The Watcher Diaries: Lover's Walk - Buffy Episode 3.8

Posted by Jason Chamberlain on 10.14.2008

Spike returns to Sunnydale and brings a whole lot of trouble (and truth) with him. Relationships are strained, strange alliances are formed and punches get thrown; 411's Scooby Gang reviews 'Lover's Walk'!

When Sunnydale needs to be shaken up, there’s just one vampire for the job. Spike!

3.8 Lover’s Walk
Written By: Dan Webber
Directed By : David Semel

Watcher’s Notes: Spike sings “My Way” by The Sex Pistols as he drives out of town. Of course, it’s a cover of the classic Frank Sinatra tune. The version Spike sings along to is actually from the film “Sid and Nancy” and is performed by Gary Oldman, who starred as Sid Vicious in the film.

Slayer Speak: “I gave her everything. Beautiful jewels, beautiful dresses, with beautiful girls in them!”- Spike tells Willow about his unsuccessful attempts to get back Drusilla back.

Ron Martin is up with the full review!

“Lover’s Walk” is widely known as the Spike episode of Season Three. Everyone’s favourite bleached limey makes his only Season Three appearance as a love struck, drunken mess looking for a way to win Drusilla back. And it’s brilliant. Spike works two fold here. First, he’s comic relief. The scene where he is re-igniting his strange, but ridiculously funny relationship with Joyce is one of my personal favourites of the whole series.

Despite the Spike fans drooling over their remotes, the episode really isn’t about Spike at all. In fact, Spike takes a backseat to pretty much every other character in the episode. Not in entertainment value, but in storyline importance. Spike plays the role of instigator and moderator as well as comic. This is his second purpose in the episode. He is the force that brings the three strained relationships to the boiling point. For Willow, Oz, Xander and Cordelia he inadvertently puts the two combustible elements together and as expected, flames erupted. The beautiful thing is when the proverbial sh*t hits the fan; all the characters personalities shine through. Willow will blame herself and doubt herself as she does. Xander will joke it away. Cordelia will act brashly and Oz, well, Oz will think about it. This is what Joss and company does. From the beginning, any normal thinking person wanted to see Willow and Xander get together. Three years later, the writers bring them together. Instead of jumping for joy, the writer’s have moulded the relationship into something perverse that makes the viewer cringe. TV writing doesn’t get much better than that, folks.

For Buffy and Angel, their relationship has always been the exact opposite of their friends. When their relationship is good, their friends aren’t and vice versa. Following that pattern, while the other relationships are exploding into oblivion, Buffy and Angel (through Spike) are realizing that their relationship can’t, no matter how much they want to try and ignore their feelings. Sometimes these realizations have to be thrown into a person’s face before they will admit it. Spike is nothing if not in your face.

There’s some foreshadowing in this episode as well as Spike starts taking on vampires who attack him in the Magic Shop which would be a common vision after the midway point in Season Four. In the end, Spike performs his duties to perfection and leaves Sunnydale to work on his own broken relationship with Drusilla. His work in Sunnydale is done.

The one major beef I have with this episode is the ending. Cordelia falls through some steps and gets some sort of spike or piece of wood goes through her belly. Then we see a funeral which leads into characters talking about Cordelia in the hospital. That’s bush league writing and well beneath the talented writer’s on this season of Buffy. It a minor quibble, but one that drives me crazy. In the same episode that the writer’s moulded you into hating something that you wanted so badly just a year before, they pull an amateur trick like this.

“Lover’s Walk’s” place in the Buffyverse.

“Lovers Walk” plays a huge role in the Buffyverse. So huge, in fact, that without it, the entire series of Angel would not exist. The climactic moment of the show (Oz and Cordelia walking in on Xander and Willow) would start the ball rolling for Cordelia to leave the show. More importantly, the realization that Angel could not be around Buffy without loving her and therefore always being in danger of bringing Angelus back would be the seminal moment for him moving to LA, and thus the beginnings of Angel. In a more minor role, while this isn’t the first time the Magic Shop appeared in the show, it’s the first time it’s had a significant amount of screen time. Of course beginning in Season 5, the Magic Shop would be the setting for the majority of the show. Of course, this episode leads to the breakup of Xander and Cordelia, adding to the lists of failed relationships for Xander but also freeing him up for moments with Faith and then a long relationship with Anya.

Themes explored in “Lover’s Walk.”

Spike’s not like the other vampires. Even before getting his soul, we can see that Spike isn’t like the other vampires and that includes Angel. Spike doesn’t have a soul, but unlike the other demonically possessed vampires, Spike has the ability to feel love. His love for Drusilla is unlike any other soulless vampire’s love for anything. The fact that he would come back to Sunnydale, face the Slayer and her gang just to try to concoct a plan to get her back speaks volumes.

Relationships – man, their hard. We saw the dissolution of two relationships. We saw the aftermath of a broken one and we saw the beginnings of a second chance for a fourth one. All the major characters on Buffy go through relationship up and downs. For some reason, the writers on the show love to deal with all the major relationships on the show in the same episode. This would be a theme that will repeat itself a number of times throughout the series.

Buffy has a soft spot for Spike. Long before she would pull up her work uniform for a good shag in the back alley on her lunch break for him, Buffy shows her favouritism for Spike by easily giving in to his demands. Buffy’s irrational mercy for Spike is odd here and would get maddening later in the series.

Willow the Witch. This is a significant jump for Willow who will later use magic to solve all problems and ease her own life. Her ability to perform magic is getting stronger, thus attracting the attention of Spike and putting herself in danger. Willow’s preference for magic would put her in danger many times throughout the series.

Interesting…

The “accident” Cordelia has at the end of the episode is identical to an accident Charisma Carpenter had as a child. Charisma already had the scar on her tummy and now Cordelia does as well.

Quotable “Lovers Walk”

Oz: "I can see why you'd be upset. Uh, that was my sarcastic voice."
Xander: "Y'know, it sounds a lot like your regular voice."
Oz: "I've been told that."

Mike Gorman

Spike makes his only appearance of the season this week and of course brings a load of drama to town with him. His crazed desire to make Drusilla love him again provides a nice contrast to all the couple issues that have been bouncing around Sunnydale these past few episodes. Willow and Xander's secret coming out in a big way will have an impact for the rest of the season, and actually made me feel bad for Cordelia. Buffy and Angel's moments this week are also great as they realize the "just friends" status is not something they can handle. By episode's end it seems the only one with their head on straight is Spike as he rides off to reclaim his love. This episode balanced the fun I expect from the show with a good amount of angst, just as a senior year of high school should!

Jeremy Thomas

The return of Spike is always something to be heralded as a joy in Buffy episodes, and this is no exception. Using Spike and Dru, the OTHER star-crossed lovers from the early seasons (although really, isn't any relationship in the show star-crossed?), to bring all the relationship issues to the forefront was a surprisingly good way to bring things to a head. The reason it's surprising is that, while the drama is heavy in this episode, it never seems forced or overdone. We have the downturn of the Oz/Willow/Xander/Cordy situation, and not a moment too soon--I didn't particularly like Willow and Xander's guilt-ridden affair. And of course, Angel and Buffy have their moments. This is where I finally came to terms with Angel's return, probably because I just like Angel better when he's unhappy. Hey, it's nothing against the character, he's just easiest to watch when he's tormented or evil. This also has the distinction of having one of the greatest lines of the season:

Spike: "You're not friends. You'll never be friends. You'll be in love 'til it kills you both. You'll fight, and you'll shag, and you'll hate each other 'til it makes you quiver, but you'll never be friends. Love isn't brains, children, it's blood. Blood screaming inside you to work its will. I may be love's bitch, but at least I'm man enough to admit it."

You gotta love the man...for all his occasional goofiness, he really hits it on the head with his observations sometimes. Episode Rating: 8.0

Jason Chamberlain

There are so many things to love about this episode for a Spike fan boy like me. I'm pretty sure this was the episode that made Joss want to bring Spike onto the show as a regular the following year. The guy makes things happen by his mere presence.

The best part is probably his hot chocolate conversation with Joyce!

Another thing I love about this episode is the guitar riff that plays over the final images of everyone looking sad and unhappy. Presumably played by Oz as he slumps over his guitar at the Bronze, it's a really nice piece and one of the first things I wanted to learn when I took up the instrument.

Oh, and Spike singing My Way? Brilliant! My Rating: 9.0

The 411: This is a very entertaining episode. The return of Spike and the effects it has on all major relationships in the show give this episode a big time feel. It also had a major effect on the rest of the Buffy series as well as Angel. However, points are docked for the disappearance of Faith, The Mayor and Mr. Trick. Also, for the hokey bait and switch at the end. Still an excellent episode in the must see category.

Final Score:  8.5   [ Very Good ]