental health specialist, I love this episode. And I lean towards the asylum and this is the reason we have a world of supernatural.
FWIW, I'm also a big fan of this one; this kind of story in general, and the ending in particular, hits a sweet spot for me. Couple of things I noticed on this rewatch that I'd never clocked before: first, notice it's when Spike issues his "tell them or I will" ultimatum that tips her over into treating the psych ward as the "real world". Her relationship with him is arguably the thing about her season-long depression that she's been most afraid/ashamed of the others finding out, so that being her tipping point totally tracks. Next, did you see how the lighting of Buffy's face changes @30:10 ? Defeating the demon/accepting the Slayerverse can probably be thought of as the start of her emerging from her depression; the change in lighting just reinforces the metaphor.
Wow, no, I hadn't noticed the change in lighting. That's pretty cool.
Yes, a finale like that would be like an entire hospital drama revealed to be in the mind of an autistic boy playing with a snow globe….
You say that like it'd be a _bad_ thing. 🤔
@@jaypeakay5864 It amuses me that it was a real thing. When it happened there was general confusion in our living room. It really pissed some people off. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tommy_Westphall?wprov=sfti1
Normal Again was a very intense episode in which we see Buffy's PTSD, which has obviously been there from the very start continue to manifest itself again. This time it seems even more severe with the scenes in the Institution very harrowing with Buffy seemingly locked in to a psychotic state. We see her turn on all her friends an place them down in the basement with the Demon. Eventually the Psychiatrist Doctor tells Buffy's parents she was 'gone' and a sinister ending where we see the camera pan away to the window in the door in the hospital, in the style of an X-Files episode. The Trio have becoming so annoying at this point. This episode is very much in sync with the tone of the whole Season exploring all kinds of dark avenues, and the Psychological effects on all the characters. The reason I think some fans didn't like this episode in particular was because it seemed to question was the world we have seen Buffy in real at all, or was it fantasy in her mind. It's as it was almost a 'Bobby Ewing Shower Moment' ( older people will get that reference ) but it was brilliantly done in that even though we are still not sure what actually is happening, we are left in a state of flux. This episode is very much similar in story and tone to the incredible movie Identity starring John Cusack, Ray Liotta and Rebecca De Mornay. Fantastic innovative writing again continuing the 'darkness' of S6
That was the point of the video - to make it seem like THIS could be "reality". They did an amazing job with this episode, I think its really under-rated by some. When I first saw this episode, it messed with me for days. I started questioning my "reality".
Choosing between her parents and the harsh reality - pretty f'd up. Thank goodness Joyce's comforting words had the opposite effect than intended. Or, maybe not. That last scene...
This is a killer episode! Total head trip.
💯
I think the writers ended on the final scene as a way to make Buffy "real" and us the fans are watching what's in her head, i.e
The show
This is probably my favorite episode. I think it's the real world for Buffy, BECAUSE, they end in the asylum world. They didn't end in the Buffy world. I know that director and Joss said it was an editing thing... but I think it was intentional.
I think people would have felt screwed if the show had ended this way.
I feel like you might be right. I kind of like it as a show ending. 🤔
People get mad at this episode, but I love it XD
However, I'm glad this is not the series finale, I already had that with another show, and it was very disappointing... I won't say which show, just in case you haven't seen it!
Agreed. I thought it was great! I've seen it with another show too, but it might not be the same one so I won't mention it either. That said, I thought it was excellent in the one I saw. It was a UK show.
@@jaypeakay5864 Then it's not the same one! Don't tell me XD
This is a weird episode. Loved it but it was totally unexpected the first time I watched it. I’m sure my face did a lot of the same expressions as yours did. 😂
I really like alternate reality storylines. Star Trek The Next Generation had a really similar storyline (Frame of Mind) where Riker is in a play and then suddenly he’s in a prison like hospital. It flips back and forth between the realities just like this one does. Loved it in Star Trek as well.
Haha. I'd love to have seen other people watching this show. I've seen one other show that did something similar and I thought that was great too. 😁
This one really disturbed me
Me too!
Really great episode with a questionnable ending
Didgeridoo? More like a digeridon't!
Oh, the old school online message boards were filled with unhappy fans after this episode originally aired! It really felt like a betrayal by the writers.
I think I can understand why. I did really love it, though. Haha.
I think the MCU's Moon Knight did the same concept better. I never liked the idea that (as the crew of the show stated) the audience isn't supposed to know which reality is real vs fake). So, here's my head canon:
The insane asylum reality is in Buffy's mind, but she brought it into being the first time she came back out of it to the world we have known since S1. The drug in the demon's arm allows Buffy to hallucinate the asylum universe and combined with the power of the mystical energy of the hellmouth, Buffy's imagination was turned into a second world that really exists and she's unintentionally using hellmouth energy to travel between them. How the episode ends is rather sad as while the Slayerverse reality continues to play out with Buffy continuing her life, the insane asylum Buffy is thought of as brain dead by her parents and doctors. I presume that without a depressed Buffy helming the wheel of her emotions and body, perhaps the asylum Buffy could have a chance someday. Or if not, it's an even sadder story as complies with S6 anyway.
I also have a type of secondary theor, but that ties into the above main theory:
Joyce wasn't originally very good at parenting, as in all three origin stories (the movie, the comic, and the movie's original screenplay) she acted very much like she did when hyped up on the band candy, in S1 she stated she needed to learn to say no, and had been reading parenting boolks. I bring all this up because I believe she got better on the parenting scale when Dawn showed up. Them adding Dawn into Joyce's memories helped out Joyce's parenting skills. And I brimg that up because before Dawn existed and she and Hank were together, Joyce and Hank having her committed before the series began (as Buffy states to Willow) explains so much about Buffy's fear of her mom finding out about her being The Slayer, and even not wanting to be actively slay in the first episode, as well as why Buffy's so confused about which reality is real and which one she'd rather be in. She's knows what those institutions are like.
There is even some moments in _Becoming Part 2_ to support this:
Buffy: I told you. I'm a Vampire Slayer.
Joyce: (haughtily) Well, I just don't accept that!
&
Joyce: No. This is insane. (takes Buffy by the shoulders) Buffy, you need help.
Buffy: (throws off her mom's arms) I'm not crazy! What I need is for you to chill. I have to go!
Metaphorically, the writers were referencing Buffy being gay, but since Buffy isn't actually gay, my head canon is that their direct conversation is about Joyce thinking she needs to send her daughter back to said asylum (or get her more help in some other way (as the asylum would have been Hank's idea in my mind) because Joyce still doesn't believe it even after she saw a vampire turn to dust and is already trying to block it out. As Giles said people do at the end of The Harvest: "People tend to rationalize what they can and forget what they can't." And Joyce having put her daughter inb one is the only real excuse Joyce gets in that _Becoming_ moment, even when its still not an excuse for kicking her daughter out of the house.
I think I actually remember that conversation. Maybe it prompted them to come up with this episode?
Very disturbing episode.
Yep.