Sorry. But that's what it was.
Buffy goes to Xander's looking for Spike. Cut to Spike, humming Greensleeves, burying the blonde singer in a basement. Cut to credits and the song
We open in London. We can tell it's London because they have the funky black cabs and because it says London, England on the bottom. This is good because, you know, I thought at first it was London, Ontario. Anyway, a Giles-clone walks into a flat, finds signs of a fight and calls out for Nora. Who is apparently the young lady lying dead on the floor. He's jumped by those bad robed guys and is stabbed.
Back in Sunnydale Willow returns home to find a mess and Dawn looking pretty shaken. They compare notes that they were both visited by dead people and Willow is sure her visitor is false and thinks Dawn's might be to. Dawn keeps mum about the exact nature of the warning because, hell, she is a Summer.
Buffy fills in Xander on Psych Vamp's claim until Spike returns. Spike doesn't react when Buffy mentions killing Psych Vamp (Holden Webster aka Webs aka Dust). Xander reads that as cool as a cumcumber. Buffy wants to read it as innocence. They decide that someone needs to keep an eye on Spike so Xander calls Anya because you can always count on your ex for spur of the moment babysitting.
Buffy returns to hurricane central. Dawn has gone to bed and Willow updates Buffy. Willow suggests that Psych Vamp might be just as false as Cassie and (maybe) Joyce. Buffy doesn't care. The seed has been planted and she needs to stop it if so.
Anya decides that if Spike has turned bad there's sure to be evidence of it in his jean's pockets. Spike, of course, catches her so Anya pretends that she's really in the room looking for, of course, sex. Spike, his heart pledged to another, turns her down and she leaves in a huff.
Spike heads out. Anya calls ahead to warn Buffy. Buffy follows Spike into the huge crowd scene. They pass a harmonica player doing Greensleeves. Spike picks up a girl, leading her away and Buffy loses them. Spike and the girl go to an alley where he starts to act confused. Until Buffy comes up and tells him to bite the girl. Spike does, then seems to come out of it and runs away. Buffy morphs into Spike.
Buffy catches up to Spike at Xander's. She accuses him of biting people but he claims all he does is talk with the women he meets. He can't and won't kill again because of his soul. He remembers meeting the girl that night but not anything past when they went into the alley.
The female Scoobs gather for research at Buffy's. Willow discovers on the computer that there are about 10 missing people, mainly women. Buffy heads out to detect.
Spike discovers the pack of ciggies that the blonde singer gave him and that triggers flashbacks. He tries to leave, Xander tries to stop him and Spike puts him down with a punch and a headache. When Xander comes to, about a half hour later, he phones Buffy. Spike goes to the Bronze trying to locate the girl when another woman starts coming on to him. Spike isn't interested on any number of levels until she turns into a vamp. Turns out Spike sired her and she wants to play with daddy. They, of course, fight and Spike, of course, dusts her.
Buffy the Ace Detective talks to a bouncer who knows Spike. The bouncer tells her that Spike leaves most nights, never alone, never with the same girl twice. This isn't very reassuring to Buffy. Neither is her next phone call, from Spike. He's pretty sure he's done some bad things. He gives her an address.
Spike shows Buffy the basement while Big Bad as Spike begins humming Greensleeves. Spike vamps out and attacks. Then, of course, all the little vampires start coming out. They overpower and hold Buffy for Spike who goes as far as licking the blood off of Buffy's shoulder where she was cut. This triggers more flashbacks and he recoils in disgust. Buffy, of course, dusts all the vampires.
Spike is sitting on the stairs. Buffy approaches and he holds open his leather jacket for her to stake him. Buffy, of course, doesn't stake him.
Back at hurricane central the Scoobies are very nervous about Spike. Who doesn't look very scary wrapped in a blanket and shivering. Someone is playing with all their minds and Spike's in particular. And so getting close to the Big Bad means getting close to Spike.
Of course.
Speaking of Giles. Giles enters the flat and finds the dead girl and the dying man. Before he dies, of course, the dying man says his dying words as one of the robed guys prepares to take off Giles head with a nasty big axe. Fade abruptly to black.
RANDOM THOUGHTS
Right. Spike and Xander are sharing an apartment. Miss one show and see what I miss? I think the romantic candles and lights were a nice homey touch.
Does no one have concrete floors in California?
Not many random thoughts this episode.
RANDOM QUOTES
Xander: "Okay, let's look at this objectively. Figure it out in a cold and impersonal CSI like manner. We're two carpet fibers away from a case."
Big Bad as Buffy: "You know you want it. I want it too."
Big Bad as Buffy: "That's my guy."
Aimee Mann: "I hate playing in vampire towns."
Dying Giles Clone: "gather them... it's started..."
Willow: "I just don't think we can trust anything right now."
Buffy: "Sorry, ma'am! It's my job!"