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.

Superstar

• Buffy and the gang are hanging out in a cemetery, as they often do.
• Buffy is fighting vampires, as she often does.
• She dusts one, but a second gets away.
• When they follow the vampire into a crypt, they find him and a few others feeding on a clearly dead person. At the very least, he’s about to die.
• They decide a nest is too much for Buffy to handle alone, so they go for help.
• Obviously, they turn to Jonathan.
• Need a refresher on who Jonathan is? He’s the kid who went into the bell tower at the high school to commit suicide back when Buffy could hear people’s thoughts.
• Jonathan gives Buffy pointers on how to fight. He talks to Giles as if they’re intellectual peers. He out hacks Willow on the computer. Something’s not right in Sunnydale.
• They all attack the vampire nest and Buffy’s able to slay one while Jonathan takes out the other two.
• As they emerge from the crypt, the paparazzi want to catch a glimpse of Jonathan.
• Spike also emerges and treats Jonathan as if they’re arch nemeses.
• Something’s definitely not right in Sunnydale.
• Willow goes to hang with Tara and they work on a wall collage made up of pictures of Jonathan’s face.
• Buffy visits Riley and he says he’s feeling better. “I’m not Jonathan…” but he’s feeling better.
• Jonathan is the most recognizable person in the world.
• He’s even brought in to consult with the Initiative to help them find Adam.
• He’s pretty helpful, though. He reveals that Adam’s power source is made up of a Uranium isotope. To stop Adam means you’ve gotta do more than simply behead him.
• Karen, one of Jonathan’s fans stalkers is outside his house and gets attacked by some sort of demon. She manages to get away.
• Karen makes her way to The Bronze to find Jonathan to let him know about the demon. She describes a symbol on its forehead. It’s a symbol that Jonathan recognizes.
• When Buffy offers to patrol to take care of it, he insists on dealing with it himself.
• Adam and a henchvampire see Jonathan on TV. Adam understands that everything about Jonathan is a lie. Everyone other than him is under Jonathan’s spell.
• As Tara is walking to her dorm, she’s attacked by the same demon that attacked Karen. The one that Jonathan was supposed to take care of. Liar.
• The next morning, Tara lets Buffy know about the attack. Buffy’s figuring out that Jonathan is lying.
• She visits Anya and talks about her days as a vengeance demon. In theory, one could wish the entire world to be different. As we saw with Cordelia’s wish back when we first met Anya.
• Buffy tries to convince the gang that something’s up with Jonathan. And then he walks in.
• He admits that he has a past with the creature, but that’s not the whole truth.
• Buffy insists that they go after it together.
• Willow finds the mark in a book and realizes that Jonathan did an augmentation spell, augmenting himself and the way the world sees him.
• If Buffy and Jonathan kill the creature, Jonathan will revert to whatever he was before the spell.
• In the end, Jonathan does the right thing and encourages Buffy to take out the creature. And then Jonathan winds up delivering the killing blow.
• The world changes back to normal.
• Buffy spots Jonathan on campus and they have a talk. He apologizes and Buffy tries to explain you can’t just magic your way into popularity. Having friends and the life you want takes work.
• Body count: Vampires – 4; Magic Spell Monster – 1