Buffy the Vampire Slayer Perfected its Halloween Episode with “Fear Itself”

If “Halloween” found Buffy grappling with her reluctance to lose her femininity, relationships, and freedom to her calling, then “Fear Itself” allows her to struggle with the pain of accepting that her calling requires sacrifice, but doesn’t allow that to happen. on the way to life. By leaving the basement and walking away from these words, Buffy overcomes her fear of being devoured by the Slayer and instead commits herself to finding a healthy balance between what she wants for her life and what her sacred duty requires. The sarcastic sister zombie asks Buffy why she’s so disturbed, but as this unforgettable episode shows, it’s the relationships she shares with friends, family, lovers, and enemies that push her to become the most realized version of herself.

Just like Buffy, Xander and Willow’s fears grow. Xander, the only member of his friend group who did not go to college, becomes invisible in this house of horrors, and in this new experience he displays his fear of being left behind as his friends grow and change without him. In season 2, Xander’s greatest fear was his diminishing closeness to his friends (dwarfed by Buffy’s strength, overwhelmed by Willow’s intelligence), but in season 4 he fears they will all surpass him. Similarly, Willow’s struggle to be seen and understood in season 2, when she doesn’t quite know who she is, finds new footing in season 4, as Willow’s fear of losing control of her magic and not being taken seriously demonstrates her growth as a character. This gives her the space to unleash her newfound power and how she is perceived by those around her, while also allowing her to gain confidence.

But along with these poignant explorations and heartfelt metaphors, “Fear Itself” never forgets the humor at the heart of this often campy series. When Buffy, Xander, Willow, Oz, and eventually Giles and Anya (Emma Caulfield) finally make their way to the epicenter of this haunted frat house, they discover the evil that has been behind the meddling all along. The partygoers’ fearful reactions to gaining the power needed to become corporeal once again. It rises from the shattered floor of the attic, smoke rising and hinting at hellfire beneath the floorboards; only five inches tall. Buffy and the gang chat and laugh before she finally crushes him under her boot. As the episode’s final sting, Giles translates the text beneath the terrifying image in the spellbook used to summon him: “True size.”

Ending on this utterly frivolous note, the series once again reveals Buffy to be a force beyond her fears and an individual beyond the tricks and trials of a single, stupid holiday. In a series where each episode introduces new and terrifying supernatural adversaries, the Halloween episode must feel like a pointless endeavor. However buffy‘s devotion to the holiday, especially in this season’s episode 4, injects humor and heart into a traditional TV tradition, allowing the series to poke fun at outdated ghosts and fears for our titular Slayer, all while elevating the series. the stakes of their usual Big Bad in comparison.

With a single 41-minute Halloween outing in the middle of the franchise’s most transformative season, buffy It examines the pain and suffering of growing into adulthood, supported by the series’ signature humor and moving central relationships. This episode is so successful with its scares, metaphors, and laughs that it’s the only episode of the series to have a follow-up close to Halloween (season 6’s “All the Way”), forcing the holiday itself to take a backseat to the true horrors of adulthood: babies, children, and children . marriage, life, death, chastity and responsibility – become much scarier by comparison. It’s an effective episode with its grim presentation of the terrifying nature of the unknown future, but it’s little interested in revealing how and why the holiday itself is so full of potential, which was exploited perfectly in season 4’s chilling special.

opposite the bigger one Buffyversespin-off series AngelJust as everything Lorne (Andy Hallett) said at the Wolfram & Hart Halloween party came to fruition, All Hallows Eve’s solo venture (season 5’s “Life of the Party”) is more of a “Something Blue” rehash than a satisfying holiday episode. close. . Following in the footsteps of “All the Way,” this season 5 episode is another example of this universe not having the same success. buffyHalloween masterpiece.