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| Writer: | Matt Kiene and Joe Reinkemeyer |
| Director: | Bruce Seth Green |
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| - | Review |
"The Pack" is an odd little piece that is all over the place in terms of quality. There are some moments of gutsiness, moments of cowardice, moments baked in pure cliché, and it's all coated in the episodic amnesia that is S1. In some ways the episode reminds me of "The Witch" [1x03] in that it tells a stand-alone story that is firmly in the "high school is hell" mode of making broad statements about the high school experience rather than telling its story through the characters we care about. The episode almost makes it work by having Xander be among the possessed, but it's all thrown away by the end of the episode. Enough teasing, though -- let's get into the meat of it all. ;)
The central concept behind "The Pack" is in exposing the dark side of social cliques. The pack isolates and preys on the weak and then devours them, made literal here due to the Hellmouth. This concept is set up in the opening sequence, which is written and directed in the most clichéd manner possible. Fortunately, the episode's execution of this concept becomes a bit better when filtered through a possessed Xander and his interactions with Buffy and Willow. When Xander lashes out at Willow we later see the after-effect it has on her. On full display is how painful it can be to have a trusted friend seemingly turn on you in an instant – something that can actually happen during those teen years, albeit generally not due to hyena possession.
After Xander has done his damage to Willow he moves onto Buffy, but he's not looking to hurt her emotionally – he's looking for something a lot more physical. One interesting bit of information to come out here is that Xander sees Buffy as liking men that are "dangerous and mean, right? Like Angel. Your Mystery Guy. Well, guess who just got mean. " While I can see why Xander might come to this conclusion when looking at Angel, S1's episodic amnesia bites again with Xander acting like Owen from "Never Kill a Boy on the First Date" [1x05] never existed. In Owen we have some evidence to support that Buffy can also like a non-threatening nice guy. I do think Buffy likes men who have a bit of mystery about them, but that doesn't necessitate danger or cruelty.
Things get interesting when the pack, sans Xander, actually eats Principal Flutie while Xander makes an attempt to sexually assault Buffy, both of which combine to make quite a shocking sequence – particularly for S1. I very much appreciate the episode's guts in going there, but sadly that appreciation quickly gets diluted by the follow-through. Xander's assault is promptly forgotten by episode's end and never brought up again despite being fertile ground for both character insight and exploration. Principal Flutie's gruesome demise is also pretty washed over in the episodes that follow, with only jokes about it down the road. Speaking of missed opportunities, how about there being absolutely no parallel drawn between the possessed students and Cordelia's often cruel 'pack?'
To put the final punctuation on my feelings regarding "The Pack," I'll refer to the giant slo-mo scene involving the possessed pack. This is a unique scene, to be sure, but the shot and the music are allowed to continue going on for way too long, to the point of absurdity. It's a bizarre shot that, in the grand scheme of the season and the series, just doesn't end up giving me a lasting impression other than "weird."
In the end it's a bit difficult to sum up "The Pack." It's decidedly a mixed bag, but what's ultimately damning is – like so much of S1 – its irrelevance. There are some good ideas thrown around and even a few individually compelling scenes, all of which keep the episode interesting to watch and help hold it together. Sadly, though, there's just not much I find compelling outside of said scenes and ideas as the central theme -- while relatable in a broad sense -- is a mixed bag in execution.
"The Pack" holds up alright as a stand-alone story (I actually prefer "The Witch" [1x03] in this regard though), but I just can't seem to care much when all is said and done. When events like these don't have follow-up consequences and/or reflection, they lose long-term relevance and all we're left with is an uneven one-off. The light-hearted 'everything is back to normal' attitude at the end of the episode sums up that dissatisfaction for me. If this same basic concept was tossed into the more complex S2 landscape, then I think we'd be looking at an overall much more compelling episode.
| - | Minor Pros/Cons (+/-) |
| Pros: | |
| + | Nicholas Brendon played the possession quite well. Kudos to him. |
| + | Creepy dodge ball sequence; loved the teacher getting a total hard-on over it. |
| + | Willow baiting a possessed Xander into showing her if any of the real Xander is in there. Thankfully she's not dumb enough to fall for his obvious ruse. |
| Cons: | |
| - | Yet another episode plagued by one or more annoying students that we've never seen before and will never see again. |
| - | Quotes |
| WILLOW: | Where were you? |
| BUFFY: | Uh, I was looking at the fishes. |
| WILLOW: | Was it cool? |
| BUFFY: | It was fishes. |
| BUFFY: | Well, it would... it's nothing, I... we do the same zoo trip at my old school every year. Same old, same old. |
| XANDER: | Buffy, this isn't just about looking at a bunch of animals. This is about not being in class! |
| XANDER: | I like it here. |
| BUFFY: | Okay, now what? |
| XANDER: | You took a bath. |
| BUFFY: | Yeah, I often do, I'm actually known for it. |
| GILES: | And, well, otherwise all his spare time is spent lounging about with imbeciles. |
| BUFFY: | It's bad, isn't it. |
| GILES: | It's devastating. He's turned into a sixteen-year-old boy. Course, you'll have to kill him. |
| BUFFY: | Giles, I'm serious. |
| GILES: | So am I. Except for the part about killing him. Testosterone is a great equalizer. It turns all men into morons. |
| BUFFY: | I cannot believe that you, of all people, are trying to Scully me. There is something supernatural at work here. |
| GILES: | I've been reading up on my, uh, animal possession, and I cannot find anything anywhere about memory loss afterwards. |
| XANDER: | Did you tell them that? |
| GILES: | Your secret dies with me. |
| XANDER: | Shoot me. Stuff me. Mount me. |
| - | Score | Learn about the Grading Scale |
| 63/100 |
C- ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ |
Very flawed. Either the main plot is completely insulting or there's some out-of-characterness going on. Avoids falling into uselessness by way of some good character development and/or insight.
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Comments (41)
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| 1. | FallenMar 31, 2006 (Fri)View This Person's Comments | Link | |
| "Far - Job's Eyes" is one of my favorite songs from all of Buffy. Very awesome.
It was also the episode that turned the music line into a pattern (to take a phrase from Angel) You had the awesome Dashboard Prophets tracks in The Harvest which gave you a point, then you had the great music from NKABOTFD (Like Rubber and Kim Richy) which gives you the line...then comes The Pack with Far, Sprung Monkey, and another DB Prophets track and that was the point where I knew for sure that it was going to be awesome music throughout the series. The music is one of the biggest things for me, and anyone who heard a track on Buffy but doesn't have it/know what it was and wants it I probably have it on my HD...103 Buffy/Angel songs/scores so far....all the CDs including the UK import and the Angel CD (also UK version). I think it's an episode worth more than a 63 and I think there's a lot going on in that's fantastic...not the least of which would be the great acting from SMG and NB in the pseudo-rape scene. |
| 2. | GroundedMar 31, 2006 (Fri)View This Person's Comments | Link | |
| That was one major upside of S1/S2 for me - the music is awesome. In the later years they tend to go for more mainstream stuff. I always though it was great that Cordy was dancing to Dashboard Prophets in the pilot. :) |
| 3. | FallenMar 31, 2006 (Fri)View This Person's Comments | Link | |
| Yeah, talk about some great songs. It was definately the springboard for Smallville to sell out every single episode. As far as going for more mainstream stuff, I never saw that as a bad thing at all. I <3 Michelle Branch and the song fits, I <3 Bush and the song fits...plus they did stuff like Aimee Mann and Angie Hart in S7. I think it worked out just fine. |
| 4. | GroundedMar 31, 2006 (Fri)View This Person's Comments | Link | |
| Strangely, they also had a song by one of my favourite bands in one Bronze scene. The track is Cemented Shoes by My Vitriol, which I was stunned to hear because, well, they're not exactly superstars. Funny story about Dashboard Prophets: after working out which songs they'd done on Buffy, my brother and I dled the songs and had them on the car stereo all the time. That year I decided to get hold of an import of the DP album Burning Out The Inside for my brother's Christmas - no small feat for me back then given that it was early days for the net in our household and that CD was never released over here. Anyway, I got hold of it and he was stunned when he opened it on Christmas Day. When he put it in the player, however, it turned out to be a misprint - all the artwork was correct on the case and CD, but the actual music was a different album entirely. So random, and annoying as hell after the effort I went through. Got another one eventually though, so all's well that ends well. ;) |
| 5. | 20questionsgeniusApr 1, 2006 (Sat)View This Person's Comments | Link | |
| I really like "The Pack", that is one of the few episodes from S1 that i would willingly watch again and i too thought it deserved better than a 63. I thought it was so cool, and i remember thinking the first time i saw this episode and the group ate Principal Flutie, that this was unlike any show i had ever seen and they weren't going to do the cliche thing all the time. About the music, I wasn't crazy about the music at first, it was all kind of obscure and strange, but then i realized that that was what made it so great. It was unknown and different and you weren't going to turn on the radio and hear those songs playing every half hour, that made the show even more special. Plus, I love how 99% of the time, the songs are not filler songs, chosen to give background noise soley for that purpose. The songs that are chosen have a meaning that relates to the story going on or the character and when you figure out what that meaning is its so awesome. One of the only times i can think of a song totally not going with the scene and it driving me crazy is in S7 "Him" during the part where Buffy takes R.J. into the classroom and Dawn is looking for him. They play Coldplay's "Warning Sign". Coldplay is one of my very favorite bands and "Warning Sign" is in my top five favorite songs of all time, and to me that song was so misplaced in that particular scene. I have tried and tried to think of what the meaning of it could be but honestly i can't think of anything. It sucks because thats a good song that would have fit in beautifully almost any other time in the show. |
| 6. | Angelo GouveiaOct 13, 2006 (Fri)View This Person's Comments | Link | |
| In my opinion this episode should get the best metaphor in S1 award a bit higher score :) I really like it, its very stilysh and the message comes out pretty well. Great peace of acting from the part of Alyson Hannigan as well and Nicholas Brendon. |
| 7. | BarbaraMar 26, 2007 (Mon)View This Person's Comments | Link | |
| I kinda like this for the fact that we get to see more of Nicholas' acting ability, and we get to see a dark side of Xander, but I don't like it for the exact same reason. The dark side of Xander is a wake up call for everyone...we all have a dark side, some of us just have a easier time hiding it than others do. |
| 8. | MrBApr 7, 2007 (Sat)View This Person's Comments | Link | |
| Just one more comment on the music. The regular soundtrack score music in S1 pretty much stunk. Boring, not sure where they were going, cheap sounding, synth stuff. This episode was a departure in that it was the only episode of S1 for sure (and possibly the series) that completely created its' own vibe with the African drums and rythms. Personally, I'm glad this did not happen all the time, but it was interesting to hear. This demonstrates that in S1, they were really feeling their way around with what this show was going to be and do. |
| 9. | LatoyaMay 1, 2007 (Tue)View This Person's Comments | Link | |
| I was shocked when a possessed Xander tried to rape Buffy. I found it hard to believe that he was completely without blame since he wasn't "himself". Yes, it was out of character to be mean to Willow but the things he was saying to Buffy in that classroom rang true for how Xander felt. I didn't like that after it was all over instead of apologizing to Willow and especially Buffy, he faked amnesia. |
| 10. | ChristineSep 17, 2007 (Mon)View This Person's Comments | Link | |
| The pack is easily one of my favorite episodes and probably the best of the xander-centric one. He was so far off his usual self, the acting was wonderful. As far as the music, i found a lot of it (or just the placement of it at times) in season 1 is, like you said, a bit corny. But love the dark xander, that we don't get to see again until The Wish. |
| 11. | buffyholicOct 4, 2007 (Thu)View This Person's Comments | Link | |
| I´m not a big fan of this episode but this really entertains me. Seeing a dark, cruel Xander is really cool. I don´t have a problem with the students acting like hyenas, I think it´s a good premise. There are a lot of great stuff here: the scene where Xander tries to rape Buffy, the scene where they eat the principal (it´s amazing but everytime I see it, that schocks me) and my favourite scene of all, the dodgeball game. Very good dialogue, very good character interaction. |
| 12. | AndrewDec 26, 2007 (Wed)View This Person's Comments | Link | |
| This is my second favourite S1 episode (the best being Nightmares, which is just amazing). It also features the best line in the series, which unfortunately doesn't look very good on paper; one really needs to hear Alyson Hannigan saying it:
"Why couldn't Xander have been possessed by a puppy... (pause)... or some ducks?" |
| 13. | XenaGuyMar 23, 2008 (Sun)View This Person's Comments | Link | |
| I too think your score is quite low for this episode. The whole 'pack' metaphor is brilliant. After all, teens regularly form 'packs' in their lives. This episode runs with that idea.
I think the acting was terrific. The hyena-teens were all really good, even Xander after he 'turned'. And the eating of Principal Flutie ... how great was that? It started a trend for Sunnydale principals, too! Also, the music was compelling, adding to the animalistic theme of the episode. It helped drive the emotions of the 'pack' throughout the episode. The zookeeper I agree was a weak character, and I knew at his first appearance that he would turn out to be a 'bad guy' by episode end. I loved the way the pack preyed on the weak kid even before they were possessed (just like real teens), and preyed more dramatically as they became more animalistic as the episode progressed. I didn't have a problem with the whole 'hyena possession' thing, as they were already acting as a 'pack' before the hyenas were introduced. The possession was a metaphor for teen 'cliques' if I ever saw one. All in all, I'd give it about 75-80. |
| 14. | DavidApr 19, 2008 (Sat)View This Person's Comments | Link | |
| One thing that I loved that hasn't been mentioned by anybody... Xander informs Buffy that he's "aware" on some level of Willow's infatuation with him while under the hyena scene. Even the attempted rape can be seen as another way for Xander to hurt Willow. He'd already done so verbally and by getting it on with Buffy, even under the spell, it'd be a mental hammer. That also really sets up nicely not only the brief fling in Season 3 but also the almost 'purposeful' veering away in Season 2 with girls like 'Ampata' and Cordelia. |
| 15. | PaulaSep 8, 2008 (Mon)View This Person's Comments | Link | |
| I got all excited about Firefly (my first Whedon show) about a year before I started watching Buffy. People then recommended Buffy to me, and I remember talking about it to someone who told me that Buffy was a show that never stopped finding new levels to climb to. This was the episode that started that process, at least for me. I remember being pretty impressed with it, after all the entertaining but light-weight stuff that came before it. ...And it was quite true that the show never stopped finding those new levels. Which for a seven-season show was no mean feat. |
| 16. | SamNov 20, 2008 (Thu)View This Person's Comments | Link | |
| I personally thought this was a terrific episode--the whole concept was a very intense metaphor for peer pressure. It was great seeing Xander act vicious, and overall I thought this was one of the better S1 episodes [falling behind only Angel and Prophecy Girl, and possibly the pilot]. |
| 17. | EmilyFeb 1, 2009 (Sun)View This Person's Comments | Link | |
| I am not a fan of this episode- to me, it's Number 2 on the "Worst Episodes of Season 1" List, right under "Teacher's Pet." I just want to say that in Season 6, Xander was so upset at Spike because he tried to rape Buffy, but he never owned up to what he did here- he just made believe that he forgot. And it doesn't matter that he was possessed- he was still Xander. He doesn't even have the lack of a soul to blame it on. All in all, Xander does some things throughout the whole series that are very questionable- like lying to Buffy in Becoming Pt. 2, like joining the gang in Season 7 in kicking her out of the house, etc. I mean, he's Xander and we love him, but he thinks he knows everything. And sometimes he doesn't. |
| 18. | jarppuFeb 1, 2009 (Sun)View This Person's Comments | Link | |
| @Emily: No, Xander isn't to blame for attempted rape because he was possessed - he was not himself. That's what being possessed means. You don't see Xander trying rape Buffy or eating a pig when he's not possessed. As for the kicking Buffy out - I count that as an out-of-character moment for all of the scoobies. They wouldn't turn on her. The writers just dropped the ball in season 7. (And if you don't count it as an OOC moment, the majority of the blame shouldn't go to Xander.) But it is true that Xander lied to Buffy in Becoming p2. But still I don't think he thinks he knows everything. So if you're gonna bash on character, use better facts. |
| 19. | NixFeb 17, 2009 (Tue)View This Person's Comments | Link | |
| We're lucky Willow's wishes don't come true, btw. A duck-themed _The Pack_ would be *nasty*. (e.g., have you seen what male mallards do instead of romance?) |
| 20. | RosieApr 16, 2009 (Thu)View This Person's Comments | Link | |
| No, I think that Xander's attempted rape of Buffy was all about his feelings for Buffy. It seemed as if being possessed had released his inhibitions . . . like souless Spike's rape attempt in S6. I wonder if Xander thought of his actions when he told Dawn what Spike had done.
Then again, Willow had not possessed or was souless when she committed psychic rape against Tara. I can say the same about Buffy's sexual assault of Spike or Faith's attempted rape of Xander. |
| 21. | llinnaeApr 16, 2009 (Thu)View This Person's Comments | Link | |
| @Rosie: When did Faith attempt to rape Xander??
and by Buffy's sexual assault of Spike, are you referring to "Gone"? |
| 22. | Bubblez.Jun 25, 2009 (Thu)View This Person's Comments | Link | |
| I really like this episode. It's well acted with the students as hyneas. :D
Also...Xander's pretty hot when he's nasty ;3 |
| 23. | RosieJul 2, 2009 (Thu)View This Person's Comments | Link | |
| In "Consequences", Faith tried to assault Xander and eventually tried to kill him. Angel came to his rescue.
And yes, I was referring to "Gone". |
| 24. | KatieJNov 20, 2009 (Fri) @ 11:01amView This Person's Comments | Link | |
| "I'll BUY it! I'll BUY it! I'll BUY it!" "Job's Eyes" was daring and perfect music placement. It amplified the "Pack" metaphor. In this episode, Joss Whedon turned out the true terror of having your high school social support pulled out from under you. And yes, the transpossesion-thing was not great, but the images it created were so evocative, and just so true, that this episode rates at the very top of season 1, no question. Dodgeball, FAR, the looks, and low angle shots, plus Giles' "It's horrifying, he's turned into a sixteen-year-old boy." Chills, people, chills. |
| 25. | JenniferJan 2, 2010 (Sat) @ 11:31amView This Person's Comments | Link | |
| HA. okay, So, lol. Your all pretty amusing. I love all the comments. I love this episode. The Transpossesion thing was freaking amazing. I mean, dont we all have that fear in us? hell, I question it everytime I look into my dogs eyes. And there were SOOOOO many quotes! My favorite being "shoot me, stuff me, mount me." lol, Love it. It was a great episode, and in my opinion it would get a 98. Though, the only episode that I would go negative on would have to be first one. I miss Jesse. And for the complaints on everyone knowing Buffys past, goes back to the first episode when Xander said "Not alot goes on in a one starbucks town like Sunnydale, your big news." And if youve ever been to a small town, word of mouth spreads like white on rice. So, who doesnt know? The first couple episodes everyone was talking about the "new girl". So it makes sense. On another note, I love the music. It fits perfectly. Deffinatly an A worthy episode. |
| 26. | Smallprint84Mar 2, 2010 (Tue) @ 4:38amView This Person's Comments | Link | |
| Willow in pain and tears.... it brakes my heart every time. Alyson can act this emotion so perfect. plus great music: Far, Sprung Monkey. I liked the episode. It deserves at least a 75 score. Plus social groups at high school are always scary when you're an outsider, like Larry (Larry was his name??) |
| 27. | Smallprint84 Mar 15, 2010 (Mon) @ 4:33amView This Person's Comments | Link | |
| Oh, now I remember, Lance was his name |
| 28. | yippers6Jul 14, 2010 (Wed) @ 2:23pmView This Person's Comments | Link | |
| they ate the pig! At the end they didn't tell zander what he said to willow. One complaint Zander should have been scared when buffy said "Want to say anything to me" instead he just laughs. Whats up with that? |
| 29. | Michael CarruthersSep 17, 2010 (Fri) @ 8:43pmView This Person's Comments | Link | |
| This ep isn't perfect, but I too would give it a higher rating than a 63. I'd say a 72/100. Not all elements of the episode were successful, the zookeeper was pretty silly, and the middle of the episode sags a bit pace-wise in the mid-section. The song "Job's Eyes" is cool, but the scene with Xander and the pack wandering around in the school in slow motion is a clear indicator to me that they didn't have enough material for this ep and had this scene as a time-filler.
Agree that the students acted perfectly as hyenas, loved Xander/Willow and Xander/Buffy interaction, and appreciated that it was part of Xander behaving this way, and not just the hyenas. That way his behaviour in this ep has a lasting effect and can't be solely blamed on the demonic possession. |
| 30. | MikeJerNov 16, 2010 (Tue) @ 11:05pmView This Person's Comments | Link | |
| ADMIN NOTE: This episode review has been completely rewritten. In light of this, references to the old review have been edited out of the the above comments. |
| 31. | buffyholicNov 17, 2010 (Wed) @ 4:36amView This Person's Comments | Link | |
| I love how Willow doesn´t fall for his act. Not only is Willow intelligent but they are treating their audience intelligently too. And this trait follows her, remember Parker in Beer Bad? She also seems to be falling for him, but then she totally shames him. |
| 32. | G1000Nov 17, 2010 (Wed) @ 6:46amView This Person's Comments | Link | |
| Still too high of a grade in my opinion, but it's nice to see this hideous episode drop a bit. I'm still amazed how good this show got mid-season 2, considering just how bad some of these early episodes really are. |
| 33. | fray-adjacentNov 17, 2010 (Wed) @ 8:26amView This Person's Comments | Link | |
| The first time through I found this episode utterly shocking. Until, of course, everything is forgotten/forgiven at the end. I wonder how the show would have gone if S1'd had basically the same episode plots but with more cohesion between them, so that the characters and relationships change as a consequence. It certainly would have been a much darker show from the get-go, and perhaps that would have interfered with establishing the lovable core Scoobies. But it would've made for a much better S1. Loving these rewrites. And I definitely agree with you on what's good and what's not in this episode. Also, this was a great point: "Speaking of missed opportunities, how about there being absolutely no parallel drawn between the possessed students and Cordelia's often cruel 'pack?'" |
| 34. | DarthMarionNov 17, 2010 (Wed) @ 11:36amView This Person's Comments | Link | |
| The lack of impact is indeed shameful! Good review Mike (even if it's sad that you were a little disappointed!), You catched a great missed opportunity with Cordelia's own Pack! It would have also been of some relevance for her place in the season! I would rate it a little higher though, because this dark side of Xander isn't only heyna induced, and I like that even if it's over the top it's really true to his character (the lashing out at Willow, the way his crush on Buffy twists his views etc). However I don't understand how he ends up dominant male of the pack... |
| 35. | John RobertsNov 18, 2010 (Thu) @ 2:57pmView This Person's Comments | Link | |
| I liked The Pack quite a bit for its "gutsy" elements (plus I had a guilty pleasure in seeing the fake-hyena acting) but ... Mike is correct in his criticism. I can't argue with any of it. The writers at that stage of the show didn't really get how to link the pieces together. Guess I'm just a soft touch. |
| 36. | Nathan.TaurusNov 18, 2010 (Thu) @ 7:25pmView This Person's Comments | Link | |
| Good:
* The monkey on the rock. * The Bronze scene. Notice how confident Xander goes close to the girl then walks away and she still watches him. The hyena was a little like the Toth spell. * Xander and the possessed slo-mo 'Job's Eyes' stair scene. I liked it. * Buffy and Xander together. * Giles in the start of his getting-knocked-out phase. Bad: * The same hyena laugh played over and over. * Willow kicks the legs of the Xander dummy to close the cage door. Proves it's a dummy. * The zookeeper's lines sometimes out of sync with mouth. This episode was one of my favourite for the first season. It had problems but it had a good mythical story. |
| 37. | CoyoteBuffyFanFeb 4, 2011 (Fri) @ 11:37pmView This Person's Comments | Link | |
| I am honestly shocked by the score. even after reading the review. I'm glad to see some love for this episode in the comments. I LOVE this episode. It is definitely my first or second favorite of S1 (along with Nightmares). I can't believe that they "went there" and had the kids actually EAT Principal Flutie...daring and awesome! Though RIP Flutie. Plus it brought about Snyder who I love to hate!
There may not be a lot of character development but this episode had me thoroughly entertained from beginning to end. Was it sad that I found Xander sexy in this episode? It wasn't because he was mean (I hated what he did to Willow) but he was exuding confidence. That's sexy. And I love the slo-mo scene. I loved how they were sniffing around the kid that they picked on. I thought it was well done. I also really liked the dodge ball scene that you point out in your "Pros". Cruel HS students at play there. I WILL agree with you that they could have done some parallels between the hyena pack and Cordy's group. That would have been great. |
| 38. | ShinyMay 9, 2011 (Mon) @ 10:34amView This Person's Comments | Link | |
| This was one of the first episodes of Buffy I'd ever seen (I'm never sure which was the actual first, but I did start watching during S1) and it absolutely floored me. The drama, the myth, and the hilarious dialogue all made up for the hokey zookeeper. I was in grammar school at the time (basically high school for those who passed a certain test) and could completely relate to poor Willow - my best friend was changing at the time and being cruel to fit in with her new group. When they ate the principal I was like "holy CRAP, they ATE A DUDE" - and that was before I knew Flutie was a recurring character. I also love the slo-mo Job's Eyes scene. It's cool and disturbing at the same time, just an understated scene to show how Xander and the bullies have seriously changed, and how easily the other students can see it without needing the slow motion or threatening song. The dodgeball scene is epic, as is the coach's reaction - it really breaks the tension so that you're still highly entertained instead of just staring numbly at the screen. And I think this was the episode where I became really aware of how excellent and unique the dialogue is. It didn't bug me that Xander pretended to forget, and all was forgiven. At the time it was a new show, I was a new viewer, and the main characters having relationship issues that stretched beyond an episode would probably have put me off. I think it was necessary to maintain the status-quo at the start of Buffy; it needed to have a solid fanbase in order to approach multi-episode and seasonal arcs that involve the Scoobies' relationships. Considering S1 as the introduction to Buffy, it's important to understand that whipping the carpet out from under a new viewer, especially one tuning in for the first time, could have seriously bad consequences - having it come off as a soap opera with vampires. Had they altered the established relationships just a handful of episodes into the show, it'd disconnect the viewer from the whole purpose of the show's introduction - having you empathise with (and usually like) the characters. I do wish the attempted-rape had been referenced later on, and you're so right about Cordy's own pack, but I rate this a lot higher. I think it's the first true showcase of how the show could mix tension, hilarity and pathos in such a wonderful balance. My 2p ;] |
| 39. | MikeJerMay 9, 2011 (Mon) @ 12:09pmView This Person's Comments | Link | |
| @Shiny: First of all, thanks for the comment! One thing to take note of is that I am not reviewing this show from the perspective of a first time viewer. The entire purpose of these reviews is to look at each episode within the scope of the whole -- the season, and the series. Even as a new viewer, I think it depends on the type of viewer you are in how you'd react. Seeing Season 1 for the first time made me very hesitant to want to watch more. I thought it was alright as superficial entertainment but nothing more. It offered very little new from what I'd seen before. Not having actions that mattered, right from the start, was a huge turn-off for me. As for the slo-mo scene, "understated" is the exact opposite of how I'd describe it. It lingers on seemingly forever and draws tons of attention to itself while offering nothing but weirdness in return. The fact Xander and the group "changed" simply doesn't mean anything to me because it's not even real -- it all gets erased by episode's end and all the consequences that should stem from the events here are washed clean from the slate of the show by the next episode. An argument can be made that most American viewers can't keep to an episode schedule and watch their TV in order, so stand-alones are necessary for most shows to succeed financially. That truth doesn't mean I have to simply accept the effect it has on the quality of a show. "The Pack" is a relatively meaningless episode in the grand scheme of things, and there's no real way around that fact. There didn't have to be huge ground-shaking development for all the characters this season for it to have succeeded more -- the stories simply had to relate to the growth of the characters rather than be completely isolated stories. Buffy got some this kind of development in Season 1, and that's the very best part of the season. Everyone else was largely left out to dry. Check out my Season 1 Review for a more expanded argument on these points. |
| 40. | LucySep 8, 2011 (Thu) @ 8:14amView This Person's Comments | Link | |
| I totally agree with Amy. How was Xander's attempted rape of Buffy any better than Spike's in Season 6? Xander was possessed by a hyena, and Spike was possessed by a demon (the vampire) I don't think either of them should be let off the hook, but it always really bugged me how Xander could never forgive Spike and harped on and on about him trying ot rape her when he'd done the exact same thing! And I'm not particularly a Spike fan, so I'm not blinded by love or anything, I think I just don't like Xander. He's always so self-righteous! |
| 41. | Gemma Dec 9, 2011 (Fri) @ 8:58amView This Person's Comments | Link | |
| when weighing up my favourite episodes of season one i rank this being around 5th. This episode to me has a scooby doo theme to it especially with the creation of the Zoo Keeper. This episode is one that receives diverge reviews many feel that the episode is full of derision and that the theme it identifies is a travesty to school cliques and bullying but in actual fact it does a fine job in identifying the blatant us verses them that people experience, the dodge ball game was the perfect metaphor for this. It is apt in the portrayal of dog eat dog or hyena eat principal world. The most interesting part of this episode is when Buffy finds herself standing alone on her side and 'the pack' instead of take her on turn and attack a team member left on their side who is obviously weaker than them and Buffy. This metaphor was one of the more well done ones this season, the preying on the weak link taken literal is great to watch with creepy scenes involving the pig and principal Flutie being eaten. The slow walk scene highlights the packs togetherness and the looking around as if they're stalking their prey looking for a victim. Also great music choice! Its interesting that it was Xander who became possessed, his desire to be the man Buffy wants to be and the constant comparison of himself to Angel should have allowed for some character development sadly this isn't discussed after this episode including his behaviour of threatening Buffy. Its dark stuff and allows Xander to play a darker self. Its evident what this episode is about when Xander abandons his friends and hangs with the cooler kids, a darker version on real events. This episode was conducive for developing and exploring the relationship between Xander, Buffy and WIllow. This episode shows that BtVS does darkness well but i miss Xander's humour and comedy is lacking from the episode. The episode takes a detective route once Giles consults his books and Buffy and Giles t to the zoo and speak to the Zoo Keeper. The zoo keeper himself isn't as clear cut as bad guys go, when we first meet him he merely seems like any other official stopping two teens encroaching somewhere they shouldn't. When Giles discusses the situation with him, its then that we start to thing hang on a second! He seems a little to concerned with the how....and the need for a predatory act. Of course our suspicions are proved right when we see him dressed up in robes. Xander and WIllows interaction while Xander was locked in the library cage was interesting to watch, his ability to appeal to WIllows feelings for him, playing on the things were better before she came card. Although the interaction was intriguing it fell flat because we were already aware that Xander wasn't himself. There are some clever one liners. Buffy: I hit him, WIllow: WIth what? Buffy: A desk. WIllow: WHy couldn't Xander be possessed by a puppy.....or some ducks! The bottom line is i admire the writers for what they endeavour to do. |
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