INTRODUCING: The great and powerful Giles. Giles returns to Sunnydale after being imbued with powers by a coven of witches who had sensed the dark forces being unleashed by Willow. Spike with a soul. After enduring numerous, torturous tests, a demon grants Spike’s wish that he be turned back to how he was before.
ANALYSIS: Willow is now so consumed by her power that she responds to Giles as a rebellious teenager would. Part of her knows what she’s doing is wrong, but she also knows nobody can stop her for long. Plus she’s still smarting over the way Giles scolded her previously about her use of magic. Somewhere inside, though, Willow must also blame herself for Tara’s death because, for all her powers, Willow was unable to protect her from Warren’s stray bullet.
While Willow is briefly incapacitated, Buffy and Giles catch up, Buffy confessing that things have been bad since he left. But instead of being upset with her over Spike, Giles starts laughing at the absurdity—and that burst of affectionate emotion seems to be the key to unlocking Buffy’s angst. Giles’s mirth reminds her that if things are kept in perspective, there’s very little that can’t be overcome. While sleeping with Spike might have been emotionally self-destructive, it truly wasn’t life and death. But Willow’s magical bender is.
After Willow escapes from Giles’s mystical binds, she unleashes a torrent of fury-driven magic on him and eventually drains his power the way she did Rack, although Giles survives. After a momentary high, having so much power within her, Willow suddenly feels all the pain in the world. But instead of it bringing her back in touch with her humanity as Giles and the Coven hoped it would, it convinces her that the best way to stop everyone’s pain is to end the world.
In the end it isn’t Buffy’s Slayer superabilities or Anya’s demon powers or Giles’s Coven-imbued magic that brings Willow back from the apocalyptic edge, it’s Xander, who uses the greatest power of all—love. Although he was unable to stop Warren from shooting Buffy and killing Tara, he is able to save Willow from destroying the Earth, although it remains to be seen if anyone is able to put the pieces of Willow’s shattered life back together.
THE REAL HORROR: Suicide. For some people who can only feel desperation, loneliness, or extreme sorrow, suicide seems the only way to stop the pain. Unable to deal with the loss of Tara, Willow chooses to end her own life along with everyone else’s. But while it was the loss of her true love that set Willow on this death-filled, destructive path, it is the unconditional love shown by Xander that finally reaches her heart and breaks through the emotional barrier created by the dark magics. Once the fury subsides, Willow’s loss and despair washes over her in a flood of pent-up emotion and her humanity is restored. But Willow’s road to recovery, and her redemption for having taken human lives, will undoubtedly be a long and painful process.
Buffy, too, is on the road to emotional recovery and realizes that in her efforts to protect Dawn, she’s been stifling her. She knows it’s time to show her love by teaching Dawn the world, good and bad, because we have to make the best of our time on it.
BLOOPERS: Willow’s nosebleed appears and disappears from shot to shot.
OF SPECIAL NOTE: The tattoo visible on Sarah Michelle’s back when she climbs out of the hole is the Chinese symbol for “integrity.”
SEASON SEVEN
Seventh-Year overview: Life comes full circle for Buffy as she finds herself back at the newly rebuilt Sunnydale High, this time keeping the Hellmouth in check while Dawn attends school. Although still finding her way as a single parent to Dawn, Buffy is less angst-ridden than she was last year and, through an unexpected opportunity, finds that in addition to helping mankind as the Slayer, she can also help people on a more personal level through her new job as guidance counselor.
REGULAR CAST:
Sarah Michelle Gellar (Buffy Summers)
Nicholas Brendon (Xander Harris)
Emma Caulfield (Anya)
James Marsters (Spike)
Michelle Trachtenberg (Dawn Summers)
Alyson Hannigan (Willow Rosenberg)
123. “Lessons”
(SEPTEMBER 24, 2002)
Director: Joss Whedon and David Solomon
Teleplay: Joss Whedon
Recurring cast: Anthony Stewart Head (Rupert Giles); Kali Rocha (Halfrek); D. B. Woodside (Principal Robin Wood)
Guest cast: David Zepeda (Carlos Trejo); Jeremy Howard (dead nerd); Ken Strunk (dead janitor); Rachael Bella (dead girl); Ed F. Martin (Mr. Lonegrin); Simon Chernin (student); Jeff Denton (vampire); Alex Breckenridge (Kit Holburn); Mark Metcalf (The Master); Juliet Landau (Drusilla); Harry Groener (Mayor Wilkins); George Hertzberg (Adam); Clare Kramer (Glory); Adam Busch (Warren)
Music: “So High” (at the coffee shop) by Strange Radio from Pop Radio
Plot: Something big and bad is brewing in the Hellmouth; Sunnydale High reopens.
THIS WEEK’S IMPENDING DOOM: The Ultimate Big Bad: An unidentified evil, which has the power to take the form of every Big Bad known to Buffydom, is brewing beneath Sunnydale. In this episode, it raises the spirits of former Sunnydale High school students Buffy failed to save.
INTRODUCING: The rebuilt Sunnydale High; Principal Robin Wood; a rehabilitating Willow.
ANALYSIS: Buffy and the others are still dealing with the aftermath of the emotional devastation caused by Warren’s murder of Tara and his own subsequent murder at the hands of a witched-out Willow. But life—and the Hellmouth—go on. Comparing Dawn’s first day of school at Sunnydale High with Buffy’s reflects just how much time has passed and how much Willow, Xander, and Buffy have matured. Although still ultimately optimistic, they’ve faced so much evil and experienced so much personal loss it’s hard to believe they were ever as fresh-faced and naïve as Dawn and her classmates are now.
Buffy is still trying to balance her fears for Dawn’s well-being with the need to let Dawn be her own person, but it’s clear Buffy has regained some much-needed self-deprecating humor. So, instead of obsessing on her inner demons, Buffy is more attuned to fighting whatever evil is stirring in the Hellmouth. Whatever it is, it’s so powerful that Willow literally can hear it all the way in England, where she’s rehabilitating with Giles and learning to control her powers, which are now as much a part of her as her eye-color or her ability to taste. Although her family is a bit fragmented at the moment, Buffy is back on solid emotional ground and better prepared to deal with whatever life and the Hellmouth throw at her.
THE REAL HORROR: Being reminded of past failures, such as when the spirits of former students confront Buffy and accuse her of failing to save them. Buffy has always had a heightened sense of responsibility, even when she’s tried to deny it or run away from it, so despite all the lives she has saved, she still feels a nagging sense of failure for every life lost. This is the first indication that whatever evil is lurking beneath Sunnydale, it has the ability to play on someone’s fears and weaknesses.
IT’S A MYSTERY: Why does Dawn refer to this as her first day of high school since it was stated in the Season Six episode “Older and Far Away” that she was in high school.
FORSHADOWING: The mysterious pursuit and killing of a Slayer-aged young woman at the beginning of the episode indicates that whatever evil Buffy will face next has an influence far beyond the Sunnydale city limits.
LITERARY REFERENCE: When Willow refers to Giles as Dumbledore, she is referring to the powerful and wise headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter books.
OF SPECIAL NOTE: The scenes with Willow and Giles were filmed in England to accommodate Anthony Head; Joss Whedon directed the scenes filmed in England while David Solomon directed the rest of the episode, which was filmed in Los Angeles; in the new high school, Xander built the Principal’s office over the Hellmouth instead of having it under the library.
WHAT JOSS WHEDON HAS TO SAY: “The reopening of the high school is where we’re starting, and it represents a lot of what we’re talking about in terms of getting back to the very first
mission statement of the show, which was the joy of female power: Having it, using it, sharing it.
“We’ll deal with issues, but we won’t be hitting the incredibly depressing reality of being grown up quite so hard,” he said. “Those things will still be issues, because Spike is still in the mix, and he did try to rape Buffy. Willow has been addicted, and both of those people have to be in the mix, so we’ll deal with those issues, and things are still going to be scary, depressing, and confusing for our characters. It’s going to be tough for them, but at the same time, they’re going to reclaim that essential notion of the beauty of power, and of their mission, and not get so caught up in questions.”
MUSICAL NOTE: Strange Radio is playing in the Espresso Pump café while Anya and Halfrek are having coffee.
124. “Beneath You”
(OCTOBER 1, 2002)
Director: Nick Marck
Teleplay: Douglas Petrie
Recurring cast: Anthony Stewart Head (Rupert Giles); DB Woodside (Principal Robin Wood)
Guest cast: Kaarina Aufranc (Nancy); Tess Hall (punk girl); Benita Krista Nall (young woman); Jack Sundmacher (Ronnie)
Plot: Buffy’s troubling dreams hint at a pending evil; Anya finds that her heart just isn’t into revenge the way it used to be.
THIS WEEK’S SIDEWALK BUSTING DEMON: Anya turns a caddish boyfriend into a worm-like Sluggoth demon, capable of eating through concrete with its huge mouthful of teeth.
INTRODUCING: Buffy as high school guidance counselor; Spike’s realization he can hurt a human without blinding head pain.
ANALYSIS: While on one level this episode has Buffy confronting a powerful demon, it also serves to further the season story in a number of ways.
Xander’s attraction to Nancy, who is being stalked by the giant worm, indicates he is ready to try and get on with his life. But Nancy’s mutual attraction goes cold after she discovers that Anya is a demon—and Xander’s former girlfriend. Xander is reminded once again why relationships with “civilians” are going to be difficult if not impossible.
Although Anya thought being a vengeance demon again would fill the void left by her breakup with Xander, she is as miserable as ever. Not even turning Nancy’s boyfriend, Ronnie, into a vicious giant worm lifts her spirits; it’s clear the thrill of vengeance is gone, but she isn’t about to admit it since it’s all she has to hold on to right now.
Spike’s am-I-crazy-or-just-feeling-incredibly-sorry-for-myself mood swings are either a genuine cry of pain, or he’s being tormented and manipulated by some dark force. Buffy’s failure to tell anyone that Spike was living in the school’s labyrinth basement either indicates a subconscious protectiveness on her part—or denial. Although he was criminally wrong to try to rape her, Buffy still feels a modicum of responsibility for having used Spike to escape her own demons.
More troubling to Buffy at the moment are her disturbing dreams in which she sees another young woman killed by the mysterious men in robes. Before the woman dies she says, “From beneath you, it devours.” Although she doesn’t understand what is happening, Buffy knows it means death for others like the girl.
THE REAL HORROR: Getting what you asked for. Both Nancy and Spike deal with the consequences of having their wishes granted. For Spike, it was a soul that he thought would turn him into the man Buffy wanted. Like Angel. He seems to have forgotten that it took Angel a hundred years to deal with his guilt and use his immortality for good instead of wallowing in self-loathing. Instead of becoming a man worthy of Buffy, Spike has been reduced to a near-animal and has become vulnerable to the evil lurking beneath them.
Nancy simply wished for her abusive boyfriend to go away, but despite whatever rancor they had, she was still horrified that he was turned into a monster.
Anya wanted her powers back, but now that she has them, she has too much human compassion to enjoy them and sets herself up for some serious consequences when she reverses the wish in order to save Nancy and the others.
BLOOPERS: While at the Bronze, Buffy puts her sword on the table but during the fight scene it’s gone.
OF SPECIAL NOTE: Principal Wood is a vegetarian.
125. “Same Time, Same Place”
(OCTOBER 8, 2002)
Director: James A. Contner
Teleplay: Jane Espenson
Guest cast: Camden Toy (Gnarl); Matt Koruba (teen boy); Anthony S. Johnson (father); Nicholette Dixon (sister); Marshe Daniel (brother)
Plot: Willow returns to Sunnydale but is rendered invisible to her friends; when a skinned corpse is discovered, the Scooby gang is afraid Willow has turned evil again.
THIS WEEK’S FLESH-EATING DEMON: Gnarl, a sadistic, green-skinned demon who paralyzes his victims with his poisonous fingernails before slowly eating their flesh, strip by strip.
INTRODUCING: A demon immune to magic. Willow’s magic is useless against Gnarl.
ANALYSIS: As difficult as it has been for Willow to come to grips with having taken human life and spiraling out of control with her magic after Tara’s murder, the prospect of going back to Sunnydale and facing her friends has been almost more stressful. She is terrified that she won’t be forgiven, in part because she still hasn’t truly forgiven herself. In the past, Giles had primarily been a father figure, but now he’s also taken on the guise of spiritual advisor having overseen Willow’s recovery.
Back home, Xander and Buffy are nervous about Willow’s return, worried she may not have her magic completely under control, but they want Willow to feel welcome and their desire to welcome her back wins out over their fears. They plan an airport reception and are deflated when Willow fails to get off the plane. Likewise, Willow feels the pain of rejection when she gets off the plane and doesn’t see anyone she knows. What she doesn’t realize, is that in order to avoid the possibility of rejection she has subconsciously cast a spell that makes her invisible to Buffy, Xander, and Dawn, and they invisible to her. Because Anya and Willow have a relationship that has turned frosty on occasion, they can see each other just fine.
Although they feel guilty suspecting her, Xander and Buffy assume the worst when a skinned corpse turns up and they suspect Willow has gone evil again, unaware it’s really Gnarl.
When Willow gets captured by Gnarl, she considers it exquisite karma that she should be facing a slow, painful death by flaying. Part of her seems to accept her fate, believing she has little to live for now that it looks as if Buffy and Xander have rejected her. However, when Buffy, Xander and Anya show up at the cave and Buffy kills Gnarl, Willow realizes that they haven’t abandoned her, causing the spell to lift and allowing her to see and be seen.
Although they started off as the Scooby gang, it is more clear than ever that Buffy, Xander and Willow are a close family, with an unconditional love that comes from the emotional glue that bonds them together.
THE REAL HORROR: Being rejected by the people you love. Willow is so consumed by guilt and self-loathing over her actions after Tara dies, that she doubts Buffy and Xander could ever really forgive her. Fear of their rejection causes Willow to literally become invisible—we can’t reject who can’t see. Had she followed Giles’ advice to trust herself, thereby allowing others to follow, she would have spared herself both emotional grief and her near-death encounter with Gnarl.
OF SPECIAL NOTE: In an online posting at the Bronze Beta, writer Jane Espenson admitted Gnarl was inspired by a Lord of the Rings character. “There was some Gollum in the history of Gnarl.”
Camden Toy, who plays Gnarl, was one of the gentlemen in the season four episode, Hush.
126. “Help”
(OCTOBER 15, 2002)
Director: Rick Rosenthal
Teleplay: Rebecca Rand Kirshner
Recurring cast: D. B. Woodside (Principal Robin Wood)
Guest cast: Azura Skye (Cassie Newton); Zachary Bryan (Peter); Glenn Morshower (Cassie’s father); Rick Gonzalez (tough student); Kevin Christy (Josh); Sarah Hagan (Amanda); Jarrett Lennon (tattle tale); J. Barton (Mike Helgenburg); Da
niel Dehring (red robed #1); A. J. Wedding (red robed #2); Marcie Lynn Ross (dead woman)
Plot: Buffy is determined to save a student who believes she only has a week to live; a cult of high school boys plan to use magic to become rich.
THIS WEEK’S GREED DEMON: Avilas, who will give infinite riches in exchange for a human sacrifice.
ANALYSIS: Buffy always feels better when she’s actively fighting an adversary because it makes her feel in control of the moment and, on another level, her destiny in general. So when she is confronted with Cassie’s calm revelation that she will die within the week, Buffy’s instinct is to find whoever, or whatever, is threatening her. But while Slayer Buffy gets to use brute force to defend the world, School Counselor Buffy has to use a more conventional approach, which she finds extremely frustrating.
Because they live in Sunnydale, it’s not unreasonable to suspect that the danger stalking Cassie is of a mystical nature. So it isn’t too surprising to discover that a group of high school boys are planning to bring forth a demon who would grant them fabulous wealth in exchange for a human sacrifice. Although there’s no explanation as to how Buffy just so happens to infiltrate the ceremony, she incinerates the demons and saves Cassie—only to have the girl die of heart failure, the result of a genetic disorder.
Being reminded again, as she was with her mother’s death, that there are some things she is powerless to stop, Buffy must accept that sometimes, the victory is in simply making the effort.
THE REAL HORROR: Early death. Most teenagers assume they have a whole lifetime in front of them to look forward to. And while death is always sad, it seems particularly tragic when a young person dies, because they haven’t had a chance to experience many of life’s more wonderful moments, or had the opportunity to fulfill whatever their potential might have been. Cassie’s monologue about why she wants to lives, even though she knows she won’t, was a poignant poem regarding the desires of the heart.
The Girl's Got Bite: The Original Unauthorized Guide to Buffy's World Page 38