CNET Networks Entertainment GameSpot | GameFAQs | SportsGamer | MP3.com | TV.com | Metacritic
Score: 9.2 Superb 398 votes

This Year's Girl (1)

Episode Number: 71    Season Num: 4    First Aired: Tuesday February 22, 2000    Prod Code: 4ABB15
After eight months in a coma after her fight with Buffy, Faith awakens to seek revenge. After Faith is thwarted by both Buffy and the cops, Mayor Wilkins gives her a mysterious gift from beyond the grave. Armed with her secret weapon, Faith confronts Buffy in a climatic slayer-on-slayer battle...

Cast and Crew

Add Cast | Add Crew
Writer: Douglas Petrie
Director: Michael Gershman
Star: Anthony Stewart Head (Rupert Giles),  Alyson Hannigan (Willow Rosenberg),  James Marsters (Spike),  Sarah Michelle Gellar (Buffy Anne Summers),  Marc Blucas (Riley Finn),  Nicholas Brendon (Alexander 'Xander' Harris)
Recurring Role: Bailey Chase (Graham Miller),  Leonard Roberts (Forrest Gates),  Amber Benson (Tara),  Kristine Sutherland (Joyce Summers),  Harry Groener (Mayor Richard Wilkins III),  Eliza Dushku (Faith)
Guest Star: Jack Esformes (Doctor),  Alastair Duncan (Collins),  Chet Grissom (Detective),  Brian Hawley (Orderly),  Sara Van Horn (Older Nurse),  Kimberly McRae (Visitor),  Mark Gantt (Demon),  Kevin Owers (Smith),  Jeff Ricketts (Weatherby)

Notes

add »
The running time of this episode was originally 9 minutes short. Scenes of Willow/Tara and Xander/Giles looking for Faith were added. Spike was not originally supposed to appear in this episode, but was included into the Giles and Xander scene. (edit)
In the dream sequence Faith foreshadows the arrival of Buffy's sister Dawn in the next season. (edit)
Christophe Beck (the composer) uses the same score from the inital fight between Buffy and Faith in Graduation Day Part I, as he does in this episode during the final fight scene. Additionally, the music from the dream sequences in both of these episodes are the same as well. (edit)
The woman Faith meets in the hospital says that it is Feb 25th, meaning that it has been one month and six days since the beginning of episode 12, 'A New Man' (Buffy's birthday). (edit)
The working title for this episode was "Rise and Shine". (edit)

Quotes

add »
(Willow behind Faith ready to attack her with her school bag)
Faith: Try it, Red, and you'll lose an arm.
(Willow backs away frightened) (edit)
Xander (Referring to Faith): You don't even know what she looks like!
Spike: Let's see... dark hair, yay high, psychotic... I think I like this broad already. (walks away)
Xander: (Looking at Giles) We're dumb... (edit)
Faith: Thought I'd got to the clean marine, didn't you? He's a cutie. Looks like he could use a good roll in the sack.
Buffy: You're not his type. He's not big on sleaze.
Faith: He's probably just never tried it. (edit)
Joyce: (to Faith) Were you planning to slit my throat any time soon? (edit)
Faith: You're thinking, "You'll never get away with this!" Warm?
Joyce: Actually, I was thinking my daughter is going to kill you soon.
Faith: That a fact?
Joyce: More like a bet.
Faith: Whoa. You got a pair on you, Joyce. I like seeing that in a woman your age. (edit)

Trivia

add »
When Buffy and Faith are fighting near the front door, it looks like theres a partition of the wall missing where the front door should go. (edit)
When Buffy is chasing Faith into the living room, Faith opens the door so that Buffy would smash through it. As she does that you can clearly see an elbow from one of the crew holding the boom mic to the left of your screen. (edit)
After Buffy runs up to look over the wall Faith has just leapt over, Buffy's shirt pulls out from her pants. Look closely and you can see Sarah Michelle Gellar's real life tattoo on her left hip. (edit)
When Faith puts her jacket on in Joyce's room, you can clearly see she has no tattoo on her arm. (edit)
If you watch when Buffy chases Faith on the campus, you can see her running on the path towards Faith, but in the next shot, Buffy is running straight off the path and onto the grass. (edit)

Allusions

add »
Faith: So that's my dream. That and some stuff about cigars and a tunnel.
Faith makes a Freudian kind of joke. Freud believed that things in our dreams where symbolic. Cigars and tunnels would be symbolic of sex. (edit)
Buffy: Well, you haven't seen this Adam thing. He's the Terminator without the bashful charm.
The title character from the movie The Terminator was far from being bashful or charming. Buffy uses the hyperbole to express just how dangerous Adam is. (edit)
Tell the world what you think of This Year's Girl (1), write a review for this episode.
Write a Review

Community Reviews (13)

 
9.0
Superb
This Year's Girl (1)
"Well written"
This is a good episode which has a cool dream sequence, a few character insights and Faith awakening from her coma.
Continue » Posted Jun 26, 2008 5:02 am PST
9.3
Superb
This Year's Girl (1)
"Cleverly plotted"
Faith is out of her coma!!yay!
Continue » Posted May 10, 2008 7:31 am PST
10.0
Perfect
This Year's Girl (1)
"A very special episode"
By far one of the greatest, if not 'the' greatest Buffy episode ever produced. The comatose/dream sequences alone had me, the Buffy/Faith fight scenes capped it off! A true masterpiece!
Continue » Posted Jan 20, 2008 9:48 am PST
10.0
Perfect
This Year's Girl (1)
"Exactly why I watch this series"
Faith's back!!!!
Continue » Posted Jul 17, 2007 10:48 am PST
10.0
Perfect
This Year's Girl (1)
"A very special episode"
An awesome kick-ass episode!
Continue » Posted Feb 6, 2007 4:41 pm PST
Previous Next
advertisement

Episode Vital Stats

 
Episode: This Year's Girl (1)
Season Number: 4
Episode Reviews: 13
Episode
Score:
9.2 Superb 398 votes
Rating Statistics:
superb: 214 (53.8%)
perfect: 92 (23.1%)
great: 72 (18.1%)
good: 13 (3.3%)
Other: 7 (1.8%)
Your This Year's Girl (1) Score
This content requires Macromedia Flash Player 7 or higher. Get Flash
Review This Episode Contribute

Top Contributors

 
Editor grailwolf
Score: 2,897 points
TvTome_Murdok
Score: 1,718 points
Retired SmegHead3000au
Score: 1,531 points
Trusted BuffyAnneLove
Score: 1,369 points
Trusted Adelette
Score: 1,058 points
SleepTight
Score: 588 points
arkhyel
Score: 389 points
RobinHood70
Score: 338 points
karatattoo
Score: 189 points
ISpeakTheTruth
Score: 155 points