The Girl's Got Bite: The Original Unauthorized Guide to Buffy's World

by Kathleen Tracy

  Music: “The Twist” (during the training video), by Warren Bennett, from Jukebox Anthology

  Plot: Buffy gets a job at a burger joint and suspects the secret ingredient may be human flesh.

  THIS WEEK’S FAST-FOOD-JUNKIE DEMON: An old woman who has a six-foot snake living in her head.

  INTRODUCING: Halfrek, an old “vengeance buddy” of Anya’s.

  ANALYSIS: Both Buffy and Willow are attempting to reintegrate themselves back into a more normal routine. Willow, who turned to magic in part to feel special, is reminding herself that there are non-spell ways to fight the Hellmouth. Likewise, Buffy has taken a job at a burger place to earn some money. Although the idea of only being able to work in a fast-food restaurant is a bit depressing, Buffy chooses to see it as a temporary, stop-gap measure. The listlessness of her co-workers makes Buffy suspect there’s some evil force at work, though Xander assures her that’s just a typical response to working a boring job. But when Buffy finds a severed finger, she suspects that the establishment’s “secret ingredient” is processed humans. About the only thing that distracts Buffy from her investigation is a quickie with Spike out in the garage. She can’t seem to keep herself from craving the physical release that sex with Spike gives her. Plus, in those moments she’s coupling with Spike, she gets a break from being everyone’s savior and can just concentrate on fulfilling her basic needs.

  Amy proves to be not just a bad influence, but also a bad friend, when she gets Willow high on magic against Willow’s will. Amy needs to validate her addiction by trying to get Willow to partake with her. Although it leaves her shaky and wanting more, Willow keeps her focus and determines that the real secret the burger chain is hiding is that their meat patties are really veggie burgers.

  Buffy learns the truth about the missing Doublemeat Palace employees when she comes face-to-face with a regular customer who prefers eating from her own personal human menu. When Willow is able to kill this snake through her own ingenuity, it gives her a sense of accomplishment—and the hope she really will be able to wean herself off magic. She is so determined to reclaim her life—and perhaps win Tara back in the process—that she tells Amy to stay away from her. But the real threat to Willow’s “sobriety” will come from a completely unexpected source.

  THE REAL HORROR: Punching a clock. One thing about being the Slayer is that you never know what evil you’ll be fighting from one day to the next. Working in a fast-food joint can be mind-numbing, but Buffy is willing to endure being intellectually stultified in exchange for a steady income.

  113. “Dead Things”

  (FEBRUARY 5, 2002)

  Director: James A. Contner

  Teleplay: Steven S. DeKnight

  Recurring cast: Amber Benson (Tara); Danny Strong (Jonathan); Adam Busch (Warren); Tom Lenk (Andrew)

  Guest cast: Amelinda Embry (Katrina); Marion Calvert (Gina); Rock Reiser (desk sergeant); Bernard K. Addison (cop #1); Eric Prescott (cop #2)

  Music: “Boo Wah Boo Wah” (at the Bronze), by Red and the Red Hots, from Gettin’ Around; “Out of this World’ (in the cemetery), by Bush, from Golden State

  Plot: The Trio tries to frame Buffy for murder. Buffy discovers why Spike can hurt her.

  THIS WEEK’S DATE-RAPE INVENTION: The cerebral dampener: Warren’s latest gizmo will turn any woman into a willing sex slave.

  INTRODUCING: Warren crossing the line. After the cerebral dampener loses its effect and Katrina realizes what they were planning, she is justifiably furious and tries to leave. Although Warren may not have intended to kill her, once he does, he shows no remorse and the destructive side of him is finally set free.

  ANALYSIS: Buffy is softening her attitude toward Spike, but his characterizations of her still bother her. And while she may enjoy sex with him, Buffy doesn’t really trust him. She refuses to validate their physical attraction, by thinking of it as anything but sex—because to her it’s really not; it’s an escape. But Spike will take what he can get, and having at least a little of Buffy is better than none at all, plus he seems to hold out hope that she will come around. Despite Spike’s love for Buffy, their lovemaking seems to lack the emotional connection that Buffy had with Angel, or with Riley—no doubt in part because, for all his emotion, Spike still lacks a soul.

  Buffy wants to believe she came back wrong somehow, because then she would have something to explain her desire for Spike. But when Tara confirms that the only reason Spike can hurt her is because of the physical side effects of reanimating—not anything soul-related—Buffy breaks down, ashamed at giving her body so freely to Spike. Tara is completely nonjudgmental but astutely points out that Buffy feels so bad partly because, deep inside, she knows she’s using him with little regard for his feelings, undead or not.

  No matter how many times she pushes him away, Spike is doggedly there for her. When the Trio summons a demon with time-altering side effects and Buffy thinks she accidentally killed Katrina in the heat of battle, Spike tries to dispose of the body. Spike doesn’t understand why Buffy can’t just chalk it up to collateral damage, but she is mortified at taking a human life. Dawn is especially outraged that Buffy would even consider turning herself in. It was one thing to go away because she had no choice but to save the world—but Dawn sees Buffy’s decision to turn herself in as a direct reflection of how unimportant Dawn is to her, since Buffy might be voluntarily putting herself in the position of being taken away again. Buffy seems driven by the overall guilt she’s feeling and is looking for some sort of absolution.

  Once she realizes who the dead girl is, she also realizes she was set up. It finally sinks in that perhaps Warren and his nerdy friends are a lot more dangerous than she first thought, and that she’ll have to expand her definition of evil adversaries to include humans.

  THE REAL HORROR: Date rape. Jonathan is horrified when Katrina points out that what they are doing is akin to rape. He didn’t appreciate that they are using high-tech wizardry to make women do things they would never do otherwise—which is no different ethically than slipping a drug into her drink so she’ll be so spaced she won’t resist.

  IT’S A MYSTERY: What happened to Buffy’s scar from when Angel bit her? It looked big and permanent during her first year of college and now it’s nowhere to be seen.

  BLOOPERS: During one of Warren’s scenes, a lock of hair appears and disappears from his forehead from shot to shot.

  114. “Older and Far Away”

  (FEBRUARY 12, 2002)

  Director: Michael Gershman

  Teleplay: Drew Z. Greenberg

  Recurring cast: Amber Benson (Tara); Kali Rocha (Halfrek)

  Guest cast: Ryan Browning (Richard); Laura Roth (Sophie); James C. Leary (Clem); Elizabeth Cazenave (teacher)

  Music: “Rock and Roll Bar,” by Mint Royale, from Rock and Roll Bar; “Seconds,” by Even, from A Different High; “Pictures of Success,” by Rilo Kiley, from Takeoffs and Landings

  Plot: Another birthday, another crisis. Anya confronts Dawn about her stealing.

  THIS WEEK’S MEDDLING DEMON: Halfrek. Unlike Anya, whose vengeance-demon gig was limited to unfaithful men, her buddy Halfrek has branched out and specializes in avenging children. Drawn to Sunnydale by Dawn’s unheard cries for help, Halfrek poses as a guidance counselor and grants Dawn her fondest wish, which has claustrophobic consequences when Buffy’s party guests discover they can’t leave the house.

  INTRODUCING: Spellcasters Anonymous, a self-help group for addicted witches and warlocks. Willow has started attending meetings as part of her magic rehab.

  ANALYSIS: While Dawn might have a point that people aren’t paying as much attention to her as she wants, she also comes across as more than a little unreasonable. She is stealing from people who not only take care of her, but also periodically quite literally put their lives on the line for her. But Dawn doesn’t seem to appreciate that the world doesn’t revolve around her anymore the way it did when she was the Key. Dawn isn’t volunteering to get a part-time job on the week
ends or after school to help pay any of the bills, and yet she seems to resent Buffy for always being busy.

  On the other hand, Buffy feels guilty not because of the work or the Slaying, but because of the time she is devoting to her secret affair with Spike, and her preoccupation with how much she hates herself. So not only is Buffy not there physically for Dawn and, more importantly, she is emotionally absent. Dawn feels alone because she feels invisible—the little sister nobody really listens to whose opinion really counts. Unlike Buffy, who had Willow, Xander, and Giles when she was that age, Dawn doesn’t seem to have the same kind of support group.

  Although Dawn is understandably upset after being suspected, falsely, of casting some sort of spell to keep everyone in Buffy’s House, she is caught red-handed when Anya finds her stash of stolen goods. Not only is Anya angry, she is hurt that Dawn would betray everyone this way. Although Buffy tries to deflect some of the blame onto the mysterious guidance counselor, who Anya quickly figures out is Halfrek, it’s clear that Dawn’s troubles will not go away quickly. Parenthood was thrust on Buffy with little warning—with a teenager no less—so Buffy realizes she’s going to have to make some significant adjustments in her own life to help Dawn work this out.

  THE REAL HORROR: Feeling forgotten. When Joyce was alive, Dawn always felt there was someone around who put her first. Being raised by a sister, who is trying to work out her own life, is very different, because Dawn isn’t Buffy’s child, so the emotional bond, while strong, is different. And with Giles leaving, Dawn is left with no true parental figure, and so she feels she is being forgotten by everyone around her because they are so wrapped up in their own lives.

  BLOOPERS: While at Buffy’s, Spike’s reflection is visible in the hall mirror as he passes it.

  When the demon in the opening scene vanishes, Buffy assumes it ran away. But when it’s in her house, she identifies it as being the one she killed the night before.

  OF SPECIAL NOTE: Kali Rocha, the actress playing Halfrek, also played Cecily, the woman who broke William’s heart, leading to his fateful run-in with Drusilla. Spike and Halfrek apparently recognize each other, so this could be foreshadowing of a plot line to come.

  115. “As You Were”

  (FEBRUARY 26, 2002)

  Director: Douglas Petrie

  Teleplay: Douglas Petrie

  Guest cast: Marc Blucas (Riley Finn); Ivana Milicevic (Sam Finn); Ryan Raddatz (Todd); Adam Paul (skanky vamp); Marilyn Brett (lady); Alice Dinnean Vernon (baby demon puppeteer)

  Music: “Sound of the Revolution,” by Lunatic Calm, from Breaking Point; “Washes Away,” by Trespassers William, from Anchor

  Plot: Riley returns to Sunnydale, and brings his new wife. Buffy comes to a decision about Spike.

  THIS WEEK’S FERTILE THREAT: The nearly extinct Suvolte demon, a species that breeds alarmingly fast, and which finds humans a favorite snack. Riley has tracked a Suvolte-eggs dealer to Sunnydale and must destroy the eggs before there’s a Suvolte population explosion that could be apocalyptic to the human race.

  INTRODUCING: Sam Finn, Riley’s fellow demon hunter, and new wife, whom he met shortly after leaving Sunnydale for Belize.

  ANALYSIS: Ever since returning to Earth, Buffy hasn’t been able to tap into her emotions. Grieving and depressed over the loss of Heaven, she feels dead inside, which makes her feel less than human, which is what drew her to Spike. Previously, when Buffy was beating on Spike, telling him he had no soul and was unable to truly love, she really had been talking about herself.

  Seeing Riley and the solid relationship he has with Sam, and the inner peace it has given him, makes it very clear just what is missing from Buffy’s life, and how far she still has to go before she is capable of having that kind of relationship. It’s not so much a matter of if she does or doesn’t love Spike in one fashion or another, but whether she can truly love him or anyone else. Trite as it may be, the truth is, she can’t love anyone until she starts liking herself.

  Everyone has been giving Buffy the benefit of the doubt and trying to comprehend what she’s been through, but there comes a point when it passes from understandable trauma to self-indulgence. Spike is quite right that Buffy needs to finally decide what she wants and get on with it. Buffy is embarrassed when Riley catches her and Spike in bed—and when it’s discovered that Spike’s the mysterious “Doc” who’s trading in Suvolte eggs, Buffy’s humiliation is complete. However, one can’t help but wonder if Spike embarked on the big-money plot in order to help Buffy allay some of her financial concerns.

  After they blow the eggs to bits with a grenade, Riley and Buffy have a heart-to-heart and he refuses to put her down or try to make her feel ashamed. In his mind, she is doing whatever she needs to at the moment—whether it be seeing Spike or working at a hamburger joint—but ultimately it has nothing to do with who she is inside, nor will it detract from it.

  Riley’s unconditional support for Buffy is cathartic, and for the first time since her return she feels ready to stop hiding from life and to start meeting it head-on. The first step on the road to reclaiming herself is to stop using Spike as an escape. She breaks it off with him gently and walks out feeling freer than she has since her death. But losing Buffy will send Spike into an emotional tailspin.

  * * *

  VAMPIRE MAKEUP

  When one of the show’s vampires gets angry, its face abruptly changes, revealing the demon inside its body. The transformation takes mere seconds. Fans took to calling this physical manifestation of vampirism a “game face,” and that term was picked up for occasional use on the show. However, it takes considerably more time than that to turn Buffy’s actors into their vampire alter egos: on average, about an hour and twenty minutes to put it on, and forty minutes to take it off.

  The vampire makeup, designed by John Vulich is a prosthetic piece of latex that fits around an actor’s nose and creates the wrinkled-forehead look. Then they paint on the face by using makeup to blend it in, which is what takes most of the time. The final touches are contact lenses and fake teeth.

  * * *

  THE REAL HORROR: Self-destructive behavior.

  IT’S A MYSTERY: Why wouldn’t Riley notice Joyce wasn’t around and ask about her?

  BLOOPERS: Buffy’s rejection for readmission to UC Sunnydale lists her address as 1630 Crestview instead of 1630 Revello Drive.

  116. “Hell’s Bells”

  (MARCH 5, 2002)

  Director: David Solomon

  Teleplay: Rebecca Rand Kirshner

  Recurring cast: Amber Benson (Tara); Kali Rocha (Halfrek)

  Guest cast: Sander (Tony Harris); Andy Umberger (D’Hoffryn); Lee Garlington (Jessica Harris); Jan Hoag (Cousin Carol); George D. Wallace (old Xander); Steven Gilborn (Uncle Rory); James C. Leary (Clem); Daniel McFeeley (warty demon); Rebecca Jackson (Tarantula); Mel Fair (tentacle demon); Nick Kokich (demon teen); Robert Noble (night manager); Julian Franco (young bartender); Susannah L. Brown (caterer girl); Joey Hiott (Josh, age ten); Abigail Mavity (Sara, age eight); Chris Emerson (Josh, age twenty-one); Ashleigh Ann Wood (Sara, age eighteen); Megan Vint (Karen)

  Plot: Xander leaves Anya at the altar. Buffy and Spike try to be friends.

  THIS WEEK’S PAYBACK DEMON: One of Anya’s former victims pretends to be the Xander of the future and shows him a nightmare vision of what married life with Anya would be like. Buffy kills the interloper but not before he has convinced Xander he’s not ready for marriage.

  INTRODUCING: Xander’s parents, Tony and Jessica Harris, and his uncle Rory.

  ANALYSIS: People often cry at weddings because it’s a day filled with such hope for the future and it signifies a new beginning. Seeing Xander and Anya prepare to exchange vows has breathed some much-needed life into Buffy. Now that she’s broken off her sexual relationship with Spike, she seems better able to talk with him amiably and not verbally attack him. When Spike shows up at the wedding with a date, Buffy is surprised by how hurt she is to see him with someone else. Even though sh
e broke it off, nobody likes feeling they are so quickly replaceable.

  Spike admits he was trying to make her jealous, probably hoping it might win her back. But when he sees she is hurt, he cares for her too much to keep up the charade, and leaves—but not before telling her how much it means to him to see her looking happier.

  Like most families who are thrown together by marriage, Xander’s relatives and Anya’s close friends circle each other warily, trying to curb their obvious dislike and/or suspicion of one another. Watching his parents’ obnoxious behavior, which Xander realizes stems from deep unhappiness with their lives, also pushes his emotional buttons. He loves Anya but can’t ignore the doubts he feels, even when it becomes clear that he was tricked and lied to by a demon bent on ruining Anya’s life. Xander doesn’t want the two of them to end up like his bitter, depleted parents.

  Although Xander doesn’t say they will never get married, for Anya there’s no going back once left at the altar. So when D’Hoffryn offers to give her old job back, Anya has a decision to make.

  THE REAL HORROR: Family legacies. Had Xander been raised in a loving home with parents who liked each other, rather than in a household consumed by drunken arguments and bitterness, he very well might have handled his doubts better. There’s hardly a person alive who doesn’t have some doubt before getting married—forever is a long time. And even though divorce is always an option, most people go into marriage with the intent on it truly being for good. If the wedding had taken place, it’s easy to believe that Xander and Anya could have built a good life together, but Xander was too afraid to try and now he might never know.

  117. “Normal Again”

  (MARCH 12, 2002)

  Director: Rick Rosenthal

  Teleplay: Diego Gutierrez

  Recurring cast: Danny Strong (Jonathan); Adam Busch (Warren); Tom Lenk (Andrew); Amber Benson (Tara)