Consequences
Consequences
Season 3, Episode 15 (Episode 49 of entire series)
B-b-b-bad to the bone? Yow. This episode, while completely Oz-less, features the consequences of Allan's death by Faith's hand. The gang learns of Xander's tryst with Faith, and Faith goes 'round the bend. Mr. Trick gets dusted and Faith forges an alliance with the Mayor. Now'd be a good time to panic...
Show opens with yet another of Buffy's nightmares..only this isn't something that's prophetic..it's more like she's freaking over the stabbing of Allan Finch. In the dream, Buffy's underwater, being pulled down by Allan...it was a neat twist on the whole drowning concept, especially when you consider that Buffy died by drowning in season one, and she almost died by drowning in the last episode, too. It like, made me think about drowning as a figure of speech, too. And I can't deal with all this thinking, so I'm moving on. Anyway, when Buffy manages to get her head above water, she emerges only to be forced underwater again..by Faith! Wait, that sort of is prophetic!
Buffy wakes up to find her mom watching a news report about..guess what? If you said, The Fishermen Found Allan's Body, you're the lucky prizewinner. Anyhoo, the Mayor makes a statement on tv about how he's going to get to the bottom of this. Gee, he was much more energetic here than he was at the rally in Gingerbread.
Next day at school, Wesley the Watcher's telling Buffy and Faith he wants them to investigate the murder..to find out if it's natural or supernatural or whatever. Buffy seems to balk, but Faith says they'll do it. Meanwhile, Cordy comes in to get a book and she and Wesley make some eyes at each other. For a minute I thought, okay, Wesley's spinoff-bound with Angel and Cordy...Heh. Great scene.
Buffy and Faith go to chat in a classroom about what to do..Faith tells Buffy she can deal with the investigation, but Buffy feels bad and doesn't want to go through with it. Let's hear it for the conscience..! Basically Faith keeps telling Buffy that it's no big deal, what's one casualty?
Meanwhile, Buffy goes to talk to Willow, but Willow's still hurt from the whole being ignored thing and being shoved aside for Faith thing. Willow leaves to find Michael the warlock witch guy so he can help her de-rat Amy. Damn. That chick is going to have some residual effects or something from this whole thing.
So anyhoo, Buffy and Faith end up at Allan's office to investigate. They don't realize that the Mayor and Trick have already been there, shredding documents and stuff. Anyhoo, Buffy starts to think that maybe Allan was looking for them, trying to tell them something. They seem sure of it when they overhear Trick and the Mayor talking...so they know now that the Mayor's evil for sure.
Basically, Angel puts together what happened, thanks to his incredible lurking skills.
Anyway, Buffy keeps telling Faith that they need to tell about what happened, that they can't just sit around and let it go. But Faith is of the opinion that they're Slayers, it's their job to save people and the world, so what's one life? If Buffy wore the "I'm a Slayer, ask me how" button, then Faith's wearing one that says, "I'm all that and a bag of chips." When Buffy suggests telling Giles, Faith is against it. She reminds Buffy that Buffy was there too when the killing went down, and she's as much in it as Faith is.
Finally, after being questioned by Detective Stein, Buffy goes to Willow's house to make amends. Willow at first is freaking about being upset about being left out of the Slayers R Us club, but when Buffy spills what's what, Willow advises her to go see Giles about it.
I'd just like to mention that when the scene changed from Angel's lurking outside Faith's motel room (where he overheard the Detective question Faith) and then panned over to Willow in her room, I thought it was going to be Angel at Willow's doorstep. I bet they planned it that way.
Anyway, Buffy goes to tell Giles what happened and is shocked to see Faith come out of his office. Apparently, Faith's laid the blame on Buffy, and Giles seems to believe Faith. This was freak central, even though I knew there was no way in hell(mouth) Giles would believe Faith.
So Giles tells Buffy that they need to keep Faith's trust, and they decide to figure out a plan to help Faith help herself. Giles tells Buffy that this sort of thing, an accidental slaying of a non-demon, has happened before, and usually the Watchers Council deals with it. But he's not going to call them. What neither of them knows is that Wesley is eavesdropping....and Wesley knows how to call collect.
The gang meets to discuss "Faith" options (like, intervention or whatever), Xander says he has a connection with Faith, Buffy tells him that Faith doesn't have "connections" -- yes, by this time they figured out Xander and Faith had a "connection" -- and advises him not to go see her. But he does anyway. While there, Xander gets insulted by Faith..and she overpowers him. Like to the point of strangulation or something. It's not good. But who should come to the rescue but Angel...next thing you know I've rambled way too long....
Angel has Faith chained to a wall in his place; he tries to connect with her about the taste for killing, and the overwhelming power and yada. It's not terrible. But then in comes Wesley and friends..they subdue Angel with crosses and a net and stuff -- but don't kill him. I wondered why...Like, is it because Angel helped save Wesley from Jabba the Hutt? -- and they take Faith. Faith's off to jolly old England, supposedly. She's chained down in a truck thing...but when Wesley asks a flunky guy to tighten Faith's restraints, she gives the flunky a boot-mashing..well, her boot gives his head a mashing. And she gives Wesley the I'll kill him if you don't let me go ultimatum. So Faith escapes.
Meanwhile, the gang's in the library, and Buffy still believes Faith can be saved. Angel drops by to say, hey, Faith's on her way to England, so Buffy says that she wants to go to the airport. Actually, Angel didn't really drop by. Buffy went back to Angel's and found him in the net set-up, he spills about what happened, so she and Angel go to the library, and the gang discusses the whole "going to England thing." So when the gang sees Wesley walk in, they're like, what's wrong with this picture? So Buffy makes assignments to all but Wesley so they can go find Faith. As luck, or the writer, would have it...Buffy finds Faith at the docks. It's the good slayer/bad slayer thing, and finally Faith manages to piss Buffy off so much that Buffy slaps her. You have to love the Buffster. You do. She didn't want to get led into Faith's way of thinking and was immediately horrified that she'd hit her at all. Anyway it all reminded me of the episode Ted , Little Lady.
Okay, almost done. Anyhoo, the chicks didn't know that while they were at City Hall, they were caught on tape. The Mayor and Trick now know that the Slayers were definitely behind Allan's killing, and they know that the chicks heard them talking in the hall. So..Trick is supposed to think of a way to get rid of them. I would just like to mention that Ethan Rayne comes to mind as a superb villain. Sure, he's not a vamp, but that's even better. He's like, a thinker, and he's a coward too, but that's the beauty part. I need him to come back. Okay, sorry.
So anyway, Trick sets up shop at the docks...a wooden crate falls from above and as Buffy shoves Faith out of the way, she gets caught under it. It was like The Puppet Show, only without the chandelier. Or Sid. So Faith wails on the vamps while Buffy tries to extricate herself from underneath the crate. Trick happens by and is wailing on Buffy. He's kind of choking her with a long scarfy thing, and is about to bite her neck, when he feels himself turning to..(no not stone, although I do like that song) dust. Buffy thinks this is a step in the right direction for Faith, and she tells Giles this at the library. What no one knows though...is that Faith has gone to see the Mayor. She tells him that Trick's dead and she says that this must mean the Mayor has a job opening. If she's serious, then this...could be very interesting....(I'm resisting the urge to say "but stupid"). And no, I am not old enough to have seen Laugh In, except maybe on TV Land. Oh. Whatever I left out..I'll catch on another page. Maybe. It could happen. Just know that this was quite the riveting episode, okay?
1. Faith staked a bunch of vamps, then saved Buffy from being choked and bitten by Mr. Trick
1. Faith's a bad liar, according to Giles. So maybe she's serious about helping the Mayor out.
2. The girls' bathroom stalls have doors on them.
3. Buffy is really cool. Sorry, but I think so.
4. I didn't dig the Faith/Xander tryst, but it was harsh to see Xander get the Evil Faith treatment here.
5. The Watchers Council has a Disciplinary Committee...it's like Slayer Impeachment.
6. Angel's still a really good lurker.
7. Maybe Allan's last name is Finch because it's like..a bird that sings..a stoolie? A fink? Who knows?
Willow: "I don't need to say, "Oh." I got it before. They slept together." -- after Giles and Buffy have said, "oh" upon realizing that Xander slept with Faith.
Coming Soon!
1. Sunnydale High School
2. City Hall (including Allan's office)
3. Buffy's house
4. Faith's motel room
5. Angel's place (The Garden Mansion)
6. The Docks
7. Streets, alleyways
8. Willow's room
1. Buffy
2. Willow
3. Xander
4. Giles
5. Cordelia
6. Angel
7. Faith
8. Joyce Summers
9. The Mayor
10. Mr. Trick
11. Allan
12. Cops
13. Witness -- female (name forthcoming maybe)
14. Wesley Wyndam-Price, The New Watcher
15. Vamps aplenty (no I am not doing a page for them.)
16. Detective Stein -- I think.
17. Newscaster lady (may not do page on, but hey, she was in the 'sode)
18. Possibly more forthcoming. But who knows.
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