Helpless (18)

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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For her upcoming 18th birthday, Buffy declines the Scooby gang's offer of a big party, hoping to celebrate with quiet reflection and a traditional trip to the ice show with her father. Suddenly, Buffy finds that her Slayer abilities are fading, perhaps completely. Is this some natural event in the life cycle of the Slayer, or is it something more sinister?
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Buffy: Wow! That was really funny looking! Could you do it again?
Vampire: I'll kill you for that.
Buffy: For that? What were you going to kill me for before?


Great character development, good dialogue and a good plot with some minor holes.


We all fear the diminishment or loss of our abilities, but Buffy, who relies on hers to not only carry out her Slayer duties, but also more importantly to keep her alive, must fear it very deeply. That's the basis of David Fury's story, which also tests the limits of Buffy's increasingly father-daughter relationship with Giles in some heart-wrenching scenes. Giles betrays Buffy in this episode, and seriously endangers the life of his charge in order to placate the Council.

We have these sequence of events with Giles. First, Buffy tries to get him to go to the ice show with her. Clearly, she looks to him as a father substitute. Then Buffy angrily rejects him when she learns what he has done. She is shocked because deep down she has always felt Giles loved her, as a parent does. Both of her fathers have let her down. Her real father by failing to take her to the annual ice show and Giles by his betrayal. In both cases, they put their jobs above her needs and desires. But ultimately, she discovers she was right about Giles. She realizes that he was following the councils orders. In the end, he cares more for her than his job as watcher, the council's orders, or the whole concept of the slayer. He lays it, and his life, on the line. And he loses his job for it, but he seems more concerned with Buffy than with that. She doesn't need Travers to tell her that Giles has a father's love for her. He has proven that with his actions. It seems that has finally lived up to his rebel youth. He defies the council, finding his own strength. He manages to convince Buffy of his true feelings for her, the most important thing to him at the time.

One of the few horror genre episodes that was actually very good.

Recurring Character: Quentin Travers, leader of the Watchers Council, is seen for the first time.

The fourth appearance of the sad/depressed overalls.

Inconsistent mythology: when Blair gets bitten, he rises as a vamp the same night. I thought the mythology had established it as the third night before a vamp rises.



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

Overall I consider this a very good episode compared to the rest of the season.