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.

Into the Woods

• Joyce’s surgery calls the procedure a complete success.
• Dawn is staying with Xander and Anya for the night.
• This gives Buffy and Riley a chance to be alone for the night.
• Spike is outside being super stalkery…
• Once Buffy’s sound asleep, Riley slips out.
• And Spike follows Agent Finn…
• …right to the vampire brothel where Riley allows vampires to feed from him.
• So the next night, Spike leads Buffy right back to where Riley has been spending many of his nights.
• It’s like he got caught cheating. But because his girlfriend is the Slayer, this might be worse.
• Buffy takes off. Too hurt to slay.
• Riley tries to go after her, but he’s stopped by a vampire downstairs who believes their little business will dry up now that the Slayer knows about them.
• I’m sure he’s right.
• The Initiative team from last week drop in at Riley’s place. They want him to join up so they can take down a demon clan in Belize.
• They’re not really the Initiative anymore. They’re Army. And they just want to stop the monsters, not experiment on them.
• Buffy talks to the gang about the vampire nest, leaving out the Riley part.
• Anya explains that people paying to get bitten by a vampire has been going on for centuries.
• Giles says he hasn’t seen anything like that since his “Ripper” days, and had no idea it was happening in Sunnydale.
• Buffy is going in head first. The others tag along to make sure she’s not in over her head.
• But the brothel is empty.
• Before leaving, Buffy sets the place on fire.
• Riley busts into Spike’s crypt and stakes him.
• Except it’s not a wooden stake. Plastic wood grain.
• Riley knows that Spike has a thing for Buffy. Spike drops some truth bombs on Riley that he can’t deny.
• Then they share a drink. Weird…
• Riley finds Buffy training in the back of the Magic Box. He wants to talk, she doesn’t.
• He says that, in a way, it goes back to when Dracula bit her. He wanted to understand why Dracula and Angel had this kind of power over her.
• What it boils down to is that he felt like those vampires needed him.
• He hasn’t felt needed by Buffy in a long time.
• They clearly do not understand each other.
• Riley wants to be able to be there for her, but Buffy won’t let him in.
• Because that’s what it means to be the Slayer. She’s alone.
• Doesn’t matter that she has family, friends, or even a boyfriend. The Slayer is alone.
• He tells her that the Army wants him to come back. Unless she gives him a reason to stay, he’s leaving tonight.
• Buffy leaves and is ambushed by a bunch of the brothel vamps.
• But tonight is not the night they want to mess with her.
• She easily dusts six and seemingly lets the lady vamp that was feeding on Riley get away.
• Then Buffy throws an impressive javelin through her heart.
• Xander emerges from the shadows to give Buffy a good talking to.
• See, Xander is the one who sees things. He has no powers, but he observes everything that goes on.
• The guy can make jokes, but that doesn’t make him a fool.
• Xander points out that Buffy has treated Riley like the rebound after Angel, but he’s the one that she should hang on to.
• The speech makes Buffy reconsider how she really feels about Riley.
• She takes off after Riley. But she’s too late.
• Riley boards the helicopter and flies away as Buffy can only watch him go.
• Xander, in the meantime, goes to Anya and confesses that he is deeply in love with her.
• Body count: Vampires – 7