The sad part about this episode is that it's really funny... If you wait it out until the end. The last fifteen minutes of the episode are excellent, with Anya, Willow, Buffy and Dawn all under a love spell and fighting over a high school student named RJ. Xander and Spike try to stop them, which leads to some really hilarious scenes. Unfortunately, you have to wait through half-an-hour of... Well... Nothing in order to get to the fun stuff. "Him" doesn't really add a lot to the over all story arc this season. You could probably skip it and not miss much. But, the end of the episode, at least, is worth a look.
"Him" revolves around Dawn's new crush. She's talking to Buffy, trying to understand love, and suddenly she sees **him.** RJ the Sunnydale High quarterback. "Theme from 'A Summer Place'" starts playing in her head and Dawn is hopelessly smitten. She begins trying to get his attention. Approaching him in the hallways, trying out for the cheer leading squad, dirty dancing with him at the Bronze etc... Meanwhile, Buffy is growing more concerned about the evil rising in Sunnydale. Convinced that something bad is headed their way, she starts centralizing her friends. She brings Anya to her house and she drags Spike out of the school basement and moves him in with Xander. Spike isn't ranting anymore, but he's still not himself. He's quiet and uncomfortable around the Scoobies. Xander isn't exactly thrilled to have Spike as a roommate, but he's willing to let Spike sleep in his closet and drag Spike around with him on Scoobie assignments.
In fact, a new Scoobie case has developed. As Dawn becomes more and more fixated on RJ, Buffy decides to talk with the boy. Soon she begins falling in love with him, too. Xander is shocked when he finds Buffy making out with the kid. Dawn is hurt and furious. But Buffy insists that she and RJ are meant for each other. Realizing that it has to be a spell, Xander heads over to RJ's house to investigate. He brings Spike along. While they're there, Spike remarks that in the family photos RJ and his brother are wearing the same jacket. Xander decides that the jacket must be enchanted.
Back at the Summers' house, RJ shows up looking for Buffy. Anya and Willow turn him away. But as they watch him go, they both fall under his spell, too. Soon Willow is plotting to make him a woman so she can have RJ for herself. Anya (after she figures out his name) swears that RJ is her best friend and sets out to rob a bank for him. Dawn decides to kill herself as a declaration of love. And Buffy swears to kill Principal Wood for RJ. Spike and Xander show up just in time to stop Willow from mystically castrating RJ. Then they hurry off to the high school to stop Buffy. Finally coming out of the spell a bit, Buffy rescues Dawn from an on coming train. Then, Spike and Xander steal the jacket and burn it.
There are some great moments in this episode. Xander is such a good sport, letting Spike live with him, again. (They also shared the Harris' basement back in season four and "Him" really should have brought that up. But since it does show a clip from season two's "Bewitiched, Bothered and Bewildered," I'm willing to cut it some slack. ) Xander has never been Spike's biggest fan-- and he's been flat out furious at Spike since "Entropy" and "Seeing Red" back in season six-- But, he still invited Spike into his apartment. Xander apparently doesn't even follow through with his threat to stick Spike in the closet. By "Sleeper" Spike has his own room. Xander has a good heart underneath all his grumbling. And I love Xander's plan to solve the RJ problem, too. He and Spike just dash up and grab it off the kid. Then they run away. Hilarious. Finally, Buffy, Willow, Anya and Dawn all vying for RJ is great. Willow's excitement over her plan to make him a girl... Dawn weeping about the "trueness" of their love... Anya decked out like a bank robber... Buffy showing up at Sunnnydale High with a missile launcher while Spike wrestles it away from her... It's probably the funniest sequence in the entire season.
On the down side, this episode would be better if it got to the main joke a little bit faster. Like I said, Anya, Willow, Buffy and Dawn should have all been fighting over RJ from the beginning. We have to wait and wait, while Dawn and random Sunnydale High students bicker over him before the episode really gets started. Also, I wish we'd gotten some more play out of Anya's bank robbery in later episodes. What happens to the money? And, why did the Scoobies learn about Spike getting his soul off screen? When did Buffy tell them? That would have been a great scene and I can't believe that they didn't show it.
My favorite part of the episode: Spike and Xander visiting RJ's house. While Xander talks to RJ's brother, Spike wanders around the living room. When he see a group of little angel figurines on a shelf, he carefully begins turning them all around so they can't look at him. I'm not sure it's because of his grandsire Angel, or if Spike is just nuts, or if he's somehow trying to "hide" from God, or if he ashamed and doesn't want the angels to see the darkness inside him. But, whatever the reason, it's just a really cool little moment.
"Him" revolves around Dawn's new crush. She's talking to Buffy, trying to understand love, and suddenly she sees **him.** RJ the Sunnydale High quarterback. "Theme from 'A Summer Place'" starts playing in her head and Dawn is hopelessly smitten. She begins trying to get his attention. Approaching him in the hallways, trying out for the cheer leading squad, dirty dancing with him at the Bronze etc... Meanwhile, Buffy is growing more concerned about the evil rising in Sunnydale. Convinced that something bad is headed their way, she starts centralizing her friends. She brings Anya to her house and she drags Spike out of the school basement and moves him in with Xander. Spike isn't ranting anymore, but he's still not himself. He's quiet and uncomfortable around the Scoobies. Xander isn't exactly thrilled to have Spike as a roommate, but he's willing to let Spike sleep in his closet and drag Spike around with him on Scoobie assignments.
In fact, a new Scoobie case has developed. As Dawn becomes more and more fixated on RJ, Buffy decides to talk with the boy. Soon she begins falling in love with him, too. Xander is shocked when he finds Buffy making out with the kid. Dawn is hurt and furious. But Buffy insists that she and RJ are meant for each other. Realizing that it has to be a spell, Xander heads over to RJ's house to investigate. He brings Spike along. While they're there, Spike remarks that in the family photos RJ and his brother are wearing the same jacket. Xander decides that the jacket must be enchanted.
Back at the Summers' house, RJ shows up looking for Buffy. Anya and Willow turn him away. But as they watch him go, they both fall under his spell, too. Soon Willow is plotting to make him a woman so she can have RJ for herself. Anya (after she figures out his name) swears that RJ is her best friend and sets out to rob a bank for him. Dawn decides to kill herself as a declaration of love. And Buffy swears to kill Principal Wood for RJ. Spike and Xander show up just in time to stop Willow from mystically castrating RJ. Then they hurry off to the high school to stop Buffy. Finally coming out of the spell a bit, Buffy rescues Dawn from an on coming train. Then, Spike and Xander steal the jacket and burn it.
There are some great moments in this episode. Xander is such a good sport, letting Spike live with him, again. (They also shared the Harris' basement back in season four and "Him" really should have brought that up. But since it does show a clip from season two's "Bewitiched, Bothered and Bewildered," I'm willing to cut it some slack. ) Xander has never been Spike's biggest fan-- and he's been flat out furious at Spike since "Entropy" and "Seeing Red" back in season six-- But, he still invited Spike into his apartment. Xander apparently doesn't even follow through with his threat to stick Spike in the closet. By "Sleeper" Spike has his own room. Xander has a good heart underneath all his grumbling. And I love Xander's plan to solve the RJ problem, too. He and Spike just dash up and grab it off the kid. Then they run away. Hilarious. Finally, Buffy, Willow, Anya and Dawn all vying for RJ is great. Willow's excitement over her plan to make him a girl... Dawn weeping about the "trueness" of their love... Anya decked out like a bank robber... Buffy showing up at Sunnnydale High with a missile launcher while Spike wrestles it away from her... It's probably the funniest sequence in the entire season.
On the down side, this episode would be better if it got to the main joke a little bit faster. Like I said, Anya, Willow, Buffy and Dawn should have all been fighting over RJ from the beginning. We have to wait and wait, while Dawn and random Sunnydale High students bicker over him before the episode really gets started. Also, I wish we'd gotten some more play out of Anya's bank robbery in later episodes. What happens to the money? And, why did the Scoobies learn about Spike getting his soul off screen? When did Buffy tell them? That would have been a great scene and I can't believe that they didn't show it.
My favorite part of the episode: Spike and Xander visiting RJ's house. While Xander talks to RJ's brother, Spike wanders around the living room. When he see a group of little angel figurines on a shelf, he carefully begins turning them all around so they can't look at him. I'm not sure it's because of his grandsire Angel, or if Spike is just nuts, or if he's somehow trying to "hide" from God, or if he ashamed and doesn't want the angels to see the darkness inside him. But, whatever the reason, it's just a really cool little moment.
