Buffy Mythology Guide Season Five

Mythology Guide: Season Five

BUFFY VERSUS DRACULA

Plot Points:

Buffy spent the summer at the Summers house with Riley and Joyce. She spends nights hunting vamps. She sets up a regular dinner date with Joyce for the school year.
Buffy, Riley, Xander, Anya, Willow, and Tara regularly hang out together now. "Everybody" knows about Tara (though Joyce apparently doesn't). Tara and Riley are official Scooby members and take orders from Giles.
Willow starts a fire, and a freak thunderstorm starts but she claims it wasn't her fault.
Willow and Giles spent the summer cataloguing his library; Giles plans on returning to England and for Willow to replace him.
Dracula arrives in Sunnydale to seduce Buffy. He runs into Buffy, Xander, and Willow; the three think he's a sexy celebrity. Anya and Spike met Dracula a few times in the past; Drac was an old rival of Spike's in the old days.
Drac's extra vamp powers thanks to Gypsy magic: no vamp face but fangs, teleportation, morphing into a bat or wolf, hynoptic powers, telepathy, and the ability to survive a stake dusting.
Drac hypnotizes Xander into an emissary, making him into a hyper-active impulsive eater of insects. He'll vamp him in return.
Riley visits Spike for information. Spike warns him to stay out of it, Riley threatens to kill him. Spike says several demons are after him recently, and that Drac always stays in a mansion with special dirt.
Drac visits Buffy at night, hypnotizes her and drinks her blood. She tries to hide it afterward from everyone. Joyce invited him in; Willow and Tara cast a protection spell on the house again.
Riley claims to have lived in Sunnydale for "a couple of years".
Xander locks up Anya and takes Buffy to Drac's castle. He can still control her. Riley and Giles find Drac's castle; Giles is seduced by Drac's three vamp-bitches and Riley is attacked by Xander but easily decks him.
Dracula tells Buffy she doesn't know what a Slayer is. She's known throughout the world. He says "your power is rooted in darkness. you must feel it". Buffy is "a creature whose darkness rivals my own", they are kindred. He says they are always alone; he can teach her her history, power, capabilities. He says her power "is so near to our own", she has craved vamp blood. He echoes First Slayer's words; "you think you know what you are, what's to come, you haven't even begun".
Buffy drinks a little of Drac's blood (not enough to vamp her); it enables her to resist him. They fight; she stakes him but he merely recolesces from mist each time. Drac leaves.
Giles is about to tell Buffy he's leaving when she asks him to again be his Watcher. Since they've done the First Slayer spell she's felt the need to hunt more than ever, she wants to know more about her origins and nature. She hopes to control her darkness to be stronger and better.
Buffy walks into her room at the Summer house and finds Dawn there; she says "what are you doing here?". A second passes, and Dawn is Buffy's sister and Joyce's daughter, always has been.

Analysis:

So has Riley been living with Buffy and Joyce? Considering she just met him for the first time in "Restless" this must've been pretty awkward! Especially they sleep in the same bed!
Nice to see Buffy isn't going to ignore Joyce the way she did last year.
Xander says that "everyone" knows about Willow and Tara, but Joyce obviously doesn't. Wonder when she'll find out?
So what was the cause of that freak thunderstorm? Was Willow lying when she said it wasn't her fault? Was it Dracula? Was it some other magical power? Dawn? Tara? Buffy?
It's not explicitly stated, but apparently Drac's special vamp powers come from Gypsy magic. But some of it is also just high power level vamp stuff like the hypnosis (which both The Master and Drusilla have been able to do).
Spike says several demons have been after him recently; is this anything of note or just the general feeling against him last season for hanging out with the Slayer?
Does Dracula's special dirt have anything to do with his extraordinary powers?
Riley claims to have lived in Sunnydale for "a couple years", but this marks the one year anniversary of his first appearance in the show. So either he was exaggerating, or he was living in Sunnydale in Season Three. If he came here as part of the Initiative program, does that mean that the Initiative was setting up shop in Sunnydale as early as Season Three? If so, why didn't we see anything of them in Season Three? Why didn't they do anything about The Mayor?
It seems that Buffy was not strong enough to resist Drac's influence at her normal power levels, but by drinking some of his blood she was able to elevate her power levels (either temporarily or momentarily) to defeat him. Either that, or by drinking the vamp blood it awakened her darkness (possibly some kind of demonic side) which itself awakened additional powers within her from the source of Slayer power (basically what the spell did in "Primevil"). This is similar to what happened in "Prophecy Girl" when her powers were apparently temporarily elevated in order to defeat The Master. You might even say that her Slayer powers fluctuate in response to the threat level she faces, and that when she faces a stronger vamp (possibly other demons as well) then her powers will grow in turn. The reason this rule didn't work against Adam is because he existed outside the rules of the demon world as a demon mechanoid, so she had to artificially stimulate the power production using a magic spell.
Interesting to hear that Buffy is an international celebrity in the demon world. If she's so famous, why haven't we seen more demons from around the world come to challenge her? Or are they all genuinely sure they would be defeated?
Dracula says her power is rooted in darkness, it is connected to the same power source as the vampires'. The vampire power source is one of the Old Ones, the first demons who originally walked this earth (as told in the pilot). Vampires are the shadow of this last demon's power. So if the Slayer power source is so similar, then Slayers must be a shadow of another First One, another demon. This would mean their power source is 'evil', so perhaps Slayers are not forces of good but merely another demonic force that is opposed to the one commonly considered 'evil'.
So Buffy has secretly craved vampire blood all this time? Interesting. This darkness talk also casts a new light on Faith and her fall to darkness. Remember that historically Slayers do not live very long; perhaps they are killed before they get a chance to fall into darkness. Faith wasn't abnormal, she was just following the route that any long-lived Slayer would follow, and it seems that Buffy might be on this route now.
Also remember that Faith describes slaying as working up sexual tension, and Buffy was embarrassed to admit to this as well. This seems to be connected to this darkness talk. This sexual side is very similar to what happened between Buffy and Dracula here.
It's interesting that Dracula echoed First Slayer's words in "Restless". Perhaps he was just reading that memory from her mind. Or just that he knows the same thing that First Slayer knew.
It's amazing that Drac can survive being staked. This goes against the most important vamp rule (though some have argued he isn't actually being staked, but merely creating the illusion that he is as he teleports away). This arguably makes him immortal and there is no obvious way Buffy could kill him, outside of some kind of magical spell.
Well it looks like Season Five is going to be about Buffy discovering the truth about her nature and her dark side. Glad to see she is now officially back with Giles as her Watcher, though I wonder if this means she'll rejoin the Watchers Council (after all they must have tons of arcane knowledge about her nature and powers!). In fact, if they never bring up the Council in regards to this it would be a huge mistake. This would also be the first time she's trained in over a year (though there isn't really anything Giles can do to train her against the more arcane elements).
Buffy says she wishes to learn to control her darkness to make her a better fighter. This sounds pretty dangerous, she sounds overconfident in her self control, while she's trying to make herself stronger she could easily fall to the dark side.
And so Dawn gets literally spliced into the show. By showing up in Buffy's bedroom she is obviously what the dreams in "Graduation Day II" and "This Year's Girl" and "Restless" were referring to.
It seems that Dawn teleported or just snuck into the Summers house, and Buffy stumbled across her before she could cast a spell or do a telepathic trick that convinced Buffy and Joyce she had always been there. In order to defeat Buffy's mind (especially after the Drac blood, but that extra power is probably already gone again) she must be a very powerful telepath/magician. And she presumably has also cast this spell/trick on everyone who knows Buffy and Joyce else they'd give away the ruse.
So what is Dawn's purpose...?

REAL ME

Plot Points:

Buffy and Giles now regularly do meditative exercises with power crystals. They've set up a regular time for training; Buffy had to drop taking Drama with Willow which she wasn't happy about.
Dawn is 14, she narrates no one knows her, the real her, they don't bother to ask. She says she doesn't have any super powers, but is waiting to surprise Buffy with the truth about her.
Dawn's interactions with the gang: she and Buffy live with Joyce, sibling bickering with Buffy. Doesn't like Riley he treats her like a kid. Giles is annoyed with her. Willow and Tara really like her, she doesn't know they're lovers. Dawn has a crush on Xander but doesn't like Anya.
Giles has a new expensive convertible he likes to show off.
The magic shop owner is once again killed by vamps; Giles buys the shop and runs it with a great profit margin, and there's room in the back for Buffy to train.
Dawn gets attacked by a crazy bum. He says "What are you doing? There's no loitering. That's why I'm a cat. Quiet. See cat's in the cupboard but they find you anyway. It hurts. Please make it stop! Shut up they'll hear you they'll hear you. I know you. Curds and whey. I know what you are. You don't belong here!".
Harmony's raised a gang of inept vamps, stole Slayer books from the magic shop hoping to kill Buffy.
Xander has a job in construction now. Anya seems taken with board games.
Tara still considers herself an outsider from Scooby despite Willow's protestations, she prefers it that way.
Buffy has memories of growing up with Dawn but feels that recently she's become an annoying burden.
Xander still refers to Dracula as "the Master".
Harmony calls out Buffy but only Xander, Anya, and Dawn are there. Xander bickers with Harmony and Dawn accidentally invites her in. Willow and Tara will do the protection spell later.
Spike runs into Harmony and advises her to kidnap a family member to draw Buffy in for a trap; they kidnap Dawn and give Anya a concussion. Buffy roughs up Spike to learn her location and frees Dawn but Harmony escapes.

Analysis:

What exactly were those crystals for in Buffy's meditation training? Were they some magical kind of thing to access her Slayer power?
If Dawn doesn't have any super-powers, then this must mean someone else with powers inserted her into Buffy's world and duped everyone into remembering her.
Looks like Buffy won't be living in a dorm this semester but at home with Joyce; yet she doesn't seem to have a car, so how is she gonna get to the campus every day?!
Well Joyce has found out Willow and Tara are lesbians; she didn't know last episode.
Finally Giles gets a replacement for his ratty old car destroyed over half a season ago!
That brief scene between Dawn and the crazy bum will probably be very important down the road. Obviously this guy hasn't been affected by the psychic dupe. Then again was there any deeper meaning to his ramblings about being a quiet cat hiding in the cupboard but being found? He knows she doesn't belong, and he seems to be afraid of being discovered that he knows. So maybe somehow he's immune to the psychic dupe and doesn't want whoever's doing it to find out.
So did Buffy ever retrieve those Slayer books from Harmony? And why are there books on Slayers in any old magic shop if it's supposed to be such a secret except for the demon world?!
Obviously Buffy is slowly clueing into the fact that Dawn only recently arrived; she says lately she seems to have been more of a burden than she remembers. Looks like the psychic dupe didn't take her personality into account, or Buffy's unconscious Slayer/demon side is trying to tell her that something is up.
Xander might still be under Dracula's thrall, which should interesting if he ever returns. Or maybe this will make him susceptible to other demon/vamp's commands. It's notable that in the clip show they show Xander being pissed at being everybody's butt monkey, this might be setting up some kind of betrayal down the road.
Will they ever bother to kill Harmony? She has been murdering people! Or Spike for that matter, but that's a long story.

THE REPLACEMENT Plot Points:

Buffy's taken to studying violence in history and nit-picking kung fu movie fights.
The "sophisticated" demon Toth arrives to kill Buffy. He uses a weapon to try and split her in two between the human and the Slayer. By killing the helpless human half the other would die as well. Buffy kills him.
Toth visits Giles' magic shop to find Buffy. Giles attempts to fight him but Toth ignores him and leaves.
Spike has been making Buffy mannequins to beat up while he plots revenge against her.
Anya has realized her mortality after her injury last episode and gets closer to Xander.
Anya does have her own place where she lives.
Riley has a car and drives Buffy around.
Toth accidentally hits Xander splitting him between his confident and lame side. Confident Xander gets him a fancy new apartment and a regular high paying construction job before they get recombined. The apartment manager has a thing for him too.
Riley admits to Xander that he loves Buffy but she doesn't love him.

Analysis:

Buffy is becoming more and more battle driven. She's actually reading history books in her spare time! She's become more Slayer...
This is the third episode in a row where a demon arrives to confront Buffy. Obviously the "Primevil" First Slayer spell drew attention to her in more ways than one; now the entire demon world is gunning for her. And if Toth had the jump on her, he would have gotten her.
Looks like they're building up to Spike getting some revenge on Buffy!
They say this is Anya's first real injury as a mortal; but in "Wild Things" her hand was run through by a poltergeist vine!
So they finally confirm that Anya has her own place. How the hell does she pay for it?! Is it some kind of left over from her initial spell in the "The Wish" where she created a false identity to get to Cordelia?
They also finally explain how Buffy has been moving around town the past year or so; Riley's been driving her. Of course, one now has to ask how Riley can afford his own car and his own apartment when he doesn't have a job. Hush money from the military?
This episode seems to be setting up a major change in Xander, making him a more important person to the show. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if this was a big set up for him getting some kind of super powers later on.
Riley must be smarter than I thought if he realized that Buffy doesn't love him. She's just in it for the sex so to speak, she will only ever love Angel presumably, he's just a temporary place holder so to speak. Guess this means they'll be breaking up soon, and when he does he'll definitely leave the series, probably through death.

OUT OF MY MIND Plot Points:

Buffy is hunting the graveyard again. She can sense when a vamp is about to rise and is angry when Riley and Spike interrupt her.
Buffy and Willow are back in college, and Buffy is studying hard and discussing lectures.
Giles unveils the new training gym in the back of the magic shop. Buffy loves it.
Harmony hides with Spike fearing Buffy's nonexistent wrath.
Joyce is with Dawn when she suddenly has a spell and asks who Dawn is before fainting. Dawn is freaked out.
Riley's heart beat is frantically fast and is in serious danger of a heart attack. Riley is unconcerned; it is a result of his Initiative experimental work. Buffy tells the government through the phone tap on Riley's phone.
Dawn says she writes fake things in her diary in case of something.
The military keeps Riley's apartment under surveillance and has a phone tap on him.
Willow manages to do a larger version of a flame spell Tara taught her, which surprises her.
Graham meets Riley to convince to take the operation, they've been telling him this for weeks. Riley flees and goes into hiding in the Initiative caves. Buffy searches for him and includes Spike in the hunt. Riley tells Buffy he thinks she won't want him if he's normal, she says she's opened to him more than to anyone else.
Spike and Harmony kidnap the Initiative doctor to force him to remove the chip from Spike's brian. He couldn't remove the chip.
Riley apparently suffers a heart attack, but the doctor fixes him leaving him at normal abilities. Graham tells Riley he doesn't belong here doing nothing, he should rejoin the military.
Spike has a dream where he and Buffy make out and express their love for each other, totally freaking him out.

Analysis:

Looks like Buffy is continuing to become a primal hunter. She can even sense when a vamp is about to rise now. Her annoyance at Riley and Spike showing up might be because they remind her of her human side, which she is trying to repress while hunting.
So Joyce briefly realizes Dawn is a plant. Looks like whatever force that is duping Sunnydale might be starting to wear off. Judging by Dawn's reaction, she does know that she doesn't belong here.
Dawn mentions she writes fake things in her diary in case of something. This could mean two things. She lied so that in case Buffy ever read the diary she wouldn't believe the talk about the surprise of Dawn's true nature. Or, the talk about her true nature is a lie and she writes those things in case someone reads the diary, to distract them from the truth.
The military is keeping surveillance on Riley, which is basically what they indicated they would do in "Primevil". Is Buffy's house under surveillance as well? If so, is the military under the Dawn dupe as well? If they weren't, wouldn't they say something?
Is there any significance to Willow beefing up spells that Tara taught her? Tara seemed a little concerned- does this go against whatever her secret purpose is?
Looks like Riley was right when he told Xander Buffy doesn't love him. In her entire speech about how much he means to her, she never says that she loves him! Surely this wasn't an oversight! Looks like Angel is the only guy she'll ever love but she's afraid to say it.
So Spike can NEVER get the damn chip removed?! Ugh! This would have been the perfect plot twist to give his character meaning.
Riley was having heart trouble, and apparently suffered a heart attack. Yet his bandage is on his shoulder where his chip was in "Primevil". But he ripped the chip out in "Primevil", so what was the doctor doing in there? Wouldn't he have been working on the heart or something like that? Or did Riley only rip out part of the chip?
Wasn't Riley dishonorably discharged? How could he rejoin the military then?
So what Spike has fallen in love with Buffy against his will? What the hell!

NO PLACE LIKE HOME Plot Points:

Two months ago; an unseen force attacks a monastery in Czechoslovakia. Three monks desperately perform a spell to protect the key, which they complete just as the force reaches them...
Buffy is attacked by another vamp looking to kill her outside a warehouse, where a security guard finds a glowing ball and gives to her.
Joyce is still sick without cause or explanation, and is acting overly affectionate with Joyce making Buffy jealous.
Buffy doesn't want Riley hunting with her because of his now normal power levels.
Giles' magic shop makes it grand opening; at first no one arrives but then it becomes swamped with customers. Anya is a very efficient store clerk so Giles hires her on.
Buffy visits the hospital for Joyce's medication and runs into Ben the nurse again (from last episode). The security guard is there in a hysterical state. He tells Buffy the medication won't work; "they're coming at you! Don't think you're above it! They come through the family, they get to your family!".
One of the Czech monks is hiding in the warehouse. The force attacks again and punches through a massive metal door. It's The Beast- a semi crazed blonde teenager in a red dress. She holds him captive and says she doesn't want to be in this mortal dimension and just wants the key. She seems to refer to a second inner self and goes crazy saying "stop it mommy's talking... Doing it over and over and over 'til someone's gonna sit on their tuffet and make this birthing stop!". She does something to a human where she puts her fingers into his brain which heals her.
Buffy learns someone cast a spell on Joyce to make her sick. Anya suggests the spell to reveal other spells but Willow and Giles are concerned about her meditative abilities. Buffy has been practicing meditation. Buffy begins the spell/trance and Dawn immediately tries to interrupt her. Buffy enters the trance but sees no signs around Joyce; but she sees Dawn fading out from photos. She confronts Dawn in the trance, and she fades in and out of reality- she sees Dawn isn't her sister. She confronts Dawn in real life saying she isn't her sister and to stay away from her mother- Dawn denies everything.
Giles finds the orb is a Dagon Sphere which warns off ancient primordial evil. It was created to repel "that which cannot be named". Apparently the monk placed it for Buffy. Dawn appears and tells her she doesn't care that she's the Slayer. Buffy tells Dawn the spell didn't work.
Buffy finds Spike lurking outside her house, watching for hours. He lamely insults her and runs off.
Buffy checks the warehouse and finds the monk. She is attacked by The Beast, who is much stronger than her. She doesn't know who or what Buffy is. Buffy flees with the monk and The Beast accidentally collapses the roof in on her.
The dying monk tells Buffy she must "protect the key". Many more will die if she doesn't. "The key is energy. A portal, it opens the door. For centuries it had no form at all. My brethren, it's only keepers, then the abomination found us, we had to hide the key, gave it form, molded it flesh, made it human, and sent it to you". Dawn. "She's the key. We knew the Slayer would protect". They built the false memories of her. Buffy doesn't want this, but she is now human and helpless, "she is an innocent in this. She needs you". Dawn doesn't know she isn't her sister. The monk dies.
Buffy talks to Dawn and apologizes for attacking her. Dawn lamely insults her and Buffy strokes her hair. Dawn asks what's wrong with Joyce, and Buffy says she doesn't know.

Analysis:

Presumably the two months ago flashback is supposed to correspond with Dawn's appearance in "Buffy Vs Dracula".
Once again a strong demon/vampire comes to town with the purpose of killing Buffy; that's four so far this season.
So how did this one monk survive The Beast two months ago? Did she/it kill the other two monks and he somehow escaped?
These three monks must have been incredibly powerful to do what they did, perhaps they were more than human.
So someone/thing has cast a spell to make Joyce sick; yet Buffy doesn't see a spell in the trance. If Joyce's condition was an effect of the Dawn spell (as the trance seems to indicate) why didn't Buffy ask the monk about it or something... presumably if this was the case then it would have been resolved in this episode. The fact that it continues suggests another party responsible. It probably wasn't The Beast since she/it didn't even know who Buffy was or where the key/Dawn was. So The Beast is probably this season's faux Big Bad a la Spike, Mister Trick, and Professor Walsh. The REAL Big Bad is whatever is doing this force, and also has an interest in Buffy and/or the key/Dawn.
Why is Joyce suddenly acting so affectionate towards Dawn? Is this part of the spell cast on her? Or is it just normal behavior? Is Dawn somehow causing this influence on her without knowing it?
So does Dawn know or doesn't she? She seemed to know something in "Real Me", and she reacts pretty knowingly to people finding she doesn't belong in "Real Me" and "Out of My Mind". Maybe she wasn't supposed to know but has figured out, or at least suspects. In any case she has to know now; Buffy attacked her and said she wasn't her sister and blamed her for Joyce's condition.
Buffy probably doesn't want Riley to hunt with her because it interferes with her Slayer/demonic side taking over...
It seems very suspicious how Giles' shop is just swamped with customers. We've seen magic shops in town before and they were never this popular! So either all these people know or suspect something big is going down or they're part of some conspiracy...
Ben the man-nurse makes two bit appearances in a row. Is this just a little bit of continuity or are the writers slowly building this character up in the background like they did with Riley? Will this be Willow's new boyfriend after something happens to Tara?
How can this security guard know that something is attacking Buffy by making Joyce sick? Or was he referring to Dawn and not the magic attack? Was he somehow touched by The Beast's mind giving this knowledge but also driving him insane? Is this what The Beast did to that one guard when she put her hands in his brain?
So The Beast (possibly the Christian Anti-Christ?) has been trapped in this mortal dimension against her will. She just wants to return to her home dimension, and to do that she needs the key/the portal/Dawn. Presumably the act of her transferring from this reality will cause some kind of widespread destruction a la The Mayor's Ascension in "Grad Day 2" or no one would care if she left. Interestingly she doesn't appear to be 'evil' per se, she just wants to return home.
It seems that The Beast is schizophrenic and has some second inner self. When she starts to go crazy she says "stop it mommy's talking!"- is she trying to assert dominance over her inner self but failing?
She mentions sitting on a tuffet, a reference to the cryptic Dawn-related Buffy/Faith dream in "Grad Day 2".
She says "and make this birthing stop!". She also seems to identify herself as "mommy" in regards to her inner self. So perhaps there is some kind of being/child within her (thus the reason for choosing a female form, to symbolize this). It is driving her insane, and apparently it is because she is in this plane that the "birthing" is happening. It's not natural. Perhaps this child is a force of good and that's why she doesn't want it to be born, or merely because it will kill her if it born.
Now, her strange attack on the guard seems to satiate her and make her sane again, put the child/inner self back under control. Perhaps she is drinking his soul in some form, feeding the child/inner self to make it quiet. And an aftereffect of this is the insanity and knowledge we saw in the first security guard; in fact I bet this is what happened to the Crazy Guy in "Real Me"!
So Buffy does a spell to find other spells. This seems very similar to the demon finding spell that Willow attempted to do in "A New Man" but which Tara sabotaged.
Buffy has really come far in the past two months! She's able to achieve a meditative state that only a real holy man type could achieve. It's also interesting that she shows this high ability at magic; is she tapping into her Slayer power to do this?
Dawn shows up the moment Buffy starts the spell to distract her. Obviously she could sense what was going on on some level and tried to prevent it. Again, on some level she has to know what she is.
Since there are no signs on Joyce in the trance, this presumably means that the cause of her illness is the Dawn spell. Or whoever cast the spell is so powerful they/it can elude this finder spell!
Why doesn't Buffy just give Joyce the Dagon Sphere and tell her to always keep it with her? This would presumably cure her.
Was the Dagon Sphere for Buffy particularly, or for Joyce? If it was for Buffy, then perhaps it will be some kind of secret weapon against The Beast.
After Buffy attacks her, Dawn says she doesn't care that she's the Slayer. Is this a threat or indication of something more, or just a lame insult?
Looks like Spike is now stalking Buffy because of his crush on her. Is he still with Harmony?
The Beast was several times stronger than Buffy. She could've taken on Adam and probably the Mayor-Snake too!
So The Beast doesn't know what a Slayer is or that Buffy is the Slayer. Interesting.
The monk says many more will die if The Beast gets Dawn. Presumably from the act of her leaving the dimension.
The monk says the portal has only been around for centuries. So this probably means The Beast has only been here for centuries at the most, and not since the dawn of time or the time when demons ruled the Earth.
The monk calls The Beast "the abomination". Why is she an abomination? Because she's from another dimension? Because she's some kind of apocalyptic force? Because of her child/inner self?
So Buffy is going to be more affectionate to Dawn now and protect her- The Beast will be coming for her...

FAMILY Plot Points:

Tara tells a story to Willow... about a child no one wants until a man adopts her. She has been studying magic intensely to keep up with Willow and still feels useless to the group.
Buffy tells Giles the truth about Dawn. She isn't going to tell Dawn and vows to protect her. Buffy's father is in Spain with his secretary and still hasn't gotten back to her about Joyce being sick. They won't tell anyone else to keep the secret. They know Glory will be coming after them soon and will research her.
Buffy moves out of her new dorm in order to stay with Joyce and Dawn. Buffy is always keeping an eye on Dawn now.
Riley suggests calling in the government to help with Glory but Buffy refuses. He knows she's keeping secrets from him again.
Ben the Intern takes the 5th psycho victim of Glory. A demon is about to kill him but Glory grabs him and recruits him to find and kill Buffy, who she learns is a Vampire Slayer. She briefly looses it again and says "because my name is a holy name!".
Xander and Buffy feel awkward around Tara. Xander and Riley have taken to rassaling.
Spike now fantasizes about fighting Buffy while having sex with Harmony. When he learns about the demons going after Buffy he goes to the rescue.
Tara's redneck family visits; brother Donny, Father, and Cousin Beth. They have come to take her back because when she turns twenty she'll become a demon like her mother. Her father says her magic power comes from this and it will only make her "evil" stronger.
Willow suggests doing the demon finding spell again ("A New Man") which Tara again refuses.
Riley has been visiting Willy's demon bar. Willy isn't around.
Tara does a demon-hiding spell on the gang so they won't see her transformation, which makes the attacking demons invisible to them. However Buffy can dimly sense them. Spike arrives and saves them until Tara undoes the spell. Tara's family arrives and Father Maclay explains the women in their family are part demon. Willow convinces Tara to stay and the entire gang protects her and calls her family. Anya asks what kind of demon so Spike punches Tara- he feels pain so she's human. It's just a family legend to control the women. Tara renounces her family after eighteen years.

Analysis:

Obviously Tara's little story was about herself. But was the person who adopted her and gave her love Tara? Or was she referring to her mother/family? Notice that at the end her father says she's been with the family 18 years, yet she is 20 years. Does this mean that she was adopted into this redneck family when she was 2? So maybe she does have some magical/demon heritage after all.
Buffy's Father finally gets a mention. He sure is being cast in a negative light though! This also finally confirms that the Dawn Spell works on people outside Sunnydale.
Again what is up with the recurring character of Ben the Intern?! Was there any special reason that demon was after him, or was he just going to be a random demon victim? Is there any significance to Glory accidentally sparing him from attack?
Glory knows what a Vampire Slayer is suggesting she does have knowledge of this world or its demon part at least.
Glory says her name is a holy name... another religious reference pointing to her as the Anti-Christ or something like that.
Boy Xander and Riley have really bonded recently! Now they even wrestle with each other over petty arguments!
Tara's secret is extremely anti-climactic to say the least! And the revelation that she doesn't have any demonic heritage doesn't explain her strangely powerful magical abilities. Is that just a coincidence?
How exactly has the Maclay family kept this ruse going? They seem to say that at twenty the women transforms into a demon, but does this mean that the women are never seen again after age twenty? What do they do kill them?! Or is there some excuse like a counter-spell or some such?
What's up with Riley visiting Willy's? Is he looking for trouble or something? And where's Willy?
Notice that Buffy can dimly sense the demons through the spell, again her Slayer powers are increasing.

FOOL FOR LOVE Plot Points:

Buffy is almost killed by an average vampire when stabs her gut. She researches with Giles about past slayers but there are no details of their deaths from their Watchers; they no doubt found it too painful. She wants to understand their mistakes and lives longer.
Riley goes patrolling with Xander Willow and Anya who are obliviously blowing his covertness. He grenades a vamp nest.
Buffy turns to Spike to learn about the two slayers he killed. He tells her his past and the weaknesses of Slayers. They must reach for their weapons unlike vamps. A Slayer's death is inevitable but her overconfidence will quicken it. A part of her wants death and is curious about it because she fears enjoying the killing, and when she gives into that want she dies. They all have a death wish. It's only her family and friends that delay the inevitable.
1880 London: William the Bloody is a hapless romantic fool and a horrible poet. The girl he loves Cecily rejects him, and he runs off where he encounters Drusilla who shows a liking for him and makes him a vampire. He soon takes the name Spike and runs into trouble with Angelus and Darla for drawing attention to themselves. Angelus wants artistry where Spike wants a mob fight, when he learns about the Slayer he soon becomes obsessed with them.
1900 China: Spike fights the Slayer during the Boxer Rebellion and drains her. Spike and Dru apparently start their relationship now.
1977 NYC: Spike fights a second Slayer, kills her, and takes her coat as his own.
1998 South America: Dru breaks up with Spike because he's obsessed with Buffy. She cheated on him with a slimy horned demon.
Joyce may have a serious medical condition and is going in to the hospital for CAT scans and observation.
Spike tries to kiss Buffy but she rejects him and says he's beneath her. In a rage he goes to shoot her with a shotgun despite Harmony's pleas, but instead finds her crying over her mother's medical condition and comforts her instead offering help.

Analysis:

Is there any secret reason why the Watchers have not recorded the deaths of their Slayer charges? Could the Council be attempting to hide some kind of secret about the death of a Slayer? Since Giles obviously doesn't know anything about this, this would be something that the Council imposes on the Watchers after their charge dies. But probably not.
Riley using a grenade on vamps opens up a whole new can of worms. Why doesn't he use weaponry on vamps instead of staking them all the time? Same goes for everyone else. The only excuse I can think of is that Riley can't afford to buy munitions on his income and he only used this because Buffy was out of operation.
Why oh why would Xander be oblivious to simple military call signals after his soldier memories from "Halloween"?!
Spike makes an excellent point. Slayers are partially excited by killing and a part of them grows curious about what is death is like, and when their momentary giving in to that is the usual reason they are killed. This again ties into the dark side of Slayerdom hinted to in "Buffy Vs Dracula" and again Faith is a perfect example that she wasn't nutso but just giving into her Slayer side.
Spike said that Angelus was his sire in "School Hard" yet Drusilla turns him here. He must've been referring to how Angelus was his father figure as a vampire.
So Spike quickly grows obsessed with Slayers upon hearing of them, yet it takes him 20 years to fight and kill one?!
It's not clear whether Spike and Dru began their relationship in 1900 or earlier.
So Spike's black trench coat was taken from the second Slayer he killed! Interesting!
So Spike has always been obsessed with Buffy even back in Season Two. Interesting. This explains why he returned to Sunnydale after Dru left him in "Lovers Walk" and why he really remained in Sunnydale after being neutered and most of all why he remained in Sunnydale after the Initiative was destroyed. Plus, Harmony kinda looks like Buffy... Looks like the writers have done the impossible and given Spike something to do for Season Five!
I'm a little lost on Joyce now having a serious medical condition. Back in "Out of My Mind" it seemed to be a simple feinting spell because of the Dawn Spell. Buffy in "No Place Like Home" doesn't seem to think the Dawn Spell is the cause. But I suspect that when Joyce spends some time away from Dawn at the hospital her condition will mysteriously improve...
Spike grabbing a shotgun to kill Buffy also opens up a big can of worms. Why doesn't every vamp that comes after her bring a gun, stalk her, then shoot her from behind?
How sweet Spike goes from murderous rage to comforting and offering help in five seconds. I predict this will be the role of Spike in Season Five; demonic protector and ally of Buffy, he'll help her in fights and slowly grow closer to her and learn to be a good guy a la Angel. After all he almost has a pseudo-soul and we've seen how romantical he is. I think he'll try to change for Buffy... and as she discovers her dark demonic side she'll slowly turning to him and away from Riley...

SHADOW Plot Points:

A fawning demonic monk Dreg delivers a spell to Glory; his order is devoted to her and faced many dangers to procure it.
Riley catches Spike smelling Buffy's clothes in the Summers house. Spike points out they never did a spell to un-invite him, says that Buffy is bored with him and tells him about Joyce's condition and his night with Buffy.
Fruitless Glory research continues; Tara posits she predates language itself so there isn't any record. Glory interrupts the secession to buy some magic items from Giles. Anya spots the purchase, which is an ancient Egyptian transmogrification spell to raise the cobra demon Kobek.
Joyce's CAT scan and biopsy shows she has a shadow, a low grade glioma brain tumor. It hasn't spread yet, there's a one in three chance of survival. Ben the intern comforts Buffy. Buffy wants to use magic but Giles and Tara say it would only hurt. Riley takes care of Dawn, who tells Riley she likes him and is better than Angel because he's more mundane.
Glory and Dreg do the spell at Sunnydale Zoo. Buffy fights Glory but gets beaten again, though she learns Glory's name. The spell successfully raises Sobek and Glory commands him to search the holy places and find The Key for her.
Xander confronts Riley about fighting out of his element and asks what he's trying to do. Riley goes to Willy's again and meets the vampire women again. He leaves with her and lets her drain him some before dusting her.
Glory is pissed at Dreg that Kobek is taking so long. She says she's on a schedule and running out of time- "tick tock!".
Kobek locates Dawn in the Magic Shop and flees down Main Street in front of a crowd of people. Buffy and Giles pursue him in Giles car. Buffy catches up with him and beats him to death just before reaching Glory's apartment.
Joyce tells Dawn about the brain tumor. Riley tries to comfort her but she refuses to help support Dawn and Joyce.

Analysis:

So is Dreg still going to be helping Glory...? Just how powerful is this demonic cult he belongs to?
Spike was invited into the Summers house all the way back in "Becoming II", it is VERY surprising Buffy never had the un-invite spell done, especially once Spike returned to Sunnydale!
Looks like Ben is being built up as Buffy's friendly hospital person for Joyce's condition but also with the possibility of an affair.
I still think Joyce's brain tumor is a result of the Dawn spell and I'm still surprised this hasn't occurred to anyone yet! They even mention the Dagon Sphere in this episode! Try it on Joyce!
Poor Riley... he was ignored by Buffy as it was but now with Joyce's condition he's getting stiffed even more, plus Spike and Dawn are telling him how mundane he is compared to Angel. But still letting himself get bitten by the vamp lady just seems nuts. He's either suicidal (which I doubt) or thinking that if he were vamped Buffy would like him more. In any case it's a cry for help since he'll now have a noticeable bite mark which Buffy will surely notice very quickly despise high necked sweaters.
At least Xander is being smart enough to notice something is up with Riley-- though I don't see the problem with Riley's actions last episode. He used a grenade so was never himself in danger (Xander couldn't know about him going in by himself first).
So Buffy already knows that she can't beat Glory in a fist fight. So in the world doesn't she bring a sword or something when she goes to fight Glory again! I'm sure beheading Glory would do the trick.
Dreg would call Glory Glorificus... is this her actual name or just another descriptive word that she liked?
Why is Glory on a rushed schedule? I bet it's because her body is about to 'birth' the second thing inside her which was eluded to in "No Place Like Home". Apparently she doesn't want to be in this dimension when the birthing happens.
Well several dozen people saw Kobek a gigantic cobra demon racing down Main Street. How in the world is this going to be kept a secret?! How could all those people possibly ignore or forget or explain away that! Not to mention the fact that Buffy's secret identity was revealed to all of them when she chased after it (Giles' too for that matter). That should blow open the entire demon world to the American public dammit!

LISTENING TO FEAR Plot Points:

Riley ditches patrolling to have another vamp babe drink his blood (from his arm this time).
A crazy guy at the hospital sees Dawn and says "there's no data.. there's no pictures.. there's no one in there". Buffy tries to blow it off, Ben tells her the mental word is booking so they're being sent home with their families. He questions what was said to Dawn.
A Queller demon crashes to Earth from a meteor and goes around killing the insane victims of Glory by shooting a liquid into their mouth. Giles et al find the crash site and the first body; Riley stays behind to call in Graham Miller and the military.
Joyce begins having temporary outbursts of inane anger on the eve of her brain surgery. Joyce has a flash where she calls Dawn nothing and a shadow. Buffy again tries to make nothing of it but Dawn brings up the two insane guys too.
Giles asserts it is merely a demon entering Earth by a different means. There are previous accounts of hollow meteor crashes back to the twelfth century who herald the end of the outbreaks of madness. People thought the moon caused insanity and prayed to summon a special meteor to stop the madness. It killed at least six.
Buffy takes Joyce home where she is attacked by the Queller demon. Joyce babbles to it, asking why it asks her a question, he should have been told at the gate not to come. It spits the liquid on her face but Dawn distracts it. Spike (who was stealing photos of Buffy) helps Buffy kill it. Riley and the troops break in.
Dreg visits Ben and asks why he is doing this, causing chaos and drawing attention to where it shouldn't be. Ben summoned the Quellor to clean up Glory's mess just like he's done his entire life. Dreg addresses him with respect.
Joyce tells Buffy she knows Dawn is not her child but is very important and must be protected. Buffy confirms, Joyce tells her to protect Dawn no matter what happens to her. Joyce goes in for the brain surgery.

Analysis:

Does Riley want to become a vampire or what? If he does make himself a vampire then it's possible he could remain a 'good' vampire, he could just call his buddies in the military and get a non-violence chip just like Spike's. Chances are Willow (and Tara) would be unable to perform the gypsy soul curse.
Notice that Ben asks Buffy what the insane guy said to Dawn; does he suspect she is The Key?
So if the Queller is murdering Glory's victims why the saliva? Does this substance do something special to redress whatever Glory does to them?
Dawn is really starting to clue in that something is wrong with her, despite Buffy's efforts to make nothing of it.
I thought that Glory just recently came into existence on Earth... yet Quellers have been showing up for at least 900 years! Were they for something similar to Glory or has she really been on Earth that long? Then again Giles et al do suspect that she is older than language so perhaps she has been stuck here all this time.
In ancient times people blamed the moon for this out break of madness... does this mean anything in particular?
We only directly hear the Queller killing six; surely there were many more than that since Ben says the mental ward was overfilling.
What question was the Queller telepathically asking Joyce? Was it about Dawn/The Key? Glory? Or was she babbling?
Joyce tells the Queller he should have been told at the gate not to come- this probably refers to the dimensional gate between Earth and where ever he came from. Why does she think he shouldn't have come though? Maybe this just refers to her specifically since her condition is not the result of Glory attacking her.
Notice that after the Queller shoots the liquid on Joyce's face we never get one scene of her having an outbreak. I bet that liquid cured her of the brain tumor and when she goes in go surgery they'll discover the tumor has disappeared.
Presumably the military troops removed the Queller's body for study.
Dreg accuses Ben of causing chaos and drawing attention where it shouldn't be by summoning the Queller. Sounds like Dreg (and by proxy Glory) fear some other party learning of their presence here.
So Ben is some supernatural guy assigned to clean up Glory's messes. Is he related to her? Is he her enemy, a force of good? Or he another evil guy who's just trying to keep her under control? Since Dreg addresses him with respect he's probably connected to Glory.
I'm surprised that Buffy told the truth to Joyce rather than blow it off, she usually keeps such things secret. She probably told her because there was a good chance that Joyce wouldn't survive the surgery and she didn't want her last words to her mother to be lies.
Sounds like they might be setting Joyce up to die in surgery, judging by her final words to Buffy to protect Dawn no matter what happens to her. Buffy is practically Dawn's mother now, with Joyce gone it will just become official.

INTO THE WOODS Plot Points:

Joyce's tumor was successfully removed and she should be fine.
Buffy's grades have been dropping from Joyce-related absences but will pass the semester.
After sex Riley sneaks out to the vamp club. Spike, who was watching the Summer house, follows. He takes Buffy to show her. She sees Riley having a vamp drink from him. Riley runs off.
The Army squad with Graham is going after a demon tribe in Belize killing missionaries. They want Riley to rejoin them and remind him this isn't The Initiative- it's just the military killing hostiles. They give him a deadline to rejoin before they leave.
Anya bickers with Willow over interfering with the Magic Shop's business affairs.
The vamp clubs are popular through history; mortals pay vamps to drain them for the thrill the vamps never kill to keep the business. Giles thinks that it's something Buffy shouldn't be concerning herself with.
Riley stakes Spike with a plastic stake. Spike admits he's in love with Buffy, that he doesn't stand a chance with her, and that he would've killed Riley if not for the chip. They talk about how she doesn't love Riley.
Riley confronts Buffy. He explains it started as a petty response to the Dracula-Angel attraction, he was curious about what power they had over her. The vamps made him feel needed, unlike Buffy. She keeps him at a distance. She thinks it's because he can't handle her being stronger than him. She says she's given him everything, which he denies. He tells her he'll leave with the Army if they can't work this out; she's insulted at being given an ultimatum.
Buffy is attacked by the vamp club. She quickly and brutally kills them, toying with the one who drank Riley before staking her.
Xander confronts Buffy over Riley. He says Riley is her perfect boyfriend and she was keeping him away, she counters lamely with his relationship with Anya. He tells her if she can really love him, then keep him here. Buffy agrees and races to the site to get Riley to stay, but she misses him by seconds and the copter leaves.
Xander tells Anya he's deeply in love with her.

Analysis:

Man, I was really expecting Joyce to die. In fact, with her making a complete recovery I have to wonder what the point of that storyline was. To make Buffy and Dawn closer? To drive a further wedge between Buffy and Riley? To make a personal connection to the Glory storyline (despite the fact that Joyce was not a victim of Glory)? To introduce Ben the Intern? But we never really saw anything of him in connection to Joyce's tumor, and he wasn't in this episode which ended the whole Joyce tumor thing.
The Queller loogie from last episode could very likely be the real reason Joyce's tumor was successfully removed, assuming her tumor is in connection to the Dawn Spell and not just a random occurrence.
Since we still haven't had the origins of the tumor answered, this probably isn't the last we've heard of it. A relapse perhaps?
What is the US Army doing fighting demons in Central America? First of all, when the government eliminated The Initiative I assumed that meant the end of any government involvement with the demon world. If they learned their lesson in "Primevil" why are they continuing to send out men to fight demons? Because of the prevalence of demons in the world what good could the Army possibly do without sending out every troop they have?
They mention demons killing missionaries in Belize. Again why does the US Army care? Are these American citizens? Even so, secretly sending troops into a foreign country is an act of war (course maybe the country is inviting them in).
Willow is Buffy's best friend, why hasn't she talked to her about Riley at all? Why wasn't Willow the one to catch on to the problems between Buffy and Riley? Is Buffy avoiding Willow now because of Tara? Or it is just a combination of Riley and Dawn and Joyce taking up all her time?
While I don't agree with the whole vamp-danger addiction thing, I find Riley's position very understandable. I can't believe Buffy says she's shared everything with Riley after all the secrets and not even telling him she loves him! Is she really that clueless to this all? Is this an effect of her increasing darkness from her Slayer side taking over?
Buffy's brutal slaying of the vamp club is definitely another sign to her falling into darkness. It was practically cold-blooded murder, especially of vamps who were apparently NOT killing people. And pretending to let the vamp that bit Riley go before killing her, that was just sadistic! Buffy's slowly turning into a monster.
It's nice to see Xander truly has matured from his experience in "The Replacement". He confronted Buffy and showed her what she was going to miss out on (though I think he was ridiculously blowing over the whole vamp addiction thing, which was a seriously bad thing), and when Buffy countered with Anya he went home and confessed the depth of his love for her.
In fact, by episode's end even Buffy seems all to ready to forget about Riley's vamp addiction. Or maybe she wanted to make sure he was staying first before dealing with that issue again.
Could Riley hear Buffy calling his name or not? Was he ignoring her?
If Buffy REALLY wanted Riley to stay, all she had to do was grab a rock and huck it at the copter! So it's her fault for letting him leave!
Notice that Anya didn't say she loved Xander.

TRIANGLE Plot Points:

Buffy kills a vamp in front of a nun at a convent and asks what's it's like being a nun. She's generally fine but taken to sobbing fits and fears for Xander and Anya's relationship. Xander and Dawn miss Riley too.
Giles visits the Watchers Council in England to get their help in researching Glory and The Key. Buffy and Giles are worried about linking the Council to Dawn. They had no record of Glory but will look into it.
Willow is still looking for a spell to de-rat Amy. She's very adapt at telekinesis now and is working on a sunlight spell to kill vamps.
A new semester has started. Buffy and Tara are taking a class together and are quite friendly.
With Giles gone Anya and Willow run the magic shop and bicker with each other, pissing off Xander. Anya doesn't like her because she fears Willow stealing Xander from her, and Willow thinks Anya is going to hurt Xander when she leaves him. They make up.
Willow and Anya screw up a spell releasing a troll from a crystal who was Anya's former boyfriend as a mortal. The troll goes amok about town and partially demolishes the Bronze. Anya drives a car for the first time (Giles' new one). Spike helps Buffy to make up to her for exposing Riley. Xander fights the troll to save Willow and Anya but gets his ass kicked. Buffy defeats him and keeps his hammer; Willow and Anya do a spell to send him to a demon dimension of trolls.
Dawn overhears part of a conversation between Buffy, Giles, and Joyce about Dawn being The Key.

Analysis:

I'm sure we'll be seeing that convent again soon, why else construct that set for it?
Isn't it very risky for Buffy to stake a vamp right in front of a nun like that? Is she going to appear again?
I'm delighted that Giles got the Council's help in researching Glory. It's surprising that the Council agreed to help him after all the bad blood between them and Buffy and Giles (and Faith). Will the Council be making more of an appearance this year? It would tie into the season theme of Buffy investigating her identity as a Slayer. Perhaps the Council will go after Dawn?
Amy the rat gets a mention. Maybe this means she'll be returning soon!
It's surprising to see Buffy and Tara in a class together, and the two of them so friendly. In "Family" Buffy felt very awkward around her, but apparently they've grown together since then.
Willow and Anya have been acting weirdly around each other all season, nice to see it called on and dealt with. It's understandable that Willow doesn't like Anya, but it was surprising to see that Anya feared Willow cheating with Xander the way she did with Cordelia, especially since she wasn't around for it.
Anya was a witch prior to becoming a vengeance demon.
The troll's hammer might be a good weapon for Buffy to use against Glory.
Willow (with Anya's help) can perform spells to transport people to demon dimensions?! This seems very huge, why don't they use this spell to transport Glory to another demon dimension?
Dawn probably only heard enough of the conversation to know something is different about her and that she's in danger from others, but not the specifics of what she is. In any case, she's obviously going to be in on it along with all the other characters very soon.

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