Bad Eggs

Reviewed by Adam Bardwell

Rating: 6/10

This is another silly episode - even sillier than "Reptile Boy" in concept. However, it is saved by some good dialogue and camera work. There are problems with the shows logic and it all looks fake (especially the hatchlings) but it is nether- the-less a fun episode which has some creepy moments.

The most fun element of the show is Xander and Cordelia's relationship. The sexual consequences lesson is a particularly good example of there verbal sparing. I also loved the "There could be a closet" scene. Like often these characters get the pick of the dialogue. My personal favourite Xanderism of the show is: "Apparently Buffy has decided that the problem with the English Language is all those pesky words. You.... Angel..... big..... smooches?".

This leads nicely to the scenes between Buffy and Angel. I call them scenes but they are really just extended screen kisses. The dialogue there is is particularly poignant when considering the cataclysmic events of the next two episodes, "Surprise" and "Innocence". Buffy's line: "When I look into the future all I see is you, all I want is you." not only shows the strength of her love for Angel but is also tragic in hindsight.

I'm not saying that any episode of Buffy is particularly believable but this must be the most unbelievable yet. Forgetting the fact that monsters don't exist how do the tentacles return to the egg without leave a mark on it? Come to think of it where to the tentacles come from - the hatchling doesn't have them. These tentacles suck energy from Buffy and Willow - I assume - but why don't they affect Cordy for unlike Xander she didn't boil her egg? From a scientific stand point how can the hatchlings control speech - talking is more than the movement of muscles and these beast are ment to use motor-clamping - this would not affect the voicebox.

This leads nicely to the way that the possessed people acted. For the most part they were expressionless - fair enough for it shows who is and isn't affected. What I don't get is why Giles and Willow act so normal before the fact they are being controlled is discovered. This seems inconsistent to me. While on the subject of how the posed people act the way that they dig is very lame - they barely appear to be touching the ground!

I have other minor quarms like possessed Giles' lack of motivation for staying in the library and not helping to dig eggs (if he was waiting for Buffy why did he go and if he was looking to recruit he could have gone some where with more people) and Joyce being rather harsh.

Great Buffy Moment: Xander and Cordy in the closet ("It would work better for me with the lights off!" etc)