Buffy the Vampire Slayer : Doublemeat Palace

Season 6, Episode 12

Written by Jane Espenson

Directed by Nick Marck

Original Airdate: 28 January 2002

"We're here to support your subsistence level employment. Bravo."

Anya

REGULAR CAST

Sarah Michelle Gellar as Buffy Summers
Nicholas Brendon as Xander Harris
Emma Caulfield as Anya Jenkins
Michelle Trachtenberg as Dawn Summers
James Marsters as Spike
Alyson Hannigan as Willow Rosenberg

GUEST CAST

Elizabeth Anne Allen as Amy Madison
Pat Crawford Brown as Wig Lady
Brent Hinkley as Manny Rocha
Kirsten Nelson as Lorraine Ross
Kali Rocha as Halfrek

CO-STARRING

T. Ferguson as Gary
Marion Calvert as Gina
Douglas Bennett as Phillip
Andrew Reville as Timothy
Kevin C. Carter as Mr. Typical
John F. Kearney as Elderly Man
Sara Lawall as Housewife Type
Victor Z. Isaac as Pimply Teen

SYNOPSIS

Willow updates Xander and Anya about the super villains, explaining that the three seem to have disappeared and moved from their basement lair. Anya chimes in with supportive statements about working hard for money and the importance of working in America just before Buffy appears, wearing a uniform for her new job. Later, Buffy is introduced to the world of fast food with the help of a very unique and graphic video about her new place of work, the Doublemeat Palace. Her boss, Manny, introduces Buffy to her unenthusiastic co-workers and walks her through the area behind the counter, clearly identifying off-limit locations.

Buffy is offered the Doublemeat Medley, a burger consisting of typical ingredients and layers of meat and chicken. She reluctantly takes a bite, then questions what the secret ingredient in the meat is, but gets no clear answer. Buffy watches as a co-worker, Gary, waits on a woman wearing a wig who is a regular at the Palace. After his demonstration, Buffy takes the next customer, but is lost quickly in the process as the man's order is too difficult for her to follow.

During her break, Buffy sneaks around in the back rooms, searching for the truth behind the secret ingredient, but is caught by Manny. At the counter, Buffy finds her friends have come by to visit her and she treats Xander to a Doublemeat Medley. Anya goes on a rant about how behind the wedding plans are, partially blaming Willow for the complications. Later, Buffy receives a surprise visit from Spike at the restaurant. He teases her and tries to persuade her to leave the job and be with him, warning her that this job could kill her. She remains strong though and turns away. Gary goes out to the alley behind the restaurant and encounters someone who he recognizes before that someone or something attacks him.

The next day, with Gary not there to work, Buffy is told to work the grill and another co-worker, Timothy demonstrates the process for her. Again, Buffy asks about the secret ingredient, but still can't get an answer from anyone. Manny then assigns Buffy to a double shift because of the reduction of employees. At the apartment, Xander talks to Anya, who's in another room, about Buffy working a double shift just before Halfrek, a female vengeance demon appears suddenly before Xander, threatening to tear him into pieces. Fortunately, Anya enters the room and recognizes the vengeance demon as an old friend and the girls greet each other gleefully. Anya clears up the confusion, explaining that she invited Halfrek to the wedding, not to seek vengeance on Xander. Wisely, Xander leaves to let the girls chat.

Back at the Doublemeat Palace, Buffy spots Spike outside through a window and spends her break having sex with him out behind the restaurant. Amy pays Willow a visit, wanting her rat cage as a souvenir and talks with Willow about her progress with avoiding magic. Before she leaves, Amy gives Willow an unasked for gift that provides Willow with uncontrollable magical effects on her body. Buffy watches the grinder grind meat, but discovers a human finger in the processed meat. Appalled at the idea of human meat being the secret ingredient, Buffy confronts Manny about it, but he doesn't agree with her suspicions. Buffy charges out into the dining area, attempting to stop all the patrons from eating while shouting that the meat is made of humans. The outburst gets her fired.

Over drinks, Anya and Halfrek talk about Anya's relationship with Xander and Anya begins to reevaluate her situation with Xander after Halfrek repeatedly insists on addressing the issue. A meeting is called at the Magic Box as Buffy presents the severed finger and a Doublemeat Medley as evidence for her "people burger" theory, but Xander eats the burger before Buffy explains her theory. Willow arrives late to the Magic Box ready to begin researching, despite the fact that she's still under Amy's gift spell and lacks control over her use of magic. Buffy leaves to investigate Doublemeat Palace after hours while Willow uses science to test a leftover piece of meat from the Doublemeat Medley.

Buffy breaks into the fast food place and finds clues: blood and Manny's severed foot. Willow struggles to avoid using magic while Dawn and Xander talk about the kind of future life Buffy will have because she's the Slayer. Anya shows up late after Halfrek's departure and a tense argument develops between her and Xander over the less-than-attractive appearance of a vengeance demon. While continuing to snoop, Buffy encounters the regular customer, Wig Lady, without her wig. A demonic lamprey emerges from the lady's head and sprays a paralyzing liquid at Buffy. The lady advances on Buffy and talks about eating Doublemeat employees as the Slayer struggles to escape.

Willow shows up and tries to inform Buffy of the Doublemeat Medley which is not made of humans, but vegetables and meat. Buffy's unable to respond to the information as she continues to try and get away from the lamprey, which manages to latch onto her shoulder and start to feed. Inside, Willow tries to stop the woman/lamprey and uses a large blade to cut the lamprey from the woman's body. That doesn't stop the lamprey from living though and Willow quickly shoves it into the meat grinder, effectively killing it. The next day at the Summers house, Amy pays Willow a visit, needing to borrow a few necessities. Willow denies her entrance into the house and angrily suggests that Amy stay away from her, whether she's a friend or not.

TRIVIA

Kali Rocha makes her first appearance as Halfrek in this episode after appearing as Cecily Addams in Fool for Love. They are actually the same character.
Sarah Michelle Gellar has had fast food experience before. She was sued by McDonalds at the age of four. She appeared in a Burger King advert where she said, "Do I look 20 per cent smaller to you? I must have at McDonalds because their hamburgers are 20 per cent smaller than Burger King's." It was the first time a company used another company's name in an advert so McDonald's sued Burger King, the advertising agency, and Sarah herself.
Joss Whedon said at “Behind the Scenes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer” at the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in June 2002 that this episode was unpopular with Buffy sponsors who felt it was making fun of their businesses. Some sponsors even pulled out of the show because of the episode.
Amber Benson does not appear in this episode. This is the first, and only, time that she has been absent from two episodes in a row.

CONTINUITY

Buffy mentions that she's waitressed before, which we saw during Anne.
Amy watched an advertisement for Doublemeat Palace in Smashed. There was also a medley, which is heard in this episode.
Xander mentions that Jonathan ought to have learned his lesson since his miscast spell in Superstar.
Dawn mentions that Janice's sister is a lawyer. We met Janice in All the Way.

GOOFS

Why was the drive-through intercom still on when Willow goes to find Buffy?

Bargaining (Part 1) | Bargaining (Part 2) | Afterlife | Flooded | Life Serial

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