Passion

Written by: Ty King Directed by: Michael E. Gershman

Cast : Sarah Michelle Gellar as Buffy Summers, Nicholas Brendon as Xander Harris, Alyson Hannigan as Willow Rosenberg, Charisma Carpenter as Cordelia Chase, David Boreanaz as Angel, Anthony Stewart Head as Rupert Giles. Main guest stars : Kristine Sutherland as Joyce Summers, Robia LaMorte as Jenny Calendar, James Marsters as Spike, Juliet Landau as Drusilla, Danny Strong as Jonathan. Original broadcast date : February 24, 1998 My one-line description: I wonder who Angelus’ speechwriter is… “Passion”, Angelus says in voice-over as he watches Buffy across the Bronze. She’s dancing with Xander, Willow and Cordelia. “It is born, and though uninvited, unwelcome, and unwanted,” he continues, “like a cancer, it takes root.” As the gang exits the Bronze, they pass by a necking couple. Unseen, Angelus lets the female fall to the ground, dead, and looks at Buffy walk away. “It festers, it bleeds, it scabs”, he narrates; “only to rupture, and bleed anew…” “… it grows, it thrives… until it consumes”, he finishes, watching outside Buffy’s window as she prepares for bed. When she’s sound asleep, he creeps up to her bed, looks at her… and sits down, caressing her face. “It lives”, he resumes, “so it must die… in time.” The next morning, Buffy wakes up and finds a envelope on the pillow next to her. In it is a lovely picture of her sleeping… At the library, Buffy reports Angelus’ visit to the gang. Giles notes that if you invite a vampire inside once, after that they’re always welcome. Cordelia panics as she realizes she invited him into her car. Buffy asks Giles if there’s a un-invitation spell, and he promises to look it up. Then some normal students come looking for books about something not undead, so the gang steps outside… There, he tells Buffy that obviously Angelus is taunting her, trying to provoke her. Buffy replies that once Angel told him about the things he did to Drusilla’s family… the gang start worrying for Joyce’s safety, and Buffy says she should tell her the truth. Giles advises her not to, but Buffy replies she has to tell her mother something. As computer class ends and the students file out, Jenny calls to Willow and asks her to fill in for her the next day – she might be late. Willow is honoured – and terrified. Jenny sees Buffy and Giles standing outside the classroom, and she greets them. Buffy doesn’t reply – she just asks Willow to join her. After the redhead has left, Jenny asks Giles how he’s been. He informs her about Angelus visiting Buffy in her room. Jenny guesses that Giles felt betrayed by her knowing about the curse on Angel, and explains why she was sent her. She admits there’s one thing she didn’t plan on – falling in love with him. She tells him she wants to make it up to him – but he replies he’s not the one she has to make it up to. At home, Buffy tells Joyce that Angel – that guy she used to date – has changed and is following her around. She asks her mom not to let him in if he shows up. Later, Buffy and Willow talk on the phone about the whole Angelus deal. As they talk, Willow absently taps fish food into her fish tank. Then, still chatting, she goes to her bed, where she spots an envelope on her pillow. She stops talking as she pulls out a gold chain, on which her tropical fish are strung… In Buffy’s room, Buffy and Willow huddle in the bed. Willow comments that she’s glad her parents didn’t get her a puppy… As they talk, Angelus looks at them through the window. He smiles and leaves. He rejoins Spike and Drusilla at the factory, where he enjoys his favourite sport – making fun of Spike, who is still in a wheelchair. Suddenly, Drusilla starts crying – she declares that an old enemy is trying to destroy their happy home. In the town’s magic shop, a juju man greets Jenny; she tells him she’s looking for an Orb of Thesulah. He gets it for her, and makes sure she knows it’s useless without the transliteration text. She replies that she knows, but that she’s working on transferring the Romanian liturgy to English. She adds that the Orb is a present for a friend of hers. She plans to give him his soul… The next morning, Buffy, Willow and Xander spot Jenny as they walk towards the school. Buffy walks up to her - and tells her to go right on feeling bad about what happened. She adds that Giles misses Jenny – he doesn’t talk about it, but she can see it in his eyes. Jenny tries to reply, but Buffy cuts her off and walks away. Giles informs Buffy he found a ritual to rescind the invitation to a vampire. Willow, Buffy and Cordelia try said ritual in Willow’s room that evening, nailing crosses around her window. Cordelia spots an envelope on Willow’s pillow, and gives it to her. Willow opens it, and gives it to Buffy – it’s a portrait of Joyce sleeping… That night, Joyce spots Angelus on her doorstep as she enters the driveway. He plays the obsessive boyfriend, trying to convince her to get Buffy to see him – he scares Joyce so much that she drops her grocery bags while fumbling for her keys. As she finally puts the key in the door, threatening to call the police, Angelus reveals he and Buffy made love… Joyce is floored, of course. She opens the door and stumbles inside, and Angelus tries to follow – but hits an invisible barrier. Buffy, standing there as Willow recites a latin incantation, tells him the locks have been changed… She closes the door. Jenny is working late at her computer terminal. Suddenly, she sees Giles watching her from the classroom doorway. She tells him she might have some news, and asks if she can see him later. He tells her to stop by the house. In the magic shop, the juju man gets a visit… from Drusilla. She’s eager to find out what he and Jenny talked about. Late at night, Jenny is still working at her computer. She gets a breakthrough, and smiles in joy while hitting the “print” command. As the printer spits out page after page, she ejects a yellow disk and puts it aside. As she gets up, she comes face to face with… Angelus. He picks up the Orb of Thesulah on her desk, noting that it’s used to restore someone’s soul… He smashes it against a wall. Going to the computer, he tosses the monitor to the ground, where it starts burning. He takes some of the pages coming out of the printer, and realizes it’s the Ritual of Restoration. He tears them up and throws them into the fire; then, he turns on Jenny, in full vamp face. He leaps and slams her against the wall. She rises, looks at him in terror, and runs out into the hallway. As she flees, Angelus calmly follows her. He finally catches up with her, and snaps her neck. She falls to the ground, dead. Giles shows up at Buffy’s place, where Willow greets him. He asks how the ritual went, and she reports that it went fine – except for the Angelus-scaring-Joyce-out-of-her-wits part. She promises to tell Buffy he stopped by. Upstairs in Buffy’s room, Joyce asks her daughter whether Angel was the first. She tells Buffy that Angel is too old for her – she wishes her daughter would show more judgment. Buffy protests, but Joyce tells her that she can’t shut her out, because she loves Buffy more than anything in the world. Buffy’s touched. Giles enters his apartment, where romantic opera music is playing. Some roses are placed here and there, and a wine bottle is chilling in a bucket. A parchment note reads “upstairs”. He goes upstairs, past the roses strewn on the steps, and the votive candles – and sees Jenny’s corpse lying on his bed. The smile slowly disappears from his face, gradually replaced by horror… The wine glasses and bottle he’s holding crash to the floor. Later, the coroner’s office workers wheel Jenny’s body away; a policeman tells Giles he has to come with them to the station to answer some question. Giles, in shock, agrees, but asks to make a phone call first. Angelus is outside Buffy’s house, spying into the kitchen. “Passion”, he says in voice-over; “It drives some to distraction, some to despair…” The phone rings, and Buffy answers. Angelus watches in glee as she gets the news of Jenny’s death and sags to the floor. She lets the receiver fall away from her hand, and Willow picks it up. She also gets the news, and cries out; Joyce rushes to the kitchen and takes Willow in her arms as she weeps in grief. “It drives some to murder… and others to madness”, Angelus finishes. Cordelia’s car screeches to a halt on a curb, and Buffy and Willow walk to it. Xander reports that Giles is no longer at the police station. Buffy asks Cordelia if she can drive them to Giles’ house. At his place, Giles is gathering weapons in a bag. He throws in a gasoline can, and then closes the bag. He steps outside, cold rage and determination on his face. On a table inside the house, we see a sketch of Jenny’s corpse. A few minutes later, the Scoobies arrive at Giles’ place. Buffy sees the portrait of Jenny; Willow reports that Giles’ weapons are all missing. Cordelia asks where Giles could have gone, and Buffy replies that he’ll go wherever Angel is. Xander rejoices at the thought of Giles killing Angel, and for once Buffy agrees with him. However, she adds, there’s a small problem – Giles is going to get himself killed.

At the factory, Spike angrily berates Angelus for leaving Jenny’s corpse in Giles’ bed - he thinks it’s reckless. Angelus tells Spike that he has everything under control – and suddenly a Molotov cocktail hits the table, putting it on fire. The three vampires move away from it – and an arrow hits Angelus in the shoulder. Giles walks towards Angelus, retrieving a baseball bat from his bag. Not missing a beat, he ignites it in the flame, and hits Angelus square in the face with it. He starts pummelling the vampire with the bat, as Spike and Drusilla watch from the shadows. Suddenly, however, Angelus punches Giles, telling him he’s had his fun. “But you know what it’s time for now?” he asks. “My fun”, Buffy replies. She hits Angelus and kicks him, hurting him almost as angrily as Giles did. Spike and Drusilla escape as the flames spread. Angelus punches Buffy and then takes off, looking to the gangway for escape. She jumps up to said gangway, catching up with the vampire. She quickly gains the upper hand, but suddenly she spots Giles, lying out cold in the middle of the flames below. Angelus takes advantage of her distraction to knock her down and leave. Buffy hesitates, but decides to go to Giles’ rescue. She drags him outside the factory. An angry Giles berates Buffy for coming – this wasn’t her fight. She slugs him in the face, hard, calling him a bastard. Holding back her tears, she asks if he’s trying to get himself killed; she says, pleadingly, that he can’t leave her alone. Not now. She can’t to this by herself. Giles looks at her, his anger melting into despair. She goes to him and hugs him, as he calls Jenny’s name. “Passion. It is the source of hope…” Giles returns home, and pauses in front of the door before pulling down the yellow police tape. “and the cause of despair…” “It is the source of life…” Giles lays some flowers on Jenny’s tomb. “And the cause of death.” Giles and Buffy stand side by side in front of the tomb. He muses that he’s buried many people in his life, but Jenny was the first one he loved. Buffy apologizes for not being able to kill Angelus for him – for Jenny – when she had the chance. As she tells him she’s finally ready, cut to Willow, filling in for Jenny in computer class until they find a new teacher. She puts her lesson plan on Jenny’s desk, unknowingly knocking the computer disk containing the soul restoration ritual over the edge. It falls down and wedges itself in a tight spot between the desk and the baseboard. In voice-over, Buffy tells Giles that she knows now that nothing will bring back the Angel she fell in love with. Summary by OttsFiveByFive.

Episode Ratings

Mac - <—TIED for the Best Episode of The Season—> “The wrath of Angelus. Jenny’s dead, and Giles is pissed. The scene between Giles and Buffy when she saves him and drags him into the alley is absolutely priceless, absolutely geniune.”

DJ Angelus -

“Sad ep with Jenny’s death and all.”

Quotes

Key: B=Buffy, G=Giles, X=Xander, W=Willow, As=Angelus, C=Cordelia, O=Oz, JC=Jenny Calendar, J=Joyce, PS=Principal Snyder, S=Spike, D=Druscilla, Sh=Shopkeeper

As: (V.O.) Passion… it lies in all of us. Sleeping, waiting, and though unwanted, unbidden, it will stir, open its jaws… and howl.

As: (V.O.) Passion… is born… And though uninvited, unwelcome, unwanted… like a cancer… it takes root. It festers… it bleeds… it scabs… only to rupture.

[Buffy, Willow and Xander leaving the Bronze, no dialogue heard] B: It’s purple. W: It’s a purple wedding. B: That’s not why I go. W: Why not? B: Because. Yubba-dubba-dub-dub. X: Hey, hey, hey, what are you guys talking about up there?

As: (V.O.) It speaks to us, guides us; passion rules us all. And we obey. What other choice do we have?

X: A visit from the pointed-tooth fairy.

X: You know, I think there may be a valuable lesson for you gals here about inviting strange men into your bedrooms.

C: Oh, god. I invited him into my car once. That means he can come into my car whenever he wants. X: Yep, you’re doomed to having to give any of his vamp pals a lift whenever they feel like it. And those guys never chip in for gas. B: Giles, there has to be some sort of spell to reverse the invitation, right? Like a barrier, a no-shoes, no-pulse, no-service kind of thing? C: Yeah, that works for a car, too?

X: Hello! Excuse me, but have you ever heard of knocking? Kid: We’re supposed to get some books. On Stalin. X: Does this look like a Barnes & Noble? G: This is the school library, Xander. X: Since when?

G: So, Angel has decided to step up his harassment of you? C: By sneaking into her room and leaving stuff at night? Why doesn’t he just slit her throat, or strangle her while she’s sleeping, or cut her heart out? What? I’m trying to help.

G: It’s classic battle strategy, to throw one’s opponent off his game. He’s just trying to provoke you. To taunt you. To goad you into some mishap of some sort. X: The “nyah-nyah-nyah-nyah-nyah!” approach to battle? G: Yes, Xander. Once more you’ve managed to boil a complex thought down to its simplest possible form.

X: Yeah, the more people who know the secret, the more it cheapens it for the rest of us.

G: I told you, I will find a spell. B: What about until you find a spell? C: Until then, you and your mother are welcome to ride around with me in my car.

G: I know how hard this is for you. All right, I don’t. But as the Slayer, you don’t have the luxury of being a slave to your passions. You mustn’t let Angel get to you… no matter how provocative his behavior may become. B: So what you’re basically saying is, “just ignore him, and maybe he’ll go away”? G: Yes, precisely. X: Hey, how come Buffy doesn’t get a snotty “once again you boil it down to the simplest form” thing? Watcher’s pet.

JC: I might be a little late tomorrow. Do you think you could cover my class until I show? W: Really? Me? Teach the class? Sure! JC: Cool. W: Oh, wait. What if they don’t recognize my authority? What if they try to convince me that you always let them leave class early? What if there’s a fire drill? What if there’s a fire? JC: Willow, you’re gonna be fine. And I’ll try not to be too late, okay? W: Okay, good. Earlier is good. Will I have the power to assign detention? Or make them run laps?

B: Willow, I thought I might take in a class. Figured I could use someone who knows where they are. W: Sorry, I have to talk to her. She’s a teacher and teachers are to be respected, even if they’re only filling in until the real teacher shows up, because otherwise chaos could ensue…

G: Since Angel lost his soul, he’s regained his sense of whimsy. JC: Well, that sounds bad.

JC: I know you feel betrayed. G: Yes, well, that’s one of the unpleasant side: effects of betrayal.

J: You can tell me anything. I’ve read all the parenting books. You cannot surprise me. B: We’re sort of dating – _were_ dating. Going through a serious off-again phase right now. J: Don’t tell me. He’s changed. He’s not the same guy you fell for? B: In a nutshell.

W: I swear, men can be such jerks sometimes. Dead _or_ alive. B: I just hope Giles can find a keep-out spell soon. I know I’ll sleep easier when I can… sleep easier.

W: He’s like Book-Man.

B: Hey, sorry about your fish. W: It’s okay, we hadn’t really had time to bond yet… although for the first time, I’m glad my parents didn’t let me have a puppy.

D: I brought something for you. Poor thing. She’s an orphan. Her owner died… without a fight. Do you like her, hmmmm? I brought her especially for you… to cheer you up. And I’ve named her Sunshine. Open wide!

S: I won’t have you feeding me like a child, Dru. As: Why not? She already bathes you, carries you around, and changes you like a child.

D: We were worried. S: No, we weren’t. D: You must forgive Spike. He’s just a bit testy tonight. Doesn’t get out much any more. As: Well, maybe next time I’ll bring you with me, Spike. Might be handy to have you around if I ever need a really good parking space.

As: As a guest, if there’s anything I can do for you, any… responsibility I can assume while you’re spinning your wheels… Anything I’m not already doing, that is.

Shopkeeper: How may I serve you today? Love potion? perhaps a voodoo doll for that unfaithful… JC: I need an Orb of Thesulah. Sh: Oh, you’re in the trade.

Sh: Not that it’s any of my business, really, but uh, what are you planning on conjuring up… if you can decipher the text? JC: A present for a friend of mine. Sh: Really. What are you going to give him? JC: His soul.

X: And what did you two do last night? W: We had kind of a “pajama party sleep: over with weapons” thing. X: Oh, and I don’t suppose either of you had the presence of mind to locate a camera to capture the moment? W: I have to go – I have a class to teach in about five minutes, and I have to arrive early to glare disapprovingly at the stragglers. Oh, darn, she’s here. Five hours of lesson planning yesterday down the drain…

B: Look… I know you feel badly about what happened, and I just wanted to say… good. Keep it up.

G: I found the ritual to revoke the invitation to vampires. C: Oh, thank goodness. I actually had to talk my grandmother into switching cars with me last night. G: The ritual’s very basic, actually. It’s just the recitation of a few rhyming couplets, burning of moss herbs, sprinkling of holy water… B: All stuff I have in my house. G: …hanging of crosses.

W: I’m going to have a hard time explaining this to my dad. B: You really think it’ll bother him? W: Ira Rosenberg’s only daughter nailing crucifixes to her bedroom wall? I have to go over to Xander’s house just to watch “A Charlie Brown Christmas” every year. B: I see your point. W: Although it is worth while to see him do the Snoopy dance.

C: Willow, are you aware that there are no fish in your aquarium? W: < whimper >

B: Sorry, Angel. I changed the locks.

JC: Angel. How did you get in here? As: I was invited. The sign in front of the school – “Formatia trans sicere educatorum.” JC: “Enter all ye who seek knowledge.” As: What can I say? I’m a knowledge seeker. JC: Angel, I’ve got good news. As: I’ve heard. You went shopping at the local boogedy-boogedy store.

As: You know what I hate the most about these things? < crash! > They’re so damn fragile. Must be that shoddy Gypsy craftsmanship.

As: I never cease to be amazed how much the world has changed in just two and a half centuries. It’s a miracle to me.

As: “The ritual of restoration.” Wow. This… this brings back memories. JC: Wait, that’s your… As: Oh, my cure? No, thanks. Been there, done that, and deja vu just isn’t what it used to be.

As: Looks like I get to kill two birds with one stone. And teacher makes three.

As: Oh, good. I need to work up an appetite first.

As: Sorry, Jenny. This is where you get off. Ah, I never get tired of doing that.

G: The ritual go all right? W: Oh, yeah, it went fine. Well, it went fine until Angel showed up and told Buffy’s mom that he and Buffy had – well, you know, that they had – you know… You do know, right? G: Oh, yes. Sorry. W: Oh, good, ’cause I just realized that being a librarian and all, you maybe didn’t know. G: Oh, thank you, I got it.

G: Perhaps I should intervene on Buffy’s behalf with her mother. Maybe say something? W: Sure. Like, what would you say? G: Wh… uh… You will tell Buffy I dropped by? W: You bet.

J: Don’t expect me to ever stop caring about you, because it’s never going to happen. I love you more than anything in the world. That would be your cue to, uh, roll your eyes and tell me I’m grossing you out. B: You’re not. J: Oh, well. I guess that was the talk. B: So, how’d it go? J: I don’t know. It was my first.

AS: (V.O.) Passion is the source of our finest moments. The joy of love, the clarity of hatred, and the ecstasy of grief.

W: Was it horrible? B: Ah, it wasn’t great, but at least it’s over. Ah, soon it’ll be your turn.

B: I’m not worried about what he wants. I’m worried about what he’s going to do.

W: Look, all his weapons are gone. C: But I thought he kept his weapons at the library. X: No, those are his everyday weapons. These were his good weapons. The ones he breaks out when company comes to visit.

C: So, Giles is going to kill Angel, then? X: Well, it’s about time somebody did. W: Xander! X: I’m sorry, but let’s not forget that I hated Angel long before you guys jumped on the bandwagon. So I think I deserve a little something for not saying “I told you so” long before now. And if Giles wants to go after the fiend that murdered his girlfriend, I say “Faster, pussycat. Kill, kill.” B: You’re right. X: Thank you.

S: Are you insane? We’re supposed to kill the bitch, not leave gag gifts in her friends’ beds. D: But, Spike, the bad teacher was going to restore Angel’s soul. S: And what if she did? If you ask me, I find myself preferring the old Buffy-whipped Angelus. This new, improved one is not playing with a full sack. I love a good slaughter as much as the next bloke, but his little pranks will only leave us with one incredibly brassed-off Slayer. As: Don’t worry, roller-boy. I’ve got everything under control.

As: Jeez, whatever happened to wooden stakes?

S: Uh-uh. No fair going into the ring unless he tags you first.

As: All right, you’ve had your fun. But you know what it’s time for now? B: _My_ fun.

G: Why did you come here? This wasn’t your fight. B: Are you trying to get yourself killed? You can’t leave me. I can’t do this alone.

As: (V.O.) It hurts sometimes more than we can bear. If we could live without passion, maybe we’d know some kind of peace. But we would be hollow. Empty rooms, shuttered and dank. Without passion, we’d be truly dead.

Credit: The Sunnydale Slayers