Buffy Bracketology - Round 5 by BATMARLOWE

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Buffy Bracketology - Round 5

POSTED BY: BATMARLOWE
UPDATED: Sunday, September 28, 2014 00:18
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Sunday, September 28, 2014 12:18 AM

I can't believe it’s taken me more than a year to get to this round. Jeez, I waste a lot of time.

In case there are any bums, stragglers, and other sorts of reprobates out there actually reading this, I've finally gotten around to Round 5 of my Buffy Bracketology. The decisions are getting tougher and tougher. As always, one can look to round 1 (if one has a mind to) to see explanations, disclaimers, and other stuff I thought worth mentioning. Please be aware I am aware this is just my opinion even though it may not come across that way.

So let’s see who made it to the fabulous, fantastic, phenomenalacious final four!

005. Lover’s Walk (3-08) vs. 058. The Zeppo (3-13)
It’s the little engine that could vs. the little engine that coulder. Both of these episodes have hung around a lot longer than I would have thought they would going into this whole thing. The humor and insight both of these eps provide show just how good “Buffy” became in season 3. The deft writing of the relationships by using Spike to set Buffy and Angel straight coupled with the strong thematic connection of the whole Willow/Xander/Oz/Cordelia thing (plus the immortal line “I may be love's bitch, but at least I'm man enough to admit it" is what made this ep such a winner. Until now. The Zeppo also benefits from some damn good writing while doing it to the tune of a TV-show-meta-Buffy-meta-self-parody-yet-dead-serious-genuinely-eventful-character-developing story. It’s quite an accomplishment and may be the most underrated Buffy episode of them all.
Winner: The Zeppo

010. The Body (5-16) vs. 051. Who Are You (4-16)
Okay, so this one wasn't so tough. Who Are You is very well done and perfect example of what Season 4 did best—the standalone. Or in this case, the stand side-by-side. As effective as it is and as important as it is to creating and furthering Buffy lore, it doesn't have the impact of The Body.
Winner: The Body

015. Passion (2-17) vs. 033. Once More, with Feeling (6-07)
Now it’s getting tougher. Passion is so important to the Buffy mythos. It’s the ep where BVtS becomes BVtS. Drama, terror, heartbreak—it’s all there. I would say that maybe even it does some of that better than OMwF. But OMwF is much more complex. It has to do what it wants to do in song. And they are really good songs. OMwF is a truly coherent episode. Of its many achievements is that if another episode were to be the musical episode (one occurring either earlier or later) then the songs would have to be completely different. It’s a singularly impressive, astonishing accomplishment and for what it’s worth set the gold standard for musical TV show episodes.
Winner: Once More with Feeling

018. Fool for Love (5-07) vs. 023. The Prom (3-20)
Sigh. It doesn't get any easier, does it? The Prom is excellent. Fun (y’know, in spots), heartbreaking, touching. Fool for Love though, is a great character study of Spike, and even though it takes place over decades, it’s so unified. Not only in its telling of Spike’s story but in relating everything we see to Buffy’s need to better understand what a Slayer is and also Spike and Buffy’s relationship and how it sets up and pays off the end of the season. It feels like there’s enough there for three episodes. All excellent ones too.
Winner: Fool for Love.

So the Final Four are The Body, Fool for Love, Once More with Feeling, and The Zeppo. See you sooner than a year from now! Hopefully.

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