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Season 7, Episode 16
Written by Jane Espenson
Directed by Marita Grabiak
Original Airdate: 25 February 2003
"This isn't some story where good triumphs
because good triumphs."
Buffy
REGULAR CAST
GUEST STARRING
CO-STARRING
-
Alan Loayza
as
Stressed Out Boy
-
Corin Amber Norton
as
Crying Girl
-
Sujata DeChoudhury
as
Shy Girl
-
TW Leshner
as
Feral Teen
SYNOPSIS
-
Andrew, taking refuge in the bathroom, describes
his own version of Buffy, Slayer of the "Vampyres" to a video camera
(imagining that he is situated in an old library with a roaring fire,
dressed in a smoking jacket and holding a pipe). His dramatic narrative
of her exploits is cut short when Anya knocks on the bathroom door. He
tries to explain his actions, and Anya is unsatisfied (reminding him of
Buffy's irritated reaction the previous night, when he had followed her
on patrol). He explains his desire to make a record of the events
leading up to the apocalypse, in case humans survive, so that they will
know what Buffy and her allies did.
Later, Andrew talks to the video camera and uses his big white board to
illustrate and explain the array of evil forces in Sunnydale. He
continues to interview the residents of the house, starting with the
Potentials. He introduces a romanticized version of everyone to the
camera (in his fantasy, Buffy seductively pours cereal, Spike appears
without a shirt, and Anya eats from a bunch of grapes). Buffy reiterates
her irritation with Andrew's behaviour. As she describes her vision of
vampire armies to her friends, Andrew sneaks away to continues his
narrative, describing an idyllic scene of himself as leader of the Trio.
As Buffy continues to talk, Andrew observes Willow and Kennedy and
recounts his encounter with Dark Willow. Altering the past, Andrew
imagines himself standing up to Evil Willow and deflecting her power
while Jonathan meekly hides behind him.
Buffy arrives at the school to find two boys fighting, a shy girl
turning invisible because nobody notices her, and various other
disturbances. Buffy finds Robin, who has just been injured by a thrown
rock. As she bandages his head, they discuss the bizarre (yet familiar)
chaos dominating the school. She explains her suspicions that the
activation of the Seal of Danthalzar is behind the morning's chaos. They
investigate the newly-uncovered seal in the school basement. As Robin
gets close to the seal, he is infused with evil. In a demonic voice, he
berates Buffy for her involvement with Spike. The connection is broken
when Buffy pulls him away from the seal, leaving Robin with no memory of
the possession.
Meanwhile, at the Summers' home, Andrew films Dawn, then praises
Xander's expert repairs to the windows (ignoring Willow and Kennedy, who
are kissing in the living room). He re-interviews Xander and Anya,
prying into their feelings about their ruined wedding. Afterward, the
two to talk to each other about what happened and what feelings still
exist between them. In the basement, Spike tells Andrew and his camera
to get lost; Andrew interrupts with a lighting correction, and Spike
(performing for the camera) enthusiastically repeats his verbal assault.
Upstairs, Xander and Anya discuss their love for each other; they are
recorded by a hidden camera, which Andrew reviews later. When Buffy and
Robin arrive, they inform Andrew that he is going to help them deal with
the Seal (which, at this point, is surrounded by five possessed students
and glowing with light).
The gang drills Andrew for information about the seal and tries to force
out his memories with a special charm. He remembers an event from
Mexico, where he had fled with Jonathan the year before. In his memory,
he and Jonathan suddenly wake from the same nightmare, both haunted by
their evil pasts. After Jonathan leaves the room, the First appears to
Andrew in Warren's form, questioning his progress in obtaining the knife
necessary to sacrifice Jonathan. In the present, Willow asks Andrew
where that knife is now (Buffy's silverware drawer). The knife is
engraved with a language that is tied to the seal, and Willow begins to
research.
Buffy tells Andrew that she believes that he can help her quiet the
seal. They leave for the school, accompanied by Spike and Robin. They
arrive to find that the school is being destroyed by ongoing student
riots. Andrew tries to film their walk through the halls, but they are
attacked by several strong students. Buffy and Andrew make their way to
the basement while Spike and Robin guard the stairway entrance. As they
walk, Andrew revisits his memories of killing Jonathan, relating several
different versions of the story as if each are true. They enter the
basement room carefully and find five students standing around the seal,
their eyes freshly cut and sealed (like the Bringers). In the Summers'
basement, Xander and Anya revel in the aftermath of having sex again
before talking about moving on with their lives (a conversation that
fades into an awkward silence).
At the school, Spike and Robin are attacked by more students. Spike
inadvertently confirms his role in the murder of Robin's mother, and
Robin makes a failed attempt to stake Spike; in the chaos of the fight,
his actions go unnoticed. Buffy battles the new Bringers while Andrew
records the scene with his camera. Once she has killed the Bringers,
Buffy pulls out the knife and advances on Andrew, revealing that they
must spill his blood to quiet the Seal, since he was the one who
initially activated it. Buffy describes the bitter prospects for their
future, and chastises his constant attempts to avoid taking
responsibility for his actions. Andrew, frightened to tears, admits how
willingly he had murdered Jonathan, and how he is sorry. He tells Buffy
that he deserves whatever happens to him. Buffy leans Andrew over the
Seal so that his tears fall on its surface. The Seal closes and becomes
quiet. Buffy reveals to Andrew that tears, not blood, were necessary to
close the seal; she has no plans to kill him. The students around the
school are released, and the violence stops.
Later, a sad Andrew talks to the camera in the bathroom again,
confessing that he probably will die, and that he deserves to. Without
another word, he shuts the camera off.
TRIVIA
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Danny Strong (Jonathan) and Adam Busch
(Warren) make their final appearances of the series in this episode.
-
Tom Lenk mentioned in an interview which
his favourite Buffy episodes were: "I'd have to say, out of
respect for my character, Storyteller. I just got to make such an
ass out of myself. It was so much fun. Dancing in a toga on a hillside
singing with unicorns was pretty embarrassing. I don't do that sort of
thing ever in my down time. So, I just had so much fun doing it, but I
loved Emma's history episode this year [Selfless].
It was really funny. And I'm a huge fan of
The Body. The most devastating hour
of television I've ever seen and I loved that."
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The 'Grrr Arrgh' monster sings the 'We
Are As Gods' line at the conclusion of this episode.
CONTINUITY
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Andrew notes that it's been exactly a
year since Hell's Bells, which
coincides with both that episode and this episode being the sixteenth
episode of the season.
-
The classical music piece that Andrew
lays in the opening scene, is the same music that was playing at Anya
and Xander's wedding by the quartet in attendance.
-
The Cheese Man from
Restless briefly appears in footage
from that episode in Andrew's dream. He gives an Ubervampire some
cheese, to which the vampire looks at causelessly.
-
Andrew tells the First, while its in
Warren's form, that he has seen some collapsible swords. Wesley has one
in
Spin the Bottle.
-
The pig that Andrew tried to kill in
Never Leave Me,
is still running around the High School basement.
-
Many past episodes are referenced in this
one: Buffy sees a girl start to become invisible in the school, an
obvious reference to Marcie Ross in Out
of Mind, Out of Sight; The Prom
("Killer Prom dogs"); Witch
("Everybody hates the cheerleaders"); Go
Fish ("Swim team monsters"). We also see a flashback to
Two to Go, when Willow attacked
Jonathan and Andrew. This time Andrew's telling the story so he becomes
the hero and distorts what really happened.
-
Buffy tells the group about her dream
involving the Turok-Han from the previous episode.
-
Andrew questions why vampires can be seen
on video, something that many characters (and fans) have brought up.
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Andrew is aware that Dawn was a Key. But
he has no clue what it actually means.
GOOFS
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Buffy and Wood discuss what's happening
at the school very loudly and unsubtly in front of other staff.
-
Why didn't anyone notice the knife which
Andrew put in the kitchen drawer before? And if Andrew can read the
writing on the blade, why did he just think it was symbols before?
Lessons |
Beneath You |
Same Time, Same Place |
Help |
Selfless
Him |
Conversations With Dead People |
Sleeper |
Never Leave Me |
Bring on the Night |
Showtime
Potential |
The Killer in Me |
First Date |
Get It Done |
Storyteller |
Lies My Parents Told Me
Dirty Girls |
Empty Places |
Touched |
End of Days |
Chosen
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