This episode might have been cool if they hadn't done the same theme back in S1 in Nightmares.  They all have different fears, but the cure is pretty much the same. 

S1
Buffy - becoming a vampire/dying and that her father doesn't love her
Willow - singing in public/ being trapped as a little girl
Xander - clowns
Giles - getting hopelessly lost in his books/losing his mind?

S4
Buffy - dying or dying alone
Willow - being relegated to being a sidekick/not being able to control her magic
Xander - being useless and invisible
Oz - can't control the werewolf
Anya - bunnies - does anyone else think this is ridiculous?
Giles - pulls out his chainsaw and apparently isn't afraid of anything although we see him early in the show in a ridiculous costume handing out candy.

In the aftermath of the Parker debacle, Buffy returns to her mother to get out her little red riding hood costume.  It no longer fits her, but Joyce makes it bigger.  Buffy should really be bucking up, but instead is clinging to her naivety and childishness.  Even though this is just supposed to be a fun party and Giles assures her this is the demons' night off, she brings her weapons, proving that she's smarter than Giles.

Willow's development is pretty interesting.  She's wearing a Joan of Arc costume (later in Tabula Rasa, Buffy names herself Joan and there is a possible association with Joan of Arc.) and wishes she could have the chance to axe murder Parker.  It seems she is somewhat jealous of Buffy's role as the hero.  Willow gets mad at Buffy who is only trying to protect her and rejects her role as the "sidekick."  She then proves Buffy is right about her inability to control her magic spells by letting loose a horde of guide light/bees when she can't decide what she wants to do. 

Xander goes through the nobody notices me boo hoo thing; Oz starts to turn into a wolf, even though it isn't the full moon, indicating that Willow brings out the wolf.  Anya's afraid of bunnies, but dresses up like one.  Maybe her real fear is that something will happen to Xander.  Giles shows up with a honking big chain saw.  Modern lawn tools defeat magic - and why does he have a chain saw when he doesn't have a yard?  Loved that. 

Buffy mashes the demon with her white tennis shoe, which I thought was a pretty lame although amusing ending.  Apparently, she didn't really learn the lesson since she is still mooning around about Parker in Beer Foamy.  Willow and Xander don't really get a grip on their lessons either.

I will watch episode again and join later - with  Anya and Bunnies - I always thought this was silly, perhaps writers have an inside joke about it - one thing is that her fear of rabbits is what a huge contrast this makes to her vengeance demon life.  As a Vengeance Demon she had tremendous power unlike rabbits that are easy prey for all hunters - not to mention how bunnies are so lovable and beautiful - to humans, Vengeance Demons are really unattractive.

Well, my theory is that Anya used to like bunnies as a human.  She had a lot of them around in the flashback we saw during "Selfless."  Maybe now when she thinks of them, she thinks of the first man who betrayed her, which leads her to finding bunnies frightening.  Yeah, that probably doesn't make any sense, but then again, Anya never really did.  

Warning: Off Topic!

I added the category "Episode Discussions" in the "General" section of the forum and moved all the appropriate threads (like this one) there. That way you'll be able to take one look and see which eppies you didn't talk about yet. It'll also help if you want to go back and re-read something later on.

Please make sure to start all future Episode Discussion threads in that sub-forum.

Thanks, have fun..

Thanks Dia - that will probably load faster, too.

what are some of the ideas and fears that will come out later -

We mentioned the Joan of Arc theme - where Willow does not want only to be a "sidekick" - she can be a leader too, as is Buffy in her Joan role.

The "lights" comes back again with Tara and Willow talking about how much Willow has advanced and then we have the guilding lights in Bargaining -

We have the size of the demon - which fits into the theme of all the small and hidden anger, jealousies and insecurities that grow into huge problems when all the ugly comes out -

Willow and her control issues start to really become a problem

just a few quick ones - 
 
Oz and Veruca and foreshadow for out of control in this season and with Tara

I was wondering where the episodes discussions are.

I love this episode. I loved the costums, especially Willow and Oz, so funny and adorable.

I am really missing the discussions - wish more members would give us their ideas - especially with these dreamscape episode which tell so much about the characters. 

- Oz worries about Willow using magic. I never noticed that before, but he doesn't seem to like the idea. It upsets Willow that Oz worries about it, I guess she thinks that he doubts her abilities. The fact that Oz, Buffy and Willow herself doubt her abilities makes Willow angry and frustrated. That's one of the reasons she lashed out on Buffy at the frat house.

- Poor Xander. His friends don't notice he's around most of the time, not telling him about the party (which is expected since they're busy with college, and don't see him that often) not noticing that Xander is missing later, it was until Willow and Oz left that Buffy started to notice that, "hey, I thought we were four. Oh, right, Xander. Uh... where did he go?"

- Buffy thought it was "typical" of Xander to get lost and get himself in danger. The way she harshly yelled at him when he was trembling and whispering his angry babble about the "jerks" ignoring his existence and opinions. Is it College Buffy looking down on Townie Xander? 

- Xander's idea of his friends: They don't notice him. They look down on him. They ignore his existence. Even though his friends play major part making him think that, Anya also makes Xander's insecurity grows when she implies that his friends are 'better than him'. When Oz said that Xander is a civilian, the guys in the frat house who thought he was "normal", started to ignore him and talk as if he wasn't there. "Hey, guys, standing right here," Xander angrily said.

- Giles is just cute and funny and adorable and has the best smile of them all.

- Anya reminds me of Cordelia in a way. I guess she is Cordelia's replacement. Her character is kinda different from what she'll become in the later seasons. She's doesn't have that... adorable innocence yet. She's also very clingy to Xander. It is true that Anya clings to anything/anyone that comes along and lets her in. She needs something to worship and believe in, it used to be vengeance, now it's Xander.

- Willow's issues with Buffy being Mr. Boss starts from here. It's not OOC in S6 when she said that now she gets to be the slayer. She hates being the sidekick, because being the sidekick means being nothing, she wants to be something. She really hates the old Willow and looks down on her. Magic makes her more special.

- It's funny how Oz and Xander both feel helpless and troubled by the fit Willow and Buffy made. Both Xander and Oz played the rational, patient partners (Xander to Buffy, Oz to Willow).

 Poor Xander. His friends don't notice he's around most of the time - Maybe they're ignoring him because he's being a loser (not that Buffy isn't), but gee - free education for 12 years and he blows that off (and is proud of it) and when he gets out of high school he hasn't got anything going for him.  Hm, not feeling so sorry for him here.  Maybe they're ignoring him because he's a loser and they're being losers or are holding onto non-loser status by their fingernails. 

You're not a loser for not going to college, it's not for everyone.  I think Xander became pretty successful later on.

Xander is like the rest of them, even Giles is included in the theme of lost in the new landscape of college and what is coming. 

Maybe they're ignoring him because he's being a loser

They do seem to look down on him, perhaps not going to college is one of the reasons -also the funny jobs he can't keep and his comical relationship with Anya and the fact that they're growing stronger and going to places while he's still the same, stuck in the basement. It's easy to laugh at him, which is sad, seeing as how much he respects them and looks up to them.

I disagree that not attending college makes a person a loser. Eventually, Xander ends up being a foreman bossing men older than him and making a lot of money  when he's only 19. While Buffy and Willow did attend college, Xander is the one who gets to have his own apartment and a paying job, in real life terms he grew up before them.

Exactly, I completely agree.

You're not a loser for not going to college, it's not for everyone. - I didn't mean that he was a loser for not going to college, but a loser for not taking advantage of what opportunities he was given (yeah yeah teenage boy) and for not thinking seriously about what he's going to do with his life.  He stumbles into the carpentry thing, which is very solid, but it's not like it's a conscious decision.  Once he's involved in the carpentry thing, he does move ahead and do some very adult things successfully.  At this point in the arc though - loser.

In real life terms and career wise, Xander was the most successful, and in just a short amount of time.  He's far from being a lima loser.  Instead of taking a bunch of classes and not knowing his major, he had a bunch of jobs till he found the one that fit.

It was nice to see Xander find a way to economic and personal success at the end of the series -

Yeah, I never once thought he was a loser, definitely more successful than anyone else.  Whether he was at that point or not, they were all just trying to find their way in the world.

I didn't mean that he was a loser for not going to college, but a loser for not taking advantage of what opportunities he was given (yeah yeah teenage boy) and for not thinking seriously about what he's going to do with his life.

I guess he made himself believe that he can't do well in school. Coming from an abusive family, I guess his parents may have a role building his insecurity when it came to school. They made him take a test when he was seven, and discovered he's a little slow -mostly in math. Possibly, that's one of the reasons he never tried.

It was nice to see Xander find a way to economic and personal success at the end of the series -

Xander's ending in S7 is probably the saddest. He lost so much (Anya, eye, hometown) and I bet even his ability to continue at construction. I don't think they hire a one-eyed carpenter in a risky business.