This episode was written and directed by Joss Whedon.

[Begin Spoiler for "A Hole In The World" — Highlight to view]

The good news: Joss Whedon is a better writer and director than all the other writers and directors on this show combined.

The bad news: He's still a hack.

Examples: Cavemen vs. Astronauts. The first joke? Funny. The second joke? Still funny. By the time Fred and Wesley were still discussing it on the stairs? Oh my God so not funny anymore. I get it! Way to beat the goddamn joke to death! And I'm not sure about the tie-in to it at the end. What was that about, the demons are the cavemen, and they win over the more learned people? Eh, a fair point, but I still don't think we needed to have it beaten into us quite so thoroughly. Furthermore, I hope we all realize that the astronauts would get their asses handed to them. I mean, we're talking people who took down Pleistocene megafauna with freaking knives . Solid compact muscle, thick bones, skin toughened over with scars and calluses. The astronauts probably use moisturizer.

"You make me happy..." BOOM! Spurtin' blood and collapsing! Oh, Jesus Christ, Whedon! Speaking of boring the crap out of me. I can't even care anymore. FIND NEW GIMMICKS. The first time you do it is affecting and shocking. The fifth or tenth time you do it, it's a miraculous combination of lazily and desperately trying to be affecting and shocking. Ho fucking hum. And I think people have it backwards. Something bad didn't have to happen to one of them because they got together. They had to get together because something bad was going to happen to one of them. So Fred needed someone to never leave her, and comfort her, and cry over her, and amp up the emotion, and Wesley got that job because he was the easiest person to write into it. EASIEST. Because Whedon is all about doing what's easiest and convincing himself that it's genius.

Fred's blue! Yaaaaay! Um. I should clarify that I'm only cheering because that was the last thing I was spoiled for. And now that it happened I can watch the rest of the episodes being blissfully unaware of anything that will happen.

And, uh, despite Whedon being a hack, this episode was pretty darn good. Sorry to be misleading. All the actors gave great performances, even when the material was making me roll my eyes. The only thing that I don't think worked was Knox's reveal. I mean, I totally buy that he's evil, and that whole thing is his MO, but, come on. It? He either didn't play it enough like a slip, or didn't play it enough as an intentional wording. Because, seriously. Seriously.

Also, where are Fred's parents? Was there something that explained where they might be at the end of that last episode they were in? Or are they just at work? Anyway, it just distracted me.

But the list of things that were great is far longer. Gunn vs. Gunn. Awesome. Gunn signing the paper. Triple awesome. Lorne threatening Eve. Super awesome. (Even if the "all the boys love Fred" thing was ... odd.) The "hole in the world" and the keeping dude. Pretty cool. The fact that Angel got to make the choice (no fun if the character is robbed of choice) and he chose to save Fred. Excellent. Every scene with Amy Acker in it. She kicked about thirteen different kinds of ass. Also, Wesley reading A Little Princess. I teared up, because I am an enormous. freaking. girl.

So, my final verdict: Whedon is a douchebag, but he still does a fairly good episode on occasion.

[End Spoiler]

I may watch "Shells" later today, because I have that taped from before. This means I will not have to wake up early tomorrow to see it. EVEN THOUGH I HAVE THE DVDs. I do not know why I am this strange.