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.

Goodbye, Iowa

• Buffy recounts her near-death experience to the Scoobies… and Spike.
• And Spike plants the idea that Riley had something to do with it. But he didn’t.
• Elsewhere, Adam emerges into the light of day.
• Always nice to have a new monster exploring Sunnydale.
• Riley shows up at Giles’ apartment and Buffy explains that Maggie tried to have her killed.
• And then Riley spots Hostile 17… he’s not cool with Buffy hiding a hostile.
• When the Initiative’s intentions are called into question, Riley freaks and takes off.
• Meanwhile, Adam comes across a kid playing with some kind of cyborg action figure.
• Very Frankenstein’s monster.
• Uh… the boy has a conversation with Adam, like it’s okay to have conversations with monsters.
• Dr. Angleman discover’s Walsh’s corpse and realizes Adam is missing.
• All the good guys are hiding out in Xander’s basement, assuming the Initiative wouldn’t know to look for them there.
• They see on TV that the boy from earlier was skewered… then mutilated.
• Buffy recognizes that the demon they were supposed to capture last week had a skewer in its arm for defense. So she’s gonna figure out what’s going on.
• Riley gets home after being out all night. He tells Forrest about Walsh’s attempt on Buffy’s life.
• Forrest is now anti-Buffy. If Walsh tried to kill Buffy, then maybe Buffy needed killing.
• Then Graham comes in to break the news that Walsh is dead.
• I assume they’re gonna blame Buffy for this one…
• Angleman tells Riley they’re on lock down until the brass from Washington arrive.
• Riley’s not having it. He wants to find the demon that killed Walsh and orders his unit to suit up.
• Buffy goes to the scene of the crime and Riley finds her there, breaking the news that Walsh is dead.
• Buffy knows that the same thing that killed the little boy killed Walsh, too.
• Willow visits Tara. She needs help with a spell that will help them locate the demon that Buffy’s looking for.
• Tara’s not too comfortable with looking for a demon…
• Buffy heads over to Willy the Snitch’s bar. He says he doesn’t talk behind demon’s backs anymore.
• She hits him and he spills. At least, he’s about to… until Riley strolls in.
• He’s losing it.
• Buffy notices Riley is shaking. He’s pretty messed up… and he doesn’t understand why.
• If I were to guess, I’d say he’s having withdrawal symptoms.
• Remember those “vitamins” that Buffy saw him taking last week? I’m guessing he hasn’t taken his dose today.
• Buffy takes Xander undercover to find out what Maggie was up to.
• She’s hoping that Maggie didn’t have time to revoke her clearance before she died.
• Meanwhile, as Willow and Tara attempt to find the demon using a spell, Tara sabotages the spell. Hmm…
• Buffy and Xander get in… Xander’s kind of blown away by the Initiative’s operation.
• Riley wakes up… irrational… he leaves, going to find Buffy.
• Buffy and Xander overhear Angleman talking with another scientist about the soldiers’ meds. Everyone’s off their schedules.
• Then he says Riley’s the most important. They need to find him and make sure he gets back on track.
• Why is Riley so special?
• Spike winds up at Willy’s place. And the demons decide to beat the crap out of him. Because he’s been helping the good guys kill demons lately.
• Riley arrives just as Buffy confronts Angleman. He admits that 314 is what killed Walsh.
• And then Adam drops by, announcing his presence by dropping a dead body on the floor.
• He begins philosophizing… And he’s got a disc drive in his chest.
• Ha! Remember floppy discs?
• Adam seems to be having an existential crisis.
• In talking through it all, he explains that Maggie “created” Riley, too.
• Riley doesn’t want to hear it, so he resorts to fisticuffs.
• Adam manages to beat the crap out of Buffy, Xander, and Riley… and he turns Angleman into a kabob.
• Riley was stabbed, too. But he’ll be all right.
• Forrest refuses to allow Buffy to accompany Riley to the military hospital. So she and Xander leave.
• Buffy’s worried about Riley. Everything he’s known has been taken away from him.
• Body count: Humans – 3