"Once More, With Feeling!" -what does it mean?

[Lady Sangre Nocturna]

"Once More, With Feeling!" -what does it mean?:

Sometimes I love this episode sometimes I hate it!!

I don't know why? How does it relate to how we feel?

Should there have been a musical episode in each series?

Help me?

Lady S.N. xx

[Weredog]

Well I think the title of the episode is coined from the expression. Correct me if I'm wrong, but it's a statement often said by directors to their actors (or used to, before it became a cliche of sort.) It precisely means "Perform the scene one more time, except this time invoke more feeling into it."

Why did Joss decide to use this for his musical episode? I think simply because this episode invokes way more feeling than any other episode -- quite literally. Instead of having Buffy brood in the cemetery, we have Buffy sing out loud about how much she's brooding in the cemetery. Instead of throwing a line as to how much she loves Willow, Tara goes on for 4 minutes singing about how much Willow's love completes her. It's all stuff we've see before in prior episodes, just... with feeling.

I wouldn't have wanted a musical episode each season because they would've gotten tiresome and would've made the first (what would've been season 1 musical) less original. And I think that's what appeals to most fans about "Once More, With Feeling," the fact that it's an original (ala Hush and Restless). However, that being said, I would kill to have Faith, Oz, Cordelia, Angel, Joyce and -- most preferably -- Drusilla sing and dance. Ahhhh.......

[Lady Sangre Nocturna]

Encore!

Mmmm, oh yes Oz in a musical - inspired Weredog!!

When I said "what does it mean" I didn't mean literally - it was metaphorically - I'm struggling with all the hidden meanings!??

I so miss the series, it is a great comfort that I have found this site and I hope to have lots of discussions and fun with fellow creatures of the Buffyverse!

Lady SNxx

[Michael]

I also would have liked to see the ghost of Joyce in the musical. It should have been a beautiful,sad,and haunting song by a mother who was living in heaven with her daughter , when her daughter was snatched away.

I would have liked to see Principal Snyder , who also turns out to be in heaven.According to an ancient law that hardly anyone knew about, if you die a horrible death at the hands of a demon all your sins are forgiven and you go straight up.

I imagine that in his earthly life he nourished a secret dream of becoming a song and dance man on the stage. Now we see him in a blazer and straw hat and cane swaggering across the stage singing something like "Stepping Out With My Baby."

[farfly]

I hope I can get that image of Snyder out of my head very soon. I think I speak for everyone when I say "Eew"..

[ThePoet's<3]

It seems to me there was always one or two epidodes which slowed the Season down from it's normal head-long pace into a thoughtful moment.

Tabula Rasa, Superstar, Something Blue, Restless... These are episodes which cause the characters to go rationalize what they've been going through in the current Season. It also gives us - the viewer - a chance to see the characters in alternative situations.

Take Something Blue for instance - (I love that episode!) It was a chance for us to see Buffy and Spike "together" in a relationship of some sorts. And it was kinda sweet and sappy and cute.

But some interesting questions were raised about that relationship and the relationship of vampires and humans throughout the conversations. "Would Buffy cease being the Slayer when she and Spike got married.?" (Think instead - How would Buffy and a vampire - or any other man - get married and have a "normal life"?

And it was an intersting fore-shadowing perhaps of things to come. However it wasn't all sweet and sappy and cute...(if you like that kinda thing... )

Once More with Feelng gave the characters a chance to say what they were not saying under the influence of a spell. Everyone was tip-toeing around the issue of Buffy back from the dead. However, the spell forced them to open up and talk about the recent events and "feelings".

And again, it being so early an episode in the Season it raises many questions which will be answered as it unfolds.

"I'm Under Your Spell" is a beautiful song between Tara and Willow - sweet romantic - but also shares the fact that Willow is sinking further and further into the dark arts and Tara is beneath her "spell" because she loves her and feels powerless as to what she can do to keep her from going further.

Each song - Giles, Anya and Xander, Buffy and Spike each one raises the inner questions which will unfold in the days to come.

I don't know that each Season needed to have a musical but each Season usually contained at least one opportunity for the characters and the viewer to geta a glimspe of things to come - or not to.

[strong.like.a.amazon]

There should definetly not be a musical episode in each season! lol I mean, like Weredog was saying, it would get kind of old. One of the best things about this episode is that it's so original! How many tv shows have an episode that's a musical? It's one of those fanastic thing about Buffy. You never know what's coming next, the next crazy idea Joss will have for an episode. From singing and dancing to no-one speaking at all, from Buffy and Spike being engaged to everyone loosing there memories. It's brilliant

[buffyholic]

For me, it means that they are all having secrets and deep feelings this season. Everyone is saying everything is fine and there?s nothing to worry about, so say it "once more with feeling". If they feel so strongly about it, let them talk about with more feeling. But then with the spell, they say what they keep secret from each other not what they claim to feel. At the end of the episode, Sweet sees how all the secrets ruin everyone, so his last wish before he leaves is for them to sing them "once more with feeling". "Once more with feeling" can mean either way, for them to sing out what they really feel and what they claim to feel. "once more with feeling" uncovers the ugly truth.

Am I making any sense here??

[fitri]

Well I think the title of the episode is coined from the expression. Correct me if I'm wrong, but it's a statement often said by directors to their actors (or used to, before it became a cliche of sort.) It precisely means "Perform the scene one more time, except this time invoke more feeling into it."

Why did Joss decide to use this for his musical episode? I think simply because this episode invokes way more feeling than any other episode -- quite literally. Instead of having Buffy brood in the cemetery, we have Buffy sing out loud about how much she's brooding in the cemetery. Instead of throwing a line as to how much she loves Willow, Tara goes on for 4 minutes singing about how much Willow's love completes her. It's all stuff we've see before in prior episodes, just... with feeling.

I wouldn't have wanted a musical episode each season because they would've gotten tiresome and would've made the first (what would've been season 1 musical) less original. And I think that's what appeals to most fans about "Once More, With Feeling," the fact that it's an original (ala Hush and Restless). However, that being said, I would kill to have Faith, Oz, Cordelia, Angel, Joyce and -- most preferably -- Drusilla sing and dance. Ahhhh.......

Exactly what Weredog said. However, I have to disagree on your disagreement on this episode's placing. I think that this was the best time to place this musical episode, as emotions were running very, very high at this point, what with Buffy being dead, and not dead again, Dawn's klepto and attention-seeking behaviour and even Xander and Anya's 'I do' worries. I think that these characters are swelling up with these emotions that they're keeping secret, and the timing of this demon couldn't have been better. Therefore, I would still keep "Once More, With Feeling" as episode 6x09.

I do agree with your last line. Imagine Drusilla singing!

[erminton]

I also would have liked to see the ghost of Joyce in the musical. It should have been a beautiful,sad,and haunting song by a mother who was living in heaven with her daughter , when her daughter was snatched away.

I would have liked to see Principal Snyder , who also turns out to be in heaven.According to an ancient law that hardly anyone knew about, if you die a horrible death at the hands of a demon all your sins are forgiven and you go straight up.

I imagine that in his earthly life he nourished a secret dream of becoming a song and dance man on the stage. Now we see him in a blazer and straw hat and cane swaggering across the stage singing something like "Stepping Out With My Baby."

Man, if that really happened... it would be the funniest episode ever. (Not to mention creepy.)