Crush

Season 5, Episode 14
Written by David Fury
Directed by Daniel Attias
Original Airdate: 12 February 2001

“What part of me punching you in the face did you not understand?”
Buffy

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

Mercedes McNab as Harmony Kendall
Charlie Weber as Ben Wilkinson
Amber Benson as Tara Maclay
Juliet Landau as Drusilla
Kristine Sutherland as Joyce Summers

CO-STARRING

Frederick Dawson as Porter
Greg Wayne as Student
Joseph Digiandomenico as Matt
Walter Borchert as Jeff
Asher Glaser as Boy in Bronze
Jennifer Bergman as Girl in Bronze
Nell Shanahan as Waitress

SYNOPSIS

The Bronze re-opens under new management, and Buffy watches on as her friends dance. Spike shows up and tries to carry on a conversation with Buffy, but she’s not the slightest bit interested. Willow reveals that she is suffering from headaches and nosebleeds as a result of her teleportation spell. Buffy spots Ben and offers her thanks to him for looking after Dawn. A train pulls into Sunnydale, but the porter goes on board to find all the passengers dead before he too is attacked.

Buffy returns home and Giles suggests that Dawn be treated normally. Harmony tries to get Spike in the mood and suggests a game where she pretends to be Buffy. Buffy reads about the train murders, but concludes that it’s vampires and not Glory. Dawn arrives at Spike’s crypt to talk with him. Buffy searches for Dawn and finds her with Spike, listening to one of his scary stories. Dawn reveals her crush on Spike, but really shocks her sister when she tells of Spike’s crush on Buffy.

Buffy and Xander investigate the train and Buffy confesses the possibility of Spike loving her. Buffy finds her mother and sister talking in the kitchen with Spike. He takes her to a warehouse where he believes the vampires from the train are. Buffy confronts Spike about his feelings, but when he confesses his love, she rejects him brutally. Returning to the crypt, Spike is shocked to find his sire and long-time love, Drusilla.

Drusilla tells him of the events in Los Angeles and tries to convince him to return with her. She’s already aware of the chip in his head and tries to convince him he can be evil, even with the chip. Harmony arrives and yells at Drusilla for hurting Spike. He then throws her out of the way, announcing that he’s back. Joyce and Willow talk to Buffy about the problem with Spike and tell her she has to make it clear to Spike that there is nothing.

Spike and Drusilla dance at the Bronze before Drusilla spots a couple on the catwalk for them to feed on. She snaps the neck of the girl, offering her to Spike before taking the guy for herself. Spike hesitates, but soon transforms and bites. Buffy discovers the extension of Spike’s lair underground and a shrine dedicated to herself. As she returns to the surface, Buffy finds Spike and Drusilla waiting for her. Drusilla shocks Buffy with a cattle prod, but then Spike takes the prod and uses it on Drusilla.

Buffy awakens to find herself chained up in the underground space below Spike’s crypt, Drusilla tied to a pole across from her. Spike professes his love and offers to kill Drusilla to convince Buffy of his love. Buffy rejects Spike again and he goes into a rage about women being so difficult. Harmony arrives and shoots Spike with a crossbow bolt. While Harmony and Spike fight, Drusilla breaks free and goes after Buffy while the Slayer is still chained up. Spike saves Buffy and Drusilla leaves, disappointed that Spike can’t be helped by anyone.

Harmony leaves Spike, telling him it’s completely over between the two of them. Buffy walks home with Spike following her, but Buffy tells him to stay away from her. He tries to follow her into her house, but an invisible barrier prevents his entry and Buffy shuts the door.

TRIVIA

This is the final time we see Mercedes McNab as Harmony on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. She turns up in Angel after this episode, and eventually becomes a series regular. This is also the last time Drusilla is seen in the present day, though we see Juliet Landau again in flashbacks and as The First in season seven.

On the soundtrack album called ‘Radio Sunnydale’, released in 2003, soundtrack producer John C. King calls this episode, “Crush, Kill, Destroy”.

CONTINUITY

Willow is still having headaches after the teleport trick she used on Glory in the previous episode. Spike also refers to the fact that he helped.

The Bronze gets a new look and a re-opening after it’s almost destruction via Olaf in Triangle. Spike once again discusses the onion-flower.

GOOFS

Why didn’t Buffy kill Drusilla at the end of this episode? This is only a few episodes after Buffy’s “my job description’s pretty clear” speech and yet she lets a dangerous vampire, who she knows has killed at least six people and just attacked her, go free. This is also not the first time she has let Drusilla go. She also lets Harmony leave as well.

After Drusilla breaks her victim’s neck in the Bronze, we see the victim swallow just before she bites him.

When Dawn goes to Spike’s crypt and he comes out from underground, he has a cigarette behind his ear. When Spike talks to Dawn the cigarette disappears.

CROSSOVER

Drusilla has come straight from Angel‘s Redefinition, and she relays the events of that episode, and the ones before it, to Spike. After this episode, Harmony appears in Los Angeles in Angel‘s Disharmony. Spike also mentions the time he was in Los Angeles in In the Dark, and returns to LA in Conviction.

WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?

EPISODE
Blood Ties / I Was Made to Love You

STORY ORDER
The Thin Dead Line / Reprise