This is a episode that changes the entire series. Up until this point, Angelus has mostly he's been wandering around Sunnydale, taunting Buffy and playing in mind games. In "Passion" he decides to up the stakes. Jenny Calander is working to restore Angel's soul and Angelus isn't going to put up with that. He immediately sets out to stop Jenny's plan and, in doing so, changes the entire make-up of the show. This is one of the most important episodes of the season. It's ramifications go straight through the rest of the series. (Especially, in the way that Giles feels about Angel.) You can't skip this episode. It's a dark and tragic story that is vital for understanding the rest of season.
"Passion" revolves around Jenny Calander's continuing attempts to win back Giles' love. In an effort to make things up to him, she decides to try and restore Angel's soul with an Orb of Thesila. (Which are crystal ball things that can capture souls from the ether, and are often used in the Buffyverse as paperweights.) She wants to re-curse him, so he'll go back to being sweet, broody, Angel and not psycho killer Angelus. It's actually a pretty good idea. Unfortunately, Drusilla is psychic. When Dru "sees" Jenny plan, she and Angelus move to stop her. Meanwhile, The Scoobie's are finally starting to see Angelus as a genuine threat to their safety. Since Willow and Buffy invited Angel into their homes before he went evil, Angelus can just enter their bedrooms. (He also can enter Cordy's car, a fact that causes her to panic and hang garlic from her rear view mirror.) While Buffy and Willow work on a de-invite spell, Angelus pays Joyce a visit and gleefully tells her that he and Buffy made love. Joyce confronts Buffy, while Angelus heads for the school.
Jenny is working late on Angel's cure when Angelus arrives. He quickly destroys her computer, printouts and the Orb of Thesila. Then he goes after Jenny herself. He chases her through the school and, at the top of the stairs, brutally snaps her neck. Jenny and Giles had a date for that night. When Giles arrives home he finds Jenny's dead body laying in his bed. After a quick call to Buffy, Gile's gathers his "good weapons" and goes to the factory to kill Angelus. Spike, meanwhile, is horrified by what Angelus has done. He feels that it will just make Buffy furious and bring her down on them. In fact, Spike is growing more convinced that Angelus is out of control. When Giles arrives and attacks Angelus, Spike pulls Dru back and won't let her enter the fight. Angelus beats Giles fairly quickly, but then Buffy shows up to get Giles to safety. The factory burns down, Jenny is buried and it seems as if all hope for getting Angel back is lost. But, maybe Jenny's spell wasn't completely destroyed after all...
There's a lot to like about this episode. I love Willow's face when she sees what Angelus did to her fish. The time it must've taken him to catch them out of the aquarium and string them all on that thread... The boy needs a new hobby. And you just have to laugh when Cordy announces that she's traded cars with her grandmother. Also, the end of the episode is brilliant. While the factory burns, Buffy and Giles collapse into sobs. It's a beautiful scene. Mostly, though, I love Angelus. The smirk he wears as he watches Buffy, Willow and Joyce react to Miss Calander's death is just wonderfully evil. The voice over, as he talks about passion, is perfect. And he really does kill Jenny. It's shock value may have lessened a bit, as we know that he's on five seasons of "Angel" and another season of BTVS, but having the hero of the show brutally murder a woman is a REALLY gutsy story line. We knew Jenny, we liked her and Angelus snapped her neck on screen. Wow.
A few small complaints about the episode. Do you have to invite a vampire into a car? I'm not sure that's ever been mentioned before. Spike seems to have no trouble stealing that RV in season five's "Spiral" and I'm betting nobody invited him to do it. Along those same lines, Angelus doesn't need to be invited into Sunnydale High, either. Jenny asks how he got in, which doesn't make a lot of sense. Not only is the school a public building, he's also been there many times before. Granted it's a bit nit-picky, but it's all I've got.
My favorite part of the episode: Spike and Little Miss Sunshine. Dru comes in, cuddling a puppy that she's stolen from one of her victims. She doesn't want to keep the dog, she just wants Spike to eat it for dinner. He refuses, angered that she keeps babying him. About that time, Angelus arrives. Spike and Angelus immediately begin arguing, the two of them glaring at each other furiously as they fight. Drusilla, enjoying the chaos, casually drops Little Miss Sunshine into Spike's lap. --Now, this is the cool part.-- Never taking his eyes from Angelus, Spike moves him arm so the puppy won't fall off the wheelchair. In "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered," we learned that Angelus used to nail puppies to things as valentines. Spike, in his soul-less state, automatically protects Little Miss Sunshine. He doesn't want the puppy hurt. He's not even thinking about it, it's a unconscious gesture that speaks volumes. Spike without a soul, is a much nicer vampire than Angel without a soul. It's one of the first glimpses of the gentler Spike underneath his evil facade.
"Passion" revolves around Jenny Calander's continuing attempts to win back Giles' love. In an effort to make things up to him, she decides to try and restore Angel's soul with an Orb of Thesila. (Which are crystal ball things that can capture souls from the ether, and are often used in the Buffyverse as paperweights.) She wants to re-curse him, so he'll go back to being sweet, broody, Angel and not psycho killer Angelus. It's actually a pretty good idea. Unfortunately, Drusilla is psychic. When Dru "sees" Jenny plan, she and Angelus move to stop her. Meanwhile, The Scoobie's are finally starting to see Angelus as a genuine threat to their safety. Since Willow and Buffy invited Angel into their homes before he went evil, Angelus can just enter their bedrooms. (He also can enter Cordy's car, a fact that causes her to panic and hang garlic from her rear view mirror.) While Buffy and Willow work on a de-invite spell, Angelus pays Joyce a visit and gleefully tells her that he and Buffy made love. Joyce confronts Buffy, while Angelus heads for the school.
Jenny is working late on Angel's cure when Angelus arrives. He quickly destroys her computer, printouts and the Orb of Thesila. Then he goes after Jenny herself. He chases her through the school and, at the top of the stairs, brutally snaps her neck. Jenny and Giles had a date for that night. When Giles arrives home he finds Jenny's dead body laying in his bed. After a quick call to Buffy, Gile's gathers his "good weapons" and goes to the factory to kill Angelus. Spike, meanwhile, is horrified by what Angelus has done. He feels that it will just make Buffy furious and bring her down on them. In fact, Spike is growing more convinced that Angelus is out of control. When Giles arrives and attacks Angelus, Spike pulls Dru back and won't let her enter the fight. Angelus beats Giles fairly quickly, but then Buffy shows up to get Giles to safety. The factory burns down, Jenny is buried and it seems as if all hope for getting Angel back is lost. But, maybe Jenny's spell wasn't completely destroyed after all...
There's a lot to like about this episode. I love Willow's face when she sees what Angelus did to her fish. The time it must've taken him to catch them out of the aquarium and string them all on that thread... The boy needs a new hobby. And you just have to laugh when Cordy announces that she's traded cars with her grandmother. Also, the end of the episode is brilliant. While the factory burns, Buffy and Giles collapse into sobs. It's a beautiful scene. Mostly, though, I love Angelus. The smirk he wears as he watches Buffy, Willow and Joyce react to Miss Calander's death is just wonderfully evil. The voice over, as he talks about passion, is perfect. And he really does kill Jenny. It's shock value may have lessened a bit, as we know that he's on five seasons of "Angel" and another season of BTVS, but having the hero of the show brutally murder a woman is a REALLY gutsy story line. We knew Jenny, we liked her and Angelus snapped her neck on screen. Wow.
A few small complaints about the episode. Do you have to invite a vampire into a car? I'm not sure that's ever been mentioned before. Spike seems to have no trouble stealing that RV in season five's "Spiral" and I'm betting nobody invited him to do it. Along those same lines, Angelus doesn't need to be invited into Sunnydale High, either. Jenny asks how he got in, which doesn't make a lot of sense. Not only is the school a public building, he's also been there many times before. Granted it's a bit nit-picky, but it's all I've got.
My favorite part of the episode: Spike and Little Miss Sunshine. Dru comes in, cuddling a puppy that she's stolen from one of her victims. She doesn't want to keep the dog, she just wants Spike to eat it for dinner. He refuses, angered that she keeps babying him. About that time, Angelus arrives. Spike and Angelus immediately begin arguing, the two of them glaring at each other furiously as they fight. Drusilla, enjoying the chaos, casually drops Little Miss Sunshine into Spike's lap. --Now, this is the cool part.-- Never taking his eyes from Angelus, Spike moves him arm so the puppy won't fall off the wheelchair. In "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered," we learned that Angelus used to nail puppies to things as valentines. Spike, in his soul-less state, automatically protects Little Miss Sunshine. He doesn't want the puppy hurt. He's not even thinking about it, it's a unconscious gesture that speaks volumes. Spike without a soul, is a much nicer vampire than Angel without a soul. It's one of the first glimpses of the gentler Spike underneath his evil facade.
