Season 6, Episode 7
Written by Joss Whedon
Directed by Joss Whedon
Original Airdate: 5 November 2001
"Now that's entertainment."
Sweet
REGULAR CAST
SPECIAL GUEST STAR
GUEST CAST
CO-STARRING
-
David Fury as
Mustard Man
-
Marti Noxon as
Parking Ticket Woman
-
Daniel Weaver as
Handsome Young Man
-
Scot Zeller as
Henchman
-
Zachary Woodlee as
Demon Henchman
-
Timothy Anderson as
Henchman
-
Alex Estronel as
Henchman
-
Matt Sims as
College Guy #1
-
Hunter Cochran as
College Guy #2
SYNOPSIS
-
The ladies of the Summers house wake and go about
their daily activities to prepare for a new day. Usual behaviour
continues at the magic shop with wedding planning, training and
research. Patrolling leads to Buffy slaying a demon and rescuing a man
all the while singing about "Going Through the Motions." The next day,
when Buffy questions the gang about singing the night before, their
similar experiences lead into another song where all of the gang sing
their theories about the cause of their strange musical behaviour.
Buffy begins another song that describes the ability of the Slayer and
the Scooby Gang to withstand anything as long as they're with each
other. When the singing stops, the gang question whether they're the
only ones affected, but a look outside confirms that all of Sunnydale,
at the very least, is affected. Dawn returns from school to talk about
her equally musical day. Willow and Tara rush off to research but really
take some private time, leaving behind the gang and a pendant that Dawn
secretly takes. In the park, Tara and Willow are playful with each other
as Tara sings about her love to Willow. The singing continues as the two
dance their way home to their bedroom where Willow makes Tara literally
float off the bed.
At the magic shop, Willow and Tara's non-researching activities are
brought up by Xander. Meanwhile, out in an alley somewhere, a man is tap
dancing frantically until he begins to smoke and eventually burst into
flames as a result. A demon, Sweet, watches and enjoys the sight. The
next morning, Xander and Anya lie in bed planning breakfast. This leads
into a song and dance number of the two explaining their complaints
about each other and worries about their upcoming marriage. Later, while
walking with Giles, the two complain to Giles about the truth that
resulted from their duet.
Buffy pays Spike a visit at his crypt, where he's getting himself drunk.
She wants information, but he has nothing to offer her... but a song.
Spike shares his interpretation of her feelings for him, knowing she's
using him and wanting her to let him go. They move out into the
cemetery, where Spike rudely interrupts a funeral, dancing and singing
on the coffin. Buffy pulls him away from hurting the funeral attendees
and they fall into the open grave which startles and confuses Buffy, so
she runs away.
Tara finds Dawn and tries to explain the strange behaviour of the town
in a non-frightening way. Dawn mentions Willow and Tara's fighting which
leads to Tara realizing that she's forgotten and the dried flower she
found earlier on the bed may have been involved. Alone, Dawn puts on the
pendant she found earlier at the shop and as she sings, she's kidnapped
by a group of demons. She's taken to Sweet who's taken over the deserted
Bronze and claims her as his new wife. After learning that the Slayer is
Dawn's sister, Sweet demands her presence so he can see her burn.
Buffy trains with Giles and talks about dealing with Dawn which Giles
responds to in song. He sings how she's not prepared for the world and
how he's holding her back by trying to be a father figure to her, but
Buffy didn't listen to a word he sang. Tara arrives at the magic shop in
search of information about the spell she suspects Willow did. A duet
between her and Giles begins as they both sing about planning to leave
the people who hurt and use them: Willow and Buffy.
Spike presents one of Sweet's minions to the gang at the shop, which
informs Buffy and friends that Dawn is in trouble and she needs to go to
her. When Giles says Buffy needs to go alone, Spike gets upset and
eventually claims that he hopes both girls burn. Buffy sings as she goes
to find Sweet and her sister while Spike sings along from a safe
distance and soon Sweet joins in on the song as well. Buffy and Sweet
sing about walking through fire and Buffy's pull towards it as Spike
sings about his confusing feelings for Buffy.
The whole Scooby Gang join in and it's one big musical extravaganza.
Spike and Tara sing about love, Buffy and Sweet sing about their
upcoming encounter and Dawn's rescue, and Giles and Willow sing about
plans to defeat the demon. Buffy offers a deal to Sweet to exchange her
life for Dawn's and this, yet again, leads into a song and dance number.
Buffy sings while taking out minion after minion then is backed up by
Anya and Tara for more. She goes on to tell the truth about being in
Heaven and taken from that which stuns everyone and brings Willow to
tears. With her friends standing by, horrified by what she just
revealed, Buffy begins to dance uncontrollably and smoke.
Spike jumps in and stops her before she bursts into flames, telling her
the brutal truth about life. That musical number ended, Sweet still
refuses to leave without Dawn, but Dawn knows she didn't summon him,
even though she found the pendant. Xander reveals himself to be the one
who summoned Sweet, all because he wanted the tension gone and the truth
out before the wedding. Fortunately for Xander, Sweet ignores the fact
that Xander should be leaving as his "bride," and leaves with a song.
With the truth out and Sweet gone, the gang sings "Where do we go from
here?" Spike leaves, but Buffy follows, and the two sing to each other.
More singing can be heard in the background as the two draw close and
kiss intensely.
TRIVIA
-
Joss Whedon wrote the music and lyrics
himself with help from Buffy composer Christophe Beck. This is
the only episode of season six which Joss wrote or directed.
-
Buffy composer Christophe Beck
spoke to the Bronze posting board about Joss Whedon's talent: "[He] came
up with lyrics, melodies, the underlying chords/harmony, as well as
general stylistic direction for each of 16 musical numbers. The songs
started out as four-track recordings Joss made himself. I co-arranged
and co-produced the songs with Jesse Tobias of the band Splendid."
-
Sarah Michelle Gellar said "I'm not a
singer, and I hated every moment of it. It took something like 19 hours
of singing and 17 hours of dancing in between shooting four other
episodes." Gellar originally wanted a voice double, but then realized
she didn't want someone else doing her what would be her big emotional
turning point for the season. Alyson Hannigan hated her singing voice
and asked not to have a song, or any major lines, of her own. In
Nightmares, we see that Willow
herself is terrified of singing in public.
-
Writer/producers Marti Noxon and David
Fury both cameo in the episode. Marti plays the woman arguing over a
parking ticket and Fury is the man singing about his dry cleaning. They
both reappear in these roles, albeit offscreen in
Selfless.
-
Joss Whedon says in his season six
commentary that the two vampires, the demon, the street cleaners and
Sweet's henchmen are all played by the same people.
-
This episode originated from times when
the cast and crew of both Buffy and Angel regularly
visited Joss Whedon's house on a Sunday to read Shakespeare plays
together. The episode took four months in total to write, film, and
produce. The episode also runs eight minutes longer than the average
episode.
-
For the first time since the show began,
the closing credit music is replaced. The dance of the road sweepers is
played instead. This was also the first time the show aired in
widescreen. The beginning credits are completely different to the way
they usually are, but if you listen, the initial tune is a take on Nerf
Herder's own Buffy theme.
-
The Mutant Enemy Monster joins in the
singing at the end of the episode.
-
The BBC promised to show the longer
version of the musical episode in the UK but in fact showed the much
shorter one. Finally, in the very late night slot the following evening
they showed the full length one - after lots of complaints. However it
was so late and not advertised - few people realised and therefore
missed it.
-
The episode has two versions, the longer,
uncut one and another version that runs on time. The following parts of
the musical were cut from the original episode for the shorter version:
The opening scene when Tara finds the
flower which Willow used to put an amnesia spell on her.
Some footage was cut from after Buffy
finishes her song "Going Through The Motions".
Dawn's pterodactyl scene was cut.
"I've Got A Theory" was much shorter.
Several lines from the Magic Shop
scene between Buffy, Xander and Dawn were cut.
Spike's "Rest in Peace" song was
slightly cut. Dawn's dance with the puppets was removed entirely.
A line from "Walk Through the Fire"
was cut.
CONTINUITY
-
While singing, Tara mentions that Willow
knows she's "been through Hell." She's referring to her brain-suck at
the hands of Glory, which happened in
Tough Love and was corrected via magic by Willow in
The Gift.
-
Dawn continues her stealing, following on
from the previous episode.
-
Anya's bunny fear once again resurfaces,
this time in song.
-
Buffy says that "Dawn's in trouble. Must
be Tuesday." Tuesday was the day the show usually aired in the US.
-
Anya mentions that Xander was once
infected by a Chumash tribe. This happened in
Pangs.
-
Tara literally is under Willow's spell,
more specifically the forgetting spell that Willow did in the previous
episode.
-
Dawn repeats Buffy's words from
The Gift. "The hardest thing in this
world is to live in it."
-
Anya refers to a song that she and Xander
sang the night before. It's referenced again in
Selfless.
GOOFS
-
When Buffy falls, the sword is by her head
but when she jumps up it is by her side.
-
When Xander and Anya are singing "I'll
Never Tell", just before Anya sings, "he's swell", you can see both Anya
and Xander just finishing sitting down. However as Anya is singing the
line, they show her starting to sit again, without ever getting back up.
-
For one line in Dawn and Sweet's song,
Dawn's lips don't move but she's still supposedly singing.
-
When Buffy is dancing at the end of
"Something to Sing About", the supposedly dead body of the puppet demon
behind her keeps moving.
-
When Anya and Tara sing and dance with
Buffy in "Life's a Show", Tara nearly runs into the pillar; you can see
her straighten and brush off her clothing afterwards.
-
When Tara holds the flower beside the book,
the flower is laid the same way as the book. When the camera cuts back
to the flower, it is flipped in the other direction.
-
How did the puppet henchmen get into
Buffy's house without Tara seeing them?
Bargaining
(Part 1) |
Bargaining (Part 2) |
Afterlife |
Flooded |
Life
Serial
All the
Way | Once More, With Feeling |
Tabula Rasa |
Smashed |
Wrecked |
Gone
Doublemeat
Palace |
Dead Things |
Older and Far Away |
As You Were |
Hell's Bells |
Normal Again
Entropy |
Seeing Red |
Villains |
Two to Go |
Grave
|