 Running eight minutes longer than any in the series , the episode was also the most technical and complex . Whedon , who has stated this is one of his favorite Buffy episodes , used a widescreen letterbox format for filming ( the only episode in the series to get this treatment ) , different lighting to bring out the sets more vibrantly , and long takes for shooting — including a complicated shot with a full conversation , a song , and two choreographed dances that took 21 attempts to get right . These were designed to give viewers all the clues they needed to establish all the nuances of the relationships between characters . Davies commented that the intricacies of filming this episode were " infinitely more complicated than a regular Buffy " episode , and Whedon stated in the DVD commentary that he was ambitious to prove what television is capable of , saying " it just depends how much you care " . UPN , the television network that aired Buffy 's last two seasons , promoted the episode by displaying Gellar 's face on billboards with music notes over her eyes , and held a special premiere event . Network president Dean Valentine remarked he thought it was " one of the best episodes of television I ever saw in my life " . 
