Discussion of 6.07 "Once More, With Feeling" - Aired 11/6/01 (UPN-US)

Long ago, when this episode debuted, when I was really young, I did not have an appreciation for musicals or this episode for the most part. As I am Rewatching the entire series, I find myself looking at it through a very different pair of eyes. This episode was very interesting in that it not only created a story through song and dance, but it revealed so much about what was on the minds of all of the characters to the viewer as well as each other. Tara seems to have finally become more tolerable for me. While I really felt for her back in season five when her horrible family came to town, I felt like she really came into her own. I also enjoyed, as always, the antics of Anya. She is so adorable and expresses her weirdness through song and dance this time. I am Especially fond of her song about rabbits as well as the song Spike sings about wanting to just rest in peace. The demon also simoky fades away undefeated, which in interesting in itself. This is a very solid Buffy episode in general, but especially for this season.
 
I have a quick question, is that Marti Noxon as the women getting a parking ticket? has this ever been pick up on or am I the first? ; )
 
Yes that is Marti singing about the parking ticket, sorry to say it's a well known bit of information. Same as it's David Fury singing about getting the mustard out.
 
If you watch "Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog", David Fury and Marti Noxon are the newscasters on TV. Marti looks hot there, not like the yuppie on OMWF.
 
nightshade said:
Yes that is Marti singing about the parking ticket, sorry to say it's a well known bit of information. Same as it's David Fury singing about getting the mustard out.
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The funny thing is she actually looks much older than Noxon would have been at the time [2001]. She probably doesn't even look that old now. Guess it must have been the sunlight making her hair look greyer😉

This one never fails to lift my spirits. Some great performance and images. The Willow-Tara song is just so magical and dreamy. Amber knocks it out of park. Masters is fantastic in his song. The pick for me is Walk Through the Fire, such power and the images work so well with it. Think its a spot-on metaphor for Buffy's mindset at the time.

By the way I still say Dawn really summoned the demon and Xander was just covering for her😉
 
Mr Trick said:
The funny thing is she actually looks much older than Noxon would have been at the time [2001]. She probably doesn't even look that old now. Guess it must have been the sunlight making her hair look greyer😉

This one never fails to lift my spirits. Some great performance and images. The Willow-Tara song is just so magical and dreamy. Amber knocks it out of park. Masters is fantastic in his song. The pick for me is Walk Through the Fire, such power and the images work so well with it. Think its a spot-on metaphor for Buffy's mindset at the time.

By the way I still say Dawn really summoned the demon and Xander was just covering for her😉
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I find OMWF overrated. It has its moments but I think if you took out the musical numbers, it's quite a weak story. Case in point the "surprise" reveal that it was Xander who summoned the demon instead of Dawn (even though it would've made a lot more sense for it to be Dawn, especially as Xander sang in the "I've got a theory song. It's the musical gimmick that elevates the episode. Head and Marsters are definitely the best singers (but they also sing professionally so that's a given). I preferred AB during the duet with Giles rather than her solo number, NB and EC did decently with NB being the better of the two, whilst SMG wasn't bad but I think there may have been a little bit of auto tune going on, particularly during Walk Through the Fire.
 
DeadlyDuo said:
I find OMWF overrated. It has its moments but I think if you took out the musical numbers, it's quite a weak story. Case in point the "surprise" reveal that it was Xander who summoned the demon instead of Dawn (even though it would've made a lot more sense for it to be Dawn, especially as Xander sang in the "I've got a theory song. It's the musical gimmick that elevates the episode. Head and Marsters are definitely the best singers (but they also sing professionally so that's a given). I preferred AB during the duet with Giles rather than her solo number, NB and EC did decently with NB being the better of the two, whilst SMG wasn't bad but I think there may have been a little bit of auto tune going on, particularly during Walk Through the Fire.
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It probably is overrated, but then something being overrated isn't always a knock on it. Its just that it couldn't possibly live up to how much people love it. A bit like The Dark Knight 😉

Plot isn't so important in musicals. That they threw in the twist with Xander is probably a cheeky little nod to that. I don't think you are meant to take it for red than it was actually him. As for his lyrics in "I've got a theory" song. That could just be him in the moment being under the spell and not really thinking about what he was singing😉 If you want to go deeper wouldn't it be a great way to deflect blame from yourself😀

I would add Amber to the best singers. She really nails it in both songs. Auto tuning was mentioned last night when we were watching it. But someone else said that auto tuning probably wasn't around then. So I can't say.
 
K
katmobile
I still subscribe to the theory Xander was covering for Dawn and Sweet knew it and quit so he didn't lose face.
Mr Trick said:
As for his lyrics in "I've got a theory" song. That could just be him in the moment being under the spell and not really thinking about what he was singing
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I do think Xander had a valid theory when he suggested "it could be witches, some evil witches" since they did fight Amy's mom who was a witch. He didn't deserve the glare off of Willow and Tara.
 
Mr Trick
Mr Trick
I know. I was just pointing out that him singing about it doesn't mean he still wasn't guilty of summing the demon.
So just re-watch this episode after many years.

Quite enjoyable and I remember a couple of the songs (But not the words!)

Some nice dance moves by all.

I don't know if it's because of how I feel about this particular series/season but it doesn't emotional touch me apart from when Buffy reveals to everyone about thinking she was torn from heaven.

The singing was fine. Some sounded better than others but it wasn't like anyone hurt my ear drums!

The ending, 🤮 Can't help the way I feel and this is me who has like a few scenes from Spike which was more than I did before but he is a funnier character when he's not mooning over Buffy in his clinging, nauseating ways.

So yes it was a fun and entertaining episode and I would watch it again even with THAT ending.

It's just this episode wouldn't even be in my top 20 best BVTS/buffyverse episodes. It wouldn't be a MUST go to episode for me but I would happily watch it again if I happen to catch it on.
 
How come Buffy "heard" Spike's song and the scoobies "heard" Buffy's song yet Buffy didn't "hear" Giles' song and Xander and Anya didn't "hear" the song they were singing?

It seems some songs and the subject matter get acknowledged within the story whilst others seem to get ignored as if they never happened.
 
DeadlyDuo said:
How come Buffy "heard" Spike's song and the scoobies "heard" Buffy's song yet Buffy didn't "hear" Giles' song and Xander and Anya didn't "hear" the song they were singing?

It seems some songs and the subject matter get acknowledged within the story whilst others seem to get ignored as if they never happened.
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I think it's just another callback to classic musicals, which work that same way. If they didn't explain it, Whedon won't either 🙂
 
First of all I am not a fan of musicals but this episode was fun tied well with the plot. The songs were good but nothing noteworthy to me. A bunch of people died because Xander's a dumbass. Tara found out about what Willow did to her and everyone realised that Buffy was in heaven. Shocked faces insues.Yada Yada yada, the ending made me roll my eyes and feel slightly nauseous. The end.
 
I've been thinking lately :
Buffy fell in a hole in the cemetary in Some Assembly Required
Spike fell in a hole in the cemetary in Out Of My Mind
They both fell together in a hole during the song "Rest In Peace" in this episode.
 
spikenbuffy said:
I've been thinking lately :
Buffy fell in a hole in the cemetary in Some Assembly Required
Spike fell in a hole in the cemetary in Out Of My Mind
They both fell together in a hole during the song "Rest In Peace" in this episode.
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And ? You have something to say about that . Are you saying that Joss was hinting at Buffy & Spike ?
 
Mai82Go said:
I just watched OmwF again and I realized something and wanted to ask if it has been discussed before or if anyone actually ever said something about it. Most of the time people realize and understand what the others sing. Like Spike to Buffy (because she later says "I thought you wanted me to leave you alone" or something) or when Buffy sings about Heaven - obviously they all hear what she is singing. Why though doesn't that happen with Giles when he is singing to Buffy? Or when Tara/Giles do their duet to Willow&Buffy in the Magic Box? The others don't notice. I think it's weird, but maybe there is some explanation I missed.
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I think it's on purpose (sorry if I'm repeating what other people have said) but it has repeatedly been shown, and said, that Buffy doesn't listen to Giles and that Willow doesn't listen to Tara (or Giles). OK, they do sometimes about some things of course, but Buffy has been pretty oblivious of Giles' state of mind going all the way back to at least Prophecy Girl - how do you get 'uncaring' from his quite obvious distress? Even if you don't know why he's acting weird how do you not notice and ask why? More recently, when Buffy asked him to deal with Dawn (S5), he says (I paraphrase) 'why would she listen to me you never have'. Tara (and Giles) have tried many times to talk to Willow and try to stop her doing magic. With Giles it goes back to Becoming 1 all the way up to Flooded, and Tara more recently (can't remember the exact episodes but there are many) has persistently talked to her about it. With both of them Willow has either played cute, avoided the question, outright lied, stolen books to avoid a confrontation, got defensive or got aggressive. She's never actually listened.

I hate that they both leave in the next episode but I can see why, especially for Tara. Tara is doing it to protect both her physical and mental health, Willow is frightening her. Giles, I think, is leaving for his own mental health and using the 'it's for Buffy' as an excuse (although he's not wrong just now is not the time). For him it's not just what's happened recently, it's the accumulation of losing so many people, and Buffy twice already. It's pretty much the first selfish thing they've ever done (barring that spell Tara did in Family and maybe other people can think of something for Giles, I dunno), and it is TERRIBLE timing, but I don't really blame either one of them (Tara, not at all, and Giles mostly not because he probably should have stayed, and knows it, but he can't).
 
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