"No Place Like Home"

​

Episode 5 of Season 5

​

"I have to be the grown-up."

​

Original US airdate: October 24th, 2000 (aired directly before the Angel episode "Dear Boy")

Rewatched: November 5th, 2022

​

• Writer: Douglas Petrie

• Director: David Solomon

• Guests: Clare Kramer, Charlie Weber, Ravil Isyanov, Kristine Sutherland

​

Buffy’s mom is sick (still) and the doctors don’t know why. Buffy is trying to step up and take care of Joyce and Dawn, but she’s also dealing with her own feelings about her mom’s sickness, and jealous that Dawn still gets to be the kid. While Buffy is at the hospital picking up some medicine for her mother, she sees a security guard she ran into the night before. He’s newly crazy and tells Buffy that something is coming for her through her family.

​

Buffy assumes that her mother’s sickness is caused by something evil and she goes into a magic trance that will reveal spells. Her trance doesn’t show anything magically wrong with Joyce but does show that her sister isn’t real. Buffy is rightly freaked, and Dawn suddenly appears sinister.

​

Buffy’s investigation of Dawn is cut short by Giles, who calls Buffy to tell her about the glowing orb she found the night before (when she ran into the security guard on patrol). Buffy heads back out the warehouse to investigate, as evidently the orb is meant to ward off some big bad. Buffy finds a monk and has her first run-in with Glory.

​

Glory is one of my favorite big bads. We will eventually learn she’s a god, but for now she’s a well-dressed, very strong foe. She is looking for a key the monks have but the monks are willing to die to keep the key safe. We also learn Glory is unstable, feeding off some sort of brain energy and leaving behind crazy people, like the security guards. But in many ways, Glory reminds viewers of Cordelia, or Buffy before she was a Slayer. She is both a god and the embodiment of a mean girl.

​

Buffy manages, barely, to save the monk and escape Glory, but the monk dies. On his death bed he tells Buffy that Dawn is the key. Buffy is upset that the monks messed with her life and memories like this, which is truly a valid point, but the monk emphasized that Dawn is innocent and doesn’t know anything else. While Buffy can be upset at the monks, she can’t hate Dawn for this and at the end of the episode, Buffy and Dawn are sisters again, although Buffy now knows that something is out to find her sister and she will have to protect her at all costs.

​

So perhaps the theme of this episode could be unknown forces – Joyce’s unknown sickness, Dawn's unknown true form, and Buffy’s lack of knowledge about what she will truly face this season. Also the unknown of why the monks thought Buffy would only protect a sister. I mean, the monks gave their life for the key before it was human, couldn’t Buffy have done the same?

​

In the background of all of this, Buffy and Riley are still having issues. Dawn blabs to Riley that Buffy doesn’t want him to patrol. Later, when Buffy tries to involve him in her trance spell, he’s not keen to take part. They agree to take care of each other, but it’s a bit rocky. Also, Spike seems to have taken up stalking Buffy and the Magic Box opens, with Giles giving Anya a job there.

​

​

"Family"

​

Episode 6 of Season 5

​

"We’re family."

​

Original US airdate: November 7th, 2000 (aired directly before the Angel episode "Guise will be Guise")

Rewatched: November 13th, 2022

​

• Writer: Joss Whedon

• Director: Joss Whedon

• Guests: Mercedes McNab, Clare Kramer, Charlie Weber, Amy Adams, Steve Rankin, Amber Benson

​

The theme of this episode is a very central one to Buffy, and that’s family, which includes both blood relations and the family you make.

Looking at the theme of blood family, Buffy tells Giles about Dawn and her decision not to tell the rest of the gang but does tell Giles that she plans on taking care of Dawn, since that is obviously what she needs to do as the Slayer, but also as Dawn’s sister. Also, with Buffy’s mom still being sick, Buffy decides to move out of her swanky corner dorm suite (seen only in this episode) and move in back home. For Buffy, family is clearly very important, although when Giles asks whether it might be better to send Dawn to her father, Buffy does note that he is in Spain with his secretary and hasn’t been in touch, even when she told him her mother was sick. Buffy is clearly not impressed by her father and shows willingness to cut ties to family who isn’t being, well, family.

​

The family-you-create aspect focuses on Tara. Tara notes at the beginning of the episode that she wants to feel useful to the gang, and it’s clear she still feels like an outsider. Also, when the gang is reminded of her upcoming birthday, they are all uncertain what to get her and whether they will enjoy her party. Then Tara’s family shows up and tries to take her home. It turns out Tara is half demon (which is why she sabotaged a spell with Willow in season 4), and her demon side will manifest on her birthday and her family knows how to keep her safe. This is also where her magic comes from. Her father and cousin both try to convince her that her friends will turn on her when, according to her father, “they see your true face” and according to Cousin Beth, Tara’s actions, namely casting a spell so they can’t see her demon side, are further proof of her evil side, since humans don’t lie and cast spells on each other. Both seem to have little understanding for humans or true friendship.

​

It all comes to a head at the magic shop, where demons attack Buffy and none of the Scoobies can see them. Dawn is present and the danger to her makes Buffy upset. She is upset when she finds out Tara cast a spell that put them in danger (perhaps more so than she would have been had Dawn not been there). Tara apologizes and Willow wants her to stay, but in the end Buffy and Dawn step up to say that Tara will not be leaving, because she’s family. Also, Spike punches her in the nose to prove she’s not actually part demon and it’s just a family story. Buffy shows that the Scoobies can accept mistakes and to care about someone, even someone who still feels like an outsider. Later, Tara’s party is fun for everyone, cementing Tara as one of the Scoobies (and giving viewers another great Tara and Anya scene. The two are great together.)

​

A final note on Tara. That her power, supposedly rooted her in demon side, is thus inherently evil is interesting as we will later learn that Buffy’s power, clearly not inherently evil, is indeed taken from demons.

​

Finally, outside of the main theme, there are a few important events. Miss Kitty Fantastico appears in this episode, the final appearance she will make. When Buffy can’t see the demons, Spike, having come to see the demons finish her off, decides to save her. Buffy, however, does not see him save her. The connection between Ben and Glory is implied (or shown?). Ben is changing in the hospital locker room and then Glory appears. Last, Riley feels that Buffy is not letting him in (and she’s not- she doesn’t tell him about Dawn). Riley is letting off his frustration by visiting Willy’s alone to drink. He runs into Sandy (who was turned in "Doppelgängland") but declines to leave with her.

​

​

"Fool for Love"

​

Episode 7 of Season 5

​

"Death is your art."

​

Original US airdate: November 14th, 2000 (aired directly before the Angel episode "Darla")

Rewatched: November 19th, 2022

​

• Writer: Douglas Petrie

• Director: Nick Marck

• Guests: David Boreanaz, Mercedes McNab, Julie Benz, Juliet Landau, Kristine Sutherland

​

At the beginning of this episode, Buffy is staked while fighting a single, young vampire and begins to doubt herself. She turns to Spike to learn how he killed two Slayers, starting a walk through Spike’s past that shows he is indeed a fool for love.

​

London 1880. As a human, William was very much in love with Cecily and wrote her bad poetry (so bad he was called William the Bloody and his listeners wished for a railroad spike through the brain, which raises the question how Spike really got his names), but she turned him down, saying he was beneath her. In tears, William encounters Drusilla, who claims she sees his greatness and promises him a better future (it is, however, unclear whether Drusilla actually means what she says).

​

Yorkshire 1880. Spike has an argument with Angel about the right way to be a vampire. Spike is all about violence for the fun of it, whereas Angel is about making killing an art. This may be why Angel suffers so much with his soul – he took true pleasure in killing - whereas Spike, with his chip, can find a new outlet – killing demons - and is not very affected. During this fight, Spike learns about Slayers. Additionally, Spike has changed his accent to be more working class and changed his name to Spike. 

​

China 1900. During the Boxer Rebellion, Spike kills his first Slayer, mostly because she was distracted by an explosion. She also gives him his scar on his eyebrow (a special Slayer sword that scars vamps, perhaps?). Spike finds this experience exciting and finally consummates his relationship with Drusilla (in Yorkshire, Angel called Drusilla and Darla “his women”, so even though Dru sired Spike, the intimate aspect did not follow automatically).

​

New York 1977. Spike kills Niki in the subway and takes her black leather trench coat. Spike is in full punk look, with bleach blonde hair. With the coat, his transformation to the Spike we know is complete. With Niki, he gains the upper hand in a moment when the lights go out.

​

In the present, he tells Buffy: “Everyday you wake up to the same bloody question that haunts you: Is today the day I die? Death is on your heels, baby, and sooner or later it’s going to catch you. Part of you wants it, not only to stop the fear and uncertainty. Because you’re a little bit in love with it. Death is your art; you make it with your hands day after day. That final gasp, that look of peace, part of you is desperate to know: what’s it like? Where does it lead you? And now you see, that’s the secret. Not the punch you didn’t throw, or the kicks you didn’t land, she merely wanted it. Every Slayer has a death wish, even you. The only reason you lasted as long as you have is you’ve got ties to the world.”

​

And Spike is in many ways so very right. After all, this is the season that Buffy will learn death is her gift.

​

South America 1998. Dru breaks up with Spike, having felt his connection to the Slayer.

​

In the present, Spike tries to kiss Buffy and Buffy rejects him, echoing Cecily's words. Spike later sets out to shoot Buffy but finds her at home, crying. Her mother has had bad news about her health, and Spike ends up comforting Buffy. He loves her. He can’t kill her.In the end, Spike’s path as a vampire has changed everything about him and nothing. He is still heartbroken and forever in love with hard-to-reach women.

​

One final note about the vampire relationships. It is fairly clear that Angelus may be fairly violent with his women. Twice Darla says that Angel is hurting her and she likes it ("Angel" and "Dear Boy"), and in "What’s My Line? Part Two" Angel insinuates that Spike is not satisfying Dru because he doesn’t hurt her. In this episode, which will also be supported in later episodes, it seems that Spike is more masochistic, as he seems to view Buffy hurting him as equivalent to romantic interest. This may indicate that there was a bigger dynamic at play in the breakdown of Dru and Spike’s relationship than just his deal with Buffy.

​

Finally, in fun facts, Riley patrols with the gang, who, surprisingly, do it badly. They find a nest and agree to return at dawn, but Riley returns alone to finish the job. Riley is not in a good place. 

​

Vampire Timeline:

1609 Virginia Colony - Master turns Darla

1753 Galway - Darla turns Angel

1760 London - Angel meets Master, but decides not to join him and takes Darla with him (does not fit  with Buffy episode Angel- where Master claims Angel was to sit at right hand)

Late 1700s - Angel sired Penn (where was Darla?)

1838 Dublin - Angel is there killing

1860 London - Angel sees Drusilla

1880 London - Drusilla turns Spike

1880 Yorkshire - Spike learns about Slayers

1898 Romania  - Angel cursed. Darla tries to get it reversed

Turn of century Budapest - Darla and Angel were there during an earthquake (doesn’t quite fit timeline, but perhaps also happened in 1898, before Romania).

1900 China Spike kills his first Slayer/ Angel tries to rejoin Darla (finally makes “last time it was kimonos” commnet in Buffy episode Angel make sense)

1937 - Master becomes trapped under Sunnydale in Earthquake

1952 LA - Angel stayed at Hyperion Hotel

1977 NYC - Spike kills 2nd Slayer (Although Spike claimed in School Hard she begged for her life, she didn’t here)

1996 NY & LA - Whistler approaches Angel; Angel sees Buffy called

1997 - Angel in Sunnydale; Spike and Dru in Sunnydale. It is unclear when Darla arrived.

1998 South America - Drusilla leaves Spike; Spike returns to Sunnydale

1999 - Angel leaves Sunnydale for LA

​

"Shadow"

​

Episode 8 of Season 5

​

"Just a little crazed."

​

Original US airdate: November 21st, 2000 (aired directly before the Angel episode "The Shroud of Rahmon")

Rewatched: November 26th, 2022

​

• Writer: David Fury

• Director: Daniel Attias

• Guests: Clare Kramer, Charlie Weber, Kevin Weisman, William Forward, Amber Benson, Kristine Sutherland

​

In this episode, everyone is just a little crazed. Three storylines intertwine as Joyce’s sickness becomes more serious, Riley feels Buffy drifting away more than ever, and Glory is still out looking for her key.

​

The Scoobies still can’t figure out who or what Glory is, although Tara guesses right when she thinks that Glory may be old, older than words. The gang incidentally all meet Glory when she comes to the shop to buy supplies to raise a giant snake (not quite the size of the Mayor, but still). Anya notices what Giles sold, Buffy is alerted, and has her second run-in with Glory, who she still can’t even come close to beating. Buffy is able to learn Glory’s name, and that she raised the snake to find the key. The Scoobies don’t find the snake before it finds Dawn, but Buffy slays it before it makes it back to Glory. Dawn is safe and Buffy has a Faith moment, wailing on the already-dead snake to get some of her frustration out. Glory is not pleased her snake doesn’t return.

​

Riley is still feeling left out. Spike tells him he spent the previous evening with Buffy and in fact Spike tells Riley Joyce is in the hospital. Dawn tells Riley Buffy is happier with him than with Angel, but it backfires. Riley views this as Buffy lacking true passion for him. Buffy also keeps disappearing on Riley, for example not waiting for him at the Magic Box but going out to fight without him. Xander sort of calls Riley on his behavior, such as going after the vampire nest alone in the last episode, but Riley ends up at Willy’s again and leaves with Sandy. He lets her bite him, and then stakes her. Ultimately, Buffy is cutting Riley off, but Riley also doesn’t understand Buffy’s independence. He can’t understand that she can support herself. At the hospital, Riley tries to comfort her, but Buffy shakes him off, saying if she starts letting everything out, she won’t be able to stop. Her mom and Dawn need her and Buffy knows too well what it means to step up and save the day. But Riley only sees her closing the door on him.

​

Finally, Joyce is in the hospital for a biopsy and it’s bad. Buffy and Dawn are rightly a bit crazed with worry. This season is a true test of Buffy’s adulthood, pitting her against a villain who is her alter ego, having another relationship implode, and facing her mother’s mortality.

​

"Listening to Fear"

​

Episode 9 of Season 5

​

"What would I do without you?"

​

Original US airdate: November 28th, 2000 (aired directly before the Angel episode "The Trial")

Rewatched: Dec. 3rd, 2022

​

• Writer: Rebecca Rand Kirshner

• Director: David Solomon

• Guests: Charlie Weber, Nick Chinlund, Kevin Weisman, Randy Thompson, Amber Benson, Kristine Sutherland

​

Overall, this episode is a bit of a monster-of-the-week one, with a Queller demon being summoned landing in a meteor and killing the mental patients in Sunnydale. Buffy kills the Queller before it can kill her mom, who’s been having odd outbursts thanks to her brain tumor. Despite this fairly normal episode fair, a few important themes come up.

​

First, Riley is still struggling. He visits a vampire brothel/drug den and lets one suck his blood. He also calls in the military to help with finding the Queller demon, as Buffy is unable to help. Riley is clearly at home with the military, and not so much at home in Sunnydale with Buffy.

​

We also learn that Ben and Glory are connected, as Ben tells one of Glory’s minions that he summoned the demon to clean up Glory’s messes, like he’s done his whole life. Ben, while overall a good guy, does live in a moral gray area at times. He doesn’t like Glory, that much is clear, but he is willing to kill people to make a problem disappear. While it is unclear if the Scoobies ever learn Ben summoned the Queller, it makes Giles’s decision to kill Ben in the final episode less shocking.

​

 Then, Buffy is really stepping up to be the adult. Joyce relies on Buffy to mediate with doctors, take care of Dawn, take care of the house, and fight the demons trying to kill her. Buffy is able to be the adult her mother needs her to be, but it is not easy. Buffy cries while washing dishes and listening to loud music (to hide her crying) and very nearly doesn’t hear Dawn and her mother yelling for her help when the demon attacks. Buffy is only human and everyone is expecting a lot from her.

​

Finally, Joyce tells Buffy she knows Dawn isn’t hers right before she goes in for surgery. The tumor (or her mental instability) seems to have made this possible (in this episode, as well as in an earlier one, the people Glory did her mind-drain thing to can tell what Dawn is). But Joyce still accepts Dawn, telling Buffy, “No matter what she is, she still feels like my daughter. I have to know that you’ll take care of her, that you’ll keep her sage, that you’ll love her like I love you.” Buffy, of course, promises to do so. She had already decided to, but perhaps Joyce saying it as well makes is even clearer to Buffy that Dawn is indeed her sister.

​

​