Welcome to Rewatching Buffy, the part of the blog where I rewatch Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Each Tuesday evening, you’re invited to join me as I attempt to rediscover what made me love this show 21 years ago.

Doomed

• We pick up where we left off last week.
• Buffy and Riley need to talk, but they don’t say a word.
• Riley doesn’t understand how Buffy can do the things she does.
• And he’s a little disturbed about just how much she actually knows about the Initiative.
• She reveals she’s the Slayer, thinking that a professional demon chaser would have that figured out by now.
• He’s clueless as to what a Slayer is.
• Maybe they need some time apart to process all of this.
• And then they’re thrown into a doorway together when an earthquake hits.
• This unnerves Buffy because the last time there was an earthquake in Sunnydale, she died.
• Buffy goes to Giles and she’s convinced the earthquake is a harbinger of doom.
• Riley talks to Forrest about the Slayer. He’s heard of the Slayer… but he chalks it up to a myth that demons tell their spawn to scare them.
• All the demons being held at the Initiative are making a racket. They know something’s up.
• Willow goes to an on campus aftershock party and runs into a guy that she tutored in high school. It’s not a great reunion.
• Also at the party, some guy gets killed by a demon.
• Seems like senseless random violence, but I’m sure it’s related to the earthquake. And probably the end of the world.
• Willow is back in depressed, Oz-less mode. But she manages to stumble upon the dead guy.
• He’s got some kind of mark carved into his chest.
• Spike’s still staying at Xander’s. He did laundry and shrunk his clothes. So now he’s wearing some kind of Hawaiian shirt.
• Willow draws the symbol that was carved on the dead guy’s chest. Giles confirms it’s the end of the world.
• Buffy finds the demon from the party stealing bones from a crypt.
• They fight. The demon gets away.
• Riley shows up and Buffy’s a little disappointed that he just let the demon go without chasing it.
• Willow figures out that the demons are working on a ritual to end the world.
• She and Xander stop by his basement for some weapons and they find Spike trying to stake himself.
• Buffy keeps running into Riley. She wants to give up on their potential relationship. He wants to fight for it.
• Turns out the third item needed for the demons’ ritual is a talisman that Giles had.
• So the demons, of course, show up and beat the crap out of him before taking the thing.
• Giles lets Buffy and the gang know that the demons are going to open the Hellmouth.
• They all head back to the bombed out high school
• By the way… it’s been months since Graduation Day. Are you telling me no one has bothered to demolish this place? Clean up the mayor’s giant snake carcass?
• The come across the demons chanting. The fight breaks out.
• One of the demons jumps into the Hellmouth… which tells them that the demons are the sacrifices that will bring about the apocalypse.
• Spike figures out that he can hurt demons without feeling the brain pain. So he throws a second demon into the Hellmouth. Not helping.
• Buffy fights the third and final demon, then Riley steps in to help.
• The demon manages to crawl into the Hellmouth, so Riley attaches a line to her and she jumps in after it.
• Riley pulls her and the demon back out. The demon dies and the apocalypse is averted.
• Riley tries to cover up his Initiative status when he sees Xander and Willow. They kind of let him know the jig is up.
• And Spike puts on an American accent when Riley definitely recognizes him.
• The next day, Buffy goes to see Riley. Guess she’s willing to give this relationship a go after all.
• And suddenly, Spike is ready to fight demons.
• Body count: Humans – 1; Demons – 3