This one struck me as (one of?) the first in which the bad guy just gets to walk away.
And now I'm quoting myself, I hope that's not bad form...
It occured to me just this morning that one of the reasons the bar owner isn't punished is because he's not the "villain" here; Parker is, in relation to the effect he's had on Buffy. And he gets conked on the head by her - twice. (Did anyone NOT cheer? Both times?)
The other reason, I suspect, is that it's meant as a meta commentary on the show's structure, and how that's going to be upended and subverted, just as Buffy's life is constantly (from the time she was "chosen" until the final episode "Chosen") both within the universe she inhabits and from the perspective of the writers/viewers looking in. I'm not sure this is intentional? I like to think so. You've gotten me really thinking about S4, how it fits into the entire seven-season arc, and I find myself appreciating it a lot more; it's setting things up for everything that happens in the seasons to come.
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And now I'm quoting myself, I hope that's not bad form...
It occured to me just this morning that one of the reasons the bar owner isn't punished is because he's not the "villain" here; Parker is, in relation to the effect he's had on Buffy. And he gets conked on the head by her - twice. (Did anyone NOT cheer? Both times?)
The other reason, I suspect, is that it's meant as a meta commentary on the show's structure, and how that's going to be upended and subverted, just as Buffy's life is constantly (from the time she was "chosen" until the final episode "Chosen") both within the universe she inhabits and from the perspective of the writers/viewers looking in. I'm not sure this is intentional? I like to think so. You've gotten me really thinking about S4, how it fits into the entire seven-season arc, and I find myself appreciating it a lot more; it's setting things up for everything that happens in the seasons to come.