Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 4, Episode 17: Superstar
Written by Jane Espenson; Directed by David GrossmanRemember when I said I liked "alternate reality" episodes? Forget I ever said it. This is the "alternate reality" episode to end all other "alternate reality" episodes, and it's horrible. "What's that you say, Captain Whiggles?" I hear you cry. "Superstar is a fan favourite!" It is, and I can't for the life of me think why. Jonathan was never a favourite bit character of mine, and so elevating him to the status of lead, even for a single episode, strikes me as being the single most idiotic decision the writers ever made... after playing Buffy raping Spike for comedy in Season 6, that is. This episode has an incredibly self-conscious feel to it that really grates, even down to the opening credits, into which Jonathan is irritatingly shoehorned.
On the plus side, I like the fact that the main concerns of the season, namely Adam and the Initiative, continue to develop despite the alternate reality nature of what's going on (at least in the background), but this was an episode I could really have done without. I don't care that Jane Espenson is Buffy's official comedy writer - none of this is funny in the slightest. It's all just a bit embarrassing.
Overall rating: 4/10.
Next time: Where the Wild Things Are, where Buffy and Riley have sex for an entire episode. Scared yet?
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