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.

The Killer in Me

• Giles is taking the Potentials into the desert for a vision quest.
• Note: Giles is still not actively picking anything up with his own hands on-screen…
• The only Potential staying behind is Kennedy because she’s “sick.”
• Buffy heads to the basement to visit Spike, who’s still chained to the wall.
• He did this to himself as a precaution.
• He doesn’t trust himself around the Potentials unless Buffy’s right next to him.
• Out of nowhere, his brain chip starts firing.
• Willow takes tea to the “sick” Kennedy who is clearly not sick.
• She claims she has her own mission and needs Willow’s help.
• Sure… at the Bronze.
• Conversation turns to Willow’s relationship with Tara.
• Buffy checks on Spike and they speculate about what could be happening.
• Spike says the chip was probably not meant to last this long.
• Buffy attempts to get in contact with Riley, but isn’t too sure she’s calling the right place.
• After a night out, Willow and Kennedy get back to the house and wind up kissing.
• And somehow, Willow transforms…
• Into Warren.
• She’s still Willow… but Kennedy sees Warren.
• And so does Willow when she looks in the mirror.
• Running downstairs, everyone freaks out thinking the First has returned.
• Buffy punches Warren, which proves he’s not the First… and they hear Willow out.
• Willow thinks she may have brought this on herself… a subconscious guilt spell.
• She wants to try and take care of this herself, but Kennedy follows her.
• Willow’s looking for help reversing the spell.
• She tells Kennedy she tried reversing it herself, but something is blocking her.
• Buffy takes Spike to an old entrance to the Initiative, hoping to find some info about the chip.
• At the house, Xander takes a call from Robson, the Watcher that Giles found earlier in the season.
• Robson blacked out just as a Harbinger was about to bring an ax down on Giles’ head.
• When Robson came to, Giles was gone.
• So… could this mean that Giles is dead and the Giles they’ve known this season has actually been the First.
• No one can remember seeing Giles pick anything up… no one can remember hugging Giles…
• Told you they were being very careful about Giles not really touching anything.
• Xander, Anya, Dawn, and Andrew decide to drive out to the desert to confront “Giles.”
• Willow interrupts a group of wiccans at UC Sunnydale who have started taking things a lot more seriously than they did back in Season 4.
• Amy is there and can sense that Warren really is Willow.
• She apologizes to Willow about the way she was last year and that she’s been working things out and trying to be better.
• Amy tries a spell to change Willow back, and when it doesn’t work, she slaps Amy…
• But it was Warren… his personality is taking over.
• Willow is becoming Warren.
• Down in the Initiative, Buffy and Spike explore.
• She’s disgusted to see that the powers that be just left all the bodies after that whole kerfuffle with Adam.
• They make their way to the med lab and it kind of seems like they’re not alone.
• Suddenly, they’re attacked in the darkness by a demon.
• After Willow stormed out, Kennedy heads back to talk to Amy.
• Amy tells Kennedy that Willow will be okay, then accidentally mentions the fact that Kennedy is a Potential Slayer… a fact that Kennedy never mentioned.
• Meanwhile, Willow is at a gun shop, picking out the same type of gun that Warren previously purchased.
• In the desert, Xander and Anya tackle Giles, proving he’s corporeal and, therefore, not the First Evil.
• Underground, the attacking demon separates Spike from Buffy, but she manages to track them down and slay the demon.
• Suddenly the flood lights come on and they’re surrounded by soldiers who offer to help with anything she needs, as directed by Agent Finn.
• They examine the chip and find that it has degraded, that it wasn’t meant to last this long.
• If they leave it, the chip will prove fatal to Spike.
• Buffy is given the decision: they can either repair the chip or remove it.
• Kennedy confronts Amy about what she’s done to Willow and why.
• Amy explains that the hex she cast on Willow allows the subconscious of the victim choose the form of their punishment.
• She says it’s not about hating Willow… it’s about power.
• Amy is clearly jealous of how easy the power came to Willow.
• She’s also jealous of how, even though Willow turned evil and nearly destroyed the world and people still love her as if nothing happened.
• Amy zaps Kennedy to Buffy’s back yard where Willow is about to re-enact the scene where Warren shot Buffy and killed Tara.
• Kennedy talks Willow/Warren down at gunpoint.
• Willow breaks down, feeling guilty for kissing Kennedy and feeling like she let go of Tara’s memory.
• Kennedy kisses Willow again, returning her to normal.
• Body count: Demons – 1