Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 7 Episode 8

SLEEPER



The Good;

Love the gag that Billy Idol stole his image from Spike rather than the other way around. Some very effective horror and some nice comedy with Anya and Spike .



The Bad;

Nothing bad but this is a bridging episode



Best line;

Anya; "If I get bitten I'm going to come back as a vampire and bite your ass!"

Xander (smiling) "Wouldn't be the first time"



Women good/men bad;

When Spike rejects her Anya fears she's fat? (One of my favourite aspects of Terminator;SCC was Cameron's attempts to fit in as an American high school girl which she largely mastered by remembering the phrases "Bitchwhore much?" and "Does this make me look fat?")



Jeez!;

Spike biting pretty coeds



Kinky dinky;

Naked Spike under the sheets. Anya suggests some kinky stuff with the stake and says unsouled Spike would have her upside down and halfway to her happy place when souled Spike rejects her. Spike has no problem picking up women who seem a satire on the Spikettes. Xander seems to have a pornographic magazine on his table when Spike walks out. The bouncer is happy to let a girl as hot as Buffy in the club for free. She describes Spike as sallow but in a hot way. See also best line.



Captain Subtext;

The vamp at the Bronze suggests she'll take the boy and Spike can take the girl or 'the other way around'.



Apocalypses; 7,



Scoobies in bondage: Spike at the end for the first time since he became a Scooby.

Buffy: 8

Giles: 4

Cordy: 5

Will: 4

Jenny: 1

Angel: 4

Oz: 1

Faith: 3

Joyce: 1

Wes: 1

Xander; 2

Dawn; 4

Spike; 1



Scoobies knocked out: Xander by Spike

Buffy: 19

Giles: 12

Cordy: 6

Xander: 15

Will: 8

Jenny: 2

Angel: 6

Oz: 3

Faith: 1

Joyce: 3

Wes: 1

Anya;5

Dawn; 4

Tara; 1



Kills: 1 vamp Spike, 7 vamps for Buffy (will she reach the magic 200 kills before the end of the series?)

Buffy: 117 vamps, 60 demons, 6 monsters, 3 humans, 1 werewolf, 1 spirit warrior & a robot

Giles: 8 vamps, 2 demon, 1 human, 1 god.

Cordy: 3 vamps, a demon

Will: 6 vamps + 3 demons +1 fawn+1 human.

Angel: 3 vamps, 1 demon, 1 human

Oz: 3 vamps, 1 zombie

Faith: 16 vamps, 5 demons, 3 humans

Xander: 6 vamps, 2 zombies, 1 a demon,

Anya: 1 vamp and 1 a demon

Riley; 18 vamps + 7 demons

Spike; 9 vamps and 6 demons

Buffybot; 2 vamps

Tara; 1 demon

Dawn; 1 vamp + 1 demon



Scoobies go evil: Spike and how

Giles: 1

Cordy: 1

Will: 3

Jenny: 1

Angel: 1

Oz: 1

Joyce: 1

Xander: 4

Anya; 1

Dawn; 1

Buffy; 1

Spike; 1



Alternate scoobies:

Buffy: 8

Giles: 4

Cordy: 1

Will: 5

Jenny: 2

Angel: 3

Oz: 2

Joyce: 2

Xander: 4

Tara; 1

Dawn;1

Spike; 1

Anya; 2



Recurring characters killed: 12

Jesse, Flutie, Jenny, Kendra, Larry, Snyder, Professor Walsh, Forrest, McNamara, Joyce, Katrina, Tara



Sunnydale deaths; another 2 civies

101



Total number of scoobies: 6,

Xander, Buffy, Dawn, Willow, Anya, Spike



Xander demon magnet: 5(6?)

Preying Mantis Lady, Inca Mummy Girl, Drusilla, VampWillow, Anya (arguably Buffy & Faith with their demon essences?), Dracula?



Scoobies shot:

Giles: 2

Angel: 3

Oz: 4

Riley; 1

Buffy; 1

Tara; 1



Notches on Scooby bedpost:

Giles: 2; Joyce & Olivia, possibly Jenny and 3xDraccy babes?

Cordy: 1?

Buffy: 4 confirmed; Angel, Parker, Riley, Spike. 2 possible, Dracula+RJ(?)

Angel: 1;Buffy

Joyce: 1;Giles, 2 possible, Ted and Dracula(?)

Oz: 3; Groupie, Willow & Verucca

Faith:2 ;Xander, Riley

Xander: 2; Faith, Anya

Willow: 2;Oz and Tara

Riley; 3; Buffy, Sandy and unnamed vampwhore

Spike; 2 Buffy and Anya

Anya; 2 Spike and Xander



Dawn in peril; 13



Dawn the bashful virgin; 9



Questions and observations;

Xander refers to CSI (another point against Normal Again being true). He also remembers Holden Webster from SDH referring to him as 'Webs' (but then he'd have gone to school with him longer than Buffy did). One assumes the harmonica player Buffy passes is The First as he plays 'early one morning' and The First knows what Buffy is wearing when it appears later. Aimie Mann is great and she plays one of my favourite tunes from the Radio Sunnydale album. Oddly the vamp at the Bronz speaks of her and Spike being 'soul mates'. Vamps in the basement are very Evil Dead. What's the First's plan for them, is it just building an army to try and take over Sunnydale?

Marks out of 10; 7/10

Sleeper-After battling a new vampire who claimed to have been recently sired by Spike, Buffy warns the gang that they must keep a close eye on him. When Spike manages to go out, he falls into a mysterious trance and then seduces and attacks a girl as the First Evil looks on. Meanwhile in England, Giles finds a fellow watcher close to death.

As a direct follow-up to "Conversations With Dead People", "Sleeper" may not be as cleverly potted or a classic in it's own right, but it maintains the menacing feel and dark twists. Spike's new found ability to kill causes tension in the Scooby Gang, especially Buffy who plans to stop Spike by any means necessary. James Masters once again gives a stellar performance as Spike goes through a variety of emotions this episode. From his nonchalant attitude toward Buffy when he talks about her last encounter with a vampire to his utter horror over what he's done the past few weeks. Then there was the sequence of Buffy following him, leading to a pretty cool twist when Buffy approaches Spike and tells him to pretty much kill the girl he's with. It's obviously the First, but the way the scene plays out is just chilling, Sarah Michelle Gellar is great at playing menacing. The following scene is also exceptional work from both Sarah and James, as Buffy confronts Spike about the whereabouts of the girl he was just with. From Buffy being feed up and pissed to Spike's disbelief and uncertainty, the scenes between these two always gel together so well andy ou can see that Spike is not the man he once was.

I also loved the humorous scenes in this episode, especially with Anya. Her reaction to watching Spike after finding out he's killing people again was hilarious as well as when Spike catches her snooping through his things. The fact that she tries to have sex with Spike to cover her tracks is priceless. Then there's the moment Spike knocks out Xander fighting through the pain. Although, I felt Spike's investigation at the Bronze was kind of a weak point. When he runs into a vampire he recently sired it turns into a prettyhookyfight....and not in a good way. Also, the actress' delivery of "So that's all I was? A one bite stand!" always rubbed me the wrong way. Usually the writers are good with pulling off this kind of clever, silly(ish), but the execution was all wrong! Although, I did love the off handed comment by the lead singer coming off the stage at the Bronze about playing vampire towns! lol The episode concludes with an intense brawl with Buffy and Spike's latest victims coming back from the dead. It's a pretty awesome fight, where Buffy shows just how GOOD she's become as a slayer. We've seen her dustmultiplevampiresbefore but it's always awesome to see how effortless she makes it seem. I also loved the moment where before staking the last vampire who is an elderly woman, Buffy apologizes and tells her it's her job! Only scene like that on Buffy work! Now with Spike being unstable again, Buffy plans to watch her as well as the rest of the gang. Overall, "Sleeper" is dark, chilling episode with nice fake-outs, strong performances from James and Sarah as well as a great fight sequence toward the end. The arc is continuing nicely!

After an almost Spike-less episode, we have the start of Spike's journey from would-be rapist to ensouled Christ-like figure. In this episode, we see him killing again, but it also shows that his soul is working; his murderous days are over.





So why has Spike turned back to his old vampire ways – has he lost his chip, his soul, his mojo? Or is he controlled by an old folk tune and Buffy-as-the-First. In the aftermath of Conversations with Dead People, Buffy (the Slayer) leads an investigation, whilst Willow comforts Dawn re: the whole Joyce-as-Poltergeist deal. Dawn wants to believe that "Joyce" was lying about Buffy not choosing her, but it seems that just as Holden wasn't fibbing about Spike being his sire then Joyce-as-the-First might also be telling the truth. It's a little confusing, but then again, it's meant to be. We see Spike turn down Anya's proposition (who doesn't seem to be faking the sexual interest too much, as she tells him: "You were a lot more fun without a soul") but go out to pick up chicks, in the last ep we saw him murder a woman but in this, he tell Buffy that he can't be killing again: "The taste of human blood – that I'd remember". Xander thinks Spike is faking the chip pain, this comes back to bite Xand in the bum as we see Spike's agony as he punches Xander in the face.





Spike is a sleeper in both the sleeper agent sense in that he's awakened by the folk tune, but he is also literally a sleeper, sleepwalking through his part which is presumably why he is inured to the chip whilst biting his victims.





Getting flashbacks, Spike starts to investigate himself, finding his "one-bite stand" in the Bronze, who quickly turns into a one fight stand. People are so used to vamp-fights in the Bronze now that they don't even watch it. Even Aimee Mann is blasé about the scrap ("Man, I hate playing vampire towns".)





Spike finds himself going mad in the basement again as his sired bodies start to rise and he is caught between his soul & his love for Buffy, and his vamp self (portrayed by his vamp self) and Buffy-as-the-First – four sides of the same Spike coin. His id and his ego duke it out whilst Buffy has to unwittingly overcome the TFE portrayal of her, the Buffy (tender, kind, wicked) that Spike wants to see.





We realise that Spike's insanity was not caused by his new soul but by his hallucinations of the First. At the same time Buffy figures out that dead people also appear to Spike, that he's being lied to as well. This, to Buffy, proves his humanity and she tells him: "There's something playing with us. All of us." This is a major step forward as Buffy accepts him as "us", not an evil nemesis, not a useful snitch, not as a babysitter nor a sex toy, but part of the gang. Spike for his part, feels his soul when licking Buffy's blood:- instead of inflaming his blood-lust it brings him back to his new self. The thing he wanted so much as a soulless vamp is now the thing that awakens the William side of him once more.





TFE seems to have vastly under-estimated Spike and the Slayer's relationship. It looks disappointed when Buffy says she'll help her former paramour. It threatens "She's gonna kill you", viewing the ties that bind Buffy to Spike as, at best, weak. Buffy doesn't kill Spike because he has already been punished by his guilt and he is prepared to be chastised further for it by dying. He preps his chest for her stake - the thing Buffy wanted for so long is now not what she wants. Instead, she sees his soul, his remorse, his humanity.





And a mislead ending!

the season really sucks from now on. this episode is only about spike being crazy and killing people. some good acting but my god. still so bad. anya trying to have sex with spike was the only scene when you dont want to kill urself.





dont watch this episode. better then stop watching the season from now on.

There always comes a time in the season when a filler episode has to step in. Sometimes the writers can avoid episodes like those, but in this case, they didn't. Don't get me wrong, this episode was pretty interesting, but it just didn't do much for me. Nothing much happened.





It was yet another battle of Spike with The First. The scenes were OK, but still, this episode was a huge step back from the previous episode. The scenes with Giles were a lot more interesting than Spike's. And there was a huge collection of characters that didn't do much in this episode. It was an average episode.

This episode picks up right after where "Conversations with Dead People" left us. Buffy rushes over to Xander's place to confront Spike with the new suspicions.


While Buffy does not want to believe Spike has turned evil again, Xander does not give him the benefit of the doubt. Strangely enough, he lets Anya babysit Spike shortly after.


Willow arrives home to find Dawn in the rumble that was the living room.


This is the first time the Scoobies really start investigating what they are up against.


This should be a great episode, and yet I don't really like it. I cannot pinpoint exactly what I don't like, but it just feels "off" to me.


The best scene in "Sleeper" was when Anya tried to check Spikes' stuff, waking him up in the process and pretending to want to have sex with him.

In this episode, we see that Spike may be killing again. Yet he remembers nothing about what he has done. Soon we find out that the First is controlling him with a trigger which is a song that sets him off. Also in this episode while Spike is in the Bronze, we hear Aimee Mann songs "Pavlovs Bell" and "This is How it Goes". When Spike and another vampire crash to the ground in a fight, she stops singing and people all crowd around, then she just starts playing again. I love her comment at the end "Man I hate playing vampire towns"

Sleeper was a fascinating episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I enjoyed watching this episode which was centered around Spike. His behaviour has been suspicious and Buffy suspects he may be killing again. This led to some interesting discoveries. Spike had a lot of character growth in this episode. Buffy was struggling with her own emotions related to Spike, and chose to help him. We got to see more of the evil that is working in the dark and shadows. I like how the episode cut to England in a scene and it was gritty like a clip from the muppet babies when they mix live action clips into the cartoon. I can't wait to find out what happens next!!!!!

I really liked this episode - I kinda love the entire season 7 including the whole storyline with Spike "being all soul-having". Who said that again? I guess it was Dawn. Funny!


Anyway, I always liked Spike's interaction with Buffy, but with all that's going on it's only getting intenser. She obviously cares about him - otherwise she would have already killed him.


Okay, the thing with the attempted rape wasn't to good, but Spike has been there for Dawn and I think Buffy never could have killed him even back then when he didn't have his soul, yet.

As it turns out the addition of Spike's soul hasn't really prevented The First from yanking him up, around, and every which way it would like to. Turning him back into a killer and keeping his memory out of it Buffy confronts him on the possibility that he may be killing again and Spike of course denies the accusation. Both he and Buffy go on their own little hunts to discover truth and in doing so stumble onto into the truth behind The First playing with him. It becomes quite obvious in the last scene when Spike suffers a pretty serious breakdown when The First gives him back all the memories of the deaths he took under it's control. Thankfully, he has Buffy.

I thought this episode was a good episode but nothing special, I think it was an important episode of season 7 because it really showed what the first can do. I thought that the whole episode was done very well but i think it needed more of the comedy aspect that buffy does so well, even just the occasional joke would have been nice but this episode didnt really have any. I loved the scenes with Anya who does normally amuse me and didnt fail to this episode either. Overall this was a good episode that helped advance the story along nicely.

Sleeper





cut to Buffy going to Xander and asks for Spike and he asks why and if he's in trouble and she hopes not. cut to a basement where Spike is burying someone and it's the girl he killed.





the credits start





cut to a house where a guy comes in and finds his girl dead and gets attacked and cut from behind. cut to Willow going in the house and she finds Dawn and she says that she saw her mom but Willow says it wasn't her because she saw something. and she tells Dawn that her mom was trying to protect her but Willow says it was possibly not her. cut to the house and Xander says that maybe he is acting and that the chip doesn't work and she doesn't believe that and then he comes and he says his night was all right. and she names Web and he doesn't say anything and they need to find someone who can watch him. cut to Xander and Anya in her home and she has to look after him. but he isn't gonna look in his room and she just has to stay there and when he leaves she has to call Buffy.





cut to the home and Buffy comes home and Willow tells her what has been happening and it made them think things. and that the lies looked real and Buffy tells Willow about the vamp and that it was another fake one. Buffy hopes she isn't right and she has to see it if she's right. cut to Anya in the house and she goes to Spike's room and looks for his stuff and he grabs her. and he asks her what she's doing there and she says she wants to have sex. and she is horny and she begins to bite him and he doesn't react and then he tells her to leave and she's upset because she thinks he doesn't find her attractive. cut to later and Spike goes out and she calls Buffy that he's gone.





he walks in the street and he hears something and changes. Buffy follows him and she sees him picking up a girl and leaving and she lost him. Spike and that girl go to an alley and he sees Buffy and she tells him to do it. and he changes and bites her and kills her and Buffy is happy he did it. and then he runs away and Buffy morphs in Spike. cut to Spike getting kicked out bed and Buffy thinks he killed her. and he says he didn't and there is no reason he would and he thinks she is jealous and that nobody can change him and he got his soul back for her. he says she is still the only one. and he says he only talks and he doesn't remember. and he says she doesn't have prove but she'll get some.





cut to the house and they have to find the truth and they say they're not sure if what The First said wasn't true. and the only one who knows for sure is Spike and they think he did it. cut to Spike that is starting to remember about the girl he killed and he goes out and Xander doesn't want him to leave and Spike knocks him out and leaves. cut to the bronze and he asks about the girl nobody has seen her and he goes on the balcony. there is this girl and he doesn't want her and she is disappointed and she morphs and asks to kill someone. and then they begin to fight because she says that he vamped her and she says she was a one-bite stand and then he kills her.





cut to a girl to a club asks a guy about Spike and he knows him and he says he leaves with many girls. cut to Spike calling Buffy and he says he's remembering and he tells her to see her in a house. cut to a place and Spike sees another Spike but Buffy doesn't see him. he wants to show her something. and he tells her he thinks he has killed people. and then the other sings and he becomes evil and attacks her but she hits him. and then vampires come out the ground and she knocks him and she fights the vampires. and he has to taste her and then he gets flashes on the people who has killed. and then Buffy continues with the killing of the vampires and then the old woman. and she goes over to Spike. and he goes a way for her to kill him. but she won't and she says there is something and he wants her to kill him and that he can't cry the soul and he can feel the ones he killed. and she says there is something and he asks why it's doing it to her and he asks for help and she says she will. cut to the hotel and they don't get why she brought him. Buffy says she has to get close to Spike and the first is only getting worse. cut to Giles arriving to that place and finds those people dead and someone is standing behind him with an axe.





Black Out


----------


Best episode quotes:





Willow: Buffy?


Dawn: She's not here.


Willow: Dawn? Oh my God. What're you- Dawn, what happened here? What- You're cut.


Dawn: I'm all right.


Willow: Let me see, make sure.


Dawn: I saw Mom.


Willow: What?


Dawn: She was here, Willow. I saw her. She was here, and she spoke to me.


Willow: Oh, sweetie.


Dawn: No, she was right here, and-and then she wasn't. She-


Willow: It wasn't her.


Dawn: What?


Willow: At least, I don't think. I-I saw something too, and it looked like... someone else, but it wasn't.


Dawn: I don't understand.


Willow: It's the Big Bad, Dawn. The one we knew was coming.


Dawn: But, that's what she said. Mom, she said that things were coming, that things were on their way, and that she loves us. So, it had to be her, right? I mean, her warning was true.


Willow: I don't know. I just don't think we can trust anything right now.


Dawn: So maybe the evil thing messing with you was here too. Only maybe it was the thing trying to keep mom away. 'Cause she was trying to protect me. Maybe.





Anya: Uh-uh. Forget it, Harris.


Xander: Come on, Anya. You said you'd do it on the phone.


Anya: Yeah, but that- That was before you told me Spike's killing again, and now you want me to be alone with him?


Xander: You didn't mind being alone with him before.


Anya: What was that?


Xander: Nothing. Look, we don't actually know that he's killed anyone. You know, lately. Might all just be a mistake.


Anya: Yeah, but you don't think so. OK, have you searched his room for clues? Trophies from victims? Killers like to keep trophies sometimes. Scalps, necklaces made from human teeth.


Xander: You know, it didn't occur to me to look, but thanks for the tip. OK, so you'll be safe in here. Plenty of sunlight for you to hide in.


Anya: What? That's it? You're not at least gonna like leave me a crossbow or a flame thrower? Something to protect myself?


Xander: We don't want him to know we suspect anything. Besides if he tries to leave, I don't want you confronting him. Call Buffy and just let her know that he's on the move. You're gonna be fine.


Anya: Better be, because if I get vamped, I'm gonna bite your ass.


Xander: Wouldn't be the first time.


Anya: What was that?








Spike: Anya, do be specific and tell a fellow just exactly what you're doing here.


Anya: Well, Spike... I'm here, obviously... for...um...sex.


Spike: Uh, beg pardon.


Anya: You and me. Here and now. Let's go. Let's... get it on, you big bad boy.


Spike: Wait, wait, Anya. Just a minute. This is not exactly—is that a stake?


Anya: Yes. Kinky.


Spike: Uh, well, yeah, but what do you?


Anya: Shh. No questions. No talking. I can't help it. I can't stop thinking about you and us and our brief but unforgettable time together. I mean, it's- why else would I be here? I mean, it's not like I'm snooping around looking for proof that you're some sort of wacked out serial killer. I don't know why I said that. Forget I said that. It's craziness talking. It's just nerves. Nerves. Nerves and-and horniness. Oh, just shut up, William, and take me. Take me now.


Spike: Anya.


Anya: Hmm?


Spike: It's not that I'm not tempted. Obviously, if things were different, you're a right catch.


Anya: I got it. No problem, I understand. (beat) You think I'm fat.


Spike: What?


Anya: Well, it's either that or the haircut.


Spike: Ridiculous. The do's quite fetching.


Anya: Oh, right. Now you like the haircut.


Spike: Love it.


Anya: Sure, as a friend.


Spike: Anya.


Anya: You know, you were a lot more fun when you didn't have a soul.


Spike: Oh, come on. Now, I've just explained to you-


Anya: All I'm saying is soulless Spike would have had me upside down and half way to happy land by now.


Spike: I need my pants.





Buffy: Did you kill her?


Spike: What?


Buffy: The girl. Last night.


Spike: What girl? What are you talking about?


Buffy: I caught the first act. I missed the curtain call. Did you kill her? Did you turn her? Is she one of your kind now?


Spike: Did-did you- are you following me?


Buffy: Answer the question. Where is she?


Spike: Who knows? I talked to her is all.


Buffy: Really. Looked like more than talking to me.


Spike: Well, I certainly didn't off her. Where are you getting this? You know I can't.


Buffy: Right. The chip.


Spike: No, not the chip! Not the chip, dammit. You honestly think I'd go to the end of the underworld and back to get my soul and then- Buffy, I can barely live with what I did. It haunts me. All of it. If you think that I would add to the body count now, you are crazy.


Buffy: So, what- you just troll the Promenade looking for drunk co-eds cause you're hungry for conversation?


Spike: Oh, is that what this is? Right.


Buffy: What?


Spike: You're jealous!


Buffy: Don't play games. Not now.


Spike: Yeah, you saw me chatting up another bird, giving the eye to somebody else. Touched a nerve, didn't it?


Buffy: Don't flatter yourself.


Spike: It burns, huh? But you can't admit it, so you trump up some charge about me being back on the juice.


Buffy: This vampire I killed told me-


Spike: Told you what? That I go out? Yeah, I talk to people. Women. Talk to them 'cause I can't talk to you.


Buffy: Oh, Spike, save it.


Spike: As daft a notion as "Soulful Spike the Killer" is, it is nothing compared to the idea that another girl could mean anything to me. This chip- they did to me. I couldn't help it. But the soul, I got on my own- for you.


Buffy: I know.


Spike: So, yeah. I go and pass the time... with someone. But that's all it is is time, 'cause- God, help me, Buffy- it's still all about you.


Buffy: Spike, this vampire told me you sired him.


Spike: That doesn't mean-


Buffy: He said you killed him. Dumped him in a parking lot somewhere.


Spike: And you believe him? Vampires aren't-


Buffy: I did follow you last night, and you know what? You didn't look lonely or casual to me. You looked like you were on the prowl.


Spike: You can't know that.


Buffy: So, then, tell me. Tell me what happened. You talked to her, then what?


Spike: We talked. That's all I remember.


Buffy: All you remember?


Spike: I don't know. I go out. I talk to people or I don't. It's boring. It all bleeds together.


Buffy: Well, if you seem to forget that much, then-


Spike: Not that. The taste of human blood. That, I'd remember.


Buffy: You were camped out on the hell mouth talking to invisible people. Recently. How can you be sure of—


Spike: No! You are wrong. You've got an accusation from a pile of dust and not a shred of proof.


Buffy: So, I'll get some.





Vampire: One of them take your wallet?


Spike: What's that?


Vampire: The way you're scanning that crowd- you look like you're out for blood.


Spike: I'm just looking for a certain bird I met here the other night.


Vampire: Hmm, was it me?


Spike: Sorry, luv. Don't think so.


Vampire: Not even if I ask nice? Or are you the type that has to be convinced.


Spike: Friendly warning, pet. I'm the type best left alone.


Vampire: Huh. I get it. You'd rather I slip into something more comfortable. Should we pick off the crowd one-by-one, or block the exits and ravish the place?


Spike: Get away from me.


Vampire: What's with the wallflower act? You didn't seem so shy when you were biting me. I'm not asking if you wanna be soul mates, just figured you'd wanna have some fun. I take him, you take her- or the other way around. Whatever.


Spike: No, you're lying!


Vampire: Is that all I was to you- a one-bite stand?





Spike: Down here. You won't come down? I understand. It's a risky proposition.


Spike/The First: There's an order. The slayer's not in order. But it can't hurt to play. Get your claws in the mouse, you know?


Spike: You are not here.


Buffy: All right. What do you want to show me?


Spike: I've been remembering. The girl. I walked her home. The one you saw. And the one before that. And I think I killed her. And I think I- I think I killed the lady who lived here. And there might be others.


Buffy: Oh, my God.


Spike: Here. I-I think I buried them here.


Buffy: Spike, why?


Spike: Well, I don't know, do I? I don't even know how. Shouldn't be able-


Spike/The First: Early one morning, just as the sun was rising, I heard the fair maid sing in the valley down below. Oh, don't deceive me. Oh never leave me. How could you use a poor maid so?


Buffy: What? What is it? Spike! What are you doing? Oh! Spike, listen to me, you don't want to do this.


Spike/The First: And it's just about to get fun.


Buffy: Oh, God!


Spike/The First: You know what I want you to do. They're waiting for you. Take her, taste her, make her weak.


Buffy: Spike, no!


Spike: I remember.


Spike/The First: You failed them. Now she's gonna kill you. You lose, mate.


Buffy: Sorry, ma'am, but it's my job.


Spike: Do it fast, OK? He said you'd do it.


Buffy: Who said?


Spike: Me. It was me. I saw it. I was here the whole time, talking and singing. There was a song.


Buffy: What are you talking about?


Spike: I don't know. Please, I don't remember. Don't make me remember. Make it so I forget again! I did what you wanted!


Buffy: There's something here


Spike: Oh, God, no, please. I need that. I can't cry the soul out of me. It won't come. I killed, and I can feel 'em. I can feel every one of them.


Buffy: There's something playing with us. All of us.


Spike: What is it? Why is it doing this to me?


Buffy: I don't know.


Spike: Will you... Help me. Can you help me?


Buffy: I'll help you.





Anya: And you believe him?


Buffy: You didn't see him down there. He really didn't know what he'd done. It wasn't in his control.


Xander: Oh, an out of control serial killer. You're right, that is a great houseguest.


Dawn: Wait, is he- is he staying here?


Buffy: I don't know. But I'm not letting him out of my sight, that's for sure.


Willow: Buffy, he's been feeding... on human blood. That's gotta do stuff.


Buffy: I'm not keeping him around just to help him. I think there was something there, talking to him, making him do things.


Willow: Something like what was talking to us?


Buffy: Maybe. But if it was, it's been screwing with Spike big time.


Xander: So, you want him around because...?


Buffy: Look, there's something evil working us, and if we are ever gonna have a chance to fight it, we need to learn everything we can about it. This thing has been closer to Spike than any of us.


Willow: And if you want to understand it....


Buffy: I'm gonna have to get close to Spike.


Xander: Nah, it's too dangerous.


Buffy: I don't have a choice. Whatever this thing is, from beneath us, it's bad, and it's only getting worse.





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Story: 8


Acting: 10


Writing: 8


Picture: 10


Gripping: 8


My Rank: 8


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Total: 8.8

I had seen maybe four or five episodes before, but never really got into the show. Now I'm trying to watch new shows that I never watched before, so this came up. My sister watched for awhile, and so I heard about some of the show from here, so I'm not completly lost.





I kind of liked this episode, even though I didn't know much of what was going on. Even so, I thought it was pretty good. Everyone on edge because of the evil that is being pushed into their face. That scene where that girl was going through Spike's clothes trying to find something and getting caught was pretty funny. And the final scene kinda caught me and made me want to catch the next episode.

The apocalyptic theme of this season finally kicks into gear with this brilliantly thrilling episode. Last episode revealed to be killing again, Spike finds himself trying to find out what he has been doing and Buffy follows him, waiting for him to strike.





Like most of this season, "Sleeper" manages to be comedic, thrilling and creepy. The comedy highlights of the episode are Anya covering up her snooping around for evidence of Spike's murders by pretending she wants to have sex with him. There's also a nice cameo from singer Aimee Mann who as well as performing at the Bronze, also has a hilarious acting line: "I hate playing vampire towns".





Whilst James Marsters does his usual "weepy-Spike" routine, Sarah Michelle Gellar excels in this episode as her paranoia grows about Spike.





The ramifications of last episode continue, with Dawn believing that she really did see her mother, not The First-in-her-form. Michelle Trachtenberg is brilliant in her (few) scenes this week and manages to convey a lot of unhappiness in such a small amount of time.





But, talk about that cliffhanger! You never expected Giles to be killed off but seeing his head being at least 10cm away from a Bringer's axe really does make you wander if he really is dead! A massive shock!





The big fight scene at the end is also extremely entertaining. We haven't seen a mass stake-a-thon in a while and Buffy kicked ass throughout. Gotta love her apologising before staking the old lady vamp.