Act Three

35BBB) "These things happen all the time. You can't just...close your eyes and hope that they're gonna go away." CLOSE YOUR EYES: Again, eye-closing as a metaphor for blinding yourself to the truth is used. Interestingly, the last time, this reference was brought on by Buffy. She asked Angel to close his eyes before stabbing him (see 34Fx4). Now, after having sent her lover to Hell, she no longer wants to be blinded to life's harsh realities: she's living them right now.

35CCC) "You know about monsters and stuff. You could have brought this with you." BUFFY'S FAULT?: See 13K.

35DDD) "Look, I know you all think I'm a big square handing out leaflets about hope. But hope is a real thing, just like despair. And hope can fill up a part of you that's missing." THE ART OF SEDUCTION: "Firstly, Ken comes over as even more square by using the term 'square': 60's youth slang for a person not 'cool' 'hip', 'swinging' or 'with it' ie not in tune with beat/hippy culture. 'Cool' has persisted, while the other terms now seem hopelessly dated themselves. [Of course, Ken wants to come off looking square and 'out of it' so as to appear more like a harmless head of a youth program.] Secondly, Ken's seductive spiel is clever, because it contains quite a lot of truth. Both Buffy and Lily have come to LA during a crisis of confidence, looking for hope, and are instead feeling the stresses of living in an anonymous and dangerous environment. Although Lily is streetwise enough not to really trust Ken, the loss of Rickie has left her desperately needing the hope he offers."--MsGiles, Sat, 06/14/03 at 02:47:53

35EEE) "Breaking into your office and going through your private files...Candidate for what?" THAT'S OUR BUFFY: "Buffy has managed to overcome her personal despair, and has become an active agent again, the Buffy we know and love from the previous two seasons. Her depression has been mainly confined to the summer, and hence off-screen, as the summer school breaks are also forming the natural breaks between series. In future series she will continue to face the cycle of sinking into despair/recovering the power of action, culminating in Season 6 when the balance will be reversed, and she will spend almost the whole series floundering in doubt, only to really recover herself at the end."--MsGiles, Sat, 06/14/03 at 02:47:53

35FFF) Buffy reaches over to the phone and yanks it off of the wall. OOPS!: "Prop gaff - The nurse catches Buffy searching the files, and threatens to call the police. Buffy shows her strength by ripping the phone off the wall. Unfortunately the prop department was a little too realistic, and attached a phone cable. It's still attached after Buffy does her damage. Chances are the phone would still work."--Cactus Watcher, Wed, 06/11/03 at 22:40:30

35GGG) "I don't even know what a tea cozy is, but I want one." DEFINITIONY GOODNESS: For those of you, like Buffy, who don't know, a tea cozy is a padded cloth covering meant to keep a teapot warm.

35HHH) "Nothing. I just... I give him the names of the healthy ones." SEASON THREE THEMES: "Corruption and collusion: a main theme of Season 3."--MsGiles, Sat, 06/14/03 at 02:47:53

THE EVIL OF THE NURSE: "The morality of the nurse's actions does not depend on how much she knows about what Ken's purposes are; she seems to not want to know a lot about it--as if she suspects he is up to no good. Nevertheless, she continues to help him. We are not told if there is any compensation to her, in which case her sin might be greed. She may likely fear Ken, in which case she is putting her own survival ahead of the teens (selfishness)."--Masquerade, "Anne" Analysis from http://www.atpobtvs.com

35III) "Give them to who?" FROM THE ORIGINAL SHOOTING SCRIPT: In the original script, this is followed by Buffy comically questioning her grammar: "Give them to who? (beat) Or, wait -- give them to whom? Or maybe it's who..."--"Anne" by Joss Whedon, available through Pocketbooks, Inc. as Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Script Book, Season Three, Volume 1

35JJJ) "A cleansing is like a baptism? Right?" RELIGION CREEPY: "Lily associates Ken's rather formulaic manner of approach and his apparent 'do-gooding' agenda as evidence that he is part of a religious group. The tradition of promoting religious belief by means of a 'mission' to the homeless and vulnerable goes back at least to the 19thC and the Salvation Army, which recruited among the urban homeless, a feature of the growing cities of the industrial revolution. In the 60's and 70's many 'cults' recruited by offering a combination of material and spiritual solace to (mainly) young people in an impoverished or distressed state. In the 80s and 90s a series of campaigns against the coercive methods of some 'cults', as well as events like the mass suicides at Jonetown in 1973, and various Solar Temple deaths in the 90s, resulted in much anti-cult feeling and eventually legislation."--MsGiles, Sat, 06/14/03 at 02:47:53

"Once again we get a fairly thin metaphor for organized religious institutions being, or at least being used for, evil (see 19UUU). This will come up again more strongly with Caleb in Season 7." Important to note, however, is that this pseudo-religion itself is obviously not a traditional Christian sect but rather posing as a cult, as previously mentioned.--Rook, Thurs, 06/12/03 at 05:57:02, with additions by Rob

35LLL) "I'm doing this for Buffy's sake. This has nothing to do with you." UM, CORDY?: This is quite the statement! After slowly going from the Scoobies' enemy to an active participant, she now not only is helping them but claiming that she's doing it for Buffy and not for Xander! Although she is partly saying this to pretend that she doesn't care about Xander anymore, the fact that she has reached a place where she would actually admit to wanting to help Buffy for the sake of helping Buffy and not for her own protection or personal gains, is quite an achievement. See 35QQ.

35MMM) Cut to Family Home. FROM THE ORIGINAL SHOOTING SCRIPT: "INT. CLEANSING CHAMBER - NIGHT It's a small room with a couple of steps leading down to a stone floor. It is somewhat dark, religious in feel but not overtly creepy. In the center of the floor is what looks like a really tiny lap pool -- a rectangle of maybe four by eight feet filled with black, murky liquid."--"Anne" by Joss Whedon, available through Pocketbooks, Inc. as Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Script Book, Season Three, Volume 1

35NNN) "It looks kinda...dirty." VISUAL SYMBOLISM: The dirty-look of the water, of course, indicates that it and the Family Home are in fact dirty.

35OOO) "You know, I just... I woke up, and I looked in the mirror, and I thought, hey, what's with all the sin? I need to change. I'm... I'm dirty. I'm, I'm bad with the... sex and the envy and that, that loud music us kids listen to nowadays." BUFFY BAD LIAR: See 5S.

TWISTAGE: "It's ironic that Buffy *was* of interest to the 'Family Home' only a short time ago, and Ken was trying to get her into the very place she is now being shut out of. What has happened, is that her attitude has changed, she is no longer escaping, beaten down, no longer a victim. This response can only confirm her suspicions that the 'Home' is in some way exploiting the weak."--MsGiles, Sun, 06/15/03 at 15:20:44

35PPP) ...but instead they just both fall into the pool as well. FROM THE ORIGINAL SHOOTING SCRIPT: "Lily's hand still trails in the water -- and she is suddenly yanked in -- screaming as she disappears below the surface. Buffy runs to her, but Ken blocks the way. Buffy tries to throw him, but he is strong, locking her arms in his grip. After a moment of struggle, Buffy just throws all her weight into him and they both fall, wrapped like lovers, into the liquid as well...ANGLE: THE POOL Sits placidly above her with Escheresque improbability."--"Anne" by Joss Whedon, available through Pocketbooks, Inc. as Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Script Book, Season Three, Volume 1

DROWNING BUFFY: "When Buffy dives into the pool, it will be the 2nd time on the series that she's been baptized. The first time was in Prophecy Girl, when she came out of the water stronger [and with a much more Faith-like attitude] (see 12MMM and 12OOO), the next time will be in Bad Girls, when she [also] comes out of almost being drowned with a much more Faith-like attitude. She'll undergo another one in her dream in Consequences, where she'll back off from that attitude upon awakening. Here...[s]he comes out of it relieved of the depression and confusion that's been with her since Becoming II, in the same way that she awoke stronger after being revived by Xander in Prophecy Girl [but without the 'tude]."--Rook, Sat, 06/14/03 at 15:56:35 See 35UUU, and 35VVV.

35QQQ) "Do you have any idea how hard it is to glue that thing on?!" UNMASKING: Buffy will similarly cause a demon to lose its fake human face in the fourth season finale, Living Conditions, when she rips her roommate, Kathy's, face off!

35RRR) "Welcome to my world. I hope you like it." FROM THE ORIGINAL SHOOTING SCRIPT: "INT. MAIN CHAMBER - CONTINUOUS - NIGHT It's enormous. And it's Hell. Part factory, part prison camp, with more than a little Spanish Inquisition thrown in. HUMAN PRISONERS work at hauling enormous stones, doing metal work, any and all demeaning and backbreaking labour. Along the tops of the huge concrete pillars, people have been hung up to die for crimes of one kind or another. Molten metal runs along gutters into metal vats. Everything is covered with a layer of grime. Carey and David K blow their entire budgets for the year, and Gareth can be seen in the corner weeping.

The people all wear the same kind of nondescript outfit that Lily has been put into, only dirtier. They are practically zombies, submissive and silent. Guards -- demons all -- patrol around, occasionally stopping to beat a prisoner. Their garb has a flavor of the medieval mixed in with the SS. It's all bad. Searchlights at either end constantly sweep the place...Buffy stops, taking it all in. Ken steps up behind her, in control, since she has nowhere to run."--"Anne" by Joss Whedon, available through Pocketbooks, Inc. as Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Script Book, Season Three, Volume 1

WELCOME TO HELL: "This factory is a classic nineteenth or twentieth century vision of hell--endless physical labor amidst the heat and noise of a factory whose purpose is totally unknown to you. Ken's demon dimension is a good example of evil-as-order. Humans are forced into the highly disciplined life of factory slaves, stripped of their humanity and individuality. After they are released from hell, the now-elderly victims have no memory of their previous lives on Earth…Ken's victims are also completely devoid of self-worth (evidenced by their repeated, 'I'm no one'--see 35GG)."--Masquerade, "Anne" Analysis from http://www.atpobtvs.com

SHOE-OOPS!: "Throughout the scenes in the demon factory you'll notice Buffy's footwear changes back and forth from a pair of olive-toned Jack Purcell Converse's (no longer available) to a pair of large, nondescript, white leather tennis shoes. Clearly, the latter are her practice shoes. Also, she is wearing the practice shoes in the final scene in her hotel room with Lily."--Sofdog, Thurs, 06/12/03 at 11:35:19

Act Four

35SSS) "Oh, yeah! Mr. Faithful? You probably met up with some hot little Inca Mummy Girl. Yeah! I heard about her." CONTINUITY CHECK: Cordy is referring to the events of the episode entitled, you guessed it, Inca Mummy Girl!

35TTT) He explodes into ashes between them, and Cordelia falls down on top of Xander. The two of them look at each other for an instant, then grab each other and start kissing passionately. LINKAGE: Being thrown into a desparate situation after having argued, thus leading the two of them to kiss passionately is very similar to how Xander and Cordy first began their relationship in What's My Line II (see 22OO).

35UUU) "What is Hell but the total absence of hope? The substance, the tactile proof of despair." HELLA COOL: "In...[Dante's Inferno], the words 'Abandon hope all ye who enter here' are carved above the gate of Hell. Certain present day Christian thinkers also tend to viewing Hell as consisting chiefly of separation from God and hopelessness, rather than the melodramatic corporeal tortures associated with medieval Christian beliefs."--KdS, Thurs, 06/12/03 at 05:27:27

"Let's give medieval Christians some credit, shall we? Even they understood the images of corporeal tortures in hell as metaphors for spiritual torment."--MaeveRigan, Thurs, 06/12/03 at 09:28:19

"I think the top ring of hell in Dante's Inferno is reserved for the unbaptized. They suffer no torment, only the knowledge that they will never be allowed into the warmth of heaven. Otherwise, their eternity is a light, hazy, peaceful place."--Sofdog, Thurs, 06/12/03 at 11:10:12

"As to Limbo’s light factor, well that depends on whether you are in the high rent or the low rent district of Limbo. In the high rent area, where all the really cool philosophers and great leaders un-live, there is indeed a low glow and a lawn. In the rest of Limbo, there is only darkness. And the residents exist in a constant state of sorrow. The air is full of mournful sighs and whispers. And although the later levels contain flashy tortures and some fairly seductively intriguing villains, (Francesca, Ulysses, etc.) it is the absence of God’s light that is the base torment. As Dante descends he sees that everyone who is in hell is doomed to repeat in some way or another the sin that put them there. The Inferno dwellers cannot learn.

'For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.' (I Cor. 13:9-13)

And I consider the inky murk that serves as a transition between worlds. A befouled baptismal. A bridge between worlds as in C.S. Lewis’ The Magician’s Nephew. But instead of a wood between worlds dappled in green inertia, it is the oil of Metropolis that keeps the giant machine running. Serving the same purpose as the river Lethe and yet rather than serving as an entry into Heaven (as in the Canto at the top of Dante’s Purgatory) or as an entry way into rebirth (as in Virgil’s Aeneid), it grinds out interchangeable cogs. Removing memory, identity, hope. Cogs that will never see into the glass face to face. Never know themselves."--fresne, Thurs, 06/12/03 at 11:57:39 See 35PPP and 35VVV.

In "Claudio Monteverdi's [opera] L'Orfeo...[the abandonment of hope is very] literal...Speranza [Hope] has led Orfeo [Orpheus] to the entrance to hell to seek Euridice but can accompany him no further, for to continue inside he must abandon Hope."--anom, Thurs, 06/12/03 at 23:16:19

In his groundbreaking comic book series, The Sandman, Neil Gaiman played upon this theme with an interesting twist--everyone in Hell is there because of his or her own guilt. They make it clear that no one has to be in Hell; people do that to themselves. The tortures are devised to suit the humans' masochistic ideas of how they should be punished for the sins they committed in life. Based on this idea, one could say that the fact that the kids who are all captured seem to be trapped in their own seemingly hopeless, futureless situations, that they created this Hell for themselves. As Lily says, she always knew she'd end up here. While Neil Gaiman's Hell indeed has an absence of hope, it does not have an absence of dream. Morpheus, the King of Dreams, is able to defeat Lucifer, who claims that dreams have no power in Hell, by reminding him, "What power would Hell have if those here imprisoned were not able to dream of Heaven?"

35VVV) "Oh. Uh, interesting thing: time moves more quickly here than in your reality. A hundred long years will pass here. On Earth, it's just a day." THE METAPHYSICS: "Ken's victims actually age in the normal way--time passes, they get old. But because time moves faster in Ken's demon dimension than on Earth, several decades can pass in the demon dimension while only a day has passed on Earth. Hence, you can be 17 years old on Tuesday morning, September 29, 1998 when you fall through the portal, pass seventy years in the demon dimension, and reemerge back on Earth at the age of 87 on Tuesday evening, September 29, 1998 (Ken states specifically that the difference for his realm is 100 demon dimension years/to 1 Earth day.)"--Masquerade, "Anne" Analysis from http://www.atpobtvs.com

LINKAGE: "A setup for explaining that Angel was tortured for hundred of years in whatever Hell dimension he's in between Becoming II and Faith Hope, and Trick (see 37P)."--Rook, Thurs, 06/12/03 at 05:57:02

MYTH AND MAGIC: The inspiration for this concept perhaps came from "medieval fairy legends [which] very often use the feature that time in Faerie runs at a different speed than in the human world. In the legends, however, the human world is usually faster, so people come back after a few days in Faerie to discover that all their friends and relatives are ancient or dead. Here it was reversed in the service of metaphor."--KdS, Tues, 07/01/03 at 14:21:22

Another possible source is C.S. Lewis' classic series of books, The Chronicles of Narnia, about a magical world called Narnia where time moves differently than in our world. The kids who visit it in the first book, The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe, remain there for many years, only to return to Earth on the very same day that they first left it. The second book, Prince Caspian, takes place one year later in our time, but over sixty years later in Narnia time.

"For C.S. Lewis/Anne, I was actually thinking of the way the pool of water/oil (which doesn’t get you wet) is a doorway between worlds, with a half way house in between, as in The Magician’s Nephew, the wood between the worlds. Plus, the contrast of woodsy greens vs. Industrial labor. Metropolis and the Witch Queen’s dying world. Red glow and crucified angels. That sort of thing. Not so much the dilation of time effect, although come to think of it, yeah, that too. But no, Lewis, medieval scholar dude that he was, didn’t come up with it. Worlds apart grind at different paces it would seem. He can’t even really claim the pool of water thing, since baptism would, in a metaphoric way, do the same thing. Except you do actually get wet when baptized."--fresne, Wed, 07/02/03 at 13:35:33 See 35PPP and 35UUU.

35WWW) "No one." LOSS OF IDENTITY: "The denial of identity is a typical tactic of ultra-authoritarian environments. In military and prison conditions, the individual name is often replaced by a number [as how the Initiative number and catalog the demons they capture]. In the demon slave camp here, even this is not available."--KdS, Thurs, 06/12/03 at 05:27:27

"On a side note, those who have forced women into sexual slavery often give the victims letter designations instead of names. I've read it's an homage to The Story of 'O'. Many of those who fantasize about taking real sexual slaves hold this book, and The Collector, as classics. (I know. Ick.)"--Sofdog, Thurs, 06/12/03 at 11:10:12

35XXX) "I'm Buffy. The Vampire Slayer. And you are...?" JOSEPH CAMPBELL AND THE HERO'S JOURNEY: "On Buffy's side of the story, a complete voyage of the hero is shown. From being called to action by Lily to refusal and reluctant acceptance, to the Underworld descent, winning of the boon/woman, return to the ordinary world and sharing of the boon (a)...Buffy's stint in L.A. is a Refusal/Meditation segment on her larger journey. After the climax with Angelus she removes herself from the hero's path and goes into a state of isolation. This is exemplified by those scenes where she sits on her bed and simply stares. It is clear that Buffy is near the end of this period of contemplation else she would not have answered Lily's request for help finding her boyfriend. Then the cycle of uncovering the shelter, descending to the other dimension, liberating the enslaved and returning to LA completes Buffy's meditation and readies her to resume her mission as Sunnydale's 'protector of the night'...From The Hero with a Thousand Faces (Joseph Campbell): 'So it is that sometimes the predicament following and obstinate refusal of the call proves to be the occasion of a providential revelation of some unsuspected principle of release (b).'"--Sofdog, (a) Fri, 06/13/03 at 08:29:30; (b) Sat, 06/14/03 at 16:07:35 See

RECLAIMING HER NAME: "Buffy has left Sunnydale to escape her vocation and her identity, and lived under another name and another persona, but now in crisis she re-assumes her identity as Slayer, and is able to take on the forces of despair. After all, what is Ken's 'world' than any low-pay, low status, life-consuming job, that spits out its employees on the street when they are too old to be of use, and too beaten down to start again?"--MsGiles, Sun, 06/15/03 at 15:20:44

"Buffy used her identity as the slayer to foil Ken and his cohorts, whose modus operandi was to strip their victims of their identity."--Masquerade, "Anne" Analysis from http://www.atpobtvs.com

IS BUFFY AN EXISTENTIAL CHARACTER?: "A common existentialist claim is that 'man is his freedom'. For the existentialist, choice is central to being fully human [Jean-Paul Sartre (1905-1980)]. Existentialists often note that people struggle against this freedom of choice because it implies that life has no real meaning. They do this by inventing meanings--religions, laws, biological imperatives, the unconscious etc.--anything that will tell them what to do. But there are no absolute guidelines in the universe.

Is BtVS an existential show? Not in this sense: The show is ripe with meaning--the fight of real good against real evil (but see the relativist interpretation, below). In that sense, when the characters search for meaning in life and a place to belong, they get it in spades. There is no question that some great power for Good exists in their universe. However, the lines of good and evil are sometimes blurred, and most characters are free to chose otherwise than they have.

In the Buffyverse, some people are not their freedom. Before Buffy died, she was the subject of prophecy and her fate was in some ways pre-determined. In Prophecy Girl, she struggled against that destiny, but her actions followed the prophecy. Buffy is no longer the subject of prophecy, and she has a choice about her whether or not to accept her calling. But a calling she has, from the forces of good.

The fact that she can choose to turn her back on that calling (as Faith did), with all the possible repercussions, weighs on her heavily. However, the consequences of not accepting her calling are much too serious to call it a real choice, at least for someone with moral integrity like Buffy. For example, could she have really chosen not to send Angel to hell in Becoming II? The only time Buffy really 'chose' not to follow her calling was in Anne. This episode is not necessarily a fair examination of what her life could be like if she stopped being the slayer, but it does demonstrate how Buffy's identity as the slayer is integral to her self-image. Can we choose not to be the people we really are? To even believe that we have a built-in character is to argue we are not totally free. In that respect, Buffy is not an existentialist character."--Masquerade, "Philosophies Represented on BtVS and AtS: Existentialism," from http://www.atpobtvs.com

LINKAGE: Anne has many parallels with Bad Eggs: "In both eps, people are enslaved as labor for demonic purposes. In Bad Eggs, however, their minds are taken over; in Anne, they're intimidated & threatened into doing what they're told. In Bad Eggs, the 2 people not taken over are rulebreakers: Xander boils his egg; Buffy kills the hatchling because she sneaks in late & is awake to see it start to hatch. In Anne, the kids who are enslaved are screened for hopelessness so they won't fight back (unnecessary in Bad Eggs); Buffy appears vulnerable because she's at an emotional low point, but it's only temporary. In both cases, by maintaining her individuality, Buffy is able to overthrow the slavery system. OK, that & by being the Slayer."--anom, Mon, 06/16/03 at 23:08:19

35YYY) "Anyone who's not having fun here, follow me." FOLLOW THE SLAYER: "This Slayer can also be a leader: Buffy shows here that the qualities that make her so essential to the Scoobies (and without which they are currently floundering so noticeably without her, back in Sunnydale) are not just based on strength, and don't just apply among her friends: with barely a thought here she is taking the initiative, planning, and convincing people to follow her."--MsGiles, Sun, 06/15/03 at 15:20:44

35ZZZ) "Lily...You can handle this. 'Cause I say so." SHARING THE STRENGTH: A great example of Buffy empowering others around her, and sharing her power. Buffy gives Lily the strength to carry on by herself. This metaphor reaches its highest, um, potential, in the last episode, Chosen.

35Ax4) She reaches a platform, shoulder rolls onto it and rises to a standing position. SLAYAGE: "Here follows one of the most heroic fight scenes in the series. There is a sense of Buffy's complete isolation as she takes her stand. She is in an alien town, miles from her friends, in a hidden demon world, surrounded by powerful enemies and a huge, well-developed machinery of oppression. Her only possible allies have been selected for their weakness and hopelessness. Because she has acknowledged who she is, accepted the calling that goes with the strength of Slaying, she can turn from being daunted by daily life in the world, to this taking on of impossible odds, with no thought of losing. Perhaps in a way she can also conclude the fight with Angelus: the fight that took her so long to build up to, the victory that was taken from her at the last moment, and turned from a necessary victory of good over bad into a tragedy, with no winners."--MsGiles, Sun, 06/15/03 at 15:20:44

VISUAL SYMBOLISM: Something important to note, which the transcript ignores, is that, right above the platform on which Buffy is fighting, is a huge statue of a winged angel, either on a crucifix, or making the sign of a cross with his winged arms. "This could be imagery foreshadowing Angel's return from Hell, and also perhaps the first instance of the Angel/Christ imagery/metaphor that continues on in Angel (a)...The angel's prominence was a direct tie-in to Angel's fate - Buffy has sent him to hell so she now consigns herself to hell. Not necessarily the factory-hell itself but the hellish environment of LA (Helen's Kitchen wasn't just a cute New York joke!). Like the victims of the factory, Buffy was in despair, she wanted to be no one, she perhaps wanted to be punished for what she had done to Angel. In traveling to a literal hell she found what she needed to get out of her personal hell - hope. So I think the image of the angel was a reminder of why she was there in the first place. Also, the statue had a cool Art Deco look, giving the factory more of a 1920's Metropolis-style industrial horror, rather than an older 19th century feel--see 8W (b)."--(a) Scroll, Sun, 06/15/03 at 13:15:24; (b) ponygirl, Mon, 06/16/03 at 09:05:08, with small additions by Rob

35Bx4) On the platform Buffy continues to fight another guard... FROM THE ORIGINAL SHOOTING SCRIPT: "BUFFY Looking sweaty and cool as searchlights sweep across her face. She's waiting for the fun. 'The fun' comes in the form of, say, FOUR DEMON GUARDS rushing her. The first gets a hammer in the face, as Buffy spins and hurls her blade in Braveheartian fashion into the chest of the second. The rest of the fun will depend on the dictates of the location, the time at hand, and a certain amount of input from one of the 100 most creative people in Hollywood. (Not Seth, the other one). Anyway, it's mean, it's violent, it's good family viewing."--"Anne" by Joss Whedon, available through Pocketbooks, Inc. as Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Script Book, Season Three, Volume 1

35Cx4) "Humans don't fight back!" THE WAY IT WORKS: As ever, Buffy is a rulebreaker. She wins this fight not just because of her slaying powers and skills but because she is the first person ever to be taken to this dimension who stands up and refuses to be enslaved by them. The very shock of a human standing up to them throws Ken and his cronies off their game immediately.

35Dx4) While she's crouched, she looks up at the battle-ax as it falls and catches the airborne weapon. COMRADE BUFFY: "Buffy's use of the hammer and sickle-like axe here has been seen as a reference to the Russian Communist symbol of the hammer and sickle (symbolising the union of the urban industrial proletariat with the rural agricultural peasantry). A shot of Buffy with the axe in this sequence was used as the climax of the BtVS credits throughout Seasons 3-5."--KdS, Thurs, 06/12/03 at 05:27:27

"'The dark satanic mill is ruled over by demonic managers who use religion to enslave young people, suppressing their identities and using them up until it spits them out, old and broken down. The revolution is led by one who asserts her identity (class consciousness, anyone?), wielding a hammer and sickle. Slayers of the world, unite! (Jim L. Baird, 02:44 pm Jun 15, 1999)."--Masquerade, "Anne" Analysis from http://www.atpobtvs.com

FROM THE MOUTH OF THE ALMIGHTY JOSS: "The hammer and sickle were not intentional, but I too noticed the imagery when I saw them and was most pleased."--Joss Whedon, in a post at the Bronze Messageboard on Oct 3, 1998 at 23:25, reprinted by Masquerade, "Anne" Analysis from http://www.atpobtvs.com

INDIVIDUALIST BUFFY AND THE OL' SWITCHEROO: "The prevailing interpretation is hardly the only one. What also needs to be noted is that Buffy co-opts the weapons of the oppressors. The hammer and sickle, symbols of labor, are what give the demons power over their slaves. And the humans are slaves, not merely degraded tools of capitalism -- capitalist tools at least get paid, however inequitably. So we see a classic example of dehumanization through the ultimate egalitarianism...enforced by an elite. Not an unapt parallel to the actuality (rather than Marxist theory) of Leninist/Stalinist communism in the USSR. When Buffy asserts her identity, it can be seen as the triumph of rugged individualism over the egalitarian communist ethic where everyone is 'nobody' [special] and thus equally degraded. She refuses to cast off personal identity ('I'm Buffy [brief pause] the Vampire Slayer. And you are...?') regardless of the threats employed to destroy her individuality (shades of 1984 or Brave New World, anybody?)The irony of Buffy's use of the hammer and sickle in battle against their former owners could be considered as a commentary on the ultimate fate of such totalitarian societies -- revolution by the very workers that the government produced and controlled by force.

Of course, the alternative explanations...make...considerable sense too. I'm just tossing out my initial reaction to the episode, a reaction based primarily on the fact that the weapons were originally in the hands of the demons and represented, both physically and symbolically, the power the demons had over their slaves. BtVS is, after all, about how a handful of individuals can change/save/destroy the world by operating outside of the constricts (and, for that matter, constructs) of society."--Random, Tues, 01/14/03 at 17:51:04

35Ex4) Lily pushes him from behind... FROM THE ORIGINAL SHOOTING SCRIPT: "Lily meekly shoves him off the ledge...He falls a long way and splats. Buffy laughs with surprise."--"Anne" by Joss Whedon, available through Pocketbooks, Inc. as Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Script Book, Season Three, Volume 1

TAKIN' THE POWER: "[At the start of the episode,] Lily is just as weak as she ever was. We are meant to simultaneously feel sorry for her and to not feel sorry for her. She has learned dependence as a way of life and it is a hard habit to break. But like Buffy, we rapidly lose patience with it, asking her to stand on her own. Lily takes a step towards this when she throws Ken off the scaffolding. To even conceive of taking advantage of the situation (being alone behind Ken on the scaffolding) requires thinking of ones' self as independent. No doubt having Buffy put her in charge of the others was empowering, but she takes that power at that moment."--Masquerade, "Anne" Analysis from http://www.atpobtvs.com

EMPOWERING LILY: "Over and over again, in Sunnydale, Buffy has been saved by the presence of her friends. That theme continues here. She has helped Lily, and now Lily is unexpectedly in a position to repay that debt. If Buffy had worked purely for the narrow Slayer agenda, like, say, Kendra, she would have been lost here."--MsGiles, Sun, 06/15/03 at 15:20:44

35Fx4) "Okay... this... works... the abs... and... the glutes." BUFFY STRONG: "As Buffy raises the grate to allow the prisoners to escape the hell dimension, she says it will work 'the abs and the glutes'. The abs are abdominal muscles. The glutes including the gluteus maximus are muscles in the seat."--Cactus Watcher, Wed, 06/11/03 at 22:40:30

35Gx4) The gate falls down on him. He suddenly arches up and screams in pain. POP CULTURE TIME: This is highly reminiscent of how Luke Skywalker kills the rancor, a huge monster, in an underground pit of Jabba the Hut's lair, in the third Star Wars film, Return of the Jedi.

35Hx4) "Well, you know, if he was really pissed off." GET IT?: "Mahatma ('great soul') Gandhi: famous proponent of passive resistance as a form of political protest:

A Brief History of Mohandas K. Gandhi by Richard Attenborough~~'Mohandas K. Gandhi was born in 1869 to Hindu parents in the state of Gujarat in Western India. He entered an arranged marriage with Kasturbai Makanji when both were 13 years old. His family later sent him to London to study law, and in 1891 he was admitted to the Inner Temple, and called to the bar. In Southern Africa he worked ceaselessly to improve the rights of the immigrant Indians. It was there that he developed his creed of passive resistance against injustice, satyagraha, meaning truth force, and was frequently jailed as a result of the protests that he led. Before he returned to India with his wife and children in 1915, he had radically changed the lives of Indians living in Southern Africa. Back in India, it was not long before he was taking the lead in the long struggle for independence from Britain. He never wavered in his unshakable belief in nonviolent protest and religious tolerance. When Muslim and Hindu compatriots committed acts of violence, whether against the British who ruled India, or against each other, he fasted until the fighting ceased. Independence, when it came in 1947, was not a military victory, but a triumph of human will. To Gandhi's despair, however, the country was partitioned into Hindu India and Muslim Pakistan. The last two months of his life were spent trying to end the appalling violence which ensued, leading him to fast to the brink of death, an act which finally quelled the riots. In January 1948, at the age of 79, he was killed by an assassin as he walked through a crowed garden in New Delhi to take evening prayers.'~~from http://www.engagedpage.com/gan1.html."--MsGiles, Sun, 06/15/03 at 15:20:44

This is one of the most brilliant examples of abstract humor in the show's history. For all intents and purposes, this joke shouldn't be funny, because it makes no logical sense. And yet, it is. Something about the two disparate images of the peaceful Gandhi (which Buffy just brought up to throw Ken off his guard--if you were a demon, wouldn't you be a little perplexed and curious about this statement?--see 35G) and Buffy, kicking Ken's ass. And then the punchline, where Buffy tries to explain why her impression worked, even though it didn't. One of the rare examples of the perfectly worded and executed joke that is funny merely because it is.

35Ix4) With a flash of light, the pool mysteriously tiles itself over to match the tiles along the edges. UNDEFEATED EVIL?: "Why does the portal close up after the teens leave? Perhaps the demons below were cutting their losses, at least for the moment...[But] 'What happened to those individuals/slaves who did not escape with Buffy.... Are they doomed to work in that alternate world until they die? (Cleio, Mar 14 21:50 1999)"--Masquerade, "Anne" Analysis from http://www.atpobtvs.com

35Jx4) "Can I be 'Anne'?" IT'S ABOUT POWER: "The episode clearly shows the underlying message, made very explicit in Season 7, that Buffy's true power, separating her from earlier Slayers, is her ability to empower others." While at first glance, it might seem that "Lily" is once again falling back into her habit of relying on other people to make decisions for her, taking on an identity again that is not her own, this is not the case. She is following Buffy's advice to the letter: she can stand on her own two feet and be her own person because Buffy says so (see 35ZZZ). Since "Lily" is a follower, Buffy, as the person "Lily" was following at the moment, wisely gave her an order--think for yourself. So, logically, now she must. Her use of Buffy's middle name here is the perfect embodiment of the metaphor of taking on Buffy's great power and strength of inspiring others. Most importantly, unlike the name "Lily," this one she gives herself (see 35JJ) as a tribute to this person who helped her out so much." When Anne reappears in the Season 2 AtS episodes Blood Money and The Thin Dead Line, she will be running a genuine hostel for homeless youth, and doing an excellent job of it." And, significantly, still using the name, Anne.--KdS, Thurs, 06/12/03 at 05:27:27, with additions by Rob

"It also elucidates the lesson that you can't run from who you are. Buffy returns home, while Lily keeps searching for [and finally finds] an identity that fits."--Sofdog, Thurs, 06/12/03 at 11:10:12

THE NAMING: Names are very powerful things in mythology. In many ancient tribes, people would have the names they were called by others, and secret names that no one else would know, because anyone who knew your real name had power over you. In Ursula K. LeGuin's classic Earthsea series of novels, villains and heroes could be defeated if either spoke the other's real name aloud. This idea will again be used on Angel, in Peace Out, when Angel finally defeats Jasmine by discovering her true name. Since names have such great power and importance, the naming of oneself is an extremely symbolic and meaningful act. Lily/Anne is now finally claiming her own destiny and forging her own identity. The last time she tried to do so, with Chantarelle, it was a name she did not understand (see 35KK); she fully understands what the name Anne means to her, though, and she goes in with her eyes wide open.

35Kx4) Then they step toward each other and hold each other close for a long, tight embrace. FROM THE ORIGINAL SHOOTING SCRIPT: "Joyce is in the kitchen, putting away some freshly washed pots in a low drawer. The doorbell rings. She pops up, anxious, then catches herself. Shakes her head. She walks toward the door, wiping her hands with a dishtowel. Something makes her pause, some instinct. She tosses the towel on the table, moves more slowly to the foyer. To the door. Hand on the knob. Door swinging open. A beat. She folds her daughter into her arms, and neither of them moves."--"Anne" by Joss Whedon, available through Pocketbooks, Inc. as Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Script Book, Season Three, Volume 1

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