Lessons

Writer: Joss Whedon 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 : Anthony Stewart Head as Rupert Giles, Alex Breckenridge as Kit, David Zepeda as Carlos, DB Woodside as Principal Robin Wood, Kali Rocha as Halfrek, Adam Busch as Warren, Clare Kramer as Glory, George Hertzberg as Adam, Juliet Landau as Drusilla, Mark Metcalf as the Master.

Original broadcast date : September 24, 2002

My one-line description: The proof a soul is as good as LSD Spike and his Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band of Big Bads.

In Istanbul, a young girl is running away from two hooded figures. They catch her in a dead end, but she manages to climb a gutter, onto a roof where one of the hooded figures confronts her. He shoves her off the roof, and she falls to the ground where the other hooded figure stabs her.

In a cemetery, Buffy is telling Dawn that slaying is all about power the vampire (who is presently trying to wriggle out of his grave) has it, and Dawn (who has a stake in her hand) doesn’t. Buffy tries to convey to her sister how formidable the vampire is, but there’s just one setback the vampire is stuck in his grave and can’t get out. He calls for help, and a groaning Buffy pulls him out of there; he turns on her, but she directs him to Dawn. He attacks the teenager, who tries to defend herself even managing to stake the fiend, albeit no through the heart - but she’s no match. As the vampire bites her, she calls out to her sister, who shows up behind her and takes care of the vampire. She tells Dawn that this is not the real evil what’s starting up again in a few days is.

An attractive and enthusiastic young man cuts the ribbon to inaugurate the brand-new Sunnydale High, built right on the spot where the old one stood.

In a bucolic field in England, Giles is riding a horse. Nearby, an exotic flower sprouts out of the ground. Giles approaches Willow and tells her that doesn’t belong there. Willow replies that she can feel the earth it’s all connected, the roots everywhere it’s beautiful. She and Giles discuss the Coven’s guardianship of Willow and her magic she’s saddened by the fact that they all seem to be afraid of her. I just want to be Willow, she concludes.

In Sunnydale, a very nice Chrysler Concorde pulls up at Buffy’s place. Xander gets out of the car, all suited up for business. Buffy greets him at the door he’s here to pick her and Dawn up for the teen’s first day of high school. Buffy’s worried about Xander’s crew building the new school where so much trouble was had, but Xander is adamant there are no pentagrams or secret passageways. As Dawn arrives in the kitchen, he pulls out the blueprints and shows the girls something neat the Hellmouth, which was under the library, is now under the Principal’s office Buffy isn’t reassured, but Xander draws her attention to the gift she prepared for Dawn. Remembering it, Buffy fishes a wrapped box out of a drawer and hands it to her sister. Dawn guesses that it’s a weapon

Xander drops the girls off at the new Sunnydale High. Buffy gives some last-minute advice to Dawn, the gist of it being to stay away from anything weird The principal, Robin Wood, arrives and mistakes Buffy for Dawn’s mom, causing her to wonder if she has mom hair. After Wood has welcomed them and departed, Dawn leaves for class.

Buffy walks through the new school. She encounters a noise but it’s just a kid playing with a basketball. She goes to the washroom, where she looks at herself in the mirror to ensure she doesn’t have mom hair. Glancing down, she finds what looks at first like a wooden doll She picks it up, and suddenly, a dead woman appears in the mirror. You can’t protect her. You couldn’t protect me! The decomposed figure accuses. Buffy whirls around nothing. Suddenly, another dead person a man appears and yells Get out, get out, get out!!! (gee, that’s familiar) Buffy backs away but again, she’s alone.

In class, Dawn is taking her turn standing up, introducing herself (making cute jokes about Britney Spears) when suddenly Buffy bursts into the classroom, shouting that it’s not safe here. Noticing everyone looking at her, Buffy tries to cover badly and ends up saying Dawn is in trouble of smoking. She leaves, and a humiliated Dawn resumes her introduction: I also have a sister.

At the Espresso Pump, a couple of musicians is playing while Anya, having coffee with Halfrek, comments that the couple will last six weeks before the female musician wants vengeance. Halfrek points out to Anya the lower demons including D’Hoffryn think she’s gone soft on vengeance since she lost her powers and fell for Xander. She adds that D’Hoffryn and the old ones are sensing that something big is coming and it’s a bad time to be a good demon. Outraged at what she thinks is an intervention, Anya thinks her demon friends should be here. Sweetie, they are, Hallie says calmly.

Buffy walks up to Xander, who is at work on the science building of the school which is still under construction and informs him that school is back in session indeed, if you’re a zombie ghost-thing. She adds that they talked about protecting people, and wanted her to leave.

In class, a boy asks Dawn for a pencil. She opens her pencil bag and hands a pencil to him but he’s now a decomposed zombie. He stabs at her face with the pencil, and she falls to the floor, screaming and covering her eye. The teacher rushes forward, the whole class looks at her, but Dawn gets up, saying it was a bee which she’s allergic to. She asks permission to go to the washroom, and leaves. Guess it runs in the family, a boy comments.

Dawn sits in a stall in the washroom when suddenly she hears a sobbing sound. She goes to investigate, opening each stall until she comes up on a girl, looking terrified and crying. She tells Dawn there is someone in here with them.

Meanwhile, Buffy, walking away from the Science Building, runs into Principal Wood. He wonders what she’s still doing there, and she tells him she’s getting the feel of the new school. He admits that he knows a bit more than he should about Buffy he’s been through her file, which makes interesting reading.

Dawn introduces herself to the girl and helpfully offers that they leave together. Rising, the girl introduces herself as Kit. Dawn asks whether Kit saw something creepy, but Kit is convinced Dawn wouldn’t believe her. Suddenly, the girls are surrounded by three zombie-ghosts, and the lights overhead start exploding. Screaming, the girls try to leave, but decomposed hands rise from the floor, clutching at them. A hole opens up in the floor, and Dawn and Kit fall through it.

A terrified look on her face, Willow falls back into Giles arms, panting. He calms her down, tells her to breathe, and then asks her what she saw. Willow says once more that it’s all connected only it’s not all beautiful. She saw the Earth, and she saw its teeth. Giles concludes that the Hellmouth is opening, and Willow confirms that it is and it’s going to swallow them all.

Kit comes to in the basement, and helps Dawn wake up. They look at the hole they came through, and set off in search of a staircase. As they walk, Dawn asks Kit about the zombie-ghosts, and the girl reports they told her they died here, and that she would die here as well everybody dies here. Suddenly, they run into a boy, who is also looking for a staircase; he explains that he came down here for a smoke, when he ran into the janitor who turned out to be a zombie and ran away. As the teens talk, three zombies appear and contribute to the discussion by saying they, too, tried to run away but couldn’t. They start advancing on the three students, when Dawn remembers the gift Buffy gave her a cell phone.

Upstairs, Buffy is telling Principal Wood that there were “factors” in her accumulating such a thick file. She’s trying to convince him Dawn is actually worse, when her cell phone rings. As Dawn tells Buffy about her predicament, the Slayer tells Wood it’s a dog walker phoning her. Hearing the word “dead”, Wood is a bit confused; as Buffy hangs up and quickly walks away, he wishes her best of luck with her “dog tragedy” (har har).

In the basement, Dawn hangs up and tells the others to sit tight. Suddenly, they look around, and wonder where the zombies disappeared off to Not too far: one of them grabs Dawn from behind. Meanwhile, Buffy walks into the washroom and jumps into the hole. She lands in the basement, and tries Dawn on her cell phone. One of the zombies answers and tells her it’s too late Buffy is unfazed she wants to know what the zombies want Fear? Revenge? Tasty brains? They advance on her, blaming her for their deaths, but Buffy comments that she doesn’t care how they died  she just wants to find her sister. The zombies tell her they want her to leave, so they can rest again, but suddenly Buffy notices that they’re interposing themselves between her and a door. She charges at them, again and again, until she manages to pry it open and run into Spike.

Spike looks like a mental hospital patient he’s confused and a bit disheveled, his hair is longer and the roots are more than showing. Buffy is astounded. He starts laughing, a not very sane laugh. Buffy, duck he says. Duck? There’s a duck? she asks, confused, before a zombie hits her with a pipe. As she fights off the zombies, Spike retreats into his room, uncaring or unable to care. Buffy manages to barricade herself in the room, locking the door; she asks Spike if he’s seen Dawn, but realizes he’s not quite alright he answers with nonsense, drawing his shirt closed over his chest. She softly opens the shirt, and sees that his chest is gashed and bruised. She asks him what he did; he replies that he tried to cut out his heart Buffy’s cell phone rings it’s Dawn, reporting that she thinks she’s in a room near a furnace. She wonders what the zombies want, and Buffy doesn’t have an answer but Spike does. He says they’re not ghosts they’re manifest spirits, raised to seek vengeance and controlled by a talisman. Buffy hangs up and looks at Spike with concern before going to look for Dawn. Outside Spike’s room, the zombies are gone. Remembering the talisman, Buffy opens her cell phone again and calls Xander.

Elsewhere, Kit and the boy student Carlos are wondering what to do. Dawn instructs them to look for weapons, and Carlos finds two bricks. Dawn empties Kit’s bag and puts the bricks inside. She’s just in time the zombies have reappeared. They tell the teens they’ll never get out; they picked them because they were the ones nobody would miss. Dawn runs forth and hits the zombies with the bag; she scores a few good ones before a zombie knocks her down. Kit screams; Buffy hears her, and starts running in their direction.

Xander arrives in the washroom, takes in the hole in the floor, and starts looking for the talisman. Meanwhile, Buffy rushes to the teens rescue; she takes Dawn’s brick-bag and starts going at it with the zombies. Upstairs, Xander has found the talisman and is about to break it, but he’s attacked by another zombie (figures) He finally manages to break the talisman, and it disappears in a poof of mist, as does the zombie. In the basement, the three other zombies vanish as well Buffy muses that Xander must have broken the talisman; Dawn wonders how Buffy knew there was a talisman There’s always a talisman, Buffy replies. As Buffy and the three teens leave, Dawn comments that her sister wasn’t kidding about this place. I don’t know, Buffy quips. It seems smaller.

In the hallway upstairs, Buffy advises the three teens to stick together, and they’ll be OK. Kit hugs her, and Carlos calls her the coolest mom ever. Again, Buffy looks alarmed as her hands go to feel her hair (mom hair?); Dawn kisses her on the cheek, and the three new friends leave. Principal Wood comes over to Buffy, impressed with the way she handled Carlos and Kit, two students whose files are almost as thick as Buffy’s. He asks her if she would mind sticking around the school more he has some money in the school budget to have someone around, someone nearer the kids age, whom they can relate to. Without even hesitating, Buffy accepts. He tells her the pay isn’t good, but she replies that her schedule isn’t too hot either. Principal Wood is elated at hiring his first parent on the first day of school. I’m gonna be the best principal ever! he jokes.

In the basement, Spike is crouched in his room, hugging himself convulsively, muttering that she wont understand, she wont understand. Warren appears and confirms that she won’t she’s a girl, sugar and spice and everything useless unless you’re baking. I’m more than that. I’m more than flesh. More than blood, Glory continues. I don’ think there’s a human word fabulous enough for me! Soon my name will be on everyone’s lips, assuming their lips haven’t been torn off. But not just yet; but that’s alright, though. I can be patient, Adam comments. Everything is well within parameters. She’s exactly where I want her, and so are you, number 17

. Mayor Richard Wilkins crouches down besides Spike. So what did ya think, you’d get your soul back and everything would be Jim Dandy? A soul is slipperier than a greased weasel, why do you think I sold mine? Well, you probably thought you’d be your own man, and I respect that. But you never will, Drusilla says tenderly. You’ll always be mine. You’ll always be in the dark with me, singing our little songs you liked our songs, didn’t you? You always liked them, right from the beginning. And that’s where we’re going, the Master announces. Back, back to the beginning. Not the band, not the Word, the true beginning and the next months are going to be quite a riot, and I think we’re all going to learn something about ourselves in the process. You’ll learn you’re a pathetic shmuck, if that hasn’t sunk in already Look at you, trying to do what’s right. Just like her. You still don’t get it it’s not about right, it’s not about wrong. It’s about power, Buffy concludes.

Summary by OttsFiveByFive.

Ratings

Episode Ratings

** Mac** - “I know, I’ll be bashed for giving it a 2, but I’m questioning so many things that my head is spinning. With the exception of the ending, mostly everything seemed forced and hokey.”

Eric - 1/2 “All in all a god episode, but it seem more like a filler episode rather than a premiere. I hope I am proven wrong, there were a lot of loose ends.”

OttsFivebyFive -

“Even though this premiere is less entertaining to watch than ‘Bargaining’, the ‘new’ Dawn and the lighter feel of the episode - Joss making good on his promise to put the darkness of Season 6 into the past - makes it worth three stakes.”

References

**Episode Big Bads

Robed Men - The men whom kill the girl in Istanbul at the beginning of the episode. It is not yet know if they are evil. (But they probably are). ** The Manifest Spirits – The Manifest Spirits are vengeance spirits raised by an unknown party and controlled talisman. The MS’s seem to be the ghosts of people Buffy didn’t reach in time and they say they died in the old SHS. They have the power to manifest themselves anywhere (only the basement has been confirmed) and are corporeal, but appear that any physical damage is futile. They were defeated rather simply when Xander destroyed the talisman. Xander saves the day again (That’s two in a row).

Spike’s Inner Demons – It is unclear if Spike is hallucinating the people from his past, or if it is an Old Evil is torturing him. We will have to wait and see.

Episode References

• In the teaser while Buffy is training Dawn in the cemetery Buffy says “My first time out, I missed the heart too.” This is a reference to the Buffy the Vampire Slayer Movie, and Buffy’s first “Patrol” with original watcher Merick.

• In the teaser there is a ribbon cutting ceremony for the reopening of the newly rebuilt Sunnydale High, on the very ground that it first stood upon. Sunnydale High was destroyed in the Season 3 episode “Graduation Day: Part 2”. The destruction of the school was necessary to defeat Mayor Wilkins in his new ascended form, a giant demon snake. The method of destruction was a powerful bomb built to emulate the demons previous defeat in a lava bed.

• In Act 1

Willow says the following line about the coven she has been training with, “The coven is, they’re the most amazing women I’ve ever met. But there’s this look that they get. Like I’m gonna turn them all into bangers and mash, or something. Which I’m not even really sure what that is.” This is a reference to a popular English dish consisting of sausage bits and mashed potatoes.

In Act 1

Willow says “I deserve a lot worse. I killed people, Giles.” This is a refrence to the season 6 episode “Villains”. In “Villains”

Willow binds

Warren between two trees with roots and vines. She then tortures him with a vision of his ex girlfriend Katrina whom he killed in the Season 6 episode “Dead Things” and with the bullet he shot Buffy with. When the Scoobies arrive

Willow express her boredom with Warren and Magickly skins him and sets him on fire. The other person

Willow killed was Rack in the Season 6 episode “Two to Go”. She killed him to steal his powers.

In Act 1

Willow says, “When you brought me here, I thought it was to kill me or to lock me in some mystical dungeon for all eternity or–with the torture. Instead, you go all Dumbledore on me.” This is a direct reference to the character in J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series. In the series Dumbledore’s character is the head of Hogwarts

school of Witchcraft and Wizardry, which is the school that Harry Potter attends to learn about witchcraft. Side Note: The character of Dumbledore is portrayed by Richard Harris in the film versions of the books.

• In Act 1

Willow says, “I’m learning about magick. All about energy and Gaia and root systems.” This is a reference to the god commonly known as Mother Earth or Mother Nature. In Greek and Roman Mythology Gaia was the earth itself. She mated with Uranus to give birth to the other Titans and Gods, the Cyclopes, the giants, etc. In addition to the Greeks and Romans Gaia has been worshipped by many pagan groups, and remains an important part of some of these groups’ religions to date.

In Act 1 Buffy says, “Ah, you put the box near the milk. I saw it on the food channel.” The food channel is a cable TV network whose shows deal with food and food preparation (Cooking Shows). Hence she saw how to prepare cereal there.

In Act 1 Buffy says, “My sister’s about to go to the same high school that tried to kill me for three years.” This is obviously a reference to Seasons 1, 2, and 3 of the show, in which Buffy and her friends primarily did battle with elements from or drawn to the Hellmouth, which the school was built on.

In Act 1 Buffy followed the line above with “I can’t change districts, I can’t afford private school” This is a reference to Buff and Dawn’s poor financial situation, brought on by the death of Buffy’s mother Joyce, and Buffy’s inability to find a good job.

In Act 1 Dawn says (When first seeing Xander’s suit), “Hey. Check out double-O Xander.” This is in reference to the Ian Fleming character James Bond, who works for the British spy organization M-I6. Bond has reached the level referred to as Double O agent, and has been designated 007. Bond is known for being dashing, daring, and well dressed. Not to mention his knack with the ladies. This reference is obviously aimed a Xander’s clothing.

In Act 1 Xander Says, “Well the last two principals were eaten. Who would even apply for that job?” This is in reference to Principle Flutie and Snyder. Principle Flutie was eaten by hyena possessed students in the season 1 episode “The Pack”. Principle Snyder was eaten by the ascended Mayor Wilkins in the season 3 episode “Graduation Day: Part 2”.

In Act 1 when Buffy is talking to Dawn at school she instructs her, “And stay away from hyena people, or any loser-type athletes, you know, or if you see anyone that’s invisible.”  The hyena people reference is to the Season 1 episode “The Pack”, in which students are possessed by the spirits of hyenas. The loser-type athletes is a reference to Larry, the mean jock turned very out football player, and / or the fish enhanced swimmers in the Season 2 episode “Go Fish”. The “anyone that’s invisible” refers to the Season 1 episode “Out of Mind, Out of Sight” where a girl whom everyone ignored, turns invisible because of it, and lashes out against popular students at SHS.

In Act 1 when Dawn was saying good bye to Buffy she says, “I know! You never know what’s coming. The stake is not the power. To Serve Man is a cookbook. I love you. Go away.” The statement “To Serve Man is a cookbook.” Is a reference to the Twilight Zone episode “To Serve Man” written by Rod Sterling and originally airing on March 2, 1962 . The story tells about alien visitors thought to be friends, but the very book that convinced us that they were friends actually turns out to be methods for our preparation for their consumption. This is a very popular episode of Twilight Zone and has been subject to many referenced and parodies. The most famous of witch was in The Simpsons Season 2 (And 1st) Tree house of Terror story “Hungry are the Dammed”.

In Act 2 when Dawn is introducing herself to the class she says, “I’m very into Britney Spears’ early work, before she sold out. So mostly her, um, finger painting and macaroni art. Very underrated.” This is a reference to mega popular pop star Britney Spears. Britney got her break appearing on The Mickey Mouse Club (Which also included pop star Christina Aguilera) at age 11. In 1999 she released her first album “Baby One More Time”, catapulting her into stardom. Since then she has released two more albums, become a one of Pepsi’s star promoters, had her own HBO live concert and stared in a feature film Crossroads. This reference though is obviously poking fun at Spears, another popular trend in recent times.

• In Act 2 when Halifrek and Anya at the coffee shop Halifrek says, “It’s the talk of the order. They’re calling you “Miss Soft serve.” Tell me you don’t know this.” Soft Serve is a term used to describe a complete category of ice cream and frozen dessert products. Soft Serve products are frozen in and dispensed directly from the freezer to the customer. It is a softer (obviously) slightly warmer counter part to ice cream. It is used in milk shakes, almost all the ice cream at Dairy Queen, and is round regularly at buffet style restraints, due to its lo cost and high profit margins.

In Act 2 when Halifrek and Anya at the coffee shop Halifrek says, “Listen, Anya. I know I’ve always been a little competitive with you. I mean, there was that thing in the Crimean War.” In the years 1854 to 1856,

Britain fought its only European war between the ending of the Napoleonic conflict in 1815 and the opening of the Great War in 1914. Although eventually victorious, the British and their French allies pursued the war with little skill and it became a byword for poor generalship and logistical incompetence. The war began as a quarrel between Russian Orthodox monks and French Catholics over who had precedence at the holy Places in

Jerusalem and Nazereth. Tempers frayed, violence resulted and lives were lost. Tsar Nicholas I of Russia demanded the right to protect the Christian shrines in the Holy Land and to back up his claims moved troops into Wallachia and Moldavia (present day Rumania) then part of the Ottoman Turkish empire.

In Act 2 when Halifrek and Anya at the coffee shop Anya says, “Well, what is this–an intervention? Shouldn’t all my demon friends be here?” An intervention is a commonly used therapy practice in which the friends of the person whom they are worried about (Usually an alcohol or drug abuser) is confronted and forced to recognize their problem by their family and close friends. It is usually a successful practice.

In Act 2, in the same conversation above, Halifrek mentions D’Hoffrin. D’Hoffrin is the head of the vengeance demons. We first met him in the Season 3 episode “Dopplegangland” where she begs him to create a temporal fold in time so she can go back to the alternate reality from “The Wish” and retrieve her amulet. We meet him again in the Season 4 episode “Something Blue” where

Willow ’s botched spell tortures her friends so much he summons her and offers her a job as a vengeance demon, she politely refused.

In Act 3 while Buffy is confronting the manifest spirits of students past she says, in response to one of the spirits saying they would like to date Dawn, “Again, wrong sister. I’m the one that dates dead guys. And, no offense, but they were hotties. I mean, I’m sure you had a great personality, but…” This is a reference to Buffy’s relationship with Angel in Seasons 1, 2, and 3, and her relationship with Spike in Season 6.

In Act 4 after Principle woods sees the interaction between Buffy and Dawn, Kit, and Carlos, he says to himself, “Curiouser and curiouser.” This is a reference to Lewis Carroll  Alice books. (

Alice ’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass) When

Alice goes on her unusual, day-dreamed, adventures, she uses the line to express her feelings about some of the strange things she encounters.

At the very end of the episode Spike is being confronted by a morphing evil or hallucination. The references are in appearance order.

Warren –

Warren first appeared in the Season 5 episode “I was Made to Love You” in he was running from a Sex-Bot he built and abandoned. Spike then forces him to make a Buffy-Bot which is completed in the episode “Intervention”. Fast forward to Season 6 Where we meet

Warren again with his newly formed Trio (Composed of three nerds – our old friend Jonathan, Warren the bot builder, and Andrew, the brother of Tucker from “The Prom”) in the episode “Flooded”, where his vendetta against the slayer begins. This vendetta is his ultimate demise at the hands of Evil Willow (Described above).

Glory – The big bad of Season 5. Glory is an Evil God cast out of her deminsion and forced to share a body with the human Ben. Glory is finally killed when Giles kills Ben in the Season 5 finally (and 100th episode) “The Gift”.

Adam – Adam is a Demon, man, and machine hybrid. He was created by Initiative scientist Maggie Walsh in room 314. Adam was introduced in the Season 4 episode “The I in Team” Adam killed his creator and atemted to start some kind of evil revolution. His life functions were terminated in the episode “Primevil” By the combined forces (thanks to a spell) of Buffy, Giles,

Willow and Xander. Adam in this sequence also refers to Spike as 17. Hostile 17 was Spike designation when the Initiative captured him and fitted him with a chip that prevented him from harming humans.

Mayor Wilkins – Sunnydale’s Mayor for a countless number of years. He was killed during the execution of his master plan by being blown up in the Season 3 episode “Graduation Day: Part 2”. The Mayor was the primary Big Bad in Season 3 (Despite being and extremely nice guy).

Drusilla – Drusilla was Spike’s girlfriend and love of his life, until she left him for a fungus demon (Season 4 episode “The Harsh Light of Day”). Dru was later badly burned by Angel (On his Series) when he sets Dru and Darla on fire after they teamed up with Wolfram and Heart to torture him in the Angel Season 2 episode “Redefinition”. A short time after this Dru comes back to Sunnydale in the Season 5 episode “Crush”. She tells Spike here that she wants to reunite the family (Darla, Angelus, Dru, and Spike). But Spike, in attempt to prove his newly confessed love to Buffy ties Buffy and Dru up and offers to stake Dru to prove his love for Buffy. Things get out of hand when Harmony shows up. Dru gets away and to date has not returned.

The Master – The series’ first big bad and Darla’s sire, Angel’s grandsire, Dru’s Great grandsire, and Spike’s great great grand sire. The master was trapped in a church when a spell he was performing in 1937 to resurrect the “Great Old Ones” was interrupted by an earthquake. Throughout Season 1 The Master was trying to free himself from his prison. The master was successful, but was also killed in the episode “Prophesy Girl”. The Masters Clan, The Order of Aurelius, lead by the Anointed One, tried to resurrect The Master using his Skeleton in the Season 2 episode “When She was Bad”, but Buffy stops them and smashes his bones to dust with a sledge hammer. *The master is not heard from again until the Dreamers Hijack Dru’s body and force Spike to reunite The Order of Aurelius (Because he is in the Master bloodline). The Dreamers need the Master’s skills in sorcery to complete their plan. With Spike and the last of the order’s help the Dreamers resurrect The Master in spirit form. The Master then takes Angels body to help the Dreamers with their scheme. Buffy triumphs over the Master and the Dreamers when Spike betrays then so he can be sure that he and Dru are safe. With Spike’s help and a spell that cast The Master out of Angel’s (Or anyone’s for that matter) body. Buffy and the Scoobies were able to defeat the Master using a powerful and difficult spell to give the master corporeal form so he could be defeated. For good, we will have to wait and see.

* This information is from the Xbox game, which is set as a lost episode during Season 3. The game was co-written by Buffy author Christopher Golden.

Episode Observations, Nitpicks, and Assumptions

In the opening credits I noticed the Demons, Demons, Demons website used in the first season of Angel. Is this a hint of possible crossovers? Maybe! Despite popular fan-boy assumptions just because shows are on different networks does not mean that a show cannot cross over (I.E. Ally McBeal and The Practice), the main factor is the production company. As we all know BtVS, AtS, and Firefly are all fox shows, despite what network they may be on. So a crossover would be left up solely to Fox. We saw no crossovers last season because of the bad blood between UPN and the WB. Fox most likely held off on crossovers as to not through gas (or Petrol) on the UPN / WB fire. Now that things have cooled off some who knows what could happen.

In this episode we notice Xander with snazzy new clothes and a new car (Which looks like a Chrysler Sebring. The license plate reads 3PCE187.) This is most likely because of new work that Xander is in charge of. (He supervised the school and he mentions meeting with clients.) Yea Xander!

In the episode Spike and Halie refer to a new big bad brewin. Maybe it has something to do with the dead girl in the teaser…

When Dawn arrives a the brand new SHS she says that it is her first day of High School, when se clearly stated that she started high school last season, seems like the Lil’ Bit is awful forgetful.

Principle Wood confuses Buffy with Dawn’s Mom, later he tells Buffy that he has read her file. If this is true then he presumably would have red Dawn’s file and knew that her mother had died. It is possible that Wood could have assumed that Buffy was Dawn’s stepmother (Since her father is still alive) but it most likely would have listed Buffy as Dawn guardian. Is it a plot goof? You be the Judge. (But not the pale blue one with the horns, “What’s that do?” Ha, Ha!!!)

Quotes

Key: B=Buffy, X=Xander, W=Willow, S=Spike, D=Dawn, A=Anya, G=Giles

B: It’s about power - who’s got, who knows how to use it.

D: He might not know all those fancy martial arts skills they inevitably seem to pick up.

B: You’re a little girl. D: Woman. B: Little woman. D: I’m taller than you.

Vampire in grave: Excuse me? I’m think I’m stuck. B: You’re stuck? Vampire in grave: My foot’s caught on a root or something.

Vampire: Thanks. That was a help. Unfortunently it’s… *Buffy chokes him* Vampire:…the last thing you’ll ever do.

D: Plus, I had a plan the whole time. B: Really? D: Yeah, I planned to get killed, come back as a vampire and bite you.

B: My first time out I misseed the heart too. D: No way? B: Just the once.

W: Is there anything you don’t know everything about? G: Synchronized swimming. Complete mystery to me.

G: Do you want to be punished? W: I want to be Willow.

B: So…peachy with a side of keen. That would be me.

D: Check out double-o Xander. B: Go…talk with your mouth full.

B: And stay away from hyena people… B: …or if you see anyone that’s invisible.

B: You know you can still drop out. Only nerds finish High School.

B: It’s my hair. I have mom hair? B: It’s not mom hair.

D: I love to dance. I like music. I’m very into Britney Spears’ early work, before she sold out…so… um…mostly her finger painting and macaroni art…very underrated. Um…favorite activities include not ever having to do this agaain, and uh… B: Dawn! D: What? B: We have to go. It’s not safe. D: …but? B: We…um, I mean…I saw it.

B: Dawn, I just thought you were..um..in danger of…smoking.

D: I also have a sister.

A: Six weeks tops and she’s calling on me for vengence. Halfrek: Oww…we better run for cover.

Halfrek: The waitress downtown wished her husband was a frog…you made him french. A: He’s smelly! And with the little mustache, he…

A: What is this, an intervention? Shouldn’t all the demons be here? Halfrek: Sweetie, they are.

X: Ah, being popular isn’t so great…or so I’ve read in books.

W: I saw the earth. I saw its teeth. G: The hellmouth? W: It’s going to re-open.

D: Are you dead? Carlos: Stop saying that!

D: …And Buffy, isn’t this reception amazing?! I’m in the fricking basement.

Principal Wood: …and good luck with that dog…tragedy!

B: I’m the one that dates dead guys. And no offense but they were hotties. I mean, I’m sure you had a great personality.

B: If at first you don’t succeed…cheat.

S: Buffy…duck. B: What? Duck? There’s a duck? *whack!*

B: What did you do? S: I…I tried to cut it out.

X: Whoa…contract-y goodness.

Manifest spirit: You can thank your sister for this… *whack!* D: Thanks sis.

D: You really weren’t kidding about this place. I guess it really hasn’t changed. B: I don’t know - seems smaller.

Carlos: Yeah, I mean it. (looking at Buffy) You are the coolest mom ever.

Principal Wood: ..and the money we could pay you wouldn’t even fold, but it’d be just a couple days a week.

B: I’m in. Principal Wood: What? You’re serious? You did hear the part about the money, right?

S: Everything. I had the speech. I learned it all. Oh God, she won’t understand. She won’t understand. Warren: Of course she won’t understan, sparky. I’m beyond her understanding. She’s a girl! Sugar and spice and everything useless unless you’re baking. I’m more than that. More than flesh… *Warren turns into Glory* Glory: …more than blood. I’m…you know, I honestly don’t think there’s a human word fabulous enough for me. Oh, my name will be on everyone’s lips…assuming their lips haven’t been torn off. But not just yet. That’s alright though… *Glory turns into Adam* Adam: I can be patient. Everything is well within perameters. She’s exactly where I want her to be, and so are you number seventeen. You’re right where you belong… *Adam turns into Wilkins* Wilkins: So what did you think? You’d get your soul back and everything would be Jim-Dandy? Soul’s slippery than a greased weasel. Why do you think I sold mine? (Laughs) Well, you probably thought you’d be your own man, and I respect that; but you never… *Wilkins turns into Drusilla* Drusilla: …will. You’ll always be mine. You’ll always be in the dark with me. Singing our little songs. You like our little songs, don’t you? You’ve always liked them…right from the beginning. And that’s where we’re going… *Drusilla turns into The Master* The Master: Right back to the beginning. Not the bang, not the Word…the true beginning. The next few months are going to be quite a ride. And I think we’re going to learn something about ourselves in the process. You’ll learn you’re a pathetic schmuck, if it hasn’t sunk in already. Look at you - trying to do what’s right - just like her. You still don’t get it. It’s not about right. It’s not about wrong… *The Master turns into Buffy* Buffy: …it’s about power.

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