Episode 18 - The Grand Illusion
ACT ONE
EXT. BUFFY'S HOUSE - DAY
to establish.
INT. BUFFY'S HOUSE/LIVING ROOM - DAY
We see Buffy, Willow and Tara sitting in the living room.
There is a tremendous commotion going on upstairs as
someone runs to and fro. The girls are looking up and
tracking the source of the noise as it moves from one end
of the hallway to the other.
DAWN (O.S.)
(yelling happily)
Circus! Circus!
BUFFY
(calling out)
Dawn? What's going on up there?
More rumbling sounds as Dawn runs around upstairs. Buffy
gives a nervous smile to Willow and Tara who are sitting
close to each other.. hands and arms entwined.
BUFFY
(looking back up)
Dawn! We have company. Don't make me go
up there and oh my God, I've turned
into a little old lady with blue hair.
WILLOW
That reminds me. You still up for Bingo
Night on Thursday?
BUFFY
Funny.
Buffy and Willow exchange a playful smile.
DAWN (O.S.)
(yelling happily)
Circus! Circus!
TARA
Boy. There really must have been some
extra pep in her peppy pills today.
BUFFY
She's been bouncing off the walls all
day, you know, ever since she saw..
WILLOW
Circus, circus?
BUFFY
A horror so nice, she named it twice.
Right now, it's more like.. migraine,
migraine.
TARA
Poor Buffy.
BUFFY
I'm still not sure about this whole
field trip to the ol' Barnum and
Bailey. I mean, for a group who's been
charged solely with the protection of
the human race from the nefarious
plottings of the dark underworld, we
seem to be taking quite a bit of time
off for jaunty little day-trips.
WILLOW
Well, things have been kinda quiet on
the whole slayage, evil demons, end of
the world front recently.. you know,
the unholy trinity. I think we deserve
a little time-out.
TARA
Yeah. It's good to take a break now and
again. Besides, you know, a little fun
is always.. um.. fun.
BUFFY
Don't get me wrong. I'm all for fun. I
used to be like the Queen of fun. They
gave me a sash an everything. But, I
guess I'm just not in the mood right
now. I mean, fun for fun's sake just
isn't fun.
WILLOW
Okay, let's all move on to a new word.
Dawn comes bounding down the stairs and rushes into the
living room. She can hardly contain her excitement.
DAWN
(almost squealing)
Isn't this exciting?
(a thought occurs to her)
Ooh.. camera.
Dawn rushes off again.
BUFFY
(smiling)
I gotta admit. It's great to see her so
happy again..
Dawn rushes back into the living room, a camera in hand.
She stands and looks at Willow, Tara and Buffy with a
huge smile on her face.. ready to explode. She bounces
around lightly on her toes.. trying to find the words to
convey her joy.
DAWN
(bursting out)
Circus! Circus!
.. and rushes off again.
BUFFY
..though the novelty is quickly wearing
thin.
We see Buffy playing idly with a locket on a chain around
her neck.
TARA
(noticing)
Is that new?
BUFFY
What?
(holding out the locket)
This? I think I've had this for a while
now.
WILLOW
What is it?
BUFFY
It's a locket.
(Buffy opens up the locket
to show to Willow and Tara)
See. It's a picture of me, Dawn and
Mom.
TARA
That's nice.
BUFFY
Yeah. I like it to have it around, you
know.. close to my heart?
(she looks at the locket)
It's important.
Willow notices something out the window. She stands up
and walks over to it and looks out.
REVERSE ANGLE : SUNNYDALE
out the window. Off in the far distance, we see what
looks like a bank of dark clouds rolling in.
WILLOW
(turning back to Buffy)
Looks like rain.
Buffy takes a peek out the window and sees the clouds.
BUFFY
(calling out)
Dawn? Maybe we shouldn't go out today.
Things might get a little damp.
Dawn comes running back into the living room.
DAWN
Damp? No! I checked the paper. It said
it was going to be fine!
TARA
The weather report's normally on the
box about now. Why don't we..
Dawn rushes over to the TV and switches it on before Tara
can complete her sentence.
ANGLE ON : TV
where we see the weather guy in front of a map.
WEATHER GUY
.. and what about Sunnydale? Don't talk
to me about Sunnydale cause it's gonna
be fine, fine, fine. Nothing but blue
skies and clear sunny weather
forecasted for the next two weeks! I
guess that's why they call this place
Sunny.. Dale?
We switch from the weather guy to the newscaster.
DALE THE NEWSCASTER
(not impressed)
Yes, that never gets old.
Dawn switches off the TV.
DAWN
See? TV never lies.
We hear a car horn off-screen. Dawn looks out the window.
DAWN
It's Giles!
(to Buffy, Willow and Tara)
Quick! Hurry! Circus! Circus!
Dawn sprints out the living room and out the door.
Willow, Buffy and Tara share a smile and slowly follow
her out.
INT. BUFFY'S HOUSE/FOYER - DAY
as we see Willow and Tara exit, we see Buffy looking
around and then patting her pockets.. trying to tick off
a mental check-list in her head.
BUFFY
(to herself)
I know I'm forgetting something.
She heads out the door and closes it. We hold on the
empty, silent and lifeless foyer for a beat.
EXT. PARK/OUTSIDE THE CIRCUS - DAY
A happy, festive atmosphere. People are streaming into
the circus. We PAN from the crowd to..
ANGLE : TICKET BOOTH ATTENDANT
in his little ticket booth.. all smiles.
TICKET BOOTH ATTENDANT
(handing someone some
tickets)
Here you are.. and enjoooy your day!
We PAN around to Buffy.. hiding behind a pair of dark
sunglasses and wearing a cap. Dawn stands next to her
sans disguise.
BUFFY
Thanks.
(nervous)
It's our first time you know.. I mean
to the circus.
Dawn gives Buffy a look.
BUFFY
Yup. Never been before.. the ol' big
top. The whiz-bang sideshows. The
charming little security buildings
you'd never thought any circus would
have..
DAWN
Buffy.
BUFFY
(turning to Dawn)
Right.. okay.
(back to attendant)
It's all good. Okay.. Bye now. Keep you
the good work.. you ticket-selling
person, you. You know what? I'd just
like to say..
Dawn pulls Buffy away to reveal the rest of the gang
standing in line ready to buy their tickets.
EXT. CIRCUS - DAY
ANGLE : BUFFY AND DAWN
entering the circus grounds.. people all around.
DAWN
What was that?
BUFFY
Sorry. I'm new to this whole "I'm a
fugitive from the law" caper.. well,
the law with big, red noses, oversized
police helmets, floppy feet and
unicycles for squad cars.. which, if
you think about it, is way scarier.
The rest of the gang.. Willow, Tara, Xander, Anya and
Giles.. comes up to join Buffy and Dawn. They begin to
walk slowly towards the big tent in the centre.
ANYA
(to Dawn)
You owe me monkeys.
DAWN
(looking around)
Oh, I'm sure they're around..
somewhere.
ANYA
I wonder if they have spider-monkeys?
Or bonobos.. or marmosets?
(excitedly to Xander)
Oh.. Maybe they have apes. I've been
dying to see an orangutan up close. Of
course, it should really be pronounced
oar-rung oo-tahn. It's Malay you know..
It means old man from the forest.
GILES
Yes, in spite of the fact we are slowly
but invariably pushing them towards
extinction, I'm sure the simian
population will be infinitely more
devastated if they found out we were
using the wrong inflection to describe
one of their species.
ANYA
(under her breath)
Speaking of old men from the forest..
XANDER
(jumping in)
Hey look!
Xander points somewhere off-screen. All turn to look.
REVERSE ANGLE : A CLOWN
entertaining some kids by blowing up balloons.
XANDER
(a little jittery)
A clown. Scary, evil, forever-grinning
clown.. with balloon animals.
BUFFY
Xander, you're not still scared of
clowns are you?
XANDER
You people don't know it yet but
they're secretly planning to take over
the world.. right after they sneak into
my room at night and smother me while I
sleep.. of course.
WILLOW
Of course.
DAWN
Come on Xander. There's nothing to be
afraid of. I mean, we're all here with
you.
TARA
Yeah, I'm sure there won't even be that
many clowns in the show.
The group reaches the from of the tent. They all look up
at the sign at the same time.
REVERSE ANGLE : THE SIGN
which reads "The Grand Illusion". A smaller sign
underneath reads "and the Carnival of Clowns".
TARA
.. or nothing but.
Xander stands mortified for a beat. Dawn reaches out with
her hand and take Xander's.
DAWN
C'mon.
Dawn leads a stunned Xander into the big top. The rest
begin to follow except Anya who stands aghast at the
entrance.
ANYA
No monkeys?
No answer as the rest of the group files in past her.
ANYA
But I brought peanuts..
After a beat, Anya disconsolately enters the circus tent.
INT. THE CIRCUS TENT - DAY
Where we see the gang finding their way to their seats.
The audience surrounds the circus ring which is currently
bare and empty. Buffy sits next to Dawn. As she settles
down, she notices Rosalind, the actress from the play
earlier today, sitting in front of her and to the right.
She still wears her full Shakesperian costume. Her face
is blank and numb. Buffy stares at her curiously for a
beat. The lights in the tent darken and Buffy turns back
to look at the ring.
As all light dissapears within the tent, a spotlight
comes on, focusing on an entrance to the ring. We see a
small, half-crouching figure slowly emerge. It is an old
man, with a withered, dry face and a long, flowing white
beard. He slowly hobbles along with the aid of a cane..
bent over with a hump. The spotlight tracks him as he
slowly makes his way towards the centre of the ring.
ANGLE : BUFFY AND DAWN
sharing a surprised and confused look.
The crowd is hushed as the old man finally hobbles to the
centre of the ring. He stops, then remains still for a
beat.. his head down, facing the ground.
Suddenly, with a flourish, he spins around and
straightens up, to magically reveal.. the ringmaster.
Elegantly dressed in black, wearing a top hat and white
gloves, we see that his cane has now transformed into a
black wand. His face is long and pale. The ringmaster
spreads his arms out, as if embracing his audience.
RINGMASTER
Willkommen.. Benvenuto.. Witamy..
Bienvenue.. Welcome to the Grand
Illusion!
With that, some bright pyrotechnics explode within the
tent.. putting an exclamation point at the end of the
ringmaster's welcome.
RINGMASTER
Where everything you see..
The ringmaster raises his gloved hand. It catches on fire
but he does not flinch.
RINGMASTER
.. is an illusion of the mind. An
illusion of the senses.
He closes his hand into a fist and the flame dissapears.
RINGMASTER
Where what is real.. is not. And what
is not.. is. Ask yourself.. can you
trust what you see?
With that, the ringmaster floats into the air.. rising
high above the audience.
ANGLE : GILES AND XANDER
looking up in astonishment.
RINGMASTER
(spreading out his arms)
Can a man fly?
Suddenly, he drops like a stone.. falling hard to the
ground. Oohs of concern from the crowd. The ringmaster
lies still for a beat, then simply picks himself up and
dusts himself off. He looks back up to his audience.
RINGMASTER
(with a smile)
Of course not.
Relieved laughter from the audience.
RINGMASTER
For there is no such thing in this
world as magic.
ANGLE : WILLOW AND TARA
Willow hmmpffs at this suggestion. Tara simply smiles at
Willow and places a hand on Willow's arm. They turn back
to the show.
RINGMASTER
All we have to offer are tricks and
illusions. A mind believes what it
wants to believe.. all we do is help it
along. On this day, ladies and
gentlemen, we will present to you
illusions of such a fantastic nature..
of such seeming authenticity, that you
will be convinced of its truthfulness.
Be not fooled my hungry friends, for
all we serve today are lies.. but
hopefully, enjoyable lies.
Some laughter from the crowd.
RINGMASTER
(demonstratively but
silently)
Hush.
The crowd slowly hushes as the ringmaster closes his
eyes.. reaching out with his hands.. as if sensing
something.
Suddenly, we see crackles of purple light appearing at
the top of the circus tent.. covering the roof with
light. Oohs and aahs from the audience.
CLOSE ON : THE RINGMASTER
as he opens his eyes. Sparkles of purple light crackles
in his eyes. We WIDEN.
RINGMASTER
Our show begins.
The ringmaster suddenly dissapears in front of the entire
audience. More oohs and aahs.
ANGLE : DAWN
clearly delighted by the show so far. We PAN from her to
Buffy who looks more uncertain. She turns to look at
Giles who returns her look of concern.
ANGLE ON : THE RING
where the lights go back up. Circusy clown music starts
up and a group of five white figures come sprinting out
of the entrance. They are strange-looking clowns. Though
they have distinctive painted, comical faces, the five
are dressed simply in white, full-body leotards and are
bald.
The five clowns run around in a circle.. bumping randomly
into each other. Laughter from the crowd.
One of the clowns gesticulates wildly, trying to organise
the other clowns. They separate and disperse to the five
corners of the circle. In unison, they start sprinting
towards each other.. converging at the centre of the
circle.
The five smack into each other and bounce off comically
to the floor. Laughter from the audience. The clowns drag
themselves up and the lead clown begins to kick the other
clowns around. He gesticulates for them to try again.
The clowns return to their positions and face each other
off again. Again, they sprint towards each other.
ANGLE : BUFFY
watching with bewilderment.
The clowns slam into each other again, but this time a
brilliant flash of white light emerges from the point of
their collision. The clowns have dissapeared and in their
place, one large white tiger. It growls at the audience
and then runs off through the exit. More applause.
ANGLE : GILES
watching with interest.
A montage follows..
ANGLE ON : THE CIRCUS RING
Another act in progress. Three clowns on stage with a
large cannon which is pointed at a certain section of the
audience. The first two clowns cajole the reluctant third
clown into the cannon. When the third clown finally
enters the barrel of the cannon, the two clowns light a
long fuse and put their hands to their ears. The section
of the crowd at which the cannon is pointed at begin to
shout at the clowns.
The clowns look up, and then with wild, exaggerated
movements, quickly spin the canon around and points it at
another section of the crowd. That section of the crowd
groans. All the while, the fuse is getting shorter and
shorter.
The clowns spin the canon around a third time, just as
the fuse begins to burn out. We see the canon now pointed
at Buffy and the gang.
ANGLE : BUFFY AND DAWN
as Dawn squeals and closes her eyes, turning away towards
Buffy.
The canon fires. We see the clown in the canon fly in the
air towards the crowd. More squeals and screams. Just as
the flying clown is about to land in the crowd, he
disintegrates into an explosion of glittering silver
confetti.. slowly drifting down into the crowd. Laughs
and applause.
ANGLE : BUFFY
amazed.. then examining a piece of confetti in her hands.
She looks back up to the show. We FADE to..
ANGLE ON : THE CIRCUS RING
Another act in progress.. later on in time. We see the
ringmaster, waving his wand around like a conductor's
baton. All around him, we see lights of different colours
rushing up from the ground, producing a musical note as
they do so.. as if following the ringmaster's baton. The
resulting show of sight and sound entrances the audience.
ANGLE : ANYA
watching the show.. happily munching on a bag of peanuts.
ANGLE ON : THE CIRCUS RING
again.. later on in time. We see two clowns, one male and
one female, again dressed simply in full-body white
leotards. They are engaged in some kind of performance..
a mixture of clown-comedy and dance. The male clown is
chasing the female, trying to offer her a single rose.
The female coyly resists.. running away from him whenever
he comes close. The male clown awkwardly stumbles through
and bounces off various sets and props in the ring in his
pursuit of the female clown.. provoking howls of laughter
from the crowd.
Finally, he has her cornered at the edge of the ring. He
approaches her with the rose, offering it out to her.
Suddenly, she soars up into the air.. evading his
advances one again. He soars up as well. And thus, we
have the scene played over again, only with two flying
figures chasing each other gracefully, high above the
audience below.
ANGLE : WILLOW AND TARA
looking up from their seats.. enjoying the performance.
The two finally meet at the centre of the ring.. high up
in the air. The male clown offers the rose to the girl.
She takes it with a smile. The two slowly float down
towards the ground, their hands joined holding on to the
rose. They reach the ground and then dissapear into the
floor.. descending into it. Suddenly, hundreds of red
roses spring up from the circus floor, covering the
entire area in a sea of red. Applause from the audience.
ANGLE : XANDER
clapping along with the crowd.
ANGLE : RINGMASTER
as we continue to hear applause. The ringmaster holds out
his hands.. asking for silence. The applause dies down.
RINGMASTER
Sadly, Our day is at an end.
We hear groans, mainly from the children in the crowd.
RINGMASTER
(noticing)
Maybe.. one last trick?
The children go crazy.. yelling and applauding.
RINGMASTER
One last trick it is.
The ringmaster walks up to a smiling child sitting in the
front. He brushes the child's hair with his gloved hand.
RINGMASTER
After all, how can I ignore the pleas
of such beautiful children?
He turns away from the child and returns to the centre of
the ring. He looks up to the crowd.
RINGMASTER
But for this last illusion, I will need
a volunteer. But.. who to choose?
He looks around the crowd, as if searching for a face.
RINGMASTER
Who to choose? I know. Why don't I let
my little friend decide?
The ringmaster holds out an open hand. A tiny blob of
shining light materialises over it. The blob assumes
something vaguely human in form. We can just make out
something like a pair of cute eyes and eyebrows, blinking
at the ringmaster.
RINGMASTER
(to the light)
Little friend? Go find me someone nice.
Little friend blinks some more, then whizzes over towards
the crowd. We see it passing over people.. illuminating
their faces as it does so. It whizzes around from one end
of the tent to the other.
We see it hover in front of Rosalind. Little friend
blinks at Rosalind. She shies away from it.. looking a
little afraid. Little friend whizzes away from her.
It scoots past each of the Scoobs in order.. from one end
to the other, passing Anya, Xander, Tara, Willow, Giles
and Dawn. It stops in front of a surprised Buffy. It
stares at her for a beat and blinks a few times, then
turns back towards the ringmaster.. More blinking.
RINGMASTER
I see Little friend has found our
volunteer. Why don't you stand up?
BUFFY
Me? No.. I mean..
DAWN
(encouraging)
Come on Buffy.
BUFFY
(hesitantly)
But.. but if he turns me into a frog,
none of my outfits would match.
DAWN
Buffy.
Buffy grudgingly stands up. All eyes turn to look at her.
Little friend whizzes playfully around her.
RINGMASTER
(staring intently straight
at Buffy)
For this trick, I will need something
of yours that is dear and personal.
Something of value. Something you
cherish.
Buffy thinks for a beat. Her hand slowly reaches up
towards her locket.
ANGLE : RINGMASTER
watching impassively and patiently.
She stops.. changing her mind. She reaches down to her
wrist and unclasps her watch. She holds it out in the
air.
The ringmaster nods and smiles.
RINGMASTER
Give it to Little friend.
Buffy holds her watch out towards the tiny shining blob
of light. Little friend approaches Buffy and circles the
watch. It reaches out with its little hands and takes
hold of the watch. Buffy lets go. Little friend carries
the watch, then looks up to Buffy.. blinking away.
CLOSE ON : LITTLE FRIEND
as it blinks genially ay Buffy. We suddenly see its
expression change.. to something far more mischievous and
sinister. In a flash, however, its expression returns to
its harmless, child-like visage.
ANGLE : BUFFY
looking surprised and a little shocked.
Little friend flies away from Buffy and towards the
ringmaster. It drops the watch in the ringmaster's hand
and then dissapears.
The ringmaster inspects the watch, then holds it high up
in the air.
ANGLE : BUFFY
watching with interest.
The ringmaster palms the watch and opens his hand. The
watch has dissapeared. He then pulls it from his ear..
then throws it up in the air where it again dissapears.
The ringmaster coughs and seemingly pulls the watch out
of his mouth. Some applause from the crowd.
BUFFY
(looking straight ahead but
to the Scoobs)
That's just not healthy.
XANDER
Hey.. be glad he chose those two
orifices.
The ringmaster holds out the watch to his side.. at about
waist-level.
RINGMASTER
(to Buffy)
Would you like your watch back?
Buffy nods. The ringmaster smiles.
CLOSE ON : THE WATCH
as Buffy's wrist suddenly materialises under it. The
watch coils around her wrist and clasps itself on. We
WIDEN to reveal a very surprised Buffy now standing at
the centre of the ring next to the ringmaster.
BUFFY
(lookind around; confused)
Ookay.. where am I now?
RINGMASTER
The question, my dear, is what are you
now?
BUFFY
What? Who's a what?
The ringmaster makes a small gesture with his right hand.
Buffy morphs into a wolf. Oohs from the crowd. From a
wolf, she morphs into a cat. More oohs.
ANGLE : WILLOW, TARA AND XANDER
looking concerned.
ANGLE ON : THE CAT
as it morphs into a mouse. Oohs from the crowd.
ANGLE : GILES AND DAWN.
looking concerned.
ANGLE ON : THE MOUSE
as it morphs into an elephant. Oohs from the crowd.
ANGLE : ANYA
ANYA
(excitedly calling out)
Howler monkey! Howler monkey!
ANGLE : GILES
standing up.. very concerned now.
RINGMASTER
Fret not my friends. This, as all
others before..
The elephant dissapears and we WHIP PAN over to Buffy now
sitting back in her seat. Dawn and Giles looks over to
her.
RINGMASTER
.. is simply an illusion.
Much applause from the appreciative audience.
ANGLE : BUFFY
looking a little confused.
BUFFY
Wha.. what happened?
Giles sits back down into his seat, looking at Buffy.
Buffy gives Giles a little nod, indicating she's okay.
ANGLE : RINGMASTER
as he raises both his hands out to the audience in a
grand gesture.
RINGMASTER
Leave this tent now and return to your
lives. A life where you may once
again.. trust in what you see.. believe
in what you hear. But remember, for the
jester knows that the greatest illusion
of all is the one you don't even
realise is happening.
With that, the ringmaster smiles and bows, then
dissapears. Much applause from the crowd.
ANGLE : BUFFY
kinda joining in.. still looking a little uncertain about
it all. She notices something in front of her.
REVERSE ANGLE : ROSALIND
from Buffy's POV. While the people seated around her are
happily applauding, Rosalind sobs quietly. She turns back
and notices Buffy looking at her. She gets up and rushes
off out the tent.
ANGLE : BUFFY
staring at the departing figure.. intrigued.
EXT. CIRCUS - DAY
as we see the crowd departing the big tent after the
show. We see Buffy and the gang emerge from the tent,
joining the flow of the crowd.
BUFFY
He turned me into an elephant? What am
I? Elephant girl? I mean, why choose
that particular animal to turn me into?
(turning back to the group)
Do I like give off elephanty vibes? Do
you guys see me as an elephant?
Xander and Giles subtly step a few steps away from Buffy
as they walk.. no way are they touching that question.
TARA
Of course not.
WILLOW
Yeah, totally not an elephant.
ANYA
A hippopotamus.. tops.
TARA
I'm sure it wasn't anything personal.
WILLOW
It was just for the show.. you know? I
mean, who wouldn't be impressed? Big,
formidable beast.. and, with the trunk.
BUFFY
But an elephant?
DAWN
Well, he did turn you into a rat first.
BUFFY
Again?
Anya pokes Buffy in her back.
BUFFY
(spinning around to Anya)
Hey!
ANYA
(nonchalantly)
What?
BUFFY
Sorry.. I thought I said ouch.
(a beat)
Ouch.
ANYA
I was just checking.
(off confused looks)
Well, there may be some leftover magic
left. Maybe if I poked her at a certain
place, she'd turn into something else.
BUFFY
(incredulous)
What?
ANYA
(pouty)
I want my monkeys.
Xander swoops in and tactfully ferries Anya away from
Buffy.
XANDER
Come on An. What say we leave Buffy
alone and let her readjust back to
bipedal life.
Xander leads Anya away. The rest of the group continues
to walk on.
WILLOW
(to Buffy)
So, what was it like? Taking part in a
quick, interactive tour of the animal
kingdom?
BUFFY
Strangely un-strange. I don't really
remember anything about it.
WILLOW
Really? I would have thought being
turned into an elephant would be kinda
memorable.. right up there with first
dates, first kisses..
TARA
..first time being turned into an
elephant.
WILLOW
I hear it's easier the second time
round.
BUFFY
Well, it was like it wasn't happening..
but it was? I don't know. It was just a
world of weird. I tell you. There's
something off about this place. I think
we better be a little careful around..
DAWN
(spotting something to her
right)
Hall of Mirrors!
BUFFY
What?
DAWN
(pointing)
Hall of Mirrors.
Buffy looks over to where Dawn is pointing.
REVERSE ANGLE : A BUILDING
with a sign indeed entitled "Hall of Mirrors".
BUFFY
I don't think we should..
Dawn drags Buffy off with her into the building before
she can finish her sentence.
INT. HALL OF MIRRORS - DAY
We see a few people wandering around inside the hall of
mirrors.. staring at their multiple reflections. We PAN
over to Buffy and Dawn who have just entered the maze of
mirrors. Dawn looks all around, eyes wide open and mouth
agape.
DAWN
Cool.
Dawn rushes off ahead of Buffy.
BUFFY
Dawn.. wait.
(calling out to a departing
Dawn)
Don't go far. I've got my eyes on all
six of you.
Buffy idly wanders into the maze. She stops and looks at
herself in the reflection of one of the mirrors.. like
examining her condition. She doesn't look impressed.
BUFFY
Mirror, mirror on the wall..
(takes another long look at
herself)
Hello elephant girl.
Buffy notices something out of the corner of her eye. We
PAN left to another mirror where we see..
ANGLE : ROSALIND
staring at herself in her mirror. We see her slowly
reaching up and touching her face. She looks scared.
Buffy turns around to face her. She sees three
Rosalinds.. reflected off mirrors. All three Rosalinds
see Buffy. She looks startled, then runs off.
BUFFY
Hey! Wait..
Buffy begins to chase Rosalind but is finding a hard time
tracking her. She chases one Rosalind only to find it is
merely a reflection. She spins around only to see
Rosalinds running off in every direction. Buffy runs off
after one of them.
Buffy runs into a dead end. All she sees are reflections
of herself. She hears a door opening close by. She runs
over towards the sound.
She sees an open door leading outside. She runs out the
door to..
EXT. SMALL ALLEYWAY
behind the Hall of Mirrors.. between two buildings. Buffy
looks left and right. The alleyway looks deserted. All
she sees are a few boxes and a dumpster. We can hear the
lively noise of the circus off in the distance. Buffy
takes a good look around and then slowly starts walking
towards the large, blue dumpster.
ANGLE : BUFFY
carefully approaching the dumpster.
REVERSE ANGLE : THE DUMPSTER
sitting still and silent.
ANGLE : BUFFY
still approaching..
REVERSE ANGLE : THE DUMPSTER
looming larger and larger as Buffy gets closer. Suddenly,
a body jumps out from behind the dumpster.
Buffy grabs hold of the figure before it can run away.
She spins it around to face her. It is Rosalind. She
looks petrified.
ROSALIND
It's not time. It's not time.
BUFFY
What? Calm down. I'm here to help.
ROSALIND
(in agony)
Please.. Help me. The world is dying.
ANGLE : BUFFY
looking startled and concerned.
BLACKOUT
END OF ACT ONE
CONTINUE TO ACT TWO