The Watcher Diaries - A New Man - Buffy Episode 4.12

Posted by Jason Chamberlain on 07.01.2009

Ethan Rayne returns to Sunnydale and as usual, he brings chaos with him! Buffy gets cozy with Riley and is presented to the Initiative, while Giles has a really bad day!



4.12 A New Man
Writer: Jane Espenson
Director: Michael Gershman

Slayer Speak

Giles- You help me and I don't kill you.
Spike - Oh, tremendously convincing. Try it again without the stutter.

Giles - If you can't find third gear, don't try for third gear.
Spike - I'm doing my best - I don't know if I'm driving this thing or wearing it.

Ethan Rayne - I've got to learn to just do the damage and leave town. It's the "stay and gloat" that gets me every time.

Watcher’s Notes

This is the final appearance of Ethan Rayne on the show, though he returns in the season eight comic book... The crypt featured in the episode will soon become Spike's home.

Ron Martin has the full review!

One of the things I’ve always loved about Buffy is the writers’ natural abilities to know what we need in a story arc. For example, we’re halfway through season four and we’ve lost track a bit of our beloved Scooby gang. Buffy is too busy being obsessed with Riley; Willow is dealing with her sexuality and Xander is trying to find his spot in life and in his relationship with Anya. Lost in shuffle a bit is Giles, who’s acted more as mentor than Watcher thus far in the season, and has been involved in mostly a peripheral sense. Jane Espenson steps up to the plate and fills our tummy with what we hunger for – a little Giles/Buffy interaction.

This is one of the infamous Buffy birthday episodes. In a nice series of reversals, the same Watcher who deceived Buffy on her last birthday, but then lost his job because of his feelings for her is almost destroyed by Buffy until her bond with him steps in and stops her from doing so.

This episode is interesting on a number of levels. First, there’s the comparison of the relationships between Buffy/Giles and Riley/Maggie. While both could be perceived as college student with parental figures, While Giles is more into letting Buffy find her own way (which will eventually lead to his exit from the show for a time in Season Six), Maggie and Riley’s relationship is certainly one of command/obey. There’s also the comparison of Buffy, a 100 pound girl vs. the Initiative in what they’ve accomplished. Based on Maggie’s talk with Buffy, it’s fair to assume that Buffy has taken down more demons than the entire Initiative combined. Unfortunately, this is pretty much forgotten later in the season when the Scoobies are a bit looked down upon for their “primitive” techniques vs. The Initiative’s technology. This is also the last appearance of Ethan Rayne in the TV series. I thought Ethan’s arrest at the hands of the Initiative was a nice touch showing how this relationship could also benefit the Scoobies.

Kudos to Anthony Stewart Head who somehow pulled off a Fyral Demon while still maintaining his “Gilesish” ways. His chemistry is great with everyone in this episode from Xander to Spike to Buffy. I still say the world needed a Xander/Giles spinoff! I laugh out loud every time I see the demon chase Maggie Walsh down the street.

In a sub-storyline, Spike finds a crypt in Sunnydale to live in. Buffy doesn’t seemed to concerned about enforcing the details of their agreement in Season Three, which makes no sense to me, but Spike is popular so the writer’s have to find a way to work him in, so Buffy turns a blind eye. Also a bit perplexing is Buffy’s willingness to tell everyone in the Initiative that she is the slayer and ignore any warnings about the Initiative given to her by Giles. I suppose this could be written off as a side effect of her relationship with Riley, but it just seems like lazy writing to me.

Other than a few minor complaints, this is a perfectly acceptable , if unspectacular one off episode that both advances the main story arc and gives us our Giles fix we have been lacking most of the season. Any episode where Anthony Stewart Head gets to flex his acting muscles can’t be that bad. We came in fearing for the unity of our favorite team, but with the passion that Buffy fought for Giles, we leave assured that though they may be distracted, our team is still a unit deep down.

Ronny Sarnecky	Here’s something new. This was a Buffy episode that I don’t remember seeing. This was another “Buffy” episode that if you skipped it, you didn’t miss much. However, you would have missed Giles role as a demon. His interaction with Spike in his altered state was pretty entertaining. It was funny seeing Spike trying to convince Giles to embrace his new demon self. When Giles told Spike to stop the car, and he jumped out to scare Prof. Walsh was really funny. The big mystery coming out of this episode was “what is behind Door 314?” Even that isn’t a reason enough to make this a can’t miss episode. If you are a fan of Spike, and love comedy, then you should watch this episode. It’s not a bad episode. However, there is nothing earth shattering about it either.	7
Jeremy Thomas	This is one of those episodes that works in being a comedy one-shot episode...but still not exactly a one-shot. It succeeds, by and large, due to the efforts of Anthony Stewart Head, Robin Sachs and James Marsters as Giles, Ethan Rayne and Spike. We get a lot more of Lindsay Crouse then we've had to date, as Professor Walsh realy enters the picture. The main point here seemed to be further isolating Giles from the rest of the gang. This splintering of the Scoobies will of course continue throughout the rest of the season. There's a lot of fun in the humiliation of Giles, but the bits where Buffy's getting to know the Initiative just seems a bit awkward and forced, and Riley and Buffy have some absolutely atrocious flirting. Riley: "I'm not even sure I could take you." Buffy: "That all depends on your meaning." Ugh. Give me the crappy mopey Angel/Buffy dialogue from Season Two instead. Outside of those flaws however this was a decent enough episode that I can't complain too much about, and generates some laughs. And, of course, "What's behind Room 314?" We'll find out soon enough.	7
Jason Chamberlain	I'm going to put this right out on Front Street... I didn't watch this episode. Well, I have, but not this week. I'm on vacation, man! Still, I remember it being good times, especially for the Giles/Spike stuff. Now there's a sitcom duo! And Ethan Rayne is always welcome.	8

GRR!!! ARGH!!!

The 411: As I said, this is a perfectly acceptable, if unspectacular episode. Everything that needed to be accomplished was accomplished: Buffy is becoming familiar with the Initiative; our suspicions are confirmed that the Initiative isn't all on the up and up; Spike progresses in his story arc; Buffy's birthday is ruined and Ethan Rayne is taken care of. What's our reward? A somewhat grotesque but heart warming story bringing Giles and Buffy closer together still. Like a late night drunken trip to Steak N Shake, it hit the spot.

Final Score:  7.5   [ Good ]