| Written by: | David Fury |
| Directed by: | Daniel Attias |
| Starring: | Sarah Michelle Gellar as Buffy Summers Nicholas Brendon as Xander Harris Alyson Hannigan as Willow Rosenberg Emma Caulfield as Anya Michelle Trachtenberg as Dawn Summers James Marsters as Spike Anthony Stewart Head as Rupert Giles |
| Guest Starring: | Mercedes McNab as Harmony Charlie Weber as Ben Amber Benson as Tara Maclay Juliet Landau as Drusilla Kristine Sutherland as Joyce Summers |
| Co-Starring: | Frederick Dawson as Porter Greg Wayne as Student Joseph DiGiandomenico as Matt Walter Borchert as Jeff Asher Glaser as Boy in Bronze Jennifer Bergman as Girl in Bronze Nell Shanahan as Waitress |
Spike tried to use Drusilla's return to town to prove his love for Buffy.
Buffy watched Willow, Tara, Xander, and Anya dance at the Bronze. Spike complained about bar prices going up to cover troll damage expenses and about the removal of the flowering onion from the menu. Buffy was a little upset that he was treating her as a friend.
The others arrived and chased Spike away, but not before Spike swiped a bit of Xander's money. Willow was feeling a bit better, but she was still getting headaches and nosebleeds from teleporting Glory in "Blood Ties." Buffy went to talk with Ben, which attracted Spike's attention.
A train pulled into Sunnydale station. Nobody got off, so the porter walked on board and saw several dead bodies. Soon, he saw whatever killed them and tried to flee. He did not make it.
Giles had been sitting with Joyce and Dawn while Buffy was away. Still, Joyce was very relieved when Buffy returned. Buffy asked Giles whether it would be a good idea to stop going easy on Dawn because of the incidents during "Blood Ties." She was relieved when Giles said yes and demanded that Dawn not borrow her blue sweater.
The blue sweater happened to be in Spike's hands at the moment. He was doing an Angel-style brood, but Harmony had other ideas of what they could do. Spike was not interested until Harmony suggested role play. The next thing we see is Harmony wearing Buffy's sweater and carrying a stake while she threatened to stake Spike.
Buffy, Willow, and Tara discussed The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Willow wanted a happier ending, but Tara simply stated the theme of the episode instead. In a lounge, Buffy noticed a newspaper article about six people being murdered on the train. It looked like a vampire was on the loose.
Spike found Dawn in his crypt. She appreciated the fact that he talked to her as an equal. Spike was not that interested in the conversation until Dawn mentioned Buffy. Meanwhile, Buffy returned home to find her mother worried that Dawn had not arrived home.
That evening, Dawn was listening to monster stories from the monster himself. Right as Spike described sneaking up on a girl hiding in a coal bin, Buffy burst in. Dawn wanted to hear the end of the story, so Spike gave an ending bowdlerized for Buffy's approval.
Buffy started to lecture Dawn about hanging around with Spike only to figure out that Dawn had a crush on him. Dawn responded by saying that Spike had a crush on Buffy. Buffy found this hard to believe.
Buffy and Xander examined the train car to look for clues and confirmed that it was a vampire attack. After a couple of false starts, Buffy managed to tell Xander that Spike was in love with her. Xander thought that it was very amusing. He was disappointed to find that Dawn now had a crush on Spike instead of him.
That evening, Buffy returned home to find Spike talking with Joyce and Dawn. He said that he knew who killed the people on the train and wanted to show her. They staked out a warehouse until two vampires arrived. Buffy and Spike went to attack only to find that they were very rare intelligent vampires. That is, the kind who flee immediately when they see Buffy and remain undead. She noticed that the vampires had been there for a while, so they could not have committed the murders.
Afterward, Buffy asked if Spike intended it as a date. Spike said both no and yes. Spike did try to say that he loved Buffy, but she did not want to hear it. She eventually walked out. Spike stepped outside only to be confronted by Drusilla. Shen then spoiled the second season of Angel for those who were not watching that show and Buffy at the same time. Spike pretended to enjoy being in Sunnydale, but Drusilla realized that it was Spike's chip that got in the way.
Harmony arrived and came to the conclusion that Spike picked up a Drusilla look alike for a three-way. She was not interested. When Spike said that the Drusilla look-alike actually was Drusilla, Harmony started to chew her out until Spike kicked Harmony out.
Buffy told Joyce and Willow about Spike's crush. Both thought that it was weird. They decided that Buffy had to make it clear that there would never be anything between Buffy and Spike. Buffy said that there was one thing that Willow could do for her.
Spike and Drusilla paid a visit to the Bronze and saw a couple making out on the balcony. A better description would be two meals making out on the balcony. Drusilla broke the woman's neck and handed her to Spike. She then broke the man's neck and started to feed. After a little hesitation, he started to feed as well.
Buffy went to pay a visit to Spike, but found nobody home. She then went down to the tunnel below his crypt and found Spike's shrine to Buffy. When she went back into the crypt, she found Spike. Drusilla promptly stepped out of the shadows and stunned Buffy with a cattle prod. Spike then did the same to Drusilla.
Buffy woke to find herself in chains and Drusilla tied to a post. Spike decided that staking Drusilla would be the best way to prove that he loved Buffy. Buffy did not want any proof and Drusilla liked the idea of killing Buffy much better.
Spike did some more ranting until Harmony came back and shot him in the back with a crossbow. She did not like the idea of being tossed aside for either Drusilla or Buffy. Spike attacked Harmony while Drusilla managed to free herself from her ropes. Drusilla went after Buffy until Spike realized what was going on and freed Buffy.
Drusilla realized that Spike was hopeless and left. Harmony also decided to break up with him and backed away. Buffy simply punched him in the face and left. Spike followed her home only to find that he was no longer invited into her home.
It is always good to see Drusilla.
Spike is very intelligent for a vampire, but he tends to act on his heart rather than on logic. Still, he seemed to behave especially irrationally in this episode.
Spike fought Harmony while Drusilla fought Buffy.
Harmony did a Buffy impression and contributed more comic relief.
Drusilla mouthed "Boo-Boo" to Spike.
Spike had to deal with unrequited love and with his ex-, current, and desired girlfriends all in the same room.
Harmony had taken up role playing with Spike.
Dawn had a crush on Spike.
Buffy found out that Spike had a bigger crush on her.
Drusilla tried to get back together with Spike.
Spike tried to get Buffy to love him but only alienated Drusilla, Harmony, and Buffy.
Harmony insisted that she would not participate in a threesome unless it involved two men or Charlize Theron. She got very frustrated at Spike's actions in this episode and left him. Her fighting ability has grown so much that she could briefly hold her own against Spike.
Spike has apparently discussed the prospect of threesomes with Harmony. He was willing to stake Drusilla to prove his love for Buffy.
Dawn has a crush on Spike. She appreciates the fact that he speaks to her as an equal.
Xander is jealous that Dawn has a crush on Spike. He finds Spike's crush on Buffy to be very amusing.
Buffy does not find Spike's crush on her to be particularly amusing.
Buffy and some of the other characters now know that Spike is in love with Buffy.
Spike is no longer invited into Buffy's house.
Nobody accomplished much of anything in this episode. I suppose that Willow successfully cast the deinvitation spell, but, for her, this was not enough for an MVP.
If Tara realized that she was talking about Spike instead of Quasimodo, she would have won. Instead, Dawn took it from her for figuring out that Spike had a crush on Buffy. Buffy gets a little credit for figuring out that Dawn had a crush on Spike.
Spike gets the Goat for upsetting his ex-girlfriend (Drusilla), his current girlfriend (Harmony), and who he hoped would be his future girlfriend (Buffy).
Despite Larry's fears in "Phases," Sunnydale must be a town that is virtually free of homophobia if two people as self-conscious as Willow and Tara can dance together as openly as they did in the beginning of this episode.
Drusilla is one of the best villains ever to appear on the show. Her relationship with Spike in the second season helped to set the precedent that villains may have redeeming qualities even if they are evil. There are many reasons for the rule that I mentioned in the Random Commentary for "Fool for Love" that any episode with Drusilla in it is good. Drusilla leaves the show with two MVPs, one Sherlock Holmes, and zero Goats.
One of the main reasons is that Juliet Landau is one of the best actresses to appear on the show. The lines she received helped to create Drusilla's insanity, but it is not just the lines. When creating the Memorable Dialogue section for episodes in which she appears, I often find that Drusilla quotations are often not nearly as interesting when written than when Landau speaks them. Her delivery adds so much. Furthermore, she is also a very good physical actress and uses her entire body to covey Drusilla's mental state.
Harmony started off as the ditz and a character intended to make Cordelia seem deep by comparison. When Juliet Landau was not available to return for the fourth season of Buffy, Joss Whedon came up with the very good idea of making Harmony a vampire and Spike's girlfriend. She was a very good contrast with other villains who tend to take themselves seriously. Harmony leaves the show with zero MVPs, one Sherlock Holmes, and zero Goats.
Mercedes McNab is not quite the comic actress that Emma Caulfield is, but that is really not saying much at all. In fact, McNab is very good. She is also good at getting us to feel sorry for Harmony when Spike mistreats her even though Harmony is evil and a ditz.
by Jennie Lozano
SUNNYDALE PRESS STAFF WRITER
SPInc. Sunnydale police are investigating the bizarre case of a traincar massacre for which there are unconfirmed reports of severe trauma to the throats of one or more of the victims. Not since the rash of murders last summer has such a gruesome discovery been made. Police officers...
There are no apparent witnesses at the present time, but nearby this section of track is a makeshift camp for transients and homeless people, ready to hit the rails at any moment. Witnesses if among thses [sic] vagrant few could already be gone with no what of checking...
... team cordoned off the area but not without possible contamination of eveidence [sic]. No time has been set yet for the crime as there are so many details to go over and detectives say one...
"You should never hurt the feelings of a brutal killer. You know, that's actually some pretty good advice." Xander
"I wasn't feeling all that safe with you gone... At first, and then I remembered that Rupert was here and I felt much, much safer." Joyce
"Oh, I'm gonna stake you. I'm coming after you, you bad, evil vampire, and I'm gonna slay you. I'm sneaking up, and I'm gonna stake you so much with my slaying powers that I have because I'm the chosen... Whoo!" Harmony
"It can't end like that 'cause all of Quasimodo's actions were selfishly motivated. He had no moral compass, no understanding of right. Everything he did he did out of love for a woman who'd never be able to love him back. Also, you can tell it's not gonna have a happy ending when the main guy's all bumpy." Tara
"I'm not even human, not originally." Dawn
"Yeah, well, originally, I was. I got over it." Spike
"And the lady just invited you in?" Dawn
"Well, I had hubby by the throat, didn't I? Promised her he'd live if she did the invite." Spike
"And did you let him live?" Dawn
"What do you think? Too much for you?" Spike
"No, keep going." Dawn
"And I kill 'em, right quick, the whole lot, but, there's someone missing. There's supposed to be this little girl, so I get real quiet, and I hear this tiny noise coming from the coal bin. This little sigh. So I listened harder. It's very, very quiet..." Spike
"Let's hear the story that Spike is telling my little sister." Buffy
"Right, yeah, so I knew the girl was in the coal bin, and I rip it open, very violent, haul her out of there, and then I give her to a good family in a nice home where they're never, ever mean to her and didn't lock her in a coal bin." Spike
"Why doesn't that register with you? Crypt plus vampire equals bad." Buffy
"Tin soldiers put funny little knickknacks in your brain. Can't hunt. Can't hurt. Can't kill. You've got a chip." Drusilla
"Right, so you've heard. Poor Spike's become a cautionary tale for vampires, right? 'You better be good, kiddies, or else they might wire you up someday.'" Spike
"I don't believe in science, all those bits and molecules no one's ever seen. I trust eyes and heart alone, and do you know what mine is singing out right now? You're a killer, born to slash and bash and, oh, bleed like beautiful poetry. No little tinkertoy could ever stop you from flowing." Drusilla
"I can see it. Little bit of plastic spiderwebbing out nasty blue shocks, and every one is a lie. Electricity lies, Spike. It tells you you're not a bad dog, but you are." Drusilla
"I get it. Our little sex game was just the beginning. Now you've gone and picked up some cheap queen of the damned to dress up like your precious Droodzilla." Harmony
"Harm..." Spike
"You better not be thinking what I think you're thinking, 'cause my answer is the same as always, no threesomes unless it's boy-boy-girl, or Charlize Theron." Harmony
"You've got some nerve showing up here like this after all this time, after breaking my sweet Boo-Boo's heart! Do you have any idea how hard it's been to break down the walls he put up after you left? I mean, serious trust issues." Harmony
"Harm..." Spike
"So it's no use, you crawling back to him, 'cause Spikey don't play that game anymore, Morticia." Harmony
"I do beat him up a lot. For Spike, that's like, third base." Buffy
"I know you feel something." Spike
"It's called revulsion, and whatever you think you're feeling, it's not love. You can't love without a soul." Buffy
"Oh, we can, you know. We can love quite well, if not wisely." Drusilla
"Kill her. Why do I care?" Buffy
"Here's why, if you don't admit that there's something there, some tiny feeling for me, then I'll untie Dru and let her kill you instead." Spike
"Yes, please, I like that game much more." Drusilla
"Spike, the only chance you had with me was when I was unconscious." Buffy
"This, with you, is wrong. I know it. I'm not a complete idiot. You think I like having you in here, destroying everything that was me until all that's left is you in a dead shell." Spike
"Poor Spike, so lost even I can't help you now. [Leaves]" Drusilla
"Oh, Spikey, and you can say good bye to this [points at her rear end] because you're not gonna see it anymore, unless you run into me somewhere, and it's me walking away from you, but even then, I'll probably just, you know, back away." Harmony
Highlight the space after each question to find the answer. It is strongly recommended that you do not do so if you have not seen episodes through the episode indicated.