Earshot
Writer: Jane Espenson Director : Regis Kimble
Cast : Sarah Michelle Gellar as Buffy Summers, Nicholas Brendon as Xander Harris, Alyson Hannigan as Willow Rosenberg, Charisma Carpenter as Cordelia Chase, Seth Green as Oz, Anthony Stewart Head as Rupert Giles, David Boreanaz as Angel.
Main guest stars : Kristine Sutherland as Joyce Summers, Danny Strong as Jonathan, Alexis Denisof as Wesley Wyndham-Pryce, Lauren Roman as Nancy, Ethan Erickson as Percy West, Larry Bagby III as Larry, Justin Doran as Hogan, Karem Malicki-Sánchez as Freddy Iverson.
Original broadcast date : April 20, 1999
While patrolling, Buffy encounters and fights two rather ugly demons; one of them gets away, but she manages to kill the other one, although some of its blood gets splattered onto her hand.
The next day, Giles tells the assembled Scooby Gang that he still doesn¹t know much about the Ascension. Wesley arrives and, intent on demonstrating he¹s the boss, takes over the meeting. But he doesn¹t have even a teeny bit more information on the Ascension than Giles does, so the Gang gets up as he speaks and walks out on him.
Buffy walks in the corridor with Willow, telling her best friend about her worries regarding how much of Angel¹s tryst with Faith was faked. Percy West, the athlete Willow is tutoring in history, shows up with Hogan, another basketball player, to make sure they¹re coming to the game that night. Buffy realizes everyone, even Xander, is going, except for her she has to patrol. As Willow leaves for class, Buffy just stands there, a bit depressed, scratching her hand where the demon¹s blood dripped on her.
Suddenly worried about the itching, she goes to see Giles, and after some research, she informs her that touching the demon she fought can cause one to be “infected”, to inherit an aspect of the demon. Buffy is a bit terrified at the prospect of growing a tail or horns
That night, all the Scoobies are at the game, but no one is actually paying attention to it. Willow is commenting on the negative editorials written lately by the student paper editor, Freddy. Xander is watching Cordelia and the other cheerleaders, and gets very worried when he spots Wesley looking at her with his “Pierce-Brosnany eyes”. As for Buffy, she¹s feeling her head for horns
That night, while patrolling, Buffy studies herself in the mirror, trying to spot the demon aspect she¹ll be getting, when Angel shows up. She tells him about her problems being infected by the demon chief among them and he reassures her by promising he¹ll love her not matter what she looks like.
The next day, Xander, Oz and Willow are talking about the game the previous night, but when Buffy arrives, they downplay it so she won¹t feel bad. But Cordelia walks by and makes it clear for Buffy that she missed the game of a lifetime. As she walks smugly away, Buffy hears Xander wondering if Cordy and Wesley have kissed yet. Thinking he¹s spoken aloud, she asks compassionately if it bugs him that much; stunned, he answers she must¹ve read his mind.
The next day, as she walks through the hall, Buffy starts hearing thoughts, first of a teacher who reveals his dislike for students then of a male student who thinks naughty thoughts about Buffy, scaring her off. Finally, she goes to see Giles, and proves to him that she can really hear thoughts by repeating to her word for word what he was thinking when she came in. As he starts researching this new gift of hers, she goes to class, anxious to try out her abilities. There, she has fun answering all the teacher¹s question and annoying Nancy, a student who looks like a teacher¹s pet.
Then, she goes to Angel¹s mansion and prods him about his kissing Faith, trying to read his mind and learn the truth. He patiently tells her she can¹t read his thoughts, since he¹s a vampire, and promises her that what happened with Faith was nothing.
At the library, Giles and Buffy inform the Scoobies about her new gift, making them uncomfortable. Willow thinks Buffy doesn¹t need her anymore, Xander tries to not think about sex but fails scandalizing Buffy with thoughts of her naked Oz ponders philosophically what Buffy hearing her thoughts means for his existence, and Wesley moons over Cordelia while chastising himself for it. Strangely, only Cordelia seems to really think the same thing she¹s sayingBut in the end, it all gets too uncomfortable, and everyone leaves, save Giles.
Buffy walks down the hall, finding that hearing everyone¹s thoughts is getting quite unnerving. In the cafeteria, she gets confused by the jumble of voices in her head, until she hears one single voice, saying “By this time tomorrow, I¹ll kill you all.” Freaking out, she drops her tray and runs around, trying to find out who thought that, but the voices in her head get too intense, and she faints.
When she comes too, her friends are standing over her, very concerned. She tells them about the potential killer, and instructs them to find out who it is. Then Giles drives her back home; but just before they get in his car, she hears him thinking that if they don¹t do something, she¹ll go insane. He and Wesley have found out that the other person who got infected with telepathic abilities is now living in total isolation, unable to tolerate hearing other people¹s thoughts.
At home, Joyce is making Buffy comfortable in her bed, going to get an extra pillow, an extra blanket, etc., until Buffy asks her to just come and sit by her. But Joyce seems uncomfortable and argues that she has some cleaning to do. Buffy starts to ask her what¹s wrong, then sits up in her bed, alarmed, exclaiming: “You had SEX with GILES???” As Joyce retreats, meekly arguing that it was the candy¹s fault, Buffy continues with her discoveries: “On the hood of a POLICE CAR??? TWICE???” While Willow, Xander, Oz and Cordelia go about interviewing every student at Sunnydale High, hoping to pinpoint the murderer, Giles and Wesley find a cure for Buffy; however, it involves having Buffy drink a potion made with the heart of the second demon. Wesley argues that without a Slayer, it may be hard to kill the demon.
Not a problem: that night, Angel fights the demon, and the next morning, he arrives at the Summers house (smoke billowing from him, of course) with the goods. He goes upstairs and forces an obviously delirious Buffy to drink the yucky potion; her body goes into convulsions, and Angel, alarmed, yells for Giles.
Giles and Wesley have found a possible solution to curing Buffy, but it requires the heart of the second demon. Angel hunts down the demon and the next morning brings the heart to the Summers’s home in a glass mixed with other ingredients. He forces Buffy to drink it and then her body goes into convulsions. Then, she wakes up, a bit weak but realizing happily that she can¹t hear thoughts anymore. Rallying quickly, she tells Giles and Angel that they have to find the murderer.
At school, Willow and the gang have been able to interview all the students except the paper editor, Freddy Iverson, who¹s hiding from them. Suspecting him, Oz, Willow, Xander and Cordelia gang up and confront him in his office, only to discover that he was hiding from the only because of a scalding review he gave the Dingoes the previous week Buffy arrives just when they find, amidst Freddy¹s papers, a letter from Jonathan, announcing his deadly intentions
Jonathan is in the clock tower, assembling a rifle. As the gang splits up to find him, Jonathan, up in the clock tower, assembles a rifle. Buffy, peering from below, spots some movement and a reflection, and flies acrobatically up the stairs and onto the roof (as an unimpressed Nancy harrumphs and mutters that she could¹ve done that) and crashes into the tower. She dissuades Jonathan from going through with his plan, telling him that everybody ignores him because they¹re too busy dealing with their own problems and pain. As he finally puts down the rifle, she tells him that mass murder is not the way to go, only to find out that he didn¹t intend to kill anyone but himself. Alarmed, she runs out of the tower.
Meanwhile, Xander, seaching the cafeteria, discovers that they¹re having jell-o for dessert. Motivated by his taste buds, he sneaks into the kitchen, and as he¹s about to gulp down a cup, he spots the cook pouring rat poison in a large boiling pot of jell-o. Terrified, he runs out and starts knocking jell-o cups off every student¹s tray. The cook comes out after him with a butcher knife, but Buffy tackles her and knocks her unconscious.
Walking outside the school, Giles and Buffy talk about the recent events. Giles asks her if she wants to train after classes, and Buffy says yes That is, if he¹s not too busy having sex with her mother. Giles, startled, walks right into a tree.
Summary by OttsFiveByFive.
Episode Ratings
Mac -
“One of my personal favorites. In my top 3 of the season.”
DJ Angelus -
“Wow… amazing ep to take a breath with before we finish the season arc.”
Quotes
Key: B=Buffy, G=Giles, X=Xander, W=Willow, C=Cordelia, O=Oz, A=Angel, J=Joyce, PS=Principal Snyder, WP=Wesley, M=Mayor Wilkins, L=Larry, Jon=Jonathan, F=Freddie
B: You demons can’t resist a run & stumble, can you?
W: So scabby demon got away? B: Scabby demon #2 got away. Scabby demon #1, big check in the “slayed” column. W: I don’t like this whole “no mouth” thing. It’s disquieting. B: Well, no mouth means no teeth… unless they have them somewhere else.
B: What do we know? X: What DON’T we know. Tell her, Giles.
G: …I’ve cross-referenced… X: He’s a cross-referencing fool. G: It’s not the ritual flaying of the demon Azareth, nor the, um… I don’t know what’s going to happen. O: That was kind of an anti-climax.
G: I was just filling Buffy in on my progress regarding the research of the Ascension. WP: Oh. And what took up the rest of the minute? G: Touche.
W: He only kissed her for the greater good. B: I don’t know… to the naked eye it looked like fun.
W: Too bad you’re patrolling, ’cause we’re all going - Oz, Xander, everybody. B: Great. Everybody who isn’t currently Buffy.
G: You touched one of the demons. B: A good touch, not a bad touch.
G: Is this the demon in question? B: In the disgusting flesh. G: Hmm.
G: It says they can infect the host. B: Infect? Infect?! Giles! Infect??
B: Is it me, or is this really lame? O: I don’t know - I usually enjoy lame, but this is leaving me kinda cold.
W: According to Freddy’s latest editorial, “the pep rally is a place for pseudo-prostitutes to provoke men into a sexual frenzy, which, when thwarted, results in pointless athletic competition.” X: And the down-side being?
W: The school paper is edging on depressing lately. Have you guys noticed that? O: I don’t know. I always go straight to the obits.
W: What are you doing, Buffy? B: Nothing. Checking for horns!
B: I’m suddenly going to grow this demon part, and we don’t even know what it is. It could be claws, or scales… what? W: Was it a boy demon?
X: Oh my god, he’s looking at her! He’s got his filthy, adult, Pierce-Brosny eyes all over my Cordy. O: You’re a very complex man, aren’t you?
A: Sorry. B: It’s okay. I didn’t see you, so I should have known you were there.
A: I mean, sometimes demons, they just exaggerate their power. B: Demon hype.
A: Hey, I love you. Even if you’re covered with slime. B: I liked everything until that part.
O: It was intense. X: Yeah, for a minute there, I thought you were going to make an expression. O: Well, I felt one coming on, I won’t lie.
C: It was an incredible game. I’ve never cheered so hard in my life. I still have knee-marks on my back. (pause) From the pyramid?
W: Yeah, well, I still bet patrolling was way better, ’cause, wow, important. B: Well, I thought I saw a four-legged demon. But it was just a dog.
B: Is this the thing? The aspect thing? ’Cause I gotta say, if it is, it is way better than a tail. I mean, I have a hard enough time as it is finding jeans that fit right.
B: When I walked in a few minutes ago, you thought, “Look at her shoes. If a fashion magazine told her to, she’d wear cats strapped to her feet.”
B: The boys of this school are seriously disturbed.
W: Buffy did the reading? Buffy understood the reading?
A: I’ve been with dozens of girls like her. More. B: Oh, this honesty stuff is fun.
A: A lot of things that seem strong, and good, and powerful - they can be painful. B: Like, say, immortality? A: Exactly. I’m dying to get rid of that. B: Funny. A: I’m a funny guy.
O: I am my thoughts. If they exist in her, Buffy contains everything that is me, and she becomes me. I cease to exist.
X: What am I gonna do? I think about sex all the time. Sex. Help! 4 times 5 is 30. 5 times 6 is 32. Naked girls. Naked women. Naked Buffy. Oh, stop me! B: God, Xander, is that all you think about? X: Actually? ’Bye!
WP: Look at Cordelia. No, don’t look at Cordelia! She’s a student. Oh, I am bad. I’m a bad, bad, man.
O: No one else exists, either. Buffy is all of us. We think, therefore she is.
O: If you don’t need me, I’m gonna follow the redhead.
B: Guess I won’t be writing that book, “Winning Friends Through Telepathy.”
O: Are you sure they meant it? X: Yeah, I mean, who hasn’t just idly thought about taking out the whole place with a semi-automatic? (pause) I said idly!
X: I’m still having trouble with the fact that one of us is just going to gun everybody down for no reason. C: Yeah, because THAT never happens in American high schools. O: It’s bordering on trendy at this point.
B: You had sex with Giles? You had sex with GILES? J: It was the candy. We were teenagers. B: On the hood of a police-car? J: I’ll be downstairs. You feel better. B: Twice?!?
C: I think I should work with Wesley. X: You have no shame. C: Oh, please. Like shame is something to be proud of?
C: Hi, Mr. Beech. I was just wondering, were you planning on killing a bunch of people tomorrow? Oh, it’s for the yearbook.
X: Okay, so turn-offs include smoking, insensitive men, and Birkenstocks.
L: Man, I’m out. I’m so out, I’ve got my grandma fixing me up with guys.
X: Today’s editorial - titled, “Big game draws mindless, brain-dead mob.” C: Does he mention the cheerleaders? Because we were ON.
F: You’re not here about the review? O: the review? F: Yeah. Last Thursday… O: “Dingoes Ate My Baby played their instruments as if they had plump polish sausages taped to their fingers.” F: Sorry, man. O: No, it’s fair.
X: Can you hear thoughts? (Buffy shakes her head) Just when I wasn’t thinking about sex!
X: Ooh, jello!
Jon: You think I just want attention? B: No, I think you’re up here in a clock tower with a high-powered rifle because you want to blend in.
B: Believe it or not, Jonathan, I understand about the pain. Jon: Oh, right. ’Cause the burden of being beautiful and athletic, that’s a crippler.
Jon: I just wanted it to stop. B: Yeah, well, mass murder? Not really doctor recommended for that kind of pain. Besides, prison? You know, it’s a lot like high-school, only instead of noogies… Jon: What are you talking about? B: Actions having consequences, you know, stuff like that.
Lunch-lady: Vermin. You’re all vermin! You come in here, and you eat, and you eat filth! B: I don’t see this being settled with logic.
W: So you’re feeling better about Angel? B: Well, we talked. And then he ripped out the heart of a demon and fed it to me, and then we talked some more. W: See, that’s how it should work.
B: It’s nice to be able to help someone, in a non-slaying capacity. Except he’s starting to get that look. You know, like he’s gonna ask me to Prom. G: Well, it’d probably be good for his self-esteem, if you… B: Oh, come on, what am I, Saint Buffy? He’s like three feet tall!
G: Feel up to some training? B: Sure. We can work out after school. You know, if you’re not too busy having sex with my MOTHER. G: //thud!//
Credit: The Sunnydale Slayers