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"Beer Bad" is the fifth episode of the fourth season of the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The episode aired on The WB on November 2, 1999. It is written by Tracey Forbes and directed by David Solomon. It was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Hairstyling in a Series.[1]
Buffy is still hurting because Parker dumped her after a night together. In a daydream during one of Professor Walsh's classes (pointedly, about the role of the id in Freudianpsychology) she saves Parker's life and he swears to do anything to get her back. A dialogue with Willow later shows how much Buffy is not over him yet.
In the real world, Xander gets a job as a bartender with a fake ID, and has to endure insults from students. He gets to test his empathy skills with none other than Buffy, who proceeds to get drunk on "Black Frost" beer with four college boys. Oz and Willow are in The Bronze together, but he feels a strange connection to the pretty singer Veruca when she gets on the stage with her band Shy.
The next morning, Willow not only has to cope with Veruca having called her a "groupie", but also with Buffy, who seems to be suffering from "Black Frost." That evening when Buffy drinks herself drunk, it is soon revealed why: somebody has a chemicallab set up and is putting more into the beer than just malt. Xander finally sends Buffy home. When her four drinking buddies turn into violent Neanderthals, he learns that the owner of the pub has been adding a mystical liquid a warlock taught him to make to the beer as revenge for 20 years of college kids taunting him. Despite the pub owner explaining that the effects wear off after a day or so Xander heads off, knowing the damage that could be done in that time. While the boys escape to the streets of Sunnydale, Xander gets Giles to help. They find Buffy drawing cave paintings on her dorm wall, saying "Parker bad." Giles and Xander are unable to keep Buffy in her room when she gets a craving for more beer.
Meanwhile, Willow confronts Parker with what she says he has done to Buffy. When he turns his charm on her she plays along, then asks just how gullible he thinks she is, before launching into a rant about how primitive men are. Just then, the Neanderthal students burst into the room. They knock Willow and Parker unconscious and start a fire that rapidly burns out of control. Xander catches up with Buffy and when they see smoke from the Neanderthals' fire, they rush to help. Though afraid of the flames and unable to figure out how to use an extinguisher, Buffy saves Willow, Parker, two students captured by the Neanderthals, and her erstwhile drinking buddies. In the end, Parker thanks Buffy for saving his life and apologizes, just the way she had dreamt — only to be coldcocked by a club-wielding Buffy. The Neanderthal students are subsequently locked in a random van by Xander.
Writing and actingEdit
"Beer Bad" is written with a classic frame structure — Buffy's dream — that emphasizes her development; hitting Parker with a stick qualifies as poetic justice. Producer Doug Petrie says, despite the intensely negative reaction of the fans to seeing Buffy being "battered about by the forces of college" and being treated so callously by Parker, they had to "ride that out" until this episode because "we didn't want her to find her strength immediately in this new setting".[2]
However, the most striking feature of "Beer Bad" is the twin moral: Beer and casual sex are bad. In a BBC interview, Petrie states: "Well, very young people get unlimited access to alcohol and become horrible! We all do it — or most of us do it — and live to regret it, and we wanted to explore that."[2]
In an interview, David Solomon revealed doubts he and Whedon had about the quality of the episode: "The fourth season's Beer Bad wasn't everyone's cup of tea, especially with Buffy fans. Solomon had some doubts about this episode but it turned out to be better than he expected. "Joss wasn't entirely pleased with this story," he says. "He came into my office at the last minute with the script and said to me, 'I tried to make it better but all I did was make it funnier.' I took that to mean, 'We're not exactly sure what this is supposed to be about so just enjoy yourself.' So I actually had a ball doing it. It was a laugh to watch frat boys turn into cavemen and have Buffy affected by the same thing that was affecting them. We just let everyone go 'crazy' and nothing all bad came out of it."[3]
While "Beer Bad" is often called one of the worst episodes by fans and critics, Whedon has a different perspective on the episode: "It's interesting, every single episode contains an attempt to do something real, and contains at least one or two lines that crack me up, or one or two moments that genuinely shock me. I know there are ones that are not favorites among fans. And there are definitely ones where I scratch my head and go, "You know, this seemed a great idea on paper." But I never actually singled one out and went, "Here's a total failure." .... "Everyone always talks about the Frankenstein one, but I think it has some beautiful stuff in it. And I think the same thing about "Beer Bad," where Buffy goes all cave man. A lot of people groan at that one, but I think it has some lovely stuff in it."[4]
ReceptionEdit
A BBC reviewer complained about its "American puritanism"[5] and Slayage criticized writer Tracey Forbes for delivering a trite and obvious message in a series containing "such an abundant feminist subtext".[6] However, Todd Hertz of Christianity Today used this episode of an example of the show's honest portrayal of consequences. The episode remains the lowest rated of the series on film and television aggregation site IMDb.[7][8][9]
ControversyEdit
This plot was written with the plan to take advantage of funds from the Office of National Drug Control Policy available to shows that promoted an anti-drug message.[10] Funding was rejected for the episode because "[d]rugs were an issue, but ... [it] was otherworldly nonsense, very abstract and not like real-life kids taking drugs. Viewers wouldn't make the link to [the ONDCP's] message."[11]
ReferencesEdit
^. The Envelope: The Ultimate Awards Site. Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 2007-01-06. Retrieved 2007-09-10.
^ abPetrie, Doug (n.d.). "Beer Bad". Buffy Producer's Inside Guide. BBC. from the original on 24 May 2008. Retrieved 2008-07-01.
^ Steven Eramo (August 2003). . TV Zone. Archived from the original on 2004-08-21.
^ Michael Ausiello (May 19, 2003). . TV Guide. Archived from the original on June 1, 2003.
^Dalfonzo, Gina R. (2003). . Boundless.org. Archived from the original on 23 July 2008. Retrieved 2008-07-01.
^Hertz, Todd (1 September 2002). "Don't Let Your Kids Watch Buffy the Vampire Slayer (But You Can Tape It and Watch After They Go to Bed)". ChristianityToday.com. from the original on 11 July 2008. Retrieved 2008-07-01.
^Edwards, Jim (April 6, 2000). . APBnews.com. WordPress.com. Archived from the original on 2002-02-07. Retrieved 2008-07-01.
^Forbes, Daniel (January 13, 2000). . Salon. CommercialAlert.org. Archived from the original on 12 June 2008. Retrieved 2008-07-01.
beer, this, article, multiple, issues, please, help, improve, discuss, these, issues, talk, page, learn, when, remove, these, template, messages, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations. This article has multiple issues Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page Learn how and when to remove these template messages This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Beer Bad news newspapers books scholar JSTOR July 2019 Learn how and when to remove this template message This article s lead section may be too short to adequately summarize the key points Please consider expanding the lead to provide an accessible overview of all important aspects of the article July 2019 Learn how and when to remove this template message Beer Bad is the fifth episode of the fourth season of the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer The episode aired on The WB on November 2 1999 It is written by Tracey Forbes and directed by David Solomon It was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Hairstyling in a Series 1 Beer Bad Buffy the Vampire Slayer episodeEpisode no Season 4Episode 5Directed byDavid SolomonWritten byTracey ForbesProduction code4ABB05Original air dateNovember 2 1999 1999 11 02 Guest appearancesMarc Blucas as Riley Finn Adam Kaufman as Parker Abrams Paige Moss as Veruca Eric Matheny as Colm Stephen M Porter as Jack the Bartender Lindsay Crouse as Maggie Walsh Kal Penn as Hunt Jake Phillips as Kip Bryan Cuprill as Roy Lisa Johnson as Paula Joshua Wheeler as Driver Patrick Belton as College Kid 1 Kaycee Shank as College Kid 2 Steven Jang as College Kid 3 Cameron Bender as Stoner Kate Luhr as Young WomanEpisode chronology Previous Fear Itself Next Wild at Heart Buffy the Vampire Slayer season 4 List of episodes Contents 1 Plot synopsis 2 Writing and acting 3 Reception 3 1 Controversy 4 References 5 External linksPlot synopsis EditBuffy is still hurting because Parker dumped her after a night together In a daydream during one of Professor Walsh s classes pointedly about the role of the id in Freudian psychology she saves Parker s life and he swears to do anything to get her back A dialogue with Willow later shows how much Buffy is not over him yet In the real world Xander gets a job as a bartender with a fake ID and has to endure insults from students He gets to test his empathy skills with none other than Buffy who proceeds to get drunk on Black Frost beer with four college boys Oz and Willow are in The Bronze together but he feels a strange connection to the pretty singer Veruca when she gets on the stage with her band Shy The next morning Willow not only has to cope with Veruca having called her a groupie but also with Buffy who seems to be suffering from Black Frost That evening when Buffy drinks herself drunk it is soon revealed why somebody has a chemical lab set up and is putting more into the beer than just malt Xander finally sends Buffy home When her four drinking buddies turn into violent Neanderthals he learns that the owner of the pub has been adding a mystical liquid a warlock taught him to make to the beer as revenge for 20 years of college kids taunting him Despite the pub owner explaining that the effects wear off after a day or so Xander heads off knowing the damage that could be done in that time While the boys escape to the streets of Sunnydale Xander gets Giles to help They find Buffy drawing cave paintings on her dorm wall saying Parker bad Giles and Xander are unable to keep Buffy in her room when she gets a craving for more beer Meanwhile Willow confronts Parker with what she says he has done to Buffy When he turns his charm on her she plays along then asks just how gullible he thinks she is before launching into a rant about how primitive men are Just then the Neanderthal students burst into the room They knock Willow and Parker unconscious and start a fire that rapidly burns out of control Xander catches up with Buffy and when they see smoke from the Neanderthals fire they rush to help Though afraid of the flames and unable to figure out how to use an extinguisher Buffy saves Willow Parker two students captured by the Neanderthals and her erstwhile drinking buddies In the end Parker thanks Buffy for saving his life and apologizes just the way she had dreamt only to be coldcocked by a club wielding Buffy The Neanderthal students are subsequently locked in a random van by Xander Writing and acting Edit Beer Bad is written with a classic frame structure Buffy s dream that emphasizes her development hitting Parker with a stick qualifies as poetic justice Producer Doug Petrie says despite the intensely negative reaction of the fans to seeing Buffy being battered about by the forces of college and being treated so callously by Parker they had to ride that out until this episode because we didn t want her to find her strength immediately in this new setting 2 However the most striking feature of Beer Bad is the twin moral Beer and casual sex are bad In a BBC interview Petrie states Well very young people get unlimited access to alcohol and become horrible We all do it or most of us do it and live to regret it and we wanted to explore that 2 In an interview David Solomon revealed doubts he and Whedon had about the quality of the episode The fourth season s Beer Bad wasn t everyone s cup of tea especially with Buffy fans Solomon had some doubts about this episode but it turned out to be better than he expected Joss wasn t entirely pleased with this story he says He came into my office at the last minute with the script and said to me I tried to make it better but all I did was make it funnier I took that to mean We re not exactly sure what this is supposed to be about so just enjoy yourself So I actually had a ball doing it It was a laugh to watch frat boys turn into cavemen and have Buffy affected by the same thing that was affecting them We just let everyone go crazy and nothing all bad came out of it 3 While Beer Bad is often called one of the worst episodes by fans and critics Whedon has a different perspective on the episode It s interesting every single episode contains an attempt to do something real and contains at least one or two lines that crack me up or one or two moments that genuinely shock me I know there are ones that are not favorites among fans And there are definitely ones where I scratch my head and go You know this seemed a great idea on paper But I never actually singled one out and went Here s a total failure Everyone always talks about the Frankenstein one but I think it has some beautiful stuff in it And I think the same thing about Beer Bad where Buffy goes all cave man A lot of people groan at that one but I think it has some lovely stuff in it 4 Reception EditA BBC reviewer complained about its American puritanism 5 and Slayage criticized writer Tracey Forbes for delivering a trite and obvious message in a series containing such an abundant feminist subtext 6 However Todd Hertz of Christianity Today used this episode of an example of the show s honest portrayal of consequences The episode remains the lowest rated of the series on film and television aggregation site IMDb 7 8 9 Controversy Edit This plot was written with the plan to take advantage of funds from the Office of National Drug Control Policy available to shows that promoted an anti drug message 10 Funding was rejected for the episode because d rugs were an issue but it was otherworldly nonsense very abstract and not like real life kids taking drugs Viewers wouldn t make the link to the ONDCP s message 11 References Edit Past Winners Database 1999 2000 52nd Emmy Awards The Envelope The Ultimate Awards Site Los Angeles Times Archived from the original on 2007 01 06 Retrieved 2007 09 10 a b Petrie Doug n d Beer Bad Buffy Producer s Inside Guide BBC Archived from the original on 24 May 2008 Retrieved 2008 07 01 Steven Eramo August 2003 Slaying it in Pictures TV Zone Archived from the original on 2004 08 21 Michael Ausiello May 19 2003 Buffy s Creator Speaks TV Guide Archived from the original on June 1 2003 Stephen n d Buffy Episode Guide Beer Bad Review Erenberg Daniel March 1 2003 The Top 10 Worst Episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer Slayage Retrieved 2008 07 01 Buffy the Vampire Slayer Beer Bad IMDb Dalfonzo Gina R 2003 Buffy Fades to Black Boundless org Archived from the original on 23 July 2008 Retrieved 2008 07 01 Hertz Todd 1 September 2002 Don t Let Your Kids Watch Buffy the Vampire Slayer But You Can Tape It and Watch After They Go to Bed ChristianityToday com Archived from the original on 11 July 2008 Retrieved 2008 07 01 Edwards Jim April 6 2000 ESPN Using News for Anti Drug Propaganda APBnews com WordPress com Archived from the original on 2002 02 07 Retrieved 2008 07 01 Forbes Daniel January 13 2000 Prime time Propaganda How the White House Secretly Hooked Network TV on Its Anti drug Message Salon CommercialAlert org Archived from the original on 12 June 2008 Retrieved 2008 07 01 External links Edit nbsp Wikiquote has quotations related to Beer Bad Beer Bad at IMDb Beer Bad at BuffyGuide com Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Beer Bad amp oldid 1180646799, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
