Pangs

Writer: Jane Espenson Director: Michael Lange

Cast : Sarah Michelle Gellar as Buffy Summers, Nicholas Brendon as Xander Harris, Alyson Hannigan as Willow Rosenberg, James Marsters as Spike, Anthony Stewart Head as Rupert Giles.

Main guest stars : David Boreanaz as Angel, Marc Blucas as Riley Finn, Mercedes McNab as Harmony Kendall, Bailey Chase as Graham, Leonard Robert as Forrest, Tod Thawley as Hus, the Chumash Spirit Original broadcast date : November 23, 1999

My one-line description: Hus the vengeance spirit, Angel the invisible shadow, Spike the neutered vampire… So what are they giving Thanks for, exactly?

Buffy is fighting a vampire, who tells her she should go back where she came from – things were better before. Buffy dusts him, and looks around, feeling eerily watched. Actually, she is – Angel is watching her from the bushes. The next day, Buffy, Willow and Anya attend the groundbreaking ceremony for the new campus cultural center, since Xander is one of the construction workers (Anya thinks it’s quite sexy). The Professor of Anthropology in charge of the project makes a speech about all the cultures coming together into one culture, and how nice it is that the groundbreaking takes place just between Thanksgiving. However, Willow is less than impressed – Thanksgiving, she says, is a joke, pretending the Pilgrims ate maize with the natives when they actually massacred them and stole their land. Buffy agrees with Willow, and points out that she won’t be celebrating the holiday since her mom is out of town. Xander begins digging – as Anya lovingly watches on – and suddenly falls through a hole in the dirt. He finds himself in a strange crypt with drawings on the walls. That night, in her dorm room, Buffy anxiously hangs out near the window, as though she was feeling watched again – and indeed, Angel is watching her. Meanwhile, Willow informs the Slayer that the cave Xander fell into was actually the old Sunnydale Mission, presumed lost for years. The two then talk about the students who get to go home for Thanksgiving, and Buffy suddenly has a bright idea: why not organize a Scoobies Thanksgiving? Willow is sceptical at best, but Buffy convinces her, and even gets her to accept Anya being there. The Slayer is happy that everyone has a place to go…

Except Spike. Looking terrible and covered in a blanket, the vampire runs in the woods, trying to escape Riley’s recovery squad. Forrest comments that at least Hostile 17 can’t eat, so isn’t much of a threat, but Riley argues that Spike knows about The Initiative, so is indeed a threat. Anya is worried (and disappointed) that Xander is not doing some digging, so she goes to his place – and finds him ill. She decides to take care of him, and for the first time, he refers to her as his girlfriend (but he could be delirious). On campus, a green haze emerging from the old Mission appears, and spreads into a room where the Professor of Anthropology is working. It materializes into a Native warrior, who grabs her and slits her throat. Buffy and Willow later investigate – looking into why an ear was cut off the body. They note that a Chumash knife is missing from the museum display. The next day, Buffy is at Giles’ place, preparing the Thankgiving dinner and filling him in on her investigation. After she leaves to get more stuff at the grocery store, Angel appears. The Watcher is not too happy that Angel is trying to help Buffy without letting her know he’s there, but the vampire is adamant that it’s the only way. He then recommends that Giles speak to Father Gabriel, a priest whose family has been in the region since missionary times, regarding the murder. Meanwhile, Spike is still wandering around in his blanket, looking quite dejected. He peers sadly through a window, where some vampires are… um, having lunch. Buffy and Willow are shopping downtown and talking Thanksgiving cooking when they run into Riley. Intent on giving them some private time, Willow wanders into a coffee shop. Unbeknownst to Buffy, the redhead runs into Angel, but he covers her mouth before she can say his name. For a second, she thinks he’s gone bad again, but he informs her that he’s secretly protecting Buffy. He then asks her – a bit jealously? – about the guy Buffy is talking to. Actually, Buffy is inviting Riley to her Thanksgiving dinner. He declines, saying that he’s going to visit some family in Iowa.

A now starving Spike goes back to Harmony, begging her to take him in, but she rejects him, driving him out with a stake without even giving him something to eat. Buffy goes to meet Father Gabriel, but finds him dead. A large Indian male, who introduces himself as Hus, claims he did it, and tells her she can’t stop him – for he is vengeance, sent by his people to get justice. He was awakened by the discovery of the old Mission. Buffy starts beating him up, and he gives her a guilt-trip by remarking that she killed her people, and will now kill their spirit. She relents, and he escapes as a flock of birds. The next day, Buffy reports all this to Giles as the prepare Thanksgiving dinner. Willow arrives with a pile of books on the Chumash; she explains that the tribe was peaceful until the Europeans came, spreading disease, massacring them and cutting off their ears (charming). She thinks that they should find a way to help Hus, but Giles just wants him dead. Outside, a coyote watches as the two argue. Giles takes Willow aside, and they realize they both know that Angel is in town. Then someone knocks at the door, and in comes Anya with a very sick Xander. On campus, Hus is once again going through the Anthropology department, looking for some artefacts.

Xander explains that the doctors don’t know what’s wrong with him – he has a variety of symptoms which don’t connect to one particular disease. However, as Willow explains, they do connect to various illnesses the Chumash had, including malaria and syphilis. Hearing about that last disease, Xander wonders why they haven’t slain Hus yet; he comments that you don’t talk to vengeance demons, you kill them. This, of course, makes Anya angry, and the gang starts to argue. Buffy decides to go back to the kitchen to make pie, and Giles follows, intent on making her see reason regarding Hus. Suddenly, there’s another knock on the door, and Buffy goes to answer it. It’s Spike, shaking in his tattered blanket, asking for help. She’s not interested in helping him or even letting him in, and neither is Giles. But the vampire reveals that he’s “been to the vet, and now he doesn’t chase other puppies any more”. Willow confirms that Spike can’t bite, and the vampire offers to give them information on the Initiative in exchange for their help. Finally, they let him in, but tie him to a chair. Then they go back to the matter at hand – Giles ventures that Hus must be after authority figures, so the Dean of UC Sunnydale could be in danger. Willow and Buffy start arguing again about whether to kill Hus, but Spike downright laughs at them, noting that conquering nations conquer people. Xander and Giles admit he has a point. Willow, Anya and Xander volunteer to go to the Dean’s office to warn him. Left alone with Giles and Buffy, Spike asks when he gets fed. She asks him to stop whining, and just then an arrow shatters a window and flies into the table centerpiece. They see Hus outside, with some company – he’s conjured up Chumash warriors to help him get vengeance. Buffy tries to offer apologies to Hus, but the arrows start flying. Giles and Buffy duck, leaving Spike as sole target. An arrow does pierce him good and true – “Hey! Watch the heart!” he angrily shouts. Willow, Xander and Anya are coming back from the Dean’s office when they run into Angel. Willow tells the vampire their theory about Hus looking to take down leaders, but Angel points out that for the Indian, the leader is the strongest warrior – hence, Buffy is in trouble.

In the midst of flying arrows, Giles gets a warning call from Angel regarding what they’ve found out. Spike is still acting as an arrow cushion, and Buffy gets one in the arm. She and Giles try to fire their crossbows, but miss. As Angel, Willow, Xander and Anya arrive outside, some warrior make it into the house. A general fight ensues, but the Scoobies find that the warriors can only be killed with their own weapons… Before Buffy can put the information to good use, however, Hus turns into a big bear. Spike screams for her to undo it, and she finally manages to stab it. Hus and the other warriors disappear into a green mist. Outside, Angel takes in the scene, and sneaks away. That evening, Buffy gets her Thanksgiving dinner, complete with Spike still tied to a chair. Willow is a bit displeased at having tried to kill the Chumash, but then the Gang comment that it wasn’t so bad – they got through it. Willow muses that it was just like old times; “Yeah, especially with Angel being here and everything”, Xander chimes in. Buffy stares at him, and the gang stares at her. A spoon clanks noisily in a plate.

Summary by OttsFiveByFive.

Episode Ratings

Mac -

“A hillarious and irrevrant ep.”

DJ Angelus - “Didn’t see the need for the Angel Crossover. And broke season arc rythem as it was getting started.”

Quotes

Key: B=Buffy, W=Willow, G=Giles, X=Xander, An=Anya, S=Spike, R=Riley, H=Harmony, A=Angel, F=Forrest

Vamp: Why don’t you go back where you came from? Things were great before you came. B: And they say one person can’t make a difference.

An: Look at him. Have you ever seen anything so masculine? B: You mean Guerrero or his wife? W: I think she means… B: Oh. Very manly. Not at all Village People. A: So much sexier than the outfit from his last job. W: Oh, I miss the free hot dogs on sticks. An: I’m imagining having sex with him right now.

Prof. Gerhardt: That’s what the melting pot is about - contributions from all cultures, making our culture stronger. W: What a load of horse hooey. B: We have a counterpoint? W: Yeah. Thanksgiving isn’t about blending of two cultures. It’s about one culture wiping out another. And then they make animated specials, about the part where - with the maize and the big, big belt buckles. They don’t show you the next scene where all the bison die, and Squanto takes a musket ball in the stomach. B: Okay, now, for some of that you _were_ channelling your mother?

B: With Mom at Aunt Darlene’s this year, I’m not getting a Thanksgiving. Guess maybe it’s just as well. An: Well, I think that’s a shame. I love a ritual sacrifice. B: Not really a one of those. An: To commemorate a past event, you kill and eat an animal. It’s a ritual sacrifice. With pie.

An: What’s she doing? Xander said he was gonna dig. I want to see Xander dig. W: That part’s just ceremonial. An: Well, it bites. She’s not rippling at all.

An: Look at him. W: Very… diggy. An: Soon he’ll be sweating. I’m imagining having sex with him again. B: Imaginary Xander is quite the machine.

B: I’m sorry, a lost mission. I mean, a hairbrush I can understand - and by the way, I will find that and get it back to you - but how do you lose a mission?

W: Doesn’t it make you wonder what else is there, right under our feet? B: Mostly, I’ve just found sewers full of demons.

B: It’s not fair. They all get a family holiday just because they can go home to their families. W: It’s a turvy-topsy world.

W: Buffy, earlier you agreed with me about Thanksgiving. It’s a sham. It’s all about death. B: It is a sham. But it’s a sham with yams. It’s a yam sham.

W: Ooh, we could not invite Anya! B: I don’t know. She and Xander seem pretty tight lately. W: Grumble, grumble.

R: We do this the Professor’s way. F: < cough > Mama’s boy. R: That’s a nasty cough. You might need to spend the weekend in quarantine. F: Oh, no. I’m done coughing.

An: You’re pasty and wet and disgusting. They can dig without you. X: I don’t really feel that bad. An: I inflicted a lot of putrefying diseases on men when I was an avenging demon. You look like you’re getting all of them. X: Okay, I’ll stay. But you should go. You could catch it. An: We’ll die together. It’s romantic. Let me get your trousers off. X: You’re a strange girlfriend. An: I’m a girlfriend? X: There’s a chance I’m delirious. An: Ah, yes. Well, whatever it is that’s making you sick, so far, I like it.

W: The coroner’s office said she was missing an ear. So I’m thinking maybe we’re looking for a witch. There’s some great spells that work much better with an ear in the mix. B: That’s one fun little hobby you’ve got there, Will.

W: Oh, thought… we’re just assuming someone else cut off the ear. What if it was self-inflicted, like Van Gogh? B: So, she brutally stabs herself, dumped the body, then cut off her own ear? W: No, she cut off her ear, then killed herself, then dumped the body… I’m really off my game, aren’t I?

B: Do you even own a turkey pan? G: Tell me again why we’re not doing this at your house? B: Giles, if you would like to get by in American society, you are going to have to follow our traditions. You’re the patriarch. You have to host the festivities, or it’s all meaningless. G: And this is in no way an elaborate scheme to stick me with the clean-up? B: How about that ceremonial knife, huh? Pretty juicy piece of clueage, don’t you think?

G: I’m glad that you’re watching out for her, but I feel that I should remind you that she’s not helpless and it’s not your job to keep her safe. A: It’s not yours anymore, either. You going to walk away?

W: But you have whipped cream. I saw it in Giles’ fridge. B: But that’s whipped cream in a canister. Look, it’s only right if you whip it yourself. W: Hey, and then later we can churn our own butter, and make sweaters out of sheep.

B: Riley, where’d you come from? I didn’t see you at all. R: Oh, just across the street… and a couple of blocks down.

W: Evil! You’re all evil again.

W: See, I don’t get that. All this “leaving for her own good” garbage. Because that’s what it is! You can’t just give up because there’s obstacles. You know, what kind of– A: Willow. W: Sorry. My stuff.

A: Willow, I’m here to protect Buffy. I don’t have a whole lot of time for personal stuff. W: Right. Well, how can I help? A: Well, if you can tell me… who’s that guy?

B: I’m a great cook… in theory. I’ve eaten a lot.

R: And I know what you’re thinking. It’s like I grew up in a Grant Wood painting. B: Exactly. If I knew who that was.

H: Out! I mean it. I’ve been doing a lot of reading, and I’m in control of my own power now, so we’re through. S: You don’t mean that. H: Yes, I do. I do. I mean it a lot. S: See, I knew you’d wind up welcoming me back with open… arms. H: No. I’m powerful, and I’m beautiful, and I don’t need you to complete me. And you’re mean!

S: All right, I’ll go. Just… H: What? S: Can I have someone to eat?

Hus: I am revenge. I am my people’s cry. They call for Hus, for the avenging spirit to carve out justice. B: They tell you to start an ear collection?

B: And, “Native American.” G: Sorry? B: We don’t say “Indian.” G: Oh, right. Yes, yes. Always behind on the terms. Still trying not to refer to you lot as “bloody colonials.”

B: And the thing is, I like my evil like I like my men - evil. You know, straight up, black hat, tied to the train tracks, “soon my electro-ray will destroy Metropolis” bad.

B: We need to boil those and put them through the ricer. G: I don’t think I have a ricer. B: You don’t have a ricer? What do you mean? How could someone not have a ricer? G: Well, do you have one at home? B: I don’t know. What’s a ricer?

G: What’s all that? W: Atrocities. I got the full poop on the Chumash Indians and our fabulous buried mission. B: You said you were gonna get fresh ones. W: Atrocities? B: Peas. They come in little pods. You were going to shell them. W: I didn’t have time. I was busy reading about the Chumash war. G: The Chumash were peaceful. W: They were peaceful, all right. They were fluffy indigenous kittens, until we came along. B: They’re going to be mushy. G: I like mushy peas. B: You’re the reason we had to have Pilgrims in the first place.

W: Are you sure we shouldn’t be helping him? G: No, I think perhaps we won’t help the angry spirit with his rape and pillage and murder.

W: I don’t think you want to help. I think you just want to slay the demon, then go, “la, la, la!”

W: You mean Angel? I saw him, too. G: That’s not terribly stealthy of him. W: I think he’s lost his edge.

G: But this is why I think we should all keep a level head in this. W: And I happen to think mine is the level head and yours is the one things would roll off of.

G: You look like death. W: Are you okay? B: You didn’t bring rolls?

W: It lists the various– X: Various? As in…? W: Oh, well, the important thing is not to panic. W: Well, you just recited the mystical panic causing incantation, so little hope there. Let’s talk about the various. W: Well, they did suffer from malaria, some smallpox… An: I was gonna say smallpox. W: You know, syphilis. But basically, standard sort of stuff.

B: Sarcasm accomplishes nothing, Giles. G: It’s sort of an end in itself. X: Hey, can we come rocketing back to the part about me and my new syphilis? An: It’ll make you blind and insane. But it won’t kill you. The smallpox will.

An: You’re gonna get vesicles and pustules. They have pictures. X: Question? W: There are two sides to it. X: To slaying him? Well, the representative from syphilis votes “yes.”

S: Help me. < Buffy pushes him out into the daylight > What part of “help me” do you not understand? B: The part where I help you. S: Come on, I’m parboiling out here. B: Want me to help make it quicker? S: Invite me in! B: No. G: Very unlikely.

S: Willow, tell ’em what I did. W: You said you were gonna kill me, then Buffy. S: Yes, bad, but let’s skip that part and get to the part where I couldn’t bite you.

S: I’m saying that Spike had a little trip to the vet, and now he doesn’t chase the other puppies any more.

B: So you haven’t murdered anybody lately? Let’s be best pals!

S: Bloody hell, woman. You’re cuttin’ off my circulation. B: You don’t have any circulation. S: Well, it pinches.

S: I came to you in friendship. Well, all right, seething hatred…

S: Oh, someone put a stake in me. X: You got a lot of volunteers in here.

S: You won. All right? You came in, and you killed them and you took their land. That’s what conquering nations do. It’s what Caesar did, and he’s not going around saying, “I came, I conquered, I felt really bad about it.”

S: It’s kill or be killed here, take your bloody pick. X: Maybe it’s the syphilis talking, but some of that made sense. G: I made a lot of these points earlier, but no, it’s fine, no one listens to me.

B: You sure you’re up to it? S: Oh, leave that one. He looks like he’s ready to drop any minute, and I think I can eat someone if he’s already dead. X: I’m up to it.

W: I think he thought we were crazy. X: Well, maybe if Anya hadn’t opened the conversation with, “Everybody got both ears?” An: I liked his wife. She gave me pie.

An: So this is Angel. He’s large and glowery, isn’t he? X: He’s evil again. A: I’m not evil again. Why does everyone think that? W: Angel’s here to protect Buffy. A: I haven’t been evil for a long time.

G: We need a plan. S: Yes, let’s talk about it some more.

An: What’s he like when he IS evil?

S: You made a bear! B: I didn’t mean to. S: Undo it! Undo it!

S: Oh, lay off. You all had a fine meal. But me? An entire siege - you’d think one of you’d bleed a little.

B: Wasn’t exactly a perfect Thanksgiving. X: I don’t know - seemed kinda right to me. A bunch of anticipation, a big fight, and now we’re all sleepy.

X: And you know what? I think my syphilis is clearing right up. B: And they say romance is dead. Or maybe they just wished it.

Credit: The Sunnydale Slayers