Spoiler Slayer

'Killer In Me' - A Tragic Tale Indeed

Well, it's raining in Florida, so this review is going to arrive on time. Though I should mention in advance, next week's is probably not going to arrive until Monday.

Once again, we have a very solid episode, although not much happened in terms of the main storyline. However, it did set up several of the stories for the second half.

I'm not surprised at all with the Willow/Kennedy relationship, and I'm not talking in terms of foreknowledge from spoilers. Since before the season even began comments had been made about a new love interest for Willow, seeing how the SIT's would play such a large role this season, it only makes sense that it would be one of them.

To be honest, I really like the dynamic of the two characters. Willow and Tara were a good couple, but they were for the most part a quiet couple. I kind of enjoy Kennedy's take-charge nature, and the way she sees what she wants and goes for it. But while I liked the concept that Willow has to address what happened with Tara, to be able to let her go in some manner, I don't like the route the writers chose to take.

Basically, I don't understand at all why Amy had to enter into the equation. While it was Willow's guilt that brought about the change, it had to be brought about with outside assistance. I would have preferred if Willow's own inate magic had caused the change, rather than a spell that Amy cast. Which only opens up a Pandora's Box of questions. Not only do I not think Amy's reasoning for the spell makes any sense, but even her comments of not having enough power don't ring true. Remember how much trouble Willow had with teleportation spells back in the Glory-days? Amy had no problem at all whisking Kennedy away at the end of the episode.

Plus, if Amy's going to be the bad guy, why not stick with a legitimate reason. Willow couldn't de-rat her for how long? That would be a much better reason for someone to hold a grudge. Power might be the theme for the season, but I don't believe that Willow and Amy are so far off in terms of power. The jealousy of Willow's power is obvious, but I really don't know where it's coming from. She seems upset that others don't look at her the way they look at Willow. But aside from the Scoobies, who really knows about Willow's power? Even the College Coven seemed a bit vague about who Willow is or was. The only person who dissed her was Willow, and it wasn't like Amy was a key player in the Scooby Gang at any point. For some reason, the vibe I got was that Amy was acting more like Anyanka than Amy. Which begs the question, is someone pulling her strings? It seems more than a bit odd that this 'fun' spell almost took out one of the Potentials and Willow (which is what 'The First' has been trying to do all along).

As for Spike, well it's not that I wasn't expecting it. Most of my thoughts on the storyline have already been well documented in earlier reviews, and I don't really have anything new to say on the topic. Yes, this season seems to be moving Spike further down the road to redemption, and he's got to go through all these little trials to get to his destination. With all that has come before and with more looming on the horizon, the chip storyline seems tacked on. Unless there is some reason in the near future where Spike will really need to attack humans, or if they just wanted to prove how much Buffy believes in Spike.

But here's the catch, I don't think that it makes sense that Buffy gets to make the final decision on Spike's fate. Since Buffy hasn't even talked to Riley herself, one would expect that Riley's info on Spike is only going to be from 'As You Were'. Which means, Spike's still a lying, evil, soulless creature. If I was Riley, while I might not give instructions to have Spike terminated, I certainly would have either demanded that the chip be repaired, replaced, or even modified. Removal would not have been an option.

But that's 'The Initiative' for you, full of inconsistencies. While I can forgive the writers for Spike's newfound memory of drugs helping with the chip pain, I seem to recall that the labs were to be filled with concrete and buried forever. Perhaps it was government cutbacks.

The Giles storyline seemed to be mostly filler. In fact, I would have liked that more of a 'A' or 'B' storyline for an episode, rather than a very minor 'C' storyline. Certainly seeing each of the SIT's version of the 'visionquest' would have been more interesting that the 'drive to the desert/touchy-feely' scenes.

The trend of having Andrew become the comic focus for this season continues, with him finally now being integrated a bit more in the Scoobies (as opposed to being tied up in a chair). As I mentioned before, I don't know why they are moving the focus away from Xander, but I don't feel it's anything to do with the core storyline. Somehow, I have a feeling that the increased presence of Kennedy and Andrew are for a very good reason, but more in terms of whether or not the show can continue on for another season.

As the season begins to move towards the climax, I'm glad that they've at least started one relationship. It's been a very 'ship-free' season, for the first time since the show began. I think it's been part of the reason that there has been so much of a repetitive feel to many of the episodes. Kennedy is an interesting character and I hope we continue to see her character developed. I've always maintained that the show has had a steady core of five characters, each representing a specific strength. Just as Anya replaced Cordelia, I feel that with Emma's departure Kennedy will step in to fill her spot in the core. That is, if the show goes into an Eighth Season. Which would bode well for Alyson sticking around as well, as it would be hard to have one and not the other.

If you're good at filling in the blanks, then you'll realize that Kennedy might not be the only character being positioned to replace a core Scooby.

All in all, 'The Killer In Me' was what I felt to be a very powerful episode. While the 'B' and 'C' storylines were quietly in the background, the Willow/Kennedy story was well done and had very strong storytelling. While the SpoilerSlayer does not openly admit to getting emotional while watching Buffy (well, with the exception of 'The Prom'), my allergies must have been acting up during the last five minutes of the episode. While I would have liked a bit more in terms of a farewell to Tara, I am glad that Willow is moving on and will eventually come to accept that life will go on without Tara. What can I say, I'm a sucker for happy endings. Even if the show doesn't continue, it appears that Willow's storyline on the show will have a happy ending with a bright future.

Which is a rare thing in the Buffyverse.