Guest cast: Nick Chinlund (Major Ellis); Kevin Weisman (Dreg); Randy Thompson (Dr. Kriegel); Paul Hayes (older nightwatchman); Keith Allan (skinny mental patient); Erin Leigh Price (vampire chick); April Adams (Nurse Lampkin); Barbara C. Adside (creature); Debbie Lee Carrington (creature)
Plot: There’s an epidemic of madness sweeping Sunnydale. Riley reconnects with his military buddies.
THIS WEEK’S OUT-OF-THIS-WORLD DEMON: The Queller, an extraterrestrial demon that hunts down the insane and quells their ranting by regurgitating malodorous goo into their mouths to suffocate them. E.T., he ain’t.
INTRODUCING: Ben’s mysterious connection to Glory; Major Ellis, leader of the commando team Riley calls in to help with the alien.
ANALYSIS: Glory’s practice of sucking the sanity of out people is beginning to take its toll on Sunnydale General’s mental-health facility, now overflowing with deranged patients. The one interesting side effect of this mental illness is it brings out a kind of primal understanding that Dawn is not exactly human. Although Buffy does her best to downplay it, Dawn is beginning to sense that something really is different about her.
Buffy’s Slaying is put on hold while she stays by Joyce’s side in the days leading up to her operation. Without Buffy there to lead, Willow, Xander, and Giles take up the slack and go for strength in numbers—and somehow manage not to get themselves killed. Riley’s unexplained absence is noticed, although nobody would ever guess he’s finding dark solace with female vampires he’s letting feed on his blood. Like men who find hiring street prostitutes excitingly dangerous, Riley’s self-indulgence is turning into a risky habit.
The cockroach-looking alien stalking the insane doesn’t seem to differentiate between those who have lost their minds to Glory and those who are having seizures due to physical illness. And Buffy’s preoccupation with her own sadness and fear almost prevents her from saving her mother from the demon. Ironically, it’s not Riley who shows up to help Buffy, but Spike, who’s turned into a bit of a stalker himself. He keeps close to Buffy both because he wants to be near her but also because he’s becoming more and more protective of her.
Although Giles and the others figure out what the demon is and why it’s in Sunnydale, their assumption that Glory summoned the demon is unexpectedly off the mark. The episode’s biggest surprise—that it was Ben who called for the demon and that he has some connection to Glory—also becomes the biggest mystery.
THE REAL HORROR: Losing your mind. As our population ages, more and more families are dealing with Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia. What begins as forgetfulness or confusion can degenerate into hallucinations, paranoia, and delusions. Although Joyce’s symptoms are related to a brain tumor, becoming aware that you can’t control your brain and are losing your faculties engenders feelings of fear and helplessness, both in the patient and in surrounding loved ones.
BLOOPERS: The Tunguska meteor explosion occurred in 1908, not 1917. In the early morning hours of June 30, local Siberians saw a huge fireball. It’s estimated the object, now believed to be a stony asteroid or possibly a comet, broke up a little less than five miles above Earth before landing in a series of violent explosions. The power of the blast flattened trees over an area more than half the size of Rhode Island. The ensuing fires burned for over a week. By way of comparison, the force of the blast was estimated to have been two-thousand times that of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima.
OF SPECIAL NOTE: This is the first time Buffy has encountered a demon of the extraterrestrial kind.
88. “Into the Woods”
(DECEMBER 19, 2000)
Director: Marti Noxon
Teleplay: Marti Noxon
Recurring cast: Bailey Chase (Graham Miller); Kristine Sutherland (Joyce Summers)
Guest cast: Nick Chinlund (Major Ellis); Randy Thompson (Dr. Kriegel); Rainy Jo Stout (Junkie vampire girl); Emmanuel Xuereb (Whip); Adam G. (tough vamp)
Music: “Summerbreeze” (as Riley and Buffy dance), by Emiliana Torrini, from Love in the Time of Science
Plot: Riley and Buffy reach a turning point in their relationship. Joyce recuperates after her surgery.
THIS WEEK’S UNHOLY PASTIME: Vampire brothels, where humans pay for the erotic thrill of having their blood sucked in a presumably controlled environment … Who knew?
INTRODUCING: A new military operation. Even though the Initiative has been disbanded, there still is a covert squad of commandos traveling the world putting out demon uprisings. Their next stop: Belize.
ANALYSIS: Even though Riley and Buffy spend a romantic night together after Joyce’s successful surgery, there’s an undercurrent of trouble. Little by little, each perceived slight Riley has felt is adding up to what may become an insurmountable mountain of hurt. Every time Buffy didn’t think to turn to him for support and help further convinced him she doesn’t need him. He not only wants her to love him and want him, but to need him. When Buffy doesn’t give him that, Riley goes where he knows he’s desperately needed.
Spike’s motive for taking Buffy to witness Riley having his blood sucked by an anemic vampire is no doubt twofold: First, Spike wants Buffy, and with Riley out of the picture there’s a better chance for the improbable miracle that Buffy would return any affection. Second, because he’s in love with Buffy, Spike doesn’t like Riley making a fool of the Slayer by getting off in vampire brothels.
Spike contends that Buffy’s intimacy with death makes her crave a certain darkness in her intimate relationships, which means she’s just biding time with Riley. Spike hits a button by telling Riley that while he may be sleeping with her, he still really hasn’t gotten to her. Is that connection missing because she won’t let herself feel it or because it simply isn’t there? Buffy wants to believe it’s the former, which is why she runs after Riley to try and stop him from taking off with the commandos on their demon mission in Belize. But she gets there too late and is left alone with her own internal demons.
THE REAL HORROR: How fast a relationship can fall apart. Even the seemingly strongest relationship can be stunningly fragile. All it takes is one secret or one issue that is allowed to fester and grow until it consumes the couple. Rather than confront Buffy earlier about his feelings, Riley took a self-destructive path that not only diminished him but humiliated her. Buffy wasn’t blameless, either, taking Riley for granted and perhaps unfairly comparing him to Angel rather than embracing what was unique about him.
IT’S A MYSTERY: Why—after Riley stabs Spike with the faux stake—there’s no visible hole in Spike’s shirt.
BLOOPERS: In the first shot of Buffy punching the bag, both her hands are taped but when Riley walks in, only one is.
OF SPECIAL NOTE: The card at the end that reads “In Memory of: D. C. Gustafson” refers to a crewman who was a friend of Sarah Michelle’s and who died of AIDS-related cancer in November 2000.
89. “Triangle”
(JANUARY 9, 2001)
Director: Christopher Hibler
Teleplay: Jane Espenson
Recurring cast: Kristine Sutherland (Joyce Summers); Amber Benson (Tara)
Guest cast: Abraham Benrubi (troll); Ranjani Brow (young nun)
Music: “There’s No Other Way” (as Spike and Xander talk), by Blur, from Leisure; “Bohemian Like You” (as Olaf arrives at the Bronze), by the Dandy Warhols, from Thirteen Tales from Urban Bohemia
Plot: Willow and Anya’s bickering is putting Xander in the middle. A spell gone wrong conjures someone from Anya’s past.
THIS WEEK’S EX-BOYFRIEND: Olaf the troll. Originally a human, Olaf was Anya’s boyfriend until she caught him cheating and turned him into a troll. This bitter act of vengeance and snappy magic is why she was offered the vengeance-demon gig.
ANALYSIS: The episode takes a lighter tone, departing for a bit from the darkness of Joyce’s illness.
Although Glory has been lying low, Giles knows they need to find some answers for when she reappears, and decides to make a personal visit to the Watchers�
� Council to ask for help identifying her. During his absence, a power struggle over the shop ensues between Anya and Willow. But what they really are squabbling about is their insecurity and jealousies with each other over Xander.
Willow knows Xander in a way Anya couldn’t, because they grew up together and are best friends. Anya worries that Willow could turn Xander against her, or seduce him. Willow worries that Anya is going to break Xander’s heart—or worse. In their attempts to get affirmation for their places in Xander’s life and heart, they are constantly putting him in the middle and trying to get him to pick sides. But all it does it make Xander annoyed at both of them. Worse, their bickering causes Willow to accidentally release a troll from a crystal in which some witches had imprisoned him. When the troll tries to make Xander pick whose life should be spared, Willow’s or Anya’s, Xander instead puts his own life on the line to save both. The point is, although he loves them in different ways, they are equally important to him.
Since the demise of her relationship with Riley, Buffy has gotten overly protective of her friends’ happiness. She is obviously much more comfortable with Tara and now shares her feelings about things. Buffy is also more forthcoming with Dawn, realizing that her own inattentiveness was part of what undermined her relationship with Riley.
Spike is using every opportunity he can to get Buffy to notice him and to get on the Slayer’s good side by being marginally more considerate to people when she’s around. But what is genuine is his determination to watch her back, and he is gradually proving himself an important ally—who Buffy will come to depend on in ways she never imagined.
THE REAL HORROR: Being caught in the middle. Almost everyone knows what it’s like to have two people you dearly love be at each others’ throats, and the discomfort of being caught between the two.
IT’S A MYSTERY: How does Buffy know Riley went off to a jungle? We never see him give her any details of his mission.
BLOOPERS: In Episode 55, “Graduation Day (Part I),” Anya asked Xander to leave with her, mentioning her car is parked outside. That being the case, when she and Willow go after the troll in this episode, it couldn’t be her first time driving.
OF SPECIAL NOTE: Abraham Benrubi is best known in the role of Jerry the desk clerk on ER.
90. “Checkpoint”
(JANUARY 23, 2001)
Director: Nick Marck
Teleplay: Douglas Petrie and Jane Espenson
Recurring cast: Kristine Sutherland (Joyce Summers); Clare Kramer (Glory); Charlie Weber (Ben); Amber Benson (Tara)
Guest cast: Cynthia LaMontagne (Lydia); Oliver Muirhead (Phillip); Kris Iyer (Nigel); Kevin Weisman (Dreg); Troy T. Blendell (Jinx); Harris Yulin (Quentin Travers)
Plot: The Watchers’ Council tries to reassert control over Buffy, using their knowledge of Glory as leverage.
THIS WEEK’S MEDIEVAL REMNANT: Knights of Byzantium. An ancient order of soldiers that will do anything, including killing Buffy and Dawn, to keep the Key from falling into Glory’s hands. In any other situation, they would probably be Slayer allies, but Buffy’s protection of the Key has put her in the unusual position of being on opposite sides with a force of good.
INTRODUCING: Jinx, another of Glory’s minions.
THE BIG BAD: Glory’s no demon—she’s a full-fledged god.
ANALYSIS: Buffy comes into her own in this episode, when she finally realizes the extent and depth of her power. Like most institutions, the Watchers’ Council spends a lot of time justifying its existence, so when it comes to Sunnydale, Travers and his entourage make a big show of being there to review Buffy, her methods, Giles, and even her support group. But Buffy doesn’t work for the Council; it works because of her and all the others who came before. Without a Slayer, the Council has no meaning. This sudden insight allows her to tap into her power even more, and to further establish her leadership.
An unexpected visit from Glory convinces Buffy that her family is in imminent danger so she turns to the only person strong enough to offer some semblance of protection—Spike. Although the outward antagonism is there, he knows she’s entrusting him with the two people she loves most, and there is no doubt he will defend them to the death if need be.
THE REAL HORROR: Emotional blackmail. While efficient in the short run, such tactics usually backfire over the long haul, causing resentment and anger. Ever since Buffy quit the Council when fighting the mayor, they’ve had no leverage over her. Threatening to have Giles deported was one way of reasserting their control. But once again they underestimate Buffy’s acumen and she quickly figures out they’re bluffing, because she’s the one with the actual power. Without Buffy, there is no hope in going up against Glory, especially since Faith is still missing in Slayer action behind bars.
OF SPECIAL NOTE: Anya’s self-invented full name is Anya Christina Emmanuella Jenkins, and she was born on July 4, 1980, in Indiana.
91. “Blood Ties”
(FEBRUARY 6, 2001)
Director: Michael Gershman
Teleplay: Steven S. DeKnight
Recurring cast: Kristine Sutherland (Joyce Summers); Clare Kramer (Glory); Charlie Weber (Ben); Troy T. Blendell (Jinx); Amber Benson (Tara)
Guest cast: Justin Corence (Orlando), Michael Emanuel (burly guard); Joe Ochman (janitor); Paul Bates (crazy #1); Carl J. Johnson (crazy #2); Candice Nicole (young Buffy); Elyssa D. Vito (young Dawn)
Music: “Holiday” (during the birthday party), by Star Ghost Dog, from The Great Indoors
Plot: Dawn learns the truth about the Key.
THIS WEEK’S SPLIT PERSONALITY: Ben as Glory—or is it Glory as Ben? Ben and Glory reside in the same body and transform from one to the other, although people aren’t able to remember it when they see the transformation.
THE BIG BAD: Glory is stuck on Earth after getting kicked out of her demon dimension by a couple of fellow gods. Although her powers have been greatly tempered on this mortal coil, she’s still relatively invincible and slowly losing her mind, a side effect of her human form. This is why she needs to suck the sanity out of others—otherwise she wouldn’t be able to function.
ANALYSIS: Finally everyone is on the same page regarding Dawn and the Key, though it’s even more painful than Buffy anticipated.
Buffy confides to Willow and the others the truth about Dawn, but in their efforts to act normal around her, Dawn immediately knows something is wrong, aided by some fortuitous eavesdropping. Spike, who wants to give Buffy a birthday present but can’t quite muster the nerve to come any closer to the house than the front yard, sees Dawn sneak out of the house and tags along, out of curiosity, and because he knows Sunnydale is not a safe place after nightfall.
Dawn is understandably upset after reading Giles’s journals and finding out what, and who, the Key really is. Buffy naturally wants to take her frustration out on Spike, blaming him for Dawn’s discovery, but her heart really isn’t in it. She knows Spike is right—that honesty might have been the wiser course of action—but Buffy was afraid of Dawn’s response, with good reason, as it turns out. When everyone breaks up into teams to go looking for Dawn after she runs away in a devastated snit, Buffy and Spike are paired up. It’s as if, subconsciously, Buffy is able to let her emotional guard down a bit because she doesn’t feel Spike’s life depends on her; and in that way, they are more like equals. It gives Buffy a bit of a breather.
Despite her anger and confusion, whatever the Key once might have been, it is now a teenage girl who is frightened and needs her family and friends more than ever. Buffy once again goes to the heart of family by saying it doesn’t matter how she came into her life, she is family because in Buffy and Joyce’s hearts she is.
THE REAL HORROR: Finding out you really are adopted. At some point growing up, most people wonder if they really belong in the family they find themselves living with. There’s a certain romance in thinking you were really born into some perfect family that exists happily, without bickering or tensions or money problems. But for those who do find out t
hey were adopted, it can unleash a flurry of issues because their very foundation has been based on a false belief. Likewise, Dawn goes through an identity crisis when she not only finds out that she wasn’t only not born into the Summers family, but that she wasn’t really “born” at all.
BLOOPERS: In the scene where Dawn is tearing apart her diaries, a magazine on the wooden chest at the end of the bed disappears then reappears from one shot to the next.
92. “Crush”
(FEBRUARY 13, 2001)
Director: Daniel Attias
Teleplay: David Fury
Recurring cast: Mercedes McNab (Harmony Kendall); Amber Benson (Tara); Juliet Landau (Drusilla); Kristine Sutherland (Joyce Summers)
Guest cast: Frederick Dawson (porter); Greg Wayne (student); Joseph Digiandomenico (Matt); Walter Borchert (Jeff); Asher Glaser (boy in the Bronze); Jennifer Bergman (girl in the Bronze); Nell Shanahan (waitress)
Music: “Play It By Ear” (at the Bronze), by Summercamp, from Pure Juice; “Happy” (as Buffy and Ben talk), by Summercamp; “Key” (as Spike and Dru dance), by Devics from If You Forget Me
Plot: Spike professes his love for Buffy. Drusilla is not amused.
THIS WEEK’S WEAPON OF CHOICE: A stun gun used by Drusilla to immobilize Buffy.
INTRODUCING: The refurbished Bronze, which needed a makeover after Olaf the troll’s demolishing act. Also, Sunnydale’s train station.
ANALYSIS: Buffy’s complex relationship with Spike gets more complicated. Dawn enjoys Spike’s company because he treats her as an equal and doesn’t talk down to her, and Buffy doesn’t mind because she knows Spike can protect Dawn almost as well as she can. It isn’t until Dawn tells Buffy Spike’s in love with her that Buffy realizes it. Although she says the idea disgusts her, more frightening is that being with Spike would force Buffy to confront her own demons, and she isn’t ready for that. Hurt by her rejection, Spike is easy pickings for Drusilla, who has returned to Sunnydale to teach Spike how to ignore the pain caused by the chip. That said, she still kills the victim before Spike feeds.
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