This ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ Episode Makes Me Want To Immediately Rewatch the Series
With a Buffy the Vampire Slayer reboot on the way, fans are understandably revisiting the series, which once again leads to the discussion of what the series’ best episodes are. Some would argue that classics like “Once More With Feeling” or “Hush” are examples of the series at its best. Others might draw up a list of episodes to avoid at all costs. But these discussions miss an important elements: what’s the episode that will make fans want to revisit the series, or draw in new fans? The best Buffy episodes manage to use horror elements as commentary on real-life issues, while also mixing in plenty of action and humor. It’s a tricky balance to achieve, but there’s one episode that fans should revisit if they want to remember why they fell in love with the series: Season 2, Episode 3, “School Hard.”
“School Hard” finds Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) saddled with a task that seems far more daunting than fighting vampires, as she has to help prepare Sunnydale High for parent-teacher night. But things escalate when two new vampires, Spike (James Marsters) and Drusilla (Juliet Landau), arrive in Sunnydale. The duo is hellbent on killing Buffy, even transforming a legion of vampires to attack Sunnydale High during the night. From beginning to end, “School Hard” is a perfect episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and is also a major turning point in the series. It also happens to be one of my favorite episodes of the show.
“School Hard” Features All the Elements That Make ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ a Great Series
One of the best descriptions of Buffy the Vampire Slayer comes from creator Joss Whedon, who used the phrase “high school as a horror movie” to describe the series. My high school experience was fairly solid, but I could relate to the ups and downs of adolescence, which included my first crush and worrying that I’d flunk out of math class. The Buffy episode “School Hard” is the perfect example of this, as it features a conflict centred around Buffy’s school life. She wants to make sure parent-teacher night goes off without a hitch, as Sunnydale Hight’s principal has been looking for a reason to expel her following the string of supernatural events that have plagued the school. Her duties as the Slayer also play a large role, as she has to fight off the vampires invading Sunnydale High while keeping her abilities a secret from her mother Joyce (Kristine Sutherland). Not helping matters is the fact that this episode takes place on the “Night of Saint Vigeous,” a day when vampires’ powers significantly increase.
The best Buffy episodes feature a mix of action, emotion, and humor, and “School Hard” features that in spades. A humorous moment comes when Angel (David Boreanaz) and Xander (Nicholas Brendon) try to trick Spike into thinking that Angel is still the vicious vampire he was in his youth. (They’re only saved when Joyce whacks Spike in the face with the flat of an axe blade.) Angel has an equally hilarious response to when Xander asks if Spike biting him was part of them plan, saying “We would’ve known he bought it.” Action-wise, the episode is essentially Die Hard dashed with vampires and high schoolers, which is a great creative hook for a Buffy episode. But the best moment is an emotional one between Joyce and Buffy, where Joyce says she’s proud of Buffy. It’s anther example of how Buffy the Vampire Slayer taps into its fans’ adolescent experiences, because at some point or another, we’ve all had a heartfelt emotional moment with our parents that we’ll never forget.
A Fan-Favorite ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ Character Was Introduced in “School Hard”
“School Hard” is perhaps best known for introducing Spike, and his presence marks a significant change to the horror series. It turns out that Spike was once called “William the Bloody” and had previously killed two Slayers prior to meeting Buffy. He, Drusilla, and Angel also caused a reign of terror back when Angel was the monstrous Angelus. “School Hard” ends with a glimpse of that inhumanity from Spike. While Season 2 opens with the vampire called the “Anointed One” seeking to resurrect the Master, Spike kills him by throwing him in a cage and kicking it into the sunlight, letting him burn alive. Throughout Season 2, Spike and Drusilla aim to resurrect the Judge, a demon who will cleanse the world of humanity… and are soon joined by Angel, who reverts back to Angelus after sharing an intimate moment with Buffy.
Spike continued to be a major part of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, eventually turning to the side of the angels. It wasn’t a smooth road: first, the monster hunters known as the Initiative kidnapped him and injected a chip into his head that prevented him from feeding on vampires. But this caused him to bond with Buffy and her friends, and even fall in love with Buffy while acting as a confident to her. (Especially in Season 6, when Buffy reveals that, in an attempt to resurrect her, her friends yanked her out of Heaven.) It doesn’t hurt that James Marsters has plenty charisma as Spike, offerings an acidic British with while playing off nearly every character in the series. Buffy the Vampire Slayer is chock-full of amazing episodes, but if you want to get into the series of hook a friend, “School Hard” is the best place to start.
Original article at Collider
