, despite Joyce's death in Season 5 and her parents' divorce in Season 1.
: Unlike most "it was all a dream" episodes, "Normal Again" ends with a final shot of the asylum. The doctor looks at a catatonic Buffy and says, "She's gone," implying that the asylum might actually be the primary reality and the Sunnydale version of Buffy has simply "won" the internal battle for her consciousness. Buffy the Vampire Slayer S6E17 "Normal Again" Recap [S6E17] Normal Again
: The episode functions as a "meta" critique of the show's own absurdity. By having a doctor explain that her friends' names (like "Spike" and "Buffy") are cartoonish and their adventures are over-the-top, the show acknowledges its own campy roots. , despite Joyce's death in Season 5 and