All the Way

Season 6, Episode 6
Written by David Fury and Jane Espenson
Directed by James A. Contner
Original Airdate: 17 January 2000

“Over my dead body…The kind that doesn’t come back.”

Buffy

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 STAR

Anthony Stewart Head as Rupert Giles

GUEST CAST

John O’Leary as Mr. Kaltenbach
Kavan Reece as Justin
Amber Tamblyn as Janice Penshaw
Dave Power as Zach
Amber Benson as Tara Maclay

CO-STARRING

Charles Duckworth as Glenn
Dawn Worrall as Christy
Emily Kay as Maria
Adam Gordon as Carl
Steven Anthony Lawrence as Chunky Kid
Sabrina Speeer as Girl
Chad Erikson as Guy
Dominic Rambaran as Paramedic #1
Anthony Sago as Paramedic #2
Lorin Becker as Witch Woman
Lily Jackson as Witchy Poo

SYNOPSIS

The Magic Box is filled with the Scooby Gang and people shopping for Halloween and Anya is enjoying every minute of it. Anya is dressed as one of Charlie’s Angels while Xander is a classic pirate. Her focus elsewhere, Willow drops a talisman and Dawn secretly takes it. Buffy encounters Spike down in the basement and he offers to patrol with her, but she’s not really interested. After a chat with Giles upstairs, Buffy reconsiders the patrolling idea, but ultimately decides to stay at the shop.

In his house, an old man sharpens a knife while humming a tune. At the Magic Box, the business day has ended and Anya counts up the money while Willow suggests using magic to clean up the mess. Giles and Tara both don’t like that idea or that Willow has been using magic so freely. Xander and Anya finally announce their engagement and a party is immediately put together at Buffy’s house. The magical decorations provided by Willow don’t sit well with Tara and they argue about it.

After asking permission to get a tattoo and getting a negative response from Buffy, Dawn leaves to sleep over at her friend Janice’s house. Of course, instead of a sleep over, Dawn and Janice meet up with a couple of older boys. Janice and Zack are together while Dawn and Justin hook up. The teens go to the house of the old man with intentions of typical teenage pranks. The old man catches Dawn trying to smash one of the jack-o’-lanterns, but he opens the door and invites them all inside. After some talking about the collectable toys he owns, he receives the aid of Justin in the kitchen to prepare the treat he has for them. As he grabs a knife to cut into a pan of rice crispy treats, Justin vamps out and kills him.

Claiming he only stole the man’s wallet, Justin and the rest of the gang run for it and then the guys secretly talk about their plans to kill or turn the girls. While Justin and Dawn talk about stealing and Justin gives Dawn his letterman’s jacket, Zack car jacks a woman and leaves the body behind. At the house, Anya discusses her future plans with Xander, which seems to be too much for him and he goes outside to talk with Buffy. She then decides to find Spike and patrol, demons or no demons.

A call from Janice’s mother informs Giles that Dawn and her friend are not where they said they’d go and the whole gang splits up to find them. Meanwhile, Zack and Janice play tag while Justin and Dawn make out in a car. Willow and Tara check out the Bronze for Dawn and almost get over their fight, but Willow uses magic again, which sets Tara off. The two witches fight again and Tara runs off with Willow following.

After informing Spike about Dawn, Giles searches for the young teen himself and finds Zack and Janice. Zack is able to bite Janice, but Giles impales him on a tree branch before he can kill her. Dawn screams as Justin reveals himself as a vampire and suggests making her a vampire. Giles arrives on the scene, ready to slay, but more vampires arrive along with Buffy and Spike. Buffy lectures Dawn about getting involved with a vampire before the fight breaks out and all of the vampires are properly disposed of, except for Justin. He’s chased after Dawn into the woods and just when he thinks he’s got another meal, she stakes him with a pencil.

Back at the Summers house, anger remains strong as Dawn is mad with Buffy and Tara still angry with Willow. Buffy blows off her parental duties on Giles for Dawn’s punishment, which infuriates Giles and makes him even harder on Dawn. Tara isn’t interested in forgiving or forgetting the fight between her and Willow. Willow secretly casts a spell that makes Tara forget all about their fight and the two peacefully go to sleep.

TRIVIA

Whilst this episode was being filmed, the cast were simultaneously learning and recording their musical numbers for Once More, With Feeling, so the episode mostly centres around Dawn, who has a limited role in the musical.

Xander gives children sweets at the Magic Box. He says, “These be fireflies spat from a volcano off the coast of Katmandu.” This is a nod towards Firefly.

CONTINUITY

We finally discover why Giles spends a lot of his time cleaning his glasses: Buffy realises, “Is that why you’re always taking off your glasses? So you don’t have to watch what we’re doing?” to which Giles replies “Tell no one.”

Giles tells Buffy that the undead don’t usually come out on Halloween. She reminds him of the events of season two’s Halloween (”costumes that take you over”) and season four’s Fear, Itself (”wee little Irish fear-demony thingies”).

Xander wears an eye-patch, which he’ll wear again after season seven’s Dirty Girls.

Xander mentions that the Magic Box should ‘go boom,’ which foreshadows its destruction in Grave.

Buffy tells Spike “Don’t blame me if we keep having this conversation over and over…” This is a reference to the previous episode, during which Buffy found herself reliving her moments over and over.

Dawn steals an amulet in this episode. She also stole Anya’s earrings in Intervention.

GOOFS

Why didn’t Dawn feel how cold Justin was when she kissed him? Perhaps she was too excited as it was her first kiss?

When Buffy is fighting a vampire, they smash the window of a car. You can see that the glass breaks a second before it is hit.

Buffy tells Xander that she was only out of commission for 3 months. In Afterlife, Spike tells Buffy she was dead for 147 days – which is about 5 months.

Buffy, Giles and Spike’s stunt doubles can be clearly seen in the big fight with the vampires.

WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?

EPISODE
Life Serial / Once More, With Feeling

STORY ORDER
Billy / Once More, With Feeling