Once More, with Feeling (Buffy episode)
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"Once More, With Feeling" is a musical episode of the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It was written and directed by Joss Whedon, the creator of the show. The lyrics and music were also written by Whedon, with a score by Christophe Beck and arrangements by Beck and Jesse Tobias.
It was first broadcast (as the seventh episode of season six) by the United Paramount Network on November 6, 2001. This is the only time the entire episode has been shown.
Plot synopsis
Summary
A mysterious force impels Sunnydale residents into songs that reveal their true feelings and deep secrets; Buffy and Spike share a kiss.
Expanded overview
After an overture with some wordless scenes of Buffy and her friends taken from a normal day (simply named "Overture"), we see Buffy patrolling in a cemetery at night, but there is something wrong with her and with the demons she meets and kills: they are all singing and dancing. Buffy sings "Going Through the Motions" about her life after returning to Earth, and the way she feels detached from it.
The morning after, Buffy asks her friends if the same thing had happened to them, and it turns out it has. They suddenly burst into song again, first wondering what can possibly be the cause for this ("I've Got A Theory"), then, guided by Buffy, reasserting their ability to deal with it together ("If We're Together"). It seems that all the people in Sunnydale are forced to sing about their inner feelings, including a man (played and sung by series producer David Fury) praising his dry-cleaning ("The Mustard") as Buffy peeks out onto the street from the Magic Box, trying to figure out if they are the only ones affected, and a woman (producer Marti Noxon) whom Giles, Xander and Anya later pass by, who pleads with a police officer about the parking ticket he is giving her (aptly, "The Parking Ticket").
Later Xander and Anya sing together about things they would otherwise have never told themselves or each other, namely their fears about their coming marriage ("I'll Never Tell"), Tara sings a love song to Willow about the difference she's made in her life ("Under Your Spell") and Spike sings to Buffy about the tortuous nature of their relationship ("Rest In Peace").
In the meantime, Giles realizes that his continued presence encourages Buffy to remain emotionally dependent on him and thus, ironically, prevents her from recovering emotionally from the trauma of her death and resurrection; deciding that he should no longer act as a father to her lest she never mature, he decides to leave again and return to England for good ("Standing"). Tara finds out about a forgetting spell Willow had cast some days before to make her forget about a fight they had, and decides to break up with her. The two duet about it as they look at Buffy and Willow respectively, the two of whom are distractedly chatting ("Under Your Spell/Standing (Reprise)").
It seems that there is a new demon in town, Sweet, and he is responsible for all the singing. Unfortunately, some people are singing and dancing so much that they spontaneously combust.
The demon, known as Sweet, has Dawn kidnapped by his minions as she laments the way her life is ("Dawn's Lament") and taken to the Bronze ("Dawn's Ballet"), as he thinks she is the one who summoned him, and intends to take her to the Underworld and make her his queen ("What You Feel").
Discovering this through one of Sweet's minions, Buffy and the gang head there to fight him, Buffy once again singing about her inability to feel, as the gang expresses its wish to fight along with her, accompanied by Sweet, who summons them in song ("Walk Through The Fire"). Arriving, Buffy starts to sing and dance defiantly, again expressing her current condition and the hardships of being the Slayer, when she finally reveals to Sweet and her friends that when, by resurrecting her, they had pulled her out of Heaven and not out of a hell dimension as they thought. Then, just when she is close to dancing to the point of burning, in a somewhat suicidal effort, Spike arrives and helps her recover ("Something to Sing About").
Eventually, it turns out that it is not Dawn who had summoned the demon, but Xander--who had not understood the implications--leading to the demon giving up on the queen matter and just vanishing away, telling the group to say their thoughts, "once more with feeling" ("What You Feel (Reprise)"), which they do, questioning what to do next ("Where Do We Go From Here?'").
The episode ends with Spike and Buffy kissing, as the curtains fall, as predicted in the previous song as the chorus swells one last time ("Coda").
Production details
- The majority of the footage of "I'll Never Tell" was shot in just one take. Other scenes, notably the parking meter aria immediately following, are long, continuous takes that are stunning in their complexity, at least by television standards.
- This is the longest episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer ever - 50 minutes long, as opposed to the usual 42 minutes. It ran past the regular hour intentionally, with the extra time never being again released or rebroadcast until the DVD sets were produced.
- This is unique amongst Buffy episodes as it was shown in letterbox format, different opening credits and title music, and the monster in the Mutant Enemy Productions logo sang his "Grrr, Arggh!" in falsetto (by creator Joss Whedon).
- This episode took two weeks to rehearse dance numbers, record songs, and film (although, unusually for Buffy, it filmed in "bits and pieces" - the various sections were recorded between other episodes in Season 6).
Translations
Titles:
- French title: Que le spectacle commence ("Let the Show Begin")
- German title: Noch einmal mit Gefühl (literal translation)
- Italian title: La vita è un musical ("Life Is a Musical")
- Finnish title: Vielä kerran tunteella (literal translation)
- Swedish title: En gång till, med känsla (literal translation)
Quotes
- Xander: You're the cutest of the Scoobies,
- : With your lips as red as rubies,
- : And your firm yet supple... tight embrace!!
- Giles: I was able to examine the body while police were taking witness arias.
- Giles: When I want your opinion, Spike, I'll... I'll never want your opinion.
- Giles: She needs backup...Anya...Tara...
- [Anya and Tara step in to provide backup singing in "Something to Sing About".]
Trivia
- Although he is never named in dialog or lyrics, the demonic villain of this episode is called Sweet per the episode's closing credits.
- Joss Whedon had wanted to create a musical episode since the first season of Buffy, but wasn't allowed to until the show was moved to a more lenient network, UPN.
- Buffy's line, "Dawn's in trouble. Must be Tuesday", is a reference to UPN, who was currently airing Buffy on Tuesday nights. Buffy also aired on Tuesday nights on the WB for the majority of its run.
- The original airing of 'Once More, With Feeling' received 5.4 million viewers.
- The scene featuring Amber Benson's musical number, "Under Your Spell" featured heavily-implied sex between two females, and was edited out during the episode's first broadcast in conservative countries like the Philippines and China.
- Action figures of Buffy Summers, Anya Jenkins, and Dawn Summers were produced, based on this episode.
Cultural references
- The Music Man - At the end of the episode, Spike says to Buffy, "The day you suss out what you do want, there'll probably be a parade. Seventy-six bloody trombones." This is a reference to the song Seventy-Six Trombones, from the Meredith Wilson musical The Music Man.
- Rent - Joss Whedon gained lots of musical inspiration from musicals such as the rock-edged Rent by the late Jonathan Larson. It has been said by Whedon that the song "Walk Through the Fire" partly came from the line "Walking through fire without a burn" from the Rent song "I Should Tell You".
- Pinocchio (1940 film) - When Spike is unable to stop the henchman, and he escapes, Spike mutters "Strong. Someday he'll be a real boy". This is a reference to the story of Pinocchio.
Acting and singing
- Sarah Michelle Gellar said she "hated" making this episode (in particular the complicated singing and dancing she had to perform for "Something to Sing About"). Although this is one of the most popular episodes in the entire series, the experiment was never repeated.
- James Marsters has some musical experience as he was the lead singer and guitarist for his own rock band formed by his friends, Ghost of the Robot.
- Anthony Stewart Head also has some musical experience. He was once the lead in a British stage version of The Rocky Horror Picture Show and released his own solo album, Music for Elevators. James Marsters, Alyson Hannigan and Amber Benson all made small guest appearances on this album, and Joss Whedon composed a song.
- Joss discovered his actors could sing during a wine-charged Shakespeare reading at his house. He later fashioned his songs around each actor's ability and amount of comfort with their talent. This is why Alyson Hannigan only sings a few sparse lines in this episode.
- Writer/producer Marti Noxon makes her first on-screen appearance on Buffy as the singing woman receiving a parking ticket. Similarly, executive producer/writer David Fury makes his first appearance as the man who joyously proclaims how the mustard stains were removed from his shirt. Both actors later reprised their roles for the episode "Selfless" in the following season, in a short song explaining exactly how the mustard stains were created.
Regular cast
- Sarah Michelle Gellar as Buffy Summers
- Nicholas Brendon as Xander Harris
- Emma Caulfield as Anya
- Michelle Trachtenberg as Dawn Summers
- James Marsters as Spike
- Alyson Hannigan as Willow
Guest cast
Supporting cast
- Timothy Anderson as Henchman
- Hunter Cochrane as College Guy #2
- Alex Estronei as Henchman
- David Fury as Mustard Man
- Marti Noxon as Parking Ticket Woman
- Matt Sims as College Guy #1
- Daniel Weaver as Handsome Young Man
- Zachary Woodlee as Demon/Henchman
- Scot Zeller as Henchman
Music
All the actors sing their own parts without having another singer dubbing their voices (although for What You Feel, Michelle Trachtenberg had to dub her own voice during post-production when her lines proved to be unclear). Joss Whedon had originally planned to have Buffy's rhythmically complex song "Something to Sing About" dubbed by professional vocalist Jewel, but Sarah Michelle Gellar stepped up to the challenge for the climactic number. All the regular cast are featured in significant solos except Alyson Hannigan (Willow), who had asked Whedon to limit her singing role. In response, Whedon gave Willow an amusing fourth-wall-breaking line for one of her three short solo parts: "I think this line's mostly filler". (Hannigan's reluctance to sing had actually been made part of her character, as was shown in first-season episodes "The Puppet Show" and "Nightmares".)
The opening sequence is completely changed from its usual form, featuring a 26-second main theme whose rock and dark atmosphere was eliminated through its use of percussion in the background and a stereotypical light drum sequence at the end of the theme, similar to the conclusion of heroic classical films.
The song I've Got a Theory, despite being primarily humourous, both reintroduces old themes of previous episodes and foreshadows events yet to come.
- Giles is the first to present a theory as to what is going on; ironically, his idea that it could be a 'dancing demon', which he dismisses quickly, turns out to be true.
- Willow suggests that 'some kid is dreaming, and we're all stuck inside his wacky Broadway nightmare', a reference to the events of "Nightmares".
- Xander makes a faux pas by saying it could be 'some evil witches' in front of Willow and Tara. By the end of the season, Willow, grief-stricken by Tara's death, transforms into a dark and extremely powerful witch.
- Anya reinforces her fear of bunnies, as she blames the singing on them ("Bunnies", a short heavy metal section inside "I've Got A Theory").
Critical and viewer response
The episode was actually nominated for an Emmy, but, due to a misprint, was left off the official ballot sent out to voters. This was fixed with an addendum, but it was too late, as many voters had already returned their ballots. The episode and Buffy along with it, are almost as famous for not winning an Emmy as other shows are for winning one.
Numerous critics placed the episode on their "alternative Emmy" lists and it continues to win plaudits. It was recently voted the 13th greatest musical of all time in a poll conducted by the British TV channel, Channel 4 [link]. It has always been a firm favorite among fans.
This episode also marks what some viewers believe to be the beginning of the gradual decline into a depressing darkness which is a constant source of conflict amongst fans. Specifically, the episode ends with Buffy and Spike's first kiss which signifies the beginning of their controversial affair, the largest source of conflict between fans.
CD track list
A music CD has been released, featuring the entire score and some additional tracks, namely the demo of "Something to Sing About", sung by Joss Whedon and his wife Kai Cole, and three pieces of music from other popular episodes by regular composer Christophe Beck. The art for the CD — also used as cover for related items, such as the script book, the DVD and the poster — is by popular comic book artist Adam Hughes. The booklet includes liner notes by Whedon, the lyrics for the songs, and pictures from the episode.
| Track | Title | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Overture / Going Through the Motions | 02:57 |
| 2 | I've Got a Theory / Bunnies / If We're Together | 02:22 |
| 3 | The Mustard | 00:18 |
| 4 | Under Your Spell | 02:55 |
| 5 | I'll Never Tell | 04:01 |
| 6 | The Parking Ticket | 00:45 |
| 7 | Rest in Peace | 02:46 |
| 8 | Dawn's Lament | 01:19 |
| 9 | Dawn's Ballet | 01:12 |
| 10 | What You Feel | 03:01 |
| 11 | Standing | 02:10 |
| 12 | Under Your Spell / Standing — reprise | 01:35 |
| 13 | Walk Through the Fire | 03:44 |
| 14 | Something to Sing About | 04:40 |
| 15 | What You Feel — reprise | 00:46 |
| 16 | Where Do We Go From Here? | 01:53 |
| 17 | Coda | 00:40 |
| 18 | End Credits (Broom Dance / Grr Argh) | 00:31 |
| 19 | Main Title | 00:26 |
| 20 | Suite from "Restless" | 05:02 |
| 21 | Suite from "Hush" | 06:54 |
| 22 | Sacrifice (from "The Gift") | 02:55 |
| 23 | Something to Sing About (demo) | 04:27 |
Technical information
Other technical differences between this episode and the normal ones are its running time (50 minutes and 52 seconds instead of the usual average of 43 minutes) and its format: the episode aired in letterbox format.
Because of the running time, UPN only aired the full, unedited episode once — delaying the start of the following program (a U.S. pilot of "Iron Chef" hosted by William Shatner). Unfortunately serious technical glitches plagued UPN's broadcast feed to some of its affiliates in the U.S. Eastern and Central time zones when the episode aired on November 6, 2001. In the case of one UPN affiliate, WKBD TV in Detroit, the only "glitch" involved a few seconds where the picture "froze" during "Sweet's" initial meeting with Dawn. At UPN's insistence, Joss Whedon supervised the editing of the full length episode into a more advertiser-friendly standard length. UPN never aired the full length episode again, opting instead for the shortened version. The shortened version is also the one that airs in syndication on FX and Fox affiliates in the U.S. and in other markets. The editing eliminated parts of certain songs, including Buffy singing "If We're Together" and several bars of "Walk Through the Fire." Loss of certain dialog resulted in a confusing ending for the audience, with Sweet abruptly announcing "Big smiles everyone, you beat the bad guy," with little apparent cause.
This "one time only" dispensation to air a longer format is not unprecedented for Whedon and Buffy. A first season episode, The Puppet Show, enjoyed only a single airing (on May 5, 1997) of an amusing closing credits scene in which Xander, Buffy, and Willow perform in their school's talent show.
In an unusual effort to garner Emmy support, 20th Century Fox had the full length episode pressed onto special DVDs shortly after its airing for distribution with the industry trade publication Daily Variety. Regular DVD series collections also include the full length episode.
Also available for sale is the original script book (ISBN 0-689-85918-X). Besides the actual screenplay the book features pictures from the episode, articles, sheet music for all the songs and a behind the scenes.
Finally, after pressure from fans, a single (Region 2) DVD has been released in Europe (two editions: in English for the United Kingdom and in German for Germany).
David Fury, producer and writer of the show (who also appeared in the episode as the man excited they got the mustard out) asked Whedon if he could document it, and shot about 40 hours of behind-the-scenes material; part of this material is available on the Season Six DVD set.
All of the Region 1 DVDs have French and Spanish versions, and the songs are done in French and Spanish too.
Continuity
- Anya's line "His penis got diseases from a Chumash tribe" refers to the season 4 episode "Pangs", in which a Native American spirit infects Xander with a cornucopia of various diseases, including syphilis.
- Willow's line "I've got a theory / Some kid is dreamin' / And we're all stuck inside his wacky Broadway nightmare" refers to the season 1 episode "Nightmares", in which the nightmares of Sunnydale residents start to come true due to the condition of a young boy lying in a coma.
Timing
- Stories that take place around the same time in the Buffyverse:
| Location, time (if known) | Buffyverse chronology: Fall 2001 - December 2001 (non-canon = italic) |
|---|---|
| L.A., 2001 | Buffy/Angel novel: Cursed (Buffy/Angel novel)>Cursed |
| L.A., 2001 | A3.01 Heartthrob (Angel episode)>Heartthrob |
| Sunnydale, 2001 | Buffy UPN promos: Buffy Season 6 UPN promos>Scooby Gang talk about Buffy |
| Sunnydale, 2001 | B6.01 Bargaining, Part One (Buffy episode)>Bargaining, I |
| Sunnydale, 2001 | B6.02 Bargaining, Part Two (Buffy episode)>Bargaining, II |
| L.A., 2001 | A3.02 That Vision Thing (Angel episode)>That Vision Thing |
| Sunnydale, 2001 | B6.03 After Life (Buffy episode)>After Life |
| L.A., 2001 | Angel book: Sanctuary (Angel novel)>Sanctuary |
| L.A., 2001 | A3.03 That Old Gang of Mine (Angel episode)>That Old Gang of Mine |
| Sunnydale, 2001 | B6.04 Flooded (Buffy episode)>Flooded |
| L.A., 2001 | A3.04 Carpe Noctem (Angel episode)>Carpe Noctem |
| Sunnydale, 2001 | Buffy comic: Reunion (Buffy comic)>Reunion |
| Sunnydale, 2001 | B6.05 Life Serial (Buffy episode)>Life Serial |
| L.A., 2001 | A3.05 Fredless (Angel episode)>Fredless |
| Sunnydale, 2001 | Buffy graphic novel |
| Sunnydale, 2001 | Buffy book: Blood and Fog (Buffy novel)>Blood and Fog |
| Sunnydale, 2001 | B6.06 All the Way (Buffy episode)>All the Way |
| Sunnydale, 2001 | Buffy graphic novel: Note from the Underground (Buffy comic)>Note from the Underground |
| L.A., 2001 | A3.06 Billy (Angel episode)>Billy |
| L.A., 2001 | Angel anthology book:The Longest Night (Angel novel)>The Longest Night |
| Sunnydale, L.A., Monster Island, 2001 | Buffy/Angel novel: Monster Island (Buffy/Angel novel)>Monster Island |
| L.A., 2001 | Angel book: Endangered Species (Angel novel)>Endangered Species |
| L.A., 2001 | Angel book: Impressions (Angel novel)>Impressions |
| Sunnydale, 2001 | B6.07 Once More, with Feeling (Buffy episode)>Once More, with Feeling |
| L.A., 2001 | A3.07 Offspring (Angel episode)>Offspring |
| Sunnydale, 2001 | B6.08 Tabula Rasa (Buffy episode)>Tabula Rasa |
| L.A., 2001 | A3.08 Quickening (Angel episode)>Quickening |
| Sunnydale, 2001 | B6.09 Smashed (Buffy episode)>Smashed |
| L.A., 2001 | A3.09 Lullaby (Angel episode)>Lullaby |
| Sunnydale, 2001 | B6.10 Wrecked (Buffy episode)>Wrecked |
| L.A., 2001 | A3.10 Dad (Angel episode)>Dad |
| Sunnydale, 2001 | B6.11 Gone (Buffy episode)>Gone |
| L.A., 2001 | A3.11 Birthday (Angel episode)>Birthday |
| Sunnydale, 2001 | Buffy graphic novel: Creatures of Habit (Buffy comic)>Creatures of Habit |
| Sunnydale, 2001 | Buffy graphic novel: |
| Sunnydale, 2001 | B6.12 Doublemeat Palace (Buffy episode)>Doublemeat Palace |
| L.A., 2001 | A3.12 Provider (Angel episode)>Provider |
External links
- [BBC episode guide]
- [Buffy Body Count synopsis of "Once More, with Feeling"]
- [AHoleintheWorld.com - OMWF Lyrics]
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