Buffy wants to make Xander her cuddle monkey.
Writer: Marti Noxon
Director: James A. Contner
What's the sitch?
Valentines Day comes to Sunnydale and Xander is feeling all romantic towards Cordy, buying her a lovely necklace and telling her how he feels about her. Unfortunately, feeling insecure and ostracised by her former friends, Cordy decides to dump Xander right after his gift giving. This royally ticks Xander off. And after noticing that Amy Madison from season one’s ‘Witch’ is now working some magic mojo of her own, Xander blackmails her in to casting a love spell over Cordy so she’ll want him back…only so he can then dump her himself and break her heart. But the spell goes wrong, and while Cordy remains immune, every other woman in Sunnydale (including Buffy, Willow, Buffy’s mom and even Drusilla) is now lusting after the Xan-man, the spell setting them all at each others throats and on an insane lovefest rampage.
What's the sitch beneath the sitch?
Not really anything deep here other than the emotional hell of high school and teen hormones running amok. This ep is simply a silly, frothy, very, very funny romp. Just sit back and giggle.
Who's giving us the wiggins this week?
Every woman in Sunnydale minus Cordy.
Why it rocks
Brilliant stuff! ‘Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered’ is just enormous fun and laugh out loud funny. This is a Xander comedy episode. And they are always something to look forward to. Nicky Brendon is a consummate comic performer. His timing and instincts are virtually flawless and he gets to have a great time here as the terrified object of lust by every crazed female in town.
Major kudos to Marti Noxon who wrote the funny as anything script and to the game cast for going that extra comic mile – especially Sarah who gets to, ahem, ‘vamp’ it up something rotten as slinky, sexy Buffy.
And speaking of sexy Buffy… The seduction scene with her wearing nothing but a very short mackintosh which she wants Xander to “unwrap” is the culmination of many a young late 90’s boy’s dream. She does look mighty cute. But then Amy goes and ruins things by turning Buffy in to a rat. Boo!
Oz and Giles searching for “Buffy-rat”.
Xander’s classic slow motion journey down the school’s main corridor as girls swoon and guys glare while Average White Band’s song ‘Got the Love’ plays in the background.
Oz punching Xander out because Willow spent all night on the phone crying to him about Xander.
Oz finding naked Buffy in the basement.
Why it sucks
Nothing sucks here. It’s just a lot of daft fun.
It's Buftastic
Buffy in THAT coat.
Dialogue to die for
Xander: Well, this is new territory for me. I mean, my valentines are usually met with heartfelt restraining orders.
Oz (after sparking Xander out): I was on the phone all night, listening to Willow cry about you. Now, I don't know exactly what happened, but I was left with a very strong urge to... hit you.
Buffy: I seem to be having a slight case of nudity here.
Oz: But you're not a rat. So call it an upside.
Xander: It's time for me to act like a man... and hide!
Xander: I wish dating was like slaying. You know, simple, direct, stake through the heart, no muss, no fuss.
And another thing
Oz's band, Dingoes Ate My Baby, perform on stage for the first time since their first appearance in ‘Inca Mummy Girl’.
Amy calls upon the goddess Diana as "goddess of love and the hunt," but in fact Diana was the Roman goddess of nature, fertility and childbirth. She is closely associated with the Greek goddess Artemis, who was goddess of the hunt, since both were goddesses of the moon as well. However, neither was the goddess of love (that was Aphrodite in the Greek pantheon, and Venus in the Roman).
How many stakes?
It’s a love thang. 4.5 (out of 5)
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