Season 7, Episode 6 | Aired: 5 November 2002 | Written by: Drew Z. Greenberg | Directed by: Michael Gershman
A letterman jacket belonging to a Sunnydale High quarterback has an enchantment that makes women fall in love with its wearer. Dawn becomes obsessed; then Buffy; then Willow; then Anya. The episode is a farce — four women simultaneously attempting to prove their devotion in wildly different ways — and is one of the season’s lightest entries. It also serves a structural purpose, giving the season a breath before the increasingly grim material that follows.
What Happens
R.J. Brooks (Thad Luckinbill) is the jacket’s current owner. Dawn attempts to throw herself in front of a train. Buffy tries to shoot Principal Wood. Willow attempts to turn R.J. into a woman. Anya robs a bank. Xander and Spike, immune to the enchantment, try to manage the chaos. They steal the jacket. The enchantment breaks. Everyone is embarrassed. Dawn is safe.
Key Moments
The four-way split screen of each woman enacting her devotion simultaneously — the show’s most committed piece of physical comedy in the season. And Anya robbing a bank with cheerful competence because her plan involved “getting money.”
Monster / Villain
The jacket — which belonged to R.J.’s older brother, originally. The enchantment has been cycling through Sunnydale High’s generations.
Notable Quote
“I’m going to do something cool to show him how much I love him. And it’s not going to be stupid, like turning him into a woman.” — Anya, side-eyeing Willow’s plan.
Where It Fits
Him is the comedy episode of Season 7’s first half. It does its job without complication and allows the cast to have fun before the back half requires them to be very serious indeed.