Spike's plans get a lot of bad press in the Buffyverse. True he's generally impatient and he gets distracted fairly easily. However, at the end of the day, he also tends to get the job done. Spike has some good ideas and he's a pretty creative guy. As this episode shows, his plans often fall apart because of his lack of follow-through. But, Spike can also do things that everyone else deems impossible... Just because he wants them bad enough. He can cure Dru. (Season two's "What's My Line? Part Two.) He can escape from high-tech prisons that hold everyone else. (Season four's "The Innitative.") He can overcome being evil and learn to be a good guy (Season five's "Intervention.") He can fight and regain his soul. (Season six's "Grave") He can die to save the world and still come back again. (Season seven's "Chosen" and "Angel" season five's "Conviction.") If season four contributes anything to the larger Buffyverse, it's bringing Spike and his irrepressible personality into the Scooby gang. This is basically the last episode with Spike as the bad-guy. Oh, he'll plot against the Scoobies and cause them all sorts of problems, but he'll never really be the Big Bad again. From now on, Spike will be moving into White Hat territory... Whether he likes it or not.
"The Harsh Light of Day," Spike comes back to town looking for the mystical Ring of Amara, which makes vampires invulnerable. It's suppose to be a myth, but Spike's not about to let them stop him. He's also got a new girlfriend, former Sunnydale High student, Harmony. Thanks to getting bitten on Granduation Day, Harmony is now a vampire. She and Spike have latched on to each other, although they drive each other crazy. Spike has to have someone in his life, since Dru's gone and he hates being alone. And Harmony needs somebody to smooth her vampire path. Spike is digging tunnels underneath the town, looking for the ring, while Harmony gets reacquainted with her old friends by attacking Willow.
Buffy, meanwhile, is dating a new guy named Parker. After a party, where she also runs into Spike, Buffy and Parker sleep together. Parker is not the nice guy he pretends to be, though. He doesn't call her and immediately starts picking up other girls. Buffy is hurt and confused. At the same time, Anya goes to Xander's house to seduce him. She thinks that sleeping with each other will cure her unwanted attraction to him. But, when they're finished she still feels something for him. Spike and Harmony find the ring and he dashes above ground to find Buffy. Since it makes him invulnerable, he can walk out into the sun and Buffy is pretty surprised to see Spike in broad daylight. The two them fight, trade insult and Buffy finally gets the ring, which she the sends to LA for Angel.
There are some good parts to this episode. I love Harmony and Spike together. They drive each other nuts. She prattles on about France and he bellows at her to shut-up, then they fall into bed. And I like Anya, a lot. Her reluctant attraction to Xander is sort of sweet. Their scenes together are really funny. (Anya: "Please remove your clothes now." Xander: "And the sad part is... Still more romantic than Faith.") Also, I think the scenes with Willow and Buffy discussing Parker are interesting. Neither one of them has any real experience with sleazy men. Their boyfriends, Oz and Angel, have generally been sweet and understanding. They truly expect Parker to be a good guy and when he's not, they're shocked. It's well done. And you have to laugh when the Scoobies find out that Giles has a TV.
A few questions about the episode. Has Dru left Spike again, this time for a Fungus Demon? Or has she still not returned to him after their fight in Brazil, and Harmony is just confused about the Chaos Demon's name? I sort of get the feeling that Spike and Dru never reunited, so what happened to his tie-her-up-and-torture-her-until-she-liked-him-again scheme? Also, did Spike have an actual plan-of-action in mind for after he found the ring? It seems like he just found the ring for the express purpose of going above ground and taunting Buffy. He doesn't even fight her full-out. He really needed to come up with better "step twos" for his plots.
On a side note, this story line continues over on the "Angel" episode "In the Dark," with Spike heading to LA to find the ring and steal it back from Angel. I recommend seeing it, too, if only for the scene with Spike standing on a rooftop and watching Angel interact with one of the recently "helped" helpless. Spike supplies his own dialog for the exchange, making it's one of the highlight's of the first season of "Angel." "To the Angel-Mobile!"
My favorite part of the episode: Spike and Harmony coming face-to-face with Buffy and Parker at the party. Spike and Buffy look so shocked to see each other, that I just have to laugh.
"The Harsh Light of Day," Spike comes back to town looking for the mystical Ring of Amara, which makes vampires invulnerable. It's suppose to be a myth, but Spike's not about to let them stop him. He's also got a new girlfriend, former Sunnydale High student, Harmony. Thanks to getting bitten on Granduation Day, Harmony is now a vampire. She and Spike have latched on to each other, although they drive each other crazy. Spike has to have someone in his life, since Dru's gone and he hates being alone. And Harmony needs somebody to smooth her vampire path. Spike is digging tunnels underneath the town, looking for the ring, while Harmony gets reacquainted with her old friends by attacking Willow.
Buffy, meanwhile, is dating a new guy named Parker. After a party, where she also runs into Spike, Buffy and Parker sleep together. Parker is not the nice guy he pretends to be, though. He doesn't call her and immediately starts picking up other girls. Buffy is hurt and confused. At the same time, Anya goes to Xander's house to seduce him. She thinks that sleeping with each other will cure her unwanted attraction to him. But, when they're finished she still feels something for him. Spike and Harmony find the ring and he dashes above ground to find Buffy. Since it makes him invulnerable, he can walk out into the sun and Buffy is pretty surprised to see Spike in broad daylight. The two them fight, trade insult and Buffy finally gets the ring, which she the sends to LA for Angel.
There are some good parts to this episode. I love Harmony and Spike together. They drive each other nuts. She prattles on about France and he bellows at her to shut-up, then they fall into bed. And I like Anya, a lot. Her reluctant attraction to Xander is sort of sweet. Their scenes together are really funny. (Anya: "Please remove your clothes now." Xander: "And the sad part is... Still more romantic than Faith.") Also, I think the scenes with Willow and Buffy discussing Parker are interesting. Neither one of them has any real experience with sleazy men. Their boyfriends, Oz and Angel, have generally been sweet and understanding. They truly expect Parker to be a good guy and when he's not, they're shocked. It's well done. And you have to laugh when the Scoobies find out that Giles has a TV.
A few questions about the episode. Has Dru left Spike again, this time for a Fungus Demon? Or has she still not returned to him after their fight in Brazil, and Harmony is just confused about the Chaos Demon's name? I sort of get the feeling that Spike and Dru never reunited, so what happened to his tie-her-up-and-torture-her-until-she-liked-him-again scheme? Also, did Spike have an actual plan-of-action in mind for after he found the ring? It seems like he just found the ring for the express purpose of going above ground and taunting Buffy. He doesn't even fight her full-out. He really needed to come up with better "step twos" for his plots.
On a side note, this story line continues over on the "Angel" episode "In the Dark," with Spike heading to LA to find the ring and steal it back from Angel. I recommend seeing it, too, if only for the scene with Spike standing on a rooftop and watching Angel interact with one of the recently "helped" helpless. Spike supplies his own dialog for the exchange, making it's one of the highlight's of the first season of "Angel." "To the Angel-Mobile!"
My favorite part of the episode: Spike and Harmony coming face-to-face with Buffy and Parker at the party. Spike and Buffy look so shocked to see each other, that I just have to laugh.
