Buffy the Vampire Slayer Talk || s6e07 “Once More With Feeling” 🎶

[@LiamDuke]

ICONIC. Still obsessed with the Tara/Giles duet

[@chrisallen19821982]

The world needs a Liam, Alley, Domi (when she gets to it) drunk rewatch 🤣🤣❤❤

[@LiamDuke]

@@chrisallen19821982 That sounds incredibly chaotic. I'm in.

[@CSItefla]

Isn't everyone Liam? (It was epic, but heartbreaking at the same time)

[@MagusAgrippa8]

The best voices in the show.

[@nareah43]

The fact that they included a reprise in this ep is so quintessential musical theatre - BtVS understood the assignment! Most shows that attempt a musical episode does not.

[@johnnycoleman75]

I took a musical class in college and did my final paper on this episode. The professor gave me 10% extra credit just for introducing them to it.

[@crystalfire5564]

Awesome!

[@francescominoguarino827]

Based

[@clemencev7162]

I love that story ! ❤️ although I could never introduce this (or any other) episode to anyone without having them watch all the previous ones before 😅

[@Kasairei]

As was the right thing to do 👏 cool prof

[@normalgamergal]

​@@clemencev7162It was the first episode I watched and it didn't make the show any worse when I watched in order. Then again, I had also watched Angel and essentially knew every spoiler, so... It honestly didn't hurt the viewing experience, though of course there weren't as many surprises.

[@Luan-vu9br]

"She needs back up! Anya. Tara." This one ALWAYS makes me laugh.

[@TheRubberDuck77]

yeah and "I think this line is mostly filler" and "I'm free if that b*tch dies, I better go help her out" and Tara's jazz hands, and Zander's it must be witches apology.... and it must be bunnies

[@chanceneck8072]

Yeah, they do nothing. 😅🤭

[@josephguillerey4391]

@@chanceneck8072 yes they do: they literally are back up dancers and singers

[@chanceneck8072]

@@josephguillerey4391 Oh, great. And what good does that then ACTUALLY do? 🤔 It's not like Buffy would have died, if there hadn't been any backup dancers and singers, or would she? Context!

[@josephguillerey4391]

@@chanceneck8072 please tell me you're just trolling... "She needs back up" as in she needs back up singers/dancers for her song. Anya and Tara did exactly what he asked them to do

[@BigMoosetake]

This line by Buffy after learning that Dawn had been captured: “Dawns in trouble… must be Tuesday” was a joke to the audience as Buffy aired on Tuesdays 😀 Also, the lady singing about the fire hydrant is the writer Marti Noxon and David Fury (writer) is the one singing about the Mustard!

[@dogstar75]

they played the singing news anchors in the 3rd episode of Whedons 'Doctor Horrible's Sing-along Blog'

[@DelFeeny]

@@dogstar75 Fury also showed up in Angel. The man was going for the EGOT of the Whedonverse but Firefly didn't get enough time to have him. 🥲

[@jmwild1]

Marti was also effectively showrunner for season 6. Joss had stepped away after season 5 but instead of actually taking a vacation he wrote the musical episode.

[@samsonau8205]

SMG's entire performance was in that melancholy mood the entire time. Looking back, all that gloom in S6 paid off with her final smile in S7.

[@QuayNemSorr]

And the last part of the song she sings that she's not wearing underwear.

[@darthekul1]

Shout out to Smg for not really being confident as a singer but literally being the lead and pouring her heart into it

[@jaycievictory8461]

Totally. ❤ Though I actually really like SMG's singing. I think she has a really sweet tone

[@cRobin1375]

@@jaycievictory8461 If I remember correctly SMG wasn't going to sing and they were going to dub a singer over her, but once she read the script and found out her big reveal was in the episode she said that she had to do it.

[@theoneandonlykk86]

I can't believe she doubted herself. I think she has the most beautiful singing voice of all of them. ❤😊

[@davidmernick7360]

@@cRobin1375 Not just any singer. It was supposed to be Jewel as Buffy's singing voice.

[@darthekul1]

@@theoneandonlykk86 she was amazing , I think she has a great voice but I understand why she was intimidated doing it on TV, but she was able to be the main focus of the musical and switch between multiple different genres and I and most people don't know she was self conscious the first time watching and she nails it

[@MINKIN2]

This wasn't A musical episode, this is THE musical episode.

[@StefKomGeekru]

sounds like “she is not a slayer, she is THE slayer.”

[@enicole1203]

Let me tell you something Alley. I wait *literally years sometimes* for reactors to get to this episode, praying it hasn't been spoiled for them JUST to see the look on their face that you had when Buffy started singing. I am literally so happy right now. 😂😂😂😂

[@paulfeist]

You're not the only one! I've been waiting SO MANY SEASONS for Alley to get here!

[@TheRubberDuck77]

Same could not wait any longer lol

[@poneal666]

Agreed 100%. The shock and joy on Alley's face made the wait worthwhile!

[@ChevaliersEmeraude]

From what I noticed it seems to be an unwritten code in the fandom: when there a new reactor, we don't talk about THIS episode, it doesn't exist. Until the point that it does that is, of course! :)

[@enicole1203]

@@ChevaliersEmeraude Buffy fandom is pretty decent about not spoiling stuff, that's true! Some people can't help themselves from dropping hints (like "bring tissues!" or "wait for episode xxx!") Which I still hate but for the most part we keep the important stuff under wraps. I get so ANNOYED at people spoiling stuff for reactors - we can't get honest reactions because they're always prepared for stuff.😭

[@lionlyons]

I love it when Spike starts singing and both he and Buffy are like “Oh, no…”

[@Beslay249]

YASS that’s the best part

[@Philbert-s2c]

Yeah, Amber Benson absolutely crushed it in this episode. Everybody at the time knew that Anthony Head and James Marsters could sing but she was a revelation to the fanbase.

[@Madbandit77]

Those three are my favorites in this episode.

[@Girl4Music]

@@Madbandit77 I swear the only characters that can sing in 'Once More, With Feeling' is Tara, Spike and Giles. Xander and Anya are flat. Willow sings out through her nose. And Buffy is out of tune. It's hilarious really,... 😂🤣 But it works. It absolutely works! Compare this with the Grey’s Anatomy musical episode for example where pretty much everyone are professional singers. But it just doesn’t work at all. Nothing fits. Nothing flows. Nothing emotes. It’s just good singing. And the reason why I think this is is because they don’t establish WHY and HOW they’re singing. They just sing. And so it just feels empty. ‘OMWF’ has a whole ass external PLOT driving the musical. Not the other way around. That’s why it’s brilliant! The singing wraps around the characterization. They’re not forcing the singing into the characterization. It’s completely natural. It’s something the characters would do and say. In other words: the reason why it works so well is because they leave it alone to do it’s own thing. It feels necessary and important but not overbearing and contrived. Most TV musical episodes can’t achieve this balance and that’s why most of them suck. They don’t use them to tell the story. They don’t even coincide with the story. They’re just… there. And that’s an extremely empty experience.

[@lucas.2.3.9.4]

​@@Girl4Musicif I remember right Allyson Hannigan wanted minimal singing lines

[@mikechappell4156]

@@Girl4Music The fact the songs were written for this helps. JW wasn't trying to make pre-existing songs fit. ASH, AB and JM stole the show, but I thought SMG put in a very good showing. NB and EC did okay but their duet was kind of cool.

[@Girl4Music]

@@mikechappell4156 NB and EC were flat sometimes but I think it worked for their number.

[@jaycievictory8461]

13:00 The moment Tara and Giles start duetting and their voices blend seamlessly is genuinely one of my fave musical moments ever

[@Madbandit77]

I love that moment too.

[@tempsim9192]

It's the peak moment of musical musicalness in the episode and my fave too.

[@ErisRising]

Same. Two of the strongest singers in the episode, and they used that to full effect.

[@PrinceIMC]

And such a callback to their own songs, blending so well.

[@DM00SE]

I agree

[@dashabrunclikova6975]

If you ever wondered why tv shows started incorporating a musical episode, this is why.

[@Rocket1377]

To be fair, other shows had done musical episodes before this. Xena: Warrior Princess in particular, which had an excellent 1998 musical episode that significantly pushed the plot forward, and arguably started the trend. Buffy was definitely copied by other shows though.

[@nathanielbacon2661]

Yes! Xena started it, but Buffy's was more critically acclaimed and launched the copycats. In the same way, Black Christmas started a lot of the tropes of slasher films, but Halloween was more successful and launched them as a trend.

[@alistairgrey5089]

@@nathanielbacon2661 Sometimes it makes you wonder if the introduction is what actually starts the genre in many ways? Like, was it actually the Buffy episode that kicked it off or if the timing was reversed if Xena would have been the more successful one? Just makes me think about it.

[@ChevaliersEmeraude]

@@Rocket1377 It's been a while since I watched Xena, but didn't they have, like, 3 different musical episodes? I do remember AT LEAST 2 (the Illusia episode, and another where one where there's some kind of music competition), maybe a third I can't remember...

[@lessismore8533]

@@Rocket1377to be fair, we can’t PROVE Joss Whedon got his idea from Xena. But PLENTY other shows got it from Buffy…

[@crystalfire5564]

I absolutely love the initial look of shock on people’s faces when they start this episode!

[@CSItefla]

Yep. Always fun to watch.

[@enicole1203]

@@CSItefla I had to stop and think a spell but when it hit me 😮

[@Zachariah617]

That look of shock, confusion, horror… Then excitement 😂 they go thru all the emotions at once 😆

[@ShadowBoxer1111]

There are some theories on why the gang sings the last song. One is that it’s residual magic from Sweets spell. Another is that when Sweet sang “Say you're happy now, Once more, with feeling”, he was commanding the last song. Whatever the reason, it was wonderful.

[@matthewkreps3352]

It's a musical. Musicals end with a song.

[@stevequinn1424]

I agree with the second theory, he is commanding them to sing a final song.

[@boqndimitrov8693]

the simplest and most obvious theory - the period of effect of the spell had not yet expired. the fact that the demon was gone did not matter at all..

[@4everbuffylover]

I do think it was a command. And I like that it’s not really a happy ending song like you get in a traditional musical. This is “where do we go from here it doesn’t feel like we’ve won anything”

[@zkeletonz001]

I always viewed it as a sort parting gift. Of course it's a cursed gift and he might have been hoping to get someone to explode, but, you know, that's the sort of gift you get from demons.

[@troikas3353]

"This isn't real, but I just want to feel" I'm sure nothing incredibly predictably bad will come from this.

[@lessismore8533]

1. Careful not to spoil anything, 2. Does it matter? This is S6 not S7. It’s not like the show ends at 6..

[@hardybryan]

I love how everyone is always so happy at the end of this episode. Giles and Tara are about to leave, Xander and Anya are having issues, Dawn is officially full klepto, and Buffy just attempted suicide and made out with a soulless demon. It really is that good an episode.

[@Girl4Music]

Well when you put it like that… 😮 Geez and I thought the only darkness in this episode was the date-rape.

[@caitlin329]

It's an interesting one in terms of the Drama™, but not exactly a cheerful time lol

[@lynnevetter]

When did Buffy attempt sulclde?

[@hardybryan]

@lynnevetter well it is obviously more complicated than a suicide attempt, but she was about to dance herself into flames when Spike stopped her.

[@lynnevetter]

@@hardybryan righto. That was the demon's curse though. He did that to her because of her intense emotions.

[@ryanbrooks8045]

So many shows try to recreate this musical episode but part of what makes it work is all the emotional tension they built up leading into it. No one has been able to do better than this or even match it.

[@Girl4Music]

See that’s why just one-off watchers of the musical don’t understand it or think of it as groundbreaking as it is. They don’t have any context to what happened before it to make it matter.

[@dneill8493]

Yes. Unlike other musical episodes, every line is either important or for comedy purposes. Most musical episodes in other shows just have filler for the lyrics.

[@WSK9002]

Also, contrary to popular belief, it's not because the show was running out of ideas or in the words of Joss Whedon, "oh, we're bored, so let's sing." 🙄

[@ozfroggirl9221]

The first Xena musical episode definitely matched OMWF. All others struggle to match those two for the emotional build-up and release.

[@4everbuffylover]

@@dneill8493I’ve always loved that about this episode. It’s a unique way to force the characters to say what they’re feeling and sets up all the major character conflicts for the rest of the season masterfully. I can’t imagine Buffy’s secret being revealed any other way would be nearly as impactful. Music is powerful when wielded correctly.

[@JordiVanderwaal]

I don't usually like musicals, but I LOVE this episode. It's just so good. And *moves* the plot/story forward, which is something musical episodes don't usually do.

[@markrankin1094]

And gives a valid (in universe) reason for everyone knowing the words and dance routines.

[@JordiVanderwaal]

@@markrankin1094 that's also true, and makes it stand out from other musical episodes (for me).

[@alangarde2928]

This is the thing I like most about this (as I love stage musicals), it tells a story through the song and dance, rather than just being a gimmic. It's a masterpiece.

[@chanceneck8072]

Same.

[@JeshuaSquirrel]

Alyson's face acting was supurb showing Willow's horror at learning where she pulled Buffy from.

[@ferrisulf]

Behold! Depression: The Musical. And we love it. It's such brilliance, able to tackle so many genres, thrilling all of us theater nerds. Hinton Battle did an amazing job. His voice, his moves. The man is such talent! Dawn didn't get a singing solo number because Michelle was uncomfortable and asked if she could dance instead. She is a dancer. So they choreographed the number with her and the creepy dummies. I love that this isn't just a filler fluffy musical episode. This is THE musical episode, and they forwarded so much of the plot with it. I think this had to be the way Buffy told them--while under a spell. I don't think she would have otherwise.

[@AscendedXSaiyan]

Its been years since ive seen this episode, and the "She needs backup" line, as Anya & Tara come out....to be her backup dancers *NEVER* ceases to pop me! 😂😂 Love how when they go to walk off, you can clearly see Amber Benson walk into the wall 😂

[@4everbuffylover]

And backup singers if you notice

[@darrenbent7601]

This is one of my all time favourite episodes, not just for Buffy, but for TV in general. It is amazing because all of the songs were written by Joss Whedon, who is not a professional song writer, but the whole production could go to any Broadway stage, and not stand out. And there is just so much fun and honesty in the episode too, all the aside comments, or their internal monologues we exposed to the rest of the characters, and most of the songs were essential to the plot, that really moved the characters on to the rest of the series. And don't forget, IT MUST BE BUNNIES!!!! LOL

[@jonathanmartin8716]

...and what do they need such good eyesight for anywaaaaaaay!

[@Madbandit77]

There has been some Off-Off Broadway productions of "Once Again With Feeling". Some on them are on KZbin.

[@darrenbent7601]

@@Madbandit77 I can so see that. It is definitely stage-worthy.

[@darrenbent7601]

@@jonathanmartin8716 LOL

[@TheRubberDuck77]

@@Madbandit77 My favorite one here on youtube is titled "Once More With Feeling LIVE NYC 2018"

[@slayer-scythe8159]

Finally ms girl is reacting to THE episode 🎶🎵🎶🎵

[@OnwardToMail]

Mustard guy is David Fury and parking ticket lady is Marti Noxon

[@DelFeeny]

This is always my "Viggo broke his toe there" moment! 😄

[@ReminiscentIndustries]

Sweet is one of my favorite villains in the Buffyverse. Such a cool character and a great, fun and chaotic vibe from him radiates on screen. And you have also now come to the end of the Buffyverse Sound Trilogy: "Hush" having no spoken dialogue, "The Body" having no music, and "Once More, with Feeling" having the combination of both the things each one was missing. Something that people don't recognize is that when Buffy sings her "I've been expelled from Heaven", her voice intentionally falls flat, leaving the music and her voice dissonant from each other, which was a direct choice from Whedon, as to have her being there physically and sonically, but that existence being entirely and completely out of place, connecting to her circumstances. Loved this reaction!

[@lessismore8533]

Yes! This villian can DANCE too..

[@rriggs6547]

@@lessismore8533 Given his pedigree and awards I would think so.

[@Girl4Music]

Masters played this scene so perfectly. I just love how the moment he starts singing his entire body language development goes from “Oh no, it’s happening” to “Might as well make the best of it” to “I’ll serenade the lady.” It’s like as soon as it happens he completely abandons being ashamed about it. And you could say that’s just the spell. But I think part of it is Spike just throwing all pretences to the wind. There’s only one other character in the episode that has that shift of perspective and just goes with it. Just completely yields to the force. Tara Maclay. If the secret has to come out it’s gonna come out in style. But of course, Tara is under two spells and being forced by both at the same time isn’t so much a just going with it thing as it is a completely unawares thing. Still she tells Willow how much she loves her and I would think at least part of that is similar to Spike’s situation where he just completely relents. It’s like here’s the perfect opportunity to serenade their respective loves when they others wouldn’t dare do it. And you have to appreciate Sweet for that.

[@dlweiss]

This is unironically one of the pinnacles of modern television. Creative entertainment/storytelling literally doesn't get much better than this!

[@jaycievictory8461]

"They got the mustard ouuuuuuuuuuut!" A less superior musical episode would have had the whole number. Instead of the genius of just coming in for the big finish. God, I love this episode

[@WSK9002]

Joss Whedon said that "Once More With A Feeling" was a really a sequel to "Hush" in a way, I can see that because when characters, are not talking, when they're singing they are expressing things that wouldn't normally express like in a Musical.

[@Girl4Music]

It very much plays like an anti-Hush.

[@TheRulesLawyerRPG]

And it took supernatural events for Buffy to have first kiss with Riley as well!

[@treyokelly9662]

I don't care how many years and how many times I've seen this episode. I cry every time. Even in a reaction

[@lynnevetter]

Same same! I love Buffy and all the moving moments still get to me.❤❤❤❤

[@TopherReacts]

I’ve waited 5 seasons worth of reactions for this moment!! I can’t wait to get home and watch 🤩🤩🖤💛🖤💛

[@DanielOrme]

"This is actually a meaningful episode!" Exactly what makes it so genius! It actually tells the story through the songs, carries the story forward BECAUSE of the songs. It's rare to find any orthodox musical that does that as well as this does.

[@jaycievictory8461]

I can't even imagine how hard this was to edit when every second is a gem 🙈

[@jaycievictory8461]

SMG is always amazing but the emotion from her in this episode...From the first second to the closing moments. Her desperate plea for someone to take the deep deep grey and pain away and "give her something to sing about" KILLS me

[@monykasaso]

As someone battling depression I cry all the time just hearing the desperation in her voice.

[@jaycievictory8461]

@@monykasaso ❤️

[@mrmidlife2546]

I was at the early stages of a depression spiral when I was 20. I couldn't identify/admit what was wrong yet, but the line of Buffy singing "Why can't I feel? My skin should crack and peel." would ring in my head for days.

[@DumblyDorr]

_Showtime_ ... My favorite episode by far. Tells a story which progresses the plot and develops the characters, is funny, charming, sad... plus: I've been a musician for ~30 years now - and from the first time I saw this, I was majorly impressed. A musical episode in a TV show just has no freaking business being *this* good. Seriously, the songwriting is extremely intricate and shows that the writers knew the ins and outs of the styles they were going for. Instrumentation, arrangements, harmony progressions - all top notch. Most songs have at least one key change - and "Give me Something to Sing About" has this thing with changing uneven time-signatures and that (for me) extremely tragic and beautiful slide down to the dimished chord when Buffy sings "heaven". Then there's the duet-part where Giles and Tara and their lines diverge to different melodies and rhythms, to then come back together again... I get chills every time. Performances were also great all around - so were choreographies. I mean - holy hell - Emma Caulfield in that dance routine ...with those shoes? Wow! SMG initially didn't want to sing - but when she saw how much the songs told about her character and how deeply vulnerable and real these moments were - she agreed to do it.

[@maximedesrochers6485]

I have been watching that episode foe 20 years, and ''wish i could stay'' always leave me crying like a baby.😥😥

[@jp3813]

In terms of live action shows, this musical was preceded by the Xena: Warrior Princess episodes "The Bitter Suite" & "Lyre, Lyre, Hearts on Fire". That 1st one functioned as a story arc finale regarding the rift between two main characters, while the 2nd was just done for fun.

[@Alcagaur1]

In an episode that is a 48-minute highlight reel, a standout moment for me is Anya patting Giles and slowly working her hand up to be on top of his shoulder, which says so eloquently that she still has yet to master the minutiae of human behaviour.

[@jaycievictory8461]

I adore Tara, but there are few sadder lines in the series than when she says, "I know exactly what they see in me: you". As if she (still) thinks her only worth in life is that Willow likes her. That the only reason anyone could like her is because they see a reflection of Willow there. That's not romantic. It adds to a feeling that this is not an equal relationship, and for me it's another sign that all is not well in this relationship.

[@Girl4Music]

It’s co-dependency. Most of it is Willow but yeah. Tara’s got some issues too. By all accounts, it’s not a very healthy relationship at all.

[@drewk.6220]

I forget which episode it was in, but I remember the gang sitting around trying to figure out what Glory's deal was. Tara offered an idea, and then Willow said the same thing a moment later, as though she'd thought of it. (At least, that was how it struck me. Sometimes writers just repeat themselves) The scene always made me feel bad for Tara. Since they met, Willow used her and often made Tara feel small. The show did a good job of portraying this, because it looked like a happy relationship on the surface, and slowly built up this dark side.

[@someonerandom8552]

I’ll admit I didn’t really think about it initially. Just brushed off her line as a nod towards her low self esteem. And given her family background and upbringing, it makes sense But having revisited the episode since, yeah, it is a red flag for sure. And I’m a huge Willow and Tara fan! But yeah their relationship isn’t always the most healthy. That’s for sure! 😳

[@Girl4Music]

@@drewk.6220 I mean that’s what I’m saying. She dominates the conversation. At first it’s like Willow really wants her to fit in and be part of the Scooby Gang. But once she is she’s very much “Tara, stay here and look after Dawn” while she goes and bes a hero with the rest of them. Tara is always performing some kind of domestic manual labour as if she’s just a pretty little housewife and Willow is the man of the house. I mean yeah, it’s a lesbian relationship but it’s portrayed very much like a heterosexual one because the stereotypes are still there. It’s really kinda sorta destructive like that.

[@Girl4Music]

@@someonerandom8552 I mean think about it. Tara has no individuality or independence. We barely even know who she is outside what she represents for Willow. I think this is very much intended to show how she is still being domestically abused. It’s like her Princess-ss Charming saved her but then proceeded to treat her exactly the same way as her family did with the exerting of coercive control. Tara is still a Cinderella. Only she’s not a Cinderella for her step-family anymore. She’s a Cinderella for her girlfriend. And now Willow is so much more powerful than before Willow just doesn’t care. She’s now taking away Tara’s autonomy. Her right to make informed decisions. Her right to consent. If that’s not what is being portrayed with their “cute”, “sweet”, “romantic” musical number then I don’t know what is. Because, to me, that whole thing looks like date-rape. Of course it’s not framed that way but it’s not supposed to be since it’s from Tara’s point of view. Tara won’t recognize it as that. She still won’t even when she does find out she’s literally under her spell. Because this is likely the way it always is and Willow is an A-grade gaslighter. Low self-esteem or not, she’ll turn it around. She’ll make herself out to be the victim. She knows how.

[@uosdwiSrdewoH]

Michelle asked if she could have a dance number instead of singing as she's trained in ballet and it was more comfortable for her which is why she doesn't get a full song. Same thing with Alyson Hannigan. I remember when it came out that people took the line "I think this line's mostly filler" at face value and thought that she was actually complaining about being left out of the song instead of it being a meta commentary which is really what the show has always done.

[@krikorajemian8524]

This episode is partly responsible for my wife and I getting together. I had met her at a party, and then a few weeks later a mutual friend invited both of us to a live performance of the songs from this episode (as well as Doctor Horrible's Sing-Along Blog), where we clicked.

[@The_Sage_of_Rage]

The ending was the top moment of the entire series for me

[@dragonreader3817]

Watch the behind the scenes of this. Joss might be a first rate a-hole, but he is brilliant. I believe he wrote the majority of this over hiatus.

[@Richardwho-vv5bh]

he is not like that, those were all lies, sarah and charisma are the real villains of the franchise.

[@DaDunge]

22:30 You're wrong. As someone who has written theatre the most intresting thing is how the actors, the directors, and the scene people (English is not my first language sorry) take the fairly open descriptors we write and interprete them. There is so much magic in that transition. God I miss writing theatre.

[@jonathanmartin8716]

Finally! We don't have to keep quiet about this one anymore. 😁

[@LunaMalfoy3]

Anya is so underrated in this episode to me. Her voice. The comedy. BUNNIES. This is my favorite episode. Of the entire. series. Not a single miss. Enthralling from the first frame to the last.

[@Figgy5119]

This is the way musical episodes should be! I hate the random jukebox episodes shows do just for the sake of a gimmick where the songs don't actually tell a story or rather are pivotal to the story. Buffy would not have shared that secret had she not been compelled to reveal what was in her heart through singing.

[@Trikeboy2]

Buffy and Scrubs are the only ones that did it well.

[@fabianhebestreit3240]

@@Trikeboy2 Don't sleep on Dead End Paranormal Park's musical episode.

[@LadyGreensleeves33]

I immediately ditched the other video I was watching to come here 😂 Edit: Squee! Yes! My favorite episode ever! They really gave us everything! I've had all these songs on rotation since I was like 12. I... don't think its a spoiler to say I wish the Spuffy energy stayed at musical level the whole season 😂

[@Nicamon]

I'm not doing it,but I wish I could!!😫

[@kalandkarazor-el3088]

Glad you made it without being spoiled. That initial reaction to the intro and Buffy singing is gold!! What can I say that hasn't been said or written about already. An amazing episode that deserves all the praise it gets and so many tried and failed to recreate this magic since

[@ianburns1167]

The thing about Buffy and Spike... back in season 5, before she died and when he was at his best, it might have worked. Now though? Spike is thinking 'she finally loves me' and Buffy is just using him. You hear that in their songs. So yeah. That's going to be a train wreck.

[@justahologram2230]

Its fun how elements of this episode re established themselves in Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog

[@CloudslnMyCoffee]

we need to lobby for Allie to react to it!

[@gehrehmee]

@@CloudslnMyCoffee YES PLEASE. I haven't seen anybody do a reaction to that yet.

[@christaparish8055]

A must watch! And the commentary! And the musical commentary!

[@Animaniac0451]

Your joy at the ending of this episode was infectious.

[@caitlin329]

Classic Spike moments: Singing an entire song asking Buffy to leave him alone whilst simultaneously following her around; is confused when she leaves. '...I'd better help her out' And that moment at the end when he basically admits he'll take whatever he can get from her

[@danielbutler8103]

7:41 The line "His penis got diseases from a Chumash Tribe" Is a reference to season 4 episode 8 Pangs, The Thanksgiving one where Angel came back to help with the Native American spirits.

[@Girl4Music]

Attention to detail in character consistency is just another reason to absolutely love ‘OMWF’.

[@WilliamLucas-hy8mx]

Pangs

[@melissaisloud7404]

🎶 The curtains close on a kiss. God knows, we can tell the end is near… 🎶 The next episode is equally as iconic. I’m excited for you.

[@beautyb4876]

I love seeing you get Buffy gifts from people and I'm so glad you liked this episode

[@dneill8493]

"She needs backup" is my favourite moment in this episode. Had me in stitches the first time.

[@Joseph-lo8zr]

I listen to the soundtrack regularly. This is a great reaction. you are one one of the most fun Buffy reactors for real. Can't wait to you finish this season.

[@AnatoleVGC]

Everytime a reactor starts Buffy we are all hoping they get to this masterpiece

[@xqiuvmah]

I love the call back to the season 4 (I think) episode where Spike is telling Buffy how he killed the other 2 slayers and he says, "every slayer has a death wish, even you. The day you wish for death, I will be there." He says it to taunt Buffy, but here he is at the moment where Buffy stopped trying to fight back and chooses to die, stopping her and telling her to live

[@rwwilson21]

season 5, episode 7 "fool for love"

[@gehrehmee]

The excitement of seeing another reactor hit OMWF -- tempred by the realization that I already saw this on patreon 😝

[@dogstar75]

i literally paid for patreon 3 hours ago because I was sick of waiting, lol.

[@martin-42]

@@dogstar75 i went to patreon and it was missing -is it somewhere else?

[@dogstar75]

@@martin-42 alleys patreon > home > masterpost > pinned post > continue reading > season 6(opens dropbox in new tab) > Buffy6x07FullReactSubbedTHIS.mp4 > press play

[@martin-42]

@@dogstar75 got it thanks

[@reverance_pavane]

The realisation at Joss' Sunday meet-ups at his house (where they gathered together to relax and do things like Shakespeare readings [something that led to his film version of Much Ado About Nothing]) that to the realisation that most of his senior cast were formidable singers led to the genesis of this idea (this was the same sort of thing as happened earlier in The Bitter Suite for Xena: Warrior Princess when the producers of that show discovered most of their cast had musical theatre on their resume). [Particular kudos to James Marsters for almost being able to maintain his British accent whilst singing (which is extremely extremely difficult).] So Joss taught himself the guitar, and aided by his musically trained brother Jed, wrote this. And had to fight the network for additional time to air this in full (something that was definitely not done in this era of rampant syndication), which is why there is an original version of this episode and a shorter broadcast episode for rebroadcast and syndication [not a problem now streaming exists and shows don't have to fit in a defined slot]). SMG originally didn't want to sing as she had no singing experience (at least compared to most of her fellow actors), but on reading the proposed script felt she really had to give it a try herself, given the import (with the add of intensive training by a vocal coach). AH, with a similar lack of experience, requested a minimal singing role ("I think this line is mostly filler"), something which she is said to have regretted. MT got to display her formal ballet chops rather than sing. And they got Hinton Battle (a triple Tony award [Broadway[ singer and dancer) to play the role of Sweet. Incidentally there were three professional dancers who played the demons in the graveyard, the janitors dancing with brooms in the background, and the Maskheads. Whilst it wasn't the the first musical episode done in a TV series, it did provide a reference for how it should and generally would be done in the future. Particularly since it involved the actual plot of the show. [Incidentally Joss did produce another musical show during the previous writers strike - Doctor Horrible's Sing-Along Blog.] Hey, and the Good Guys won! [Didn't they? ]

[@Itsjandz105]

The fact that Joss Whedon could pull this off so well is remarkable. All of the songs have meaning and advance the seasons story lines and are bangers. Buffy's "Going through the motions" to me sounds like a song you would hear in a Disney musical.

[@Girl4Music]

It’s very ‘Part Of Your World’-like

[@Bergonis]

​@@Girl4Music I heard somewhere that Buffy's first song was inspired by Part of Your World in The Little Mermaid. Which was really awesome for me as a French viewer because, in the French version of Once More With Feeling, Buffy is dubbed by Claire Guyot, who also voiced Ariel in The Little Mermaid's 1990's French version that I watched so many times on VHS as a kid. That last shot of Buffy going "Aliiiiive" ("Vivaaaaante" in the FR version) always struck me as eerily familiar because it sounds exactly like Ariel's "Part of your woooorld" ("Partir là-baaaaas") after she just saved Eric, with the camera shot being very similar as well, the wind in her hair and everything.

[@Girl4Music]

@@Bergonis that’s awesome information! Yeah, I feel like there’s no way Joss wrote that song without ‘Part Of Your World’ in mind. The verses are march for match syllabary-wise. You could sing both songs and just swap out the lyrics for each other and it would still perfectly fit within the composition. Give or take tempo speed alteration. Not to mention the context is very similar between both songs too. It’s the ‘I WANT’ song when unhappy with what you’ve got. “I just want to feel alive” “I want to be part of your world” Everybody says the Disney-esque song is ‘Under Your Spell’ but apart from Tara looking like a Disney princess, I don’t really see the similarities. Especially considering some of the lyrics are too x-rated for a Disney show tune. No it’s definitely ‘Going Through The Motions’ that is the Disney-esque song.

[@Bergonis]

​@@Girl4Music Oh I didn't know people were talking about "Under Your Spell" whenever they mentioned the Disney-esque vibe in Once More With Feeling, I always assumed they meant "Going Through The Motions". XD But I see it too, there is a Disney feel to "Under Your Spell" (Tara's dress, the enchanting scenery, the magical vibe, the seemingly innocent theme of the song, but maybe not the melody as much), which gives it two layers of irony because of the x-rated meaning AND the darkness of Tara actually being under Willow's spell. All in all, so much thought went into this entire episode, I am impressed all over again every time I rewatch it.

[@Girl4Music]

@@Bergonis Yeah, but I meant composition-wise. Not appearance-wise. It plays very much like a Disney musical number but it doesn’t sound like one. Not to me anyway.

[@DaDunge]

0:45 Oh its way beyond that level. This is the single most iconic episode of Buffy. I tried to get my old roommate to watch Buffy to get him to see this episode.

[@rfresa]

I especially love when a reactor gets to this episode, since it's the reason I started watching reaction videos in the first place! I was watching some of the songs when KZbin recommended my first one.

[@Luan-vu9br]

This is one of those episodes that DESERVE a rewatch every now and then.

[@cathyvickers9063]

I love the way Whedon used what could have been a throwaway episode to slowly reveal the innermost secrets & demons of our main cast! Yes, it was real.

[@secondhanddonovan]

This is my absolute all-time favorite EP of Buffy. I watched it for the first time in DVD 17 years ago, and have never stopped loving it so to get to watch someone see it for the first time and react was surprisingly special to me. Thanks for sharing this with me!

[@DB6195]

Fun fact the DVD release of this ep came with a Karaoke option for the whole episode. With lyrics popping up in time and everything

[@lpeterson2336]

This episode is nothing short of genius! So nice to see new people finding the joy and the sorrow of Buffy.

[@Slgjgnz]

This is obviously the best musical episode ever, but I'd even say the absolute best episode ever. 20y later it's still unbeated.

[@doug3691]

This episode brought to you by Authentic Confusion -- of the best possible variety, of course. Also, that was a Very high energy reaction to one of my all time favorite TV episodes! Thank you for that.

[@moviecrush8624]

TWO new OMWF reactions in the same day? Us Buffy reactor watchers are truly in a golden age right now

[@Girl4Music]

Jen and Alley’s KZbin upload schedules must be aligning because their patreon uploads were nowhere near this close.

[@AlenaLinLa]

I was OBSESSED with this episode when it came out. I watched it over and over again. Love "Rest in Peace" still have it on my playlist to this day. Still have the CD. Its one of the episodes I was most excited about you getting to. So glad you enjoyed it.

[@WSK9002]

The look on Rosenberg's face when she realizes what she did to Buffy, Heart Crushing. :0(

[@octo448]

On every single rewatch I've ever done, from the moment Buffy realizes she needs to jump from the tower in The Gift, I hear SMG's haunting "I think I was/ In Heaven" over and over until I get here. It's just such a beautiful buildup, and the strange silences in parts of the early season leave JUST enough space that you can almost hear her singing it. She said she wasn't confident about her singing ability, but it didn't matter, that line was all acting and she nails it.

[@Fionor01]

Joss Whedon said that Under Your Spell song was the "most obscene" song he's ever written. It's all subtext, but it's there.

[@Philbert-s2c]

The actual scene between Tara and Willow pretty much makes it text...

[@Girl4Music]

@@Philbert-s2cwhich is why it’s obscene.

[@andybodle7560]

"You make me ***-plete"

[@ChrisBridges23]

Not gonna lie, I’ve been watching this channel for two years waiting for you to get to this episode. Totally worth it.

[@jdnaz1288]

My favorite song was probably "Walk Through The Fire". Also, one of the best parts, imo, was when she looked at Sweet & sang "Give Me Something to Feel!", and he just shakes his head no...causing her to dance, until she burns alive, before Spike saves her.

[@CSItefla]

Hush, The Body and Once More with Feeling all have 9.7 ratings on imdb. (last I checked) Sooo, you finally hit *that* episode. Congrats Alley. You are the first reactor I've been catching live updates from hit 6x07 and your reaction didn't disappoint. I love the gifts that your audience sent. The songs will never get old, trust me! ... and enjoy the next little bit of the season coming up

[@robertcringle4865]

3 perfect episodes

[@killianlpc]

The fact that you got to this point without being spoiled for this episode is amazing in itself. A lot of shows that do musical episodes never get it right, and it offers very little to the plot. This however is the exception. Not only is this an innovative episode in term of plot and foreshadowing, it's a damn good 'musical'. The songs are really good and well structured, and just work so well in the episode. There is also great comedy in the episode with the lyrics. Of course the massive reveal for the group is Buffy telling them she was dragged out of Heaven, Spike already knew this of course, and then Dawn repeats to Buffy 'the hardest thing in this world is to live in it' the exact words Buffy said to Dawn in The Gift S5 Finale. Spike getting fed up with singing is very funny towards the end, but what an ending when Buffy follows him. It was brilliantly done, and now with Buffy and Spike kissing, the whole direction of the show takes a strange turn with some brilliant, but disturbing episodes to follow. Love the reaction again. This really was a brilliant episode, Lorne from Angel would have loved this.

[@edwardthorne9875]

Great -- now I've got 'Going Through the Motions' stuck in my head again. The lyrics describe depression so well. Some others people comment that this is actually the pinnacle of broadcast TV. Yep -- it's true. Yeah, Game of Thrones seems great, but it had a really dark heart. This was so true to the spirit of the show. There has been no other show that built up for years to reach the emotional impact delivered here. We love these characters, and seeing the crew absolutely NAIL a very difficult production like this had me in tears for twenty minutes. Hit it out of the park.

[@Girl4Music]

“Every single night, the same arrangement. I go out and fight the fight” / “Look at this stuff, isn’t it neat. Wouldn’t you think my collection’s complete.” Seriously, has someone done a mash up of these songs yet? They’re so similar.

[@Caitsbooks]

this episode is the best musical episodes to ever exist and no one can convince me otherwise

[@Girl4Music]

I’d agree but ‘The Bitter Suite’ also exists. So it’s a tough one.

[@Bergonis]

I heard somewhere that Buffy's first song was inspired by Part of Your World in The Little Mermaid. Which was really awesome for me as a French viewer because, in the French version of Once More With Feeling, Buffy is dubbed by Claire Guyot, who also voiced Ariel in The Little Mermaid's 1990's French version that I watched so many times on VHS as a kid. Before I learned about the voice actress, that last shot of Buffy going "Aliiiiive" ("Vivaaaaante" in the FR version) always struck me as eerily familiar because it sounds exactly like Ariel's "Part of your woooorld" ("Partir là-baaaaas") after she just saved Eric, with the camera shot being very similar as well, the wind in her hair and everything.

[@Girl4Music]

I make it a requirement going forward that no one should watch this episode for the first time without watching at least the start of Season 6 of Buffy before it. That information is necessary to truly appreciate this masterpiece of art/entertainment. I don’t want to see another musical enthusiast or vocal pedagogist react to it unless they make the effort to react to the WHOLE SEASON before it. ‘Cause if I have to hear another “That’s it? Nothing even happened!” come out of a reactor’s mouth - I’m throwing hands. Ignorance is not bliss with this. This right here is how you do a reaction to quintessential TV art/entertainment.

[@uosdwiSrdewoH]

I'm glad you watched the extended episode. When it originally came out it ran about 48 minutes but I've seen a cut down version that cuts off "I've Got a Theory" at Anya's "Bunnies" riff. The rest of that song is vital to the episode because it starts with Buffy not caring only to shift and try and convince everyone she's fine. It sets everything up for the ending. Whoever edited it for TV didn't seem to catch that and it really hurts the flow of the episode as well as the payoff. That could just be because I've listened to it hundreds of times and it's ingrained in my brain. That's not an exaggeration. I had to import the CD from America when the episode first came out (I live in Australia) and it became part of my driving playlist for years. I love it just as much today as when I first heard it.

[@Girl4Music]

What monster would cut ‘Bunnies’ out of this musical? Not acceptable!

[@sirmoonslosthismind]

in fairness, cutting this episode down to the usual _buffy_ episode runtime is an impossible task. what would you cut instead?

[@Girl4Music]

@@sirmoonslosthismind fair point

[@uosdwiSrdewoH]

@@Girl4Music I know, right. Try playing the episode till their reaction shot to when Anya says "It could be bunnies", then skip to the next scene. It's so jarring.

[@uosdwiSrdewoH]

@@sirmoonslosthismind Not a single thing as it ruins author intent. Joss does an audio commentary for the DVD release. He says that his intent was to show a musical of this scale could be done in the span of a regular episode but when he was editing there was nothing he could remove because everything was vital for the episode to work. If this show had been airing in the 80's there wouldn't be a problem. Back then episodes ran approx 48 minutes. Networks gradually cut down the episode length to the roughly 40 minutes it is now to put more ads.

[@gurlinacoma]

I grew up on this soundtrack !! This was one of my sister’s favorite shows back then and she would play me the clips from this episode with the songs, and have dance party when I was a kid. Fond memories 😊

[@PaperbackWizard]

I haven't watched this episode in years, but it still made me cry just hearing the snippets of the songs you played here. This is such a great episode, probably the best "musical episode" of any show ever.

[@DB6195]

The look on peoples face when the singing starts never gets old.

[@salyx]

It’s just the best!

[@TheNoybusiness]

I was expecting Alley to go, "Wait, is this a musical episode?" during the overture.

[@DarthRayj]

I still remember when I watched this episode of Buffy for the first time, having no idea that there even was a musical episode. And then the title sequence was different, and I was a little suspicious, and the music stayed louder than it should have, and that was weird, and it kind of felt a little musical theatre?.. And then Buffy started singing, and I knew this was a musical episode, and I got a little nervous because musical episodes can be pretty rough sometimes, but it just hit everything so well because the songs were plot-relevant and well-crafted! They forced the characters to express things they hadn't confronted, and it brought a ton of conflict to the surface, and they couldn't really deal with any of it because they were busy trying to solve the problem (and this demon is one of very few Buffy villains that was *not* defeated, he agreed to leave under his own power. Everything suggests that if he hadn't, he could have killed the Slayer and the rest of the Scooby Gang would have been powerless).

[@insulaarachnid]

EPIC episode! I think this was my favourite episode to see Alley react to, it comes out of nowhere and is both funny and gut wrenching at the same time. I have the soundtrack CD and used to listen to it on my iPod years ago, it was how I unwound after work.

[@luckyrobinshomestead]

I have really been looking forward to your reaction on this episode. I knew you'd be a big ball of "Squee!" and I was not disappointed. This is such a key episode for everyone, and as fun as it is for us, it is really pretty dark for all of the characters. So much comes out, it is just packed. And then the Spuffy kiss at the end and the whole world explodes. That how it is for all of us, no matter who you ship, good or bad. See, I never see a reason not to ship both. Angel was her first love when she's still a kid, but he's gone and they can't be together and he treated her like crap so much in season 3 and they were both immature a lot, and can't even sleep together, so I could let go of them as a couple because he wasn't really healthy for her. It's not like it is Stydia or anything. Spuffy is a grown up relationship and I can enjoy it just at much, if not more, than Buffy and Angel. I was so glad that I had recorded the episode because I watched this again as soon as it was over because I was so stunned by the first viewing that I missed the importance of some of that dialogue. And then, like all week I had it on. Even my little girl was singing the songs by the end of that week, because I put it in as soon as we were done with her school for the day. The message boards could not stop buzzing. Fandom went crazy. It was so wonderful, fandom was riding a high. Although, we all knew a musical episode was coming, so it wasn't a surprise for us. That's why those of us who saw it when it aired try so hard to keep it a secret from reactors. I'm so glad you got such a kick out of it. Your reaction was so much fun.

[@NessOnett8]

Everyone's top 5 Buffy episodes: Hush, The Body, Once More With Feeling, any two others.

[@Girl4Music]

‘Restless’ and ‘Dopplegangland’ are my other 2 picks for TOP 5.

[@potterssgirl]

For Chrismas last year I got the script for this episode, and it had a bunch of the actors signatures. When I tell you I SCREAMED. I loved this reaction sm, and even though I'm a Bangel stan I was so excited to see Buffy and Spike kiss! I love you sm Ally, you are my favorite youtuber, keep doing what you do!

[@TimStCroix]

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I had Bing Crosby's 'High Hopes' stuck in my head all day. After watching this I now have "Under Your Spell" stuck in my head. Vast improvement.

[@goldenageofdinosaurs7192]

Damn you!!!🤣

[@Girl4Music]

Both ‘The Bitter Suite’ and ‘Once More, With Feeling’ are really unprecedented for their time in TV. Even though Xena’s musical episode came first in 1998, both Buffy and Xena take the credit for musical episodes becoming pop culture in TV. But they also did the unthinkable by cleverly, not only coincide with the plot, but further it along in that they both have the characters spill secrets and make confessions which aid to evolve respective character arcs and tell a story that has them begin again in new and interesting ways. In ‘Once More, With Feeling’ Buffy confesses she was pulled out of heaven by her friends. Forcing the Scooby Gang, Willow in particular, to process this information and grapple with the seriousness of it. In ‘The Bitter Suite’ Xena confesses that she killed Ming Tien. Forcing Xena to beg for forgiveness from Gabrielle so she can pass through the waterfall. Thereby reconciling and reuniting them, making their relationship stronger so they can battle the real enemy. All of this is done in song. Cheesy? Sure. But clever at the same time. The creators knew that talking about these subjects and themes would be heavy on the audience watching and listening, so addressing them in music was a way of making what was heavy subject material much lighter. And at the same time, they also knew that music is meant for honest expression. So really, how else would or could it work? They ultimately made the right decision. As cheesy or silly as it may look on the surface, they achieved what few have… Going deeper without drowning. This is why these two musical episodes remain staples in TV history. It is not just because they’re musicals. It’s because they’re musicals with depth. They could have just been some silly entertainment for the cast to have fun with and show off their talent and nothing more. Instead they were much, much, much more than that. They were artistic genius. They were performance art. And you will find it difficult to truly understand either of these shows without them. As my soul brother Sweet put it: “Now, we’re partying. That’s what it’s all about.”

[@DavidSmith-cx8dg]

You've said it all , Amber was in the UK charts for a few weeks with Under your spell . Buffy was shown twice an edited version early evening and the full later . Xena was original and worked well but this involved the entire cast , more plotlines and different musical styles . Great performances from the whole cast .

[@josephwalker6209]

I knew your reaction to this would excellent. Was not disappointed. Your face at the ending was absolute gold!

[@madcommune]

There are a very few "certain episodes" of this series we all wait for....this is one of them.

[@GoddessOfWhatnot]

I’m so glad you weren’t spoiled about this episode! Brilliant reaction 😆

[@angelawheatley4569]

Buffy didn't hear Giles singing because she was in slo-mo time, while he was singing in regular time

[@kirielbranson4843]

This is a musical thing, where one person is singing but people around them can't hear it because it is representing the singers inner monologue. So, it is ok if you put a reason to it but if you watch a lot of musicals you will have seen this before.

[@rriggs6547]

@@kirielbranson4843 Though what you say is true, it doesn't fit with everything else done in the episode. Whedon did everything with a purpose so there is an explanation as to why Buffy didn't hear.

[@PGIFilms]

39:20 "Why didn't Buffy hear Giles sing?" There are two types of songs in musicals, either the song (1) reflects the actual scene interaction as a form of dialog among the characters or (2) it reflects the inner thoughts of the singing character(s) that only the audience is meant to be aware of. Giles' song "Standing" is the latter and meant to reflect his inner thoughts and feelings about Buffy after her return. The song that follows "Standing" where Tara and Giles duet "Under Your Spell/Standing Reprise" is also "unheard" by the other characters as the reprise reflects Tara's and Giles' inner thoughts and feelings as they both look at Willow and Buffy talking to each other.