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| 95. Forever Original Air Date: April 18, 2001 Written by: Marti Noxon Directed by: Marti Noxon Guest Cast: Joel Grey (Doc) David Boreanaz (Angel) Clare Kramer (Glory) Charlie Webber (Ben) Troy T. Blendell (Jinx) Alan Henry Brown (Funeral Home Director) Darius Dudley (Minister) Buffy walks among caskets in a darkened room. Coming to one, she slowly opens the lid. Dawn, Giles and the Funeral Home Director enter to see if she's selected one for her mother. The Director compliments her choice, but when they begin to leave, Dawn stands still. Buffy regrets bringing her to the funeral home. Dawn insists that she's fine but seems unable to voice what she is feeling. Both sisters stand apart with their arms crossed, until Buffy decides it's time to go. Dawn still hesitates beside the casket. Later, at the Summers' home, Buffy and Giles go over the funeral details while Dawn, Willow and Xander listen and kibitz. They are somewhat surprised by the fact that Joyce did not want a wake following the ceremony. Dawn is disappointed to learn that she was left out of Buffy and Joyce's "what if" conversations about Joyce's funeral. Xander tries to encourage Dawn to eat, but she isn't interested. Giles handles a phone call and Buffy wonders if her father will ever call them. She has been unable to find him at any of the numbers she has, but she left messages everywhere. So far he's a no show. She goes back to considering how the invitations should be worded. Dawn wonders what follows the funeral and can't face the thought of just returning to the house. She gets permission to stay overnight at Willow's after the funeral. It seems strange to Buffy, but she agrees. Leaving the Summers' house, Willow tells Xander how she visits her mother more often lately. Xander is surprised and offended to see Spike coming up the walkway with flowers. He makes clear that he will not allow Spike to use Joyce's death to try to worm his way into Buffy's good graces. Spike becomes passionate as he tries to explain that he really liked Joyce, he wanted to leave the flowers on the porch in honor of her. Joyce had been a good and gracious hostess when he visited and she didn't treat him with contempt like the others, she had class. Xander is unconvinced and Spike throws the flowers to the ground in disgust, walking away. Xander is still fuming when Willow points out that the flowers have no card - no one would have known they were from Spike if they hadn't seen him. Buffy sits on her bed in the darkness of the early morning light. Further down the hall, Dawn sits in silence in her room. Buffy and Dawn stand to one side of the grave, backed by their five closest friends, as the Minister's voice drones on. There are a few dozen people in attendance. After the ceremony, people disperse until only Buffy and Dawn are left. Dawn leaves with Willow and Tara, after Buffy assures them that she is all right. Buffy stands silently at her mother's graveside until the gloom of nightfall begins to darken the sky. Footsteps approach and take their place by her side. Angel apologizes for not reaching her sooner and she takes his hand. Willow and Tara are trying to console Dawn, but she has no patience with their cliches about life and death. When they ask Dawn what she would like to do, she tells them that she wants them to raise her mother from the dead. Xander and Anya have just finished making love. Anya thinks that sex is somewhat different now. With a new awareness of the cycle of life and death, she is tuned into the life-affirming aspect of sex. Xander worries that she's thinking about making babies, but she agrees that they aren't ready for that. But she is more aware of the possibilities beyond physical pleasure for romantic love and sex. Willow and Tara are trying to talk Dawn out of her deepest desire. First, they try to convince her it's impossible. Willow tells her that there are books that discuss such spells, but always with grave warnings as to the consequences. Tara argues that all witches have taken an oath that prohibits them from manipulating the forces of nature for personal gain. They only succeed in convincing Dawn that it is possible. She becomes angry with them and withdrawn because they won't help her. Buffy and Angel sit together under a tree in the graveyard. She tries to explain that as bad as the funeral was, facing the future seems more terrifying, because she will have to resume a normal life without her mother's strength to help her. She begins to entertain thoughts of guilt over whether she could have prevented her mother's death if she had arrived home sooner or hadn't had an initial rush of panic. She also worries about having to be responsible for Dawn from now on. Angel tries to reassure her that she has within her all she needs to deal with the tragedy and even if she doesn't she has friends to see her through it. As dawn nears, Angel offers to remain in Sunnydale for a time. Buffy thinks that they would be making a mistake since she is so vulnerable, but he tells her that he will take responsibility for maintaining control. They draw together and kiss passionately for a time. When their lips part, they both have a difficult time regaining their composure. She tells him to leave and he reluctantly agrees. She thanks him for helping her through the most difficult night of her life and he holds her again, until he absolutely has to leave. Jinx, a groveling servant of Glory, approaches Ben outside the hospital. Glory knows that Ben invited Buffy out and wants him to try to get information on the location of The Key. Ben is upset that Glory would try to use him to further her mad schemes. In the course of arguing with Jinx, Ben lets slip that The Key is an innocent person. To prevent Glory from learning this, Ben takes Jinx's dagger from his belt and stabs the minion. Dawn won't get out of bed and tells Willow and Tara that Giles will give her a ride later. The older women prepare to leave for classes. Willow considers Dawn's sad face and as she walks out the door, she uses a magical hand motion to pull one of the books, on a shelf across the room, out in front of the others. As soon as the door closes, Dawn picks up "The History of Witches" and begins to read about resurrection. At the Magic Box, Dawn volunteers to work as a form of therapy. Anya, at first, is nervous about letting Dawn work at the shop, but with a word from Giles, surprisingly, Anya reverses herself and makes an effort to overcome the urge to guard her domain. Dawn asks about what things in the shop are so dangerous that they need special permission. Obviously not a parent, Giles thinks it's a good idea to tell this young teen all the things that shouldn't be messed with. He helpfully points out an upper level storage area that contains the most powerful stuff. When he suggests that he teach her the cash register, Anya can't resist feeling uncomfortable again, but she distracts herself with a customer. Giles carries some boxes into the back, leaving Dawn unattended. Dawn wastes no time, climbing the ladder into the restricted area and stuffing a book and vial into her backpack. In the dark of night, Dawn kneels by her mother's graveside and scoops dirt into a jar. She is startled by Spike, warning her not to try any spells requiring more that dirt from the grave or she will be raising a zombie. She tries to act innocent, but she can't hide the stolen, infamous book she is reading from. Spike offers to help her. At his home, Giles settles in with a drink and listens to the original 1967 vinyl of "Disraeli Gears" by Eric Clapton and Cream. He plays the psychedelic love song, "Tales Of Brave Ulysses", which he and Joyce listened to when magic candy made them think that they were teenagers again - the night they made love. Spike takes Dawn to an expert on resurrection and such, named Doc. As they walk, Dawn accuses Spike of trying to get to Buffy by helping her. He insists that Dawn never tell Buffy what he is about to do or she will kill him. He tells Dawn that he is helping because he thinks that the "Summers women" have had it hard enough. Glory is wondering why Jinx is late, when two other minions carry him into her lavishly decorated lair. When he tells her that Ben attacked him, Glory literally pulls her hair out in anger. Jinx gasps out that The Key is a person. Glory compliments Jinx's loyalty to her in the face of death. Jinx expression looks surprised at the idea that he might still die, or be allowed to die. As Glory celebrates this latest clue, Jinx passes out. She instructs her servants to save him, so he can tell her the news again. A black cat prowls a living room cluttered with books and papers. Dawn and Spike enter and Spike calls out. A frail, gray-haired man in a house robe emerges and recognizes Spike for a vampire right away. Spike explains the situation and Doc recommends a potion to heal Dawn's grief instead. Dawn refuses all alternatives. Doc suddenly snatches a hair from Dawn's head and studies it. He proclaims Joyce a good prospect with strong genes. As he hums a refrain from "Peter and the Wolf", he searches his shelves. Dawn is startled to see a small, gray reptilian tail poke briefly from the back of Doc's robe. Dawn explains that she has a book, but can't understand the instructions. Doc explains that she needs the egg of a Gora demon to finish her spell. Gora demons like the Hellmouth and nest around it. Dawn offers to buy one, but Doc tells her that ingredients for a resurrection can't be had so easily. She will also need a photo of Joyce. He explains the rest of the spell and tells Dawn that after it's done, Joyce won't appear instantly, but her mother will return. If Dawn fails, destroying the photo used in the spell can reverse it. He offers no guarantee as to whether Dawn will be successful or what condition Joyce will return in. He tells them to enter the sewers at Tracy Street to find the Gora's nest. Dawn begins to count out money, but Doc declines payment. He shakes Dawn's hand and asks her to return to tell him how things turned out. As she looks into his kindly face, the whites of his eyes disappear and he looks back at her with cold, totally black eyes. Startled, Dawn pulls back her hand and they quickly leave. When they reach the sewer entrance, Spike argues that Dawn should remain behind. She dismisses that idea and volunteers to grab one of the eggs while Spike distracts the demon. She enters the sewer with Spike following, complaining that's she as stubborn as Buffy. They find a Gora asleep beside its nest. The Gora is a gray, dinosaur-like creature with a small, oblong head and large dorsal fin. When Spike awakes the creature and it raises up, he realizes that the demon has three heads, each with very nasty-looking teeth. The Gora also has short, powerful forearms and a long flexible tail. The creature towers over Spike and he has to close in with an ax when Dawn makes her move for the egg. Dawn snatches her purplish, spotted, football-shaped prize and, with her clear, Spike sticks his ax into one of the monster's necks. As they run up the twisted rocky steps Dawn stumbles and smashes the egg. The yellow yolk and sky-blue egg "white" flow down the rocks. Spike tries to convince her that another try without a weapon is too dangerous, but she won't be stopped. She rushes back to the nest and only a frantic effort by Spike hurling large rocks keeps the beast from chewing her up. As Dawn grabs another egg, the Gora manages to knock down Spike with its tail and close one set of jaws on his left hip and side, forcing him to scream in pain. Dawn gets the egg and Spike frees himself. As they retreat, Dawn tries to apologize, but Spike tells her not to apologize for being successful. Later that night, in her room, Dawn offers up the egg as a sacrifice during the spell. Willow is obsessing over her new journal, trying to record every detail of the day. She can even remember her lover, Tara, having two sunny-side up eggs, which reminded Willow of breasts. Tara suddenly notices that "The History of Witches" is missing. Willow pretends ignorance and tries to convince Tara that Dawn wouldn't take it. But Willow thinks that it's a good book on the subject of resurrection and that it might help Dawn to read it. Tara worries that there's too much sensitive information that could lead the wrong people to a real resurrection spell. Babbling nervously, Willow denies any knowledge of the missing book, but agrees that they should act quickly to inform Buffy. Buffy arrives home to a ringing telephone. Buffy finds Dawn as she completes the spell. Eager to greet their mother Dawn rushes downstairs. Buffy finds the picture, confirming her worst fears. She follows Dawn to the front door and tries to convince her that resurrection spells can have disastrous results. Dawn starts to tell Buffy about Doc's opinion, but Buffy interrupts demanding to know who helped her and how to stop it. Dawn grabs the picture from Buffy and retreats into the living room. Buffy follows and argues that it's not fair to their mother to attempt resurrection. Dawn thinks that her need for her mother outweighs all other considerations. She feels isolated. She accuses Buffy of withdrawing from her and leaving her to face the loss alone. Buffy tries to protest, but Dawn's passionate accusation makes it clear that it's true from her point of view. She accuses Buffy of not caring enough to even cry over Joyce's death and treating their mother's death like an unpleasant clean-up job. Buffy slaps Dawn, hard. Instantly sorry, Buffy struggles to explain that she has used the details of the funeral to avoid dealing with the loss or facing an uncertain future. She cries as she says that she feels like she has to have all the answers now, like their mother did. She is terrified of the job of taking care of both of them and she pulled away so Dawn wouldn't see how lost and frightened she is. Dawn is now sympathetic to her sister's plight. A shadow slowly shuffles past the curtains of the large windows in the living room, a misshapen shadow similar to Joyce Summers. A few seconds later there is a knock at the door. When Buffy says "Mommy?" the word conveys that she now sees the magically resurrection of Joyce as the answer to all her problems. She rushes to the door, obviously eager to give up her responsibilities and avoid facing the future. When Dawn calls after Buffy, her expression shows that she is finally beginning to realize the dire consequences of what she has done. She seems to know that Buffy's confidence, her psyche, her emotional well-being could all be destroyed by opening the door. Dawn hesitates for a moment and rips the photo in half. Buffy flings open the door to find an empty porch. Buffy stands in the doorway for a moment searching the darkness. Then Dawn rushes to her. The sisters hold each other, breaking down in tears, collapsing on the floor and crying out their grief. Summary by: OBCooke at EpisodeGuides.com |
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