Where the Wild Things Are - Buffy Episode Review

WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE (4x18)

A review by Mikelangelo "MikeJer" Marinaro,
March 22, 2006

Writer:	Tracey Forbes
Director:	David Solomon

*Warning: This review may contain spoilers from anywhere in the entire show.

Review
Minor Pros/Cons
Foreshadowing
Quotes

Score
Screencaps

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Wow this is a bad episode -- the worst since "I Robot, You Jane" (1x08)! I'm looking at my notes...and there's almost nothing there. This is going to be a very short review. The savior of this episode from getting no points at all is Spike, Anya, and Giles. Anya is having unfounded relationship issues with Xander, Spike is simply bored, and Giles turns out to have a singing hobby. The failure of this episode is, well, the fact that the entire plot involves Buffy and Riley having lots and lots of steamy sex. If you love seeing Buffy and Riley having nonstop sex then you may want to look away from this review!

Early on there's a scene between Xander and Anya that is very entertaining. Anya thinks that because her and Xander didn't have sex the previous evening their relationship is ending. After Xander starts defending himself, Anya asks him if there's something wrong with his body. Then Xander, wanting to prove his functionality, says "You want sex? Let's have sex. Right here. Hot, sweaty, big sex." It turns out that as he was saying this a bunch of customers were amusingly standing right outside his ice cream truck.

The highlight of the episode is definitely the resulting interaction between Anya and Spike. These two definitely have a lot in common and enjoy sharing time together. They chat up how much they miss their carnage. Anya says, "Seen a thousand relationships. First there's the love, and sex, and then there's nothing left but the vengeance. That's how it works." When Xander sees Anya with Spike, he begins to get a bit worried. This is just an amusing little conflict between them that doesn't last through the episode.

I need to point out how much I love how abused fraternity parties get in BtVS. Xander even points out, "A ghost? What's the deal? Is every frat on this campus haunted? And if so, why do people keep coming to these parties, cause it's not the snacks." My question is, why do the Scoobies keep going to these parties? They all look horrendously bored every time (as I would be) and nothing good ever comes from going. Anyway, the plot is just overall extremely boring. There's some repressed ghosts of some sorts being fueled by Buffy and Riley's sexual energy. But haven't Buffy and Riley had sex in Riley's room before, more than once in fact? Why are these ghosts manifesting now? Am I missing something? Even if the plot made sense it's still a terrible idea. And that's about it. Sorry this ends so abruptly, but I really don't have anything else to talk about. Terrible episode. :(

	Pros:
+	Buffy getting all sexually excited after tag team fighting with Riley again.
+	The extended scene where all Riley finds is a dripping bathtub.
+	Spike trying to scare people into giving him money.
+	An orgasm spot on the wall. Ridiculous, but kind of funny.
+	Willow and Tara's talk about horses, which is very suggestive of something else...
+	Spike getting excited when the party gets ruined.
+	Giles singing and playing the guitar and the Scoobies' stunned reaction. Also, I love how all the girls admire how sexy his voice is.
+	Buffy and Riley completely satisfied they got forced into having nonstop sex.

	Cons:
-	Plant vines and tentacles? Ugh...
-	The old lady is somehow insane, boring, hokey, and creepy all at the same time.

Anya telling Spike, "Seen a thousand relationships. First there's the love, and sex, and then there's nothing left but the vengeance. That's how it works," fortelling her own relationship with Xander through "Entropy" [6x18].

ANYA:	Spike! What are you doing!? You made me yell really high.
SPIKE:	Hey! Yeah, I did. I scared you. Gimme money.
ANYA:	I'm not paying you for scaring me.
SPIKE:	You're not paying me. I'm robbing you.
ANYA:	Oh, well now that's just ludicrous. You can't hurt me because you've got that chip in your brain. Also, I like my money the way it is...when it's mine. Oh, now come on. You're not even bumpy any more.
SPIKE:	Oh. I was just a minute ago. Hang on. Get me mad again.
ANYA:	(sighs) Does this really work? Scaring people into giving you their money?
SPIKE:	Yeah, it works. Keeps me in blood and beers. (Grins) Plus, you know, funny. Watching those little humans quail.
ANYA:	I'm beginning to understand why you're so friendless.

XANDER:	You're overreacting. We had a fight. But see, it's okay. It's normal.
ANYA:	Yes. The normal part of the ending a relationship right before the vengeance begins.
XANDER:	Right. No! Vengeance?
ANYA:	Relax, I'm not gonna do it. I'm just trying to tell you that we have nothing in common besides both of us liking your penis.

XANDER:	Now who's with me?
SPIKE:	I am.
:	(Everyone looks at Spike in surprise)
SPIKE:	I know I'm not the first choice for heroics...and Buffy's tried to kill me more than once. And, I don't fancy a single one of you at all. But...Actually, all that sounds pretty convincing. I wonder if Danger Mouse is on.

30/100

Just plain awful. Completely failed at what it was trying to do. Might be painful to watch. The only points awarded are for tiny bits of humor and/or a character moment or two.

1.	GroundedMar 22, 2006 (Wed)Link
	Tracey Forbes's Buffy carrer = Beer Bad, Something Blue, WTWTA. Sorry, but 33% is a failing grade. ;)

2.	mikejerMar 22, 2006 (Wed)Link
	Agreed! :)

3.	20questionsgeniusMar 22, 2006 (Wed)Link
	Yikes! I hadnt realized that Tracey Forbes wrote "Beer Bad" and "Where The Wild Things Are". I knew she wrote "Something Blue" which is my very favorite episode of all, but damn, those other two are pretty much universally disliked. Maybe she had help on "Something Blue" from some of the other writers, cuz "Beer Bad" and "WTWTA" are shining examples of what not to show someone when trying to get them interested in Buffy (although, the argument that bad episodes of Buffy are better than a lot of other stuff out there is true cuz "Beer Bad" was like the second or third episode i ever saw and i still wanted to watch more), but "Something Blue" is fantastic. Anyway i also wanted to say that the rate at which youre putting these reviews out is great MikeJer! I love checking the site and seeing new reviews. You do a really good job talking about the important stuff in each episode and explaining what it all means in your opinion, but most important of all, its apparent in each review that you love the series a lot and that makes it all the more fun to read these, so keep up the good work!

4.	mikejerMar 22, 2006 (Wed)Link
	Thanks 20! One thing to note is that I, unfortunately, wont be able to keep up this pace for too much longer. Not because I don't want to, but because my final quarter of university begins next Wednesday and it's going to be really busy. So I'm trying to finish S4 before I go back, hence the mania of reviews. I'll try to keep up a good pace after next quarter begins, but it wont be as fast as it currently is. I'm actually watching "New Moon Rising" right now for review. :)

5.	GroundedMar 23, 2006 (Thu)Link
	Incidentally, have any of you seen Danger Mouse?

6.	fryrishMay 22, 2006 (Mon)Link
	Watched this the other day. I don't think it's quite as bad as your rating suggests. While the main plot isn't very interesting there's enough in it to keep it from scraping the bottom of the barrell completely. However, my main order of business is this. In the quotes you have Spike saying the Danger Mouse bit. I wasn't sure I heard it right so I put the subtitles on and he actually says "I wonder if Asian House is open."

7.	mikejerMay 22, 2006 (Mon)Link
	I get all my quotes from the Buffyverse Dialogue Database website in my links section. But that's interesting for you sure. I've heard that sometimes the subtitles say stuff that's not in the script anymore, because of a last minute change. That's likely what happened in this case, although I'll be sure to check the transcript to be sure. And for the record: I genuinely believe the ep is as bad as I rated it. My notepad was nearly empty after watching it, and that hadn't happened since S1. When BtVS fails to entertain me much and fails to make me think about anything, it fails as an episode.

8.	FallenMay 23, 2006 (Tue)Link
	WTWTA really is a bad episode. I think it has a bit of snappy dialogue but it just fails at the plot level and adds nothing to the arc and your review pretty much says it all.

9.	GroundedMay 23, 2006 (Tue)Link
	Pretty much every ep has at least some snappy dialogue. ;)

10.	bookwormMay 24, 2006 (Wed)Link
	but not every ep has giles singing. imo the only good thing.Latoya

11.	LatoyaMay 1, 2007 (Tue)Link
	Buffy and Riley's sexual history before this ep. The I in Team: Their first time together. At his dorm while being watched on the monitor by Proffesor Walsh. They aren't together for awhile due to more pressing matters going on. This Year's Girl: At his dorm? While you are not positive they did it, it is pretty likely. She waits a while before she sleeps with him again because of the whole Riley-having-sex-with-Faith-in-Buffy's-body thingy. She felt hurt that he didn't know it wasn't her and insecure that he wouldn't be satisfied by her now that he had been with the much more sexually experience Faith. Superstar: Again, at his dorm? She moans Jonathon's name, I guess that spell wasn't completely worn off yet. :) That makes only three times by the time Where the Wild Ones Are. So by that episode, Buffy is having her first thoughts of I Can Have Sex Anytime I Want And Nothing Bad Will Happen. And of course, she over does it. But look at her track record. She slept with Angel in Surprise and then never gets to be with him again due to him turning into Angelus, torturing her, and trying to destroy the world. She sleeps with Parker in Harsh Light of Day and then never sleeps with him again due to finding out he was a womanizing Poophead that was lying to her to get in her pants. She sleeps with Riley and his boss/mentor tries to kill her. Now this happens. Is it no wonder that in Triangle she tried on the nun's wimple (sorry, don't know how to spell it)?

12.	NixJul 9, 2007 (Mon)Link
	What I find interesting is that every one of Tracy Forbes's three episodes involves Buffy being influenced by something that causes her to act completely out of character for a large portion of the ep. This is otherwise fairly rare: _When She Was Bad_ possibly, _Halloween_, in a sense _The Wish_, in a sense _Who Are You_, _Normal Again_, and that's it. And most of the non-Forbes episodes actually require more writing effort, _Who Are You_ in particular. (I'm ignoring _Bewitched, Bothered & Bewildered_'s enratting here because that was a hack to avoid SMG scheduling conflicts and thus essentially forced on the writers.) It's only Forbes's attempts that, to be blunt, feel like a writer trying to avoid writing a character that she's having trouble with: and that's a bit of a problem when the character is as central as Buffy. And it's notable that she does it every time.

13.	buffyholicNov 7, 2007 (Wed)Link
	Ok, this plot is awful. Really bad but I like watching it. For me, Anya and Spike are a delight to watch.

14.	Plain SimpleFeb 14, 2008 (Thu)Link
	I also can't believe this is the first time in decades someone has sex in this frat house. Or is it Buffy's super powers that steams up the ghosts. Ah well, let's not over analyse and just enjoy the good bits (mainly Anya-Spike and Giles singing, like you point out).

15.	wilpy1Mar 8, 2008 (Sat)Link
	HATE this episode. Tracy Forbes was like a bad fan-fiction writer. 'Something Blue' was neat, but even that plot was like a fan-fiction come to life. WTWTA is just an awful, awful episode. I vow never to watch it again. Cringe!

16.	PaulaJun 18, 2008 (Wed)Link
	I've really got to disagree with you on this episode's scoring, MikeJer. The main plot is pretty silly, but not exceptionally so (IMO, the Buffy "monster-fighting" plots are rarely anything too special; it's the character-driven stuff that shines). And all the rest about this episode was quite entertaining, so I'd have given at least a C. But I guess there's no arguing about matters of taste. :-)

17.	TonyyJul 25, 2008 (Fri)Link
	Yeah I watched this yesterday again and it really wasn't that bad. A 33 is a bit low I think. Way to low actually. The plot, yes really stupid. But there were many times I laughed out loud with my friend while watching this. Anya is just hilarious.

18.	jillyenatorAug 5, 2008 (Tue)Link
	Just watched this again and if I ignore the plot, the interactions with the Scoobies and foreshadowing with Anya/Spike turning to each other for comfort makes it almost worthwhile. I'd give it a D, myself. The plot is as bad as the season 1 eps, but I have gotten REALLY good at ignoring plot in Buffy eps by now. :) I can now look past cavemen, preying mantis sex, penis-head wig ladies, hokey Chumash Indians and all manner of sorry plotlines at this point...and just watch for the sparkling moments of continuity, foreshadowing, humor, character-driven dialogue and brilliant facial acting by much of the cast (esp Spike). It's amazing how much better the series is on the second viewing in this way.

19.	HarFangSep 6, 2008 (Sat)Link
	LOL jillyenator! I think you're right! I'll try to develop the same knack for looking elsewhere at the right moment! Anyway, another good thing that this stupid plot allows is to see the Scoobies fend for themselves and actually manage to get the job done. The last time they had to do without Buffy was in Anne / Dead Man's Party, and they're definitely getting better -although not as good yet as they'll be in Bargaining.

20.	LacieSep 21, 2008 (Sun)Link
	Yikes! I hadnt realized that Tracey Forbes wrote "Beer Bad" and "Where The Wild Things Are". I knew she wrote "Something Blue" which is my very favorite episode of all, but damn, those other two are pretty much universally disliked. Maybe she had help on "Something Blue" from some of the other writers, cuz "Beer Bad" and "WTWTA" are shining examples of what not to show someone when trying to get them interested in Buffy (although, the argument that bad episodes of Buffy are better than a lot of other stuff out there is true cuz "Beer Bad" was like the second or third episode i ever saw and i still wanted to watch more), but "Something Blue" is fantastic. Anyway i also wanted to say that the rate at which youre putting these reviews out is great MikeJer! I love checking the site and seeing new reviews. You do a really good job talking about the important stuff in each episode and explaining what it all means in your opinion, but most important of all, its apparent in each review that you love the series a lot and that makes it all the more fun to read these, so keep up the good work! Hehe I just thought I'd mention Tracey is actually a man =) Anyway I actually thought the last episode (superstar) was the most boring. Sure, this is terrible, but I just HATE Jonathan. And it's just not interesting.

21.	bigmoneygripNov 4, 2008 (Tue)Link
	For me, the only parts I liked were Spike and Anya, and Xander outing Spike a.k.a. Hostile17 at the party.

22.	JurganDec 30, 2008 (Tue)Link
	"The old lady is somehow insane, boring, hokey, and creepy all at the same time." Aww, no love for Kathryn Joosten? She's great- it was the saddest thing when she died on West Wing. I think she did a much better job here than you give her credit for. Other than that, I pretty much agree with this review.

23.	SamMar 13, 2009 (Fri)Link
	Yeah, this episode is pretty horrendous, and come to think of it, I hated all of the eps that Tracey Forbes wrote. The only scenes I liked were Spike and Anya bonding over bad relationships, and the priceless reaction shot of Willow mooning over Giles singing at the cafe. "No wonder I used to find him sexy", indeed. :)

24.	EmilyMay 13, 2009 (Wed)Link
	Mike, I have to agree with everything that you say here. I just wanted to add that there's no resolving of the Anya/Xander issue. Once again (like in "Anne" 3x01), they fight together and make up. That's so stupid.

25.	ThrupcatJul 6, 2009 (Mon)Link
	"I just wanted to add that there's no resolving of the Anya/Xander issue. Once again (like in "Anne" 3x01), they fight together and make up. That's so stupid." Emily, isn't that what people very often do? As to not liking this episode, as most buffyversers do, I want to mention one thing that I have found odd. People usually claim that WTWTA is "against sex", whereas I have always considered it to be against the REPRESSION of sex. MikeJer, ever since I found this site I wanted to tell you how great it is. It's simply awsome. Thank you!

26.	mikejerJul 6, 2009 (Mon)Link
	Thanks Thrupcat!

27.	NixJul 16, 2009 (Thu)Link
	This ep has an unusually high number of co-producers: Espenson, Solomon, Fury. A case of 'too many cooks', perhaps, or a case of 'oh shit this script is awful, let's rope in everyone we can in a desperate attempt to salvage something'?

28.	NixJul 16, 2009 (Thu)Link
	I missed two. Greenwalt and Noxon as well. Wow. Five producers or co-producers.

29.	NixJul 16, 2009 (Thu)Link
	And another 'sheep' logo, on the wall behind Giles when he's singing. What is it with these sheep? Some prop-crew injoke?

30.	ShannonJul 17, 2009 (Fri)Link
	"oh shit this script is awful, let's rope in everyone we can in a desperate attempt to salvage something?" Ha! Or, let's rope in everyone we can so no one person has to take the blame for this p.o.s. Where are other sheep? I've never noticed them.

31.	ShannonJul 17, 2009 (Fri)Link
	To everyone who says that Mike was too harsh on this episode, you're wrong. Buffy is an amazing show, but the writers/creators/whoever completely failed with this episode. That's all there is to it. This episode is heinously bad. When I finished watching it for the first time (barely - I pretty much only made it through sheer force of will), the only thought my brain was capable of formulating was, "WTH was that??"

32.	NixJul 18, 2009 (Sat)Link
	Other sheep: there's one on Willow's bedroom wall (seen in _Passion_ as the dead fish are discovered). There's a 'sheep' identical to that one in _Restless_ as Xander is crawling backwards out of the ice-cream van back into the basement. The latter two sheep are obviously linked, but this one seems, well, more like a prop in-joke than anything Willow-related.

33.	SeleneJul 22, 2009 (Wed)Link
	Giles singing---SIGH! That and the Spike/Anya interaction are about the only things worthwhile about this episode. However, a possible bit of foreshadowing: When Xander gets his face cut by the vine, isn't the cut over the eye he eventually loses?

34.	HannahSep 6, 2009 (Sun)Link
	Only episode I've ever liked by Tracey Forbes was Something Blue, HATE Beer Bad and this one, but then BB and WTWTA are two commonly disliked eps. Something Blue is a laugh, which I watch if I'm in a bad mood. I like the Spike/Anya bits and Xander and Anya in the icecream truck, but once we get past anything with Anya in, it's like '...' . Look, Buffy and Riley have steamy sex. Nevermind that the plot makes NO sense! Mind you, Giles sings! If I'm re-watching I always flick to the Anya bits and Giles' song.

35.	IanSep 13, 2009 (Sun)Link
	Danger Mouse? Just watched this and Spike says, "I wonder if Asian House is open?" The Danger Mouse thing must be a transcription error in the dialog database.

36.	Nathan.TaurusNov 1, 2009 (Sun) @ 7:27pmLink
	I think this episode is good. It is way ahead of 'IRYJ'. Yes the Buffy/Riley sex plot does go on a bit too long but it still doesn't take up alot of screen time. Most of the episode is standard for season 4. With the great interaction between Spike and Anya at The Bronze, Willow telling the spirits to "get over it." Spike talking himself out of helping, and of course, Giles singing at the Espresso Pump. And when Anya tells Xander that Spike and her didn't have sex....yet. I would rate this episode at least a 70.

37.	KatieJMay 4, 2010 (Tue) @ 11:51amLink
	Agreed, I usually skip over this one on the DVD. Yawn. I do like seeing that one guy from Beer Bad on the orgasm wall. I really enjoyed those guys, and would've liked to see them as regular background victims in this episode. Quick cute thing: When Anya and Xander are in the ice cream truck in the beginning discussing their sex life. Take a look at the magazine cover on his dash. hee hee. Transcription mistake or no.... I heart Danger Mouse.

38.	BethMay 11, 2010 (Tue) @ 4:08pmLink
	I recently rewatched Season 4 for the first time in a long while. I remember thinking that the plot of this episode had been ridiculous and that many people hate this it, but when I rewatched it I couldn't help being pleasantly surprised by the number of good bits, including Spike/Anya, Giles, even some of the tension when you think the characters are in trouble. And I laughed out loud more than once (Xander's "Hostile 17" and "She who smelt it dealt it" come to mind). All in all, I'm glad I gave this one another chance. It's kind of a microcosm of Season 4 in a way - gets pretty derided by many fans, but when I took a step back I found that I enjoyed it a lot more than I remembered.

39.	EmilyMay 21, 2010 (Fri) @ 12:08amLink
	Aww, I kinda like this episode. It's a guilty pleasure for me. Although it certainly borders on the TOO ridiculous - I mean, c'mon, an orgasm spot on the wall? Tracey Forbes, please stop. Fair rating though.

40.	G1000May 23, 2010 (Sun) @ 9:49amLink
	This episode really isn't all that bad. Giles playing guitar and Anya and Spike's interaction easily elevated this to a better grade than an F. It bugs me a bit that this one got an F, while truly terrible episodes like "Inca Mummy Girl", "The Pack", and "Nightmares" got better grades. Those three are all way worse than this one. In fact, so's "Beer Bad". And "Superstar" for that matter.

41.	StephAug 3, 2010 (Tue) @ 5:38pmLink
	I totally agree with this episode having a low score. My interest was completely lost minus Giles hiding the fact that he goes to sing which was amusing. I heart Willow and Tara, so I was definitely not expecting Tara's sudden repulsion at Willow touching her thigh. It totally took me the second time of watching that episode until I understood it was a statement of Religion (Christianity) vs. Homosexuality. Although, I wouldn't quite say the rules the old lady was following was proper Christianity. Who forces children under water? Crazy old loon. Anyway, this episode would not have been nearly as entertaining without the presence of Spike or Anya. I'd hate to see the score without them.

42.	JasonAug 27, 2010 (Fri) @ 11:17pmLink
	Nix (comment 12): Nice job finding the common thread in all three of Tracey Forbes's episodes. Unfortunately, it's a hack trick that one would not expect to usually work. 33% sounds about right.

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