"Surprise!" Well, Not For Me.

As a long-time fan of Buffy, and then later, Angel, this episode was nothing new to me. I remember being 9 years old watching my first episode from Season 1, which happened to be titled, "Angel," and from that point on I was hooked for the following 6 seasons. I have to admit though, as I've gotten older the experience of watching the episodes has inevitably changed, but my love for the show never has. I've always been attracted to storylines involving the supernatural (especially vampires), but the character of Buffy Summers was really the bait that hooked me in. I love strong female characters. I love the concept that females can stand up for themselves and be strong without depending on a dashing hunk of a man to come and rescue them, thus saving the day and keeping the earth turning on its axis. Secondary to Xena, Buffy was one of those females. Granted, she did have Angel (for a while), the Slayerettes and other characters along the way, but overall, she kicked ass and took names later.

"Surprise" is one of the cheesier episodes yes, but it really is the peak of Buffy and Angel's relationship. The ending of this episode is a pivotal moment in the season and from here, everything changes. Just as Buffy's dreams foreshadowed, the Angel she came to know and love, in a way, dies. And yes, there is a lot of angst, but at this point Buffy is seventeen and in love for the first time in her life. She's a typical 90's teen head over heels in L.O.V.E. and she's ignoring the consequences. She's really throwing caution to the wind when in reality of the Jossverse, she cannot be with Angel forever. Vampire + Human = Never a Happy Ending...well, apparently unless you're Bella and Edward... So for those of you who may have found the episode a little too dull and lovey-dovey, I think you'll find "Innocence" a pleasant surprise.

Spike has remained to be one of my favorite characters in the entire series. It's never a dull moment with him (Here I still picture him wearing that Hawaiian shirt...), and quite frankly, I've never seen someone work so hard, first to be evil and then later good, get nothing in return, then be cool about it in the end. Drusilla always fascinated me, more for her back story than her present insanity. From what I remember she was a young woman plagued by futuristic visions. After Angel was initially turned into a vampire (and became the most murderous vampire in history before having his soul restored and turning good), he relentlessly stalked Drusilla and drove her crazy. The night before she was to take her holy orders to become a nun, Angel killed her and turned her into a vampire. So, the bad Angel (or Angelus as he is later called) is the one to blame for her random outbursts, which are funny to watch. As for Xander, Willow, Cordelia, Oz and Giles, I always had fun watching them over the seasons. It was rewarding to see their own struggles from time to time and to see how much they had changed by the end.

No, Buffy is nothing new to me, but I still maintain that it was one of the best
written/directed/entertaining shows of all time. No doubt that things like the dialogue and special effects are pegged to the time period, but overall, I think it remains as a very entertaining show.