Fool for Love

Season 5, Episode 7
Written by Tim Minear
Directed by Nick Marck
Original Airdate: 13 November 2000

“I can’t believe I passed out. Do you think I’m a total wuss now?”

Buffy

REGULAR CAST

Sarah Michelle Gellar as Buffy Summers
Nicholas Brendon as Xander Harris
Alyson Hannigan as Willow Rosenberg
Marc Blucas as Riley Finn
Emma Caulfield as Anya Jenkins
Michelle Trachtenberg as Dawn Summers
James Marsters as Spike
Anthony Stewart Head as Rupert Giles

GUEST CAST

David Boreanaz as Angel/Angelus
Mercedes McNab as Harmony Kendall
Julie Benz as Darla
Juliet Landau as Drusilla
Kristine Sutherland as Joyce Summers

CO-STARRING

Kali Rocha as Cecily Addams
Edward Fletcher as Male Partygoer
Katharine Leonard as Female Partygoer
Matthew Lang as 2nd Male Partygoer
Chris Daniels as Stabbing Vampire
Kenneth Feinberg as Chaos Demon
Steve Heinze as Vampire #1
Ming Liu as Xin Rong
April Wheedon-Washington as Nikki Wood

SYNOPSIS

In a routine patrol at the cemetery, a vampire turns Buffy’s stake around on her, and she is stabbed through the stomach. Thanks to Riley’s appearance at the cemetery and his medical treatment skills, Buffy is saved. While Dawn helps cover for Buffy at home, Riley goes out the following night with the rest of the gang to sweep the cemetery. Giles and Buffy research to find out how previous Slayers died. Unable to find any useful information, they realize that Spike killed two, and Buffy wants to know how.

At the Bronze, Buffy buys Spike food and beer so he will tell her the stories of how he killed the Slayers. In London, 1880, William Pratt works on his poetry, but when it is read aloud, it is revealed that he was named “William the Bloody” because of his lack of poetic talent. He talks with a girl, Cecily, whom he loves from afar. She does not care for him, telling him he’s beneath her, which leads William to run away. Drusilla tracks him down, and after some persuasion, she makes him a vampire.

Back in the present, Riley locates the vampire that staked Buffy in a crypt with quite a few of his vampire friends. Spike plays pool while continuing his stories of the past. In Yorkshire, 1880, the newly named Spike battles with Angelus after causing trouble for his vampire family. Spike is hardly disturbed by Angelus’ threats, as he entirely enjoys the chaos he’s caused, not caring about the effect it had on Angelus and his clan.

During the Boxer Rebellion in China, 1900, Spike fought with a Chinese Slayer and after a long battle, he kills her. While Spike and Drusilla revel in the kill of the Slayer and the taste of her blood, Angelus is less than excited. Spike talks proudly about his kill, explaining to Buffy that while a Slayer must reach for her weapon, a vampire is already armed. Riley goes to the crypt alone and after staking the vampire that hurt Buffy, he blows up the rest with a grenade.

Spike continues his lessons with Buffy and tells the story of how he killed the second Slayer in New York, 1977. On a subway train, Spike and the Slayer battle until finally, he snaps her neck. Spike reveals to Buffy that every Slayer wants to experience death, after causing so much of it. Spike tries to kiss her, but she pushes him away, telling him he’s beneath her. Furious that Buffy was able to get under his skin and turned him down so brutally, Spike returns to his crypt and arms himself with a riffle. He explains to Harmony that his temporary pain will be well worth the Slayer’s death.

In South America, 1998, Spike’s obsession and alliance with the Slayer, keeps Drusilla at a distance. Buffy finds her mother packing and finds out that her mother is going into the hospital. Upset about her mother, Buffy sits on her back porch, where Spike finds her. The sight of her crying alters his plans to kill her. Instead, he just sits beside her and tries to comfort her.

TRIVIA

April Wheedon-Washington, who plays the Slayer Spike kills in New York, is a stuntwoman with a long list of credits to her name. The Slayer is later named Nikki Wood in season seven, and is then played by K.D. Aubert.

CONTINUITY

Kali Rocha, who plays Cecily, returns as vengeance demon Halfrek in Doublemeat Palace. She meets Spike in Older and Far Away and, though nothing explicit is said, the two clearly recognise each other. She says, “William?” and the two exchange a brief look. This implies that Cecily Adams later became Halfrek. Indeed, in 2004, Kali Rocha confirmed that the two women are the same, and Halfrek’s timeline suggests that she’s already a demon in this episode’s flashbacks.

The Chaos Demon seen with Drusilla looks exactly like Spike described him in Lover’s Walk: “all slime and antlers.”

The poem that William Pratt is trying to write will be read in full to a bar crowd in Not Fade Away.

Spike gets his coat from Nikki during this episode’s flashbacks.

A brief scene set in between seasons two and three reveals that Drusilla always knew Spike was attracted to the Slayer.

GOOFS

Spike’s reflection can be seen in the windows of the subway train.

In The Initiative, Spike says he is 126 years old. However in this episode, we discover he was sired in 1880 which would make him about 6 yrs old when he was sired.

Considering they know the real risk of vampires, why do Willow, Xander and Anya show no common sense when they are patrolling with Riley? And why does Buffy let them go? I know they have had ‘field experience’, but vampires still have incredible strength and there is a real risk for normal humans to be out hunting them. Allowing the gang to go patrolling surely degrades Buffy’s status as the vampire Slayer?

Spike says to Buffy in School Hard, “The last Slayer I killed begged for her life.” But in when they show him killing the Slayer, she doesn’t say a word.

CROSSOVER

The Angel episode Darla, which was shown immediately after this episode, continued the story of the four vampires, shown through the eyes of Angel. The Buffy and Angel writers collaborated to create continuity and the Boxer Rebellion scenes were directed by Angel producer Tim Minear. In that episode we discover that Angel actually has his soul during the Boxer Rebellion years and was trying to remain normal with his gang of vampire friends. Julie Benz makes her last Buffy appearance in this episode.

WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?

EPISODE
Family / Shadow

STORY ORDER
Guise Will Be Guise / Darla