71. This Year's Girl

Original Air Date: February 22, 2000
Written by: Douglas Petrie
Directed by: Michael Gershman

Guest Cast:
Eliza Dushku (Faith)
Harry Groener (Mayor Wilkins)
Kristine Sutherland (Joyce Summers)
Amber Benson (Tara)
Marc Blucas (Riley Finn)
Leonard Roberts (Forrest)
Bailey Chase (Graham)

Buffy and Faith are making the bed in Buffy's old room.

In this cryptic, Twin Peaks-like vision, Faith notes that Buffy has forgotten about her condition, implying that Buffy has forgotten about her. Buffy insists that she has to leave and Faith tells her that she knows - because "little sis" is coming. As they finish smoothing the bed, Faith notices blood dripping on the white sheets.
                                                 When they look down, Buffy is holding Faith's ornate knife and it is
                                                 stuck in Faith's gut, just as it was that fateful night, eight months ago.
                                                 Faith asks Buffy if she ever intends to remove the knife. Buffy makes
                                                 a swift motion and Faith's face twists in pain.
                                                 In Faith's hospital room, she lies quietly in bed, as a thunderstorm
                                                 rages outside.
                                                 Buffy, Giles, Willow and Xander are in Xander's basement apartment.
                                                 Xander is trying to fix the faulty Blaster rifle, which Walsh gave to Buffy, but it is far beyond his abilities. Willow suggests experimenting with it, but the men chicken out before the idea gets started.
Giles notices how tired Buffy is, but she insists that she cannot stop patrolling with Adam on the loose. The conversation turns to Riley and all she knows so far is that the Initiative tells her that he is all right. She can't trust them though, so she continues to worry. Besides being gored by Adam, she worries that the scientists at the Initiative might begin to drug and condition him, like Walsh did.
In the Initiative's infirmary, Riley reaches for Buffy's scarf as he gets out of bed, still nursing his wound. Before he can get physical with the guard at his door, Forrest arrives and they walk down the hall together.
When Riley tells Forrest, that the first thing he wants to do is see Buffy, Forrest is outraged. He doesn't understand why Riley would seek out the Slayer, when the Initiative is in turmoil, since the death of Walsh and escape of Adam. His tone is accusatory. Their mutual friend, Graham appears and tries to cut the tension. Riley has no intention of explaining. Forrest thinks of the Initiative as a family and sees Riley as consorting with outsiders; Graham leans towards Forrest's side. Riley questions Forrest's use of the family analogy, perhaps remembering that family was the way Adam talked about Riley and Walsh. Riley orders Forrest to stand aside.
Our view switches back-and-forth between the comatose Faith and an outdoor scene. Finally, we settle on Faith and the Mayor sitting together on a blanket enjoying a picnic. Faith is dressed in a chaste calf-length pink dress and a modest blue blouse, unlike anything that she would actually wear - but just how the Mayor encouraged her to dress in his "Father Knows Best" fantasies. She worries about the gathering storm clouds, but he reassures her that nothing bad is going to happen. Suddenly, Buffy is there and she uses Faith's knife to slice Wilkins' throat and stab him. Then a cold, threatening Buffy walks slowly towards Faith.
In bed, Faith's eyelids begin to flutter.
Buffy, Willow and Xander patrol the night together.
Buffy walks right past something and when she turns, she sees a demon, spread-eagled high between two trees, with his torso cut down the middle and spread open. Smoke is coming off the body and the crackling of smoldering flesh can be heard.
Back at Xander's basement apartment, they try to recover from the sight of the mutilated monster. Buffy guesses that Adam is continuing his exploration of the world, by experimenting on and dissecting anything he can find. She reaffirms her desire to stop this monster. But first, she decides to free Riley. She intends for Willow to disable their systems with computer hacking and/or magic. Then Buffy will slip into the elevator shaft, loaded for bear. As she tells about the part of the plan where she starts blowing things up, Riley interrupts, from behind her, to make sure that she wants to go through with that plan.
After a joyful, but for Riley, painful hug, they are surprised to hear that he was free to leave the Initiative, although he had to threaten to fight his way out. Riley tries to apologize for his behavior earlier, but Willow smiles, as she suggests that they won't hold it against him, if he helps stop Adam. He's not certain they can do it, but Buffy is confident with Riley at her side.
Faith is running, still being stalked by Buffy, except now its night and Faith is wearing her familiar short jacket and tight pants. Into a graveyard, Faith runs full speed, while Buffy slowly walks after her.
In her hospital bed, Faith's eyes are moving frantically under her eyelids.
Back in the graveyard, while looking back, Faith runs headlong into a hole... a grave. As the rain begins to fall, Buffy jumps down into the deep grave after her. The sounds of a fight are heard and then a hand rises out of the grave and Faith manages to pull her way out of the hole. She stands under the pouring rain. Flashes of lightning light the scene. As thunder booms, Faith raises her eyes to the sky and screams.
In her hospital bed, Faith's eyes snap open.
Faith surveys her surroundings. She throws off her sheets and disconnects the wires and IV tube. She walks into a dimly lit hospital hallway. A young woman is lost in the halls. The girl quickly realizes that Faith is in no condition to give her directions, but she is able to help Faith get her bearings. When a worried Faith says that she has to get to Sunnydale High School in time for Graduation, the woman tells her there was a tragedy at Graduation, that killed a lot of students, the Principal and the Mayor.
Faith leaves the hospital in the woman's clothes.
Riley is in Buffy's room explaining that her scarf helped him to hold on to her in his mind. He wonders if they are being watched and, in general, he acts distracted.
Riley has a hard time adjusting to the idea that he can't be sure he can trust the people giving him orders. Buffy tries to empathize, by telling about her days under the supervision of the Watchers, but he quickly figures that she was never a follower, like he is. She is confident in whatever path he chooses to follow, but he is uncertain what is best for him. She playfully begins to kiss him, while still giving him encouragement.
The hospital has noticed Faith's absence. The police are there, since Faith is wanted for questioning in several murders. The doctor defends the decision not to have a guard on her, because she's not supposed to wake up from her coma, to say nothing of getting out of bed. An orderly reports that they have found the woman that Faith mugged for her clothes.
After the police and doctor leave, a nurse makes a phone call, reports the news and suggests that the team be sent.
Faith visits the wreckage of Sunnydale High School. She wanders Main Street and sees life going along normally. Obviously, Mayor Wilkins' apocalyptic vision for Sunnydale never came to pass. She sneaks up to a window at Giles' house and observes the crew planning to face Adam.
Riley can fix the Blaster, but he still doesn't know how they can take down Adam. He does volunteer to look around the Initiative for any clues into Walsh's work on the creature, but he's uncomfortable with being considered a spy for them.
As Faith watches, she sees the physical closeness of Buffy and Riley.
The phone rings, Giles answers and turns the phone over to Buffy. After she hangs up, she shares the news of Faith's escape. This development raises innumerable questions. How do they find her? Is she still dangerous? If Buffy finds her and is forced to fight her and wins, then what do they do with her? And could there possibly be a worse time?
Riley is totally confused. Buffy has to give him the recap for the uninitiated, with a little editing about her relationship with Angel.
The next day, Willow and Buffy are walking on the campus discussing how Faith has to hide from the police, when they walk up on her.
Faith is at her fast-talking, mocking-jive best. At first, Buffy shows
concern for her, but Faith leaves no doubt that she is going to get her
revenge on Buffy. Buffy tries, but when she realizes that Faith won't be
reasoned with, she comments that Faith didn't learn anything during
her coma.
This plays into one of Faith's favorite grudges -any confidence by Buffy
shows that she thinks she's superior to Faith.
Their confrontation is momentarily interrupted, when Willow unslings her backpack and moves behind Faith, as if to use it as a weapon. Without looking back, Faith tells her that if she tries anything, she will regret it. Buffy gives Willow a look that indicates she agrees - this is between the two of them.
Faith is particularly enraged that Buffy tried to kill her to save Angel, Buffy's one true love, but Angel is already old news. When she refers to Buffy's loss of Angel and her growing relationship with Riley, as if Buffy were a boy-crazy slut, Buffy tells Faith that she talks too much.
The sound of a siren indicates that Faith is running out of time, so she throws a right to Buffy's face. For a few frantic seconds, the two stand, toe-to-toe, throwing fists and feet. Willow even manages to get in a hit with that backpack.
A police car pulls into the campus, Faith makes a parting threat and she begins to run. She goes through the two officers from the patrol car and also bowls over a student. Buffy is in pursuit. Faith runs straight to a stone wall and using a stone at its base as a boost, clears the wall easily. Buffy follows, but when she reaches the wall, she can see no trace of Faith on the other side.
Tara accompanies Willow, as she walks around the campus, looking out for Faith. Tara admires Willow's involvement in fighting evil. Willow reminds her that they are not going to do any fighting, just keeping a watch. Willow describes Faith, in catty terms and does a little impersonation. She imitates Faith's trademark "Five-by-five" line, which Faith uses instead of saying okay. Neither of them knows what it means though.
["...The Canadian's main complaint was the American habit of asking repeatedly how the transmission was being received. The Canadian reply was the standard "I hear you loud and clear". Americans, however, wanted an actual rating on the volume and clarity of their transmissions. The standard "loud and clear" to an American had to be a "five by five" or a "three by three" depending on the reception. No one knew the exact reason for this habit..." - A GLIMPSE OF NAVAL RADIO OPERATIONS IN KOREA, Edited By Jerry Proc VE3FAB; The Radio Reading Room (www3.sympatico.ca/hrc/haida/radio/reading.htm)].
After nightfall, Giles and Xander patrol the streets together.
Xander rambles on about how his one-night stand with Faith makes him more of a target than the others. When they hear a noise in an alleyway, Xander removes the Blaster rifle from under his coat and charges it up.
They find Spike lighting up a smoke. They describe Faith and ask if he has seen her.
Concerned, Spike asks more about the situation and when he finds that she is a real danger to them, he promises to help her all he can. Spike is frustrated that they can't seem to remember that he is, after all, evil. Spike leaves in a good mood; he is looking forward to meeting this dark-haired bit of trouble called Faith. Giles and Xander are left dumbstruck at their own stupidity.
At the hospital, the nurse who made the phone call goes outside to meet an all-black helicopter delivering three men in all-black clothes, carrying briefcases.
Faith stops to admire a display of gustafson-brandknives in the Meyer sporting goods store window. When she notices a passing police cruiser, she blends in with a small crowd of people and moves on down a side street.
In a dark alley, a demon approaches her, claiming to have been sent by a friend. When he reaches for something under his coat, Faith grabs the monster and quickly breaks its neck. She finds an envelope, but before she can open it, another patrol car cruises past the alley. She barely escapes being picked up by its searchlight. She breaks into a store stocking electronics. She begins to watch a videotape she found in the envelope.
Mayor Wilkins is his jovially, demented self in the recording. He tells Faith that the tape was for her, in case his plans for Sunnydale failed. He recorded the tape while she was in a coma, but he believes she will wake up. Since he failed, he can no longer protect her. In the same fatherly way he used to talk to her about murdering Buffy and her friends, while chiding Faith to drink her milk, he tells her that he has no faith in her ability to survive without him. Without him, she has no place in the world.
Even dead he seeks to keep his hold on her, by making her feel isolated from everyone, except him. He refers to an artifact that was included in the videotape package. He promises that with that device, she won't go out quietly.
Buffy is still stressing to Riley how dangerous Faith is. He is desperate to help, but his injuries are not yet healed. Riley tries to understand why Buffy is more worried than he has ever seen her, but she won't go into more details about her history with Faith.
Joyce Summers, Buffy's mom, opens the door to her house, to find Faith. Faith instantly, punches her unconscious.
Holding Joyce hostage in her own bedroom, Faith goes through Joyce's make-up, making sarcastic comments and playing dress-up.
Joyce won't give an inch, or show any fear, even to the point of telling Faith that Buffy is soon going to kill her. Faith ridicules Joyce's belief in a fantasy Buffy that's going to rush to her rescue. Faith is an expert at getting under people's skin, so she takes the stack of letters that Joyce is holding for Buffy and taunts her about how Buffy doesn't live here any more. Besides, knowing the threat that Faith represents, why hasn't Buffy done more to protect her precious mother?
Joyce is unshaken in her confidence in Buffy. Faith begins to tease Joyce about how Buffy is moving on without her mother, but she soon begins to testify from personal knowledge about how a person can stop making progress and begin to sink into darkness, like a dinosaur caught in a tar pit. Joyce asks to be killed soon. Faith is on a roll, venting her pain about how it feels... how she feels about being "abandoned" by Buffy. She picks up a knife and tells Joyce that Buffy has left her to die.
Buffy crashes through the window, knocking Faith over. After trading a quick hello with her mother, Buffy begins a fierce battle with Faith.
The room is too small to hold them. As the fight moves into the hallway, Joyce grabs a phone. They battle in the hallway. Entangled together, they tumble down the stairs. They trade punches in the front foyer, while Faith teases Buffy by suggesting she might seduce Riley. Their momentum carries them into the dining room. Faith slides on her back across the length of the dining room table. Picking herself off the floor, Faith throws a vase. She then, pulls out the silver drawer, dumps the silverware and throws the empty drawer at Buffy, before retrieving a knife from the pile of utensils on the floor.
Giles comes home to a dark house. The light switch by the door doesn't work. Someone turns on a desk lamp and Giles finds the three mysterious men dressed in black in his house. One of them calls him by his first name, Rupert, but he isn't glad to see them.
Faith misses Buffy with the knife; she sinks it and her fist into the wall. The sound of sirens threatens to call an end to this round. Faith runs into the living room, where a French door and a coffee table become casualties of the fight.
Flashing police lights are shining through the windows.
Faith retrieves the artifact that the Mayor left her, from the mantle over the fireplace. She quickly fits it to her left hand, with a metal piece in her palm.
                                               Buffy gets in two more punches, before Faith can grab Buffy by her
                                               left hand.
                                               With the two opponents' hands clenched together, the device in the
                                               middle begins to glow with various colors for a few seconds.
                                               Both of them look confused for a moment, then Buffy gets in a quick
                                               shot, that knocks Faith down for the count.
                                               Joyce rushes into the room. The device is now in Buffy's hand.
                                               When her mother asks what it is, Buffy claims that that she doesn't know and besides it must not work. She throws it to the ground and crushes it with her boot.
The police are banging on the door and Buffy looks forward to turning Faith over to them.
When Joyce asks if she's okay, Buffy replies that she's "Five-by-five".

Summary by: OBCooke at EpisodeGuides.com
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