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| 79. Buffy vs. Dracula Original Air Date: September 26, 2000 Written by: Marti Noxon Directed by: David Solomon Guest Cast: Rudolph Martin (Dracula) Buffy awakes next to Riley and quietly rises. Suddenly she is running headlong through a cemetery in pursuit of a vampire. She quickly overtakes him and finishes him off. Then she returns to Riley's side and resumes her sleep. Riley and Buffy frolic on the beach while Xander, Willow, Anya and Tara sit and reflect on the fact that that they are not the action figures of the team. The lovers only quit when Buffy manages to destroy their football and the hunger pangs of the adolescents must be satisfied. Xander's inability to get the grill started causes Willow to lend some magical assistance. She takes the compliments humbly, until a sudden downpour forces her to protest her innocence. In the stormy darkness, two moving men are unloading crates outside of a stone castle. One crate is dropped and broken open revealing only dirt. Suddenly a hand breaks out from the crate and strikes one of the men down. The next day, Willow is finished helping Giles install a scanner to his laptop so they can archive the numerous texts that they study. Giles is anxious to start the work and Willow reflects that Giles has been at loose ends for quite a while since he lost his job at the High School Library. Giles admits to Willow under oath of secrecy that he is thinking of returning to England. He doesn't think that Buffy needs him anymore. Willow protests his importance to the group, but he takes it as just her being polite. Buffy's mom is disappointed that Buffy must run out on patrol right after having dinner. Buffy protests that it's an obligation and not fun, but when we watch her fighting a vampire in the cemetery later, it does seem as if she's into it. As she fights, a mist swirls and thickens into a face. When she strides away from the pile of dust that was her opponent, the man compliments her on her hunting ability. He steps from the shadows wearing a long black cloak, long black hair and a thin pale face with deep lines (very Crow-ish). Buffy is surprised and somewhat amused when he introduces himself as Dracula. As they walk through the cemetery, Willow tries to confide Gile's secret to Xander without really telling him anything and while deflecting Xander's prurient desire to hear secrets about Willow and Tara's private life. Buffy at first suspects that this man is another fake, one of several wannabe's that she has met. He assures her that she should recognize him as surely as he knows who she is. Buffy is pleasantly surprised as Dracula tells her that she is world-renowned in certain circles, which is the reason that he has sought her out. She is a killer worthy of his attention. She protests that she is one of the good guys, but Dracula hints at her hidden dark side. Buffy ends the discussion by striking at him, but he transforms into a mist and quickly reappears behind her. She strikes again, but he disappears. Suddenly Xander and Willow show up. Before Buffy can convince them to leave, Dracula reappears. At first Xander mocks Dracula's Old World clothing and accent, until Buffy introduces him and then Xander tries to be more respectful. Dracula postpones their meeting, turns into a bat and after harassing them a bit, flies away. The group gives Giles, Anya, Riley and Tara a report of what happened for the twentieth time. The girls begin to talk about how sexy Dracula presented, which seems to upset Tara and Xander, especially when Xander learns that Anya has an evil past with the Count. Giles is uncertain how much of the Dracula legend might actually be real, but Willow is quick to rave about Giles' ability to find out the truth. Riley and Xander both prefer the more direct approach to killing Dracula, perhaps out of jealousy. Everyone leaves for home and Riley and Buffy agree to sleep separately tonight. Xander silently seethes as Anya glowingly recounts the time that Dracula complimented her on her Vengeance Demon work. Unseen, they are stalked by a gray wolf. After Xander and Anya part, Xander is approached by the Dark Prince. He quickly succumbs to Dracula's mind control. Despite Dracula's distaste for Xander, even in his slavish state, he will use Xander as a spy. Riley seeks out Spike for some information on Dracula. Spike thinks that Dracula is a show-off and besides he owes Spike eleven English Pounds. Riley tells Spike that Drac is after Buffy. Spike suggests that Riley look into big fancy houses with slaves for a staff. Also, unlike other vampires, Dracula must sleep in his native soil. Riley thinks he should check out mansions, but Spike suggests that he play it safe and quit now. Buffy sleeps in her mother's house, in her old room. A mist flows in the window and she awakes to find Count Dracula standing over her bed. He takes her off-guard with his gracious manners and his insistence that she is a lot like him. It's his turn to be taken off-guard when he sees the marks that Angel left on her throat. Dracula dismisses Angel as unworthy of her or he would be with Buffy now. He plays on her memory of Angel's embrace and his bite. Dracula slowly leans into her and bites deep into her neck. The next morning Buffy finds two puncture wounds on the left side of her neck. At Giles' house the group meets and Willow reports that most of the legends of Dracula are true. Riley tells them that he has learned that the Count is used to high-living. Xander keeps trying to throw the others off track, without letting it slip just how devoted he is to Dracula, but not doing a very good job. Willow tells them that Dracula has turned feeding into a psychological game - he likes to play with his food / Victims. Xander spots a spider and begins to do an impersonation of Peter MacNicol in Mel Brook's Dracula, trying to eat the spider without anyone seeing him. Buffy now decides on the direct approach and leaves to deal with Dracula. Riley follows her and dares her to expose her neck for inspection. When Riley overcomes her resistance, everyone sees the truth. Buffy tells them that she has been influenced by Dracula, but she still thinks that she can fight him. Riley thinks that she has transferred some of her love for Angel to Dracula, but she protests that isn't so. They all agree that Buffy should hide while they deal with the Count. Xander volunteers to take her in. Willow will revoke Dracula's permission to enter Buffy's house, which they figure out came from Joyce, Buffy's mom. Anya is griping as usual that she has to stay with Xander and Buffy instead of looking for her old friend Vlad. Xander finally throws Anya in the closet and tells Buffy that he is supposed to deliver her to Dracula. She agrees to go. Xander delivers Buffy to Dracula at the castle. When they are alone, Buffy makes a brave face, brandishing a stake, but with a word from Dracula, she puts it down. Outside Giles and Riley are both surprised that they never before noticed this large castle on the outskirts of Sunnydale. Inside they split up to search for the Count. Dracula is telling Buffy that she doesn't want to kill him. That she wants to give in to the only other person who can relieve her loneliness and help her reach her true potential as a killer - an immortal killer. Then he offers a taste of his blood. Riley finds Xander, whom he quickly subdues. Giles enters a dark room, only to fall several feet to the sunken floor. Lying there recovering he can hear animalistic sounds in the dark. Slowly from the shadows, the Three Sisters emerge and begin to caress and undress Giles. Dracula offers Buffy a chance to taste what vampires are desperate for, without being transformed, on this occasion. He suggests that she desperately wants to drink blood. He then echoes the words first spoke by Tara, in the dream world where Buffy fought the First Slayer . He tells her that she cannot know what she is going to become in the future - a future, which has barely begun. She takes his hand and begins to suck on his bloody arm. In a flash, she sees herself and the First Slayer in various combat scenes. She also sees her own blood flowing inside her. She rises up and punches him off of her. Dracula is surprised at her resistance and tries to regain his influence over her. She tells him that her true nature is now apparent to her - She is The Slayer and will not give in to his evil temptations. And they begin to fight. Riley finds Giles and throws him a cross. As the Sisters retreat, he rescues a Giles that is somewhat reluctant to be saved. Buffy and Dracula fight viciously. Both are powerful, quick and inventive. Dracula finally decides to retreat. He turns into mist and begins to reform on the upper level of the room, near a window. Buffy manages to grab her stake and close the distance. She is there when Dracula reappears and drives the stake into his chest. Dracula falls down the stairs and changes to dust. Giles, Riley and Xander arrive and Xander is upset that he can't get revenge for Dracula taking advantage of him, like so many bad guys have in the past. They all leave together. In a few moments, the swirling mist begins to form again. Dracula is restored, but instantly, Buffy drives her stake into his heart again. She tells him that she's seen enough movies to be prepared for his return. He falls as a pile of dust and in moments the mist begins to swirl again. But a threat from Buffy, who has not left, is enough to make the mist disappear. The next day, Buffy and Giles meet privately at his house. Before he can tell her about his plans to leave the country, she confesses that she hasn't needed him as a Watcher for a while. Giles agrees, but she goes on to tell him that lately, she has begun to turn into a secretive hunter/killer instead of an avenger or a protector. She wants to know more, she sees knowledge as her salvation from the darker side of the Slayer trade. She needs help and guidance. She admits that maybe a Slayer does need a Watcher. And, of course, she wants it to be Giles. Giles no longer has something that he wants to tell her. Later that day, Buffy tells her mother of her plans to go out with Riley. As she enters her room, she is surprised to see a young girl, about fifteen, with long straight brown hair. Joyce calls to Buffy to take her sister out with her. Both young women immediately protest. Summary by: OBCooke at EpisodeGuides.com |
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