BtVS Episode 7s

Grace

Grace

Destructo-Girl
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Black Thorn
I recently rewatched The Initiative and it got me thinking about Episode 7s. As people much smarter than I am have pointed out, the seventh episode of each season is always important, and usually, secrets are revealed!

So, which Episode 7s do you like the most, and which are your least favorite? As a refresher, they are: Angel, Lie to Me, Revelations, The Initiative, Fool for Love, Once More with Feeling, and Coversations with Dead People.

One thing I really like about Lie to Me and Revelations is that they present a version of the season’s plot (though I can’t take any credit for noticing this on my own). In Lie to Me, Buffy’s former crush turns evil and she has to kill him. In Revelations, Buffy faces off against Faith after she tries to kill Angel, and then they team up to defeat a corrupt authority figure. Do you see this same pattern with any of the later Episode 7s?
 
I don't think I see much of a pattern. Revelations, The Initiative, OMwF and CwDP are important season arc episodes. Angel and FFL delve into the backstories of our favourite vampire pretty boys. Lie to Me, as you say, is thematically tied to the season arc - but maybe more to Prophecy Girl - but is otherwise quite inconsequential in that it does not move the story any further.

One thing that is amazing about BtVS is that - especially from S3 or 4 onwards - every episode feels special.
 
Well Fool for Love & Conversations with Dead People are beautifully artistic episodes in their own right, but nothing can really compare to the artistry of Once More with Feeling! Even if you're not into musicals, you can't deny how well the episode is made.

I love all of the #7 episodes though. Even The Initiative. I have such a soft spot for Season 4. I feel like watching it right now actually.
 
Grace said:
I recently rewatched The Initiative and it got me thinking about Episode 7s. As people much smarter than I am have pointed out, the seventh episode of each season is always important, and usually, secrets are revealed!
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Who are these people? I want names, because they totally made that up. 😛

Seriously, though...I just don't see any similarities here. I'm going to hunt those people down.😉
 
Grace
Grace
I’ll put together a post about it later! No time at the moment!
I'm going to choose Lie to me as probably my favourite Episode 7 with Fool for Love and The Initiative in 2nd and 3rd. The only reason FFL isn't 1st is because that's when Spuffy starts fully rearing its ugly head. I love the Whirlwind flashbacks but the Sprusilla one is a blatant retcon designed to get Sprusilla out of the picture and push Spuffy.

Angel fleshes out Angel and gives more screen time to Darla so it kind of middles. OMWF is overrated and CWDP has its flaws.
 
I'd say its a toss up between Angel and Lie to Me. I think of course Angel's background reveal is a big deal in 1x07 so it probably has the biggest impact overall on the Buffyverse. But Lie to Me really sets the tone for the show, the things that Buffy says about "choices" and also the quote from Giles at the end regarding clear delineations of bad/good foreshadows not just s2's friends turned foes but it foreshadows some of the moral ambiguity which will be addressed in many seasons to come and in AtS. Plus it introduces Anne!

And also - the comedic beat with Angel and the vamp wearing the same thing is great.

I had never noticed that FFL was an episode 7 (which would parallel Spike's backstory with Angel's backstory). That's a cool little tidbit! That is also a very strong episode and one I enjoy.

I think the ones I don't enjoy are CWDP and the Initiative.

DeadlyDuo said:
OMWF is overrated
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I agree with this as well.
 
Idk where Grace heard it, but Passion of the Nerd brings the "episode 7 phenomenon" up every time he reviews a 7th episode.
"In nearly every case, the first six episodes clear away the dramatic debris remaining from from the previous season and then build the rocket of the upcoming arc. Episode 7's ignite it."

(just watch the first 45 seconds)

I think there's definitely a correlation. Each episode tends to underline the theme of the season and reveal secrets, while pushing the overall plot forward. That said, I think some do that job better than others.

1. CwDP
2. OMwF
3. Lie To Me
4. The Initiative
5. Revelations
6. Angel
7. Fool For Love
 
The Ferg said:
"In nearly every case, the first six episodes clear away the dramatic debris remaining from from the previous season and then build the rocket of the upcoming arc. Episode 7's ignite it."
Click to expand...

I haven't realized that! That's a pretty great point. After all these years, there's still stuff like this to pay attention to. 🙂
 
WillowFromBuffy said:
I don't think I see much of a pattern. Revelations, The Initiative, OMwF and CwDP are important season arc episodes. Angel and FFL delve into the backstories of our favourite vampire pretty boys. Lie to Me, as you say, is thematically tied to the season arc - but maybe more to Prophecy Girl - but is otherwise quite inconsequential in that it does not move the story any further.

One thing that is amazing about BtVS is that - especially from S3 or 4 onwards - every episode feels special.
Click to expand...
season 7 never watched it.
 
The Ferg said:
Idk where Grace heard it, but Passion of the Nerd brings the "episode 7 phenomenon" up every time he reviews a 7th episode.
"In nearly every case, the first six episodes clear away the dramatic debris remaining from from the previous season and then build the rocket of the upcoming arc. Episode 7's ignite it."
Click to expand...

Thanks, @The Ferg! @POTN, as always, explains it very well. I was going to do a longer post about it but that video makes it unnecessary!

Amber Bunny Slippers said:
Who are these people? I want names, because they totally made that up. 😛
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All the reviewers I've come across who have done in-depth episode-by-episode looks at Buffy's themes seem to share the same view. POTN, as noted above, plus Mark Field, author of Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Myth, Metaphor & Morality (where I originally encountered the idea), and MikeJer of Critically Touched.
 
Wasn't the importance of episode 7s mentioned by one of the writers themselves somewhere? I feel like I might've read it in an interview about how seasons were broken and planned.
 
EarthLogic said:
Wasn't the importance of episode 7s mentioned by one of the writers themselves somewhere? I feel like I might've read it in an interview about how seasons were broken and planned.
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I did a quick search and Joss has said this:

Q: The seventh episode always seems to be the significant in Buffy and Angel, is that deliberate?

Whedon: “It was based on the fact, usually, because the seventh episode was the second one I could direct. So I would save all the goodies for myself. It’s not kind of me, but there it is.”

Source: SDCC 2011: Dark Horse's Joss Whedon Panel Recap
 
Grace said:
I did a quick search and Joss has said this:

Q: The seventh episode always seems to be the significant in Buffy and Angel, is that deliberate?

Whedon: “It was based on the fact, usually, because the seventh episode was the second one I could direct. So I would save all the goodies for myself. It’s not kind of me, but there it is.”

Source: SDCC 2011: Dark Horse's Joss Whedon Panel Recap
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Interesting. I've always wondered to which extent was Joss involved in Fool for Love and Revelations (both written by Petrie apparently). I feel like he may have written/rewritten quite a lot of stuff, à la church scene in Beneath You
 
Cheese Slices said:
Interesting. I've always wondered to which extent was Joss involved in Fool for Love and Revelations (both written by Petrie apparently). I feel like he may have written/rewritten quite a lot of stuff, à la church scene in Beneath You
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Oh yeah, FFL especially has that Jossian rewrite vibe to it.
 
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