Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in. I finally decided it wasn't worth the annoyance, and didn't watch the past couple of episodes. And now here I am again. Although skipping a couple of shows made the previouslys more amazing, because when you've had some time to forget, the appalling clothing on this show really jumps out at you. So, previously on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Willow wore an unflattering brown top while insisting that Tara wouldn't hang up on her, Dawn decided everything was all about her, Buffy wore a shirt I'll have nightmares about while dumping Spike, the bridesmaids' dresses were at least intentionally ugly, and Xander didn't wear a vest with his tux, forcing him to call off the wedding.
Buffy walks down a street, looking at a printout of an online list of "new rentals." She approaches the house on the list.
Inside, Jonathan is dozing instead of noticing Buffy's approach. Apparently the Legion of Dim has hooked hidden cameras up to the vast array of Mac flatscreens nearby, although it sure seems like normal television sets would be cheaper. A long tube which looks ever so slightly like a gun barrel is aimed at Jonathan's head, and out shoots a stream of water. Warren's got a super-duper Super Soaker. Andrew laughs, and Warren yells at Jonathan for napping on the job. Jonathan says he's had trouble sleeping, and claims, "I'm going Jack Torrance in here." He asks why they can't sleep upstairs since they rented the whole house, and Warren rolls his eyes and explains that they can't afford yet another set. Andrew says, "We're on the lam -- we have to lay low. Underground." Jonathan points out that "underground" doesn't need to be taken literally, and I chime in to note that "on the lam" means that you're running, not staying put. Jonathan is forced to non sequitur in order to work in the obligatory geek reference, and asks Andrew, "Did you even read Legion of Doom?" The whole point of this episode is to make pedantry moot, which I resent, but that won't stop me from mentioning that I don't think there is a Legion of Doom comic. And more to the point, do they read The Invisibles -- actually, that might be too on the nose. Don't mind me, I'm making my own jokes. Andrew finally notices Buffy on the monitors, and Warren tells Andrew to "deploy [his] little friend." For a moment I'm very, very afraid, but then Andrew happily picks up his didgeridoo and starts playing it. Seriously.
Buffy's still poking around outside the house. Something crashes to the ground behind her, and she turns to see a demon that appears to have escaped from The Outer Limits. The original 1960s version. It's a guy wearing a shiny plastic mask with unblinking bugged-out eyes, and he's wearing a cape made out of a garbage bag. The Loan Shark was more convincing. Buffy quips, and with that the fight begins. Thrust, dodge, parry, spin, whir, trashcan-fu, and so on. Eventually the demon causes a little spike to pop out between the fingers of his hand. Wait -- the thing that pops out is a little sharp pointy weapon, not a little evil vampire. You get that, right? Anyway, they fight some more, and eventually the demon grabs Buffy from behind and plunges the spike into her arm.
Suddenly we cut to a hospital ward. Buffy is screaming in a corner while two orderlies work to inject a needle into her arm. One orderly says, "We're gonna have to strap her down." They start pulling her toward a bed, on which hand restraints are visible. The camera pulls back through a window in a door, and we see a hospital hallway full of doctors and the differently sane. Credits.
Buffy has followed me my whole life, everywhere. In bars, in cars, sidewalks, stores, everywhere. There's no escape. When we return, Buffy is lying against a car, and the demon is gone. She looks around, dazed.
The day we're at UCS, and Willow is preparing to ask Tara out on a date. We know this because she's rehearsing her come-on lines. Out loud. In public. And they think Buffy's crazy? Oh, that's later. Willow's smooth patter consists of "Wanna go out some time for coffee? Food? Kisses and gay love?" This just in: Willow's gay. She tries again, this time using "magic-free for insert-number-of-days now." This just in: Willow's addicted to magic. She spots Tara walking nearby and starts to hurry over. Before she can get there, she sees another girl greet Tara and kiss her on the cheek. Willow's face falls as she watches Tara and the young strumpet giggle together. She turns and hurries away. Tara spots Willow's retreating form, and then I realize that Tara's shirt is a crazy ruffled wrapping shirt and not the perfectly sane jacket I'd taken it for at first. I also thought she was wearing a little padlock around her neck, which intrigued me immensely, but I think it's just an ordinary necklace. I'll get over the clothing eventually. Maybe. Tara stares after Willow with that look she has that might mean almost anything.
Doublemeat Palace. Buffy's supervisor calls her, and she turns.
Wham, suddenly we're in the hospital. Buffy looks up as a nurse tells her, "It's time for your drugs." Wouldn't they call it "meds"? If only a friend of mine were available right now, I could have that fact-checked. And no, I don't mean Aaron. I don't know how that rumor got started.
Wham, we're back. The supervisor repeats, "If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were on drugs." Buffy turns back and dumps out a basket of burned fries.
Summers home. Buffy walks into the dining room, where Willow is "checking to see if Xander emailed." He hasn't. Buffy theorizes that Anya's already found Xander. And killed him. Sorry, that's my own theory. Buffy asks if Willow saw Tara, and Willow grumps about how she saw Tara canoodling with some other girl. Willow admits that she doesn't know what it meant. Buffy reassures her, "Once you fall for Willow, you stay fallen." I hope that's not true, because if so, poor Oz.
The doorbell rings, and Xander steps inside. Buffy and Willow immediately rush over and hug him. Aw, it was almost like they genuinely cared about him for a second there. Xander asks if Anya is at the house, and expositions, "Her suitcase is gone, and some of her stuff. And there's a 'closed' sign on the Magic Box." Did you check that mysterious place where Anya used to live before she moved in with you, Xander? Just a thought. Willow says that Anya left a few days ago, and Xander asks what Anya said before clearing out. "You mean, between sobs? There was mostly just wheezing." Buffy adds, "She was kind of broken." Man, I wish I had friends like these, who in times of trouble would be sure to say things that would make me feel even worse. Xander masters the obvious by saying, "I blew it." Buffy tries to reassure him, although she admits that their wedding wasn't the best time for Xander to dump his girlfriend. Xander insists, "It wasn't about breaking up," and says he misses Anya. Buffy asks if Xander still wants to date Anya, and Xander emphatically replies, "I guess." Well, that's stirring. Against all available evidence, he claims that Anya made him a better person, and says that ever since he abandoned his fiancée at the altar, "[he's] had this painful hole inside." Yeah, maybe that's the space where your conscience should be. He admits that he screwed up, and Buffy reassures him that they all do.
Some people seem to have taken offense at the "Brad" gag from my previousBuffyrecap. That sort of reaction just encourages me, you know. Brad strolls through the graveyard with a bag of groceries. At least he's in basic black. He spots Buffy nearby and asks if she's looking for him. She isn't. He responds by telling her to be on her way, and then starts a conversation with her. "Did you cry?" he asks, clarifying that he's asking about the wedding. "You didn't hear," Buffy observes, and goes back to tell Brad all the gossip. Buffy says that Anya was "devastated," and seems skeptical of Xander's chances to win her back. Brad sniffs, "Some people can't see a good thing when they've got it." Ah yes, in retrospect I'm sure Buffy regrets how she casually threw away her chances for more feelings of shame, emotional manipulation, and creepy semi-public gropings. Brad does kind of look like he's just teasing her, though. Xander and Willow suddenly arrive, and Buffy nervously lies that she was just questioning Brad about "what kind of dangerous contraband he had." Brad stomps out his cigarette and passive-aggressively offers to "stop bothering [her]" as he heads home. Xander chirps, "Just run along," and of course Brad has to take that as a challenge. Willow seems to be wearing her hat inside-out. Because nobody would make a hat that's fuzzy and burnt orange, right? That's gotta just be the lining. Brad snarks at Xander, calling him "the king of the big exit." Xander grrs, and Brad goads him some more. Willow falls back on cutesiness, suggesting that the guys "release this very manly thing the other way." Does that mean Buffy has to sleep with them both now? Brad flutters his eyelashes at Xander, which is very strange, and Xander snaps, "I forgot, Willie Wannabite can't hurt me!" Buffy suddenly sinks down in distress as Brad insists that he's "more than happy to beat you right through the pain, you pathetic poof." Xander punches Spike, knocking him down, and Buffy clutches her head and moans, "Guys, don't..."
Buffy's back in the hospital, curled up in a corner of her room. A doctor sits down nearby and asks if she knows where she is. "Sunnydale," she whispers. The doctor says, "None of that's real." He says that she's spent the past six years in a mental institution, and asks if she remembers any of it.
Brad tumbles over his bag of groceries as Xander and Willow hurry to help Buffy, who has nearly collapsed.
The doctor reaches out toward Buffy, but she jumps at his touch and starts tapping her forehead against the wall. The doctor reassures her and says, "Look who's here!" Buffy looks up and sees Joyce and Hank walking into the room. I think that Joyce is wearing the same shirt as that guy from Blue's Clues. Look for the paw-prints, Buffy! Then you can figure this out! Joyce kneels down and says, "Welcome home, sweetie." Hank looms over Joyce's shoulder and looks menacing, although I don't think that's intentional. Commercials.
Johanna calls and says "poor Xander" a few times. "Yeah, whatever," is my response. Johanna feels sorry for Xander because he's sad. She's a soft touch. I think Xander made his own bed. Burying his doubts up until the wedding was bad; abandoning Anya to explain to their friends and his family that he'd just called off the wedding is inexcusable.
Saigon. I'm still only in Saigon. And Buffy's still in the hospital. The doctor says that maybe having Joyce and Hank there is helping her, although Buffy's reaction suggests that it isn't. She looks stricken and covers her ears as they try to talk to her.
Back at the graveyard, Xander and Willow agree that they should get Buffy home. Brad suggests taking her to his place instead, but for some reason they don't think that his recently-exploded crypt would be quite as comfortable as Buffy's own home. They head out while Brad mutters that Buffy likes having ice on the back of her neck.
Apparently, upon getting her home, Buffy's friends abandon her and go out partying, because it's the day when she explains what's going on. She tells Xander, Willow, and Dawn about her demon encounter, and then describes her universe-shifting experiences. The fact that she went an entire day without mentioning this to anyone tires me. "I was looking for our enemies, and at one of their possible locations I was attacked by a demon." That by itself seems like an important clue which she should share. And then we move on to, "After the demon punctured me with a spikey thing, I had strange visions." Does she think they won't believe her? Because I think she's established herself as rather credible when it comes to strange demonic side-effects. Anyway, Buffy slowly explains that she wasn't a Slayer, she was a mental patient, and hesitantly admits that Joyce and Hank were both there, and still married. Dawn gets sniffly at the thought of Joyce being alive. Xander makes a speech about how the reality is that there are vampires and demons and a single girl has to save the world and her sister is a ball of light and why would Buffy think she's crazy to believe all that, and it goes on way too long considering how very obvious the joke is. Willow takes charge and starts assigning tasks to find out what's going on.
Buffy's in the doctor's office, listening as he describes her illness to her parents. Joyce is now wearing a black cardigan over a white T-shirt, so I guess time is moving along at the same rate in both stories. The doctor, who I sure wish had a name, tells Buffy's parents that "for the last six years [Buffy's] been in an undifferentiated type of schizophrenia." Shouldn't Hank and Joyce already know that? He describes Buffy's delusion, and summarizes the show: Buffy's a superhero, her friends have special powers, they battle evil forces, blah blah blah meta-cakes. Buffy, still confused, starts insisting that Warren is causing this, and calls for Dawn. Hank's a little confused himself, so the doctor describes how Buffy ret-conned Dawn into the picture in order to strengthen her connection to her fantasy. Joyce tells Buffy to listen to the doctor. The doctor notices that Buffy's antagonists have gone from "grand villains" to "three pathetic little men who like playing with toys." Sadly, we cut away before he can also mention that her skills at witty dialogue, characterization, and pacing have also declined noticeably over the years.
Instead, we cut to the "pathetic little men" in question. Warren and Andrew are descending into the basement with big boxes of stuff. Warren chuckles, "That poison has got her drooling like some kind of, um..." Mental patient. Yeah, we get it. Jonathan hurries over and asks where they've been. They were getting supplies and, according to Andrew, "Checking out Buffy on the van's remote surveillance." Warren says that the demon has Buffy "tripping like a Ken Russell film festival." Okay, I liked that one. Jonathan asks what the new supplies are, and Warren replies, "Do you think we're plotting against you?" Well, if he didn't, he sure should now. Warren assures him that it's "just stuff," and that Jonathan will learn all about it "just as soon as [he] stop[s] being all freakazoid." Buffy versus Freakazoid would be cool. Warren turns to the computer and pulls up some diagrams of a vault. Andrew whines, "I still say we're gonna need at least eight other men to pull this off." Heh. Warren mutters, "I never should have let you see that movie," and suddenly Jonathan turns and heads for the door.
Warren jumps up and asks where Jonathan's going. Jonathan sniffs that he needs his own mysterious "stuff." Warren discourages him, saying, "It's just not safe out there alone." He wheedles Jonathan, and insists, "I know you're antsy; we all are, but you see, things are about to pick up!" Is that more meta-commentary on the season thus far? Let it be noted that I do think the guy who plays Warren is very good. Having finished his "buck up, little camper" speech, Warren returns to the computer. Jonathan looks nervous, as well he should. Although if he's so desperate to leave the basement, maybe he should have gone while the other two were out.
Summers home. Buffy stares at a photo of herself with her parents when she was just a teeny little Slayer. Willow enters and happily declares that she's identified the demon. She hands Buffy a printout with a picture of a "Glarghk Gughl Kashma'anik" demon. Willow chirps that the demon's stinger can be used to create an antidote to the poison. She doesn't say a word about what the poison does, which is vexing. I understand that they want to leave it as ambiguous as possible for the audience, but the thing is, it might help Buffy to know whether she's having hallucinations or seeing alternate realities or what. I mean, does the demon's toxin make everyone think that their whole life has been a hallucination? That's a pretty specialized demon. Buffy sits quietly and finally breathes, "I feel so lost." Willow suddenly looks terrified and tries to reassure her, but Buffy says the problem isn't just the demon: "I've been so detached. You know, like I've been saying over and over and over for the past two years? Yup, I'm still feeling that way." Willow makes her eyes go big and insists, "You are not in an institution. You have never been in an institution." Buffy sniffs, "Yes I have," allowing her voice to break in a way that's almost as overdone as Brad's head-tilting thing. Buffy explains, "Back when I saw my first vampires, I got so scared. I told my parents, and they completely freaked out." So they sent her to a clinic for few weeks until "[she] stopped talking about it, and they let [her] go." A tear drips from her Maybellined lashes as she says, "Eventually they just...forgot." Oh sure, I could see how you'd forget a thing like that, especially when a few years later you found out it was actually all true, and -- what? "God, that's horrible," Willow and I both say, although I think we're talking about different things. Buffy squeaks some more about how maybe she's really in the clinic. Willow tries to reassure her, and says that Xander's out hunting the demon so that they can make an antidote. Buffy says that Xander can't fight the demon alone, but Willow says he's got help.
Brad snerks, "She's having the wiggins, is she," as he and Xander take a romantic stroll through the woods. I remember when I had a case of the wiggins. Antibiotics cleared it all up, though. Brad thinks that Buffy's hallucinations are a bit self-centered, but notes, "It might explain some things, this all being in that twisted brain of hers. Think up some chip in my head, make me fall in love with her, then turn me into a sodding sex slave." That last bit captures Xander's attention, but Brad quickly dismisses it and moves on. He says, "In a different reality, you might not have left your bride at the altar." Xander turns and threatens, "One more syllable about Anya --" Luckily, they're interrupted by the demon before Brad can point out that he's picking on Xander, not Anya. Brad looks at the silly demon and grumps, "You didn't say it was a Glarghk Gughl Kashma'anik!" Xander whines, "'Cause I can't say Glarg --" Ha! And then they fight. Brad punches the demon a few times until Xander can shoot a tranquilizer into its chest. The demon punches Brad. Xander punches the demon. Brad punches the demon a few times until Xander can shoot a tranquilizer into its chest. Are we doing the "Life Serial" repeat-o-vision again? Finally the demon collapses. Xander says, "I altered his reality!" and giggles at his own joke. I bet that's why he ignored Brad's revelation earlier; he was busy thinking up quips. Xander, waiting for laughter, looks back and forth from Brad to the demon until his eyeballs look like they're on "tilt" and finally says, "Never mind."
In the meantime, Buffy has moved up to her room, the better to stare numbly into space. Dawn brings her tea and sits down on the bed; she feels Buffy's forehead and cheek and frets that she's feverish. Buffy stares at Dawn and notes, "I should be taller than you." Then Buffy insists that they have to start making a positive change in their lives. She goes over Dawn's list of misdeeds and declares, "Willow's been doing your chores, hasn't she?" Well, it'd be nice if Willow did something around the house. Dawn insists, "No! It's the fever." The fever's been doing her chores? "It's cooking your brain," she clarifies. Oh. Buffy suddenly grabs Dawn's arm and says they have to deal with these things.
In the hospital, Joyce tells Buffy that she doesn't have a sister. "Say it. It'll help you believe it." Hank watches menacingly from a chair nearby. Buffy hesitantly admits, "I know I didn't grow up with her...the monks, they made her." Hank tells Buffy that her mind is playing tricks on her. Joyce strokes Buffy's cheek as she says that they just want to take Buffy home. Buffy reaches out toward Joyce's face.
Buffy pets Dawn's face and suddenly pulls back. Dawn sniffles, "I'm not even there, am I?" Dawn gets up and says, "It's your ideal reality and I'm not even a part of it." Six years in an institution sounds pretty ideal to me. Shut up, Dawn. Buffy tries to apologize, but Dawn stomps out, saying, "I have to go finish my chores."
Xander and Brad tug the revived demon toward a supporting beam in the basement. They carted that thing across town? Wouldn't it have been easier if Willow had gone with them? Ah, well. Willow pulls on some industrial cleaning gloves while the guys chain the demon against the beam. Xander holds the demon's arm up so that Willow can stab some tongs into it. The spike pops out of the demon's hand, and Willow breaks it off. Yow. She drops the spike into a jar while giving Xander a shopping list for the Magic Box. "Just for the medicinal properties -- no magic!" she insists. There's a rumor going around that Willow's addicted to magic. Let me know if that turns out to be true, would you? (Note to well-intentioned emailers: that was a joke. Because how could someone be addicted to magic? Silly me.) She says she'll meet him at the campus lab. Brad says he'll hang around and keep an eye on the demon. Xander says, "Make sure that's all you're ogling!" Although his lips say, "Make sure that's all you're doing!" Neither of which make a lot of sense in context. "Make sure that's all you're keeping an eye on" is the only thing that works as a response to what Brad said. And that's still kind of weak. Because should he not keep an eye on Dawn and the hallucinating Buffy? I think the best solution would have been to end the scene after Brad's line.
It's the morning when Willow enters Buffy's room to announce, "I've got yummy antidote goodness for ya." She hands Buffy a mug, instructing her to drink the contents once they're cool. Buffy says, "You never stop coming through. Thank you, Willow," but her expression is still blank. I'm terribly distracted because I'm trying to identify the posters in Buffy's room. For a second I think one of them is an Arkham Asylum poster, which would be pretty funny. It isn't, sadly. Brad appears in the doorway and asks Willow how Buffy is. Willow tells him, "Make sure she drinks all that," and leaves to go reassure Dawn. Brad starts to chat with Buffy, who insists, "You need to leave me alone. You're not a part of my life!" Brad says fine, and turns to leave. And then he turns back, because he loves Parthian shots. He starts to come closer, but a stray sunbeam catches him on the face and he hops back. Starting over, he says, "I hope you don't think this antidote's gonna rid you of that nasty martyrdom." As I think someone pointed out in the forums, she did actually die twice, so a martyr complex is somewhat justified. Brad goes on to say, "You're not drawn to the dark like I thought. You're addicted to the misery." He says that she won't tell her friends about their sexcapades because "they'd either understand, and help you -- God forbid -- or drive you out, where you could finally be at peace. In the dark, with me." Interesting theory, but I don't think the only thing keeping Buffy from a blissful relationship with Brad is fear of what her friends will think. Maybe I'm making too much of the fact that she's repeatedly made it clear that she doesn't love him. And if anything, her guilt and shame seemed to be based around the fact that she was having sex with someone she didn't even like. I won't even bother myself with the fact that this is probably not the best time for Brad to have a serious chat with Buffy, because that's glaringly obvious. Anyway, Brad tells Buffy, "Let yourself live, already." Which was really good advice ten episodes ago. Suddenly he declares, "You either tell your friends about us, or I will." So he's tired of Buffy moping, and now he's given her another thing to mope about. Swell. Having moved that plot forward another millimeter, Brad exits. Buffy closes her eyes in ennui and then looks at the mug of antidote. With much lip-trembling, she leans over and pours it out into a trashcan.
Buffy looks around at her parents and doctor and sniffles, "I don't wanna go back there. I wanna be healthy again. What do I have to do?"
Commercials. Johanna calls and says that, for once, she's glad Oz isn't around, because he'd probably be upset to discover that he's a figment of Buffy's imagination, a la "Earshot." I point out that he also wouldn't be very helpful in this situation, because if Buffy told him that everything in Sunnydale was the invention of a hallucinating nutcase, he'd probably say that explained a lot. And then he'd ask, "Since when do you have a sister?"
Buffy Summers! I always knew someday she'd turn up on my TV. I never doubted that. Something made it inevitable. The doctor says it won't be easy: "You have to start ridding your mind of those things that support your hallucinations." I can't help but think it would be easier for Buffy to let go of her dream world if she had a little more reassurance about the outside world. If I spent six years in a blank, white room, I'd start coming up with things to entertain myself, too. Take her outside, show her that she isn't in Sunnydale. I'm not a doctor, but I play one in this recap. The doctor goes on, "I'm talking about those things you want there, what keeps you going back." "My friends," Buffy mutters. The doctor nods sagely and says, "Last summer when you had a momentary awakening, it was them that pulled you back in." Joyce says that Buffy's imaginary friends are keeping her from getting healthy. She's wearing a different sweater now. I don't know why I'm still keeping track of this, but now that I've started, I can't stop. The doctor adds, "You have to do whatever it takes to convince yourself of that, Buffy."
Willow bumps into Buffy in a doorway and says, "I was just comin' to check on you." She asks if the antidote worked, and Buffy hedges that she's "dazed, but better." Willow expositions that the demon is still in the basement in case the antidote fails and they "need more parts." Ew. Willow offers to make Buffy something to eat, and they wander off.
Some time later, Xander knocks on the front door and immediately enters. He calls out for the others, but no one answers. He finally finds Buffy in the kitchen, and asks if she took the antidote. Buffy stiffly says that she's better. He asks if she's ready to "finish off that demon" and get it out of her basement. She doesn't answer, so Xander blathers about how he's not in the mood to see Brad, saying, "Talk about losing touch! Hate to say it, but I almost feel sorry for the guy -- I mean, the things that poor guy was saying!" He goes on like that until Buffy bonks him on the head with a frying pan. The Xander-POV shot was funny, with the frying pan coming at the camera. Hee. I think it's nice that Xander's amazingly thick skull is part of continuity, because he doesn't seem at all injured by that blow to his head. In fact, he tussles with Buffy for a few seconds, until then she punches him on the back, which knocks him unconscious. I don't know why, either. I did like Xander's chit-chat, though, because I thought he was desperately trying to give Buffy an opening to say, "Of course I'm not sleeping with Brad! That's ridiculous! Silly ol' Brad!" So he's not completely ignoring Brad's comments, which means this isn't nearly as bad as his terminal stupidity in "Gone."
Buffy drags Xander down the stairs into the basement. I think Buffy would be scarier here if she was acting more like her normal self, with quips and jolliness. But that's me. Xander is thrown onto the floor, and he revives just enough to look up and see Willow. She's also on the floor, with her arms tied and duct-tape across her mouth. Buffy looks down at her friends, no doubt thinking, "Well begun is half done." The demon snarls at her from its chains.
Buffy returns upstairs and locks the basement door with an old-fashioned key. Odd. She looks upstairs and calls Dawn, then heads up. Dawn is stuffing things into a bag when Buffy enters her room. Teenage snark, followed by Dawn explaining, "I'm going over to Janice's, where they actually like having me around." Shut up, Dawn. She goes on like that, and Buffy finally insists, "You're going downstairs with the others. It's the only way I can get healthy." Dawn, confused into a brief awareness that there's a world beyond her, says that Buffy looks sick. Buffy inches closer and finally tries to grab Dawn. Dawn dodges and runs away, calling for Willow. She runs into a bathroom and slams the door, because there's no way Buffy could break open a door, and then shouts, "You're hallucinating!" Buffy says she knows that. Dawn argues for a minute, and then Buffy kicks open the door. The room's empty, and the connecting door to the room is open. Buffy steps back into the hallway and spots Dawn in the bedroom doorway. This just in: Dawn's not so bright. There are windows all over the place; jump out one of them. Unless you think your super-powered sister won't be able to find you in the house you both share. They stare at each other, and Dawn insists, "I need you and love you. Somewhere inside you must know that's real!" Buffy says, "Sure it is. 'Cause what's more real: a sick girl in an institution, or some kind of supergirl, chosen to fight demons and save the world? That's ridiculous." See, that would have been better if she'd said it as if the idea was so ridiculous it amused her, instead of being all zombie-like. Dawn slams another door, so Buffy kicks that one open, too. There's a lot of repetition in this episode. Buffy continues, "A girl who sleeps with a vampire she hates? Yeah, that makes sense." Dawn tries to run, Buffy catches her, there's some screaming and so on. You get the idea.
Buffy throws a bound Dawn down to the basement floor. Dawn snivels, "I'll be good, I promise!" until Buffy puts duct-tape over her mouth. Ah, blessed quiet. Xander's now tied up as well, with his arms looped around another beam. Willow's not tied to anything, though, and she's been down there all this time without even rolling over, much less finding something she could use to cut the ropes? Sheesh. The demon growls.
The doctor tells Buffy, "Don't stress yourself." Joyce tells her to take her time. Hank menaces. The doctor adds that Buffy should "make it as easy on [herself] as possible." They're actually expecting a delusional schizophrenic to just will herself into sanity? How very A Beautiful Mind, I suppose.
Xander starts to wake up again as Buffy undoes the chains holding the demon. Freed, it heads across the room. Instead of attacking Buffy. Commercials.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer mostly comes on at night. Mostly. Yes, I am running out of movie quotes, how'd you know? Xander stands up and shouts, "I need my hands!" as he kicks at the demon. That's a funny line. Buffy backs up under the staircase.
Tara enters upstairs. Well, that's convenient. She calls out, "Anybody home?"
Xander kickboxes. The demon grabs Xander by the arm and pulls, which causes several loops of thick rope to snap like thread. Instead of, say, dislocating Xander's shoulder. Xander flies across the room into an old fridge, but luckily he hits it head-first, so he's fine. Buffy, frightened, watches from under the stairs.
Joyce tries to calm Buffy as she hops into a corner of her hospital room. Where'd Hank and the doctor go? Joyce reassures her that it isn't real as Buffy sinks to the floor.
Buffy sinks to the basement floor as Xander cries for help. Tara suddenly descends the basement stairs, calling for Willow. She spots Willow's bindings and calls, "Exemente." Poof, the ropes holding Willow and Dawn vanish. Tara says some more Latin and a set of shelves holding paint cans moves across the room, knocking into the demon. Tara comes further down the stairs, and Buffy reaches through the steps and grabs her foot, tripping her. Eeek! Beware of the Buffy under the stairs. Tara tumbles down the stairs, and Willow and Dawn hurry over to her while the demon keeps clubbing Xander.
In the hospital, Buffy mutters to herself. Joyce sits to her and says, "I believe in you. You're a survivor, you can do this!" Buffy moans and squeaks.
Buffy watches as Xander attacks the demon from behind before it can get to Dawn. The demon whacks Xander across the room and then goes for Dawn. Willow picks up a handy baseball bat and joins the battle. She gets clobbered for her trouble.
Buffy screams, "Willow!" while Joyce tells her to keep fighting. I really think the doctor should be present here. Even if he didn't intend for his advice to be taken as, "You must have an elaborate fantasy about causing your friends to die horribly," which seems like it would just make his patient more freaked out, he ought to take an interest in what's going on. Buffy sobs as Joyce says, "I know you're afraid. I know the world feels like a hard place sometimes, but you've got people who love you. Your dad and I, we have all the faith in the world in you. We'll always be with you." Buffy quiets down as Joyce says that Buffy just has to find the strength inside her. "Believe in yourself!" she insists. Buffy slowly turns and looks at her mom, then says, "You're right." She smiles, and Joyce looks hopeful. Then Buffy says sorta happily and sadly at the same time, "Goodbye." Okay, that was nicely done. Joyce's face falls. "Was it something I said?" she fails to ask.
Buffy stands up and faces the demon, then kicks it into week. There's punching and tossing, and then she punches her fist into its chest. And I do mean into. Yucko. The demon collapses, and Buffy stands above it with her hand covered in ectoplasm. She turns and looks at her friends, who are staring at her. "I'm so sorry," she whispers. Xander quickly insists, "We're okay; it's all okay." Willow tells Buffy to sit down, and Buffy says, "No, I can't. Not until I have the antidote." She can't even sit? That sucks. Willow says they'll make more without asking what happened to the last batch, but I guess she's understandably a little bewildered. "Everything will be okay, Buffy," Willow says.
Oh, there's the doctor, shining a penlight into Buffy's eyes. Buffy is still in the corner, her head leaning against the wall, staring unblinking at nothing. The doctor turns and declares, "Nobody puts Buffy in the corner!" and then there's a big dance number. Whoops, sorry. He says, "There's no reaction at all. I'm afraid we lost her." Joyce bursts into tears, and Hank hugs her as the camera pulls back. They should totally sue that doctor. The camera retreats through the window in the door and we fade to black just as the ghost of Rod Serling rushes into the studio asking, "Am I late?" Now, if they really wanted to be funny, the camera could keep going and move outside the hospital, and reveal that there are people flying around with jetpacks and the sky is green and everything's goofy. Although I probably only think that because jetpacks are cool.