Willow Speaks Gaelic?

“Fear Itself” brings me back to the first episode we watched in class. I distinctly remember hearing the line “ we are defined by things we fear,” in “Nightmares,” and having Janelle tell us we should write it down because it would be important. Well, it’s back. This episode seems like season four’s newer take on that first episode, but it doesn’t seem repetitive for two reasons. First, we have the introduction of new characters Oz and Anya, and second the regulars might as well be entirely different people. So much has changed in the Scooby Gang since they were helping little Billy in season 1. Xander is struggling with odd man out syndrome, Willow has magical powers (and this episode seems to be a platform for many of the issues we later see in our ill-mannered friend), and even Buffy is different. It’s been x number of years, so the characters have grown, though I wouldn’t entirely say they’ve grown up. To me, that is what makes their friendship seem as genuine, or at least as genuine as one based on vampire slaying can. This strain on the group as they grow in different directions is natural. I think that’s the biggest fear I saw in the episode. In their own ways, everybody is afraid of how the group growing apart. It is not until they are all forced together in the frat house that they can overcome this fear

As an aside, did anybody else find Buffy to bit a too whiny for their tastes? She’s got some hardcore daddy issues, that seem to follow her with all the men in her life to date (Angel, Parker, and even Giles in some ways). I found myself wondering for the entire episode how she would confront this problem. In a vain hope that curb stomping the fun sized Gakkkkkkkkkkknarrrrrrr (sp?) would do the trick, I watched the next episode “Beer Bad.” I was disappointed to find her mopey as ever still hung up on Parker, to the point where I had to stop watching. Somebody please tell me she gets over this funk relatively soon, and the pleather returns.