First, this is my favourite episode of the season, likely of the entire series and possibly of any television show (okay the final M*A*S*H and the Xena trilogy of Destiny/Quest/Necessary Evil are of course excepted from this). So take everything with a grain of salt as you are dealing with a fan squared here.
The show opens in Prof. Walsh's class room. The good professor is talking about inspiration and, as a demonstration, asks Buffy to lay down on the desk at the front of the room. Buffy does so. Prof. Walsh then indicates that Riley should go ahead with the demonstration which, with a slight tang of unease, he does. He awkwardly puts his arms around Buffy, tells her not to worry and then says "if I kiss you it will make the sun go down." They kiss and, sure enough, the room light dims and the students all disappear. Riley pulls back and says "see?" and Buffy replies "fortune favours the brave." (Actually, being an American she likely said "fortune favors the brave" but that is really nitpicking. Buffy then hears someone singing in the outside corridor and the two go to investigate. They find a little girl (looking remarkably like the young Callisto but I'm not going there) chanting a nursery rhyme and holding a wooden box. She recites the rhyme straight through and then Riley places his hand on Buffy's shoulder. When she looks back and up at him he has changed into a grinning ghoul - sort of like the Joker before he puts on his makeup or green wig.
Buffy wakes up. Willow mocks her for falling asleep in class but assures her that there was only discreet snoring and minimal drool. Buffy tells her about the dream and describes it as intense. Riley, coming up from behind, remarks that for an intense dream she seemed so peaceful. Willow makes some excuse to leave the two and then stalks them with a goofy grin on her face as they banter their way outside. As they are about to go their separate ways Riley asks about Buffy's plans. Buffy instinctively answers "patrol" which she morphs to "petroleum" which she morphs to "homework". Riley answers that he'll be busy grading papers. They then do that awkward should I kiss them/will they kiss me thing and, just as they mutually decide to kiss Buffy's mouth says "what papers? There's only the final exam." Riley, thinking slow, answers late papers but the mood is broken and they each go to their own class. As she walks off Buffy mutters ironically, "fortune favours the brave."
Giles, at his place, gets briefed by Buffy via the far-speaker about her dream and promises to research it. He and Spike then have a short talk about the different ways to eat Wheatabix until Anya and Xander arrive. Anya still doesn't have the "private" part of private talks down pat and tells Xander (and Giles and Spike) that he (Xander) doesn't care about her, only about the orgasms. Giles then informs the three that he needs Spike out of the house as he has a friend (ANYA: An orgasm friend?) visiting and he wants some privacy. As the three "kids" complain Giles buries his head in his hands trying to research Buffy's dream.
Willow goes to her Wicca meeting. They open with a blessing (Daughters of Gaia (Hi Mom!), Sisters of the Moon, we walk with darkness, the wolf at our side (unless, of course, he just dumped you three eps ago) through the waterfall (Xena fanfic reference) of power to the blackest heart of eternity) and start the business with the suggestion of a bake sale. Each Baby Wicca discusses their pet project with much support until Willow suggests the wacky idea of spells. And is shot down.
To borrow from Anne Rice... and introducing Tara.
When Willow mentions spells we see Tara for the first time, hair obscuring her face until she looks up at Willow. Willow notices her noticing her and, when the others accuse Willow of being a negative stereotype, Tara starts to come to Willow's defense but gets tongue tied and lapses into silence when she becomes the centre of attention. She and Willow share another look before we shift scenes to Buffy listening to Willow complain about the Wicca group. They are, Willow says, all new age talk and a bunch of Wanna-blessed-bes. The topic switches to the Riley and Buffy neo-relationship and Buffy says that it is hard to be continually lying and keeping the Slayer bit secret. Buffy is discovering that life in the closet sucks.
While Willow and Buffy are discussing lying to Riley; Riley and his FO are discussing lying to Buffy. Buffy, Riley says, is special. The FO maintains that it doesn't matter, they deal with stuff that would traumatize poor, weak defenseless girls and it's best not to clutter their brain with nasty stuff like the truth. (Sorry, projecting. I don't like the FO and suspect he has a thing for Riley.) Olivia (the British chick from the first or second episode that looks real good in Giles robe) arrives after a horrendous flight (GILES: Turbulence? OLIVIA: No, baseball movie). As darkness falls Xander ties Spike up to the Lay-Z-Boy and the Gentlemen begin their spell. All across Sunnydale little wisps of breath are sucked out of the sleepers and collected into the wooden box which Buffy saw in her dream.
Digress One: The Gentlemen are pretty damn scary. I don't recommend that you (well, that I) watch this episode at night with an open window behind you. They remind me nothing so much as a demonic Sally Field - so nice and polite and genial and self efffacing in a terrifying way. They float about 10 cm from the ground and the clever CGI guys gimmicked the shadows to reflect that. Like Bob Kane they make a rictous grin far more scary than any horrific face.
Digress Two: This didn't occur to me during the first viewing but did in the second. Until now everyone is hung up with words and speaking. Buffy can't talk openly to Riley and vice versa. Xander can't talk to Anya about his feelings towards her. Tara can't talk to anyone. Willow can only talk to her friends with any confidence. Buffy doesn't kiss Riley because her brain keeps making her ask questions. Giles is surrounded by talk that he finds distasteful and distracting. When Olivia arrives it is suggested that "small talk" is worthless compared to the physical. The only characters in the entire episode to this point who have any kind of meaningful conversation is Buffy and Willow.
Dawn breaks and Buffy wakes up, heads the communal washroom to brush her toofers and heads back to the dorm room. She says good morning to Willow but no sound comes out. Willow can't speak either. They run into the hall where they find out that no one can talk. Xander wakes up, blames Spike (XANDER: <points accusingly> SPIKE: <universal sign for "two words"). Xander grabs the phone and calls Buffy...
Digress Three: There is a Second City TV skit of a commercial. A man is in a chair reading a book and the phone rings. And rings and rings. The announcer comes on stage and says that millions of deaf people can't hear the phone ring but with this handy device they now can tell when someone is calling. We now see the man reading the book with a head band. The phone rings and a little red light on a wand attached to the headband lights up. The man answers the phone and starts saying hello? hello? hello? as the announcer tells us how to order. I didn't see the punch line coming and twenty years later it still makes me laugh.
...Buffy answers the phone and gives it a "what a maroon, must be Xander" look while Xander gives his phone a "what a maroon, what am I thinking" look. Across campus in the Kappa Sigma Tau (Kill Sub-T) frat house Riley and his FO head to the Batcave. They pass the retinal scan but fail the vocal check for some reason. Riley tries to remember the override code to stop the "counter measures" and, when they get to the bottom, Prof. Walsh kindly points out the "Use Stairs" sign. Across campus again Tara gathers her books and heads out of her dorm building.
The mood everywhere is despondent. People huddle together and any noise seems loud and glaring. Buffy and Willow walk hand in hand down the main street of Sunnydale where the only people still doing business is the liquor store and churches. They see a man selling white boards for $10 and, although at first they're annoyed at the blatant opportunist, they do end up buying one each.
The Scooby Gang gathers at Giles and, using sign language and the message pads, decide that Buffy will patrol while the rest research. The Commandos gather at the Batcave and, using a computer voice generator and writing pads, decide that the Commandos will patrol while the scientists research. The outside world thinks that Sunnydale is either pulling their leg or suffering from a bad batch of flu inoculations and no one is going in or out. Darkness falls.
Sunnydale at night is just as cheerful as Sunnydale at day. Tempers are beginning to flare and Riley and Buffy meet to break up a fight. They check that each other is doing okay and spend a few quality moments of eye staring before they hear some commotion. Both indicate that they have to leave and, as they do so, finally kiss. But when the city finally sleeps the Gentlemen go out on patrol accompanied by their "hounds"; grinning demons who caper down the street with the long sleeves of their undone straight jackets flapping and jingling. They attack a boy in Stevenson Hall (Buff and Will's building) and are spotted by Olivia. In their clock tower hideout the head Gentlemen displays the three hearts to the polite golf claps of the others.
In the morning Buffy comes across the Stevenson crime scene and the newspapers are full of the murder of a 15 year old girl. In both cases they heart was removed from the body. Olivia sketches for Giles what she saw and that, along with the information of the missing hearts, sparks a memory.
Now comes the best scene...
THE PRESENTATION!!!!!
The Scooby Gang assembles in Prof. Walsh's lecture hall. Buffy
and Willow are in their normal side by side seats while Xander and Anya
are off solo. Anya, is eating popcorn as if she were at a mildly
amusing/mildly boring movie. Giles starts some music and puts on
the first overhead...backwards. He flips it: WHO ARE THE GENTLEMEN?
He glares at the class to make sure they're paying attention. Next
acetate: THEY ARE FAIRY TALE MONSTERS. Glare. Next acetate:
WHAT DO THEY WANT? Willow gives the universal sign for "Me!
Pick me!". Giles points at her. Willow gives the universal
sign for "cross my heart." Xander gives the universal sign for "boobs"
and mouths the word "boobies?". Next acetate: HEARTS. Willow
gives the universal expression for "see, dummy." Next acetate: THEY
COME TO A TOWN. Next acetate: THEY STEAL ALL THE VOICES. NO
ONE CAN SCREAM. Giles gives the universal sign for "then!!".
Next acetate: <picture of a sleeping 'toon with a Gentlemen poised over
him> Next acetate: <picture of a Gentlemen holding a heart with
a lot of red marker> Next acetate: THEY NEED TO HAVE 7. (Digress
4 - Don't we all?) THEY HAVE AT LEAST 2. Xander writes "How do we
kill them?" Buffy gives the universal sign for jerking off.
(I am not even going to try to describe the expressions on Giles, Willow
and Xander.) Buffy grabs Mr. Pointy from her purse and gives the
universal sign for staking. Giles, Willow and Xander each give their
own version of the universal expressions of "ah-ha." Next acetate:
THE TALES SAY NO SWORD CAN KILL THEM. Next acetate: BUT THE PRINCESS
SCREAMED ONCE AND THEY ALL DIED. Willow holds up a CD and does the
charade of "parents listening to Korn and having their brains explode."
Next acetate: ONLY A REAL HUMAN VOICE. Buffy writes "how do I get
my voice back?" Giles gives the frustration model, universal sign
for "damned if I know." Next acetate: BUFFY WILL PATROL TONIGHT.
Buffy does the charade of "no way are my hips that big! do you think
my hips are that big? The gang breaks up and Buffy stares at the
acetate showing the Gentleman holding a heart.
The commandos and Buffy go out on patrol. Riley spots some shadows in the clock tower while Buffy spots some straight jacket ghouls (SJG). Tara gathers up some notebooks and textbooks and heads out. On her way she is spotted by some SJG who chase her to Stevenson. She begins banging on doors but for some bizarre reason no one answers on the ground floor so she heads upstairs. Meanwhile, at the clock tower, Riley is fighting a group of three and not doing to badly (meaning he's holding his own at the moment and is going to loose eventually) when Buffy bursts through the window. They waste a few seconds staring at each other in dumbfounded amazement before going back to beating up the bad guys. They make a good team and Riley is impressed by Buffy's Tarzan impersonation.
Back at Stevenson Tara bangs on a door. Willow, in her room for the ritual hiding, hears the banging and goes to see what it is. Tara's door opens and a Gentleman comes out. Tara runs backward and smashes into Willow as she comes out of her room, knocking her to the ground and spraining her ankle. Tara grabs Willow and they two of them hobble down the stairs with everyone chasing.
Meanwhile Xander arrives at Giles and sees what looks like Spike putting the bite on Anya. Xander turns into a fighting machine, knocking Spike down and punching him until Anya stops him. Xander checks her neck, gives Spike a "hey sorry, no hard feelings?" look, Spike gives a "stupid git" look and Giles and Olivia look on the tender scene with sentimental smiles. Which disappear into amazed "oh my god did she just say what I think she said" looks when Anya does the universal sign for sex with a query raised eyebrow thrown in.
Tara and Willow make it to the laundry room. They try to push the pop machine across the door but it's too heavy and Willow falls back because of her leg. Tara crouches down beside her. Willow stares at the machine and makes it wiggle but can't shift it. Tara looks at Willow, looks at the machine and then back to Willow. Willow suddenly looks over to Tara and then down to where Tara is lacing her fingers into Willow's. Tara nods once, almost in encouragement and then both turn to face the pop machine which skates across the floor to smack against the door. Willow looks back at Tara, down at their linked hands and then back at Tara.
At the clock tower Buffy and Riley take the fight upstairs to where the hearts are. Buffy spots the box from the dream and points it out to Riley. Riley smashes the bottle beside it and then looks up with the universal expression of "I did good, where's my cookie?" Buffy gives the universal eye roll of "men!" and charades opening a box. Riley smashes the box and little whisps of CGI steam come out. Buffy screams and we find out where the term gaucamole brain comes from as the Gentlemen and all their SJG die a messy death. Just in time for the final commercial set and the denounment.
Willow and Tara walk and talk Wicca stuff in the lounge area of the university. Tara tells her that she (Willow) has great power but Willow disagrees. That when it comes down to monster slaying she's nothing special. Tara says, with absolute certainty, that no, Willow is special.
Giles and Olivia are cuddling on the couch talking monster stuff. Although Giles had *told* Olivia about the monsters and demons she hadn't really believed him. But know that she has seen it she's not sure if she can stay in Giles life.
Riley and Burry meet in Buffy's dorm room. Riley says they have to talk and Buffy agrees. They each sit on a bed and stare at each other wordlessly until the end credits start to roll.
Random thoughts