'Buffy' Milestone: Happy Anniversary, 'Once More, With Feeling'!
Season 6 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer holds a controversial place in the show’s history, but everyone can agree on one thing: the season’s seventh episode, “Once More, With Feeling,” is an amazing hour of TV. Where previous attempts to fuse musical theater and television (looking at you, Cop Rock) failed miserably, Joss Whedon’s bold experiment — which aired 14 years ago today, on Nov. 6, 2001 — was a rousing success, one that spawned a soundtrack album and an annual Comic-Con sing-a-long. In the ensuing years, “Once More, With Feeling” has also directly inspired one-shot musical episodes on shows like Scrubs, Fringe and Grey’s Anatomy, and its influence can currently be seen in another criminally underwatched series, The CW’s Crazy Ex Girlfriend.
Obviously, the only proper way to celebrate this milestone anniversary is to watch “Once More, With Feeling” on Netflix, which houses Buffy’s entire seven season run. In the meantime, we’ve picked our five favorite song-and-dance numbers from Whedon’s 2001 masterpiece. We’ve got a theory that you’ll enjoy this musical walk down memory lane.
5) “Under Your Spell”
Sample Lyric: “I lived my life in shadow/Never the sun on my face”
With apologies to Oz, how can you not be “Willow + Tara 4-Eva” after hearing Amber Benson’s teen witch sing her heart our to her red-haired soulmate? It only loses points for Willow declining to reciprocate in song, a side effect of Alyson Hannigan’s personal request to Whedon to limit her singing time.
4) “Rest in Peace”
Sample Lyric: “Since I’m only dead to you/ I’m saying stay away/ and let me rest in peace.”
A professional rocker in addition to an actor, James Marsters wraps his gritty, gravelly voice around this angry lament and doesn’t let go. It’s got “Break-up mixtape” written all over it.
3) “I’ve Got a Theory”
Sample Lyric: “I’ve got a theory/It could be bunnies”
Proof positive that exposition always sounds better when it’s set to music. And what do bunnies need such good eyesight for, anyway?
2) “What You Feel”
Sample Lyric: “I turn the music on/ I bring the fun in/ Now we’re partying/ That’s what it’s all about”
Leave it to legendary hoofer Hinton Battle — who originated the role of the Scarecrow in The Wiz when it debuted on Broadway — to bring the fun and funk to role of the episode’s big bad, a demon named Sweet. Battle’s dance moves are as silky smooth as his singing voice.
1) “Where Do We Go From Here”
Sample Lyric: “The battle’s done and we kind of won/So we sound our victory cheer.”
Every great musical needs that rousing final song, and “Once More, With Feeling” sends viewers away from the TV soaring on the sounds of this killer ensemble number. Whether you loved or hated where the show really did go from here, this ending hits just the right note.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer is streaming on Netflix
