Although Buffy the Vampire Slayer ended 23 years ago, this cult classic show continues to be talked about today. From ongoing debates about Buffy’s best love interest to widespread disappointment over the cancellation of the spinoff show, Buffy the Vampire Slayer: New Sunnydale, Buffy Summers, her cherished group of friends, and her epic vampire-fighting ways remain beloved by many. Yet, even with decades of obsession from many fans, there are still things about this show that fly under the radar.
Surprisingly, that includes some details from what many consider to be the best Buffy the Vampire Slayer episodes of all time. One such episode, “Once More, With Feeling,” also commonly referred to as the musical episode, has been given considerable attention over the years and continues to be a fan favorite. Despite that popularity, one Buffy line in the very first song, which seems at first to be little more than a throwaway, actually has a much more significant meaning—and fans have seemingly missed it.
While the very idea of a musical episode might suggest something lighthearted, there was actually quite a bit of substance to “Once More, With Feeling.” That becomes clear in the first song of the episode, “Going Through the Motions,” which is sung primarily from Buffy’s perspective (along with some vampires joining in) as she expresses how aimless she has been feeling. At one point, while Buffy is conveying that message to the audience, a vampire jumps in to sing, “She ain’t got that swing,” meaning she isn’t bringing the same level of fight she normally would.
In response, Buffy sings back to the vampire, “Thanks for noticing.” While it’s a catchy part of the song and could easily be overlooked or shrugged off as a funny quip from Buffy, there’s something deeper being said here. Yes, Buffy always loved a sassy line in response to an enemy, but this reply goes beyond that. At that moment, Buffy is acknowledging (and legitimately appreciating) that a vampire has noticed that she’s off her game—the implication of which is that no one else around her, even her friends and family, has noticed what this random vampire just did.
The sad truth underlying this musical exchange is that Buffy really was often overlooked and underappreciated, even as she was the central figure of the show and a hero who saved countless people—something that has plagued many heroic figures in innumerable stories. It’s not that her friends and family didn’t love her; they absolutely did. However, the pressure and burden that were constantly placed on Buffy from the time that she was just a teenager were immense, and she often didn’t get the acknowledgment that she needed and deserved.
Granted, that wasn’t always the case. She had some incredible mentors over the years, most notably Rupert Giles, played by the late Anthony Head, who helped and guided her throughout the show. On the whole, though, it makes sense that Buffy sometimes felt alone and ignored, and this line that might seem like nothing at first actually conveys the deeper pain that Buffy, at times, experienced.
What do you think? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
