Review
Stephen: "Dawson Leery's dad"
Things get serious once again, as the Initiative’s real purpose is revealed: Adam, a Frankenstein’s monster of human, demon, and mechanical parts.
This is season four’s Mayor. The big villain at last! Disappointingly he looks like a transporter incident involving Kermit the Frog, a personal computer, and Dawson Leery’s dad.
Professor Walsh’s legacy is finally revealed, with no previous clues. Why was she so eager to experiment with constructed beings? Was she infertile? Either way she seemed to have tossed a coin and given Adam the brain and Riley the looks when she started.
Good to see Blucas given some meat to work with, though I wish Adam was more formidable. Hopefully he will get scarier.
James: "Spiking their Twinkies"
Together with last week's show, this makes the lamest two-parter in Buffy's history. The season's major league villain is a major disappointent. Oooh, slightly green Action Man. Scary.
There's sloppy scripting too. Fans were quick to spot that last week, much was made of Riley taking "vitamins", yet this week we're told that Professor Walsh was actually doping the Initiative's food - surely a much more complex arrangement. Was she spiking their Twinkies?
Also, the death of the child is a horrific tragedy ... for about a microsecond, and then everyone forgets about it. Unusually callous writing.
Kim: "Puppy goes Rabid"
Oh dear. Having cheerfully slated that hunk of man-flesh Riley for being the dumbest fool on telly, I have a confession to make.
I thought he was superb in this episode.
There. I’ve said it. He had me on edge when he lost it in Willy’s bar - it was quite shocking to see our puppy go rabid. It was unsettling to see such a level headed character reduced to inchoate ranting during cold turkey from his "vitamins", and his "Here’s Johnny" moment round the curtain actually made me jump. Top marcs (sic) to Blucas for a bravura piece of acting. Let’s hope Riley doesn’t return to lug-dom too soon.
