"Please Wesley, why can't I stay?"
ORIGINAL AIRDATE: 25th February 2004
EPISODE NUMBER: Season 5, Episode 15
WRITTEN BY: Joss Whedon
Only Joss Whedon could follow up the funniest episode of the series (Smile Time, reviewed earlier on this blog) with the most heartbreaking. And that's no understatement with A Hole In The World. It is utterly heart wrenching. Joss' reputation for being ruthless in killing off characters is legedary, but this shocked everyone.
Fred Burkle was the nicest, sweetest, most adorable character on the show. She'd been a pleasant presence for over 3 seasons. And for this, she is rewarded with the most brutal, painful and agonizing death possible, which she did nothing to deserve. She goes out terrified, and it's really hard to watch. The point is to inspire emotion in the audience, and it certainly does that. This is true for the team too. Angel simply has to say Fred's name to motivate his team into working to stop her from succumbing to the goddess Illyria. All of them loved Fred, even hardass rogue Spike.
Of course, Wesley loved Fred the most. Their relationship was a slow burning one, and barely even got going before it was taken away. It all started off so well for them, but the romantic kiss they share at they start of the episode would be the last time they were truly happy.
No-one could have expected the episode to be so emotionally powerful, and the intensity is upped at every opportunity. Angel and Spike are given the tough decision to let Fred die, knowing the alternative was worse. Gunn is feeling really guilty about his part in Fred's condition. Whedon sure loves to make his character suffer. And the acting is just fantastic every step of the way.
The titular scene is a surprisingly profound moment when Spike looks down into the emptiness below and muses that there's a hole in the world. A great metaphor for the hollowness of life.
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