Wrecked

Writer: Marti Noxon
Director: David Solomon

Cast : 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.

Main guest stars : Amber Benson as Tara, Elizabeth Ann Allen as Amy Madison, Jeff Kober as Rack.

Original broadcast date: November 27, 2001

My one-line description: Where we learn just why Willow should never have a driver¹s license.

It¹s 7 AM, and Tara and Dawn are sleeping in front of the TV, which is now broadcasting comics. They wake up, and realize that neither Buffy nor Willow came home the previous night.

In the rubble of a broken basement, Buffy wakes up, naked. Confused, she wonders when the building fell down, and Spike ventures that it must¹ve been between the second time and theŠ (teehee). Embarrassed, Buffy hurriedly dresses, but Spike delays her, drawing her to him. The sexual tension is high as she draws away and tells him that if he ever talks about what happened to her friends, he¹s dead. He pulls her panties from one of his jean pockets, asking if she¹ll be wanting them back. Angry, she punches him in the face and leaves.

Tara is fixing up breakfast for Dawn when Willow and Amy walk in. Awkwardly, Willow introduces the two witches, and Amy excitedly tells Tara how much Willow is amazing at magic. Disappointed, Tara leaves brusquely as Buffy returns from her hot night. After some small talk, Amy leaves, and Willow and Buffy go up to their rooms to restŠ all of them leaving Dawn alone.

In her room, Willow drops on her bed, fully dressed, and tries to magically close the drapes. However, her power is gone, and she has to get up and close them the hard way.

Meanwhile, at the Magic Box, the gang does research ­ or pretends to, as Anya is reading a bridal magazine cleverly hidden inside a magic book. Once again, her, Xander and Buffy discuss Willow¹s increasingly reckless behaviour, but Buffy comes to her defence, telling them that sometimes people do stupid stuff. (subtext, subtextŠ)

That night, walking in the street, Willow tells Amy about her power outage that morning. Amy tells her that she knows a guy who can do spells that last a long time, and that the burnout factor is minimal. She leads Willow to an alley, where they enter a “cloaked” house. Inside, a strange and not-quite reassuring warlock takes a “tour” of Willow¹s body, telling her that she have to give him something if she wants him to work some spells for her.

A bit later, Amy is shown dancing in Rack¹s inner sanctum, spinning round and round, while Willow hangs on the ceiling, having a very weird trip with psychedelic images. She mentally teleports in space, then in front of the Magic Box, then to her own room. Shocked and confused, she cries in the shower. Stepping back into her room, wearing a bathrobe, she takes out some of Tara¹s clothes, inflate them in an invisible body, and curls up against it, like a scared little girl.

Downstairs in the kitchen, Dawn is trying out a new recipe, peanut butter pancakes, when Willow comes down and fetches some water from the fridge. Willow then invites the teenager for a night on the town.

Buffy returns to find the house empty ­ except for Amy, who is busy stealing some supplies. Buffy shakes her up, asking what she¹s doing stealing kitchen spices, and Amy answers that Willow knows why she needs them ­ Amy is obviously not well. Buffy, however, doesn¹t care, and shakes Amy up until she spills the beans (literally) about Willow¹s condition and whereabouts.

Willow and Dawn are out on the street, talking about food. The witch, however, doesn¹t look well, fidgeting as she leads the two of them to Rack¹s alley. Dawn points out that it¹s not the way to the movies, but Willow tells her that she just needs to run an errand, and that worst scenario, they¹ll miss the trailers. Dawn waits impatiently in the waiting room with another magic junkie, as minutes tick, and tick, and tickŠ

Inside Rack¹s office, Willow floats on the ceiling and sees herself flying in space. In her vision, she encounters a demon holding a limp body ­ she screams.

Buffy arrives at Spike¹s Crypt and wakes him up, asking his help to find Dawn. She fills him in on Rack, and Spike tells her that the warlock is bad news. He gets out of bed ­ naked ­ while Buffy turns her back to him, blushing.

At Rack¹s office, Dawn is losing patience, and decides to open the door to the inner sanctum. Willow appears just then, her eyes black with magic, acting very strange. They leave, and Willow, still high, fools around as an angry Dawn tells her that she wants to go back home. The two start arguing, but their discussion is interrupted by a demon who claims Willow summoned him. The witch denies it, but the demon slashes Dawn, showing he means business. The two run away, and Willow sobers up long enough to magically hijack a car.

In the street, Spike and Buffy are busy arguing about their feelings ­ Spike tells her that she needs him, for missions like this. She answers that she¹ll find Dawn herself, and he marvels that she would put the kid in danger just to spite him.

In the car, Willow is having fun, skidding the car around, speeding across town, as Dawn screams in terror. Just as Willow gloats at them being able to outrun the demon, the car crashes into a wall.

Dawn comes to, realizing that she has a broken arm. Willow is knocked out against the steering wheel. The demon appears and Dawn desperately tries to fight it off, clutching her broken arm. finds that she has a broken arm as Willow is knocked out against the steering wheel.

Still arguing, Spike and Buffy hear Dawn scream and start running. Buffy takes on the demon, while Spike takes care of the teenager. Suddenly, the demon starts shaking, as if being electrocuted, and bursts into flames. A stunned Buffy turns around to see a weary-looking Willow, her eyes still black. The angry Slayer doesn¹t even address her friend as she takes care of Dawn along with Spike. Willow panics, realizing Dawn is hurt, and moves in front of the teen, apologizing profusely. Dawn glares at her and slaps her in the face. As Buffy and Spike, carrying Dawn, start leaving, Willow collapses to her knees, in a rather startling crying fit, still apologizing.

With a nod to Spike, who takes Dawn to the hospital, Buffy turns back toward Willow and coldly orders her to get up. She¹s furious, but grows concerned as a frightened and sobbing Willow admits that she can¹t stop using magic and begs for help.

At the house, Willow is sitting in her bed, wrapped in a blanket, telling Buffy that she¹s giving up magic, that it¹s not worth it if she ends up hurting the people she loves. Buffy agrees with this move, slowly making a parallel in her mind with her addiction to Spike. That night, as Willow tosses and turns, going through withdrawal hell, Buffy sits in bed, a crucifix in her hands, garlic hanging over the windows and the walls.

Summary by OttsFiveByFive.

Episode Ratings

Mac -
“Thanks for beating us over the head with the drug metaphor. What happened to the ME writers? Did they suddenly decide we were all stupid?”

Quotes

(B=Buffy, G=Giles, X=Xander, W=Willow, S=Spike, A=Anya, T=Tara, D=Dawn, Am=Amy)
—
T: God, I just closed my eyes for a minute.
D: And now there’s cartoons. Plus a mother of all-night wedgies.
T: Uh-oh.
D: It’s not tragic. I’m sure as soon as I stand up…

B: When did the building fall down?
S: I don’t know. Must have been some time between the first time and the, uh…

B: And don’t call me “luv.”
S: You didn’t seem to take issue with that last night. Or with any of the other little nasties we whispered.
B: Can we not talk?

B: Last night was the end of this freak show.
S: Don’t say that!
B: What did you think was gonna happen? What, we were gonna read the newspaper together? Play footsie under the rubble?

S: I knew it. I knew the only thing better than killing a Slayer would be–
B: Is that what this is about? Doing a Slayer?

S: I’m just saying vampires get you hot.
B: *A* vampire got me hot. One. But he is gone. You’re just… you’re just convenient.

S: I’m done being your whipping boy.

B: Like you’re god’s gift.
S: Hardly. Wouldn’t be nearly as interesting, would it?

B: You’re bent.
S: Yeah, and it made you scream, didn’t it?

D: What if they’re all in a ditch somewhere? Ditches are bad. Mom always used to talk about the ditches.

W: Amy– Amy the Rat? Sorry.
Am: No, that’s fair. I was a rat.

Am: I’m talking too much. Sorry. It’s just been, you know, me and a bag of pellets for the last few years, so…

X: All these demons are starting to look alike. You got reptiles, reptiles with horns, reptiles with gills, and I’m still finding nothing of the “steal a diamond, kill a guy” variety.

X: Great, we’re not even married yet and already you’ve stopped listening to me.

X: Anya has a theory. She thinks that Martha Stewart froze that guy.
A: Don’t be ridiculous. Martha Stewart isn’t a demon. She’s a witch.
X: Please, she– really?
A: Of course. Nobody could do that much decoupage without calling on the powers of darkness.

A: I can’t decide whether to put my bridesmaids in cocktail dresses or the traditional burlap with blood larvae.
X: The traditional what?
A: Well I was a demon for a thousand years, Xander. You can’t expect me to turn my back on all the ways of my people.
B: Can I weigh in on this whole me wearing larvae…?
X & A: No.
A: At least I’m not asking you to perform the groom’s rite of self-flagellation.

A: And’ *I’m* bizarre? At least I didn’t dump you to hang out with an ex-rat.

B: So, you know, who are we to be all judgey?
X: Not judgey, Buff. Just observey.

Am: You’ll never believe…
Rack: You were a rat.
Am: How did you know?
Rack: I hope that taught you not to mess with spells you can’t handle. You should leave that in the hands of a professional.

Rack: This one’s giving off vibes.
W: I don’t mean to vibe at you, if it’s in a negative way.

W: Or you could do it the hard way.
D: Spatulas are for wimps.

D: I think she’s feeling all Joan Crawford ’cause of the other night.

D: Right. Assume would make “U” an “ass” out of “me”. Or, um, something.

D: I’ll leave a note for Buffy on the refrigerator. That’s the first place she goes after patrolling. She’s such a pig after she kills things.

B: What is this?
Am: It’s not what you think it is - it’s sage.
B: That *is* what I think it is.

Am: I like your coat. When does the Slayer find time to shop?

B: Understands what? Breaking into someone’s house for kitchen spices?

A: Oh, don’t shake me again super strength. I think I’m gonna boot.

W: So, the burger was good, you liked it?
D: Are you kidding? It was like a meat party in my mouth. Okay, now, I’m just a kid, and even *I* know that came out wrong.

S: I’m a bit knackered. Had a long night. Someone should teach you how to use candles in foreplay, luv.
B: Get dressed. Dawn’s missing.
S: Again? Ever think about a lo-jack for the girl?

S: Oh, that’s right - hide your blushing eyes.

B: Spike, if you’re dragging this out…
S: What, so I can linger near your precious self? Get a grip.

B: The only thing that’s different is that I’m disgusted with myself. That’s the power of your charms. Last night was the most perverse, degrading experience of my life.
S: Yeah. Me, too.

S: You’re gonna crave me like I crave blood, and the next time you come calling, if you don’t stop being such a bitch, maybe I will bite you.

W: Oh, no, it’s okay. He’s not real.
D: Seems real. Very real.

B: Now you’re scared? Better late than never.

W: If you could be plain old Willow or Super Willow, who would you be? I guess you don’t actually have an option on the whole super thing.

B: You are more than some girl. And Tara wants you to stop. She loves you.
W: We don’t know that.
B: I know that. I promise you.

W: Magic wasn’t all great. I won’t miss the nosebleeds and the headaches and stuff.
B: There you go.
W: Or keeping stinky yak cheese in my bra. Don’t ask.

Credit: The Sunnydale Slayers