Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV Series) Dead Man's Party (1998) User Reviews

Once again, everyone is unfair to Buffy

[daisruba · 7/10 · 11 June 2021]

Just like the final season when they kicked her out of her own house, here they all ganged up on Buffy and made her the bad guy.

Xander is the worst, making her feel like crap when he was a big part in fault for her leaving (lying to her about Willows message) Joyce's friend giving opinions no one asked for, and Willow playing the victim card.

And her mom! Also playing the victim card when she was the one that told her not to come back home after.

Yeah but all the blame is Buffy's and no one ever apologize to her.. ungrateful gang.

An episode driven by the conflicts between the characters

[katierose295 · 7/10 · 1 August 2006]

The Buffy-verse is pretty good about showing the fallout of bad/controversial decisions within the group. The characters don't always agree or act responsibly or even like each other. But, they're still friends and the disagreements usually come from real, understandable conflicts. "Dead Man's Party" is all about the Scoobies adjusting to Buffy's return. In addition to the zombies that attack, there's another "dead man" haunting their reunion... Angel. Buffy hasn't told them that Angel regained his soul right before she killed him. And the Scoobies are bitter that she skipped town after fighting him without any explanations. All in all, it's an interesting episode, driven by the hurt feelings and different points-of-view of the characters.

"Dead Man's Party" begins with Buffy's return to Sunnydale. She isn't wanted for murder anymore. (Which is good because "That was such a drag.") But, she's still expelled from school and there's a new tension between her and Scoobies. They aren't quite ready to forgive her for abandoning them all summer. Joyce, meanwhile, is trying to be positive, but she's scared to leave Buffy alone for fear she will run off again. She plans a party to welcome Buffy home, conveniently located in the Summer's house so Buffy will be under her watchful eye, and invites the Scoobies. Little does Joyce know that the Scoobie's don't want to be alone with Buffy and, in an effort to avoid having to really face her, they invite half the school to the party.

Xander and Willow are especially uncomfortable around Buffy. Xander's months of worry over Buffy (combined, perhaps, with some guilt over his lie about Willow's spell in "Becoming Part Two" and his ever present resentment of Angel), has left him angry and impatient. Willow is hurt that Buffy didn't so much as send her a postcard while she was away. Not just because Buffy shut her out, but because Willow needed a friend as she adjusted to her new witch-y powers and Buffy wasn't there for her. I think this is especially interesting. Willow is Buffy's best friend, but throughout the series she will call Buffy on her self-centered behavior. (See, season four's "Fear, Itself" and season six's "Two to Go.") Buffy may be the Slayer (and the star of the show) but Willow refuses to be dismissed as just a sidekick or sounding board for Buffy's problems. She has problems too and she wants Buffy to acknowledge them. It's very cool. Anyway, it all comes to a head at the party, with Joyce, Willow and Xander shouting at Buffy, while Oz and Cordy try to play peacemakers.

And right about then, zombies attack. Joyce's new art piece is really a mask that raises the dead. Giles arrives at the house as the students try to fend off the monsters. Meanwhile, Joyce's friend Pat is killed and, as a zombie, puts on the mask. She becomes super-powerful and does some kind of flash-y mojo with her eyes that freezes people in place. Buffy has to fight her. After the battle, she and the Scoobies finally begin to heal their relationship.

There are some good points to this episode. I love Giles mimicking Joyce, "Do you like my mask? Isn't it pretty? It raises the dead." And it's very sweet that he just squeezes his eyes shut in relief when Buffy returns home. Cordy and Oz's reaction to Giles' "pet" is also fun. They keep calling the zombie cat "his," no matter how many times he insists that he's just studying it. Also, I like the argument that the Scoobie's have at the Summer's house. It sounds like a real fight, with people yelling, switching sides and hitting below the belt as it rages on. Buffy and Xander are especially good. He claims that she acted like an idiot, and Buffy retorts that his boy-slayer persona "Night Hawk" was pretty stupid, as well. Oz finally has to step between them. Lastly, "Dead Man's Party" deserves credit for trashing the Summer's house for the first time. Oh, the many parties and monster attacks that will end in the destruction of that living room in the years to come...

On the downside, "Dead Man's Party" is a hard episode to follow without the season two back story. You need to understand where the characters are coming from to really follow it. And I do think that the Scoobies could have been a little more understanding of Buffy's problems in this episode. They know that Angel died and they know how much she loved him... Yet nobody wants to even offer her condolences on his death. Also, the second that Pat is introduced, you know she'll wind up dead and probably a bad guy. This is Sunnydale, after all.

My favorite part of the episode: Oz playing with Giles' un-dead cat. "I like it. I think you should call it Patches."

One of the worst episodes, but still good TV

[steve-28435 · 6/10 · 26 February 2017]

So this episode is problematical. The zombies are great and Oz and Giles have some good lines, but...

The centrepoint is the big argument between Buffy and her friends. Whilst Willow makes some good points and Joyce also I still think they're way too hard on her. Xander's especially loathsome, especially considering his culpability in Buffy's distress given the Lie he told in Becoming part 2. Buffy's not blameless of course - she ran away from her problems rather than face them and left her family and friends to worry about her for 2 months - but the circumstances were extraordinary, to say the least, and, as mentioned, Xander bears some responsibility for it as he led Buffy to believe that all her friends wanted her to kill Angel (not Angelus).

This taints what is otherwise a good episode and the only appearance of Zombies in Buffy that I'm aware of. In the end the gang work together to defeat the zombies and a measure of peace is restored. Willow meets with Buffy and jokes about her running away, which shows it's no longer a sore point. But no exchange of info is given - the Scoobies don't know that Buffy had to kill Angel (they find out soon) and Buffy doesn't know that Xander lied to her (she doesn't mention it till four years later, surprising Willow and hoisting Xander by his own petard during a particularly difficult time for him.) This spoils the episode for me, hence the 6.

Silly Mom

[drexmaverick · 7/10 · 23 March 2020]

This episode is a little awkward and it's sad how naive Buffy's mother is ...

The One With The Zombies...

[taylorkingston · 9/10 · 2 October 2014]

I really love this episode. Giles' is especially funny in this episode.

In this episode, Buffy's Mum, Joyce gets a creepy mask and hangs it on her bedroom wall. Seems irrelevant, right? Wrong. It eventually turns dead people into zombies that try to get the mask, and if one of them puts it on, they become the evil in carnet. Since Buffy is home, her friends decide to throw her a dinner, that turns into a party, with people that don't even know who Buffy is, the fact that it's her house, or that it's her coming home party. Eventually, the house is over run with zombies, trying to get the mask. I love a line that Giles says, "don't you like my mask? Isn't it pretty? It brings back the dead." I just love it.

Overall, I give this episode a 9 out of 10.

Night of the living dead

[Realrockerhalloween · 1 October 2016]

Buffy returns home to a thrilled Joyce to pick up the pieces of her life and finds her friends are distant. Meanwhile Joyce gets a new piece for her exhibit that raises the dead. I have a few quarrels with this episode is she gets off to easy in picking up the pieces as the cops don t have any evidence to the contrary on who killed Kendra making her a suspect, Giles threatens Snyder letting her back in school and after a blow out All is well with her friends like last season never happened. I wanted some long lasting ramifications to stick where she has to go to court, fight to get in school or has to win a friend back when they refuse to be apart of her life. Another aspect is the shallow reasons her friends have for being mad as Buffy went through hell yet they are only concerned about not talking to her about their problems and facing the evil in town when the world's full of it. Maybe if it had been more about missing her or making her mother worried sick I feel more sympathy for them.

The zombie scenes are terrifying rising up to kill rotted, mutilated and crash her welcome home party. They board up rooms trying to stay alive. I even like Pat becoming their master blinding the living and controlling the dead making them a memorable chilling evil.

Back to SunnyD

[Joxerlives · 6/10 · 7 February 2012]

Dead Man's Party

The Good; Cordy's outfit, Buffy's homecoming. Joyce's friend Pat. Jonathon. The attack of the undead, another Sunnydale High cheerleader seemingly amongst them. Giles's 'Americans' line and his hotwiring the car. Oz's party definitions. 'Ripper' threatening Snyder

The Bad; Before Giles arrives the house is full of zombies, after he gets there they all disappear? Also would Joyce really choose to hang that horrible mask in the bedroom, even if it is art?

Best line; Oz; "And a hootenanny. Well that's chock full of hoot. With just a little bit of nanny" (How effortlessly cool is Seth Green in this scene?)

Whedon Clichés; Character death; So long Pat, we hardly knew you. But at least the actress goes on to be Earl's mum in 'My Name is Earl'

Tied up; none although when Xander says he's tied up tomorrow Cordy says 'You wish'??????

Kinky dinky; Buffy is aghast that Joyce wants her to go to private school where she'll have to wear a schoolgirl's uniform. Well it worked for Britney. Cordy says that Xander turned her on with the whole 'Nighthawk' vamphunter look (she also seemed to like him in his army gear in Halloween) Her party dress has to be seen to be believed. Also see 'Tied Up'

Calling Captain Subtext; this time it's Oz and Cordy who end up in the closet together

What the fanficcers thought; Buffy in a St Trinians style all-girls school popular amongst the slashficcers

Questions and observations; So where is Dawn in all of this? Snyder advises Buffy to get a job in fast food which she eventually does. The confrontation between Joyce and Buffy is really long overdue and Joyce really does have a point. Willow is studying to be witch. Jonathon gets in on the demon fighting for the first time as do Joyce and Devon. After this it's business as usual and we're glad to get back to the status quo in Sunnydale. Joyce's tipple is schnapps and she has a book club (which she later attends in season 5). She also skis to judge by the weapons Oz and Cordy use in the closet. Xander calls himself Nighthawk on patrol, they seem to be pretty good at the vamp staking, having killed at least 6. I'd love to see if they handled any other supernatural threats during the summer. The Mayor is mentioned again and the first appearance of the Expresso Pump. Cordy refers to Buffy as a freak but she'll later become one herself on Angel. Presumably the Watcher's Council used their influence to help get Buffy back in school (see also Checkpoint). Willow is still practising witchcraft and growing more proficient.

6/10, good but not brilliant

An excellent episode

[invisiblespike · 8/10 · 5 July 2008]

Being brutally honest this isn't the best episode ever of Buffy but having said that it still ranks alongside the greats like "Chosen", "Intervention" and "Lies My Parents Told Me." This is mainly due to the lightning fast dialogue and the total destruction of the Summers' living room. Giles imitating Joyce "Don't you like my mask? Isn't it pretty? It raises the dead? Americans!" and his confusing phone conversation with a stoner are the comedic high points.

On a more sombre note the episode is driven by the reaction of Buffy's family and friends to her summer spent away. Tension grows between Willow and Buffy, to the extent that Willow blows off a coffee meeting with Buffy. The arguments between Xander and Buffy turn violent to the point of Oz having to step between them to avoid them coming to blows (though Oz himself, ever the neutral guy gives Buffy a rather nasty look when she first meets the gang.) Another high point that deserves mentioning is anything that involves Principal Snyder. Okay sure he a meglomaniacal fascist with a huge superiority complex but it's just so great to see him, as Armin Shimerman is just such a foil to Buffy. Another thing is the noticeable lack of Angel (he only appears in a dream sequence) which i can say (I'm sorry) is only an improvement. I think Spike might have been an interesting investment in this episode but i don't see how they could've have fitted him in. But hey, that's up to the writers not me.

An excellent episode with only a couple of minor flaws.

Unnecessary stuff

[dellagbebire · 7/10 · 22 June 2021]

I feel like this episode would have been a 10 if it didn't have the mask subplot. The character stuff going on was enough to carry the episode I feel.

Check it out. The Watcher's back on the clock. And just when you're thinking career change, maybe becoming a... a looker or a... a seer.

[bombersflyup · 10/10 · 13 September 2019]

Dead Man's Party is about Buffy returning to Sunnydale and a reanimating Nigerian mask.

A strong entry, re-forming the tight bond between the group, well once danger afoot. The zombie plot isn't involving and doesn't take away from the evoking drama, but adds a little humor. Sarah so beautiful, my god. Also worth mentioning, the first time Willow's ever unkind in any way, because she's hurt. The more she's hurt throughout the series, the less of a sweet spirit she becomes.

Why talk when you can party?

[ossie85 · 6/10 · 9 August 2022]

Willow, Xander, Cordy, Oz and Giles decide to through Buffy a party in celebration of her return but things don't go to plan. Buffy soon find that life hasn't got any easier and her relationship with her friends is strained. Also a mask is bringing the dead back to life.

Why It's So Good - Things can never go back to normal. Abandonment issues all round, and Buffy's friends do not understand her trauma and lash out. Buffy also doesn't acknowledge the hurt she unwittingly inflicted on them. Zombies solve all.

Watch Out For - Jonathan by the dip.

Quote - "I have not only the right, but also a nearly physical sensation of pleasure at the thought of keeping her out of school. I'd describe myself as tingly." - Principal Snyder.

Quite a Party

[Hitchcoc · 7/10 · 24 May 2024]

First of all, is there any fallout over more dead kids, a dead neighbor, and the destruction of a house. I wonder if their homeowners insurance covers a zombie attack. I don't know if I buy this episode. They all know Buffy but treat her like dirt. After all the previous incidents wouldn't it be natural to trust her. She faces danger every day. There was a warrant out for her on a murder charge, her mother had rejected her, and she had been through the most vicious of events. Anyway, the whole zombie thing is really tiresome. It's interesting that they can barely walk, but they have the energy to go through a window and chase people around. But I guess the bucolic last scene with Willow is enough. It will be interesting to see how the principal comes out of this.

Hey Everyone! Lets All Unfairly Pile on Buffy!!

[rblenz-65059 · 4/10 · 20 February 2023]

Am I the only one who thought every single person in Buffy's inner circle were all incredibly selfish in this episode? They all made me sick, including Joyce! It should have been obvious to all of them (except Joyce, MAYBE!) she had to kill Angel since the earth wasn't destroyed. Couldn't they think beyond themselves for one second how traumatic that must have been for her???? Zander was especially horrid to Buffy. And Willow! Willow, of all people, should definitely have been more sympathetic to what Buffy went through in killing Angel! Whomever wrote this episode should be ashamed of themselves!