Go Fish

These snapshots may contain SPOILERS for the entire series, so if for some reason you haven't yet seen some of the episodes and do not want to know what is going on, read no further.
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When several members of the Sunnydale High swim team are mysteriously skinned alive, Buffy and the gang take it upon themselves to protect the remaining members, which results in Xander revealing a side of himself rarely seen.
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Coach Marin: What kind of question is that? For the win! To make my team the best they could be! Do you understand we have a shot at the State Championship?
Buffy: Do you understand that I don't care? It's over. There's not gonna be any Swim Team.
Coach Marin: Boy, when they were handing out school spirit, you didn't even stand in line, did you?
Buffy: No. I was in the line for shred of sanity... (Coach Marin pulls out a gun, aiming at her) Which you obviously skipped.


Average character development, average dialogue and an average plot.

A filler episode before the season finale.

The theme at the core of this episode is that schools treat their athlete's differently in order to increase the school's reputation. We see several examples of how the swim team works to a different set of standards: members playing solitaire in Willow's computer class, bullying other students, and even Cameron attempting to force his advances on Buffy, all of which are virtually ignored to make sure the school's success at sports isn't jeopardized.

Very Black Lagoon feel to the monster. This is even referenced in the episode by Xander. Plus you gotta love his quote from Jaws; "this was no boating accident."


My views/status of characters;
Buffy - like
Willow - like
Xander - like
Giles - like
Cordelia - like
Spike - absent
Angel/us - like
Oz - absent

Overall I consider this an average episode compared to the rest of the season.