The Dark Age
The Dark Age
Season 2, Episode 8 (Episode 20 of entire series)
This episode marks the first time we gain some insight as to Giles's past. We also see the aftermath of how this impacts Giles's relationship with Jenny Calendar. Plus, sparks between Xander and Cordelia start to mount. This ep. features some goofy-looking special effects, also. And the birth of the Eyghon prototype!
Show opens with Buffy training to loud music that bugs Giles. Outside, we see some guy running away from something, and he asks a janitor how to get into the school library; he's looking for Rupert Giles. The guy tries to beat on the door so Giles will come open it, but Buffy's music is drowning out the noise. Basically, this woman who looks really gnarly catches up with the guy and she turns into a pool of black liquid. The liquid gets into the guy and he appears to be dead.
The next day at school, we see Buffy and Willow playing a game of "Anywhere But Here" -- Willow describes a scene where she's in Italy, in a small restaurant eating baked ziti, and at the next table is John Cusack. Then Xander pops by -- they see Giles and comment on how stuffy he is, and they wonder what was he like as a kid.
We see Giles in the library and he's being questioned by the police -- turns out they found the body of this guy, named Philip, and he had something on his person that indicated he was going to see Giles. Giles says he hasn't seen or talked to Philip in a number of years, but agrees to go down to the morgue to identify the body. Cordelia, who'd come in to bug Giles about something, witnesses this. At the morgue, Giles gives a positive ID. The police show him a tattoo on Philip and ask if he knows anything about it. Giles says no...
Basically Giles fibbed to the cops. Giles was some kind of wacked-out youth for a while...he and some pals back in England conjured up a demon, Eyghon, who possesses unconscious or dead folks. During one of these sessions, a mate of theirs, I think Stephen, was killed.Anyhoo, now the demon's back and Giles is freaking out. He doesn't tell Buffy about it until he absolutely has to (i.e., she forces him to share), and he's next in line along with Ethan Rayne to meet his fate a la Eyghon.
Basically, Eyghon gets a hold of Jenny and then goes on a rampage. Ethan removes his tattoo with the help of some kind of acid, and Buffy gets the Mark of Eyghon, courtesy of Ethan's artistry skills. Willow, Xander, and Cordy do some research, and Willow comes up with a plan to get rid of Eyghon, which you can spy below, or check out Eyghon's page.
After the ordeal is over, Jenny's visibly shaken and is now distancing herself from Giles; Buffy tells Giles the whole thing was freaky, but in some weird way it kind of was a catalyst for a deeper bond between the two, since Buffy learns that Giles was once an irresponsible bloke back in the day; and Willow's seen as sort of the Watcher's protege. That's about it.
To see Giles in his more Ripper-y state of mind, see Band Candy.
1. Angel's demon fought Eyghon and triumphed.
1. Giles was a rebel when he was young.
2. Cordy still didn't believe Angel was a vampire -- guess she does now.
3. All vampires know that Tuesday is "delivery day" -- when blood is delivered to the hospital.
1. Sunnydale High School
2. Giles's house
3. Ethan's Costume Shop
4. The Sunnydale Morgue
5. Sunnydale Hospital (outside)
1. Buffy
2. Willow
3. Xander
4. Giles
5. Cordelia
6. Jenny Calendar
7. Angel
8. Ethan Rayne
9. Eyghon
10. Philip
11. Deirdre
