Buffy The Vampire Slayer/THE MUSICAL EPISODE''Once More, With Feeling''A FAN AND A VOCALIST REACTION
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- Опубликовано: 1 янв 2023
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It's not a musical episode, it's the musical episode.
Emphasis on THE
Not the first though. Xena had two musical episodes, and both of them aired before the Buffy one.
Didn't mean it was the first, I mean it's the best.
Most musical episodes are appallingly bad, this one is a major exception.
The only other musical episode that is even close is ”The Bitter Suite” from Xena: Warrior Princess.
hee hee hee!
Buffy heard Spike's song because it was meant for her. She didn't hear Giles' song because it was an internal monologue. Anya and Xander only heard each other in the conversational middle section, the beginning and end were internal.
Musical rules are never clear and don't always stay consistent, it's best not to dwell.
It's a little odd that someone who seems pretty versed in music and theater was so tripped up by there being diegetic and non-diegetic songs and verses in a musical.
I always felt that the whole point of the town being "cursed" with singing was that they could all hear all of it, the good and the bad. Why else would the demon end by saying "all those secrets you've been concealing. Say you're happy now - once more with feeling". So it's less that Buffy couldn't hear Giles, but rather that she wasn't paying attention to him (or anyone else really) because she was too preoccupied with her own loss from being torn from heaven and her depression. It's that lack of paying attention to the world around her that Giles sings about.
Mechanically, the rule seemed to be that if the characters were making eye-contact, they could hear each other. Looking away, it wasn't for them to hear.
@@mrmidlife2546 Then Xander and Anya wouldn't have heard eachother for most of their song either...
@@gosesnuff It started that way if you remember, Xander was talking away to himself when Anya started singing, then they looked at each other just before "'cause there's nothing to tell." in unison, then it was Game On.
I love the fact that in I've Got a Theory, Giles has the first line and his theory is absolutely correct but he immediately discounts it and they sing a whole song about things it isn't. 😂
I don't know how many times I watched this episode before I noticed that.
Others have suggested he discounts it because he knows they have the talisman that would be needed to summon the demon.
@@jamietaylor5570 Or he realized it must be bunnies.
OMG I can't believe I never noticed that 😂
@@bfdidc6604 They're not just cute like everybody supposes, ya know.
Sarah Michelle Gellar did not feel comfortable singing so she was going to use a singer voice dubbing but once she read the script the line near the end of the ep that Buffy will be revealing she was in heaven, SMG realized she had to be the one to say/sing those words bc it was too important (so she got not 1, but 2 vocal coaches & trained hard for his ep!)
She noticeably improves over the course of the episode, too!
Totally on point for this series: Anthony Head is a long-time singer on stage, so he has it golden from the start; Amber Benson reveals the angelic voice no one suspected she had; Allyson Hannigan couldn’t carry a tune in a bucket and doesn’t try to hide it; and SMG takes what ability she has and just works her ass off to get through the episode.
The actors that can't sing or can't sing well they used auto tune. You can tell with Sarah Michelle Gellar especially they used auto tune heavily.
I think this comment is mostly filler.
@@FEARNoMore i used to think autotune too because of the sweetness or smoothed out voices but it's not, doesnt sound autotuned, or it would be all disney princess perfection, as this vocalist explains in video you can tell they arent professional singers but she can tell have had some training. James Marsters revealed at comic con that they all used vocal coaches out their own pocket 😯 (besides Giles no training necessary 😂)
I think "spread beneath my Willow tree" is the both the sweetest and dirtiest line I've ever heard.
so the You Make me Cumplete part wasnt dirty? lol
@@tombigbee37riusa no this one is just a bit more
@@noahsdragonfruit i dont know maybe its just an opinion thing either way i feel you
Bonus Facts:
Michelle Trachtenberg pleaded to not have to sing so much, and seeing that she was a trained ballerina, they let her dance.
Sweet the demon was played by Hinton Battle, winner of three Tony awards.
actually she didn't ask to not sing much, she couldn't sing half as much because she had laryngitis when they shot the episode, so they decided to switch her a lot more to dancing since she was a trained ballerina and used whatever singing of hers they could; the fact dawn gets cut off during her first song is a joke about the predicament. The one who asked to not sing too much was Alyson Hannigan. Something I've always been peeved by because I find her voice beautiful.
They used auto tune for her & Sarah Michelle Gellar.
Michelle actually had PSYCHOSOMATIC laryngitis because she was so terrified of singing.
@@SpkeNo1 Auto-Tune was invented and launched as a ProTools plug-in in 1997 by Andy Hildebrand. First time it was used was by Cher with the song “Believe” in 1998. Buffy musical was in 2001.😉
Best Buffy episode ever ❤️. The look on Sofie's face when SMG started to sing was just priceless.
I can relate! No matter how many times I see this episode like I’m never prepared for the vocals!
There is a lot of good show but... In this épisode you smile you laugh you cry you scream you are stress surprise choke.... How many show are able to do that in one single épisode 😳 ?
That s thé reason why shows like Vampire Diaries or True Blood Never get me in... Something is missing.
Congratulations community. It took two years of biting your tongue to keep this episode secret, but it was worth it!
@@oceanchaos1 I'm not sure it was so much, but okay.
@@willsofer3679 She reacted to the first Buffy episode on September 20, 2020. That's more than two years
I'll Never Tell is SO underrated and genius. Even the structure of the song and the choreography is about how Xander and Anya BOTH avoid communication with sex and comedy. The second it starts getting real Anya's like "woo!! I'm dancing crazy!!!!"
I LOVE Emma as Anya in that scene, even more than usual, which is a lot. She totally nailed the New York Musical vibe.
And I LOVE how synchronized they are!..
There's a reason why TV Guide named it one of the best episodes in TV history. 21 years later, I still sing along with my soundtrack
Same!😆
My 5 years old daughter loves the OMWF soundtrack. Everytime we are in our car she tells me: "Mommy I want to listen the musical", her favourite song is going through the motions 😊
@@soniajpalazzolo4987wow! She wasn’t even ALIVE when that episode came out! She can listen to the music but the Buffy show definitely isn’t for kids. Hope you don’t let her watch it too young
But man what a cute story..
You're the first reactor I've seen who actually paid attention to the lyrics at the end and realized that wasn't a happy ending. "this isn't real but I just want to feel" is extremely depressing but covered up well by the music which was for the most part the whole point of the episode. Getting all the bad out into the open.
So damn glad you didn't get spoiled about this episode. I'm very sure it's because of a diligent moderator and they deserve praise. What an absolute delight to see your face light up as the realization sank in.
I was thinking the same thing. The disgust of the opening titles at the start right up to eye's nearly poping out at the spike kiss at the end❤️
She should have been told about this episode 4 episodes back.
Everyone knew it was coming a month ahead of time and had most of the fan base stoked for it.
This episode was never meant to be a surprise, and that moderator should be ashamed of themselves for failing in their job so badly.
@@luthersmithers6052
Meh.. I can kinda agree with some of your points. Watching in real time, we were given previews, that's true. But this is 20 years later, watching over 2 years, not 7, on a different format. I think surprises can be nice in this setting.
@@heathernks8 I see what you're saying, but for any kind of a first viewing, it isn't measured in years - it's measured in the number of times you've seen it (first time in this case).
First time is first time. The entire point of reactors doing these things is so they can have the same experiences with the show as we did, and for us to see how they respond to it.
Not having the same information we had alters their response. It's like watching a sequel for the first time without seeing the first movie.
Take a look at some of these reactors watching the pilot. You see tons of confusion on their faces trying to figure out what they should have learned from the movie.
Some of the best things I've heard:
-I guess she's a superhero?
-Is that librarian like her boss or something?
-What's a watcher?
-Why aren't they showing her training?
-There's only one of them?
-Was she born this way?
It's really annoying to watch reaction videos, only to find out they aren't having the same experience because they aren't privy to the same information as we were.
@@luthersmithers6052
I gotchu. On the other hand, she said at the end (41:30) that this "episode resonated at a whole new level as an adult" [re: depression] so maybe she watched it as a kid and this is a first-time reaction as an adult?🤷♀️
This is easily one of my very favorite single episodes of any television show. It's not just a well executed musical episode, but it's also so freaking DARK. All of the characters' deepest secrets that they've been hiding from their friends are revealed and it ends on a "holy cow, what now??" (or a "Where do we go from here?" if you will.)
Also, I think of this episode as being a sort of sequel to "Hush", at least thematically. In 'Hush', no one was communicating properly until everyone STOPPED talking. In 'Once More With Feeling" everyone is forced to communicate their true feelings - but through song, and everyone's secrets are revealed. Love it!
I love that all the Buffy reactors that I watch begin the episode with "Is this another HUSH episode".
It kinda is. In Hush, people are incapable of lying because they can't use words to do so, and here they blurt out the truth through song.
Was thinking the same thing 😅
@@pillmuncher67 No, they were incapable of speaking. They could very easily lie still because they could still write, type and gesture.
They think "Hush" because of All the Activity without Dialog.
In Actuality, it is Meant to be an Overture.
@@pillmuncher67 I'm sure mute people can still lie. Here we are still using words visually.
I love Buffy's response, 'Must be Tuesday.' Since the show came on prime time, Tues. when the show aired.
Oh wow I've never seen this comment before. That makes it even better 😂
I lived for Tuesday nights season 6 and 7
A meta reference like that one in season 7: Buffy tells the principal "Apocalypse usually comes in May in this town", which is also the month in which the series usually airs its season's finales.
Imagine all of us who love your Buffy reactions AND your music reactions, knowing this episode was coming...and having to wait or you to get to it!
I'll never wait for another reactor to just "get to" this episode. Only reason I clicked on this one was to confirm what I already knew...they had no idea it was coming.
This should not happen, considering everyone knew about this episode for more than a month before it aired.
I watch TV, movie, and music reactions (but only for the last several months) and I just happened on this video out of the blue. It seems I have, once again, a whole new bunch of quality content to go through. 👍
@@luthersmithers6052 The wonders of advertising.
As someone who just discovered this channel, thanks to all of the long-standing fans for not spoiling the fact that it was a musical episode in prior comments. My favorite part of this is the honesty of SoFie’s surprise upon realizing what she’s gotten into, right down to not understanding the alternate intro. This one is an emotional roller coaster, even for a show that’s quite intense at baseline. As she observes, there is tragedy woven into even the highest peaks of comedy and romance. Bravo to the whole team who made this episode happen, especially SMG, who had almost no musical experience but did extensive voice training for the role.
There’s nothing better than a first time reaction to Once More With Feeling
Especially when the reactor has no awareness whatsoever of the episode’s existence.
Fun Facts: The Mustard Man was played by David Fury and the Parking Ticket Lady was played by Marti Noxon, both staff writers on the show.
Came on to say the same. Marti has an amazing voice
In the version Sophie watched they cut off the second verse of Marti's song (on the OST)
"This isn't right, this isn't fair
I did not see the hydrant there
Hey, I'm not wearing underwear"
"Staff writer" is really selling them short, I mean at this point more like the showrunner and executive producer.
@@odkres yea they were higher ups in the writing staff by this point because Joss was also busy working on Angel and probably getting ready developing Firefly
@@odkres You're right.
Don't worry about the rules of the songs. Sometimes they're inner monologue and sometimes they can hear each other. Like any musical.
I think Giles' is the only song where it's an internal monologue. It's otherwise pretty consistent that the other characters can hear them. (Maybe Buffy really *was* in a training montage while Giles was singing, and the demon gave them separate audios so their songs wouldn't clash with each other, so she only heard the montage music and Giles only heard his own song, and we heard Giles because his is the plot-relevant one?) Buffy and Willow don't hear Tara and Giles singing because they're talking to each other, so their attention is on the conversation, and they're probably tuning out the background songs because they're used to them at this point.
My theory is they can all hear one another, but they're not always listening. Buffy is stuck in her depression and therefore is somewhat apathetic and not listening to what Giles has to say.
@@AlxMar5 That's always been my headcanon too. She just couldn't make herself care enough to pay attention
Yeah, these are internal musings that the audience is privy to while life goes on for the other actors around them. Common device.
@@AlxMar5 that's way better than mine. I just thought that only those who are part of the song can hear it. Giles was singing about his situation, like an inner monolog, not TO Buffy, so she couldn't hear it, but Tara sang TO Willow, as did Spike to Buffy, etc.
Hands down, the best reaction to this episode I've ever seen. We all knew Anthony could sing, but thank god, finally someone who appreciates Amber's voice for how amazing it is. It's clear SMG isn't a singer to the degree that she is an actor, but it's just as clear how much effort she put into it. They made a lot of clever compromises to pull this off, and managed to embed so much meaning and irony anyway. It's really stunning.
How’s it possible to not appreciate Amber’s voice? She’s easily the best female singer in the episode by a huge margin. I mean Sarah and Emma sound okay, but you can definitely tell they’re not singers. Amber clearly is. She’s hitting and sustaining Soprano notes all throughout her performance. A proper singer.
Emma was impressive too singing and dancing
In Repo! He really proves that he has some pipes! Love that dude great actor and amazing singer!
SMG's performance is the best because she actually busted her ass to learn to do this since it would all carry on her. Are their better female singers in the cast, like Amber? Yes, but SMG's performance is knock-out given her relative inexperience.
Watching her call out the key change before it happens, SO GOOD. I've watched this reaction almost as many times as I've watched Once More With Feeling.
“Is it wrong for me to say I want this guy to win”
As you saw, he did win. He caused more chaos and discontent amongst the Scoobies than any Big Bad before and he got away.
And pretty much the only bad guy they technically didn't beat.
@@raggarbergmanKathy is the only other monster of the week demon I can think of who just gets away without really being defeated.
@@rfresa Well not in the traditional sense. But she was dealt with while Sweet left by his own free will. :)
@@raggarbergmanyah I mean he my FAV villian on this show for me! Season 2 Spike my 2nd fav
There has never been another musical episode that's ever come within 1000 miles of this one. It is the best musical television episode in history hands down and it's not even close. Love to see you geek out over it like we all did.
You can watch this episode over & over again and it never gets old. The Scrubs musical episode was good but not a patch on this.
The musical episode of Community is pretty good too, but yeah, this is awesome.
Xena Warrior Princess' The Bitter Suite is far superior in my opinion. And came before this.
@@tjtenser7828I don’t personally feel Bitter Suite is superior, but I do think it is very close in quality. The last ten minutes of Bitter Suite is particularly stunning.
A big reason is that almost every time a show does a musical episode, they just stick the cast with shoehorned covers of super popular songs that only vaguely relate to them or the plot. So even if the actors, or the dubbed voices, are good at singing you still just end up with low rent versions of songs you can find a thousand other better versions of on amateur musician RUclips channels.
Once More With Feeling instead used all original music that is all intimately and inextricably linked to the characters and the struggles they are dealing with. Even if none of these actors were more than mediocre at singing, the simple fact the music all actually means something for the characters would make this episode infinitely better than basically every other attempt at a musical episode.
i'm glad i'm not the only one who crys at " i wish i could lay your arms down, and let you rest at last, wish i could slay your demons"... seriously ive never seen a reactor even flinch at that line i thought it was just me 😭😄
yeah that line breaks me. It reminds me of what Buffy says earlier this season why she's talking about the afterlife and she says she was "finished". The Slayer doesn't get time off or retirement.... just more suffering until its all over.
The look on your face when Buffy started singing was totally worth waiting 6 seasons for. 😁😁😁
It was a long wait but worth it
You guys should have told her about this around 4 episodes ago.
We all knew it was coming when it aired,
You guys let her down big time.
@@luthersmithers6052 why in the world would we spoil it for her? O_o
@@enicole1203 It's not spoiling it for anybody. The audience was supposed to know about this episode ahead of time.
You didn't want to spoil it for her? You already did by not telling her about it.
@@luthersmithers6052 why would the audience know ahead of time? IIRC they didn't advertise that the next episode was going to be a musical originally... I mean granted it was 25 years ago so I don't remember but I thought they kept it a surprise
"It's a musical. I'm either going to hate it or love it."
She's going to love it. And watch it again, and again, and again, until she notices all the details and can sing along with all the songs, even the Mustard and Parking Ticket songs.
"that's my refrain..."
I love that the most intricate sequences in the episode are dedicated to the most irrelevant moments. They "wasted" their big, elaborate, coordinated group dance sequence on an extra singing about his dry cleaning, as a joke, and had a trio of street sweepers dancing in the background of Giles, Xander and Anya's conversation, for one long, unbroken take, for no reason other than that it's funny and to keep the atmosphere going even when the leads aren't singing. The commitment to sparkle motion here is incredible.
Donnie Darko reference ❤
My favourite thriller movie ever.
I *never* doubt their commitment to Sparkle Motion!
@@LeshaAnn
Every time a reactor gets to Rm w/a Vu, I have to say about the ghost lady, "Sometimes I doubt her commitment to Sparkle Motion," but usually it's on Patreon where fewer people see the comment, so usually no one gets it.
"The curtains close on a kiss, god knows..." -cue the curtains coming down on a kiss. I've loved this episode since it first aired. My very favorite musical episode of any show ever.
The curtains close on a kiss
God knows we can tell
The end is near..
"When does 'The End' appear? When do the trumpets cheer?" Cue the trumpets as the curtains close on "The End"./
Also, you are the first reactor I've found that actually realised first time that buffy was actively trying to commit suicide-by-dance at the end. Nice.
7:01 Laughing uncontrollably at "Bunnies! Bunnies! It must be Bunnies!!!" is absolutely the correct reaction. 🤣🤣🤣
I'm so glad Giles and Tara got a duet. It would have been a crime to not have the two actors with musical theatre experience get a chance in the spotlight
This is literally the granddaddy of all musical episodes. It's the bar and as far as I know in 20 years no one has passed it.
Now imagine watching this on TV without the ability to pause rewind or rewarch. Literally just sat there with my jaw hanging open
I always looked at the last song as Sweet casting one more spell when he said "Once more with feeling".
Withal a limited area of effect. Spike and Buffy were able to break free from it, but then there was still a little effect left.
Oh, nice! Never thought of that
@@andurilcuivieexactly..
The vibe I got from whether people could hear the songs was that they could all hear the songs, but whether they were LISTENING is another matter entirely. Buffy doesn't hear Giles because she isn't listening because she's so inward focused from her depression, and is just assuming he'll always be there. He feels she's relying on him too much because he doesn't know what she's going through, and so feels he's just stopping her from being all she can be, rather than being the support she's desperately clinging to.
Xander and Anya aren't listening to each other because... well that's what the song is about, that they're going through stuff together but feel alone in their fears, it's not just that "They'll never tell" but that they haven't NOTICED that the other person HAS something to tell.
Hands down the best musical episode out there. One that inspired so many other shows to copy it, but they all do it as a fan-service one-off that doesn't really affect the plot or have any reason to be happening. The fact that this grounded it with an in-universe explanation, and it didn't just have MAJOR plot advancements, it had major plot advancements that the characters would never have revealed if they hadn't been under the influence of the need to sing them... it didn't just explain why it was a musical episode, it made it NECESSARY to be one. That's truly some incredible story-telling and writing.
Exactly
This Musical episode doesn’t look contrived at all
This is the episode EVERYONE has been eagerly waiting for you to watch lol. Your reaction to the kiss at the end reminded me of my first time watching (when it first aired). I live vicariously through you lol
They could all hear each other in their songs. The only one that couldn’t was Buffy, when Giles was singing. That’s why she was shown in slow motion & not paying attention to him. And in the reprise, with Giles & Tara, you can see Buffy & Willow talking to each other, signifying that they aren’t hearing their song.
Edit: Before the demon left, he told them to do another number, “Once more, with feeling,” which is why they sang the ‘Where do we go from here’ number.
Buffy not hearing Giles fits in with the theme that she is detached from what's going on around her. She isn't even that concerned that Dawn is in trouble. ("Must be Tuesday.")
@@DarrellPursiful Which is also an in-joke for the contemporary audience because during first run, the show was on Tuesdays.
I would also say Xander and Anya likely couldn't understand each other either, just my opinion but would both of them be laughing about confessing how they feel about marriage? I think they could tell the other was singing but not all of it at most the chorus is likely shared but the individual verses aren't.
@@llawliet7070 They could hear. There’s a part after the song, when they’re talking to Giles, where Anya yells, “my toes aren’t hairy!!” towards Xander, something he had said about her during the song. The laughing at the end was still part of the spell of the song. They immediately start telling Giles “it’s a nightmare.” Listen to the conversation they have with Giles immediately after the song. It’s funny. Anya even says something about feeling like there were only 3 walls when they were singing & she was being watched (alluding to us, the audience). Also remember the “Beady eyes is right, we’re needed,” callback during the ‘Walk Through the Fire’ number, from her earlier “his eyes are beady” during their song.
Also, I love that the last line of the episode is "where Do we go from here" right when Spuffy Kiss for the first time, like this is what the audience is asking themselves after watching these masterpiece asking what is next
And thus, Buffy tried to kill herself in front of everyone, Xander indirectly killed other people and Willow technically raped Tara. That's a shit ton of fucked up stuff to happen surrounded by really cute songs, you know ?
I ABSOLUTELY loved your reaction tho !! So many reactors don't pay attention to the lyrics and it's very refreshing to see one do so ! One of my favourite parts of the episode (other than everything Spike related) is definitely Buffy's pleading Sweet to "Give her something to sing about", meaning something to live for, she's pleading anyone able to listen to give her her fire back, to bring meaning to life once again, and when Sweet shakes his head, showing he can't do that, when it hits her that it's something only she is able to do, she goes on to the crazy dancing, basically killing herself, because that's what she WANTS !
And my heart break every fucking time man ...
James Marsters (and ASH, as you probably already know) is and was then a professional singer. He headed a band called ghost of a robot back then. It's actually partly because of James that Joss decided to make this musical. I mean he always wanted to make a musical but what led him to specifically doing a Buffy musical then and there. He used to have Shakespeare nights at his house and have the cast over for. He said that before long James would bring his guitar and pretty soon some of them, mostly James would sing. That's when he knew he had a cast that could pull this off. I mean, not all of them are on par with being able to be professional singers, but they were all great enough to carry a musical episode.
Still got one of his CD albums. Forgot which one, but it's got a lot of good ones on it. Think I need to break it out & have a go of it.
The cast actually started pushing for this episode back in season 1. That's why they had the line in Nightmares..."dreams would be a musical comedy version of this."
He had James start bringing his guitar to test their musical talents before he announced that he was finally giving them their wish.
@@luthersmithers6052 That goes against everything any of them have stated. Also the cast don't create the lines. Nice imagination though.
@@Logan_Baron Okay, I suppose living through seven seasons of a show as every episode actually aired, and being alive seeing this episode blow up for weeks on end all over the internet, along with being at two separate conventions in Cleveland and getting this information directly from the horse's mouth qualifies my comments as making things up.
@@Logan_Baron Promo 1...
ruclips.net/video/We907AmVmBo/видео.html
This isn't just a musical episode, this is THE musical episode.
This was the perfect medium to get all these really dark truths out without overwhelming the audiiuance.
Yah pretty clever huh. Something shout music is magical..
OMG, I've never seen a reactor with such emotion and just nailing every reference right off the bat, from the flower, to Anya's Bunnyphobia, etc. You my dear are a true fan and an amazing reactor :)
I think one of the most telling segments in this episode is Spike's lines "I'm free if that bitch dies...I'd better help her out". Tells you everything about what is happening in the warring aspects of his personality. He was always a charismatic character, but his progress though Buffy (and even more so in Angel) is fascinating.
Willow dont you see... there be nothing left of me. That line broke my heart.
Her autonomy and personhood could be entirely erased if she carried on.
@@Girl4Music Erased AGAIN, That is the Point.
@@Cleopatra7Philopator yes, I know. And there really isn’t a way to argue that she didn’t do this to her multiple times other than that we never saw it happen multiple times.
@@Girl4Music No, I am Talking about Glory, the Villian who Took her Mind. The Idea that her Lover is Doing the Exact Same thing, is what Disgusts her.
@@Cleopatra7Philopator Glory took her sanity. Willow took away her memory. Both took away her autonomy.
Legend has it Sofie is still watching this episode on loop to this day.
This is the best reaction I've seen to this episode, by far. 🎶💕
If you liked Amber and Anthony's singing, you'll probably be happy to know there's a Rocky Horror Picture Show anniversary show where Amber sings "Creature of the night" and Anthony sings "Sweet Transvesty"
Omg thank you for this! Buffy and Rocky Horror are my 2 favourite things so going to check this out straight away! I knew that Anthony had played FranknFurter before but this is amazing
I believe Amber also sang on Anthony's album "Music For Elevators"
Where can I see this? On RUclips?
The fact that you did not previously know this episode was "The Musical" episode (that turned me around on Musicals in general) is awesome. And the fact that you are covering Buffy and Angel gets you an automatic Subscribe! 😁
The best thing about this episode is that nothing is dubbed. All the cast members sing their lines. Xander and Anya’s duet about their relationship is particularly memorable. It’s obvious that neither of them are trained singers but they still manage to kill the hardest song in the episode.
"This isn't real but I just want to feel" - Buffy knows Spike loves her so she's giving into his advances and using him as a way to feel anything other than depressed. "I died so many years ago. You can make me feel" - Spike has found someone (other than Drusilla) that he can actually love in his very long undead life. He so longs to just feel her touch to have some kind of acknowledgment of his feeling. This moment is so bitter sweet. They aren't in love they just want to have a feeling of love. Spike wants Buffy to love him the way he loves her but Buffy doesn't love him she can just stand him as a friend.
I dont like how she uses him though, but im not complaining
The way I see it, he’s infatuated and obsessed with her but incapable of really loving her, since he doesn’t have a soul. Buffy knows this, which is part of the reason she hasn’t wanted to give in to the attraction - and also partly what she means when she sings “this isn’t real”.
@@0susted0 I think you're right that is how Buffy sees it. I think that vampires can love and the reason I think that is season 2 episode 14 "Innocence". The Judge is going to burn the humanity out of Spike and Drucilla because he can feel they love each other. That love is tainted because they are evil things. However, it still is love.
@@NathanClarkNateMan010276 Fair point, you might be right about that. Cue “Tainted Love”: ruclips.net/video/XZVpR3Pk-r8/видео.html 😁
@@0susted0 🤣
I'm so happy you picked up on how Buffy's "I think I was in heaven" line was distorted. I hoped you'd comment that Spike's "living" response to her is also distorted intentionally--kind of Joss's musical way of showing that they are both sort of exist outside of a regular mortal existence. They're the distortions to the rest of the Scoobies who hadn't come back from the dead.
EXACTLY
Buffy and Spike had that connection..
THANK YOU for appreciating the harmonizing for Amber and Anthony in their song reprise. ❤
Both ‘The Bitter Suite’ and ‘Once More, With Feeling’ are really unprecedented for their time in TV. Even though Xena’s musical episode came first in 1998, both Buffy and Xena take the credit for musical episodes becoming pop culture in TV. But they also did the unthinkable by cleverly, not only coincide with the plot, but further it along in that they both have the characters spill secrets and make confessions which aid to evolve respective character arcs and tell a story that has them begin again in new and interesting ways.
In ‘Once More, With Feeling’ Buffy confesses she was pulled out of heaven by her friends. Forcing the Scooby Gang, Willow in particular, to process this information and grapple with the seriousness of it. In ‘The Bitter Suite’ Xena confesses that she killed Ming Tien. Forcing Xena to beg for forgiveness from Gabrielle so she can pass through the waterfall. Thereby reconciling and reuniting them, making their relationship stronger so they can battle the real enemy.
All of this is done in song. Cheesy? Sure. But clever at the same time. The creators knew that talking about these subjects and themes would be heavy on the audience watching and listening, so addressing them in music was a way of making what was heavy subject material much lighter. And at the same time, they also knew that music is meant for honest expression. So really, how else would or could it work? They ultimately made the right decision. As cheesy or silly as it may look on the surface, they achieved what few have… Going deeper without drowning. This is why these two musical episodes remain staples in TV history. It is not just because they’re musicals. It’s because they’re musicals with depth. They could have just been some silly entertainment for the cast to have fun with and show off their talent and nothing more. Instead they were much, much, much more than that. They were artistic genius. They were performance art. And you will find it difficult to truly understand either of these shows without them.
As my soul brother Sweet put it: “Now, we’re partying. That’s what it’s all about.”
Ah Xena...
Thé musical épisode in Illusia is mythic. But Buffy did a Perfect one.
Sup Emma! I wish people would check out Xena. I remember that show also had a few musical episodes. Along with many topics and themes much like BtVS. Don't recall how many cuz I was young when I was watching it live and haven't seen it since. Maybe the reason folks don't tune in is in part due to some preconceived notions about it. Again, much like BtVS. I'm glad you brought this into discussion 😉👍.
@@yvetterodriguez2550 well, there’s officially 2 but I say there’s 3. ‘A Tale Of Two Muses’ in Season 4 is also very musically-inclined.
It's funny, when I think of a musical Xena episode, I think of Lyre, Lyre Hearts on Fire (season 5 episode 10). Lucy Lawless has sung somewhat professionally before, but the rest.of the cast not so much.
@@sadfaery nah, that’s the cheap, none-plot or character driven musical. There’s a cliche reason for it happening (battle of the bands) and is just a bit of fun for the cast to enjoy. I like it but it’s nothing to shout about. ‘The Bitter Suite’ is an opera that revolves around Xena and Gabrielle’s relationship and ‘The Rift’ they’re going through. There’s amazing Tarot and Yin-Yang symbolism in it that’s really thought-provoking and honestly,… you couldn’t really understand the whole show without it. It’s absolutely essential in terms of the entire story of ‘Xena: Warrior Princess’.
When you sing in musical theater, you are addressing the audience, and when a character addresses the audience, they have to tell the truth.
Joss never comes out and says this, but hints it several times throughout the episode.
That's why Willow has so few lines. She's actively trying to hide her lies.
Fascinating theory. I know behind-the-scenes Alyson begged not to sing, but this interpretation fits in a whole meta way I really like.
What I also found hilarious is that they were actually doing research on bunnies later in the episode.
I remember watching this episode the first time it aired. This was the day I fell in love with Amber Benson. Two decades later, I fall again every time I rewatch.
I've never seen someone have so much trouble watching an episode that they love so much.
Not watched any of the other reactors get here?
Joss really understood the assignment.
He clearly understands, appreciates and respects musicals in a way that a lot of the other creators of musical episodes just don't. You never get the sense he feels like he's too good for musicals, or like he refuses to take them seriously as an art form.
Joss wrote the assignment.
If I'm not mistaken Joss pushed for the assignment. He used to have the cast over to his house for dinners and such. Apparently somewhere along the line some of them started bringing instruments and singing. He realized most of them had some talent and decided to propose the musical.
@@serinas4465 Not all writers understand the assignment. Hence, we get things like the 1993 Super Mario Bros. movie.
They can hear each other sing, but Buffy was stuck in a training montage while Giles was singing
It also shows how Buffy is detached from the world and people around her.
I literally watch people react to 7 seasons of this show *just* to be there with them when they get to The Body and OMWF
I love how when the title credits came on you were like "I don't like it" and at the very end of the episode you're talking about how much you love it. lol
What a great reaction. THIS is how a musical should be done. You don't need the best singers. You need singers that convey emotion, catchy songs that drive the story forward. You can't appreciate just how good it is unless you've watched the entire series.
Yes I love Walk through the Fire
One little joke that gets missed a lot nowadays is the "So, Dawn's in trouble. Must be Tuesday." line. Buffy originally aired on Tuesdays (at least in the US).
"Hush" and "Once More With Feeling" - two masterpieces at the opposite ends of the sound spectrum. This one is my favorite of the Buffyverse.
The look on your face when Buffy started singing and you realized this was a musical is pure gold. You are right about how this musical really advanced the story. A lot of information came out in this one episode. Was really waiting for you to get to this episode this season. I also agree with you that Giles and Tara sound like professional singers. Great reaction, you did not disappoint.
This episode should not have been a surprise for her.
It wasn't when it aired, because they got people excited about it a month ahead of time.
Not one single fan was surprised or confused when that music started, and I don't see how reactors not knowing about it as we did is a good thing for their experience.
I will never watch another reactor without telling them about it.
they re both experienced singers on top of actors
@@luthersmithers6052 what? I watched this episode when it first came out on TV and had no clue that it was going to be a musical and found it a nice surprise. I don't remember any excitement for this episode but maybe I did not pay attention to gossip about what was going to happen on episodes of TV series I was watching at the time. At the time this was on TV, I did not know anyone else who was watching this series, which means I was not even talking to anyone about this series. I think that's one reason I enjoy watching reactions to this series now. This is really my first view of how other people felt about this series. There were other series I did know people were watching and I got to discuss with people at the time, but not this series. And am I reading what you are saying correctly? You plan to tell people who are reacting, what's coming in the series? Or am I getting that wrong? The whole purpose to reaction videos is to see someone's first true reaction to something they had not seen before or did not already knew about, as much as a person can be shielded from seeing information about the movie or series in today's world. I actually enjoy people not knowing what's coming. The only thing that I remember hearing about Buffy back in the day was that there seemed to be a lot of confusion about if it was being cancelled from year to year. I have really enjoyed the reactions on this channel.
@@mike777ok I had a few people I knew watching the show so I got a lot of information from them. I never bothered with the "Buffy boards" and "chatties," but the information I received was more-or-less accurate. A few days before it aired, UPN ran a promo every day counting down and even played videos of the cast going through dancing lessons.
A grand majority of the fan-base knew this episode was coming well-over a month in advance, believe me.
As far as wanting to ruin someone's experience watching this the first time...perish the thought. I'm actually wanting to do the complete opposite.
Do you realize how many reactors I've seen completely bewildered when that opening starts, then end by basically saying this episode was a stupid idea?
The same number of them that had no idea it's based on the movie of the same name.
"Oh, we don't get to see her training? I guess she was just born a super hero. I guess this librarian is like her boss?"
All because they were never told about it, let alone to watch it first.
That's not what the people involved with this show wanted, which is why they put out so much information about it.
Believe me, no one hates spoilers more than I do. But for somebody to be completely baffled because they were denied the information they should have had to begin with is just tragic.
most important thing about this episode. its a musical. its not a filler. i love it.
Well, one line is
I absolutely *love* how flat SMG sings the words “heaven” in both of those lines @ 31:20, it really adds to how hollow she feels.
This is definitely one of my favorite hours of television ever. And from a musician‘s perspective - it just has no business being this freaking good.
Not only are Anthony, Amber and James amazing singers - not only does it progress the story and the fit the characters really well - the music itself it also astoundingly good. Every song has a different style - almost every song has at least one very fitting and emotionally impactful key change, some have two.
The duet-parts are wonderful - especially between Amber and and Anthony… so well written, in particular the part where their lines have different lyrics, rhythms and ranges.
Buffy‘s song in the end even has some metric modulation - and the drop to a non-diatonic note so full of tragedy on „heaven“ and „living“… I just get chills.
For almost 20 years now, I just can‘t get over how good this episode is.
P.S.: „Lost in ecstasy - *spread* beneath my Willow-tree“… yeah, that‘s hard to misinterpret. 😂
Fun fact: In the femmeslash fanfiction for Willow and Tara (that I am not ashamed to admit to reading every now and again 🤭), they use “Willow-(insert body part) and “Tara-(insert body part) when flirting/teasing during sex.
The most common being “Willow-hand” and “Tara-tongue”. And I’m almost certain this was developed from the use of the “Spread beneath my Willow-tree” line in this song.
I love this episode, not least because until I heard "Walk Through the Fire" I was never able to put into words how I felt when my depression got bad
I hope your depression is better.
Perfect insight that this is both a first-rate musical AND a great Buffy episode! The genius of Buffy is how it takes the paranormal (monsters, magic, whatever) and uses it to tell a story about characters we care about. Why not have music be a part of it?
It amazes me that Joss wrote this when he had never written music before. It grew out of dinner parties he used to have where he would invite the Buffy/Angel casts. They would do after-dinner Shakespeare readings at first, but at some point that led to people doing musical performances. Realizing that so many of the cast had musical talent, he decided that the only way to do a musical episode (which he had dreamed of doing since Season 1) was to write it himself. The result is the kind of thing only a dedicated musical fan could create, taking inspiration from anywhere and everywhere (The Xander/Anya song is straight out of 1930's movies, the art-deco set pure Astaire & Rogers). As a lover of musicals myself, I love spotting the references. Add in Broadway great Hinton Battle (he was The Scarecrow in the original production of The Wiz) and you're set for greatness.
I think I've seen every reaction to this episode that is on RUclips, and this one is my favorite. Nice job!
Brilliant reaction, thank you. I’m so glad you took the time to pause, enjoy, and understand every song.
Your reaction to the closing scene: SAME, GIRL. So many goosebump-inducing moments this episode and this is one of them.
"Who has a funeral in the middle of the night?"
It's Sunnydale. The cemetery was all booked up in the day.
I’m really glad you weren’t spoiled about this episode. Your reaction is priceless. ❤
Thanks for pointing out Anya's butterfly shirt cos I always thought it was so cute!
Joss's other musical is "Doctor Horrible's Sing-along Blog". If you love this episode, you'll love it too. It's on RUclips.
Here's a link to the 1st episode.
ruclips.net/video/MPImhprnUsE/видео.html
Not only is there the musical but there is also a commentary done as a musical.
Link: ruclips.net/video/O-C9gmFnh6M/видео.html
It’s also legally 100% free to watch, while also being so god damn amazing.
I think there's a difference between songs that are meant to communicate feelings and songs that represent actual conversations.When the Scoobies sing"I've Got a Theory"they are _discussing_ what could possibly be causing the current situation...only through a song.When Tara sings to Willow she's not just _thinking_ about her feelings for her,she's _communicating_ them to her.When Giles sings he's not talking _to_ Buffy,he's _thinking out loud_ why he feels like he should leave.When Anya&Xander sing,they're *literally* expressing their inability to communicate with each other so it wouldn't make sense for them to really"hear"each other because that would mean _communicating._ Which is a sad irony considering Xander's _whole_ purpose while casting the spell was to give people the opportunity to communicate better and without filters with each others!;-P
This episode changes a person, you're not the same after. I watch this atleast twice a year, and yes I sing along to all the songs :D
Think of it like you'll see many stage musicals where there will sometimes be a scene where one character breaks into song, often with the spotlight on them, while the others do their stuff in the background (continue eating dinner or whatever) and then the singing character finishes and goes back to the table with the others, and they didn't seem to hear. Because it's presented more as an inner monologue in that scene. It happens often in musicals where the parts that everyone is supposed to hear they hear, the parts they aren't they don't. So the magic in this makes things work the same way, just the same way it can make everyone know the lines and harmonize or dance to choreography despite never having met.
Today most musical episodes are just the crew doing a preppy cover of a popular song and you could easily leave it out without missing anything about the story. This on the other hand is furthering the story and it helps tell us how the characters feel in a way that would have been way too heavy if they just told us in a normal way.
Ha. The shocked confusion at the end of Tara’s song just made me think of a ProZD skit that ended in
“Oh, they _fuckin’!”_
“OH, THEY _FUUHHHHHCKKIN’!”_ 🤣
I just returned here to re-watch your heartfelt and genuine reaction after watching a reaction by someone who had never watched an episode of Buffy before OMWF. I needed a reaction of someone who loves and appreciates the characters like myself
I’m so glad you appreciated Sweet’s (the demon’s) voice, I feel like his song is so underrated!
9:37 David Fury
15:51 Marti Noxon
22:14 Giles is singing to himself and Buffy isn't paying attention to him..
25:25 "So, Dawn's in trouble. Must be Tuesday." ------ The show aired on Tuesday night.
This is the musical episode that started the musical episode craze and hasn't been equalled, never mind beaten. Thank you for giving it the attention it deserves. I was lucky enough to watch it during the first run, and had no idea it was coming. So much nuance. Best episode of anything ever!
Your first reaction to Buffy singing made smile and giggle ehehehehe.
Ok, this is my new favourite reaction to this episode! :)
Fantastic reaction😍. I like Shannon's maybe just a little bit more but only by about 1%. Can't wait for Domie's reaction coming soon.
Who's Shannon?
@@StillRooneyStarcraft AfterShow's react
If memory serves, Joss learned guitar so he could write this. I think his brother was involved in the writing as well. A side-effect being that they wrote Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog, which was one of my favorite things that Everyone involved in it ever did. NPH does more acting in the last 5 seconds than a lot of actors do in their entire career.
I have watched many a reaction in my days here on youtube but this reaction has to be one of the best ones. You're awesome. Great channel. 👍👍
i'm on my annual buffy rewatch, and i've been stopping after each episode to watch your corresponding react! it's like watching it with a friend. idk why but it's such fun.
"They got the mustard out" was writer, director, producer David Fury.
"I'm asking you, please, no. It isn't right, it isn't fair! There was no parking anywhere. I think that hydrant wasn't there." was writer, director, producer Marti Noxon.
My two favorite musical quotes from this episode.
Marti also sings "hey I'm not wearing underwear" after Giles, Anya, and Xander have passed by, which seemed kind of funny at the time but has become less so since then.
As others have said, this isn't "a" musical episode. It is THE musical episode
For good or ill it was the grandmommy of a lot of "musical episodes" of shows since then. And yet to be bettered. So funny, such great songs and a brilliant example of the blunt expository power of song.
I love how they perfectly utilised the singing and talents of the cast from Willows hilarious ineptitude to the great voices of Giles, Tara and Spike.
I LOVED your reaction to Anya's bunny part in "I've got a theory".
Other reactors I saw were mostly bewildered by it but you seemed to enjoy the humor of it so much, it was delightful. :)
This is probably my favorite reaction video on the internet, and I watch it every other month or so when I just need to feel joy. The emotional journey she has here, made even better by an obvious love both of Buffy and of musical theater, just makes me feel better about humanity.
I've been refreshing your channel every hour or two for the last couple of days hoping to see this reaction.
I loved your reaction when SMG started signing.
Let me tell you some important things. You probably know all of this by now.
1. Buffy writer David Fury sang the Mustard song.
2. Buffy executive producer Marti Noxi was the one singing the parking song.
3. Michelle Trachtenberg told Joss that she didn't want to sing much. Instead Joss worked in her background in ballet into the show.
4. The Tara song. Yes it was what it sounded like. Spread beneath my Willow Tree. Feel you inside of me. You make me com--plete.
5. The Demon Sweet was played by 3 time award winning actor Hinton Battle. He is most well known for a role that didn't win a Tony award. He originated Scarecrow in the Wiz. A role that Michael Jackson took off him when a film was made of the Wiz.
6. I wish that Giles would stay. Him leaving is a weak point but ASH doesn't want to be a regular this season.
7. A little before the kiss near the end of the group sing the line the curtains close on a kiss god knows then Buffy and Spike kiss.
Finally massive credit to your community and/or your moderators who have protected you from spoilers so far.
Speaking of genius - the parking ticket lady is Marti Noxon. You've seen her name in the credits, writer, executive producer, etc. And a good singer!
Your reactions mirrored me from hating the "new opening credits" to realizing it's a musical, to squealing with delight, tearing up with the layers of emotion, rewinding again and again, to that KISS🎉!!!
Now start it over and sing along. ❤
And the mustard man is David Fury
Your reaction to the end of the episode is every Spuffy shipper ever, hahaha 😂 “What am I supposed to think with this line: This isn’t real, but I just wanna feel……. Whatever, they kissed!” 😭💕
I know I am a few (several) months late but my God this is literally the single best reaction to this episode on RUclips, and one of the best reactions to ANY show on RUclips. I could elaborate and bring up details large and small but no need. You speak for yourself. Now I am going to seek out more of your Buffy reactions.
"Lesbian Disney princess"
Yep, I'm pretty sure that's what they were going for.😄🥰
The cast actually did some vocal training prior to recording their songs so some of the non-Anthony Stewart Head/Amber Benson people could at least hold a note within their range. I think where shows like The Flash or Glee fail with their musical episodes (and yes, I do mean every episode of Glee) is that, in spite of obvious singing talent, the effort isn't there. The songs aren't so incredibly interwoven with strong character work and ongoing stories, it's just, "Here's this song right now." It took months for Joss Whedon to write the music, and they filmed this episode with more elaborate and specific camera movements in mind than usual, like the oner on the sidewalk, the crane shot in the graveyard, the whatever the hell they did for Walk Through The Fire with speeding firetrucks and dozens of different shots on different sets being composited together in the sequence. This was a realized vision of what a musical episode should be, and nothing until Crazy Ex-Girlfriend could match the effort, production value, and sheer entertainment through musical narrative. La La Land sucks.
@Carolina Fantaccini Heard of it, never seen.
I have watched quite a few (a lot) reactions to this episode (because it is the best), but yours is the most genuine, fun and accurate (?) I've seen up until now. Perfect combination of critical analysis and fan reaction .... thanks for taking the time, it was worth it!
One of my very favourite things about Buffy reaction series is the look on people’s faces over the course of the first song, that growing sense of delight as they go from ‘What is happening?’ to ‘A musical episode??’ to ‘A musical episode that’s GOOD???’