Hello, and welcome to Buff in the art
of story season 7
or I should say, welcome back after a
summer break. I'm so excited to be here
again.
This is a podcast that recap 1 episode
of Buckle, the vampire slayer at a time,
focusing on story elements.
Today, we're looking at
season 7 episode 8 sleeper.
We're buff struggles to sort out weather, how
and why
spike is killing again, and gil is in
peril.
I am Lisa M Lily.
Of the awakening supernatural
thriller series and the Qc Davis crime novels,
as well as the writing as a second
career books for writers.
If you'd like to get more content
about buff and about story
and support the pie cast you can do
that at patreon dot com
slash lisa m, lily, LISAM
as in Marie, l I double l y.
Along with the recap of sleeper today, I'll
talk about the fluid major plot turns that
shift the narrative and keep the pace fast,
how this episode lays the groundwork for future
r
among Buff and her friends,
seen to scene segue.
That smoothly
transition the story from 1 key moment to
the neck and character actions in dialogue
that the audience and other characters can read
multiple ways leading
too believable
genuine conflict
between the characters.
As always, there'll be no spoilers
except when I get to the first foreshadowing
section at the end, but I'll give you
plenty of warning. Okay. Let's dive into the
helm mouth, Sleeper aired the first time on
11/19/2002.
It was written by David Fury and Jane
Aspen and directed Alan j Levi. It opens
as it should
with a conflict. Sometimes opening conflict relates to
the main plot. Here it signals what that
main plot is going to be. It is
the middle of the night. Sanders awake and
by loud knocking his door. He gru that
it's 04:30AM.
It's buff. She demands to know where spike
is
And when she finds out that he's out,
she asks if Sandra knows what he's doing
and Xander says, I don't know, creature the
night above, he's probably out creature.
Buff hopes that spike is not in trouble.
This is the first
segue that takes us to the next scene
where spike definitely in trouble.
Is in a basement with a dirt floor.
He bur a woman's body. It is the
blonde woman.
He was talking to in the bar in
conversations with dead people and spike hu a
tune
later in the episode will find out out
it is the song early 1 morning, but
we don't hear the lyrics for a while.
This is a very quick cold open because
it's only 1 minute 48 seconds into the
episode and we go to credits.
On return, the scene is in London. A
man returns to his apartment sees broken glass
and calls out for nora. He finds her
dead on the floor, a robe figure attacks
him from behind with a dagger. The man
thins and blocks the dagger with a book,
which makes me pretty sure he's a watcher.
Also, I don't know why else we'd be
seeing him.
He fights pretty well, but another robe figure
stab him. The scene cuts to Willow who
gets home. It's still the middle of the
night. So this episode picked up right where
conversations
with dead people left off.
Presumably, Buff went right from staking holden to
Sanders apartment and Willow
went from the library
straight home because we see the summer's house
is in sham.
John is sitting huddled in the living room.
She tells Willow she's okay.
And that she saw her mom. Willow isn't
sure it was joyce, and she explains
to Dawn that she saw someone too someone
who looked like somebody else, and it's the
big bad they knew was coming. I find
it entry thing that Willow uses the term
big bad. I do think someone else used
it probably spike in earlier seasons.
And it's kind of neat because that's how
the writers refer to the antagonist of every
season. Dawn tells Willow that that's what Joyce
said that things are on their way.
Anne that Joyce said she loved them, and
it had to be her because her warning
was true.
Willow is less certain she doesn't think they
can trust anything.
Now. John suggests
the evil thing might have been both at
the library
and the summer's home, but it's what was
trying to keep joyce from talking to Dawn.
The scene cuts to Za apartment. We're about
5 minutes into the episode. Usually, by here,
we see the story spark or in citing
incident.
That's what gets the main plot rolling.
I don't know that there's a single 1
here because in a way, this got rolling
last
episode in conversations with dead people when holden
and told Buff that spike s him. And
now we're going to get a reminder of
that. So
I think it serves pretty well to set
off this
episode, if you view it standalone alone and
haven't seen the earlier ones because Xander is
making tea or coffee. In his kitchen he
says to Buff
Why would a vampire lie about who ce
him? What's that some kind of status symbol
for the undead? My s can beat up
your s?
Buff not certain that the vampire holding webster
from last time was telling the truth,
Xander
thinks that Buff might not be quite objective
enough. Buff argues that spike couldn't have turned
a human because of the chip in his
head, but Sandra points out that the chip
doesn't work on Buff.
Buff sure it still works on others. She's
seen it in action
Xander wonders if spikes been doing a great
acting job. This
conversation is a great way
to get out
exposition through conflict. We found out the most
important thing from the last episode. And the
previous scene did that as well with a
more minor comp conflict
between Willow and Dawn, we found out what
happened to both of them. Buff insists that
spike is different now that he has changed
and she goes on and if it is
an act, then the Oscar goes to
and spike enters the apartment.
Not a scene transition, but a really terrific
way to introduce spike and add tension. Buff
and sander fall silent
spike asks if there's trouble with Buff being
there at that hour. Buff kind of stu
a response and spike assumes
He's in ent. They just don't want him
to hear their conversation. He starts to go
into his room, but Buff asked him about
his night. He asks about hers. It's awkward,
but you can see where spike would think
this awkward
is because things have been
really uncomfortable
between him and Buff. Buff on the other
hand, and we as the audience
know that there's something much bigger going on.
Buff tells him she killed a vampire last
night that it was someone she used to
know
spike is sympathetic about that. He says it
must have been hard on her, and she
tells him it was holding webster
watching him for any
reaction, and he doesn't react, he just seems
very calm.
After he goes in his room, Xander notes
that too saying spike was cool is cool
whip when Buff mentioned holden.
Buff thinks someone needs to keep an eye
on spike, meaning Xander should do it because
She has to check on Dawn. But Sandra
has a big client meeting at work. Buff
tells him they can't leave spike alone until
they know if he's killing again, they need
to find someone to watch him. This is
a transition to the next scene, which begins
with On telling Xander to forget it. They're
in the apartment It's now morning. The daylight
is shining through the windows.
Ami says she agreed on the phone to
watch spike, but she didn't know them that
he might be killing again.
And Xander says you didn't mind being alone
with him before. On says, what was that?
It's a reference to the time
On and spikes slept together which will be
referenced again later, so it's a nice way
to bring it in. Xander says that kind
of under his breath, and he tells her
nothing. They don't know anything for sure, and
it might be a mistake.
Ami asks if he search spikes room for
trophies because killers keep them, things like scalp
or necklaces or human teeth.
Sandra did not think of that. He tells
her to just stay in the sun and
she'll be fine.
I'm is unhappy. He's not leaving her a
cross bow or some other weapon, but he
doesn't want to alert spike that they might
be on to him, and he doesn't want
On to fight spike, he tells her just
called buff if spike leaves. An threatens that
if she gets va, she's going to bite
his ass, under his breath, he says that
wouldn't be the first time and she says
what was that? It's a little bit
artificial because clearly On you would be able
to hear what Xander says,
but it is a nice way to show
that these 2 are getting along well enough
that they can joke with 1 another.
At 9 minutes 3 seconds, Buff, comes home.
She's panicked when she sees the house
trashed.
Dawn is in her bedroom, Willow tells Buff.
She just went to sleep and she's okay
now, and then explains that, the big evil
visited
Don
and Willow, and she says whatever's been threatening
to devour them started champ.
Willow
observe that it knows them that her visitor
came with a message from Tara and Dawn
saw joyce. Willow says too that the lies
it told were very convincing, and it seems
real.
By Buff expression, we can tell she is
wondering about what holden and told her, and
she says that the vampire she killed, claimed
spike ce him.
Buff doesn't quite believe it, but she says
if she's wrong about spike killing again, she
has to see it for herself and she
has to be there to stop it. We're
nearly 11 minutes through, so we're past the
1 quarter point in the episode.
That's where I usually look for the first
major plot,
and it should come from outside the protagonist,
spin the story in a new correction and
raise the stakes.
Here too, I'm not sure there is exactly
a moment. It is a little more fluid
as Buff hears from Willow about what happened
to her and Don,
she becomes
more focused on what she already decided that
she's got to figure out what's going on
with spike. So the shift in narrative here
really is that Now the story is going
to be about the
investigation
into spike. In a way it comes from
outside Buff. She doesn't want this to happen.
She doesn't want to have to do this.
And for sure, the idea that Spike is
killing raises the stakes but that has been
present from the beginning. The scene shifts and
rather than Buff, it is on, we see
investigating
after a commercial break. Holding a steak, she
goes into spikes room. He's sleeping
looks like he's nude under the sheet She
searches the drawers in his chest of drawers.
She goes through his jacket and his clothes.
We think he's asleep, but he grabs her
wrist.
And in a very quiet but low voice
says ami, do be specific and tele
just exactly what you're doing here.
On
so smart claims after a moment that she
wants sex. This is a perfect bruise because
spike
sits up immediately, he pulls the sheet farther
over himself, and he's super awkward and forgets
all about the surge.
He notices she's holding a stake, and she
says it's to be kinky, which does not
thrill him and An as she tries to
come on to him is so over dramatic
and awkward.
It's the way On would be, but exaggerated,
and she tells him she can stop thinking
about their brief but unforgettable time together. Why
else would she be there. It's not like
she's searching for proof that he's a whacked
out serial killer.
And then she says something like, I don't
know why I said that and kind of
lunges at him.
Spike awkward,
pulls back, puts his hands in arms and
gently
moves her farther from him. He says, obviously
he's tempted,
and this is so great because all of
spikes concerned about why she's searching have gone
right out of his head. You can tell
because
he is so uncomfortable with this. But he
tells on you, she's a right catch and
if things were different.
She is at first relieved that she got
away with it, but then it sinks in
that spike reject did her, and she says
he must think she's fat. Or it's her
haircut. He tells her that's ridiculous. The haircut
is fetching.
She tells him he was a lot more
fun when he was soul and says sol
spike would have had me upside down and
halfway to happy land by now.
He just tells her he needs his pants.
Another great way to get out
exposition through conflict because this tells us or
reminds us, that spike now has a soul
that he tanya slept together when he didn't
have 1
and that that has made a big difference
for spike. It's dark again when he emerges
from the bedroom, so it seems on his
stayed there all day,
perhaps it's unclear, the time passing doesn't quite
make sense here
because An has been at the meant a
really long time. So either she waited a
very, very long time to go in and
search his room or it took him a
really, really long time to put on his
pants. But at 15 minutes, 5 seconds, On
reading a magazine in the living room, spike,
apologize if he heard her feeling. She acts
like it's no big deal. He leaves and
on calls buff. The scene cup to a
square. There's lots of people walking around
spike passes a man playing the harmonic,
A few seconds later tune shifts to the
1 we heard earlier, which is early 1
morning that we still don't get any words.
Spike starts to the song again. From far
enough away to not be seen, Buff follows
spike, she almost loses sight of him, a
couple times because there are, I think they're
are juggle in the square and just a
lot of people who got in her way.
She does see him meet up with a
woman, it's unclear to me if he
made a date with a woman before, but
I think she's just standing in line to
get into a club, and he starts talking
with her. They walk off together. In a
bit, we will
see that
the evil that has been visiting
our friends will take the form of Buff.
So it's not completely clear
if when it is buff following spike and
when it might be what I'll call other
Buff.
Spike and the women are down a side
alley. They talk and kiss, and we cut
to buff running. She has lost sight of
spike. Then Spike suddenly looks up and sees
buff. It's 18 minutes 45 seconds in, Buff
smiles at him and says, quote, you know
you want it. You know I want you
to end, quote. The woman starts to ask
spike if everything's
okay. He va out and attacks her, and
at 19 minutes, Buff says, quote, there's my
guy and, quote, and we cut to a
commercial.
Thanks again for coming back after the summer.
Break, I
took a
vacation, and I also took the time to
finish last changes on my current
novel, the skeptical man, a Qc Davis crime
novel, f
that 1, I am planning to work on
a new series that will have supernatural elements.
I'll tell you more about it in future
episodes.
Right now, I have some comments from listeners.
The first is from the Buff and the
art of story. Facebook, page, Billy
commented on as you were, that is the
season 6 episode where Riley returns with his
wife
Sam, and I had talked a bit about
Riley having been uncomfortable with Buff being stronger
than him and thinking that was part of
why he broke up with her. I don't
recall. I may have said something about it
being inconsistent
with Riley now. And Billy said this I
saw Riley being okay with Sam being in
charge as that he's grown a bit. I
think from him overcoming his mental health slash
addiction problems and having a job slash further
purpose in life, again, his values improved a
bit with his fulfillment
for want of a better way to word
it. I love this comment and wanting to
share it because
all of you know, I am not a
huge Riley fan, and which maybe has to
do more with how the writers
wrote the Riley Buff
relationship when they
apparently decided it wouldn't work so I I
liked this very positive
take on Riley, and maybe that was, in
fact what the writers were trying to show.
Also, a comment from Melissa,
patron about conversations with dead people, and she
pointed out
that a theme that runs through all of
Buff, and especially season 7 is, quote, the
tension between the character's connectedness and isolation and
it is so well highlighted here most beautifully
in the Buff holden scenes.
She disclose painful secrets that she'd hesitate to
share with her friends but only because she's
going to kill him and he listens
even though he's filled with blood lust. While
it's brilliant comedic, it's also so Mel Ka
and, quote. That is a great
observation, and it made me think of season
6 where Buff can find in spike any
says in the musical, something like you can
whisper in a dead man's ear, and it
doesn't make it real. Well Buff isn't going
to kill spy like hold,
Spike is a vampire. He's dead. She she
might kill him at some point, but she
does not have the relationship with him that
she has with her friends. So in both
cases,
she is not concerned with what the other
person
thinks of her, and it frees her to
say things she would not otherwise say.
Melissa had other comments,
including
noting, quote, the poetic term en jam.
Is employed in the lyrics of the song
that opens and closes the episode, again, meaning
conversations. And jam is a kind of unrest
between the meaning created at the end of
1 line with a meaning that is continued
in the next phrase. So the line, can
I spend the night on its own typically
means to day over to be with someone
sexually or otherwise, in the repetition of the
line at the end of the episode, it
is followed by alone creating a new intention?
Do I have what it takes to do
this on my own. And that is what
the 4 storylines are about?
Characters all trying to make connection and in
the end, needing to be able to move
on
without it. End, quote. I love this observation
as well
because 1, it
explains part of why the song has so
much resonance
with the episode and it connects those vi,
and particularly,
gives meaning to the Dawn and Joyce Vi.
You probably remember in conversations with dead people
guessed Stephen Young from Wolf and cast
really felt that the Dawn enjoy seeing could
be dropped entirely the vi.
And I
too
felt like it it doesn't add a lot
story wise to the episode or to the
season,
seeing it the way
Melissa can it, though, it makes perfect sense
because Dawn like Willow, like Buff like spike
in his short scenes,
maybe before he kills the woman, they all
trying to connect
and each 1
does so or at least they think they
do. Willow thinks she's talking to Tara, Dawn
thinks she's talking to Joyce. Buff does connect
holden.
Spike does seem connect with the woman at
the bar, and then they must go on
without those connections as Melissa said, so great
way to automatically
tie those in addition to the themes of
loneliness.
Thank you, both, Billy and Melissa and everyone
who has comment ted
on
the podcast
episodes. If you would like to comment, you
could do that at the Buff in the
art of story
Facebook page on Patreon where I post the
episodes, even if you're not a patron, you
can go on and comment.
Or by emailing me at buff story pod
at gmail dot com.
And return from the commercial, Buff says to
spike something like doesn't that feel better
spike runs off, seemingly horrified by what he
did, and a smiling Buff morph into spike
and says a line from early 1 morning,
quote, how could you use a poor maiden.
So end quote.
We are a little bit before the midpoint
of the episode. Typically there in almost all
stories in whatever foreign they take. There is
either
a reversal, a very serious reversal for the
protagonist.
Or the protagonist makes major commitment to the
quest or both.
Spike killing this woman
is a major
reversal for Buff. She was not able to
be there to see it. As she told
Willow she needed to or to stop it
more
important.
And in the next scene, Buff, the real
Buff, yank spike out of bed,
demands that he tell her if he killed
the woman he was with. He claims they
just talked. And tells her, he can't kill
anyone, And Buff says, yes, she knows the
chip, and he tells her no not the
chip his soul, and does she really think
he went to the end of the underworld
to get his soul,
then to kill again, he can barely live
with what he did before, and she's crazy
if she thinks he would add to the
body count now.
So again, some exposition through conflict.
When I watch this
episode for the first time,
And on a couple re rewatch, I didn't
love it because there is so much
exposition
possible.
The writers
did that because we had last time conversations
with dead people
where each character was in their own vi.
So while there were references,
2 things that happened before, an audience watching
in real time,
might not remember the specifics of some of
these events or because this was Network Tv
back in the day.
Some people really might have tuned in and
not seen the scene in season 6 where
Spike went to get his soul
being a huge buff fan even then, I
remembered all the things so the episode felt
slow to me. In contrast now looking at
it. I like it much better
probably
because I am really looking at it just
as its own
episode and seeing how well it works because
Not only is this bringing out
exposition, it is advancing spikes and Buff
relationship in
a way because now
she says,
sarcastic, oh, what he goes out there trolling
for women because he's just hungry for
conversation. And spike accuses for being jealous but
being unable to admit it. There's a lot
going on underneath
about their
relationship that I don't think I picked up
on
before, and that isn't just
exposition. It is advancing things, and it's advancing
the plot of this
episode, which is Buff trying to figure out
what's going on and trying to stop spike
because she tells him she does not buy
his claims that he doesn't want anyone, but
her, and at 21 minutes for second and
spikes says, as da a notion as soul
spike the killer is, it is nothing compared
to the idea that another girl could mean
anything to me. This chip they did to
me. I couldn't help it, but the soul
I got on my own for you. Buff
now looks down and she's very quiet and
says I know. And Spikes says, so, yeah,
I go and pass the time with someone,
but that's all it is is time because
god helped me Buff
still all about you.
This scene follows them as well from conversations
with dead people going back to Melissa says
comments about
attempts to connect and going on without it,
we essentially see that happening here
again. And I feel like the themes
of these episodes are resonating with me more
than when I want them in earlier viewing
so focused on the plot and particularly
action plots.
Buff now tells him that the vampire she
fought last night said spike s him and
dumped him in a parking lot. And that
she followed spike, and he didn't look lonely
or casual, he looked on the pro.
If he really isn't killing again then tell
her what happen with the woman that she
saw him meeting and talking to, and he
admits
that all he remembers is talking to the.
So it's clear his memory is hazy, but
he insists he couldn't forget the taste of
human blood. Buff reminds him that he was
on the hell mouth camped out there talking
to invisible people not that long ago. He
tells her she's got no proof and at
23 minutes for seconds, Buff says, so I'll
get some.
And this, the the whole scene was something
of a commitment by Buff a amid point
commitment because she goes in and confront spike.
She tells them what's been going on and
what she
suspects, and here she doubles down
and makes a further commitment that she is
going to get proof. And this is what
I mean by
fluid platt points because in some episodes, we
have super strong clearly defined,
major reversal major commitment right in the middle
like, exactly in the middle of an episode.
That's the kind of story that usually
hits me the strongest, as long as it
also has good characters
and the emotional resonance. And here, it is
a less strong commitment right at the midpoint,
Buff isn't
herself there for the reversal, though it happens,
and now we get more of a commitment
but this kind of story can also work
really well, and I think that it does
here. Now it is daytime again It's very
sunny and Willow Don An and Buff are
gathered in the summer's dining room to do
research. Buff wants to find proof 1 way
or the other
about whether spike is killing. Dawn points out
that Buff only thinks he is because the
vampire last night told her things, and that
the things they were all told last night
might not be true.
But Willow says that while they weren't talking
to the people they thought they were, those
evil
things could still be telling the truth. And
An says, I used to tell the truth
all the time when I was evil. A
quick note as about Buff,
when she talks about Holden,
other than in the beginning when she says
Holden name to spike to try to get
a reaction, she refers to that vampire, the
vampire, I killed last night in this scene
with John. They talk about that vampire, And
this is a good example of not overloading
your audience with too many names. There's saying
that every character name is like another brick
in a backpack that your reader or your
audience is carrying up a hill.
So if you can just refer to a
character
in a way that easily reminds the viewer
who it is,
Rather than using a name, that's a really
good idea if that character's
name, if there's no reason for the reader
or viewer to me to remember it if
the character isn't gonna return. We aren't gonna
see holden again. In this episode, minor spoiler,
we aren't gonna see him again at all.
So the reader doesn't need to keep that
character's
name in mind,
and it's much easier
and takes up less mental base for the
viewer, which they can then devote to the
episode. So I like the way that is
done.
On your points out that if spike is
killing, there should be a lot of dead
people in Sunny day with neck trauma.
Willow checks online and does not find that
that she does find at least 10 missing
people mostly women. Don notes that it's true
what the vampire said, and she's clearly thinking
of what Joyce said to her
last week about Buff not being on her
side.
Buff says that still doesn't prove. It was
spike, and he's the only 1 who knows
for sure. This is another good segue
to the next scene as spike gets ready
to go out, and there's a bit of
irony there because Spike doesn't know for sure
as we will see. He finds a pack
of cigarettes in his pocket
and gets a quick flash of meeting the
blonde women, a scene that we saw in
conversations with dead people at the bar and
then a flash of her dead body.
Xander tries to block spike from leaving the
apartment, but he says he has to go,
so he is set. On trying to find
the truth, and when Xander won't get out
of the way, spike punches him and how
in pain from his chip.
So we know the chip is still working.
At the bronze, Band is playing, singer Song
writer, Amy Mann, it singing. Spike goes around
asking different people about the woman if they've
seen her. He describes her, and he seems
to be trying to find her somewhere hopefully
alive.
Xander
calls Buff on the phone. She is surprised
that Spike hit him and was able to
hit him Xander
says spiked didn't just hit him, he knocked
him out.
And she asks if he has any idea
where Spike his headed the scene cuts back
to the bronze.
Spike is on the second floor. He's looking
down at the dance floor and a woman
joins him and asks why he's scanning the
crowd, and if he's looking for her. He
tells her he's a type who is best
left alone, and she says she gets it
and va out and asks Timothy they should
pick off the crowd 1 by 1 or
block the exits He is not into that
at all, and she is puzzled by his
wall flower act as she puts it and
says he didn't seem eye when he was
biting her. Now spike looks appalled. She gets
really mad. She's not asking if they wanna
be soul mates. Just maybe have some fun,
and she looks down and says, quote, I
take him, you take her, close, quote, a
callback
to the time that Drew came back to
town, drew who he did feel was his
soul mate, and he had the chip and
she is going to help spike, kill again
gather, and I think she says something like,
I take him you take her. Or at
least she acts that out.
Now the woman vampire says, so was that
all I was to you? A 1 bite
stand.
As they fight, the scene cuts between them
and the band. The singer is so professional.
She keeps your comp exposure all the band
members do, and they play louder and louder
as the fight becomes louder and more violent.
Then the woman va body tumble over the
railing, the music stops all at once, and
her body hits the ground and dust at
29 minutes 44 seconds.
After a pause, where everyone is silent, the
band just picks up again,
right on Tempo
altogether. And as someone who did occasionally play
in bars, I freely admire and I I
remember the feeling I never saw vampire dusted,
but you definitely just keep going no matter
what is going on around you. So spike
above, though looks appalled. The scene cuts to
buff, talking to the bounce her out side
that club where
she saw spike approach a woman in line,
and she says, I need some help. I'm
looking for this guy, bleach blonde hair, leather
jacket, British accent, kind of sal, but in
a hot way, and the bounce says, yeah.
Yeah. I know the guy Billie Idol don't
wanna be. Buff says, actually, Billy Idol stole
his look from never mind. The bounce asks
if the guy's her boyfriend, Buff denies it
says she just needs to find him. The
bounce tells her that the guy leaves every
night with a different girl, and he gives
her some advice, quote,
This not your boyfriend guy, and, quote, is
a real player and Buff should lose him.
At the bronze, the band heads out and
Amy Man says, man, I hate playing vampire
towns and, quote,
I am pretty sure that is a repeat
of a line, very close to a align
at the beginning of I think season for
when a band comes out and says something
like that about the runs, But maybe maybe
someone out there remembers and can tell me.
We are at 31 minutes for seconds and
spike at a pay phone calls buff.
I see this as the last major plot
turn.
I think of it as the 3 quarter
term because where it usually
turns up in an up so, sometimes it's
more like about 2 thirds through. It should
grow from the midpoint, take the story in
another new direction and further raise the stakes.
And here it does all those things. It
comes from
Buff
midpoint commitment
of confronting spike. And then vowing to find
the truth. So Spike now calls Buff,
and it will turn the story because he
tells her he thinks he's remembering
He thinks he's done some very bad things.
He needs to see her and he gives
her the address of the house, and she
says she'll meet him. And now it is
going to lead to the final
confrontation and too buff learning the truth about
spike and spike facing the truth about spike.
All of which raises the stakes for the
season and for this episode because Buff will
be in danger. As we'll spike as we'll
see. After he hangs up, the other spike
appears and says, the real spike shouldn't have
done that. It's not the time yet, he's
going against the plan, but they can make
it work and we cut to a commercial.
On return,
spike heads down into a dark basement. Buff
hesitate at the top of the steps holding
her steak.
Spike says he understands if Buff doesn't want
to join him, it's risky. The other spike
appears and tells him the slayer not in
order. Similar to the things
that
spike was seeing and hearing when he was
in the basement, and spike says under his
breath, you not here.
Buff comes down the steps. Spike tells her
he remembers walking the girl home and once
before that, he thinks he killed them and
the lady who lived there and maybe others.
He says here and points to the dirt
floor where he thinks he buried the girls
and the woman. Bobby wants to know why
and he doesn't know and he doesn't know
how he did it. He shouldn't be able
And then the other spike starts to sing
early 1 morning. This is the first time
we hear a good amount of the Lyrics
and spike van. Out.
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The episode is already heading into the climax.
The climax is where the opposing forces
have their final clash and resolve the main
plot conflict.
Here, I see the opposing forces as buff
and the big evil, rather other than Buff
versus spike. It seems like Buff versus spike,
but because spike
doesn't know what's happening to him, at least
he doesn't know the really important things, and
he's being controlled. It is really buff. Going
up against this evil who has
orchestrated all of this, although not quite according
to its plan as we learned earlier,
I am uncertain exactly what its plan was
with all of this, but it is definitely
behind what happens.
Spike attacks
to Buff shock, and he slices her arm
with a piece of glass. They fight.
And the recent victims who are now vampires
start rising from that dirt floor at 34
minutes for second. So this is a little
early for the climax for some episodes, but
now that we are in
season 7, basically, 6 and 7 where the
storytelling
is much more than ever long form,
a lot of times, climax has happen earlier
because a lot occurs in the last part
of the episode, the following action that moves
the season arc. Luckily, for Buff, at least
some of the vampires are stuck part way
in the floor and having trouble getting out,
but it's still a, pretty major fight, really
good fight chore.
And as Buff fights, the other spike talks
to spike and says,
you know what I want you to do.
2 vampires finally get a hold of Buff
holding her on either sign and spike approaches
her, the evil spike tells him to taste
her and make her weak. Spike smells Buff
and starts to lick the blood from where
she was cut, and he gets memory flashes
of so many people that he killed He's
horrified and he says I remember
and then gets even more flashes, and it
so throws him that he stagger
back and falls on the floor, Buff then
fights off those 2 vampires. It almost makes
me think she could have fought them off
before, but she needed to see what Spike
was going to do or say. Evil spike
tells the real spike that he failed and
now Buff will kill him and he loses.
Buff kills all these vampires. It's fun to
watch her steak them all in a row
in a circle, and the last is an
older woman, probably the 1 who owns the
house and Buff helps her out of the
grave
says, sorry, ma'am, but it's my job and
steaks her. This ends the action part of
the climax, Buff has prevailed and is safe,
but I do not think it ends the
actual climax
because she still has to deal with spike,
and he is sitting on the stairs. He
looks horrified and stricken.
He pulls his jacket Lapel open. He is
ready for her to stay him and full
of guilt and confused
overall that he's done and he tells her
to do it. Fast. She stares down at
him and Spike says, quote, he said you
would do it and, quote, and Buff asks
who said and spike responds me. It was
me. I saw it. It was here the
whole time talking and singing there was song.
He clutches his head and he cries out
that he doesn't know when Buff demands that
he tell her what he means, and he
begs Buff not to make can remember. Then
he calls out to Evil spike, who we
aren't seeing now because we are seeing this
from Buff
perspective as she looks at spikes. So we
don't see evil spike. But spike clearly does
and he begs him to make him forget
again and says, quote, I did what you
wanted.
Buff tells the real spike there is something
there and she throws down her steak or
I think it's actually a giant board, but
spikes says please he needs that. Tells her
he can't cry the soul out of him
he tried. And he can feel every 1
of his victims.
Buff though sits next to him and at
37 minute 38 seconds says there's something playing
with us, all of us. He asks her
why it's doing this. She doesn't know, and
he asks her to help him, and Buff
says she will. So for now, in the
buff versus the evil plot, Buff has
prevailed. Now we are in the falling
action
section of the episode This is where the
writers tie up loose ends, resolve sub plots
and
move along the season arch. When you have
a longer story arc. So if you were
writing a series of novels,
you might have something
in the falling in of each book that
leads into the next 1. In fact, it's
a really good idea marketing wise to do
that, and it's just compelling story, telling At
38 minutes 47 seconds. Buff is at the
house with the gang. It's a really good
segue because Buff last line to spike was
I'll help you. An Omni now says, and
you believe him,
spikes sits in the other room in the
dark, wrapped in a blanket huddled and shaky.
And he reminds me of how Dawn was
when Willow walked into the room. She was
sitting in a similar spot, same kind of
body posture
I don't know if that was on purpose,
but it makes spike seem very vulnerable.
Buff says, you didn't see him down there.
He really didn't know what he'd done. It
wasn't in his control and Sander responds, oh,
and out of control serial killer.
You're right. That is a great house guest.
Dawn is shocked by the idea that Spike
will be staying there. Willow 2 is worried
because spike fat on human blood, and that
must do something to him. Buff thinks that
something is making spike do these things that
it's been messing with spike and Xander says,
so you want him around because
Buff says the evil has been close to
spike. And she and Willow
agree that if they want to
understand it. It makes sense to get close
to spike. Xander thinks that's too dangerous. Buff
says she doesn't have a choice.
Whatever it is, quote, from beneath us unquote.
It's bad and only getting worse, which is
a great segue to the last scene at
39 minutes 58 seconds at an apartment in
London
gil enters and sees dead bodies he calls
out for Rob
and finds him Ro looks dead,
Gil says you too.
Suggesting that he has found other
dead, bodies, dead watchers today.
Rap in, though, is not quite dead. He
opens his eyes and he tells gil to
gather them and that it started. And as
gil starts to say, he'll take care of
it, a robe figure,
behind gil, swings and axe at his head
and just as it's about to connect. The
scene ends, we cut to the final credit.
This scene
is
both a cliff hanger and a game changer.
I've talked about the difference, a cliff hanger
is where you don't finish your main plot
and the audience has to come back for
the next installment to get the answer. And
in a game changer, the main plot is
finished
and something occurs that changes everything going forward.
And they're different in terms of how satisfied
or not your audience feels and how complete
your story is because you could have a
game changer at the end of a stand
loan story as long as you resolve that
main plot, if the game changer signals the
reader that hey, this is the new normal,
and that is a satisfying
ending.
Here,
it's a game changer in the sense that
the main plot
resolved
Buff for the moment prevailed over the evil,
so that has resolved
and this suggests
something is changing going forward that gil is
out of the mix. But it is a
cliff hanger for this some about gil, which
we've gotten very little of about watchers,
getting killed
because it cuts
as the robe figure is swinging. So we
assume that gil is killed, but we don't
know for certain making it a cliff hanger
for the sub plot. That is it for
this episode other than for foreshadowing, which does
include
spoilers,
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If you're not sticking around for foreshadowing and
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and thank you again to Patrons to support.
The podcast
come back in 2 weeks for season 7,
episode 9 never leave me where the gang
unexpectedly has 2 hostages
to inter, not just 1, and the watchers
council prepares for battle.
The concerns that An
Dawn
Za
and even Willow stress about spike.
Sow the seeds
for them turning against buff later in the
season.
Added to that. Buff is the only 1
who sees firsthand what spike is going through.
As audience members, we don't doubt. That spike
doesn't remember
killing
all those people until he gets those flashes,
and we don't doubt how Guilt ridden he
is and how stricken he is, and that
the first is
compelling him to do things and controlling him.
Ba sees that. She doesn't know yet. I
don't think they call it the first yet.
But Buff sees all that and she believes
it, and she's right to believe it, but
the others don't and this for shadows
that there will be this split
among Buff, first Buff in the potentials
Buff and gil who sees none of this
and
Buff and her friends, ultimately
I'm looking forward to examining what else
contributes to that R between her and her
friends where they sent her away,
but I think this is
a big part of it. And we saw
earlier too when Buff is saying Spike is
different. He's changed
And Sandra, he's really being
pretty
good in that whole scene. He is trying
to be objective. You don't feel like he's
drawing on his personal feelings about spike as
he often
does or doing that thing he used to
do about being jealous of Buff being with
anyone. He does seem objective. But from his
point of view, Buff saying, he's changed. I
know he has
For him, it must seem like Buff is
kidding herself like so many people do in
a relationship where you want to believe that
partner has changed and they really haven't.
And nothing that any of the others c
give them any proof just the opposite.
They've heard that Spike led Buff to a
basement full of vampires who were about to
rise and tried to kill her. The song,
of course, early 1 morning for shadows,
later episodes where they figure out that the
first has a trigger for spike and finally
figure out the song is the trigger and
try to get rid of it. And it
is a big part of 1 of my
favorite episodes of the season lies my parents
told me where
the trigger is finally
removed,
and there's that great
confrontation between Robin wood and spike.
Foreshadowing here too about
Gil is return
and how
everyone will think for a while that he
is the first.
In the audience we'll think it too because
we won't be shown how that scene played
out where he almost gets killed, we're gonna
think that maybe he did get killed and
he is the first, and I have some
issues with that episode because
the way it's written and directed feels so
unnatural and unbelievable to me.
But baby it won't, when I look more
closely, the way the writers keep that
question
alive for the episode, is it really gil
or is it the first, but this definitely
fore shadows that and fore shadows
the end of the Watchers council, which is
coming in the next
episode. So overall, sleeper did a lot to
not just move forward the season, 7 arc,
but kick it into high
gear. That is it. For today. Thank you
again for listening.
Come back in 2 weeks for season 7
episode 9, never leave me where Buff inter
spike, Willow runs into Andrew, and prince little
Robin would axe rather strangely.
You can find back episodes of fluffy in
the art of story and well as the
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