Shoot That Poisoned Arrow

S03E20

The camera pans across a pile of maroon caps and gowns and finally comes to rest on Xander and Cordelia, who are signing up to get their grad gear. Cordy gripes because she had lobbied for the "teal," which just goes to show that growing up rich doesn't guarantee good taste. And speaking of good taste, or rather the opposite, I'm horribly riveted by Xander's sweater, which appears to be made of two mismatched halves cobbled together in the dark by a blind, loopy grandma. Xander says he thinks the maroon "has more dignity," and Cordy snarks that Xander and dignified clothes haven't ever been introduced. I guess she noticed the sweater. Xander has to poop on Cordy's superiority party by telling her he has a feeling he's going to die before graduating. All around them, other students are chatting, smiling, and signing yearbooks. Cordy: bitchy comment. Xander: No, really, "my number's up." Cordy: bitchy statement.

Willow is standing on the stairs when Harmony comes gallomping down, yearbook in hand. Apparently, the words "second to last day of school" inspired in Harmony thoughts of Hee Haw, since she's wearing a vacuum-sealed top and pants made out of red handkerchief material. Huh, Harmony is suddenly reminding me of Donna Martin. And I think Beverly Hills really missed out on an exciting plot line when they chose to not have Donna become an undead creature of the night and eat David, the groom, at their nauseating storybook wedding. Wills and Harms sign each other's yearbook, and Harmony almost totally sincerely says she wishes she and Willow had gotten to "know each other better." Willow agrees and Harmony takes her leave, hoping they don't lose touch. You don't know the half of it, sweet thing. Wearing a very skeptical face, Buffy comes to stand beside Willow. "Don't you hate her?" inquires Buffy. Willow allows that she does: "She picked on me for ten years! The vacuous tramp." Hee hee. I love that line and Alyson's delivery. Willow tries to explain that she's missing high school already, but Buffy's not feeling the love-in vibe. She sulks that she might not attend the ceremony and flops into a chair while Willow has a nostalgic moment with the soda machine. That's the Willow I used to love. Thanks a whole freakin' lot for killing everything good abut her during seasons four and five, Joss. Buffy explains she wants to skip graduation in order to fight the Mayor, and Xander wanders into the conversation. He asks the girls to guess who their commencement speaker will be, and after Willow proposes Siegfried, Roy, and one of the tigers, Xander drops his bombshell. Not literally. Just a figure of speech. Anyway, it turns out that Buffy will be able to multi-task graduation and evil fightage, since the Mayor is their commencement speaker. Whoops, serendipity.

An apartment full of clutter and artifacts. There's a knock at the door, and a middle-aged guy in a cardigan and bow-tie goes to answer. When he opens the door, he finds Faith, lounging all hussy-like. Professor Worth thinks Faith is a student and asks her to come back during office hours. She informs him she's been sent by the Mayor, so Professor Worth asks her in. He babbles some about being surprised that the Mayor is interested in his research. Faith slinks around the joint and then asks if they're alone. When Dr. Worth admits that they are, she pulls out her big-ass knife and tells him to face the wall. "I'll scream," blurts out the professor. "Who wouldn't?" shrugs Faith, without an ounce of empathy. She shoves the prof up against the wall and when he stutters, "Wh-h-h-hy?" she snides, "You know, I never thought to ask." Man, what a cold-hearted bitch. She's enjoying this random killing of a defenseless guy just a little too much. Who am I kidding? She's enjoying it a lot too much. She stabs him, and as the professor groans in pain, the camera pans across an ink drawing of an erupting volcano.

At Faith's apartment, the Mayor tidies up as he and Faith chuckle about murdering the professor. Oh, yeah. Laugh riot. Ha. Ha. The Mayor yaps about his upcoming "big day," and then Faith gingerly enters the room, wearing a girly pink dress and no shoes. The Boyfriend Formerly Known As Ash mutters, "Her calves are really short." And you know? They are. I can see why wardrobe kept Faith in pants. It always surprises me when TBFKAA comments on someone's physical appearance since he does it so infrequently. Although, just the other day, he did look at the cover of my Entertainment Weekly featuring Penelope Cruz and call her "Slug Lips." Hee hee. Slug Lips. The Mayor says Faith is a "vision," but she flaps the hem of the dress and grouses that she feels "wicked stupid." Getting all misty-eyed, the Mayor tells Faith she doesn't know what she is (ew, unfond memories of the unfulfilled "you think you know...what's to come...what you are" storyline from season five) and that only he sees her true potential. The Ascension will be her day to shine as well as his. Pushing a strand of her hair back, he tells her, "No father could be prouder." Faith is touched (good touch, not "Daddy, stop touching me!" touch) and the Mayor offers to take her for an Icee.

day, Willow rides her bike up to school. Percy spots her and hurries after. He shares the fact that he got a B- on his history exam, and thanks her for tutoring him and not "kicking [his] ass like [she] did in the Bronze." Willow is about to confess she didn't actually kick his ass, but then just tells him it was for his own good. Oz comes up, and Percy morons away. As usual, Oz quips, but this time Willow chides him for joking at such a serious time.

By Ace

Xander creeps into class late. The teacher insists that, despite the impending graduation, "This is still a class and everyone will participate." He writes on the board and calls on Xander, who says, "E." The teacher gloats that there is no E, and the camera pulls back to show he's making the class play Hangman. It's a hard joke to explain but it did amuse me on first airing. As the class continues playing, Anya leans over and basically asks Xander out. He sours that he has no interest in listening to her stories of demon vengeance. Scanning her mental collection of Cosmo, Anya suggests that they could "watch sports of some kind." Xander gripes about this stereotyping and says that Anya should have learned more about men in the past thousand years. He then tells her he's stressed about the upcoming Ascension. Anya looks totally freaked out.

Saying, "Faith," Buffy holds up a newspaper, the headline of which reads "Professor Found Murdered." Giles manages to both read the article and, without looking, fend off Wesley's fencing feints. I love Giles. Not in a sexy way, though. Oh, I can't explain it. Not so sure why Wes and Giles are brushing up on their fencing skills, though. I don't think fencing at one-quarter speed is going to provide an adequate defense against the Mayor. The article reveals that Dr. Worth was professor of geology, which makes me have an extra sneer for Faith, because messing with geologists is not a way to get on my good side. Buffy (who is wearing a sheer gray hoodie that I'm coveting) and Giles decide that the Mayor must have had a good reason to have Dr. Worth killed, and they need to find out why. "Ah. By attempting to keep a valuable clue from us, the Mayor may have inadvertently led us right to it," smugs Wesley with a self-satisfied slash of his sword. "What page are you on, Wes? 'Cause we already got there," teases Buffy, with a cute smile in her voice. Wes attempts to save face by commanding Buffy to go to Dr. Worth's apartment and look for clues. Since that's exactly what she was already planning to do, she agrees, telling him, "I just love it when you take charge, you man, you." Too much levity in the library for Giles, who gently urges Buffy to be careful and reminds her that "Faith has [her] at a disadvantage." "Why? 'Cause I'm not crazy or 'cause I don't kill people?" snarks Buffy. Giles and me: "Both, actually." Buffy agrees that she couldn't kill Faith, but says that she plans to beat the crap out of her. Wesley admonishes that Buffy shouldn't let her feelings for Faith get in the way, and that their priority must be foiling the Mayor's Ascension. Not so coincidentally, this is Xander's clue to bring Anya into the library and explain that she's "the only living person who's ever been to one."

By Ace

A few moments later, Anya explains that she experienced an Ascension eight hundred years previously; a sorcerer became "the demon Lohash" and then destroyed his village within hours. Within hours? Big deal. Demons of yesteryear were so inefficient. I mean, any demon today worth his salt could go through a town in an hour and then take out a hamlet or two for dessert. Swallowing nervously, Wes tries to assure the group that "four-winged soul killers" like Lohash aren't "that fierce," but Anya quickly corrects him. According to her, all the demons currently on Earth are some sort of human/demon hybrid, but in an Ascension, a "human becomes pure demon." If I ever get that 1969 Pontiac GTO of my dreams, I think I'm gonna name it "Pure Demon." That or "Self-Indulgent Money-Sink." Can I help it that I'm pragmatic? Anya says that the pure demons are "bigger." Insert your own eyebrow waggling here.

In the school courtyard, various people are setting up chairs and decorating for graduation as Snyder leads the Mayor on a tour. He describes some particulars of the ceremony; the Mayor assures him that it looks fine. He continues that Snyder must make sure all the seniors come to the ceremony, and then tells him that he's done a great job as principal. He thanks Snyder for keeping the school in order and concludes, "Sunnydale owes you a debt. It will be repaid. Yessir, we'll mark that invoice paid in full." Snyder must have caught the Mayor's ambiguous tone, because he doesn't look at all pleased.

Wes, Giles, Anya, Xander, and Buffy are discussing the Ascension (Anya says that the Mayor isn't preparing to become Lohash) when Oz and Willow enter the library holding hands (aw). "How come evil girl's in the mix?" whines Willow, but accepts that Anya is there to tell them about Ascensions. Buffy asks if Anya has ever heard of the box of spiders the Mayor needs to eat (Box of Gavrok), but Anya hasn't. Suddenly, the doors of the library swing open and the Mayor enters, running his fingers along the check-out counter. The gang reacts with terror; Giles and Wesley stand up, and Oz backs Willow behind him (still sensitive after her kidnapping in "Choices"). I remember how terrifying this scene was when I first saw it, and it still packs an anxious wallop due to the great acting and the creepy score. Phew, the Mayor was a good villain. He doesn't do a single violent thing in this scene and still manages to be scarier in a few minutes than all of Glory's season-five scenes put together. As the Mayor walks up to the group, Buffy quickly hides the paper with the headline about the professor's killing. Affably, but with an undercurrent of menace, the Mayor says Faith told him that the library was the gang's "inner sanctum." With a slightly crazy laugh, he says it's nice to see that some kids are still reading. He picks a book up off the table and intones, "The beast will walk upon the earth and darkness will follow. The several races of man will be as one in their terror and destruction." He coos that the theme of different races coming together is "sweet," and Buffy sasses him for being so into the sound of his own voice. A giggle from the Mayor, and then he addresses the clench-jawed Giles: "That's one spunky little girl you've raised. I'm going to eat her." It's left unsaid, but there's a deep undercurrent here of the Mayor feeling that Giles has raised Buffy, and comparing that to his affection for Faith. Cool. Giles suddenly grabs his fencing sword off the table and plunges it right into the Mayor's heart. The Mayor stumbles backwards but then steadies himself, the sword bouncing gently. He accuses Giles of being "thoughtless" and carefully draws the sword from his chest. He chides Giles for setting a bad example for the children, and slowly wipes the blade clean. He tells the gang that "some of [their] deaths will be quick" and chuckles, "See you at graduation." Apparently his commencement address will be "one heck of a speech." He tosses the sword back to back to Giles and walks out of the library, smiling.

Moments later, Xander follows Anya down a corridor in the school. He asks where's she's going, and she replies that she's leaving town. "The only thing any sane person can do now is run." As Anya stomps off, Cordy walks up to Xander, who tells her, "The Mayor is going to kill us all during graduation." Cordy is unfazed by this news and asks Xander if he's planning on going to their class. They agree that they might as well skip it.

Later, Joyce arrives home to find Buffy packing a suitcase. She demands to know if Buffy is running away but then notices that Buffy is packing her (Joyce's) clothes. Tossing stuff into the suitcase, Buffy tells her mom to leave Sunnydale and insists that it's okay for her to miss her daughter's graduation. Facetiously, Joyce asks, "Is some terrible demon going to attack the school?" and realizes from Buffy's expression that that's exactly what's going to happen. Joyce doesn't want to leave, but Buffy insists: "If you stay you'll get me killed." Joyce is sad, but agrees to go.

In Willow's room, Willow and Oz look for spells that will help them fight the Mayor, but aren't having much luck. Willow grouses that she doesn't even have enough witchy power to change Amy out of her rat form, but Oz tries to assure her that Amy is in a "good place" with her Habitrail and all. Like me, Willow loses her sense of humor when under a lot of stress, and she whines at Oz to at least "pretend" to care about the awful situation they're in. She frets about them dying and tells him she'd be happy if he panicked, as it's something to share "in times of crisis." As she babbles frantically about all the things she was planning on doing after high school. Oz leans across and, holding both sides of her head, begins to passionately kiss her. Mmmmm. That's a yummy-looking kiss. "What're you doing?" inquires Willow, already a little calmer. "Panicking," breathes Oz, and they sink to the bed with many more yummy kisses.

Buffy is checking through papers at Dr. Worth's place when Angel stumbles through the doorway. Hee. That's a totally unnecessary moment, but so funny, and I love the writers for putting it in. He fumbles a lousy explanation about the floors being wet. Because he dumped her in the sewers (not literally. Uh, I mean he broke up with her whilst they were patrolling a sewer) in the last episode, "The Prom." Buffy is understandably confused and sulky that Angel has dropped in on her at work. He tries to offer some lame excuse (second lame excuse on his part in this scene!) for being there and asks what Buffy has found. She has a report about an excavation of a lava bed, and claims Dr. Worth was a volcano-ologist. Just in case any of you all are wondering, the correct term is vulcanologist. And I could tell you all about careers in vulcanology, but that would mean my two different employment worlds colliding and I'm not ready for that. Anyway, Buffy tosses the report into a file box, which Angel insists on carrying. Buffy and I both roll our eyes. I mean, she's the Slayer, man. I think she can handle a cardboard box with a few reports in it. They leave the apartment, and Angel offers to walk Buffy to the library. She says she doesn't need him "crowding" her, and he makes a "D'uh?" confused-Angel face. Buffy complains about him not contacting her since he came to prom, and Angel tries to understand: "Are you mad at me for being around too much or for not being around enough?" "Duh! Yes!" replies Buffy. Hee. Swinging the box around by one handle, Angel complains that he "doesn't get" Buffy; she replies she wants the relationship to be "over. Done." Trying to make a funny, she continues, "This is my last office romance. I'll tell you that." For some reason, this little jibe rouses the ire of a man who has spent the last one hundred years maintaining an even keel of glum. Angel gets pissy, throws the box to the ground, and starts to stomp off. Calling after him, Buffy wants to know if the break-up is hard for him; he insists that it is and accuses her of acting like a brat. Because he wasn't at all being a brat by insisting on carrying her tiny box and then throwing it in the middle of the street when he got annoyed. Hee. Buffy is just working up a good rant about not being able to move on because she sees him all the time when an arrow suddenly shoots out through the left side of Angel's chest. Both of them stare at the arrow in shock; Angle collapses to the ground. On top of the nearby movie theater, a random vamp tells Faith, "Missed the heart." "Meant to," replies Faith.

By Ace

In the chem lab, Willow sends Xander to the magic store for ingredients so that Willow can analyze the mystical poison that is killing Angel. Xander makes his way through the darkened hallway but is stopped by Anya, who wants him to run away with her. Do it! Go, Xander, Go! Take one for the team and spare us the spectacle of your "relationship" for the two seasons. "You're going to die if you stay here," says Anya. And she doesn't want him to, because then she will vomit. Or something. Personally, I think Anya owes me one. God knows I've been nauseated by her often enough. Xander turns down Anya's offer because he has "friends on the line." Anya's response is a belligerent "So?" Xander quips that her humanity is "a work in progress." Dude, you have no idea the long, slow, agonizing, over-sexed, one-note-joke truth of that statement. At his refusal Anya fiercely says, "Fine. I hope you die." Xander brushes past her and Anya petulantly inquires, "Aren't we going to kiss?" Yes. You are. Much to my continued disappointment. So just cram it and run off so I can enjoy the rest of the episode without you. Xander not in love with Anya? Pretty much indistinguishable from Xander in love with Anya.

Overcompensation Estates. Angel. Shirtless and sweaty abed and tended by Buffy. She wipes his beetle brow and says vaguely reassuring things. At the sound of the door, Buffy excuses herself. Wesley has returned with news from the Council. He slowly admits, "They couldn't help. Wouldn't. It's not Council policy to cure vampires." Wesley claims that he tried to convince the CoW, and Buffy urges him to keep trying. Wesley: "They're very firm. We're talking about laws that have existed longer than civilization." Buffy: "I'm talking about watching my lover die." Agh! Where to begin? Do I start first with the nit-pick that it is nigh impossible to have laws without civilization, indeed that having laws is pretty much what defines civilization, or should I focus on the fact that no eighteen-year-old should ever use the word "lover" and especially not in conjunction with Angel? These are the types of difficult decisions a recapper has to face every single day. You think you're tough enough for the job? Think again. Giles steps in to reassure Buffy. Wesley blithers on about "orders," but at the mention of that word, Buffy gets stone-faced and breaks up with the CoW. See ya. Wouldn't want to be ya. Wesley pissily tries to enlist Giles to change Buffy's mind, but Giles goes to stand by the Slayer and insists that he has nothing to add. Wesley is dumb. I mean, "dumbfounded." No, I mean dumb, but Buffy stands firm.

Lab. Willow expositions that she's found the name of the poison, but that the accounts of cures are vague. Oz interrupts to say that he's found the cure. He reads it but stops short. Willow reads behind his shoulder. "Completely reversed the effects...oh." Buffy is impatient, and Oz confesses that the only cure is to "drain the blood of a Slayer." All of it. "Good," says Buffy, and proposes that she deliver Faith to Angel. Willow points out that having all her blood sucked out will kill Faith. "Not if she's already dead," monotones Buffy.

Back from the, uh, blank space that designates commercial, Willow and Oz are trying to scrounge up Faith's new address. Oz reaches out to stroke the back of Willow's head. She and I both get a little swoony.

Buffy strides to the weapons cage, giving brisk orders to Xander. Xander isn't sure Buffy is ready for this confrontation. Xander: "I just don't want to lose you." Buffy, stocking up on the goods, absentmindedly replies that she won't get hurt. Xander: "That's not what I meant." Buffy contemplates the knife in her hands.

Faith punches a bag, working out some of her aggression. Buffy washes her face. Angel sweats and dies a little more. Willow comes up with an address.

Faith's pad. Aggressive chick music plays. Faith lolls on the bed reading. Still stuck on the books that are mostly pictures, Faith? She chews on some red licorice, and suddenly the room is silent. Faith turns around to find a red-leather-clad Buffy by her stereo. "Is he dead yet?" Faith brightly asks. Buffy informs her that there's a cure. Faith: "Damn. What is it?" "Your blood," says Buffy. The music kicks in ominously, which is Faith's cue that she should start feeling scared right about now. Faith threatens that she's not going to be taken alive, and Buffy is grim when she says that's not going to pose any sort of problem. Buffy approaches Faith and says, "You told me I was just like you. That I was holding it in." Faith asks if she's ready to let it all hang out. Buffy punches Faith hard across the jaw and Faith returns the favor. And they're off. The fight is simply masterful. Can I tell they're stunt doubles? Yes. Do I care? No. It's no more unbelievable than vampires and demons roaming the earth to feed upon the living, and the show requires me to suspend that particular belief every friggin' episode. The fight takes Buffy and Faith from the living room over a railing to a raised alcove with a half-moon window. Buffy pulls Faith through the window, landing half a flight down on a balcony. While Faith is dazed, Buffy quickly handcuffs Faith's wrist to her own. I honestly can't recall how I felt when this episode aired about Buffy's transformation from "I can't kill Faith," to "why, yes, thank you. I'd be more than happy to kill Faith." But I do know that it really saddens and bothers me now. Sep and I discussed it, and Sep's attitude is best summed up as, "[Shrug]," because Faith had it coming, but I don't know. I just want Buffy to be above this kind of behavior. Kill Faith in self-defense during a fight Faith started? Sure. Run over to Faith's apartment and stick her in the gut? Not so much. It's interesting to think back to all the criticism on the boards after "The Gift" that Buffy only seemed to care about those close to her being hurt by Glory/Ben if she let Ben go. It would seem that attitude was nothing new for her, because she basically only grouses about Faith after Faith murders the professor and doesn't seem that concerned about his death. Mess with her boyfriend, though, and suddenly she's all psycho-killer out for revenge.

By Ace

Faith punches a bag, working out some of her aggression. Buffy washes her face. Angel sweats and dies a little more. Willow comes up with an address.

By Ace

Sweaty Angel mumbles Buffy's name to a concerned Willow and Oz, who are keeping watch. Yawn. How suspenseful.

At the library, Giles mutters to himself and goes up to the mezzanine to locate a book. He's found a lead. He thumbs through the book, Xander at his side, until he finds a picture of the demon Olvikan. The book unfolds and unfolds as if Olvikan was the centerfold in the May 1998 B.C. issue of Playdemon. Xander mutters, "We're gonna need a bigger boat."

Mayoral office. Wilkins chows down on one of the black bugs while a vampire henchman watches. He talks briefly about the feeling of power coursing through him and his organs shifting in preparation for the remodel. "Plus these babies are high in fiber. And what's the fun in becoming an immortal demon if you're not regular, am I right?" Another plus is that they turn your teeth black. Not to be overlooked. Vampire Minion just stands there, not especially concerned with regularity. Vampire Minion Redux enters slightly, uh, out of breath. "We don't knock during dark rituals?" admonishes the Mayor, but Minion Redux tells him that there's trouble at Faith's. Quick! To the Misappropriated-City-Fundsmobile!

Buffy and Faith fight and fight and fight some more. I really miss the long shots that have been absent since Jeff left. Although I must say that I'm very distracted by the obvious mat instead of the cement floor in some of the scenes. I never noticed it in one of the three hundred scheduled airings of this episode, but now that I have, I just can't tune it out. Faith manages to break free from the handcuffs. She picks up a metal bar. Buffy brings out the knife. "That's mine," snarls Faith in recognition. Buffy invites her to come and get it. The fight moves to the edge of the balcony. The girls teeter, and Buffy stabs Faith right in the gut. The moment she does it, she looks shocked and chagrined. Faith gets off one more punch, sending Buffy to the ground, and then leaps off the edge, timing it so that she lands in the bed of a truck on top of some wood pallets. Buffy is big-eyed with shock and despair.