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| 101. Bargaining, Part I Original Air Date: October 02, 2001 Written by: Marti Noxon Directed by: David Grossman Guest Cast: Franc Ross (Razor) Geoff Meed (Mag) A large, black vampire runs through a cemetery with Spike in pursuit, followed further behind by a tired Tara and more tired Giles. They lose sight of their prey and stop to gather themselves. Spike starts to blame the others for their failure. But Giles makes a dumb joke and they are all soon laughing together. Willow interrupts them. From some distance away she stands on top of a crypt with literally a commanding view of the grounds. Her voice is clear and strong in their heads. She warns them that their prey is circling and preparing to attack them. She instructs them in which direction to drive the vamp and he runs straight into a fist. Buffy stands over him and seems to welcome the action. But he manages to fend off her stake and knock her away. Spike, Giles and Tara jump the monster. Xander and Anya are running to join their friends when Willow's telepathic voice stops them cold and gives them the creeps. She warns the couple of another vampire hiding in wait and instructs them on how to ambush the fiend. The big vamp is giving the entire crew a hard time, including throwing Buffy aside again. He chokes Giles as Spike casually lights a cigarette. Willow urges Spike to do something, but Spike already has. The big vamp suddenly erupts in flames and, releasing his grip on Giles, vanishes in a cloud of dust. Willow mentally commands them to help Xander and Anya. That vamp gets the advantage on Buffy, but Spike attacks him and Buffy finally stakes him. She utters a complete non-sequester instead of a clever line and everyone looks to Willow to fix the Buffy-bot. Giles reminds her how important it is to keep the illusion that Buffy is alive, so the wide variety of evil forces around the Hellmouth will not erupt in her absence. Trying to figure out ways to make the robot more like Buffy, only reminds them of how great their loss is. The next day, Willow looks for shoes, but Tara reveals that Dawn has borrowed them. Willow and Tara are apparently living in Joyce's old room. They share a couples' moment and Willow goes in search of shoes, that Dawn denies having. The Buffy-amation proves she needs more work by making a dozen sandwiches for Dawn's lunch. Fortunately, Xander arrives to eat his share. Everyone jumps to stop the Buffy-atron from answering the phone. Dawn thinks their dad might be calling, apparently they have been in touch and he promised a call. Instead it's Anya letting Willow know that she has obtained something they need for tonight. Dawn is curious, as always, but they tell her its nothing and Spike will be watching her tonight. They explain to Buffy-oid that they can only keep Dawn in Willow and Tara's custody if everyone, especially her father, thinks that Buffy is alive and Dawn's guardian. The Buffy-bot gladly agrees to help in the deception, after all, Dawn is her sister. Everyone is again painfully aware that the Robo-Buffy is a pale replacement. Everyone is worried how Electro-Buffy will do in her next test, attending a Parent-Teacher Day celebration. At the event, Dawn has to cover for Buffy-oid's awkward replies by calling it bad humor. In a classroom of parents, Buffy makes the most simplistic of statements and everyone reads their own relative meaning to her words, making her sound like a genius - a la Chance the Gardener. At the Magic Box, Anya thinks that Giles' torturous review of the books before turning the shop over to Anya reminds her of something a Vengeance Demon would do. She also accuses him of looting the shop of its most valuable pieces for his private collection. She ends up in a slap-fight with him over ownership of a small idol. Even Xander thinks they're being childish. Xander reminds Anya that she's getting the store and should be grateful. Giles reminds them that he is only making Anya a partner for running the store, Giles still retains some ownership. Anya reminds Giles, under her breath, that he will be a very silent partner. And Xander reminds her that the deal still isn't signed yet and she could be talking herself out of it. She leaves, but Xander follows to scold her. She tries to explain that the anticipation of controlling the store is driving her crazy. That and the fact that no one is talking about rather Giles should be leaving for England. Mostly she's mad that Xander hasn't announced their engagement. It's been three months and she thinks some good news is long overdue. Xander wants to wait until they know if everything is going to change. That night, Dawn is telling Spike about the Buffy-ator buffaloing the parents and faculty. Cynical Spike goes on about the failed school system, until her remembers that he should be encouraging Dawn to believe in schools. His trump card is that Buffy would want her to work hard in school and they both know that that is the way it will be then. Dawn tries to convince Spike that she doesn't need a guardian every minute since her critical time as The Key has come and gone. Even if she still is The Key, there is no longer a use for those energies. Her teen-age scheme to get away from supervision persists until it angers Spike. He tells her in no uncertain terms that he will never again allow her to get hurt, perhaps thinking to the time on the tower when he was defeated by Doc, who went on to open the portal that Buffy died closing. A young woman walks a dark street, unsure if someone is following her. She quickens her pace, but is grabbed by a vampire. Buffy-matic is there to save her. The victim flees and so does the vamp, but Buffy-ette quickly catches him. She pounds him, until he gets lucky with a broken bottle, cutting the Buffy-verks' forehead and causing an electrical spark across the damage. He realizes that Buffy is a fake and runs. The badly confused Buffy-doll can't follow. Meanwhile, Willow and Tara are marveling over the fact the Anya was able to find the last existing Urn of Osiris on e-bay, the Internet auction site. A solemn Willow announces that they are ready. Xander seems concerned. Willow plans for tomorrow night and Xander reminds them that they are talking about bringing Buffy back from the dead. Xander seems unsure. Anya tries to back him up. Willow presses them and Tara agrees that it is wrong, but they all agreed to do it for Buffy. Willow won't hear of anyone backing out. Xander protests, but everyone reminds him that he was all for Willow being in charge of the group, as were they all. Now that the time has come, Xander wants to at least re-open the discussion. Anya wonders if they should consult Giles and Willow insists that no one else must know. Tara wonders what could go wrong, but Willow dismisses any concern. Xander thinks of this as zombies, but Willow tells him that they can bring Buffy back because she was killed by magic, so magic can restore her completely. Besides, Willow imagines Buffy's soul suffering in some hell dimension and she is close to tears as she vows to save her friend. Xander agrees. When Willow arrives home, she finds the damaged Buffy-bot. Robo-Buffy explains to Willow that she followed her programming to seek out Willow when she is damaged. Electro-Buffy makes a pass at Spike and he quietly fumes. He tells Willow that this affection the machine has for him must stop. Willow promises to do all she can to de-program it from the robot. Upset, Spike storms from the house. Buffy-atron has noticed that Spike never looks at her anymore, no matter what, not even a glance her way. Willow promises to make the fake Buffy all better. Later that night, Willow and Tara are tucked in and Dawn lies wide-eyed in bed. She goes silently to her sister's room and the wired up Mecho-Buffy lying, unblinking, in the bed. She gets into the bed and cuddles close with the Pseudo-Buffy. The next day, the Buffy-oid and Giles practice in the gym. Giles has to remind the machine to simulate breathing more convincingly. Giles gets philosophical about the breath of life and Anya, just arriving, begins to argue with him that the concept is way beyond the robot and Giles is wasting his time woolgathering. After Anya leaves, Giles ends the practice session and wonders if Anya is right, perhaps his teachings aren't much use after all. After a few moments, he gets around to blaming himself for Buffy's death. The Buffy-bot tries to argue with him, but Giles is a Watcher who lost his Slayer. He knows that that is always, eventually, the natural order of things but he still suffers from the loss and wonders what his function in life is now. At a demon motorcycle bar, the vamp that escaped from the Buffy-atron is telling a skeptical demon how he beat the Slayer. The demon becomes angry with the obvious liar, until the vampire reveals that he was only able to beat Buffy because she is a fake. The demon takes the wimpy vamp to tell the tale to his gang-leader. At the news, the demon gang-leader decides to make Sunnydale theirs after pulling the head off of the vampire. On a bright calm day, in a grassy meadow, Willow does some conjuring. Looking around she sees a tiny doe approaching her. She refers to it as "the blessed one" and calls it to her. As the young dear nuzzles Willow's hand, Willow reaches with the other hand for a shiny blade and plunges it into the fawn. Willow thanks the creature for it's sacrifice and looks around to make sure no one saw her. Back at the Magic Box, she tells Xander, Anya and Tara that she retrieved the last ingredient they need for the resurrection spell. She tells them that she got it on the black market. Anya comments that the black market means all kinds of evil and vile objects. Willow thinks that anything that helps them complete the spell is a good thing. Suddenly Anya finds a note from Giles that he has left instead of saying good-bye. He is gone. Giles is sitting at the airport gate trying to read when Willow, Xander, Dawn, Anya and Tara catch up to him. They've had time to make up a "Bon Voyage" sign with balloons. Giles admits that it wasn't their emotional display that he was trying to avoid. They managed to buy a few presents at a gas station and make up a card on the way to the airport. Giles is touched almost to the point of being unable to speak. They try to reassure him that they will be fine and Anya promises to safeguard the money from the shop. His flight is called. After a couple of awkward seconds, Giles hugs them one after another. As always, Anya's grip on him is surprisingly strong and emotional. He reminds Dawn that she can always call him if she needs anything. He finally asks them all to, please, be careful. And then he is gone. After he leaves, the gang wonders if the quiet, low-key send-off was right instead of allowing themselves to cry. Willow wonders what Giles is returning to, since they know so little of his life in England. Dawn wants to make sure that they don't loose touch with him. Away from Dawn, Willow tells Xander and Anya that if they are successful in raising Buffy tonight that Giles will return. At dusk, about a dozen motorcycle demons drive into Sunnydale. At Buffy's grave, Willow, Xander, Anya and Tara gather. Willow dabs blood on her face from the urn and begins the spell. Suddenly, Willow is grabbed by unseen forces. Tara tells the others that it is part of the ceremony that Willow will be tested. They cannot interfere or help her. Large cuts appear on Willow's arms and bubbles form under her skin that move about as if alive. In the distance, the others can hear the roar of engines. The demon gang rides right onto Main Street wrecking havoc. The assult the people and fire-bomb the shops. Willow is obviously suffering and begins to choke. She falls forward in a fit of coughing and gagging. A live rattlesnake emerges from her mouth. Spike is watching the telly as Dawn sleeps on the couch. As the demon gang begins to reach their neighborhood Dawn awakes and Spike instructs her to stay in the house while he checks things out. Buffy-verks challenges one of the gang on Main Street and he lets out a screech that summons the other demons and their leader. She offers them a chance to leave, but the leader orders some demons to hold her while he extends steel blades from his fingertips. He slashes the mechanoid and sparks fly. The Buffy-oid fights back to escape so she can return to Willow for repairs. Willow, meanwhile, is in the grip of a flowing red light, like a mystic flame around her that reaches to the heavens. She is still obviously suffering from the spell. The gang arrives to circle the group around Buffy's grave. One of them rides over the urn, shattering it. Willow screams and collapses as the flames disappear. Tara tries to reach her, but the buzzing motorcycles have her cut off. Xander manages to slip past the roaring machines and reach Willow. He yells to other women to run and picks Willow up. Anya and Tara are pursued closely by one motorcycle. The rider snatches Anya, but a glowing ball of blue light from Tara breaks Anya free from him. Like Xander, Anya and Tara seeks shelter in denser parts of the woods surrounding the graveyard. Willow recovers just long enough to question Xander and find out that the spell failed before she passes out again. Deep in the ground, Buffy's shriveled body lies in her coffin. Mists flow around her and seem to settle in her body. Her flesh fills out, her eyes emerge from sunken sockets and Buffy is alive inside her coffin. To Be Continued........ Summary by; OBCooke at EpisodeGuides.com |
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