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| 91. Blood Ties Original Air Date: February 06, 2001 Written by: Steven S. DeKnight Directed by: Michael Gershman Guest Cast: Clare Kramer (Glory) Charlie Webber (Ben) Troy T. Blendell (Jinx) Sitting at the round table in the Magic Box, Buffy suggests canceling her 20th birthday party. Willow, Xander, Giles, Anya and Tara agree that they face some difficult times, but canceling a party would be too cruel. Their current nemesis, Glory, and two other beings were Hell-Gods ruling one of the worst demon dimensions, one of thousands of different dimensions that border our own reality. Buffy wonders why a God seems so limited in power - Glory is impressive but hardly god-like. Giles theorizes that being trapped in a mortal body limits the exercise of her full power. But she is still invincible, unstoppable and quite mad. She is being driven mad by living in our dimension so her only recourse is to suck energy from the brains of humans, leaving their minds destroyed. Willow and Tara volunteer to look for magical defenses and weapons. Anya brags about her knowledge of demon dimensions, which she considers superior to Giles', and offers to do research. Xander wonders that if Glory is so desperate to find The Key shouldn't they try to find it first. Buffy and Giles try to discourage them, but the others can see that it's a logical course of action to stop Glory's plans. Buffy admits that she and Giles knows where The Key is. Willow and Xander are particularly disappointed that they weren't trusted with this knowledge, especially since they are used to sharing the danger. Buffy finally begins to tell them that her little sister Dawn is actually The Key. In a field, three men stand in a circle facing a small fire, dressed in medieval chain mail and holding sword handles like crosses before their faces. They chant about destroying the link by destroying The Key. They are challenged by five short beings in brown robes, with pole-axes - worshippers of Glory. There is a brief battle but the smallish creatures cannot compete with the trained warriors from the Brotherhood of the Knights of Byzantium. In short order, only one attacker remains, Jinx. A Knight prepares to end Jinx's life, but as the sword descends, the blade is seized by a pretty blonde in a red dress - Glory. In a few seconds, the tables are turned and one remaining Knight finds himself at Glory's mercy... and she doesn't have any. The next day, Dawn comes across Willow and Tara spreading enchanted powder in front of the Magic Box to create a mystical alarm system. Willow tells her that the Summers' house has already been protected. Dawn wants to help, but Willow and Tara are obviously worried about involving The Key in their mystical workings. Dawn's response reveals that she can tell when she's being brushed off. Dawn goes inside and the magic early warning system is finished as the symbols drawn on the ground disappear in a golden rising light. Xander and Anya unsuccessfully try to hide their nervousness at being around Dawn. Xander over-compensates by doing baby talk and tickling her. Anya is so awkward that Xander rushes her out of the room. Giles makes notes in his Slayer's Chronicles as he suggests they increase the difficulty of Buffy's workouts. Dawn's attention is drawn to the secret diaries, but Buffy unintentionally distracts her from seeing where Giles secrets them. Dawn wonders what's going on with Glory, who invaded their home. Buffy puts her off and Dawn complains again about being left out of the action. Dawn kids that Buffy's jealous because Glory is prettier, but Buffy must be chicken because Glory didn't seem that tough. Glory is torturing the remaining Knight, trying to get the location of The Key. She then rubs her body against her prisoner, teases him and magically drives her fingers into his head, feeding on the energy that flows around her fingers. Buffy is opening presents as the gang gathers with Dawn and Buffy's mother, Joyce, in her living room. Anya quickly makes a nuisance of herself wishing she could have the gifts instead. Dawn's gift is a framed picture of her and Buffy, taken several years ago when they visited their father at the beach. She has pasted shells they collected together onto the frame. Buffy is touched by the sentimental present, but all except Dawn are painfully aware that those moments never happened. All of them have fake memories of Dawn, for Buffy and Joyce going back to her birth, which were created by the monks when they cast the spell making The Key into Buffy's little sister. Later, Buffy, Giles and Joyce are in the kitchen talking about whether Dawn might pose any danger to them herself, when Buffy notices Dawn lurking around trying to eavesdrop. Dawn joins the others in the living room and complains that she can feel the mood in the room change when she comes in. Buffy, Giles and Joyce come back into the room as Anya goes into some detail explaining that they were actually talking about sex. Dawn runs to her room, frustrated and angry that no one will tell her what is going on. Dawn climbs down the side of the house and is surprised to almost walk into Spike. He is standing in her yard, smoking a cigarette and holding a gift-wrapped box. Dawn is amused at the idea that Spike, a vampire, might have a present for Buffy's birthday, especially a beat-up box of chocolates. Spike tries to intimidate her, but she won't go along and claims to be badder than him. She brags that she intends to rob the Magic Box. Spike suggests that there are a lot of nasties on the dark streets of Sunnydale and Buffy would be upset if something happened to Dawn. She claims to be tough, but obviously considers the unknown dangers and invites Spike to a break-in. Dawn complains when Spike's lock-picking skills are not up to par. He reminds her that he doesn't normally leave the door standing, when he breaks in, but he's finally successful. He's disappointed to learn that they are there to steal a book. She searches around the spot where Giles was standing and quickly finds a hidden drawer in the sales counter. They sit in candlelight as Spike complains about Giles' tiny handwriting. Dawn finds a record in the ledger of Tarnis, one of the founders of the monastic Order of Dagon, the guardians of The Key. Spike thinks that all monks need a fanatical purpose to replace their sex drive. He finds Olaf's troll hammer, but isn't strong enough to lift it. Dawn finds reference to The Key's other-worldliness and how only those outside of reality can see it. Spike tells her that that could mean psychics or the mentally deranged. Dawn recalls that several disturbed people have accused her of not really existing. She reads further that mystical creatures, especially those based on dogs or snakes, can track The Key. She remembers when the giant snake creature crashed into the magic shop. She stops reading and Spike takes the book from her hand. He reads on and they both discover that Dawn is The Key. Back at the house, Buffy is commiserating with Willow and Tara that Riley didn't even send a birthday card. She hopes that he was prevented by security precautions for his secret demon-fighting mission. Suddenly, they notice Dawn entering the room holding a knife and bleeding heavily from a slashed wrist. Buffy and Joyce run to her but she is unconcerned with her injury. She is confused, scared and angry because of confusion about who or what she really is. A short time later, Giles offers to stay, but Buffy shoos everyone out, so the family can deal with the crisis. She joins her mother in Dawn's room. In answer to Dawn's questions they tell her that, instead of being fourteen, she is really only six months old. Buffy and Joyce try to reassure her, but Dawn lashes out that her life, her family and their love is a lie. She can't trust anything she knows to be true about herself. She screams at them to leave her alone. The next day, Buffy is desperate to find out more about The Key. She feels that Dawn needs to know her true nature to fill the vacuum caused having no real memories. Clues, like cigarette butts, at the Magic Box quickly point to Spike's help in Dawn's break-in and discovery. Spike is sitting cross-legged on top of a cement sarcophagus when Buffy barges into his crypt. She pulls the lid out from under him and when he tries to climb out, she uses the slab to pin his chest against one wall of the coffin. She demands answers and Spike protests that he had no idea what was going to happen. She lets up and he flings the cement top aside. He tells her that he was only trying to protect Dawn during her nighttime raid, that there was no way anyone was going to stop her from finding out forever. It's Buffy's fault that Dawn found out instead of being told by her family. Buffy's just looking for someone else to blame. She leaves without a word. Joyce tries to get Dawn up for school, but she is too depressed. She feels detached, uninvolved and scornful of her life. She won't even let Joyce touch her. Finally, to escape Joyce's mothering presence, she decides to go to school. At the hospital, Ben is delivering pills to the psych ward when he sees the Knight that Glory captured, babbling and tied to a bed. Ben is the young doctor that first saw Joyce when she became ill. The markings on the man's forehead tell Ben who the man is. The pointy-eared, pointy-nosed Dreg is suddenly there to tell Ben that he needs to band together with Glory now that the Knights are in Sunnydale. Ben isn't convinced and warns Dreg not to bother him again with Glory's demands. In the evening, Dawn is in her room looking over her diaries, painfully aware that they are not real. All her recorded childhood memories are lies. Downstairs Joyce wants to rush to her side and Buffy thinks that they should give her time. Dawn sneaks to the head of the stairs to hear Buffy and Joyce. Joyce tells Buffy that Dawn lashed out in school and got suspended. Buffy argues that from Dawn's point of view, nothing really matters because she's not real and they aren't her family. Dawn runs away crying and starts trashing her room. She picks up her diaries and after a moment's hesitation, begins to rip them up. Joyce is horrified at Buffy assessment and Buffy tells her that she doesn't believe that Dawn doesn't matter, but that must be how Dawn feels. Joyce thinks that that is why they should hold Dawn closer and shower her with love and support. Buffy still feels that answers to her past would help her through the torment better. Joyce argues for a little sisterly compassion in the meantime. A squealing alarm is heard and Buffy fears that Glory is attacking, but Joyce recognizes the smoke detector. In Dawn's room they find her diaries burning in a wastebasket. Dawn is gone. The gang, and Spike, gather at the magic shop. Buffy quickly hands out search assignments. Dawn wanders the streets and at a playground remembers Buffy as a young girl pushing her on the swings. Every memory seems to cause her pain. Xander searches with Giles, marveling at the completeness and detail of the fake memories. Giles wonders what a several thousand-year-old mystical energy source is like in its true form. He comments that huge armies have fought battles over control of The Key. Xander can't help but brag, by pointing out that The Key has a crush on him. Spike irritates Buffy by pointing out that you shouldn't go around yelling out the name of a person that you're looking for if they are trying to hide from you. Apparently blaming herself, Buffy admits that Spike was probably right about telling Dawn the truth before she had a chance to find out on her own. Spike assures her that Dawn would still have run away, because she is still a fourteen-year-old girl trying to deal with her bizarre heritage. He sincerely tries to make Buffy feel better by reassuring her that they will find Dawn. Buffy isn't sure what to do after they do. Dawn sneaks into the hospital psychiatric ward. She tries to get one of the patients to reveal what they see when they look at her. The Knight recognizes her as The Key. She tries to learn more from him, but the Knight only wants to destroy her. He thinks that will make him holy for fulfilling God's will. Dawn flees from him and meets Ben in the hallway. Ben takes her to a break room and serves her hot chocolate. Dawn starts to tell an old hot chocolate memory, but recalling that her memories are lies, stops before she finishes. Ben wonders if Joyce is sick again. Dawn sarcastically tells him that "her mother" is okay. Ben offers to call Buffy instead, but Dawn denies having a sister. Ben agrees that sisters can sometimes drive you crazy, he knows from experience. She tells Ben that she doesn't really exist. When she mentions Glory, Ben suddenly realizes that Dawn is The Key. Dawn wonders how Ben knows about Glory and The Key, but he is desperate for Dawn to leave before Glory arrives. He warns Dawn that somehow Glory knows what he knows and therefore she could be there any second. Dawn is confused. Ben can sense Glory's approach. He grabs her and in mid-sentence he transforms into Glory. Glory discards Ben's scrubs and dons a red dress from a locker in the dressing area. Dawn looks for an escape route, but, without looking, Glory warns her that she doesn't have a chance. Faster than the eye, Glory is across the room face-to-face with The Key. Glory wants to know what Dawn and Ben were talking about and Dawn realizes that Glory doesn't know yet. A security guard comes into the break room, but Glory breaks his neck in a second. She suggests that they go somewhere where they won't be interrupted. The searchers meet in a cemetery, but no one has anything to report. Buffy worries that, even without Glory, Sunnydale is no place to be a runaway girl. She decides to check the hospital. In a lab room, Glory tries to threaten and bribe Dawn into revealing the location of The Key. When Dawn asks for a description Glory tells her that it was once a pretty green energy swirl, but now she doesn't know. Dawn suggests that Glory tell her more in hopes of figuring out the truth and after some consideration Glory agrees. At the information desk, Buffy and the team hear about the discovery of the security guard's body. Glory tells Dawn that The Key is slightly younger than Glory and she's been around forever. She also claims that The Key is evil, but admits that may not be true. Dawn asks about the lock that The Key is used on and Glory begins to get suspicious of Dawn's motives. She wonders if Dawn was conspiring against her with Ben. Angrily she accuses Dawn of knowing nothing helpful. She begins to rant and appears to be suffering. She decides to suck Dawn's brains and send Buffy a warning in the form of a demented sister. The team bursts into the room and Buffy engages Glory. Spike is right behind her. As he holds Glory and Buffy punches her, Spike thinks that Glory isn't so tough. But Glory breaks free and throws Spike across the room, where he lands unconscious. Buffy gets in a few good punches and a kick before she signals Giles, but his crossbow bolt bounces off Glory. She is mocking their efforts when Xander hits her from behind with a crowbar to the head that surprises her. She throws Xander into Giles taking them both out of the fight. Willow and Tara are working a spell as Glory announces that she is going to begin killing them starting with Dawn. She throws the pointed end of the crowbar at Dawn like a spear, but Buffy leaps into its path and takes the missile in the upper chest. It doesn't go deep, but removing it is very painful. Glory moves between Willow and Tara. They cover her with sparkling dust and Willow claps her hands with a shouted command. Glory vanishes and Willow falls to the floor. Tara rushes to her side. With her nose bleeding and obviously overcome from the effort, Willow explains that she teleported Glory away to parts unknown. High above Sunnydale, where the lights of the city are little tiny dots, Glory reappears. She barely has time to realize that she is in trouble before her fall begins. By the time she reaches the ground she is a glowing streak falling from the heavens. Giles points out that Willow took a great risk with such a dangerous spell and Willow agrees she doesn't look forward to having to do it again. Buffy is concerned for Dawn, but Dawn is still angry and withdrawn. Buffy emphatically tells Dawn that they are sisters. She holds up Dawn's hand, which was cut during the fight. She holds her own hand against her chest wound until it's bloody. She presses their hands together in a blood ceremony. She pledges that Dawn's blood is Summers' blood, that they are sisters and the past is unimportant, from this point on, they are family. Dawn leaps into Buffy's arms and they hug together desperately. After they recover, Dawn remembers that Ben tried to help her, but she can't recall the details of what happened. Something has caused her to forget Ben's strange relationship with Glory. Buffy just wants to get Dawn home to mother, but Dawn is worried about how much trouble she must be in for starting a fire. Buffy assures her that because of her trauma for a limited time Dawn can get away with just about anything. Summary by: OBCooke at EpisodeGuides.com |
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