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.

Potential

• Two potentials patrol in the cemetery.
• Spike attacks… because it’s a training exercise.
• Buffy tells the potentials that they have the potential when it comes to Slayer speed, strength, and skill.
• But for now, if their instincts tell them to run, they need to run.
• They also need to understand a vampire’s instinct is to hunt and kill for survival.
• Back in Buffy’s basement, Buffy informs the newbies that Anya’s sources are saying the First is in remission.
• Which means the First could be regrouping after the loss of the Ubervamp.
• Which also means the First could come back stronger than ever when it makes its comeback.
• Buffy’s back to work at the school and she meets with a student named Amanda.
• She wants to know if people ever think Buffy’s weird, because she feels like she’s weird.
• Partly because Amanda is being picked on and one of the guys picking on her, she thinks he’s cute.
• Then Buffy begins to over identify, what with her complicated Spike relationship.
• Back at home, Willow informs Buffy that the coven’s seers have located another potential in Sunnydale.
• Among the potentials, Dawn is obviously feeling left out.
• Andrew’s feeling left out, too.
• While Buffy takes the potentials out again, Willow puts together a locator spell that should find the new potential in town.
• Willow explains to Dawn and Andrew that the spell will conjure a glowing light that will track the potential and cause her to glow temporarily.
• Turns out the spell smells awful, so Dawn runs to open the front door to get some air.
• Then the glowing light flies at Dawn, throwing her against the door.
• And Dawn is glowing.
• So Dawn is a potential Slayer?
• Of course she is… the monks who created her back in Season 5 did so utilizing the DNA of the Slayer.
• Dawn isn’t sure how to take this new bit of info.
• She realizes that Buffy has to die for Dawn to ever be considered the Slayer.
• But I don’t get that…
• All this talk of Buffy needing to die for the next Slayer to be called.
• Have we forgotten about Faith?
• Buffy died once (but was brought back with CPR)… Kendra was called.
• Kendra died at Drusilla’s hands… Faith was called.
• Faith turned evil and is currently seeking atonement in a California prison.
• Buffy died again (but was brought back by magic)… no other Slayers were called.
• The line of Slayers currently ends with Faith.
• When Faith dies, that’s when the next Slayer will be called.
• Buffy can die and come back a hundred times, as long as Faith is still around, all those potentials are just potentials.
• Dawn goes upstairs to sort all this out in her head, but the conversation continues downstairs and pretty much disturbs her.
• She sneaks out her window…
• Buffy and Spike take the potentials to a demon bar where they run into Clem.
• Makes for a pretty funny scene…
• Dawn’s out for a walk and runs into Amanda from school.
• Dawn sees that Amanda has a cut on her forehead and convinces her to tell her what happened.
• Amanda had been hanging out at the school after some extra curricular activities.
• She describes being attacked by a vampire.
• Amanda trapped the vampire in a room at the school and escaped.
• She was thinking about trying to find Buffy, because she’s heard rumors that the school counselor can help with this kind of thing.
• But since Buffy’s busy, Dawn goes with Amanda to take care of the problem.
• They sneak back into the high school and head to the classroom where the vampire is allegedly trapped.
• Dawn opens the door… with no weapons.
• Stupid.
• She realizes the door is unlocked, meaning the vampire must have gotten out.
• But the camera pans up and we see the vampire clinging to the ceiling, looking down and ready to attack.
• The girls get away, but the vampire is close behind.
• Dawn manages to hit him with a fire extinguisher, giving them another head start.
• But they foolishly run back upstairs instead of trying to find an exit.
• Meanwhile, Buffy takes the potentials to an empty vampire nest and has them look around for clues.
• They find a body that turns out to be a vampire that’s just rising for the first time.
• Dawn and Amanda get into the chem lab and barricade the door, but not very well.
• Buffy fights the vampire as part of another lesson for the potentials while Spike holds Kennedy back from helping.
• Then Buffy and Spike lock the potentials in the nest with the vampire.
• Back at the school, the other vampire breaks into the lab and Dawn fights while Amanda hides.
• Dawn nearly succeeds in killing the vampire with a flag staff, but then the vamp gets the upper hand.
• Amanda is too afraid to help, but then the vampire is distracted when three Harbingers crash into the windows.
• They ignore the vampire and Dawn, going straight for Amanda.
• With the vampire distracted, Dawn is able to ignite the gas at one of the lab stations, distracting the Harbingers.
• Dawn and Amanda run and Dawn tells her that she has the ability to fight vampires.
• As they’re attacked by the Harbingers and vampire again, Buffy, Spike, Xander, and Willow rush in.
• Together, they take down the Harbingers while Amanda stakes the vampire.
• The next day, at the house, all the potentials talk about the rush of killing a vampire.
• I think we can assume the others killed their vampire in the nest.
• Seeing Dawn slightly disappointed, Xander gives her a pep talk.
• He understands what it means to be powerless amongst all these powerful figures fighting the forces of evil.
• He was impressed with Dawn handing over the title of potential without a moment’s hesitation.
• Xander sees more than anyone will ever realize because no one is watching him.
• He tells Dawn that she’s not special. She’s extraordinary.
• Tear.
• “Maybe that’s your power… Seeing. Knowing…”
• Body count: Harbingers – 3; Vampires – 2