12 Reviews of Christmas - Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Amends (1998)

         Hey guys, Chuck here, and I absolutely loved making my review of Buffy the Vampire Slayer last month, so it's fitting that I talk about the time Joss Whedon made a Christmas episode of Buffy for 12 Reviews of Christmas. 

           Marketed as A Buffy Christmas, the official episode title was Amends, and sees Buffy and co. getting ready for Christmas in Sunnydale. Xander is preparing for his annual campout, Cordelia is heading to Tahoe for a family trip, and Willow and Oz patch things up and spend the holiday together. Faith, meanwhile, has nothing going on and accepts an invitation from Buffy and Joyce to spend Christmas at the Summers' house. 

         Unfortunately, it's not such a Merry Christmas for everyone, as Angel is being wracked with guilt over much of the horror he caused, both in the past and most recently, as Angelus. Specifically, he's seeing an apparition of Jenny Calendar, a woman Angelus killed just a few months ago. Seeking advice, Angel initially turns to Giles, who begrudgingly counsels him and takes note of what's bothering him. Buffy, who is also being dragged into Angel's nightmares, works with Giles to figure out what's happening. 

         It turns out that "Jenny" is actually the First Evil manifesting itself, and it's driving Angel insane using memories of past Christmases where Angelus committed unspeakable evil. Buffy is able to fend off and defeat the Bringers, but is unable to physically harm the First. And, upon learning that Angel is about to face destruction in the rising sun, Buffy hurries to talk him back to his senses. This leads to the heatwave sweeping Sunnydale ending, and the town's first snowfall happens, thus saving Angel from the sunlight. Not sure it works that way, but I'll take Angel being saved by a Christmas miracle. Anyway, the episode ends with Buffy and Angel walking through the snow-covered streets of Sunnydale for Christmas morning. 

         Honestly, this episode, which was written and directed by Joss Whedon, was a fun episode of Buffy, especially since it's also a Christmas episode. The acting was spot on, especially from both Sarah Michelle Gellar and David Boreanaz. Kristine Sutherland, Eliza Dushku, and Anthony Stewart Head as Joyce, Faith, and Giles also were great in this episode, but it does feel like Alyson Hannigan as Willow, Seth Green as Oz, and Nicholas Brendon as Xander were pretty sidelined in this episode, and Charisma Carpenter's Cordelia felt like practically a cameo. 

         This episode was also the introduction of the First Evil, which would be the main antagonist in the seventh season of Buffy. I do appreciate that the First was established in this episode, so we could get a taste of what was to come in later episodes. However, the whole "Angel being saved by a Christmas miracle" thing was a bit forced. However, Joss has said that he left it up for interpretation intentionally, so that viewers could think of it in different ways. 

         So, as far as episodes of Buffy go, this was one of the more entertaining ones. And, it's definitely worth a watch every now and then during the Christmas holidays. I'm giving Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Amends a rating of 4.5/5. 

        Alright guys, this is Chuck signing off, and we'll be taking a look at the classic animated short The Snowman next time for 12 Reviews of Christmas.

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