Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Nightmares on AllMovie

Episode ten showcases the writers' ingenious talent to marry each character's personality to a horror-comedy plot twist. Nightmares are coming true in Sunnydale: the self-conscious Xander (Nicholas Brendon) goes to school in his underwear; shy Willow (Alyson Hannigan) has to sing in public; bookish Giles (Anthony Stewart Head) forgets how to read; superficial Cordelia (Charisma Carpenter) has a really bad hair day; and sensitive slayer Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) finds that her parents blame her for their divorce. Buffy also has a nightmare that the Master is freed and kills her, making her a vampire. It is finally made clear that the nightmares stem from a boy in a coma. Beaten into that state by his violent baseball coach, the boy's constant dreaming of the horrible incident is being made real through the evil powers of the Hellmouth. It is interesting to note that Buffy has had nightmares from the pilot episode on -- a side effect of her slayer powers -- and this episode seems to build upon that subplot. By having of all the characters face their fears, the seeds are sown for future growth and budding relationships, such as Cordelia's eventual friendship with Buffy.