Buffy the Vampire Slayer - The Script Book: "Once More with Feeling"

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Edited by Micol Ostow
Script, Lyrics and Music by Joss Whedon
ISBN 0 689 85918 X

Part script, part sheet music, this book is a must for every “Once More with Feeling” fan, whether or not they are a musician. The script is the original shooting script, so you can not only finally figure out what Xander was saying about omelets when Anya began singing their duet, but you can also read lines that were cut from the final product. The sheet music is a decent set of piano/vocal arrangements, although savvy composers and arrangers out there will note that it can be pretty bare bones in places. We don’t get “The Parking Ticket,” The Mustard Song,” “Dawn’s Lament/Ballet,” the reprise to Sweet’s song, or Buffy and Spike’s coda, but otherwise, pretty much every harmony sung is there, especially important for “Walk Through the Fire.”

What makes this book interesting to this reviewer is the section in the middle of the book that talks about how Joss Whedon created this episode, lots of fun behind-the-scenes tidbits (did you notice that the stone in Sweet’s forehead is the same one in the amulet?), and a list of all the musical “inside jokes” used in the show. Add eight pages of full color photos and a brief synopsis of what happened before and after this episode in season 6 and you have a fun book to own.