dramastef's Full Review: Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Once More With Feeling b...
Pre-Script: I apologize for the length of this review, but couldn't bring myself to edit it any more. The original episode ran over 8 minutes because the producers couldn't bring themselves to edit it any more as well!
It's no secret that I'm an addict to the television series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Only one person I know rivals my addiction, and she just gave me one of the best presents I've ever received...
For the past few weeks I’ve been listening to the same CD over and over and over again. I’m sure my office mate is ready to bang her head against the wall, or my CD player, since my latest CD of choice is a bit… campy. It’s great fun, and an incredible feat… if you’re a Buffy the Vampire Slayer fan.
Buffy creator, Joss Whedon, is amazing. I’m going to have a hard time not talking up the show, and sticking to the CD in question here, but to appreciate the latter, you have to know a bit about the former. Joss talks about how he’s wanted to do a musical episode of Buffy since the television show first aired on WB in 1997, but never pursued it seriously until the show was bought by UPN in 2001. So, on November 6, 2001, Buffy fans everywhere (and believe me, there are many more of those than you would think possible!) were treated to an all musical episode entitled Once More, with Feeling. Joss did the near impossible by bringing in past episodes, advancing the current plot line and making a very memorable self contained episode. www.tvtome.com readers rated this episode the all time best episode.
So, without further ado, let me tell you a bit about the soundtrack to Once More, with Feeling:
A mysterious thing has happened in Sunnydale, it seems all of the residents have been caught in a Broadway Musical nightmare.
Overture/Going Through the Motions: The episode/ CD opens Buffy* and Vampires in the Sunnydale Cemetary. The Overture is a Broadway type orchestral melody, just to get you into the whole musical mood. Going through the Motions is a poignant yet funny song where Buffy talks of the state of her current existence. Recently being pulled from a Heaven like dimension, she feels like she is living in Hell on Earth, but can’t confide in her friends, as they are the ones who brought her back. Even the Vampires notice with such lines as
She is pretty well with fiends from Hell
But lately we can tell
That she’s just going through the motions
Faking it somehow
She’s not even half the girl she… owww (Buffy dusts him at this point)
Buffy ends the song with a heart wrenching solo:
I don’t want to be
Going through the motions,
Losing all my drive
I can’t even see
If this is really me
And I just wanna be… Alive
I've Got a Theory/Bunnies/If We're Together: has the group theorizing over the reason everyone seems to be stuck in Music-ville. In I’ve got a theory: Giles*, Willow* and Xander* give their theories (A dancing demon, being stuck in some kid’s wacky Broadway nightmare, and witches – a theory which is quickly vetoed when the two Wiccans in the group glance disapprovingly at Xander). When Tara* starts to give her theory she is interrupted by Anya* with a cute little theory that it must be Bunnies that turns into a very cool Rock snippet:
Bunnies aren’t just cute like everybody supposes,
They've got them hoppy legs and twitchy little noses
And what's with all the carrots?
What do they need such good eyesight for anyway?
Bunnies, bunnies it must be bunnies!
...or maybe midgets.
In If We’re Together Buffy starts a theory but then says:
I've got a theory - it doesn't matter
What can't we face if we're together?
What's in this place that we can't weather?
The rest of the group joins in with their undying support (or dying, if that’s what it takes!)
The Mustard: A man, played by producer David Fury, is elated that the drycleaners got the Mustard stain out of his suit.
Under Your Spell: Tara and Willow sneak away from the rest of the group so Tara can sing in the park of her feelings for Willow. As they move it to the bedroom, Tara lays back on the bed, Willow moves off camera, while Tara sings:
The mood to the tide, I can feel you inside.
I’m under your spell.
Surging like the sea, drawn to you so helplessly.
I break with every swell,
Lost in ecstasy, spread beneath my Willow tree.
You make me Come…Plete
You make me Come…Plete.
I’ll Never Tell: In their apartment, betrothed Xander and Anya sing of their fears and doubts in a Spencer Tracy type song, one of my favorite on the CD:
Xander - Am I crazy?
Anya - Am I dreamin'?
Xander – Am I marrying a demon?
Both – We could really raise the beam
In making a marriage a Hell
So thank God I’ll never tell.
I swear that I’ll never tell.
The Parking Ticket: With another appearance by an Executive Producer, Marti Noxon begs her way out of a parking ticket by confessing that she’s not wearing underwear.
Rest in Peace: A Vampire in love with the Slayer, Spike* sings a song that moves between sweet, soulful to hard core rock. He begs Buffy to let him rest in peace, telling her that
There's a traitor here beneath my breast,
And it hurts me more than you've ever guessed
If my heart could beat it would break my chest
But I can see you're unimpressed.
So leave me be, and let me rest in peace.
Dawn’s Lament: In a sweet, child’s voice, Buffy’s younger sister, Dawn* sings a song that all teenagers would sing if they were stuck in this “wacky Broadway nightmare”:
Does anybody even notice?
Does anybody even care?
Before she’s abducted by the minions of the demon who’s behind this.
Dawn's Ballet: Music during which Dawn dances for Sweet, the demon who caused this whole mess… a soft dance that gets harder and faster as it progresses.
What You Feel: Sweet* he explains who he is and from where he came... He also tells Dawn that his spell is more than just fun and games, and that
All these melodies, they go on too long.
Then that energy starts to come on way too strong
All those hearts lay open that must sting
Plus some customers just start combusting
That's the penalty when life is but a song!
When Dawn reveals that her sister is the Slayer, Sweet decides he wants to do more than just take Dawn as his underground Queen, he wants to see the Slayer burn.
Standing: Giles, who has been feeling very unnecessary lately decides to let Buffy handle this demon on her own, effectively making her feel like she’s been completely abandoned. He’s torn between helping her once again, and making her face it herself in a slow, haunting melody:
I wish I could say the right words to lead you through this land
Wish I could play the father, and take you by the hand.
Wish I could stay, but now I understand
I’m standing in the way.
Under Your Spell/Standing-Reprise: Giles and Tara sing, in separate places, Under Your Spell and Standing again, though this time, Tara has just found out that Willow had placed an amnesia spell on her, and Giles is still lamenting the fact that he can’t save Buffy from herself. As two of the strongest singers, this is a very good song, and uses their vocal abilities more than other songs, which rely a lot on instrumentals.
Walk Through the Fire: Here, in a song that starts slow and progressively gets louder and faster, Buffy begins by feeling abandoned and alone
I touch the fire and it freezes me
I look into it and it's black
Why can't I feel?
My skin should crack and peel
I want the fire back
Sweet is waiting for her, wanting to see her burn. Spike sings that he hopes she dies so he can finally be free, and then decides that he needs to help her. The rest of the group feel bad for making her face it on her own, and decide to run and help her:
We'll see it through
It's what we're always here to do
So we will walk through the fire
When they all meet up in front of Sweet, the girls quickly run to sing back up for Buffy.
Something to Sing About: Very softly, very slowly, Buffy begs for her heart to start feeling again. She begs for something to sing about. To the group’s horror, she reveals that they ripped her out of Heaven. The music starts getting faster, more guitar, Buffy starts dancing, head banging, her skin starts smoking, Sweet is smacking his lips in anticipation… Spike jumps in and stops her:
Life's not a song
Life isn't bliss
Life is just this
It's living
What You Feel (Reprise): Sweet leaves the group knowing that he’s caused some major pain with
All those secrets you've been concealing
Say you're happy now - once more, with feeling
Where Do We Go From Here?: For the big finish, the entire cast does a number that will stay in your head long after you turn off the music. They’ve all defeated another demon, but after everyone has revealed so many secrets, no one knows exactly what to do now.
Coda: Many of the songs are reprised here, with Spike and Buffy giving in to their mutual attraction for each other and the rest of the group doing one last resounding Where do we go from here?
If you’re still reading, I’m impressed! The CD also includes instrumental cuts from a couple previous episodes of Buffy as well as a version of Something to Sing About sung by his own wife, when he was pitching the idea to the other executives.
*The Troupe:
Buffy - Sarah Michelle Gellar - has a reputation for working very hard. She initially asked for someone else to sing her songs as a Voice over, but when she found out how emotional most of the songs were, decided to go through extensive voice lessons and sing them herself. She is better than fair. Not outstanding, but not painful to the ears either.
Giles - Anthony Stewart Head - actually does a bit of professional singing and was easily one of the biggest assets to this episode.
Xander - Nicholas Brendon - Sings pretty well. Not outstanding, but not painful to the ears. A lot of his lines are in sync with his character: very humorous.
Willow - Alyson Hannigan - And I thought I couldn’t carry a tune? During the few lines she does sing, it’s easy to figure out why she insisted that she shouldn’t sing!
Spike - James Marsters - Also does a lot of singing, though he frequents a lot of bars in the California area. Unfortunately, because his character is British, that kind of cramped his singing style, but not by much.
Tara - Amber Benson - Has a wonderful singing voice. Even people on the anti-Tara bandwagon couldn’t help but admit that her songs were so heartfelt and touching.
Anya - Emma Caulfield - Showed a lot of range and talent in her songs.
Dawn - Michelle Trachtenberg - Like Alyson, Michelle insisted on only singing a couple lines, though, unlike Alyson, I don’t see why. She had a very sweet, high pitched voice.
Final Thoughts and Recommendations (Finally):
I absolutely love this CD, and if you enjoyed the show at all, this is a must buy! I even caught my anti-Buffy office mate humming a few tunes, though after two weeks of non stop playing, it's hardly surprising!
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