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.

Sleeper

• It’s the middle of the night and Buffy shows up at Xander’s looking for Spike.
• He is in what looks like a basement somewhere, burying his latest victim (the blonde girl from The Bronze).
• In London, a member of the Watcher’s Council finds a woman he knows lying in a pool of her own blood.
• As he gets closer to investigate the body, he’s attacked and stabbed by a couple of the hooded figures that were taking out girls in other parts of the world at the beginning of the season.
• Back in Sunnydale, Willow gets home, desperate to find Buffy.
• She finds Dawn, still traumatized by what she experienced and seeing her mom.
• Willow explains that Dawn didn’t really see Joyce, that it was the Big Bad.
• Dawn isn’t convinced… or she might be… subtext is everything.
• Xander and Buffy try to talk through what could be happening with Spike.
• Buffy can’t believe that Spike could be responsible for siring new vampires.
• Her arguments: the pain chip and the shiny new soul.
• Spike walks in and makes with the small talk.
• Buffy mentions Holden’s name (the vampire from last week) and he really didn’t react.
• Sunrise is coming soon and Buffy needs to get home to check on Dawn and Xander needs to get to work.
• So Xander calls Anya to come and keep an eye on Spike, which she’s okay with until she gets there and Xander fills her in on the “Spike might be killing people” deal.
• When Buffy gets home, she freaks at the state of things downstairs and runs up to check on Dawn.
• She talks to Willow instead, who has finally gotten Dawn to go to sleep.
• Willow explains that the Big Bad… the thing that’s been threatening to devour… has started chomping.
• Buffy fills Willow in on the Spike of it all and decides she needs to see for herself and stop him if necessary.
• Anya gets bored waiting for Spike to potentially wake up, so she decides to snoop in his room for evidence he’s been killing.
• She’s not quiet enough and he wakes up to catch her.
• Thinking fast, she claims she’s there to sleep with him again, but he turns her down.
• After sunset, Spike takes off and Anya calls Buffy to let her know he’s going.
• While out for a stroll among more people that I’ve ever seen in Sunnydale at one time, Spike passes a street musician playing a tune on the harmonica that Spike begins to hum along with.
• Buffy is hot on his heels, but nearly loses him in the crowd.
• She sees Spike chatting up a girl and walking off with her into a dark alley…
• Spike’s about to feed when he sees Buffy approaching.
• She tells him, “You know you want it… you know I want you to…”
• And then he kills the girl.
• Spike finishes killing the girl then freaks out and runs off.
• “Buffy” transforms into Spike, mocking the real Spike once he’s gone.
• The next day, Buffy confronts Spike, asking if he killed the girl, saying he saw him go off with someone but couldn’t catch him in the act.
• Spike defends himself, claiming that he can barely live with himself based on all he did for a hundred years, how could he possibly kill others now that he has his soul?
• Buffy doesn’t buy it… she said he looked like he was on the prowl.
• Thing is… Spike only remembers talking to this girl for a little while… nothing else.
• Buffy gets the crew to search for hard evidence.
• Willow turns up eight missing persons cases, which could point to Spike feeding and hiding the bodies.
• That night, Xander tries to stop Spike from leaving again, but he punches Xander (proving that his chip still works in the process).
• But if the chip works, how is he able to feed and kill?
• Spike goes to the Bronze, asking around about the girl he was with the other night.
• He had flashes of memories of meeting her, but he doesn’t know what he did to her.
• Xander tells Buffy that Spike knocked him out and that he got away.
• Spike heads up to the balcony at the Bronze, scanning the crowd for the blonde girl.
• He’s approached by a different woman who turns out to be a vampire and she reveals that Spike sired her.
• They fight and Spike manages to dust her in a fairly public manner, causing the band to stop playing for a moment, then they get back to it.
• Buffy shows up at a club (that doesn’t look like the Bronze) and the bouncer knows who she’s talking about when she describes Spike.
• He warns Buffy that he’s bad news and she should stay away from him.
• On an urelated note… when did Sunnydale get a second night spot that is so popular it needs a bouncer?
• Spike heads backstage as the band is leaving and saying they hate playing vampire towns.
• Because that’s a thing.
• He uses a payphone (remember those?) to call Buffy’s cell.
• He has her meet him at a specific house.
• Once he hangs up, he’s confronted by “himself” who warns him that it’s too soon.
• Buffy arrives at the house and finds Spike in the basement.
• It’s the same basement where he was burying the girl at the beginning of the episode.
• Meanwhile, Not Spike is watching as Spike reveals to Buffy that he is pretty sure he’s killed again and again, but he doesn’t know how.
• Then Not Spike begins singing the same song played by harmonica guy in the promenade.
• That’s the trigger.
• Spike vamps out and attacks Buffy.
• As they fight, all the vampires buried in the basement begin to rise.
• Not Spike taunts Spike, goading him into feeding on Buffy…
• He suddenly remembers everything and snaps out of it.
• Buffy easily dusts the six vampires that rose… no, make that seven.
• That last one woke up a little late.
• Spike, ashamed of himself, presents his heart to be staked.
• “He said you’d do it!”
• Not Spike told him that, since he failed, Buffy would have no choice but to kill him.
• Buffy refuses to kill him, but Spike wants her to do it.
• She explains that something is playing with all of them.
• Buffy takes Spike to the house and tells the other that whatever this thing is that’s messing with them is has been closer to Spike than anyone.
• So she needs to be close to Spike to try and learn all she can about this Big Bad.
• Back in England, Giles busts into that Watcher’s flat.
• He finds the Watcher hanging on to life.
• Near death, the Watcher warns Giles, “It’s started.”
• Then he tells Giles, “Gather them…” before Giles is attacked from behind.
• Roll credits.
• Heck of a cliffhanger, kids.
• Body count: Humans – 2; Vampires – 1