Out of Mind, Out of Sight
Reviewed by Christophe | Rating: 6/10

Out of Mind, Out of Sight
Teleplay by Ashley Gable & Thomas A Swyden
Story by Joss Whedon
Directed by Reza Badiyi

Finally an episode that almost centres on Cordelia. Charisma Carpenter is allowed more than her usual 2 very brief “fill in” scenes in “Out of Mind, Out of Sight.” Cordelia campaigns for the May Queen crown, but a dangerous and invisible force seems to be meddling with her friends and loved ones. Cordelia is forced to turn to Buffy for help, in this turning point episode for Cordelia’s “inclusion” into the Scooby gang!

The first signs of the supernatural come early on in this episode, when Cordelia’s boyfriend Mitch, is beaten with a baseball bat. The peculiar thing is, the baseball bat seemed to act on it’s own accord! It is obvious however, that the bat did not hurt Mitch by itself. When Buffy steps in to inspect the scene where the beating took place, she finds the word “LOOK” written across the lockers.
Time for another Scooby gang detective session! Giles narrows down the incident to three possible causes – Telekinesis, an invisible person, or a poltergeist. Willow and Xander offer their help for research, while Buffy decides to play the sleuth, by talking with Cordelia and her clique. But when Buffy tries to confront Cordelia, more uncanny happenings take place. Harmony, Cordelia’s best friend, is pushed by the invisible entity down a lengthy flight of stairs. Harmony survives the fall with a sprained ankle.
Soon after, Buffy follows (through a self-opening and self-closing door), the sound of a girl’s laughter. Something bumps into her and Buffy is suddenly aware of another’s presence. Buffy makes her way into the band room, but it appears that she has lost the invisible troublemaker.

“Out of Mind, Out of Sight” also sees Giles meet Angel for the first time. Another vampire restriction is also portrayed here. A vampire casts no reflection. An appropriate episode to reveal this, keeping with the invisible theme.
During these scenes, off coloured flash backs are shown to us. They involve a teenage girl, who is consistently ignored by Cordelia and her friends. The plot is slowly beginning to form…

Willow has compiled a dead and missing persons list from information found on the Internet. The most recent missing person’s case is a girl called Marcie Ross. Marcie played the flute in the school band, but no one seems to remember her. Buffy remembers her encounter of the invisible being in the band room, and also recalls hearing flute music while patrolling in the previous night. She believes there is a connection, and decides to look further for a link. While discussing this with Xander and Willow, it is announced that Cordelia will be the next May Queen.
In the band room, Buffy discovers some footprints leading to a loose ceiling panel. She ventures further, going up into the ceiling, not realising the potential danger she is in. Inside the ceiling, she finds the belongings of Marcie Ross – she is the invisible person. Opening up her yearbook confirms Buffy’s suspicions of Cordelia being targeted, as inside the yearbook is a defaced photo of her.
Marcie is indeed present during Bufy’s visit, and actually contemplates stabbing her, holding a knife menacingly behind her back. But Marcie decides against killing Buffy, as she leaves with her yearbook – never noticing Marcie’s presence.

Giles, Xander, Willow and Buffy reconvene to discuss the latest on the invisible entity puzzler. They examine Marcie’s yearbook, to find that everyone wrote, “Have a nice summer” at the years end. The Scooby’s translate for Giles, telling him that this means no one knew or noticed her. This registers with Giles, making him realise what the hell is going on! A concept of quantum physics is being put into play. Reality is shaped, even created, by our perception. People perceived Marcie as invisible, and she became so. Because Cordelia is hugely popular, and also ignored Marcie, it is obvious why she has become the prime target.

Cordelia then comes to Buffy for help. She had found her teacher almost dead – the word “LISTEN” written in chalk on the blackboard. Buffy of course cannot refuse to help her, and after explaining the situation, decides she will use Cordelia as bait at the May Queen coronation – to try to capture the invisible girl. Buffy and Cordelia leave together for the ceremony.
Giles, Willow and Xander are lured and trapped by Marcie’s flute playing, into a back room of the school. The room begins to fill with gas, leaving them trapped and struggling to breathe. Cordelia and Buffy also find themselves in peril when they are attacked and tranquilized by the invisible Marcie. They awake to find themselves tied down to chairs, a black curtain hangs in front of them with the word “LEARN” emblazoned on it. Cordelia claims her face is numb, and Marcie is quick to reveal the reason for this. She is aiming to give Cordelia “a face no one will ever forget,” uncovering a table of surgical tools to do the job.

Meanwhile, Angel has arrived in time to save Giles, Willow and Xander from the gaseous room. Because he does not need the oxygen (vampire ability), he is able to shut off the leaking gas, while the others run to safety.
And now…we’ve reached the smooth sailing “slayer does her stuff” part of the episode. Marcie does manage to get one scalpel slash at Cordelia’s face, but Buffy inevitably frees herself from the roped chair, and with a bit of listening, fights and traps Marcie. Buffy however, is unable to help Marcie, as she is led away by FBI agents Doyle and Manetti. Marcie is taken to an FBI facility and introduced to a classroom full of other invisible people! Upon asked to open their textbooks, we see they are studying assassination and infiltration….

An interesting concept for an episode, although a little unbelievable even if it is based around quantum physics! I must admit I didn’t really take to the whole invisible girl thing. I mean, it’s not as creepy, as scary, as thought provoking or even as inventive, as previous evils featured on the show. However, “Out of Mind, Out of Sight” is still quite an important episode for season 1. Cordelia being included in the Scooby Gang for the first time is one reason for this.
The episode also reveals a lot about Buffy’s life in LA (before she came to Sunnydale). She also campaigned for May Queen - during those slayer free days. In this episode, we can see that Buffy’s duties as a slayer, has made her change and grow as a person.

Okay, I think I’ll wind up here. This episode was average. Some may say it’s worth watching to see Cordelia’s face get slashed. Other’s really like the episode, they think that Marcie is a great villain. Me? I thought it wasn’t as good as previous BTVS episodes, and the conclusion was a bit of an anti-climax. As my friend SerialFreak has said “it’s a fill in episode, before a crucial episode.” Now the NEXT episode, that IS a good one……..

6/10

Memorable Quotes:

“People who think their problems are so huge craze me, like the time I sorta ran over this girl on her bike. It was the most traumatizing event of my life, and she’s trying to make it about her leg! Like my pain meant nothing!” – Cordelia Chase.

Cordelia: “I went to the hospital”
Harmony: “Oh Mitch, how is he, will he be okay?”
Cordelia: “Well the doctor said he’ll be okay, they’re gonna send him home tomorrow, but you should have seen him lying there, all black and blue……. How’s he going to look in our prom pictures?! How am I ever gonna be able to show them to anyone?”
Harmony: “Well they can do wonderful things with airbrushes these days.”
Cordelia: “You think?”

Giles: “A vampire in love with a slayer, that’s rather poetic…”

“Thankyou for making the right choice, and for showing me how much you all love me!”
- Cordelia when she is announced to be May Queen.

Buffy: “Okay, this is my problem. I touched the thing. It didn’t go through me, it bumped into me. And it wasn’t cold.”
Xander: “So this means, what – that we’re talking about an invisible person.”
Buffy: “A girl. She spoke. Said Harmony deserved what she got.”
Giles: “A girl on campus with the power to turn invisible.”
Xander: “Man, that is so cool. I’d give anything to be able to turn invisible. (off their looks) Well, I wouldn’t be beating people up. I’d use my power to protect the girls’ locker room.”

Cordelia: “What have you done to my face?”
Marcie: “Your face. That’s what it’s all about, isn’t it? Your beautiful face. That’s what makes you shine just a little bit brighter than the rest of us. We all want what you have. To be noticed. To be remembered. To be seen.”
Cordelia: “What are you doing?”
Marcie: “I’m fulfilling your fondest wish. I’m gonna give you a face no one will ever forget.”
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