Obviously my post on "Fear Itself" is quite late. As Dylan observed, we're all really busy and stressed, so that's my explanation ... lots and lots of other homework. Anyway, on to my actual post ...
After watching "Fear Itself," I couldn't get over the similarities between it's theme and that of "Nightmares." Both of these episodes were very clearly about the necessity of facing our fears. Although on the surface our fears, and those of Buffy and the Scooby Gang, appear insurmountable, when we face them head-on, we discover how truly small and powerless they are. The only difference between "Nightmares" and "Fear Itself" that I could detect was where and how Buffy and the Scooby Gang had to face their fears and who was "responsible" for unleashing those fears. In "Nightmares," the fears that physically manifested themselves in Sunnydale are those of a young boy in a coma. To return Sunnydale to normal and free its citizens from their fears, Buffy must convince him to face his very "real" fears; she must show him that his "real world" fears are small and ultimately unimportant. In the process, she and the Scooby Gang face their own fears and overcome them - or so the audience thinks.
"Fear Itself" reveals to the audience that Buffy and certain members of the Scooby Gang never truly overcame their fears in "Nightmares." While their fears have certainly evolved, due to the fact that they have grown and matured, they are still ultimately the same fears that the characters had in Season 1. Buffy still fears being unloved, especially by her father, and ending up alone. Willow still fears bugs and being seen by Buffy, and the rest of the Scooby Gang, as unimportant and without any powers of her own - she fears being relegated to the role of being Buffy's sidekick. Finally, Xander fears being seen as an unimportant member of the Scooby Gang and an outsider. "Fear Itself" again brings these fears to the surface and again forces the characters to confront these fears, though they don't manifest themselves in the "real world" of Sunnydale this time. Towards the end of the episode, Buffy and the Scooby Gang discover that they are facing these fears solely in their mind. What they, and the audience, think is physically happening to them is really only a figment of their imagination brought on by the presence of the demon Gachnar. When they realize that the symbol on the floor of the fraternity's attic is summoning Gachnar, courtesy of Giles, Buffy seeks to prevent him from appearing by destroying the symbol. However, she only succeeds in making him appear sooner. Initially, the Scooby Gang is terrified. Giles has shown them Gachnar's picture, and they know that he will be a formidable foe. Even Buffy admits that she doesn't want to fight him. Ultimately, their apprehension is unjustified. Gachnar's appearance is rather anticlimactic because, as Giles later discovers by reading the inscription, the picture in the book is "to-scale." Buffy, of course, easily defeats Gachnar by stepping on him and returns everything to normal.
In the end, "Fear Itself," like "Nightmares," is about the importance of facing one's fears head-on. Our fears can overcome us and make us believe they are large and powerful; however, when we, like Buffy and the Scooby Gang, gain the courage to directly confront our fears, we will always discover that they are like Gachnar: small and insignificant. In other words, they are the creations of our mind, which exaggerate them. Although we can never truly defeat our fears, as we saw with the similarities between the Scooby Gang's fears in Season 1 and Season 4, by confronting them, we can successfully overcome their power to fully live our lives. As FDR said, "All we have to fear is fear itself."
After watching "Fear Itself," I couldn't get over the similarities between it's theme and that of "Nightmares." Both of these episodes were very clearly about the necessity of facing our fears. Although on the surface our fears, and those of Buffy and the Scooby Gang, appear insurmountable, when we face them head-on, we discover how truly small and powerless they are. The only difference between "Nightmares" and "Fear Itself" that I could detect was where and how Buffy and the Scooby Gang had to face their fears and who was "responsible" for unleashing those fears. In "Nightmares," the fears that physically manifested themselves in Sunnydale are those of a young boy in a coma. To return Sunnydale to normal and free its citizens from their fears, Buffy must convince him to face his very "real" fears; she must show him that his "real world" fears are small and ultimately unimportant. In the process, she and the Scooby Gang face their own fears and overcome them - or so the audience thinks.
"Fear Itself" reveals to the audience that Buffy and certain members of the Scooby Gang never truly overcame their fears in "Nightmares." While their fears have certainly evolved, due to the fact that they have grown and matured, they are still ultimately the same fears that the characters had in Season 1. Buffy still fears being unloved, especially by her father, and ending up alone. Willow still fears bugs and being seen by Buffy, and the rest of the Scooby Gang, as unimportant and without any powers of her own - she fears being relegated to the role of being Buffy's sidekick. Finally, Xander fears being seen as an unimportant member of the Scooby Gang and an outsider. "Fear Itself" again brings these fears to the surface and again forces the characters to confront these fears, though they don't manifest themselves in the "real world" of Sunnydale this time. Towards the end of the episode, Buffy and the Scooby Gang discover that they are facing these fears solely in their mind. What they, and the audience, think is physically happening to them is really only a figment of their imagination brought on by the presence of the demon Gachnar. When they realize that the symbol on the floor of the fraternity's attic is summoning Gachnar, courtesy of Giles, Buffy seeks to prevent him from appearing by destroying the symbol. However, she only succeeds in making him appear sooner. Initially, the Scooby Gang is terrified. Giles has shown them Gachnar's picture, and they know that he will be a formidable foe. Even Buffy admits that she doesn't want to fight him. Ultimately, their apprehension is unjustified. Gachnar's appearance is rather anticlimactic because, as Giles later discovers by reading the inscription, the picture in the book is "to-scale." Buffy, of course, easily defeats Gachnar by stepping on him and returns everything to normal.
In the end, "Fear Itself," like "Nightmares," is about the importance of facing one's fears head-on. Our fears can overcome us and make us believe they are large and powerful; however, when we, like Buffy and the Scooby Gang, gain the courage to directly confront our fears, we will always discover that they are like Gachnar: small and insignificant. In other words, they are the creations of our mind, which exaggerate them. Although we can never truly defeat our fears, as we saw with the similarities between the Scooby Gang's fears in Season 1 and Season 4, by confronting them, we can successfully overcome their power to fully live our lives. As FDR said, "All we have to fear is fear itself."
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