Blood Ties

Season 5, Episode 13
Written by Steven S. DeKnight
Directed by Michael Gershman
Original Airdate: 5 February 2001

“I’m not lurking. I’m standing about. It’s a whole different vibe.”

Spike

REGULAR CAST

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

GUEST CAST

Clare Kramer as Glory
Charlie Weber as Ben Wilkinson
Troy T. Blendell as Jinx
Amber Benson as Tara Maclay
Kristine Sutherland as Joyce Summers

CO-STARRING

Justin Corence as Orlando
Michael Emanuel as Burly Guard
Joe Ochman as Janitor
Paul Bates as Crazy #1
Carl J. Johnson as Crazy #2
Candice Nicole as Young Buffy
Elyssa D. Vito as Young Dawn

SYNOPSIS

The gang discusses plans for Buffy’s birthday and dealing with Glory. Giles reveals that Glory is the god of a demon dimension and in order to stay in human form, she needs to suck energy from humans, leaving them insane. The gang starts asking questions about the Key and Buffy finally breaks down and tells them the truth about Dawn. Several of the Knights of Byzantium chant around a fire before they are interrupted by Jinx. Glory arrives and destroys all of the Knights but one whom she later tortures for information.

At the magic shop, Dawn feels awkward because of the way everyone is treating her and notices when Giles hides a book in a hidden counter drawer. At the house, Buffy opens presents from her friends and everyone gets quiet when she receives a framed picture of her and Dawn from her sister. Dawn finally gets upset and confronts everyone about their strange behaviour around her, then storms to her room. After sneaking out of the house, Dawn runs into Spike and the two head off to the magic shop to break in and steal a book. By candlelight, Dawn reads from the book she saw Giles with earlier. Based on memories, Dawn realizes she is the Key and when Spike reads more from the book, Dawn’s suspicions are confirmed.

Dawn returns to the house, bleeding from a self-inflicted knife wound, tearfully questioning what she is. Joyce and Buffy try to talk to Dawn, but everything has changed for her and she’s scared, so she demands that they leave her alone. Buffy blames Spike for letting Dawn find out the truth the way she did. He turns the tables on her and blames her for not telling Dawn the truth in the first place. Jinx threatens Ben at the hospital, but Ben reveals that Glory can’t hurt him, no matter what he does.

After overhearing Buffy and Joyce talking, Dawn rampages through her room, burns her diaries and runs away. The smoke alarm alerts Buffy and her mother to Dawn’s little fire and departure. The whole gang gathers at the shop then splits up to search for Dawn. Xander is a little bit excited that a form of energy like Dawn could have a crush on him. Spike does what he can to comfort Buffy and tells her she’ll find her sister before it’s too late. Dawn passes through the park, reliving past memories then ends up at the hospital.

She searches for answers in the Psych ward and then runs into Ben. She confesses to Ben that she’s the Key but he freaks out and tries to make her leave before Glory can find her, but it’s too late. Ben suddenly changes into Glory, but Glory remembers nothing about Ben’s conversation with Dawn and the young girl pretends to know nothing. Dawn asks questions about the Key and Glory reveals that the Key is very old, and then realizes Dawn knows nothing and is wasting her time.

Buffy shows up to stop Glory from draining the energy from Dawn. With some help from the rest of the gang, Buffy gets in a few good hits and takes a few as well before Willow and Tara perform a spell to teleport Glory somewhere else. The godly one ends up high in the sky and falls straight to Earth. Buffy shows Dawn that no matter what, they are sisters that are bound by blood.

TRIVIA

Clare Kramer and Charlie Weber were not informed that their characters shared the same body until it was written into the script. Whedon maintained that the surprise for them would work well on screen.

CONTINUITY

We find out much more about Glory in this episode. In his diary, Giles says that the Watcher’s Council have been getting their information about Glory from The Book Of Tarnis. He says that Glory “absorbs the energy that binds the human mind into a cohesive whole”, which makes her victims insane. She is a hell-god from a demon dimension, which she ruled over with two other hell gods. She has amazing power and is immortal but being human, her powers are limited and she is going insane. The Key is something which will help her return to her own dimension. She calls it a blob of green energy.

Buffy’s birthday parties always end in disaster: in Surprise she was almost killed by the Judge; in Helpless she loses her powers; and in A New Man she almost kills Giles. Meanwhile, Willow is having fun: she’s blowing bubbles, something she also did at Tara’s birthday party in Family.

Dawn has flashbacks involving the crazy man in Real Me, and of the snake from Shadow.

Jinx’s face is bruised after Ben hit him in the previous episode.

Buffy suggests they look for Dawn at the carousel, which Riley took her to in Listening to Fear.

GOOFS

When Dawn rips up her diaries, there is a magazine on the wooden chest at the end of her bed. It disappears in one shot then is seen again in the next.

Where does Xander find a crowbar in a hospital?

Willow says about Dawn’s diaries, “She’s been keeping those since” and Buffy continues, “Since she was seven. I remember too, Will.” Buffy was 15 when she moved to Sunnydale, which meant that at that time Dawn would’ve been around 10. How would Willow “remember” Dawn starting her diaries when Buffy and Dawn would’ve been in LA?

WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?

EPISODE
Checkpoint / Crush

STORY ORDER
Happy Anniversary / The Thin Dead Line