Season 7, Episode 18

Written by Drew Goddard

Directed by Michael Gershman

Original Airdate: 15 April 2003

"You protecting vampires? Are you the bad Slayer now? Am I the good Slayer now?"

Faith

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

SPECIAL GUEST STARS

• Anthony Stewart Head as Rupert Giles

• Eliza Dushku as Faith Lehane

• Nathan Fillion as Caleb

GUEST STARRING

• Tom Lenk as Andrew Wells

• Iyari Limon as Kennedy

• Indigo as Rona

• Clara Bryant as Molly

• Sarah Hagan as Amanda

• Kristy Wu as Chao-Ahn

• D.B. Woodside as Robin Wood

CO-STARRING

• Mary Wilcher as Shannon

• Dania Ramirez as Caridad

• Rachel Bilson as Colleen

• Carrie Southworth as Betty

• Christie Abbott as Helpless Girl

SYNOPSIS

• A young Potential, Shannon, is chased through the woods by Bringers. She accepts the assistance of a stranger driving a truck and is horrified to discover that she has fallen into a trap. The man, Caleb, terrifies her and burns his mark into her neck. He gives her a message for the Slayer, stabs her in the stomach, and forces her out of the car. Faith and Willow find the girl on their way back to Sunnydale after re-ensouling Angel in L.A. and take her to the hospital.
  
  At the Summers' home, Xander's erotic dream about the teenage Potentials is cut short when the girls wake him up to fix the toilet. At the hospital, Faith asks Willow why the Scooby Gang failed to warn her about the threat of the Bringers, informing Willow that she had been attacked in prison. Faith leaves the hospital in search of Buffy, despite Willow's protestations that Faith should not approach Buffy alone. In the cemetery, Faith witnesses Spike chasing a girl through the cemetery. Mistakenly believing that Spike has reverted to his old habits, Faith ignores his attempts to explain and attacks him. Buffy arrives to clear up the confusion, and the girl that Spike had been chasing, now in her vampire form, attacks Faith, who (borrowing a stake from Buffy) quickly slays her. Back at the house, Faith encounters a cold reception from both Dawn and Giles, and Spike explains that the tension is not all because of her. Meanwhile, the First Evil reveals Buffy's form to Caleb.
  
  Andrew tries to bring the Potentials up to speed on Faith's history. While they are quick to point out that Faith had killed a vulcanologist, not a Vulcan, they watch Faith (who is exercising in the back yard) with fascination and curiosity. At the school, Buffy and Principal Wood revisit their previous discussion about Spike, and they agree that their alliance against The First Evil is more important than personal agendas. Robin fires her, emphasizing the need for her to focus on the mission.
  
  In the Summers' home, Faith sneaks down into the basement for a cigarette and a moment away from the "wannabes" who, in her opinion, have had entirely too much coffee. Faith finds Spike in the basement, and they discuss their common dangerous pasts, as well as various sexual proclivities. Faith reminds him of their previous conversation, which had occurred when she was in Buffy's body. Spike acknowledges that she had made quite an impression at the time. He informs Faith of his relationship with Buffy, which greatly surprises her. Buffy comes downstairs and becomes visibly jealous to find them lounging on Spike's bed. She quickly leaves for the hospital to talk to Shannon, who relates her experiences with Caleb. She tells Buffy that Caleb had given her a message for Buffy: he has something of hers. Later at the house, Buffy tries to motivate the terrified Potentials to accompany her when she attacks Caleb (who, meanwhile, is re-enacting scenes of his past murders with the First Evil). Buffy, alone, is confident in her plan; Giles, Spike, her friends, and the Potentials all question her decision. Buffy and Faith, on a recon mission, follow a Bringer through the woods. They discuss Faith's intentions and her recent experiences with Angel before locating Caleb's stronghold, which is in a vineyard.
  
  At the Summers' home, Xander directs the Potentials on the methods of attacking in battle. When Rona criticizes Buffy's intentions, Xander strongly defends his friend. Leaving Willow and Giles to stay behind to protect the more inexperienced girls, Buffy leads Spike, Faith, and the more experienced Potentials to the vineyard; they divide into two groups: an assault team and a back-up team. After an initial clash with the Bringers, Caleb appears. He quickly knocks aside Buffy and Spike, and breaks Rona's arm. Xander and Faith arrive with the back-up team, but Faith is soon knocked unconscious. Caleb kills two potentials, including Molly, and Buffy orders a retreat. Xander starts to yell that everyone needs to get out, but is then attacked himself by Caleb. Caleb says "So, you're the one who sees everything? Lets see what we can do about that." He then stabs his thumb into Xander's eye as Xander screams. Spike tackles Caleb, giving them enough time to get Xander and leave the vineyard.
  
  Alone and distraught, Buffy leaves the injured girls and walks through the empty streets as Caleb tells the First, in Buffy's form, that their victory is imminent.

TRIVIA

• Nathan Fillion, who plays Caleb, starred as Captain Mal Reynolds in Firefly. He originally auditioned for the part of Angel many years ago.

• Eliza Dushku returns as Faith for the first time since Who Are You in season four, although she's been in six episodes of Angel since then. She is credited as a special guest star. Eliza Dushku's voice has changed since we last saw her in Buffy. This is because she went through voice therapy, as her natural tone, which is low and raspy, was destroying her vocal chords. She had to train herself to speak at a higher octave. She discussed this on the Letterman show.

• Emma Caulfield is absent for this episode. This is the third time this has happened this season.

CONTINUITY

• When Andrew tells the Potentials about Faith, we see flashbacks to previous episodes. The episodes include Faith, Hope And Trick, Revelations, The Zeppo, Bad Girls, Consequences, Enemies, Choices and This Year's Girl.

• Molly reminds Andrew that he's not supposed to be telling stories. Buffy ordered him to stop in Storyteller.

• Xander's loss of his eye harkens back to his speech to Dawn in Potential, in which he told her that they see everything.

• Faith once again takes a stake from Buffy during a battle, which she did when they first met in Faith, Hope And Trick.

• Mention is made of an inmate attacking Faith with a Bringer's blade in Salvage.

• Faith mentions the body-swapping incident from season four when she tells Spike that they've met before.

• Xander wears a eye-patch in All the Way, which foreshadows him wearing one from here on in.

• This episode marks the last time we see a regular vampire before the show's end.

GOOFS

• Willow wears a different outfit to the one she did in Angel's Orpheus. Did she change in the car?

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