| Written by: | Steven S. DeKnight |
| Directed by: | David Solomon |
| Starring: | Sarah Michelle Gellar as Buffy Summers Nicholas Brendon as Xander Harris Emma Caulfield as Anya Michelle Trachtenberg as Dawn Summers James Marsters as Spike Alyson Hannigan as Willow Rosenberg |
| Guest Starring: | Anthony Stewart Head as Rupert Giles (Special Guest Star) John O'Leary as Kaltenbach Kavan Reece as Justin Amber Tamlyn as Janice Penshaw Dave Power as Zack Amber Benson as Tara Maclay |
| Co-Starring: | Charles Duckworth as Glenn Dawn Worrall as Christy Emily Kay as Maria Adam Gordon as Carl Steven Anthony Lawrence as Chunky Kid Sabrina Speeer [sic] as Girl Chad Erikson as Guy Dominic Rambaran as Paramedic #1 Anthony Sago as Paramedic #2 Lorin Becker as Witch Woman Lily Jackson as Witchy Poo |
Dawn snuck away to go on a date with someone who turned out to be a vampire.
Most of the characters were helping Anya and Giles in the Magic Box's Halloween sale. Xander failed to impress kids with his pirate costume. Anya dressed as a special kind of angel, called a "Charlie." With Dawn and a very uninterested Tara, Anya discussed playing "shiver me timbers" with Xander. Willow lectured a woman about witch stereotypes involving warts but gushed over a little girl with the same. Dawn noticed a trinket on the counter and swiped it.
Anya sent Buffy to the basement to get more magic root. While there, she ran into Spike swiping burba root to flavor his blood. Spike wanted to patrol, but Buffy was not interested. Later on, however, she raised the idea of patrolling as an alternative to bagging items in the Magic Box. Giles once again stated that no bad things happen on Halloween, but Buffy did not believe him this time.
Across town, an old man hummed "Pop Goes the Weasel" and promised something special this Halloween as he pulled out a very large knife.
After closing, the scene was similar to the opening of the Magic Box in "No Place Like Home." Anya was giddy and everyone else was exhausted. She showed Dawn the "Dance of Capitalist Superiority." Xander finally took the opportunity to announce that he and Anya were going to get married. Dawn and Tara were especially pleased.
Buffy decided that there should be a celebration at her house. Giles served drinks to all of them, even Dawn. Willow said an incantation to create party decoration, which upset Giles and Tara. Tara later confronted Willow about it, but Willow was not interested in what Tara had to say. They were about to have a "Tough Love" level fight when Dawn interrupted. Willow used the excuse to leave.
Dawn ducked out of the party saying that she was sleeping over with her friend, Janice. Buffy was too distracted to notice that Dawn was not even carrying a change of clothes or toiletries. In an alley, Dawn met up with Janice, who told her mother that she was sleeping over at Dawn's.
Dawn and Janice met up with Zack and Justin at a park. The four of them engaged in fairly childish pranks like smashing pumpkins and mailboxes and letting air out of tires. As they walked along, Dawn admitted to Janice that she was attracted to Justin while Justin admitted to Zack that he found Dawn to be cute.
The foursome reached the house of "Old Man Kaltenbach," the old man seen earlier who had a reputation of being "mental." The group dared each other to go up to the house, but Dawn was the only one brave enough. She was about to smash the pumpkin when Kaltenbach grabbed her. Justin and Zack were ready to defend her, but Kaltenbach meant no harm.
In fact, Kaltenbach invited the foursome in to show them the toys that he used to design. Later he offered them treats. Only Justin was willing to go into the kitchen to help. In the kitchen, Kaltenbach was about to cut up some Rice Krispie treats with the very large knife when Justin turned into vamp face and ate him.
Dawn heard the commotion and was about to investigate when Justin burst out saying that he stole Kaltenbach's wallet. Dawn and Janice ran out while Zack and Justin discussed whether to eat or sire Dawn and Janice.
At the party, Giles started to scare Xander in the guise of giving congratulations and advice. Later, Anya discussed babies while Xander started to look pale. Giles suggested that Rupert would be a good name, but Anya did not want her kid to have to eat paste.
Justin waited with Dawn and Janice while Zack went to get a car. He attacked, but did not finish off, a woman and stole her car. Buffy had decided to go patrolling and saw the woman with fang marks in her neck as the woman was loaded into an ambulance.
Janice's mother called the house. Giles answered the phone and figured out that Dawn and Janice each told their respective authority figures that they were spending the night at the other's house. Giles interrupted the party to tell the others what was going on. He sent Willow and Tara to look for Dawn downtown while he went to find Spike.
Dawn, Janice, Justin, and Zack drove off to a secluded spot. Janice and Zack ran off while Dawn and Justin stayed in the car. There, she had her first kiss, something Justin easily figured out. This did not discourage him from more kisses.
Willow and Tara went to the Bronze to look for Dawn. Tara was very upset when Willow started to cast a spell. Willow simply wanted to shift everyone who was male or not 15 years old to an alternate dimension. This provoked another brief fight that ended with Tara storming off.
Buffy eventually found Spike, who briefed her on what Giles found out. Meanwhile, Giles was patrolling a cemetery when he heard a scream. He assumed that it was Dawn but it turned out to be Janice. He interrupted Zack biting her and started to fight. They appeared evenly matched until Giles kicked Zack into a tree branch.
Dawn was busy kissing Justin until she felt that he was in vamp face. She fled the car in a panic. He nearly convinced her to let him sire her when Giles interrupted. Giles started to threaten Justin but found that Justin was not the only vampire who was making out in the cemetery, just the only one making out with a human.
Fortunately, Spike and Buffy arrived. Buffy lectured Dawn about making out with a vampire whom she just met. Eventually one of the vampires got impatient for a fight. Two vampires who were there just to make out were excused. Buffy easily staked one vampire. Giles staked two female vampires only to be attacked by the man they were with. Spike took out a vampire only to be attacked by another. Buffy beheaded a vampire with a car door.
Meanwhile, Dawn kneed Justin where it hurts the most and ran off. Justin caught up with her and pinned her to the ground. He was about to sire her when she staked him with a pencil.
The group collected at Buffy's house. Giles told Buffy that they needed to stop Dawn's rebellious behavior before it becomes too serious. Buffy was glad that Giles was there to take care of that. He reluctantly went to do Buffy's job.
While Tara was busy removing a large number of pillows from their bed, Willow tried to discuss their earlier fight. Tara was not interested and just wanted to go to sleep. Willow decided that Tara should forget about the fight, so she cast a spell so that Tara would literally forget it.
I like Dawn better than most fans like her, so I have no problem with a Dawn-centered episode.
I liked the battle at the end of the episode.
Coincidentially, 24 had a similar plot line in which a teenaged girl and her friend sneaked out at night with a couple of guys who had their own agenda. It started airing in the United States one week after this episode aired.
Giles fought Zack in the cemetery.
Giles, Buffy, and Spike took on several vampires in the cemetery.
Tara stated that she was not one for timbers.
Anya did the dance of capitalist superiority.
Anya asked about obscenely muscular male strippers.
Willow and Tara fought over Willow's use of magic.
Dawn had to stake the first guy she kissed.
Anya was looking forward to playing "shiver me timbers."
Xander finally announced his engagement to Anya.
There are tensions between Willow and Tara over Willow's use of magic.
Dawn spent much of the episode with a guy.
Tara does not like Willow using magic for mundane purposes.
Willow likes using magic for mundane purposes and to get others to forget not liking her using magic for mundane purposes.
Giles is not happy at having to take on Buffy's responsibilities.
Dawn has a rebellious streak.
Tara will not be very happy if she ever finds out about the forgetting spell that Willow cast at the end of the episode.
There must be something about Halloween that brings out the best in Giles. For rescuing both Dawn and Janice and for staking three vampires, Giles earns his first MVP since the last Halloween episode, "Fear, Itself," which was two seasons ago. Anya gets some consideration for finally getting Xander to announce their engagement by not nagging him to do so, and both Spike and Buffy get credit for helping out in the fight at the end of the episode.
Giles was the first to figure out that Dawn and Janice were on an escapade, so he gets this award.
By now, Dawn should know that every possible love interest turns out to be something. Angel is a vampire. Oz is a werewolf. Anya used to be a vengeance demon. Riley is a commando. Tara is a normal human. Dawn should have at least attempted to see Justin in a mirror or in sunlight before going out with him.
I have no idea what Xander was talking about when he referred to the coast of Katmandu, considering that the city is about 400 miles (650 kilometers) away from the ocean and well above sea level.
When Xander was looking at Anya and Dawn and said that he was going to marry that girl, why did Buffy assume that he meant Dawn? It should have been clear that he was talking about Anya.
"How about you? Ever play "shiver me timbers?" Anya
"I'm not really much for the timber." Tara
"What happened to Xander?" Buffy
"He kept poking me with his hook. I sent him to charmed objects. With any luck, he'll poke the wrong one and end up in an alternative dimension inhabited by a 50-foot Giles that squishes annoying, teeny pirates." Giles
"Anya's a wonderful former vengeance demon. I'm sure you'll spend many years of non-hell dimensional bliss." Giles
"Mist, cemetery, Halloween. Should end well." Giles
"It's OK. It'll only hurt for a second." Justin
"I bet you say that to all the girls." Giles
"I didn't know he was dead." Dawn
"Living dead." Justin
"I'm a rebel; you're an idiot." Spike
"Where do we order obscenely muscular male strippers?" Anya
"Anya..." Xander
"I'm kidding, jeez. [Mouths "we'll talk" to Buffy]" Anya
"This the part where you tell me you're not angry, just disappointed." Dawn
"Pretty much, except for the bit about not being angry." Giles
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.