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| 81. The Replacement Original Air Date: October 10, 2000 Written by: Jane Espenson Directed by: James A. Contner Guest Cast: Kelly Donovan Schultz (Xander Harris) Michael Bailey Smith (Toth) Buffy, Xander, Anya and Riley are watching a Kung Fu movie. Xander apologizes for not being able to offer any munchies, but he has limited culinary ability in his basement apartment. To make matters worse, his parents arrive home upstairs and begin a embarrassingly loud argument. Xander begins to get the idea that he should move. Riley interrupts Buffy's study of the violent saga of the Crusades to interest her in the violent saga of the movie. He starts massaging Buffy's shoulders. Encouraged by Buffy response, Xander decides to try the hands-on approach with Anya. Unfortunately, she is still recovering from a dislocated shoulder at the hands of Harmony's minions and she ends up yelling at him. Buffy quickly becomes critical of the fighting technique of the movie stunt men. The noise of fighting from upstairs becomes louder and even Anya begins to feel sorry for Xander. On a more interesting note, a big demon with black rotting skin and green glowing veins is performing a ceremony that he hopes will result in the death of the Slayer. Willow joins the gang to search for an apartment for Xander. He is not encouraged because he has nothing to offer in the way of credit or references, except those that he hopes to fake. They enter a big, white, sunny apartment and Anya instantly falls in love with the place. A brunette woman in a business suit, the agent for the apartment building, enters. Xander is a little intimidated by the application form she presents, because he has so little to put on it. He is also worried about the required credit check and the amount of deposit money needed up front. He pulls Anya aside to explain that he just can't afford to sign the lease, because his construction job is coming to an end. Anya is louder and more upset and demanding than normal. After embarrassing Xander in front of everyone she storms out. Giles is organizing the inventory in his new Magic Shop, when he is startled by the big demon that wants Buffy dead. Forced to improvise he attacks the demon with a statuette of a fertility god, but the demon brushes him aside. With no Buffy to kill, the demon leaves. Later Giles tries to re-enact his encounter, but he is forced to admit that his attack did little damage. Xander happily reminds him that they all warned him that the Magic Shop was dangerous. Giles finds a reference to his visitor, a Toth demon, and the sole survivor of his race. He is strong, strong-willed and very clever for a demon. To protect Buffy, Riley is ready to kill the Toth, right away. Giles' only clue to finding the demon is how he smelled. Later that night at the Sunnydale Dump, the gang searches for a demon and finds Spike scavenging for something to brighten up his crypt. While they are distracted, the demon attacks from behind. He uses a short metal staff as a weapon, shooting destructive balls of light from one end of it. He misses a couple of times, before he gets a chance to hit the Slayer. Xander pushes her aside and takes the shot full in the chest, knocking him backward into a pile of refuse. As they rush to his side, the demon gets away. They help Xander to his feet and slowly, painfully walk him home. No one notices that left behind in the pile of refuse is... Xander Harris! The next day at the dump, Xander wakes up. He makes his way home, but no one answers the door. Peeking through the basement window he sees himself getting dressed. He tries to call Buffy for help from a pay phone, but then he sees himself walking down the street. Buffy answers, but Xander hangs up and pursues himself. At the Summers' house, Dawn is enjoying irritating Buffy as her older sister tries to spend some kissing time with Riley. Their mother is not interested in getting involved in their carping. In his crypt, Spike dresses up a mannequin in a blonde wig so he can pretend he is killing Buffy. Xander arrives at work and is called into the boss' office. He is still being pursued by himself. Xander watches through the window as Xander's boss explains that he is very happy with Xander's work and would like to keep him on, after the current project ends, with a promotion to head of Internal Carpentry and a raise. As he watches, Xander is upset that the boss isn't firing Xander and notices that Xander keeps using a shiny coin to reflect light into the boss' eyes. Xander thinks that Xander has somehow bewitched the boss. Xander signs a lease for the new apartment, while his pursuer listens outside the door. Xander is somewhat charming to the leasing agent and he plays with a coin in his hand. As the reflected light plays over her face, she begins to flirt with him and leaves her personal phone number with an obvious invitation. After she leaves, Xander calls Anya. She listens as he talks to her answering machine and invites her to meet him at the apartment later. When he leaves the apartment, Xander attacks him, but he manages to knock Xander down and escape. Xander picks himself up from the hallway floor and decides he would be better off looking for Buffy. When he arrives at Giles' home, he can see Xander through the window, telling the others that they have to hunt down and kill the other Xander. Outside, in the pouring rain, Xander is horrified when he hears Buffy tell Xander that she will deal with Xander. Soaking wet and still wearing yesterday's clothes, Xander barges in on Willow in her dorm room and pleads for a chance to prove that he is Xander Harris. A confused Willow agrees. He begins to tell her things that only the two of them could know, including that they watch a Charlie Brown Christmas together every year and then Xander does the "Snoopy dance". Willow is still confused, but she believes he is Xander. Relieved, he begins to tell her what happened. She quickly corrects him when he tries to tell her that he woke up in the City Dump, because they all walked him home last night. He tells her about the bewitching Xander who is turning his friends against him. Giles wonders whether a demon is impersonating Xander. Xander insists that they just kill it and Riley agrees. They all agree that the other Xander is probably Toth. Xander is ranting to Willow about an evil robot Xander that has taken his place, until Willow suggests that Xander might be Toth, and then Xander instantly agrees. Buffy agrees that Xander should meet Anya at the new apartment so he can keep her there and protect her from the evil Xander. It's better if he stays home tonight, because Buffy doesn't want to kill the wrong Xander. Willow agrees to look for a cure so they can snap Buffy out of whatever spell Xander has her under. Xander bemoans the fact that he can't really help her and despite Willow's protest he laments how little he contributes to the gang. He is depressed because it seems that the other Xander is better at living his life than he is. Willow desperately tries to reassure Xander, but he sounds almost suicidal, as he wonders if the other Xander doesn't have more right to live than him. He wonders what he has in his life that is worth living for and then he remembers... Anya. Xander realizes that she could walk into a trap. Willow is surprised at his depth of feeling for Anya as he focuses on how to save her, but she wonders why it took so long for him to realize the danger. He asks her to consider how upsetting it is to have an evil twin. She should keep working on a way to reveal Toth and he will find Anya. After he leaves, Willow thinks that she handled having an evil twin much better than Xander. Xander arrives at Anya's but all he finds is the telephone message that Xander left. He desperately begins to search the dresser drawers. Xander tells Anya that he got the apartment for her and she kisses him in gratitude. He asks if she saw him around today, but it only confuses her. They settle onto the carpet and Xander suggests that they christen the new apartment. Anya wants to talk future improvements in their lives, but she has a hard time remembering what things happy human couples strive for. She is upset because she is beginning to realize that she is human now and could die in a half-century no matter what. Xander quietly suggests that she's also upset because she was recently hurt and she's being forced to face her humanity - she scared. He can't promise that they will always be together, but he tells her that the thought of growing old with her doesn't upset him at all. Then he makes his move and Anya doesn't resist. Suddenly, Xander rushes into the apartment, totally confusing Anya. Both Xanders appeal for her recognition. Anya sides with the Xander with whom she has just spent a few romantic moments. Back at Giles', Buffy and Riley are developing a search plan, when Willow bursts in and tries to explain that the Xander they know is the wrong one. She is convinced that her Xander is the one and only. Riley and Buffy reflect that Xander did seem more self-assured than they are used to from Xander. That's when Giles makes a discovery. He finds a reference to the weapon that Toth used. It's purpose is to split an opponent into two beings with his strongest and weakest qualities separated. Toth planned to easily kill the weaker Buffy, thereby dooming the stronger, since both must be re-joined in order to survive. Neither Xander is evil and neither of them can be killed without killing Xander. At Xander's new apartment, Xander has decided to throw this irritating imposter out of his apartment. Suddenly, Xander pulls the gun he got from the clothes dresser in Anya's apartment. Anya grabs the gun and all three of them struggle for control. As Riley drives an impatient Buffy to the rescue, she begins to wonder if Riley wouldn't prefer a weaker Buffy, a non-Slayer Buffy. Riley assures her that he is in love with her totally and he doesn't want her to change a thing. The stronger Xander is holding the pistol on the weaker version, when Buffy and Riley arrive. Buffy firmly asks Xander for the weapon and with a flourish he opens the revolver and salts the floor with bullets, before handing it over. Anya asks Buffy which Xander is real and the Xanders begin to argue again. Buffy shoves them together and explains the situation. Rather than embarrass the weaker Xander they are vague about how the qualities of the person are divided up. He accuses the stronger Xander of using a flashing coin to cloud people's minds and discovers that it's merely a flattened nickel that Xander found and likes to play with. The weaker Xander takes a sudden liking to the novelty coin. Before they can leave for Giles' house and Xander's cure, Toth blasts through the door. He attacks again with the magical rod, but only succeeds in ruining Xanders' carpet. Riley grabs him from behind and manages to knock the rod from his hand. Riley fights well, but eventually is knocked down. Buffy and Toth fight furiously in the center of the room. She eventually manages to knock him down, Riley throws her a sword and she finishes the job - and Xanders' cleaning deposit. Identically dressed the Xanders invite the women to admire the abundance of Xander. He asks them to stop when they start closely comparing the matching imperfections in his face. Riley, for a moment, expresses the wish to use them as lab rats, until the look on everyone's face silences him. Anya is intrigued and asks to be allowed to use the boys for sex before they are made one again. At least one Xander finds the idea unsettling and Giles encourages everyone to ignore Anya's musings. The Xanders start to talk together like old friends. As they begin the reversal spell Willow explains that by ending Toth's spell, they will snap back together, as they should be. After an incredibly simple incantation, Xander finds himself alone. Anya is disappointed. Buffy and Riley are helping Xander move. For a moment, Xander reflects on the memories contained in the basement apartment, until he realizes that most of them are terrifying. Anya is healthy now and much more optimistic about the future. Xander imposes on her to do some lift and toting and with some grumbling she agrees. Alone with Riley, Xander kids about his relationship with Anya, but Riley can tell that they have something real together. Riley admits that he's crazy, desperately in love with Buffy, but, of course, she doesn't love him. Buffy waltzes into the room and smooches her honey, as Xander stands as if in shock and considers the impact of what Riley just said. Summary by: OBCooke at EpisodeGuides.com |
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