Buffy stole this episode from Xena but did it a thousand times better

This idea for one of the most beloved episodes of Buffy comes directly from Xena: Warrior Princess, but it ended up completely overshadowing the original

Buffy stole this episode from Xena but did it a thousand times better

America is the land of musicals, and TV series are no exception. Alongside those like Glee, which revolve entirely around music, there is a long tradition of musical episodes, inserted for fun and stylistic choice within series with completely different atmospheres. And it is precisely in this aspect that a curious connection between Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Xena: Warrior Princess lies. There are two musical episodes of Xena: Xena and the Wheel of Fate, which aired in 1998, and Xena and the Lyre of Terpsichore, from 1999. But it was the first that changed the rules of the table, deserving of having introduced a new way of filming musical episodes. 

Until then, in fact, episodes of this type were filmed in “Cabaret mode”, that is, they required the characters to decide to put on a show or in any case choose to sing some songs. In Xena and the Wheel of Fate, however, the protagonists unexpectedly find themselves expressing their emotions in the form of songs. Not only that: the choice to have the characters sing is not just a whim, but has a narrative reason above all. The episode, in fact, comes at the height of an important conflict between Xena and Gabrielle, after the latter’s daughter, Hope, kills Seleucus, Xena’s son. 

Instead of showing the argument between the two protagonists, the authors of the series decided to allow them to express all their pain by singing. The episode therefore culminates in a heartbreaking song in which Xena asks Seleucus for forgiveness, finally reconciling with her beloved Gabrielle. In the same years, several TV series have tried to replicate the formula, such as Hercules or Ally McBeal. But it was Buffy the Vampire Slayer who really picked up Xena's baton, creating a musical episode that would make television history. We are obviously talking about Life is a Musical, which aired in 2001, and shares several elements with its predecessor.

The Buffy episode, in fact, uses the exact same stratagem to resolve one of the deepest and most emotional arcs in the Slayer's history. In the finale of the fifth season, in fact, Buffy sacrifices herself to save Dawn. Her choice is dictated by her love for her sister, but also by her deep despair for her responsibilities and for the death of her mother Joyce. Therefore, when she is torn from heaven and forced against her will to return to life, the girl appears apathetic and depressed. However, none of her friends know the truth about her experience in the afterlife, which emerges in this episode through a song. 

It is always through a piece of music that the protagonist understands that she must move on because the only way to heal from her wounds is to continue living. In short, these two episodes have had a profound impact on the history of TV and musicals, inspiring other series to do the same (not least Scrubs, with the episode My Musical, in the sixth season). Do you know of other examples?

Source: Den of Geek