Season 4, Episode 7

Written by Douglas Petrie

Directed by James A. Contner

Original Airdate: 15 November 1999

"Then talk. Keep eye contact. Funny is good, but don't be glib. And remember, if you hurt her, I will beat you to death with a shovel. A vague disclaimer is nobody's friend. Have fun."
Willow

REGULAR CAST

• Sarah Michelle Gellar as Buffy Summers

• Nicholas Brendon as Xander Harris

• Alyson Hannigan as Willow Rosenberg

• James Marsters as Spike

• Anthony Stewart Head as Rupert Giles

GUEST CAST

• Marc Blucas as Riley Finn

• Mercedes McNab as Harmony Kendall

• Adam Kaufman as Parker Abrams

• Bailey Chase as Graham Miller

• Leonard Roberts as Forrest Gates

• Lindsay Crouse as Professor Maggie Walsh

CO-STARRING

• Mace Lombard as Tom

• Scott Becker as Lost Freshman

SYNOPSIS

• Riley and a couple of friends, Forest and Graham, watch Buffy as she manages to make a mess of the soda machine and yogurt machine. They comment on what a catch she is, and how interested they all are, but Riley is reluctant. Spike wakes up from unconsciousness to discover he's in a facility where they are keeping various types of creatures captive behind electrically-charged barriers. Giles and Xander discover the commando guys are human and that their help will not be needed, again. Buffy arrives and while Giles tells her to patrol, she says she's going to party with Willow and hopefully cheer her up.
  
  A packet of blood drops down from the ceiling into Spike's cell, but before he drinks it, another vampire from the cell beside him warns him it's drugged. It's Sunday's former henchman Tom, and he tells Spike that the people starve the vampires and then feed them drugged blood before doing tests. In class, Willow asks Riley about Oz, but he tells her he dropped out. After Willow tries to tell him that Oz will return, Professor Walsh informs her that he won't be back to her class.
  
  Forest asks Parker what Buffy was like, and Riley ends up hitting Parker after he brags about Buffy and talks vulgarly about her. Riley then discovers that he likes Buffy. Pretending that he drank the packet of blood, Spike lies on the floor and when the people come to get him, he attacks. He escapes, also setting Tom free to show the way out and then while Tom gets captured, Spike escapes. Riley visits Willow to find out more about Buffy, but the emotionally distressed Willow isn't much help. As he's leaving, and after he's somewhat convinced her that he might be okay for Buffy, she tells him about some of Buffy's likes and interests.
  
  Spike returns to Harmony, and pretends to be back for good. At the party that night, Willow sneaks away to inform Riley about Buffy and what he can expect to happen that night. He makes a complete fool out of himself though. Xander and Giles patrol that night and after splitting up, Xander runs into Harmony. The two fight, very badly, and then mutually agree to stop. She's burning some of Spike's things and lets Xander know that Spike is back in town. Xander interrupts Riley's second attempt to talk to Buffy to inform her of Spike's return.
  
  Riley and friends break away from the party and after passing through several electronic checkpoints, go downstairs into an underground facility - the place where they were holding Spike. Professor Walsh is heading the operation and after informing them that Hostile 17, aka Spike has escaped, the guys suit up and get ready to go after him. Riley gives orders to three teams that he sends out all over Sunnydale to find Spike. Buffy's plan is to go alone and kill Spike.
  
  Spike finds Buffy's dorm through the school computer system. Riley's team spot Buffy sitting on a bench. Riley says she won't be their bait and goes out to get rid of her. Both unaware of the other's secret identity, they try to get rid of the other. Willow accidentally invites Spike into her dorm room. He tries to bite her but finds that when he tries, there's an intense pain in his head. Willow hits him with a lamp and runs out just as Riley and friends cut the power and then work their way up to the dorm room. They capture Spike and while they consider whether to take Willow or not, Spike breaks free.
  
  Buffy arrives and fights Riley and his friends while Spike manages to escape through a window. Unable to make out the identity of their attacker, Riley orders them to retreat. Professor Walsh is not happy with what happened or with Riley's report on the event. It is revealed that Spike cannot harm a living thing without feeling pain in his head thanks to an implant they placed there. Riley catches up with Buffy and they talk. Buffy tells him he's a little peculiar, which he says he can live with.

TRIVIA

• We meet Forrest Gates and Graham Miller in this episode. They make appearances all season, and are played by Leonard Roberts and Bailey Chase respectively.

• James Marsters has been added to the opening titles, and Seth Green, due to the events of the last episode, has been removed.

• The names in the list of Stevenson Hall residents which Spike looks at are those of people who work for Buffy, including Jeff Pruitt (stunt co-ordinator), David Solomon (co-producer), JD Peralta (assistant to Marti Noxon), Cindy Rosenthal (Costumer), Victoria Rushkin (set designer) and Lisa Rosenberg (hair stylist).

• Sarah Michelle Gellar filmed Angel's I Will Remember You at the same time as this, which is why she has fewer scenes than usual in this episode.

CONTINUITY

• We finally find out that Oz's real name is Daniel Osbourne.

• Spike is given the Initiative designation of 'Hostile 17' that is referred to throughout the remainder of the show's run.

• When he's talking to Willow about not being able to bite her, Spike refers that he wanted to bite her last year, when she was wearing the 'fuzzy pink number with the lilac underneath.' He's talking about the events of Lover's Walk.

GOOFS

• When Spike wakes up on the floor of his cell, his red shirt is completely open, but in the next shot, the shirt is closed half way.

• Spike says that he's only 126, but in School Hard, Giles said that he was "barely 200."

• Spike must have had his chip implanted while he was unconscious, so how was he able to attack the Initiative scientists when he escaped from the cell without feeling pain? He later attacks Willow and gets in position to bite her but feels no pain.

• You can clearly see Spike's reflection in the escape scene, in the glass cell wall, as he runs past it, and in the shiny floor.

• A boom mic can be seen when Buffy and Giles discuss Willow at the end of the episode.

• When Harmony strikes the match it seems to burn out, but in the next shot it's suddenly a large flame again.

The Freshman | Living Conditions | The Harsh Light of Day | Fear, Itself | Beer Bad

Wild at Heart | The Initiative | Pangs | Something Blue | Hush | Doomed

A New Man | The I in Team | Goodbye Iowa | This Year's Girl | Who Are You | Superstar

Where the Wild Things Are | New Moon Rising | The Yoko Factor | Primeval | Restless