Becoming, part 1

Becoming, part 1
5/12/98
guest stars: Max Perlich (Whistler), Seth Green (Oz), Kristine Sutherland (Joyce), Bianca Lawson (Kendra), Julie Benz (Darla), James Marsters (Spike), Juliet Landau (Drusilla), Armin Shimerman (Principal Snyder)
Writer: Joss Whedon
Director: Joss Whedon

synopsis: "There are moments in your life that make you, that set the course of who you're going to be. Sometimes they're little, subtle moments. Sometimes, they're not. I'll show you what I mean."
     Galway, 1753. Two drunk men stumble out of a tavern, and one is Angelus. Not Angelus the demon, or Angel the cursed, but Angelus the human. In the distance, he sees an enchanting young woman and catches up with her. It is Darla. She tells him she's from everywhere, and Angelus asks her to show him her world. Darla bites him and then he sucks the blood from a self-inflicted wound in her bosom.
     245 years later, and Angelus the demon watches as Buffy stakes a vampire. She gives a message to the vamp to give to Angel, but kills him anyway. Buffy is ready to face Angel. Buffy and Xander begin to moan about finals after the fight, and Buffy tells him to "look on the bright side. It will all be over soon." "Yes, my love," Angelus says to himself, "it will."
     The Sunnydale museum has dig up an artifact, but are unable to translate any of the writing on it. Giles has been called in to assist them in figuring out what it is. He is unsure, but discovers it is a box of some sort. Giles asks that they wait to open it until he can translate the text.
     Meanwhile, Xander reenacts the battle from the night before with fish sticks for Oz, Willow, and Cordelia. Oz finds it riveting but is "a little unclear on some of the themes." Buffy explains that the theme is "Angel's too much of a coward to take me on face to face," and Xander adds that "the other theme is buy American but that got kinda buried." Willow is concerned that Buffy isn't ready to fight Angel, but Buffy insists that she is.
     Cordelia comments that Willow likes teaching, and Willow responds that she loves it. Cordelia pays her a sort of compliment by saying it's great to have that to fall "forward" on after you fail in the real world. She and Xander trade insults, and she asks what he'll fall back on. He says he'll teach "zee language of love" in a really bad french accent, and starts to tickle her. Troll man (Principal Snyder) interrupts them, and yells at Willow to get off Oz. He says "this isn't an orgy people, it's a classroom." "Yeah, where they teach lunch," says Buffy. "Just give me a reason to kick you out Summers. Just give me a reason," he says, walking away. Cordelia is ready, however, with the shows best line: "How about because you're a tiny, impotent Nazi with a bug up his butt the size of an emu?"
     London, 1860. Drusilla enters the confessional where the priest has just been murdered–by Angelus. Drusilla is still human, and confesses that she has had psychic visions. Angelus tells her she is a child of the devil, and she insists that she wants to be good. He dismisses her with ten Our Father's and an act of contrition, but is clearly interested in her
     138 years later, Drusilla the vampire complains to Spike of indigestion, and tells of a vision the moon gave to her. She tells him of the rock at he museum, a tomb with a surprise inside. Angelus is impressed that she can see all that, but Spike says "no, you ninny, she read it in the morning paper" and gives him the copy. Angelus is obviously excited. "That's what's been whispering to me," Drusilla says, to which Angel replies "don't worry my love, soon it will stop...Soon it will scream."
     Buffy and Willow are studying chemistry, and Buffy doesn't get it. She wants to give up, but Willow doesn't let her. Buffy drops the pencil, and picks it up, but gets a serious case of Deja Vu–Ms. Calendar's pencil. Buffy drops it again, and finds the disk. Willow says it must be Ms. Calendar's, and puts it in the computer, saying that she had to go through a lot of her files to teach her class. The spell comes up, and Willow doesn't realize its importance, and tells Buffy that even though "Ms. Calendar wasn't a practicing witch but she–..." and is cut off by Buffy, who realizes exactly what Jenny had done before she died. "Oh boy. Oh boy. Oh boy."
     Rumanian Woods, 1898. Mourners gather around a body, and an old woman chants as a figure runs through the woods. It is Angelus, and he collapses near the pyre. The woman finishes, the orb of Thessala glows, and Angelus' eyes flash the same way. A man approaches, and tells Angel he will suffer for those he killed. Angel doesn't remember, but as the memories return he breaks down.
     Buffy and Willow bring the curse to Giles. "Looks like Ms. Calendar was trying to replicate the original curse," Willow says. "She said it couldn't be done," Giles said. "She tried anyway," Buffy said, "and it looks like it might have worked." Giles says he can't do it himself, but Willow says she can do it. Neither Giles nor Buffy want her to put herself in danger, but Willow is willing. Xander, on the other hand, doesn't think they should try the spell at all, and Cordelia supports him. Giles points out that "curing Angel seems to be Jenny's last wish." "Yeah, well, Jenny's dead." They begin to yell at each other, Xander trying to say that Angel killed Jenny and doesn't deserve to be cured, Giles upset because Xander seems is talking about her murder so bluntly. Buffy stops them, and looks at Xander betrayed. Willow asks Buffy what she wants, and Buffy points out that "what happened to Angel wasn't his fault." "Yeah, but what happened to Ms. Calendar is," Xander responds. "You can paint this anyway you want, but the way I see it, you want to forget all about Ms. Calendar's murder so that you can get your boyfriend back." Buffy leaves, hurt, and Xander turns away. Willow just looks on, shocked.
     In the museum, Drusilla kills the curator and Angelus' boys take the tomb away.
     Buffy is on the phone to Willow, who agrees that Xander was being a really bad word that Willow says. She doesn't know what she wants to do yet, but finds the ring. While hunting that night, she encounters Kendra, and she asks why she's there. Kendra confirms Buffy's suspicion that "a very dark power is about to rise in Sunnydale."
     Angelus and Drusilla bring the tomb back to the mansion, and Spike is less then impressed. "It's a big rock. I can't wait to tell my friends, they don't have a rock this big." Angelus explains the legend of Acathla, who "came forth to swallow the world. He was killed by a virtuous knight who pierced the demons heart before he could draw breath and perform the act. Acathla turned to stone, as demons sometimes do, and was buried where neither man nor demon would want to look–unless of course they're putting up low rent housing." Once someone–someone worthy–pulls out the sword stuck into the demon, the statue wakes up and "wackiness ensues." The entire earth would be sucked into hell. The box is opened, revealing the demon. "My friends, we're about to make history...end." Angelus says.
     Giles relates to Buffy and Kendra that the artifact was stolen from the museum and the curator murdered. He also points out that the demon is Acathla, according to Kendra's watcher, and he explains exactly what sucked into hell means: "the demon universe exists in a dimension separate from our own. With one breath Acathla will create a vortex, a whirlpool, that will pull anything on earth into that dimension, where any non-demon life would suffer horrible and eternal torment. Buffy want's Willow to try to curse. Kendra comes down on the side of killing Angel, and Buffy says she will, but if she can't Willow would be the last hope. Willow doesn't want to be the last hope, however, and Kendra produces the sword, exactly like the one in the demon. If all else fails, that could stop him.
     Willow says she needs about a day, and an orb of Thessala, which Giles has. He'd been "using one as a paperweight," he says, almost ashamed. He says that Angel has a ritual of his own, and they should have some time.
     Spike is pacing, and Drusilla comes to get him for the ritual. He does not let her know that he is healed. Angelus begins the ceremony with Spike, Drusilla, and Miss Edith. He kills a boy as a sacrifice, smears the blood on his hand, and goes to pull out the sword.
     Manhattan, 1996. A filthy, disgusting Angel chases after a rat, but instead finds Whistler, who knows his story. Whistler is a demon, but a pretty decent sort, and tells Angel he could become someone. He takes him to Los Angeles, outside of Hemery High school, where he sees Buffy(pre-slayer, in full Cordeliaesque mode and sporting her season one hair) for the first time. Buffy is approached by a man who is decidedly not Donald Sutherland, and told of her destiny. That night, she slays her first vampire as Angel watches. At home, Joyce confronts Buffy for being late, but doesn't do anything, and then Buffy has to listen to her parents fighting.
     In the sewers, Angel tells Whistler her wants to become someone, and learn from him.
     2 years later. Angelus completes the ritual, and pulls the sword...not out. Something goes wrong, or as Spike says "Someone wasn't worthy..." Angelus says they're going to call on an old friend.
     As Buffy is taking her final, a figure walks through the halls and into the classroom. She tells Buffy to come to the graveyard to face Angelus, or more will die, and erupts into flames. Buffy decides to go, leaving Willow to do the curse and Kendra to protect them. Kendra gives her a lucky stake, she named "Mr. Pointy."
     Buffy encounters Angel, and Buffy says lets get it over with. Angelus tells her "I didn't come here to fight...Gosh, I was hoping we could get back together. What do you think, do we have a shot...alright, we'll fight." They begin the battle.
     Willow begins the curse with Giles and Cordelia's help. Xander watches.
     Buffy and Angel continue to fight.
     Willow continues the curse as Kendra paces. Vampire's attack, and Xander, Kendra, and Giles fight back while Cordelia and Willow run. Willow gets a bookcase thrown on her, Xander gets his arm broken, and Giles is knocked out. Xander manages to distract the vamps for long enough for Cordelia to escape. Kendra kills one vamp, and throws another through a window, but a third attacks her.
     Angelus breaks off, since Buffy's "heart's not in this." She's not finished yet, though. Angelus reveals that the meeting "isn't about you. This is never about you." Buffy runs off, to Angelus' taunt "and you fall for it every single time!" (Referring back to When she was Bad, undoubtedly.) Xander is knocked out, and three vamps surround Kendra, but Drusilla comes in, calling them off. Kendra fights Dru, but is no match for her.
     Buffy continues to run.
     Dru grabs Kendra's throat, and hypnotizes her.
     Cut to Buffy running.
     Cut to Dru, fingers twitching, and then she slashes Kendra's throat. Kendra's hand covers the wound, but to no avail, her body falls to the ground. "Night, night," she says, and then the vamps leave, Giles in tow.
     Buffy continues running into the school, and the scene shift to slow-motion. She runs into the library and discovers Kendra's lifeless body, and Whistler concludes the episode. "The bottom line is, even if you see ‘em coming, you're not ready for the big moments. No one asks for their life to change, not really, but it does. So what are we, helpless, puppets? No. The big moments are gonna come, you can't help that. It's what you do afterward that counts. That's when you find out who you are." A gun suddenly pops into view, and an officer shouts "freeze!" Fade to black, and Whistler's last word: "you'll see what I mean." To be continued...

...... Review: Oh my, is all I have to say. I was not expecting that. I heard a rumor that Kendra would die, but I didn't expect it to be that soon.
...... This episode is very reminiscent of What's My Line I, except much more exciting. I mean, everything is up in the air. Kendra is dead, Giles taken by Dru, Willow injured...and Spike has yet to make a move.
...... Of course, some things left a little to be desired. Kendra's presence in the episode was entirely pointless, except maybe to off another of Buffy's friends. When Buffy went to fight Angelus, she left the group in Kendra's capable hands. Kendra's obviously not much of a slayer. She offed like one. By my count there were five. One was occupied with Giles, two upstairs with Xander and Cordy. Kendra should have made mincemeat of the last two, and then gone on to the others. I could see Buffy falling for the trap in When she was Bad, but this time it seemed far too contrived.
...... The only other thing I thought could have been improved upon is Angel's past. I was hoping for more with him and Darla, showing us how he came to be the most dreaded servant of the master. I did like that it showed his past with Drusilla, but more would have been better, and less of how he came to be in Sunnydale. The demon guy was pointless. I would have liked to see them connected by destiny, not just because he saw her in a parking lot. Instead of all the 1996 scenes, more with Darla, and have him kill a slayer (played by Sarah Michelle Gellar.) Her as someone from his past, perhaps another Dru, would have been great.
...... One note of interest, Dru is not the gypsy girl that got Angelus cursed. Another spoiler debunked. I thought that Robia LaMorte should have done that part, either as the dead girl or as the gypsy woman, but I guess she's not coming back. I actually half expected her to, during the incantation, either that or the spell would bring her back and not Angel. Another thing I expected was Spike to somehow interfere on Buffy's behalf in the library, or intercept her on the way home. Doesn't matter, though. The Spike/Angelus feud has been too built up to not make anything out of it. I truly hope he survives Becoming II, I think there are so many places to go with him, especially since Angelus is not expected to turn good and Dru will more than likely die. Although, disclaimer, I have actively avoided all spoilers since before Passion, so everything I predict could be wrong.
...... My predictions for the season finale: Spike will turn on Angelus, giving Buffy the edge at a crucial moment. 2. Angelus will somehow cause Drusilla's death. 3. Ms. Calendar will somehow play a roll. (If she does, just remember, I said she'd be back as soon as Passion ended. And if not, there's always next season.) 4. Angelus will not become Angel. 5. Buffy, Giles, Xander, Willow, Cordelia, Giles, and Oz will survive the episode. 6. We will learn a lot more about Principal Snyder OR we won't learn anything, a thread that will be picked up next season. 7. The demon will be as over hyped as the judge, and Buffy will defeat him.
...... I would like to see Darla make an appearance. Maybe Angelus could bring her back. Or an even darker horse prediction, maybe they'll contact the real Darla. She's probably in the ether with Angel anyway.
...... My most dark horse prediction, which is an entirely possible scenario, despite things we know about next season's cast: Angelus/Angel will die. I'm calling it right now. It's not likely, as David Boreanaz is a major draw and has a contract, but nothing is set in stone. It is a possible end. And if he is killed, it won't be by Buffy. It will be by Spike.
...... On the other hand, I'm pretty bad at prediction this show. I said Ms. Calendar probably wouldn't die.
...... On to the critique: again, outstanding performances by the cast. The group at the beginning, how happy they were, and how well they related. Xander/Cordy were together again, Willow/Oz were beyond cute, and Buffy was entertaining for a change. Principal Snyder continues to make me laugh. But what Cordelia said about him was classic. And it was about time Oz was back. Although he didn't have much screen time, at least he was there.
...... Julie Benz reminded me why Darla is my favorite guest star. And she looked fabulous in that gown. I would have really liked to see more of she and Angelus together. Bianca Lawson is annoying, I feel bad for Buffy but her death is no great loss to the show. She could have at least done something though. I expect to see Snyder, Oz, Joyce, Spike, and Dru in the next episode, but I'd also like to see Darla, Harmony (by the way, Mercedes McNab was on Touched by an Angel on Sunday. Maybe she could be touched by another Angel next week!), and Amy the witch. (She could help with the spell, maybe.) And I'd really like to see either Jenny or Robia come back, either as a spirit, (they don't even need Robia for that,) or as another gypsy sent to seek revenge for Jenny. Of course, the return of Jenny herself would be best. But it is nice to know that they still mention her frequently, and she affects everything that happens. Her presence is sorely missed in these episodes, if only because it's really weird that Giles is frequently hanging around with all these High School girls. From personal experience (don't even go there) people talk, and Jenny with him really made a difference.
...... If Giles were to die, which I am not predicting since I am sure they won't go there, Willow could easily step into his shoes. Willow has come into her own so much since Welcome to the Hellmouth. Her poise and maturity comes out so much, yet we never can forget that she's still a girl. She, at times, acts so much older than Xander and Cordelia, and even Buffy, who carries the weight of the world on her shoulders. Yet she is the most loving and supportive friend you could hope for. I haven't seen much of the ice between Xander and Willow that came out in Innocence or BBB, but at the same time they don't have the bond they once did. I hope they get it back, for although the animosity is gone the distance is there.
...... The show opens with Xander and Buffy again. The connection between them, which wasn't really explored in either I Only Have Eyes for you or Go Fish was subtly slipped in. I'm glad to see they didn't let that thread, started so well in Phases and BBB hasn't been dropped. On the other hand, Xander and Cordy seem very close. I can't help but wonder if the writers were sure where they were going when they threw them together in What's my Line I. Fan reaction may have strengthened the bond. After all, BBB was throw together in a few days when Sarah Michelle Gellar went to New York to host Saturday Night Live, and that was the strongest Xander/Cordy episode.
........The scene with Buffy, Giles, and Xander in the library was one of the most powerful scene's in the show. While what Xander was saying was harsh, I think it was true. It's a testiment to Xander's friendship with Buffy that he's willing to be that cruelly hones with her, because it is something she needed to hear.
...... One final note. I liked the recasts during Buffy's LA years. Obviously Sarah Michelle and Kristine Sutherland had to be Buffy and Joyce, and not Kristy Swanson or the chick from the movie. Still, couldn't they have at least mentioned Pike? Although I didn't actually see the movie, so maybe she didn't meet Pike until she was the slayer (anyone who's seen the movie can help me on this!) Also, it would have been really neat to get Donald Sutherland for the watcher part. Or at least someone who bears a passing resemblance. (Btw, is he related to Kristine?)
...... Well, despite Kendra's contrived appearance and uncharacteristic ineptness as a slayer, the episode was a slam dunk. Takes its place in the top five. 9.5/10

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