Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Listening to Fear.

episode 87.
airdate: 28 Nov 2000.

This is another episode I dread because Joyce is going to be all brain-tumory and upsetting. But, I must trudge through. *deep breath*

Buffy and Dawn are keeping mom company (as pictured). It's all very sweet. Giles, Willow, and Xander are fighting vampires alone. Willow stakes two vampires all by herself. Riley doesn't show up, as he was apparently supposed to do. He's in a vampire den with a girl on his arm. He is hating himself...all very junky-like, of course.

Joyce has a weird little outburst when Willow was in the room with them all. Buffy explains that brain tumors can make you say weird things. Another crazy in the hospital says Dawn has "no data" and points at her. Ben tells them the mental ward is so overworked that they're sending a lot of patients home that need 24-hr care.

Later, Willow and Tara are camping out (why? I dunno.) watching the stars and Willow explains something I've always thought about. Like when they tell you looking at the stars is supposed to make you feel insignificant, but really it makes you feel like you're a part of space....something bigger. The opposite of insignificant. I agree with that. Then a meteorite crashes somewhere nearby. The crazy dude from the hospital (I hate writing the word hospital) shows up at the crash site. Joyce is freaking out and doesn't want to be at the hospital anymore. She's angry and wants to go home. Buffy convinces the doc to take her home while waiting for the operation that's two days away still. Riley, Anya, Giles, Willow, Tara, and Xander are checking out the crash site now. They find the crazy dude dead closeby. He has smelly goop in his mouth. Everyone (except Riley) decides to go into research-mode instead of exploring the woods. Riley stays back to investigate the "crime scene", but really he calls some old military friends. I see now that he is not "other". He needs to get back to his old life of commands and structure and ordered life. The demon that came away from the crash site (didn't mention him, but he's all slimy, wormy, and toothy) is gooping up all over the crazies Glory leaves behind after all the brain-sucking, and either they die of suffocation or of goop-poison, I don't know which.

The military dudes show up and Riley explains the sitch to them. Joyce is being really crazy. Tells Dawn she's a thing and to get away from her. That she's a shadow, etc. Buffy is dealing with it really well. Taking care of everyone. You don't normally see caretaker-Buffy. Dawn is noticing a pattern: the crazy dudes calling her a "thing" or "not real" etc. Buffy comforts her. She's being very big about all of the Dawn-stuff. Giles just said "killer snot-monster from outer space". First laugh in the episode!

Poor Joycey. And Dawn. Can you imagine dealing with your mom and a brain tumor at age 14?! Poor thing. Buffy is downstairs doing dishes when she fucking cracks. Finally breaks down and cries...hard, with Spanish music playing. That's when you do it...when you're washing dishes. Fo sho. The wormy thing is on the ceiling tormenting Joyce. The military dudes figure out that the demon is gone. Riley realizes it's going to Joyce. Dawn is fighting it as Buffy is crying downstairs. Dawn is handling herself very well. Buffy goes upstairs after Dawn calls for her and fights the thing. Spike shows up. He has some story about needing some of the "junk" from their basement, but just as B is noticing he's slipping pictures of her into his jacket (obsession, like I said last night) the Queller (snot-monster from outer space) demon jumps out and attacks him. Buffy has a kitchen knife at this point and kills him real quick. Right after, the military dudes, and Riley, show up.

Cut to Ben getting into his car at night. One of Glory's minions is in the backseat. Ben seems familiar with him and it is revealed that he's the one that summoned the Queller demon "cleaning up Glory's mess, just like I've done my entire life". Joyce asks Buffy if Dawn is real. "She's not mine, is she?" Buffy tells her the truth. "She does belong to us, though." Buffy agrees. They both agree they'll take care of her. Joyce is being wheeled off to surgery now. Everyone is there. Heart. Breaking.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Shadow.

episode 86.
airdate: 21 Nov 2000.

Joyce is getting a CATscan. How awful. I totally get why Joss had to have some real life drama in the midst of all the usual supernatural, but it is so hard.

The Glory-minions are so creative with their worship-terms. "Your creamy-coolness." Everyone at the Magic Box is looking up stuff to do with Glory, not really having anywhere to look as they don't know much about her yet while SHE'S planning a visit to the magic shop. Riley goes to visit Buffy and the door is ajar. Spike is there smelling Buffy's sweaters. "It's a predator thing, nothing wrong with it." Spike mentions that they spent time together last night. "Sorry, Charlie, but you're just not dark enough." Riley doesn't even know Joyce is at the hospital. Riley is understandably upset that he didn't know, and especially that Spike did. He's real classy about it when he catches up with Buffy at the hospital; doesn't mention Spike. Joyce explains she has a "shadow" and that they're doing a biopsy to see what it is.

"Brain cloud."

Tara suggests that maybe "she" (Glory) is something that predates language, so that's why she's not in the books. Giles remembers the Dagon sphere is meant to repel "that which cannot be named". That's when Glory shows up to buy her stuff, but of course no one knows it's her because Buffy is the only one who's seen her and she isn't there. Buffy is pretending to be comforted by Riley's presence, though I suspect she just wants him gone. The doc says she has a brain tumor. As he's explaining it, Buffy spaces out so you don't hear most of what he says. She has a "nearly one in three chance of doing just fine". Ben interrupts and sort of diffuses the situation. Buffy has to bail and go talk to Giles. She tells Riley to tell Dawn they don't know anything yet. Heart. Breaking.

Anya notices the combination of things sold on a receipt to one customer and freaks out. They suddenly realize the "young woman would have to have enormous power"...oops. Oh god. Dawn tells Riley that Buffy doesn't "get all worked up" over him, like she did with Angel. She meant that she isn't crying all the time and "drama drama", but of course he takes this as lack of passion, which is true. When Buffy goes to talk to Giles they tell her (well, Anya accidentally starts it) about Glory getting the ingredients for a spell to transmogrify a cobra. Buffy goes to "kill it" without consulting anyone, of course. She finds Glory, but Glory beats her up, again. Arise, cobra, arise! It's a giant man-cobra. She tells it to go find the Key, then come back and tell her where it is.

Xander confronts Riley alone about his going in to kill that vampire gang alone the night before. He's real classy about it and asks if Riley is ok. "If she needs me..." Buffy apparently didn't hear that the snake's purpose was to find the Key. Buffy is going to Giles every time she needs someone and not Riley. He's drinking in the bar again. Poor thing. How many times have I written those two words about Riley? He sees the vamp chick from the night before and goes somewhere with her. She drinks his blood. He feels wanted, for a second, then he kills the vampire.

Creepy snake with arms breaks into the magic shop and stares at Dawn, then turns around and leaves. Buffy figures out the snake's purpose (she was in the shop when it happened) and goes after it on foot. Giles catches up in his car and helps Buffy in pursuit. Buffy swiftly jumps on the cobra-man's back with a chain and strangles it when she catches up, thanks to Giles. He's such a stud. She's pretty studly herself, with all the giant-snake stranglin'. Ok, wait, the strangling doesn't work so Buffy punches it to death, and then punches some more way after it's dead.

Riley is being a little overly sensitive, but I do understand. He's a full-time gf kinda dude and Buffy is soooo not. And he's got no one else. It makes sense, but from Buffy's POV, she's not doing anything wrong, just being herself.