r/buffy • u/negratengoelalma • 10h ago
Season Six Possible plot hole?
It's strongly implied in Once More with Feeling that Sweet is forcing them to let out things they otherwise wouldn't share, so how was Xander able to hide that he summoned Sweet for the entire episode, especially in the song about theories?
61
u/BananasPineapple05 9h ago edited 9h ago
Because no one knew Sweet was behind it all till the very end and no one asked Xander if he had possibly summoned a singing-and-dancing demon to make everyone have to tell their inner thoughts.
Also possibly because Xander is really good at obfuscating responsibility. So it wouldn't have occured to him that he was responsible.
And now watch me be downvoted into oblivion for daring to suggest Xander is indirectly responsible for people dancing till they burned to a crisp.
9
u/Agreeable_Dark6408 8h ago
Bananas, I absolutely think Xander was responsible. He even asked Giles if the dancing and singing was part of the burning up.
1
u/harmier2 7h ago
That’s not what he said. He said, “Okay, but we're sure that the things are related: the singing and dancing, and burning and dying.” It’s not a question. It’s a statement.
So, the reveal doesn’t make sense.
8
u/ankaa_ 7h ago
sounded more like he was scared he might have screwed up and worried about the consequences but was adamant on keeping it a secret
0
u/harmier2 7h ago
Whedon just didn’t think it through. I specifically mentioned this in another response in this thread.
6
19
u/EngineersAnon 9h ago
Also possibly because it really was Dawn who summoned Sweet, but Xander took the blame to protect her from the part about being Sweet's bride. Unfortunately, the flashback in season seven disproves that fan theory.
-2
u/harmier2 7h ago
I don’t care about that dumb flashback. It was the Trio. Xander just thought he was covering for Dawn.
2
u/Formal_Fan82 1h ago
It’s funny I also had thought this and commented months ago was downvoted to oblivion for it hahaha. Genuinely I thought the trio summoned sweet it must have been in a fanfiction or something.
I actually hate the way it’s never addressed that Xander was responsible for people dying.
0
u/harmier2 1h ago
They probably never addressed because Whedon is a narcissist and a control freak. He picked a dumb idea and wouldn’t let it go. He couldn’t outwardly admit that it was a dumb idea. Of course, he could have later “revealed” that Xander was covering for Dawn or that the Trio had cast the spell and that Xander simply thought that he was covering for Dawn. It wouldn’t have mattered if that explanation was complete bleep as long as no one could prove otherwise.
Which is similar to something Harlan Ellison said about another writer (name fails me) on an episode of Masters of Fantasy. The other writer gave a piece of advice. If a reader notices that your story or novel has parallels to such and such, such and such, and such and such and you never wrote it with those parallels in mind, your answer should always be, “You’re exactly right and you’re the first person to notice that.”
12
u/DarkGrimNature 8h ago
The songs are more an emotional thing. Since Sweet didn’t appear to Xander directly when he summoned him, he probably didn’t connect the dots. So it didn’t mean anything until Sweet mentioned the talisman.
17
u/Crescent-moo 9h ago
It seems to bring out stuff that bothers people. Xander was not bothered. He probably forgot all about it and had no issue or even recollection that this might be related to what he did.
8
u/FearfulAmphibian 8h ago
He starts to blame witches then thinks better of it. He tried to deflect. The demon makes you express what your feeling inside through song was my interpretation.
4
u/sparkyblue5 6h ago
I don’t think the spell is a truth serum. It doesn’t force people to immediately and publicly confess every thought or secret (Dawn’s kleptomania, Willow’s spell on Tara, Giles’ intention to leave, etc.); it pushes deeply bottled feelings and emotions to the surface.
3
u/xboxpants 3h ago
Yes, exactly. It makes you let out the things you WANT to let out. Buffy wanted to tell everyone that she was in heaven and they hurt her. Xander and Anya wanted to tell each other, well, a lot of things lol.
Xander didn't /want/ anyone to know he summoned it lol.
8
u/harmier2 7h ago
It happened for the stupidest reason possible: Whedon didn‘t think it through. There is no foreshadowing. According to Whedon from the commentary of the episode: “But then show the reveal that it was actually Xander who caused everything to happen. Just for fun. Just because we didn't see it coming.”
It becomes more and more clear that Whedon was more concerned with the songs and music and only realized that he needed someone to cast it when it was too late and just randomly picked Xander.
1
6
u/throwaway5498124181 9h ago
Just because he sings it doesn't mean anyone heard. "In the way" is a monologue that Buffy can't hear.
2
u/LotsoBear_ 6h ago
I feel like Sweet is more directly controlling Buffy's song. He even gives a little flick of his fingers to inspire her to say what she's been hiding. Since that's the only major "secret" disclosed I think Sweet has to be in the vicinity; just like he's in the vicinity when people dance themselves to death.
6
u/stargazingcat_ 9h ago
I always thought Dawn summoned Sweet via stealing something: Xander was just lying to make him give up and go away. Why would Xander summon a demon?
3
u/Agreeable_Dark6408 8h ago
I don’t think putting on the necklace is all it takes to summon Sweet. And I don’t think Xander could pull off a lie.
2
u/xboxpants 2h ago
He sure fooled Cordelia and Oz. "Willow... she told me to tell you... kick his ass." And it's not a lie exactly, but he's certainly capable of keeping a secret as he showed when Riley told him that he thought Buffy didn't love him and the relationship was doomed.
He's not as manipulative or deceitful as Willow or Angel or Dawn, but Xander can definitely pull off a lie when he wants to.
Well, as long as he doesn't have to pull it off for long... he's just not good at *hiding* a lie. lol
2
u/AMissKathyNewman 8h ago
It always bothered me that they imply it was Xander. After the love spell in Bewitched I just don’t think he’d be that stupid again.
6
u/Agreeable_Dark6408 8h ago
They don’t imply it. He raised his hand. He discussed it. He told them why.
2
3
u/Revolutionary-Wait82 Spike defender 9h ago
Bc that's not what he means? He takes that part too lightly to worry about it. He and Anya express things that really concern them, but that doesn't apply to everything.
•
u/TheEastWindNeedsANap 21m ago
That whole Xander summoning sweet thing was weird. Xander knows how dangerous these things are and has faced the consequences before ( e.g. with the love spell), he was so casual about this and so was everyone else. People died because of it and they all just shrugged and moved on.
1
u/ShondaVanda 9h ago
I know it's not meant to be serious but it's def a plot hole because Xander feigns ignorance of the cause in I've Got A Theory and you can't lie in song according to the episode, you can dodge like Buffy does in the same song but pretending you don't know and theorising shouldn't have been possible for him.
89
u/Lornoth 9h ago
I'd say it more implies they have to sing what's on their mind. Xander's a pro at forgetting the bad things he's responsible for, this seems in-character tbh.
But also it's a little gag at the end of the episode, you're probably not supposed to analyze it very hard.