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 so many years ago.

Conversations with Dead People

• This episode begins like none other in the series.
• The episode title is displayed on screen.
• As is the date it aired and the exact time it was taking place: November 12, 2002; 8:01 p.m.
• A band plays a sad song at the Bronze.
• Buffy patrols a graveyard.
• Willow sleepily studies in the UC Sunnydale library
• Dawn returns home to a note and money with instructions to buy herself a pizza.
• As the song at the Bronze ends, a hand reaches out of a fresh grave.
• Buffy quietly says, “Here we go.”
• Elsewhere, Jonathan and Andrew are driving back to Sunnydale, debating whether or not they should have stayed in Mexico.
• They kept having nightmares in Spanish that they think translates roughly into, “It eats you, starting with your bottom.”
• I think they mean, “From beneath you, it devours.”
• Buffy begins to fight her new vampire foe.
• Dawn experiments with some of Buffy’s weapons while something seemingly watches her from outside.
• While Dawn is listening to some upbeat music and microwaving a huge marshmallow, she hears some loud banging.
• At the library, Willow is taking some notes when she’s approached by Cassie, the girl who died a few episodes earlier.
• Cassie cryptically tells Willow that she wanted Cassie to give Willow a message.
• She, of course, being Tara…
• Dawn is on the phone with a friend and watching TV when she hears the banging again.
• She opens the front door to be greeted by hurricane force wind, then the TV starts doing haunted house shenanigans.
• Buffy is still fighting the vampire when he recognizes her.
• He was Holden Webster and they went to school together.
• Dawn’s response regarding all the electronics in the house going haywire is to destroy it all with an axe.
• Good idea killing the TV and stereo since they’re easily replaceable on a school counselor’s salary.
• But then she hears Joyce’s voice calling her name from the radio she has yet to smash.
• Buffy still doesn’t recognize “Webs.”
• When she finally remembers him, they play catch up.
• Apparently he started taking Tae-Kwon-Do while studying psychology at Dartmouth.
• He also explains that being a vampire isn’t so bad… that he feels strong and connected to this all powerful evil that wants to suck the world into oblivion.
• Buffy says she’s not connected… but goes on to explain she’s the Slayer.
• And the psychoanalysis from the psych student begins.
• Dawn tries calling Buffy’s cell, but it’s on the ground far away from her.
• More weird things are happening at the house… chairs stacking… blood messages on the wall…
• Then Dawn uses the banging as a once for yes, two for no thing, to determine that it is Joyce trying to communicate with her and that she is not alone and not okay.
• Jonathan and Andrew break into the high school, trying to find the Hellmouth.
• When they split up to search for the principal’s office, we discover that Warren has been showing himself to Andrew.
• Warren has been giving Andrew instructions and Jonathan is the unwitting pawn.
• Again.
• Willow asks Cassie why Tara can’t be there herself.
• Cassie says she can’t see Tara as a consequence for the people she’s killed.
• She also claims Tara can hear Willow and that Cassie can speak for her.
• She says Tara is crying… that she misses Willow…
• At the Bronze, Spike is getting his drink on and he meets a girl.
• Back at the cemetery, Buffy is full on receiving therapy from the Evil Dead.
• They’re talking about bad relationships and Webs convinces her that she’s still young and there’s no need to worry about settling down.
• He mentions having a great girlfriend back at school, but that doesn’t mean he’s gonna “vampify” her so they can spend eternity together.
• Buffy corrects him… the term is “sire.”
• They get around to the issue where they will have to battle to the death and Buffy knows she’s gonna beat him.
• Which brings Webs back to diagnosing Buffy with a superiority complex.
• She starts to break down and share some of the horrible things she’s done…
• “Buffy, I’m here to kill you, not to judge you.”
• Then, while she’s emotional and vulnerable, he attacks.
• He nearly sinks his teeth into her jugular, but the fight really kicks off then.
• Back at the house, Dawn hears some kind of monster growling and breathing.
• Then, in a flash of lightning, she sees Joyce on the couch being attacked by whatever the creature is.
• It tells her to get out, and she nearly runs out the front door, but she decides to stay.
• The nerds are searching the high school basement.
• Andrew sees Warren in front of the door leading to the Hellmouth…
• But Jonathan doesn’t see him…
• In that room, they start to dig.
• Buffy’s about to stake Webs and he asks her if she’s killing him because he’s evil or because he got her to open up.
• He figures out that her last relationship was with a vampire.
• Cut to Spike walking home the girl from the Bronze.
• Looks like they’re getting along famously.
• Cassie is trying to talk Willow out of using magic… ever again.
• She tells her it’s too dangerous… that she could easily lose control again.
• Cassie conveys a message from Tara, that Willow isn’t going to be okay… that she’s going to kill everybody.
• Jonathan and Andrew uncover an intricate seal and Jonathan mentions the hope that Buffy will know how to destroy it.
• Dawn begins casting a spell in an attempt to cast out the creature attacking her mom.
• It lashes out at her invisibly, scratching her face…
• Buffy really does open up about her last relationship.
• Webs tells her she has a superiority complex and an inferiority complex about it.
• Finally, Buffy mentions Spike by name… Webs recognizes that name.
• Dawn succeeds in casting the thing out, but the house is a wreck.
• Then Joyce appears, bathed in light.
• Willow asks Cassie what they’ve seen on her path…
• But Giles has warned her that cutting magic out completely could send her off the deep end.
• Cassie suggests, if she can’t stop the magic, she could kill herself…
• She tries to tell her it’s the best option… and she could see Tara again.
• And that’s when Willow understands that this “Cassie” is not there on behalf of Tara.
• Webs tells Buffy that Spike is the vampire that sired him.
• Joyce tells Dawn that something bad is coming and that when it gets really bad, Buffy won’t be with Dawn… she’ll be against her.
• Back at the Hellmouth, Jonathan finally sees Warren, just as Andrew plunges the dagger in his gut.
• Cassie realizes that the suicide suggestion was going too far.
• She reveals herself as something truly evil.
• “Fact is, the whole good versus evil, balancing the scales thing, I’m over it.”
• Willow then quotes, “From beneath you, it devours.”
• Cassie says, “Not it… Me.”
• Then she turns inside out and vanishes, leaving Willow alone in the library.
• Jonathan lies dead on the seal covering the Hellmouth, his blood pooling around him.
• Dawn is alone on the floor of her living room.
• Spike drains the girl from the Bronze.
• Buffy stakes Webs.
• The end.
• I have some questions about this that, maybe, some other Buffy fans can help me out with.
• For sure, Cassie is the First Evil.
• As is Warren.
• But what about Joyce?
• And the creature that Dawn was seeing/casting out?
• ‘Cause here’s what I’m thinking…
• The creature that was holding “Joyce” back was able to physically move objects around the house (stacking chairs, etc.).
• And it cut Dawn.
• I think this was something that, while appearing to be scary, was really trying to protect Dawn from the First Evil in the form of her mother.
• Because the First, as we learn later in the season, cannot physically come into contact with anything or anyone.
• It has to manipulate the people it communicates with in order for things to physically get done.
• So the First can’t be that creature, right?
• I don’t know… I think I’m thinking too much…
• Body count: Vampires – 1; Humans – 2