Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Airdate: May 15, 2001
Sarah Michelle Gellar, Nicholas Brendon, Alyson Hannigan
Emma Caulfield, Michelle Trachtenberg, James Marsters
And Anthony Stewart Head
Created by Joss Whedon
Written by Douglas Petrie
Directed by David Solomon

Apparently, Sarah Michelle Gellar's participation in the shooting of this episode was limited by her appearance on Saturday Night Live. It's a bit unfortunate with this being the penultimate episode of the season and everything. It means we get another episode of delay. And lots and lots of padding.

For instance, one of two significant story strands in this episode involves Glory, Ben, and Dawn. This establishes a somewhat new element. Ben's humanity is apparently infecting Glory as the barrier between the two of them begins to break down. People begin to remember that Ben morphed into Glory. In fact, there's a pretty funny scene involving Spike and this concept. Spike, presumably because he's a vampire, does remember this transformation. But everyone else, despite the fact that they saw it happen, forget all about it. He has to explain it to them, again and again. But by the end of the episode, it begins to stick.

Anyway, Glory supposes that Ben's humanity is why she never actually killed Buffy. It's a retcon explanation that isn't strictly necessary. I mean, we're used to this sort of thing. A show like this needs a powerful villain, because heroes work best as underdogs facing overwhelming odds. But the villain obviously can't really kill the hero. That's just one of the rules that governs this kind of fiction. We understand that, and we know not to look to closely. Besides this, we get to sit through long, rambling scenes of Glory and Ben arguing. And Ben tries to help Dawn to escape, but that goes literally nowhere. It's all padding.

Meanwhile, Buffy's failure to protect Dawn has sent her into some kind of catatonia. It's a pretty lucky break that Glory has to wait for a pre-ordained moment before finalizing her plans, because Buffy does literally nothing in this episode. Instead, Willow magicks her way into Buffy's mind, where she wanders around a psychological construct in an effort to bring Buffy out of her catatonia. It's kinda lame, frankly, but there's some good stuff here too.

It's all about Buffy's guilt over giving up. Apparently, while researching Glory earlier this season, Buffy had a momentary desire to give up. It's not surprising, nor is it especially damning. But for one brief moment, Buffy thought about the prospect of giving up, and considered what a relief it would be. Then, when Glory took Dawn at the end of the last episode, Buffy again felt a momentary sense of relief that she didn't have to fight any longer, because she had lost. And that's sense of relief, she feels (wrongly), prevented her from doing something that might have saved Dawn. She blames herself for killing Dawn.

Obviously Willow talks Buffy out of this, which resolves the episode and leaves us all ready for the inevitable final confrontation. As far as time-filling episodes of sheer padding, this one is pretty blatant. But the discussion of Buffy's situation is interesting enough to carry the episode. We also get a nice call back to what the First Slayer said to Buffy a few episodes back: "Death is your gift." What this actually means is a big part of the season's resolution, so this was a good time to bring it up again.

 

After the frenetic events of the last two episodes, the penultimate installment of "Buffy's" terrific fifth season is a bit of a breather.

The Ben/Glory dynamic was very intense and very interesting here. Unfortunately for Dawn, Ben was seduced by Glory's promise of immortality and eventually handed her over to Glory's minions.

The dream stuff was pretty interesting, too, although I was a little annoyed by Buffy's idiocy in retreating inside herself. Willow's "snap out of it" was nice and to the point. Get over it, Buffy.

Is Buffy going to have to kill Dawn? It would appear so, but often on this show nothing is as it first seems.

Other Notes

- Willow is becoming super powerful and super commanding. I like it.
- Xander and Spike worked together (gasp!)
- I want Tara back to the way she was. Soon, please.

Another impressive episode, though not as good as the last few. Grade B+

 

Overall Rating: 9.5

This is a disturbing and fascinating exploration of Buffy's (and Ben's) conscience and the price one must pay to be virtuous...the price the other foolishly eschews.

Plot Synopsis:

The (badly formatted - sorry) description of this episode may be found here, courtesy of BuffyWorld.com.

The Skinny:

I'm certain I'm not the only person who has reviewed this episode and chosen to understand it as a direct comparison between a well-meaning person who is nonetheless selfish and thus chooses evil over good and a well-meaning person who acts selfishly for a time and then chooses to be an agent for good, no matter the personal cost.  With some episodes, there aren't a whole bunch of novel ways to achieve personal understanding.  That is obviously what the writers were intending here - to compare Ben with Buffy and make a statement about self-involvement and its great capacity toward evil.  There is an entire branch of modern psychology that preaches navel-gazing and internal analysis - the self is placed at the top of the priority list when one is unwell (under the theory that you can't succeed in the wider world without loving yourself first).  I think it's fair to say that Joss Whedon and company reject this notion and embrace, instead, the Christian (yes I said Christian) idea that healing comes when we focus on the world at large and direct our energies toward making a positive contribution.  That we begin to love ourselves when we love others.

Buffy begins the episode trapped inside her own mind - forever reliving a moment in which she believes she failed, bringing about the death of her sister.  While this is a natural reaction to the pain of failure and of personal loss, it is doubtlessly selfish.  It's a lot easier to pity oneself - to cry "woe is me!  I am worth nothing!" - than to actually work to change that impression.  Willow experiences a terrifying loop in which Buffy murders her sister over and over again - all leading to the conclusion that, as she so colorfully puts it, Buffy must "snap out of it."  "Hello!  Dawn...not dead yet!"  The reality is that the whole of season five is about Buffy's losses and we can all understand why those mounting losses would take their toll on her psyche.  But wallowing in self-pity or self-loathing won't make it better...and Willow - being Buffy's best friend - does the right thing and forces Buffy to deal with the pain and to move on.

On the other hand, Ben is all too easily swayed to a evil act with promises that acting for good will cause him great loss (he will cease to exist), whereas acting in an evil manner will bring him eternal life and comfort.  He takes what is presented to him as the easy path - he'll wind up hating himself for it in the end, and paying for his mistakes with his life.  Glory's pontification regarding the mass of men leading lives of loud and destructive desperation is the very way of thinking that powers Bohemian (read: selfish laziness and promiscuity as a lifestyle) culture, the hippie movement, Marxism (read Carl Marx' writing...he hates people more than almost anyone else in literary history...including himself), Wahhabi Islam and just about anything else you can imagine that has led to untold suffering and death.  And Ben - though he is a nice guy on the surface, falls for it.  You see...if the world is full of pain and suffering, then the only virtue is personal fulfillment and joy.  Because what good does it do you or anyone else to try to work for some greater good when it doesn't exist?

And of course...what Glory says isn't even true.  When she dares Dawn to think of one person who loves their life and will endure suffering to keep on living, Dawn calmly and without hesitation names her sister.  At the time, Buffy is struggling, but Dawn is absolutely right.  Buffy sees the good in the world and loves with all of her heart...and even after everything she's been through this year, she can still find the desire in her soul to keep on fighting for the greater good.  And she is hardly alone.

Writing: 9.5

I thought the argument between Ben and Glory was a little rushed.  He went from claiming not to believe anything Glory said to simply saying "I believe you..." when Glory promised she would keep him alive in her hellish dimension and set him up really well...in a matter of seconds.  Apart from that bit of hand-waving, the script is without major flaws.

Acting: 9.0

I'm sorry to say...the guy playing Ben just does not carry it very well...yet again.  I'm so glad he didn't turn into a love interest for Buffy...it would have been Marc Blucas all over again.

Message: 10.0

It's all discussed above...and I think it's a winning combination of plots to tell the story needed.


Highlights:

SPIKE: Now, uh, don't turn me into a horned toad for asking, but ... what if we come across Ben? (shot of the others listening)
WILLOW: I-I don't think a doctor's what Buffy needs right now.
SPIKE: Well, yeah, especially not one who also happens to be Glory. (Everyone looks confused)
GILES: What do you mean?
SPIKE: You know. Ben is Glory.
WILLOW: (frowns) You mean ... Ben's with Glory?
XANDER: "With" in what sense?
ANYA: They're working together?
SPIKE: No. No. Ben is Glory. Glory's Ben. They're one and the same.
Beat. Everyone looks completely confused (except Tara who still looks blank).
ANYA: When did all this happen?
SPIKE: Not one hour ago! Right here, before your very eyes! Ben came, he turned into Glory, snatched the kid, and pfft! Vanished, remember?
They continue to stare at him.
SPIKE: (uncertainly) You do remember...? (squints at them) Is everyone here very stoned? (getting annoyed) Ben! Glory! He's a doctor, she's the beast. Two entirely separate entities sharing one body. Like a bloody sitcom. Surely you remember.
XANDER: So you're saying ... Ben and Glory...
ANYA: Have a connection.
GILES: Yes, obviously, but what kind?
SPIKE: (laughs sarcastically) Oh, I get it. That's very crafty. (nods) Glory's worked the kind of mojo where anyone who sees her little presto-change-o instantly forgets. And yours truly, being somewhat other than human ... stands immune.
WILLOW: (frowning) So ... Ben and Glory ... are-are the same person?
XANDER: (slowly, like a revelation) Glory can turn into Ben, and Ben turns back into Glory.
ANYA: And anyone who sees it instantly forgets.
SPIKE: (sighs in relief) Kewpie doll for the lady. (He puts one finger on his nose and points the other hand at Anya)
GILES: Excellent. (looks around at them) Now. Do we suspect there may be some kind of connection between Ben and Glory?

GLORY: Pillow? (looks around) I don't know if this thing gets cable. Doubtful.
DAWN: (crying) Please. Stop.
GLORY: You nervous?
DAWN: (crying) Yes.
GLORY: (smiles, gets down to sit on the chair seat) I know how you feel. It is your last night. As, you know ... a human. (picks up Dawn's hand by the wrist and shakes it around) This body ... it's just a rental, Dawnie. Being human? It's like a costume for girls like you and me. Being something else, *that's* what we are.
DAWN: (firmly) Don't.
GLORY: (smiling) What?
DAWN: Don't call me Dawnie. (oh snap!)

YOUNG BUFFY: Doesn't she look funny? Like a wrinkly old grandpa. (Young Buffy turns back to Joyce. Joyce gently puts the baby in Young Buffy's arms.)
JOYCE: Like this ... okay, support the head ... there you go! We're calling her Dawn.
WILLOW: (softly) Dawn.
YOUNG BUFFY: (smiling) I ... I could be the one to look after her sometimes ... if you need a helper. (Joyce smiling at the baby) Mom? Can I take care of her?
JOYCE: (smiling, stroking Young Buffy's hair) Yes, Buffy, you can take care of her.

SPIKE: Found Ben's room at Glory's. Didn't learn much.
XANDER: Wait, wait, wait. Ben? At Glory's? (Spike rolls his eyes) You're saying all this time he's been subletting from her?
SPIKE: This ... is gonna be worth it. (Spike bitch-slaps Xander upside the head.)
SPIKE/XANDER: Ow!!
Cut to the front again. They both stumble, use each other to regain their balance, and continue walking.
SPIKE: Last time. From the top.

GLORY: I mean really. Is this what the poets go on about, this? (thumps her chest, shakes her head, sighs) Call me crazy, but as hard-core drugs go, human emotion is just useless! People are puppets! Everyone getting jerked around by what they're feelin'. Am I wrong? (looks at Dawn) Really, I want to know.
Shot of Dawn leaning against the pillar, looking at the floor.
GLORY: Gonna bleed you either way.
DAWN: (opens her eyes, looks at Glory) Depends on the person.
GLORY: So you're saying some people like this.
DAWN: (defensively) Some.
GLORY: Funny. 'Cause I look around at this world you're so eager to be a part of ... and all I see is six billion lunatics looking for the fastest ride out. (smiles) Who's not crazy? Look around. Everyone's drinking, smoking, shooting up ... shooting each other, or just plain screwing their brains out 'cause they don't want 'em anymore. (looks at Dawn) *I'm* crazy? Honey, I'm the original one-eyed chicklet in the kingdom of the blind. (sighs) 'Cause at least I admit the world makes me nuts.  Name one person who can take it here. That's all I'm asking. (in Dawn's face) Name one.
DAWN: (firmly) Buffy.

BUFFY #2: It's what I do. (Shot of Dawn lying on the bed. She breathes slowly and seems to be crying.) I mean, come on, you've known me ... for how long? It's what I'm here for. It's all I am.
  - Buffy turns to look at Dawn again. Then she picks up a pillow from beside Dawn and puts it over Dawn's face. Dawn begins to struggle, with muffled noises of protest.
WILLOW: Buffy, stop! No!
  - Buffy looks very calm as she holds the pillow in place. Dawn's arms and legs wave in the air ineffectively.
WILLOW: God, no!
BUFFY #2: (turns to Willow, still holding the pillow down) What? (Dawn's struggling slows) I keep telling you, Will. I-I figured it out. Death is my gift. (Dawn stops struggling. Her arms and legs fall limply onto the bed. Willow stares in horror.) - (DUDE!!)

WILLOW: What happened here?
Shot of Buffy #2 watching.
BUFFY #1: (not turning) This was when I quit, Will.
Shot of Willow standing beside Buffy #2, both staring at Buffy #1.
WILLOW: You did?
BUFFY #2: Just for a second.
Shot of Willow and Buffy sitting in the darkened bedroom.
BUFFY VOICEOVER: I remember.
Cut back to the magic shop.
BUFFY #1: (facing Willow) I was in the magic shop.
BUFFY #2: I put a book back for Giles.
BUFFY #1: Nothing special about it. And then it hit me.
WILLOW: What hit you?
BUFFY #2: I can't beat Glory.
BUFFY #1: Glory's going to win.
WILLOW: (turns to Buffy #2) You can't know that.
BUFFY #2: (turns to Willow) I didn't just know it.
BUFFY #1: (staring at nothing) I felt it. Glory will beat me.
BUFFY #2: (looks away) And in that second of knowing it, Will...
BUFFY #1: I wanted it to happen.
WILLOW: Why?
BUFFY #1: I wanted it over. This is ... all of this ... it's too much for me.
BUFFY #2: (staring at nothing) I just wanted it over.
BUFFY #1: If Glory wins ... then Dawn dies.
BUFFY #2: And I would grieve. People would feel sorry for me. (looks at Willow) But it would be over. (looks away) And I imagined what a relief it would be.
BUFFY #2: I killed Dawn.
Willow frowns, looks at Buffy #2.
WILLOW: Is that what you think?
Shot of the "real" Buffy sitting blankly in the bedroom.
BUFFY VOICEOVER: My thinking it made it happen.
  - Cut back to the magic shop.
BUFFY #1: Some part of me wanted it. And in the moment Glory took Dawn...
BUFFY #2: I know I could have done something better. But I didn't. I was off by some fraction of a second.
BUFFY #1: And this is why...
BUFFY #2: ...I killed my sister.
WILLOW: I think Spike was right back at the gas station. (loudly) Snap out of it!
Buffy #2 looks at Willow in surprise. Buffy #1 whirls away from the bookcase.
BUFFY #1: What?
BUFFY #2: What?
WILLOW: All this ... it has a name. It's called guilt. (the two Buffys exchange a look) It's a feeling, and it's important. (to Buffy #2) But it's not more than that, Buffy. (glances at Buffy #1) Buffys.
WILLOW: You've carried the weight of the world on your shoulders since high school. And I, I know you didn't ask for this, but ... you do it every day. And so, you wanted out for one second. So what?
BUFFY #2: (pensive) I got Dawn killed.
WILLOW: Hello! Your sister, not dead yet! But she will be if you stay locked inside here and never come back to us.
BUFFY #2: (looking at Buffy #1) But what if I can't?
WILLOW: Then I guess you're right. And you did kill your sister.
 - Willow turns and starts walking toward the magic shop entrance. Buffy #2 turns to her in alarm.
BUFFY #2: Wait!
 - Shot of Willow and Buffy sitting in the bedroom.
BUFFY VOICEOVER: Where are you going?
 - Cut back to magic shop. Willow turns back.
WILLOW: Where you're needed. Are you coming? 

 

It may seem, to steal a line from Willow, as if The Weight of the World is mostly filler, but in my view it serves a very important purpose: it shows us that Buffy rejects – or maybe overcomes – Spike’s claim in Fool For Love that Slayers have a death wish. In order to show this I need to go through the dialogue very carefully, so bear with me.






“WILLOW: What happened here? 

Shot of Buffy #2 watching.

BUFFY #1: (not turning) This was when I quit, Will.

Shot of Willow standing beside Buffy #2, both staring at Buffy #1.
WILLOW: You did?
BUFFY #2: Just for a second.

Shot of Willow and Buffy sitting in the darkened bedroom.
BUFFY VOICEOVER: I remember.

Cut back to the magic shop.

BUFFY #1: (facing Willow) I was in the magic shop.
BUFFY #2: I put a book back for Giles.
BUFFY #1: Nothing special about it. And then it hit me.
WILLOW: What hit you?
BUFFY #2: I can't beat Glory.
BUFFY #1: Glory's going to win.
WILLOW: (turns to Buffy #2) You can't know that.
BUFFY #2: (turns to Willow) I didn't just know it.
BUFFY #1: (staring at nothing) I felt it. Glory will beat me.
BUFFY #2: (looks away) And in that second of knowing it, Will...
BUFFY #1: I wanted it to happen.
WILLOW: Why?
BUFFY #1: I wanted it over. This is ... all of this ... it's too much for me.
BUFFY #2: (staring at nothing) I just wanted it over.
BUFFY #1: If Glory wins ... then Dawn dies.
BUFFY #2: And I would grieve. People would feel sorry for me. (looks at Willow) But it would be over. (looks away) And I imagined what a relief it would be.

Willow looks over at the bookcase. Buffy #1 yet again puts the book on the shelf. 

BUFFY #2: I killed Dawn.

Willow frowns, looks at Buffy #2.

WILLOW: Is that what you think? 

BUFFY VOICEOVER: My thinking it made it happen.

Cut back to the magic shop.
BUFFY #1: Some part of me wanted it. And in the moment Glory took Dawn...
BUFFY #2: I know I could have done something better. But I didn't. I was off by some fraction of a second.
BUFFY #1: And this is why...
BUFFY #2: ...I killed my sister.

Willow frowns, looks from one Buffy to the other. Buffy #1 puts the book on the shelf again.

WILLOW: I think Spike was right back at the gas station. (loudly) Snap out of it!

Buffy #2 looks at Willow in surprise. Buffy #1 whirls away from the bookcase.

BUFFY #1: What?
BUFFY #2: What?
WILLOW: All this ... it has a name. It's called guilt. (the two Buffys exchange a look) It's a feeling, and it's important. (to Buffy #2) But it's not more than that, Buffy.

The Buffys both look pensive. 

WILLOW: You've carried the weight of the world on your shoulders since high school. And I, I know you didn't ask for this, but ... you do it every day. And so, you wanted out for one second. So what?
BUFFY #2: (pensive) I got Dawn killed.
WILLOW: Hello! Your sister, not dead yet! But she will be if you stay locked inside here and never come back to us.
BUFFY #2: (looking at Buffy #1) But what if I can't?
WILLOW: Then I guess you're right. And you did kill your sister.

Willow turns and starts walking toward the magic shop entrance. Buffy #2 turns to her in alarm.

BUFFY #2: Wait!

Shot of Willow and Buffy sitting in the bedroom.
BUFFY VOICEOVER: Where are you going?

Cut back to magic shop. Willow turns back.

WILLOW: Where you're needed. Are you coming?

Shot of Buffy #2 staring at Willow. Behind Buffy #2, Buffy #1 walks up to the bookcase and puts the book on the shelf. Pauses.

Closer shot of Buffy #1 as she turns toward the others.

Cut to the real Buffy in the chair in the bedroom. Suddenly with a start she comes to, sits up straighter, looks around, breathing heavily. Longer shot of her and Willow sitting there. Willow stares at Buffy.

Buffy turns to face Willow again. Suddenly she bursts into tears.

Willow gets up off the bed and kneels beside Buffy's chair, puts her arms around Buffy and holds her as she cries.”
 








Trivia notes: (1) SMG was in Australia filming the first Scooby Doo movie at the time TWOTW was shooting. She had only limited time available for this episode. (2) A Kewpie Doll is a child’s toy from the early 20th Century. (3) Spike’s gesture in putting his finger on his nose when Anya seems to understand that Ben is Glory comes from the party game Charades. (4) The man working with the blowtorch when Glory brings Dawn to the tower is the crazy man who approached Dawn in Real Me. (5) Glory’s mention of unleashing Armageddon refers to the Christian belief that a battle at the site of Megiddo (Armageddon) will signal the end of the world. (6) Glory’s words to Dawn hang a lantern on the fact that the two of them have metaphorical roles: “Being human? It's like a costume for girls like you and me. Being something else, *that's* what we are.” (7) When Willow is inside Buffy’s mind, there’s an image of Willow standing by the fire Buffy saw in Intervention. (8) Willow remembers that the First Slayer tried to kill them all in their dreams in Restless. (9) Glory’s description of herself as the “one-eyed chicklet in the kingdom of the blind” plays on the aphorism of Desiderius Erasmus that “In the kingdom of the blind, the one-eyed man is king.” (10) Spike refers to Xander as “Special Ed” which is short for “Special Education”, i.e., what Americans call (or used to call) the classes for the mentally disabled.

The Gift on Thursday.

 

A short daily from this ep featuring SMG and Alyson Hannigan

WRITER: Doug Petrie

DIRECTOR: David Solomon

WHAT’S THE SITCH?

With Buffy catatonic Willow steps up and takes charge ordering the gang back to Sunnydale while she tries a spell to help Buffy. Spike says he knows a guy who may be able to help them defeat Glory and get Dawn back. Meanwhile Glory has Dawn back at her HQ where her minions have now almost finished building an enormous tower upon the top of which Dawn is to be used to open the portal which will allow Glory to return home. As Glory and her minions prepare Dawn for the coming ritual Glory is getting a taste of Ben’s humanity as the magic keeping them apart starts to fade. She begins to feel twinges of guilt…and hates it, making her even angrier towards poor Dawnie, and when Ben returns for brief periods he in turn begins to remember all of the terrible things Glory has done. Across town, Spike and Xander go to visit Doc, the demon who helped Dawn with the spell to raise her mom from the dead. It turns out Doc is actually a worshipper of Glory and tries to kill Spike but ends up getting stabbed himself as Spike makes off with a box Doc tried to destroy. But Doc isn't dead and opens his eyes just as Spike and Xander leave. Back to Buffy, and Willow has managed to get inside her friend’s head, following the Slayer around in her own mind as she is locked in a cycle of guilt. The cycle begins with a memory of Buffy as a little girl, witnessing baby Dawn being brought home for the first time. It then moves on to The Magic Box where adult Buffy, putting away a book, has a brief moment of wishing it would all be over. Finally, the cycle ends with Buffy smothering a grown up Dawn with a pillow, telling a horrified Willow that this is who she is, that she killed her sister and that death is her gift. The cycle then starts all over again, repeating over and over, much to Willow’s confusion. Eventually Willow figures out what is going on and manages to get through to Buffy, convincing her that Dawn is still alive and needs her help. Buffy snaps out of her catatonic state and, crying, hugs Willow. As they return to the magic shop, Xander tells Buffy that Ben and Glory are one in the same. Giles then reveals that a bloodletting ceremony will occur to open the portal and that said portal opening will bring down the barriers between all dimensions creating utter carnage and torment for humanity. And there is only one way to stop it once started. Dawn must die.

WHAT’S THE SITCH BENEATH THE SITCH?

It’s all about the destructive power of guilt – especially misplaced guilt.

WHO’S GIVING US THE WIGGINS THIS WEEK?

Glory, Doc, Buffy…kinda.

WHY IT ROCKS

A nice idea. Finally, the horrendous life Buffy is forced to lead catches up with her poor damaged psyche. I mean, how many traumas can one person take? Losing Dawn to Glory after she promised never to let any harm come to her was the final straw for our poor Slayer’s mind. Time for it to take a break then. And having Willow go in to Buffy’s mind and discover the root of her problem and then address it head on is also great. Her final solution may be a bit pat and wouldn’t make her popular with practitioners of mental health care (“Snap out of it!”), but for Buff it works. Thankfully.

Great to see Kristine Sutherland back as Joyce in a memory of Buffy’s.

Great to see Joel Grey back as Doc. He does creepy/slimy really well.

The actress playing little Buffy (aged 5 or 6 maybe?) is adorable and very good, though she doesn’t look much like SMG.

WHY IT SUCKS

Apart from the trip around the inside of Buffy’s noggin nothing much happens. Dawn gets to be ranted at by Glory some and the gang finds out about the bloodletting ritual, but that’s about it.

IT’S BUFFTASTIC

Frustrated Spike slapping the back of Xander’s head when Xander still can’t remember the truth about Ben and Glory, followed by their mutual yelp of pain – Xander’s due to the slap and Spike’s due to his chip firing.

DIALOGUE TO DIE FOR

Spike: "Better part of a century spent in delinquency just paid off. Hot-wired Ben's auto. Who's for getting the hell out of here?"

Spike: "Is everyone here very stoned?"

Glory: "Funny, 'cause I look around at this world you're so eager to be a part of, and all I see's six billion lunatics looking for the fastest ride out. Who's not crazy? Look around... everyone's drinkin', smokin', shootin' up, shootin' each other or just plain screwing their brains out because they don't want 'em anymore. I'm crazy? Honey, I am the original one-eyed chicklet in the kingdom of the blind 'cause at least I admit the world makes me nuts. Name one person who can take it here. That's all I'm asking. Name one."
Dawn: "Buffy."

Young Buffy: "You talk funny."
Willow: "Yes, as you'll tell me again when we're older, and in chem class."

AND ANOTHER THING

In season 2's 'Killed By Death' the young Buffy had dark hair as did the Buffy in Dawn's memory in 'Blood Ties', but here the little girl playing Buffy has blonde hair.

The actress playing little Buffy is called Alexandra Lee and a year after being young Buffy she had the honour of being Katie, Dr Mark Greene’s last ever patient on E.R.

HOW MANY STAKES?

A reasonably weighty 3 (out of 5)