| Episode No. | Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 3, Episode 14 |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Michael Lange |
| Written by | Douglas Petrie |
0:02 : We come in mid-question: Faith has asked Buffy is she has slept with Xander. While Buffy doesn’t know it, there’s a reason Faith’s asking…
0:35 : Once again, Faith equates heavy slaying with her sexual libido.
1:28 : Buffy is cornered by a vampire and Faith saves her, staking the vamp from behind. This scene will be neatly recreated in the following episode, with a completely different meaning.
1:54 : Buffy questions whether these vampires are regular or new, since they carry swords.
2:00 : Mr. Trick hasn’t been seen since Band Candy.
2:31 : The Mayor is still concerned with germs, despite his dedication to a demon due in a few days, which will make him invulnerable until the season finale. We still don’t know much about his ‘evil plan’…
4:50 : Note Seth Green‘s hair, which hints he’s filming as Scott Evil again, this time for Austin Powers in Goldmember.
5:43 : Oz reminds us that he’s a senior and that he didn’t graduate last season when he should have, which worried Willow in Anne.
5:52 : Cordelia and Xander are now back to their pre-relationship intense bickering, only now it’s a lot more bitter and laced with venom.
6:52 : Ladies and gentlemen, the first appearance of one Wesley Wyndam-Pryce, a character who seems like constant prey in this series – and is one of the most important characters in the entire BuffyVerse once he goes through his transition over on Angel.
Played by American-born Alexis Denisof, the actor had spent time in Britain, even sharing the stage in Rope with none other than Anthony Stewart Head. Head recommended his friend when he found out he was auditioning and it paid off. Wes was due to be killed off as soon as episode 16 of the season, but the audiences, and show writers, grew fond of the character and he lives until the end of the season. Denisof later joins the regular cast of Angel, and his return changes the spin-off’s trajectory completely.
7:00 : But boy, does his arrival shake things up in the library! Giles is automatically ‘cool’ compared to the very, very green Wesley. They’re the perfect foil for each other, and Wesley’s appearance enhances Giles greatly, giving Anthony Stewart Head some great comedic beats in the process.
7:37 : Like this one: Buffy takes one look at Wesley and asks Giles (twice) if Wesley is evil, referring to Gwen Post in Revelations. Giles response as Wesley flaps around his library breathlessly: “Not in the strictest sense.”
8:44 : The El Eliminati are a vampire sect who have ended up in the service to the demon Balthazar, who knows that something is coming in regards the Mayor. They don’t seem much more powerful than the average vamp. They’re in town to find Balthazar’s amulet, which will restore his powers.
9:59 : Buffy also gets to flaunt her comedy chops: “Giles always says please when he
sends me on a mission. And afterwards, he gives me a cookie.”
10:18 : Faith’s reaction to Wesley: “Screw that.” Buffy then asks why she didn’t just say that. More emphasis on Buffy being the ‘good Slayer’ and Faith being the one who disobeys, which will come into play later in the episode…
10:35 : In a lovely moment, Giles takes his glasses off to clean them and Denisof follows Head‘s lead, copying Giles’ actions to a tee, emphasising how far Giles has come…
11:00 : The crux of the episode comes here: Faith believes that they’ve been Chosen for a reason and one reason only. She gets off on the violence, but believes that they’ve been gifted for it. Buffy is less keen and denies that she feels the same, but it’s written on her face that she at least somewhat agrees.
11:37 : Faith’s own line actually sums her up pretty well: “Hey, slaying’s what we were built for. If you’re not enjoying it, you’re doing something wrong.”
12:57 : Balthazar’s lead vampire, named Vincent, is played by Alex Skuby. Aside from major voice work for Mattel Animation, he’s also appeared in Bones, Castle and Fear the Walking Dead.
14:40 : Giles’ initial impression of Buffy, as read aloud by Wesley: “Her abuse of the English language is such that I understand only every other sentence.” Brilliant!
16:00 : Vincent pushes Buffy’s head under water. She struggles, but then goes lifeless. Then she rises, quipping “I hate it when they drown me,” a reference to Prophecy Girl.
17:37 : Wesley reminds Buffy that he is her Watcher and that Giles is not allowed to interfere, as Quentin Travers told him in Helpless. Wesley tells him he’s not helping when Buffy ignores him. Giles agrees with him, sarcastically telling him: “I know. I feel just sick about it.”
18:10 : A new teacher at Sunnydale High, the chemistry teacher presumably. She’s not named and we never see her again. Wendy Clifford plays the character, labelled Mrs. Taggart in the script.
19:08 : Buffy notices that Xander’s eye twitches when she says Faith’s name. He denies this, having not told the others about his encounter with Faith in the previous episode.
19:08 : The way Nicholas Brendon smacks his own face to keep his eye shut is a gem.
19:50 : Buffy openly joins Faith, rebelling against the establishment, much to Willow’s horror.
20:27 : The music in this scene in ‘Chinese Burn’ by Curve.
20:27 : The very specific dance moves of Buffy and Faith here were replicated exactly for Rogue and Kitty Pryde in the X-Men: Evolution episode ‘Spike Cam’.
20:27 : Many fans use this scene as proof of Faith’s potential love for Buffy and vice versa. When viewers brought up the chemistry between Sarah Michelle Gellar and Eliza Dushku, Joss Whedon denied that any romantic relationship between the two was being hinted at. After watching this scene, he changed his mind and admitted that despite not being intentional, the scene has the chemistry in SPADES.
21:10 : Buffy acts slightly out of character, all hyped up and flirty – i.e. a great deal more like Faith. Consider her reaction to Angel – she was trying to keep away from him two episodes ago – now they seem quietly back together.
22:17 : Wesley and Angel meet for the first time. It’s safe to say he doesn’t make a good impression on the vampire.
23:00 : Balthazar is played by Christian Clemenson. He later went on to great acclaim in the legal drama Boston Legal, where he proved an inspiration to this writer for his portrayal of Jerry Espenson, a lawyer at the firm with Asperger’s Syndrome.
25:07 : This is the first time Buffy embraces Faith’s mentality of ‘Want, Take, Have’, but immediately feels bad when confronted with the cop. The ‘Want, Take, Have’ is just not in her nature.
25:31 : The lead cop played is by Ron Rogge. He’s another actor who’s perpetually somewhere on television, having recently appeared in Stranger Things, as well as other series like Castle and Station 19.
27:04 : This is the first time Faith and Buffy are handcuffed: they’ll be cuffed together in Graduation Day.
28:48 : The Mayor tells Mr. Trick that the boy scouts are the backbone of America – and he could just eat them up! He means literally.
29:01 : Vampire Vincent somehow gets into the Mayor’s liquor cabinet and tries to kill him. Although Trick knocks the vamp unconscious, Finch is left stammering when the Mayor asks him about office security…
30:10 : Balthazar says it’s been 100 years since his enemy defeated him and left him without powers… the exact same time Sunnydale was founded…
31:02 : This is the first time Willow officially refers to herself as Wiccan.
32:03 : Willow’s fear of Faith coming between her and Buffy has been brewing since Homecoming, but is really evident here. It will come to a head in Choices, but it will never quite be forgiven…
32:26 : Faith has retrieved the longbow, but can’t prepare it in time and gives up. She’ll keep the bow though, using it on Angel in Graduation Day.
33:50 : Deputy Mayor Allan Finch is in the area, although we’re never told why. There’s a hint he may be looking for Balthazar to do a deal, or possibly even searching for the Slayers for the same. Either way, he’s in the wrong place at the wrong time, zigging into an alleyway… and zagging into Faith’s stake.
33:50 : This is the moment that will change Faith and Buffy forever. Faith, in particular, will have a long road to accepting this death.
35:32 : Faith goes back to the body solo, and shows remorse. She doesn’t rejoin Buffy in battle…
36:10 : There’s some wonderful moments in the next few minutes that are absolute gold! The first is Wesley clearly panicking. He tells Giles not to do so; Giles’ dry response: “Thank God you’re here. I was planning to panic.”
36:28 : GILES: “That would be your demon. You know, the dead one.”
WESLEY: “There’s no need to be snippy.”
36:38 : Giles gets one over on Balthazar when the demon tells the librarian he knows what he wants: “If it’s someone to scrub those hard to reach areas, I’d like to request that you kill me.”
37:34 : Giles referring to Wesley as ‘Captain Courageous’ is laugh-out-loud funny!
37:50 : Say what you like about Angel, he knows how to make an entrance!
37:51 : The music heard in the background was also heard during the climatic battle in Becoming.
38:00 : This scene is action packed and extremely well choreographed. Giles in particular, with Wesley’s cowardice, gets to shine even more. He’s surprisingly more ‘action man’ than he’s been before, and it’s Anthony Stewart Head who steals the moment!
39:56 : Balthazar, electrocuted by Buffy, offers a chilling warning to the Slayer and her allies as he dies: “When he rises, you’ll wish I killed you.” He’s referring to the Mayor – but, naturally, doesn’t tell them that, keeping them in the dark, for now.
40:14 : The Mayor is chanting in Latin. In English, he says: “I call upon the forces of our mother in darkness, protect your unholy son from all harm…now…and forever!”
40:41 : Wilkins questions where Allan is, sure he wouldn’t miss the dedication. He hints in Consequences that Finch may have been betraying him.
41:14 : Vincent slices the now-invincible Mayor’s head in half and, in a combination of physical, green screen and computer generated effects, it stitches itself back together!
41:35 : Another example of the Mayor’s character: his list includes normal mayoral duties, tucked away with ‘become invincible’. A good villain is an organised villain…
41:45 : And hear we have it, the first mention of the Ascension…
42:49 : Buffy tells Faith that being a Slayer is not the same as being a killer, something she will repeat again, both to Dracula and Willow.
43:21 : Faith reveals that she weighted and dumped the body. She didn’t do a very good job, since it’s found by the next morning.
43:37 : In a chilling moment, Buffy tells that she cannot shut down and ignore the situation. She killed a man. And then, Faith tells her: “No, you don’t get it. I don’t care,” leaving Buffy in stunned silence…
