“She meant it when she said we were all family.” Episode 5 Review
A Review of Episode 5 – She’s More Than That
The Scooby Gang has always been a family of sorts. And an exceptionally strong family at that, because they’ve had each other. But now that Buffy is gone, we’re starting to see holes where she used to hold them all together. In episode 5, “She’s More Than That” we begin to see that as hard as they try to pretend that everything is alright, our rag-tag group of heroes are not coping as well as they would like others to believe.
Xander, hurt that Buffy chose Spike to protect Dawn above himself, has been throwing himself into his work. Meanwhile, Willow continues down her path toward magick addiction. And Giles and Spike both continue their separate mourning, convinced that Buffy’s death lies on their shoulders.
The gang drifts further apart, hiding their feelings from one another, while struggling to con Child Protective Services in order to keep Dawn safe. All the while the vampire Javert reveals his own plan to turn Sunnydale into the Atlantis of the 21st Century. Can the Scoobs do it? Can they pull themselves together before it’s too late and Sunnydale becomes the world’s largest waterpark?
It’s no surprise that nearly every episode of the original Buffy had an underlying theme. And a theme that we’ve seen time and time again within the Buffyverse, is that of family. This family not always be functional, and they’re certainly not normal. But they are a family. Even if they’re missing a member. They’re certainly lost without Buffy, but they also have the capability to be that family without her. I think this episode manages to capture that particularly well within one of its final scenes, when the group visits Spike in his crypt with housewarming presents. So let’s hope that the gang can keep it together, because if Buffy has taught me anything, it’s that you’ve got to stick by one another. Because when the chips are down, and an evil vampire is trying to sink your state, you’re going to want someone fighting by your side.
Quote of the Episode award goes to:
Dawn: He’s just moody because we caught him watching Dawson’s Creek.
Giles: Has Dawson reconciled with that Joey girl?
Spike: Well I’d know if the lot of you would button it. And any blind fool can see she’s going to end up with that Pacey bloke.
