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| 75. New Moon Rising Original Air Date: May 02, 2000 Written by: Marti Noxon Directed by: James A. Contner Guest Cast: Seth Green (Oz) Emma Caulfield (Anya) Marc Blucas (Riley Finn) Amber Benson (Tara) Leonard Roberts (Forrest) Bailey Chase (Graham) George Hertzberg (Adam) Conor O'Farrell (Colonel McNamara) As they walk along the campus, Tara tells Willow that she is considering keeping a cat, secretly, in her dorm room. Willow quickly joins in on the idea, as they plan how much fun they will all have playing together. Tara is glad that they agree, since she wants Willow to feel welcome in her room anytime. They join hands as they walk and Tara looks forward to the Scooby gang meeting later. At Giles', the extended family of Buffy, Riley, Giles, Xander, Anya, Willow and Tara listen as Buffy tells of decreased demon activity, which usually means they are building up to something big. Riley disagrees because the Initiative is swamped with demons, indicating that they are the demons' focus. Anya greets the end of the meeting with her usual sarcasm and sets Giles off. Her comeuppance in interrupted by the opening of the front door. Everyone looks and registers different levels of surprise to see Oz. When Willow whispers his name, Tara lower sher eyes to the ground. He puts off Giles hospitality and his friends' questions. He tells Willow that he is going to Devon's, a fellow member of the band, Dingoes Ate My Baby, to ask about staying there, but he wants to talk to her. She agrees to meet him later, at her dorm room. He tells them that he is glad to see them all and he is gone. Willow stands in stunned silence, until Buffy asks if she's okay. Tara makes an excuse and, despite Willow's protest, she quickly leaves. That night, Buffy and Riley patrol a cemetery together. Before Buffy can explain to Riley about Willow and Oz's troubles, a demon attacks. Buffy and Riley function more as a team now, sometimes switching off and sometimes combining together in a single move - they disable the demon in a few seconds. Riley calls for a retrieval team and the radio reports that the Initiative is hard-pressed to keep up, but they will be there when possible. As they continue their talk, Buffy reminds Riley of how depressed Willow was when Oz cheated on her and then left suddenly. Buffy casually mentions that Willow was fine with the fact that Oz is a werewolf and stops Riley in his tracks. Riley is surprised that Willow is "that kind of girl", meaning that she seeks dangerous men, which Riley figures is dumb. Buffy is offended by his remarks and denies that Oz is dangerous. She calls Riley a bigot and he demands an explanation, arguing that it doesn't make any sense to date a potential menace. Speaking from the heart, she argues that you can't decide rationally who you are going to fall in love with. When she hints that she has made mistakes, he doesn't make the connection. Then she suggests that they stop talking and patrol. Oz arrives at Willow's and invites her outside. On the campus grounds, he asks her to look up and she sees a big, bright full moon overhead. She bombards him with questions about how he cured his werewolf condition and then hugs him with joy. When he embraces her in return, she quietly pulls away. Xander told Oz that she isn't involved with any new guys. She agrees that there is no new guy. He practically begs for a chance to be with her again. Graham leads two men on patrol. They stop for a noise in the bushes and they are attacked by two demons. The fight is short and as his men scream, Graham tries to get up off the ground, but instead passes out. The next morning, in Willow's room, Oz is finishing his explanation that he traveled the world, including Tibet, to find a combination of charms, herbs and mind-control that allows him to prevent his monthly changes. Willow gives him a glossed-over version of her life since he left. She invites him to breakfast and he suggests, without any pressure, that they might sleep first, since they talked all night. She sticks with the breakfast plan and he quickly agrees. Willow goes to the dorm washroom, so it is Oz that answers the door when Tara knocks. She instantly begins to retreat. Oz invites her to wait for Willow's return, but she leaves. The news of Tara's visit seems to make Willow even more nervous. Riley's alarm clock awakens him and Buffy. He attempts a little cuddling, but she quickly leaves, presumably to the bathroom. As he begins his calisthenics, she returns and begins to mock his dedication to routine. Realizing that she is probably mad about their talk last night, he tries to explain that his distrust of Oz's condition is concern for Willow. Ignoring the fact that when Oz is in werewolf-mode, no one is safe around him, Buffy, for her own reasons, explains that not all inhuman creatures are created equally evil. Riley's point of view doesn't allow for lesser evils. Buffy argues that some vampires aren't even evil. When Riley challenges her to name one, she is interrupted by the arrival of Forrest. He tells Riley of the attack on Graham's team - one man was killed and Graham is walking wounded. The Initiative soldiers are going on the offensive. While Buffy asks what kind of demon was involved, Riley has no interest in telling one demon from another. Back at their dorm room, Buffy perks up when she hears that Willow spent the night with Oz, until she remembers that there was a full moon last night. Willow explains that Oz left in search of a way to control his werewolf side, and he has succeeded. When Buffy wonders why Willow doesn't seem happier, she tells Buffy that it has become more complicated than just welcoming Oz back - It has become more complicated because of Tara. Buffy is slow to realize how the sides of the romantic triangle connect, but when it finally dawns on her, she stands up and paces the room, telling Willow how happy she is for her. Willow explains that without seeking it out, there is now a powerful connection between the two women. Willow can't help but notice how nervous her friend is. Concerned, Willow asks Buffy if she is "freaked" and Buffy, at first, makes a casual, nervous denial. But she calms herself and with increasing conviction and sincerity she tells her friend that she glad to know the truth. Then, Willow admits that she couldn't bring herself to tell Oz. Buffy tries to get her to accept the fact that there is not going to be a happy ending for everyone and Willow's best compass is the truth. Spike lies on top of a stone sarcophagus, sleeping, with a thin blanket cover. Heavy footsteps approach and as a green, wrinkled arm reaches for him, Spike grabs the arm. From the sound Spike knows that it's a demon and, in mid-threat, he opens his eyes to see standing over him, Adam. Spike quickly gets up and punches Adam in the gut, but only hurts his hand. Adam quietly invites Spike to come with him, so they can help each other. Willow comes to Tara's room and tells Tara, right away, that nothing happened between her and Oz. Tara seems relieved, but she tells Willow that no matter what happens she will always be Willow's friend. Willow never doubted their friendship, but she has to sort out her feelings about Oz. Her love for Oz was very strong, so she was devastated when he left. Tara has helped bring happiness back to Willow, but now that Oz is back, the memory of what they had is tempting her - in tears, she admits she is torn. Tara brushes Willow's cheek and, struggling with her own emotions, she softly tells Willow to do whatever makes her happy and the two embrace. Later, in the college halls, Oz is studying a bulletin board when his wolf-like sense smells a familiar scent approaching. He calls out to Willow, but it's Tara that comes down the hallway. Tara notices that Oz is carrying a school notebook and he tells her that he intends to return to the college. She tries to make small talk, but Oz becomes increasing agitated as he begins to realize that Tara is covered with Willow's scent. As he questions her, he correctly interprets her nervousness and silence as guilt and realizes the truth. He is angry at Willow's secrecy and, no doubt, jealous of Tara. He grabs her when she tries to walk away and they both watch as his right hand morphs into fur and claws. When she looks into his face again, his teeth and eyes have already begun to take on a beastly appearance. He tells her to run. Tara runs into an empty lecture hall, with Wolf-Oz loping behind her. The exits are locked and she retreats back down the aisles to the lectern. Wolf-Oz has no intention of letting her reach the open door, so in desperation she throws a chair. Amazingly, the werewolf leaps, hits the chair in mid-air and falls unconscious. In a few seconds, Riley and his men come in and a tranquilizer dart can be seen sticking from Wolf-Oz's side. Despite Tara's tentative protests, they quickly bag up the werewolf and leave. Somewhere underground, Adam and Spike are coming to an arrangement. Adam's plans call for heavily casualties on both sides of a coming conflict with the humans. Adam envisions Buffy as the leader of the human faction. Spike counsels, from experience, that Buffy has foiled a lot of evil plans. Adam promises to remove the chip from Spike's head if they succeed. Adams feels that Spike should trust his "scout's honor" promise, since he has some Boy Scout parts. Tara finds Willow in the library and tells her about Oz's capture. Willow meets with Buffy, Giles, Xander and Anya at Giles' house. Buffy can't reach Riley, but Oz needs to be saved before the Initiative can go to work on him, so they make plans to act. At the Initiative, Riley and the other commandos are impatient for the scientists to confirm that a werewolf was involved in the attack on Graham's team, so they can kill him. The problem is determining exactly which demons, from the vast variety they have catalogued, were the attackers. Riley is tired of waiting and doesn't see the need to confirm anything. He just wants to rid the world of one more monster. He pulls his sidearm, cocks it and aims at the caged beast. Before he can fire, the creature changes back into Oz. Oz is strapped to a lab table, as a scientist shines a light into his eyes. Riley calls to him, but he is too sedated to respond. Riley tries to get the doctors to stop, but only Col. McNamara can change their procedures. When Riley continues to protest, a doctor orders the guards to remove him. Then, another doctor uses a pistol-shaped instrument to administer a powerful electric shock below Oz's right nipple; applying agonizing pain to force his transformation into a werewolf - just another experiment. Buffy and the gang are finalizing their plans for the assault on the Initiative, when Willow insists on accompanying Buffy and Xander into the facility. Suddenly, Spike speaks up, offering to help them. He sneaked into the room through Giles' unlocked front door. After some verbal parrying, Spike tells them that for money and the thrill of twisting the Initiative's tail, he can get them into the base. Oz sits naked in one corner of his cell, curled up in a fetal position. He looks up when Riley approaches, but he appears in shock. As he sits up, bruises are visible on his arms and chest. Riley gives him some clothes, then helps him as they escape through the darkened complex. Suddenly, the lights come on and heavily armed men, led by Forrest and Graham, surround them on all sides. Colonel McNamara visits Riley's cell and tells him that he had a good, even promising record until he got involved with Buffy. When he is accused of helping a dangerous monster try to escape, Riley wants to protest Oz's innocence, but the Colonel cuts him off. Riley is to be court-martialed for his involvement with Buffy and the Scooby Gang. Colonel McNamara has nothing but contempt for them. Among the mildest epitaphs he uses is "anarchists". Before the Colonel leaves, he offers Riley a deal, if Riley will help the Initiative deal with Buffy and friends. Outside the complex, Spike leads Buffy, Xander and Willow to a tunnel access door. Play-acting, Spike pulls on the doors until, from a remote location, Adam opens them. Adam has a modem cord plugged directly into his head and he sits in front of a computer display of schematics. Meanwhile, Giles and Anya, with the help of instructions left by Willow, enter a computer command on a laptop, to shutdown the electrical power in a large section of the city, including the Initiative. Adam is also busy at the keyboard, but it isn't clear if he shuts down the power or he is just monitoring the work of Buffy's friends. Regardless, a large portion of the city, including the Initiative, fades into darkness and Giles and Anya, both novices, learn how to trade high-fives together. Buffy's team bursts into Colonel McNamara's room, rousing him from his slumber. He thinks they are there to free Riley, but they are surprised at the news that he is also a prisoner. As the Colonel realizes that they intend to free the werewolf, they realize that Riley risked everything trying to free Oz. A gentlemanly guard reaches down to pick up something a pretty blonde dropped. He gets a knee to the head for his trouble and Buffy gets access to the brig. On his way out, Riley takes a moment to consider that he is crossing the Rubicon and burning his bridges with the Initiative. Then, he is ready to go. As they make their way to Oz's cell, with their hostage, they are surrounded, by armed teams. Buffy is holding a crossbow to Colonel McNamara's head. She makes a reference to William Burroughs, but no one gets it and she accuses them of not paying attention in English class. [In 1951, while at a party, William Burroughs and his wife, Joan, decided to do a William Tell act, with him using a pistol to shoot a glass off of her head. He missed and she was killed instantly. It was ruled an accident. Eight years later Naked Lunch was published and Burroughs said, "I am forced to the appalling conclusion that I would never have become a writer but for Joan's death..."] The guards open Oz's cell, but when Willow rushes to his side, he warns her away. His right hand, again, changes to wolf-like, but this time he manages to stop the transformation and reverse it. Riley helps him, as they make their way to an elevator. On the upper level, as they file out of the elevator, Riley opens a panel and pulls some wires, to disable the car. As they leave, the Colonel says that Riley is as good as dead. Riley proclaims that he is now an anarchist and punches the colonel to the ground. In the bombed out shell of Sunnydale High School, Buffy and Riley spread out sleeping bags, as Buffy second-guesses her decision to split the team up, in the hopes of making them harder to catch. Riley reassures her that it was the right decision. Besides, Riley figures that he is the main target of the Initiative's search, but they will be hindered by the continuing blackout. He regrets how things turned out, but he's happy that he doesn't have to choose between Buffy and the Initiative, anymore. He admits that he was wrong for not seeing the evil in the humans at the Initiative and for not considering the good in a monster, like Oz. Buffy prepares to tell him about her past relationship with a good monster, Angel. Riley assures her, that she can tell him anything. Willow and Oz sit in his van. He has to admit that his passion for Willow makes his techniques to control his werewolf side useless. He found a cure for lycanthropy, but he hasn't found a cure for Willow's affect on him. She tries to explain how much she missed him. She confesses to writing letters to him, even though she had no where to send them. Eventually, she had to get over him, although she will never be over him entirely. There is still a strong bond between them, but without a Willow-proof cure and with Tara involved, Oz decides to move on. With Willow in tears and Oz nearly so, they hold each other. Tara sits in her dark room, bathed in moonlight, when there is a tiny rap on her door. Willow comes bearing a lighted candle. Before Willow can explain, Tara tells Willow that she understands that Willow must be with the one that she loves. With a smile, Willow assures Tara that that is exactly what she is doing. Tara is happy to accept this subtle declaration. Willow apologizes for the past few days and promises better times. Tara blows out the candle. Summary by: OBCooke at EpisodeGuides.com |
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