Buffy the Vampire Slayer

SPIRAL

The Good;
Buffy fighting medieval knights on top of a mobile home. Again you never get this on Dawson's Creek!

The Bad;
Once again the budget can't really keep up with the concept. Also you can see it's a dummy when Buffy carries 'Dawn' (as indeed it is in many scenes at the end of Aliens because Sigourney had hurt her back)

Best line;
Xander; We got company and they brought a crusade!

Jeez!;
The scene between Dawn and Buffy in the camper van really brings home to you how much her life can 'Suck beyond the telling of it'.

Kinky dinky;
The female minion fancies Ben. Shouldn't she fancy other 'hobbits with leprosy?'

Captain Subtext;
Xander helps Spike light his cigarette. Dawn observes that Glory has 'nice feet'. Ben observes terrible things happen to good people. Well, they're certainly going to happen to him.

Guantanamo Bay;
Gregor captured and occasionally hit by the Scoobs.

Scoobies to the ER;
Giles speared. Spike's hands cut.

Apocalypses; 5,

Scoobies in bondage: Dawn tied up
Buffy: 8
Giles: 4
Cordy: 5
Will: 3
Jenny: 1
Angel: 4
Oz: 1
Faith: 3
Joyce: 1
Wes: 1
Xander; 1
Dawn; 2

Scoobies knocked out:
Buffy: 16
Giles: 10
Cordy: 6
Xander: 8
Will: 5
Jenny: 2
Angel: 6
Oz: 3
Faith: 1
Joyce: 3
Wes: 1
Anya;1

Kills: Buffy kills at least one knight
Buffy: 95 vamps, 32 demons, 6 monsters, 4 humans, 1 werewolf, 1 spirit warrior & a robot
Giles: 5 vamps, 1 demon
Cordy: 3 vamps, a demon
Will: 6 vamps
Angel: 3 vamps, 1 demon, 1 human
Oz: 3 vamps, 1 zombie
Faith: 16 vamps, 5 demons, 3 humans
Xander: 5 vamps, 2 zombies, a demon, a demon
Anya: 1 vamp and a demon
Riley; 18 vamps + 7 demons
Buffybot; 1 vamp
Spike; 1 vamp and 1 demon

Scoobies go evil:
Giles: 1
Cordy: 1
Will: 2
Jenny: 1
Angel: 1
Oz: 1
Joyce: 1
Xander: 3

Alternate scoobies:
Buffy: 6
Giles: 3
Cordy: 1
Will: 2
Jenny: 2
Angel: 3
Oz: 2
Joyce: 2
Xander: 3

Recurring characters killed: 9
Jesse, Flutie, Jenny, Kendra, Larry, Snyder, Professor Walsh, Forrest, McNamara, Joyce

Sunnydale deaths;
89;

Total number of scoobies: 7 from now on Spike an instrinsic part of the group
Giles, Xander, Willow, Buffy, Anya, Tara, 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

Notches on Scooby bedpost:
Giles: 2; Joyce & Olivia, possibly Jenny and 3xDraccy babes?
Cordy: 1?
Buffy: 3 confirmed; Angel, Parker,Riley, 1 possible, Dracula(?)
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

Questions and observations;
Willow seems to have got over her fear of horses and now doesn't want Buffy to hurt them. Xander doesn't travel well. Anya knows this but you wonder how? I for one agree with Buffy's strategy, they can't fight Glory, Tara's already been hurt, time to get the hell out of dodge! The knights actually seem pretty good guys if they weren't trying to kill Dawn, all they want to do is stop Glory which seems a reasonable idea. But they should have taken Mr Trick's advice and got some Uzis. Of course Gregor is played by the same actor who murdered Tru's mother in Eliza Dushku's show Tru Calling (Riley's friend Forrest also guest starring as did Clare Kramer and Cobie Smulders, the girl who plays Robin on Alysson Hannigan's show How I Met Your Mother). Gregor actually plays the part of Basil Exposition pretty well, Glory knows him so he's survived an encounter with her before. The camper van with the windows blocked out reminds me of the excellent Kathryn Bigelow vampire film Near Dark. Poor Buffy, it really does just keep coming and coming. Why does Ben come to the Scoobs if he knows he's a threat to Dawn? Note both Summers girls have their darkside. Why don't they go to The Council or Angel Investigations for help?
Marks out of 10; 8/10 for the chase sequence alone

Spiral was a perfect episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer combining urgency, action, drama and humor. This is one of my favorite episodes. It was cool to see Glory using her strengths to get the key. What really made this episode awesome was when Buffy was fighting on top of the mobile home against the Knights of Byzantium. She was in perfect form, and really showcased her abilities. We also saw Willow using some Magic which is always cool. In this episode we learn exactly what the Key is for, and its devestating power. Glory has the Key and the Knights of Byzantium were slaughtered by the Beast, and we were left with Buffy looking like she accepted defeat. I can't wait to watch what happens next!!!!!

Buffy, Dawn, Willow, and Tara narrowly escape Glory's attack at the college. They decide they cannot fight Glory's power, and head out of town in Spike's RV. However, escaping isn't as easy as they think. I liked this episode. The beginning was amazing. I loved it. Plus, Ben is hot. But I liked seeing them in fear and everything. It's the first time that she's ever run away. I like that they waited till the end of this season, considering it was supposed to be the final one. :) The end was so sad! It was like Buffy knew she couldn't help Dawn. :( Good episode. :)

I can't say I like the Renaissance Fair costumes and in my opinion, without them 'Spiral' would have been a much better episode, but nonetheless it's still pretty great. Buffy realizes she may not be able to stop Glory, and tries to escape Sunnydale with Dawn, Spike and the rest of the gang, but that doesn't work out after the funny-dressing people with horses find out their location and vow to kill Dawn.



The episode has some really amazing scenes and everything I love about Buffy is there. So much happens in it that I don't even know how to begin. Glory gets hit by a truck, Ben thinks about killing Dawn, there's a trailer, crazy people, flaming arrows, a big battle, great fight scenes and big revelations about Glorificus's endgame and her alter-ego Ben. The Buffy writers really outdid themselves on this one and you won't be disappointed, except for the so-bad-it-hurts outfits. The acting is once again great and Michelle Trachtenberg and SMG are really impressive throughout the story. There is also a bit of comedy (yep, Anya again) and even Xander-and-Spike bonding time.



Awesome episode, as usual.

This is an emotionally draining episode - where you feel Buffy may not be able to stop what is coming around the corner...



She runs from Glory with the rest of the gang because she doesn't know how to stop her. In the caravan, she lies exhausted while the others look concerned about how they will survive. Tara has already become a victim and soon enough Giles is also injured by the knights. Buffy fights off some of these knights but the caravan crashes and everyone hides in an abandoned building. They are attacked again by the knights and only Willow can stop them with a magic barrier. The situation looks more and more desperate as Buffy finds out from the knights leader that Dawn is the key that will allow Glory to open up the demon dimensions and let them spill into theirs...With Giles ill, Tara insane, Spike injured, Willow stressed and everyone else looking scared - Buffy calls Ben to help. But Ben transforms into Glory and takes Dawn. Buffy breaks down when she realises that Dawn is gone too, like her mother and others she has loved...A great episode for Sarah Michelle Gellar displaying a hopeless side of Buffy that we have hardly seen.

Spiral-Buffy, Willow, Tara, and Dawn narrowly escape from Glory, but only because she is hit by a truck. Buffy and the Scoobies leave Sunnydale in Spike's RV, because Buffy fears that they will never beat Glory.



An adventurous episode that starts off with a hectic teaser and never lets up. The idea of Buffy running away from the villain of the year is unheard of and a bit out of character, but with a mentally unstable Hell God and an army of mystical knights after them, who wouldn't head for the hills? Buffy and the gang's mini-road trip makes for some thrilling scenes like the moble trailer getting attacked by the knights. The fight between Buffy and the knights was action packed with the fighting choreography being excellently staged. Also, who doesn't love watching Anya frantically hitting one of the knights out the window and Buffy's line "aim for the horsys!"



Another thing I love about the episode are the new settings and it's nice the see the actos working in a much wider, versatile location. The scene where the Buffy and the gang are trapped inside the abandon gas station in the middle of no where with the knights attacking them is well done as well and I love the stunning special effects of Willow's magical forcefield. We also get a fine guest spot in Wade Williams as General Gregor as he gives an excellent performance. The character also finally gives the whole explanation of Glory's past and why the key is so dangerous yet pivotal to Glory's master plan. Other great scenes are disturbing scenes like all the mental victims of Glory chanting "time" and of course, Glory returning at the end and taking Dawn away. Just look of defeat on Buffy's face gives a hopeless feeling as Buffy may have lost her sister for good. All and All, "Spiral" is a solid action-packed episode with shocking revelations and continues some great momentum toward the end of the season.

First of all though, they have to fight the knights. Along with Anya having brought along spam for the journey, the knights who say: 'key!' are an obvious nod to Monty Python, but these knights are on more of a serous crusade than the search for a shrubbery. They represent the other side of the black/white merging to grey theme that we've seen throughout this series. They don't believe in grey. The key, whilst not being evil in itself, will create evil and so they want it exterminated, no matter what form it takes. This is backed up by the language they use: "The infidels will tremble," and, when it is pointed out to them that they want to kill a human, "this makes no difference". They are prepared to kill one of their own to stop him falling under Glory's brain suck spell. Ironically, they show they are a grey area – humans who kill. To them, this is a war and in war you only believe in what your side believes. Buffy has to learn this, she has to become more ruthless in this endless fight that is her life: "It just keeps coming: Glory, Riley, Tara, Mom." The gang is rescued from Glory's invasion of Willow's dorm room not by Buffy's strength, not by Willow's magic, but by a truck hitting her and her morphing back into Ben. Buffy already understands that they can't defeat Glory, that, like Joyce's death, there are some things that she can't fight. The rest of the gang don't get it, they have belief in Buffy and don't really grasp the hopelessness of the struggle. Buffy knows that whatever happens, things just keep on coming, there's no respite. We are told in this episode that the only way to get rid of Glory is to kill her "human vessel" i.e. Ben. It is hinted that, as Buffy was prepared to kill the human knights (and the horseys) in the exciting fight on top of the Winnebago, she may yet be prepared to kill Ben to save Dawn by the end of the series. He too may have to be prepared to kill an innocent to save himself. At present he doesn't want to because he understands that he and Dawn are both the same, both created for Glory's purpose, both with no control over their destiny. We know that Ben can be ruthless – his summoning of the queller demon proved that; he won't kill Dawn, but he is not prepared to kill himself either. Ironically, Ben trying to save Giles leads to the watcher killing the doctor. Unfortunately, like Buffy, Ben's gift is death, despite his wanting to be the opposite, to be the saver of lives.



Buffy's call for him into the hut to tend to Giles's injuries is inviting the apocryphal snake into the nest; he could kill Dawn, he could turn into Glory. However, as the General explains everything, this does show them Glory's weakness and, later, who they need to dispose of to kill her. His exposition confirms what we have guessed - apart from the feeble: "How [the key] came, how it was created, is the deepest of mysteries," – Dawn will never know everything about herself. Spike, whom Buffy has accepted enough to invite along for the ride, despite the fact that Willow is probably more use against Glory than he is, glares and sulks when Ben enters through the portal hole. Buffy's two beaux, one a destroyer, one a saviour – but these are not necessarily fixed roles. Buffy's friends are with her, but she still needs to protect them, and three are incapacitated, two can't fight and one is queasy. Spike can't kill the humans and then after the sword incident is unable to exchange blows. Xander, seeing how the vamp protected the gang, helps him light a cigarette; like Buffy, he is now softening towards Spike. Anya, selfish to selfless, helps Willow feed Tara. Giles, usually assisting with the plan-formation, is injured although he does manage to give what seems like dying words to Buffy: "I'm so proud of you, you've come so far, you're everything a - a watcher could have hoped for." He also says to Buffy: "What you did was necessary," hinting again at Giles's role at the end. Despite everything, Buffy still has her family, Dawn even thanks her for saving her and tries to comfort her. Xander helps her negotiate with the knights to let Ben through:- she is not alone. But despite their running away ("We stay, we die"), Glory ends up amongst them: what will happen is fated, inevitable, inescapable. Buffy is determined; she's had enough loss this season for her to state: "I'm not losing anyone" and she makes her promise to Dawn: "I won't let anything happen to you," a promise she of course keeps. But, at the end, as Glory takes Dawn, and Buffy finds that neither attack, defence or running away has worked, she spirals downwards into despair.

I for one, do not find Buffy's actions in Spiral out of character. Buffy might be running, but she's not running from the fight, she's running from a fight she can't currently win. If they stay in Sunnydale, Glory will kill them all. If they run, they can regroup and go from there.



Of course, this isn't an option, because Buffy's secondary "enemies" attack her. The gang ends up hiding out in an abandoned gas station turned safe house as a result of Willow's awesome spell. But then Glory shows up and ruins the day. It is interesting here, because we finally see Buffy falter; she doesn't really know what to do other than keep Dawn safe. Of course, she invites Glory into the gas station unknowingly, but at the end of our rope, none of us would be acting with great clarity. Mainly (aside from the barrier spell) this episode is great because, although mistimed, we actually see Buffy deal with something as a human, rather than as the slayer. Good episode, although it's all sad by the end of the season.

Buffy seeing no other option, just barely escaping with Dawn from her run in with Glory and only doing so because of luck, tells the gang the must. Leaving town with everyone in a small RV Buffy and the gang don't make it to far before the knights of hack-and-lash catch up to them. Fortunately, they manage to get away but not before Giles is seriously wounded. Hauled up in an old gas station the gang defends themselves against the knights but don't manage to last very long. As they knights break in Willow casts quite a poweful barrier spell, keeping them at bay. Meanwhile, Buffy interrogates the general of the knights who was injured and left behind in the scuffle. He explains what exactly it is the Glory plans to do with Dawn. The key is living energy the can be used to tear down dimensional walls through Dawn's blood, slowly bleeding Dawn till she is dead. Glory plans to use her to return home to the hell dimension she was expelled from long ago. Not caring that hell itself will be unleashed in this dimension till Dawn is dead. After reassuring Dawn that she will not let anything happen to her Buffy formulates a plan to help an badly wounded Giles, making a deal with the knights of hack-and-slash so they will let someone in. Ben.

This is one of my favorite episodes. I was really sad about what happened to Tara, but Glory was bound to find out about Dawn sometime. I loved the scene on the campus when Buffy was trying to lead Dawn away from Glory. I thought it was very cool that she got hit by that truck just before she was able to get to Buffy and Dawn. I was disappointed when Buffy came to the decision about leaving Sunnydale, but it turned out quite nicely. It was funny how Spike had to drive the RV with the windows boarded up so that he wouldn't get hurt by the sun. The fighting scene on the RV was pretty cool, but I started freaking out when Giles was stabbed. I actually thought he was going to die.

Aptly titled "SPIRAL", this episode accentuates what is to become a major theme for the season 6, Buffy's journey into the torments of adulthood.



The downwards spiral is apparent here, over the past several episodes, Buffy had barely had time to deal with Riley's exit from her life when her mother dies. Then, she doesn't even have space to mourn before Dawn's behaviour forces her to assume the role of a parent. She finds even more bad news when she turns to the mystical forces for guidance only to misinterpret the message and believe that all her work as the slayer was only mindless killing. With the huge pressure raising Dawn still weighing on her, Buffy receives a huge jolt on the slayer front when Glory resurfaces and takes Tara's sanity.



However, the damage comes fastest and quickest in this episode itself. After half a season of Buffy and gang trying to prevent it, Glory finds out that Dawn is the key and goes in for the kill. Buffy is once again bested by Glory in terms of physical capabilities and only gets away due to a stroke of luck. After convincing her somewhat unsupportive friends that their only option is to run, the humiliated slayer is suddenly thrust into battle with an army of knights who launch a misguided effort to stop Glory by killing Dawn. Buffy has obviously reached an all time low when she has to deal with a severely injured Giles, continue their scramble from Glory and face off with the attacking knights all at once.



This episode brilliantly symbolises the journey of a young woman with the full weight of life's responsibilities suddenly thrust onto her. Glory represents the unbeatable enemy of the everyday struggles which keep coming back.



Another gem in this episode is the chilling and heartwrenching scene where the general explains the true nature of the key. You can almost feel Dawn's pain when she learns that she was created solely for the purpose of total annihilation.



On the whole, this episode is far from "filler" as it brings together everything that has been brewing this season. Its only downside is the huge writing error of having Buffy kill humans, something that she has repeatedly acknowledged that she has no right to do. This error is never brought up again after this episode and is instead swept under the rug.



Other than that, this is a must-see episode for any Buffy fans especially those who like the dark side of Buffy The Vampire Slayer. You won't regret tuning in to this one!

Spiral



This episode is nerve wracking. so many things happen. man. poor Buffy, at the end of the episode she just can't take it anymore and is all burned out. Glory finally gets the key.



cut to where Tough Love ended. Willow stops Glory while Buffy runs with Dawn. but Glory is very fast and catches her anyway but then gets hit by a truck. and then Glory changes into Ben.



the credits start



cut to the gang and talking about what happened. they think Buffy won but it was because of the truck. Buffy says they're not save and they have to run. they have to go away. cut to Ben and a Glory's minion. he hates Glory and never listens. he says he would never kill an innocent. Glory took everything away. but he says that this is now his live and he is planning to keep it. cut to the gang waiting for Buffy. she arrives with a big car house and takes them all. Spike is driving and they don't want him but Buffy says that he is coming and to get over it.

cut to some warriors getting that guy of the hospital. they go to the captain and the guy says she saw the key.



cut to the truck. Xander has barfy feelings and he is irritated by Spike so goes to sit next to Giles. then Tara opens the window and the light burns Spike. she starts to cry and says that it's all dark. cut to the men in the hospital. they say the same. then cut to the minions and they say that all the signs indicate what is coming. cut to Buffy and Dawn going to her and saying she's thankful. Buffy says it keeps coming. and Dawn says that it can't get any crazier and then get attacked. the warriors attack but Buffy hits them off. she goes on the roof and beats them all.



cut to the truck and Giles thinks it's over but a man throws a sphere to him and hits him and the car falls. cut to later when everyone is out. they go into a place and Giles is very bad. then they start to throw fire spheres but Willow makes a spell to protect the place and they can't come in and they have the boss. The general wakes up. Buffy tells him to stand down but he won't. The key is too dangerous to exist. cut to Tara going crazy. and so do all the crazy people. then the knight-man kills his crazy friend.



cut to Buffy with Giles, he says that she is everything he could dream of. then Buffy goes outside and tells the knight guys to let a doctor come. she calls Ben. when he arrives he helps Giles and he sees Dawn. Ben says that he has to take Giles away. Spike is jealous and goes to another room. Xander is there and they talk. they have to go now but Buffy says no. they leave and she talks to the general he says that the beast was banished and the only weak link is the human form. Dawn asks about her and he says that Glory needs her to return to home but when she opens the lock. all the others will be and the dimensions will bleed into each other.



cut to Buffy telling Dawn that she won't let anything happen to her. then the general talks to Ben. he says to kill the key. if he does then everyone will be saved and the key and Glory will be both a distant memory. then Ben goes over to Dawn and Giles. he tries to save Giles but then he freaks out and tells everyone he has to get out. he turns into Glory who knocks the gang out and grabs Dawn and get out the spiral. she kills all the knights and then Buffy sees them all dead and it's just too much and she just falls on the ground. and doesn't respond



black out



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Best episode quotes:



Dawn: And then whoosh! All of a sudden Glory's standing right there in front of us, all skanky and blonde and thinking she's all bad just 'cuz some bumpy heads kiss her stinky feet -- she does have nice feet -- and she's coming right at us and Buffy's just standing there, not even blinking, like "Bring it on!" and wham! Hell-Bitch in orbit.

Xander: Go, Buff!

Giles: I knew you'd best Glory eventually, I mean all our years of training...

Buffy: A truck hit her.

Giles: Oh.

Anya: You threw it at her?

Dawn: Well, no. She more kind of waited for it to hit Glory. Uh, but then Buffy ran really fast and we got away.

Buffy: I don't know how we got away. That truck couldn't have slowed her down for more than a second.

Giles: Well, how isn't important, all that matters is that the two of you are safe.

Buffy: Safe? We've barely been able to manage not getting seriously dead every time we've crossed paths with Glory. Now that she knows that Dawn is the key?

Giles: There must be something in the Book of Tarnis that we've missed, something we can use against Glory.

Anya: Piano!

Xander: Because that's what we used to kill that big demon that one time! No wait, that-that was a rocket launcher. Ahn, what are you talking about?

Anya: We should drop a piano on her. Well, it always works for that creepy cartoon rabbit when he's running from that nice man with the speech impediment.

Giles: Yes, or perhaps we could paint a convincing tunnel on the side of a mountain. Let's just keep thinking, everyone. Perhaps we should reassemble at the magic shop, see if there's anything-

Buffy: We can't fight her.

Giles: W-well not yet, no, but-

Buffy: No, not ever. She's too strong, Giles. We're not gonna win this with, with stakes, or spells, or pulling out some uranium power core. She's a god and she's coming for us. So let's just not be here when she starts knocking.

Anya: Run away? Finally, a sensible plan.

Xander: That's not what she meant. Is it?

Buffy: Well, we can't stay here! She'll just kill us off one by one until there's no one left standing between her and Dawn.

Giles: Buffy, we all understand the severity of the situation, but there must be another way.

Buffy: No. We stay, we die. Show of hands for that option.



Anya: Anybody else feel that?

Willow: What?

Anya: Cold draft of paralyzing fear.

Giles: We just need to stay calm.

Willow: Calm, right.

Xander: Hey, we gotta be like Sergeant Rock. Cool and collected in the face of overwhelming odds.

Anya: Over whelming? How much more than whelming would that be exactly?

Giles: Look, everything will be all right, we just need to stay here calmly. As soon as Buffy arrives - we'll feel oddly worse.



Giles: What's he doing here?

Spike: Just out for a jaunt. Thought I'd swing by and say howdy.

Giles: Out.

Buffy: He's here because we need him.

Xander: The hell we do.

Buffy: If Glory finds us, he's the only one besides me that has any chance of protecting Dawn.

Xander: Buffy, come on-

Buffy: Look, this isn't a discussion! He stays. Get over it.

Spike: Buckle-up, kids! Daddy's putting the hammer down!



Anya: Shouldn't somebody be asking, "Are we there yet?" Isn't that what small entertaining children do?

Dawn: That kinda only works if you know where you're going.

Anya: Do we know where we're going yet?



Dawn: Hey. I think Anya's gonna try to cook. Wanna come watch the tears and recriminations?

Buffy: Maybe later.

Dawn: Thanks.

Buffy: For what?

Dawn: You know. Pretty much everything.

Buffy: Yeah. I'm doin' a great job.

Dawn: You are.

Buffy: I'm the Slayer. The chosen one. All mythic and defender-y. Evil nasties are supposed to flee from me. Not the other way around.

Danw: You're not fleeing. You're ... moving at a brisk pace.

Buffy: Quaintly referred to in some cultures as the big scaredy runaway.

Dawn: It's the most amazing thing anyone's ever done for me.

Buffy: It just keeps coming. Glory ... Riley ... Tara ... Mom.

Dawn: I know. But there's a bright side.

Buffy: There is?

Dawn: At least things can't get any crazier. Right?

Buffy: You know this is your fault for saying that.



Tara: Horsies!

Willow: Tara!

Giles: Weapons?

Spike: Hello! You're driving one!

Willow: Don't hit the horsies!

Buffy: We won't! Aim for the horsies.



Buffy: Will, how long will it hold?

Willow: Half a day, maybe? Or until Heckle and Jeckle punch a hole through it.



Spike: You sure Scarface here can habla the English?

Buffy: He understands me. Don't you?

Gregor: You were warned we would return, Slayer.

Buffy: Took you long enough. What are you supposed to be, some kind of chief?

Gregor: General.

Buffy: General. In charge of what, getting captured?

Gregor: You do not frighten me, child. The instrument of chaos must be destroyed.

Buffy: Look at her that way again, and she will be the last thing you ever see.

Gregor: As I've been told, you protect the key of the beast.

Buffy: It's not that simple.

Gregor: Yes. The key has been transformed, given ... breath, life. Yet, this makes no difference. The key is the link. The link must be severed. Such is the will of god.

Buffy: She doesn't remember anything about being this key you're all looking for. The only thing that she remembers is growing up with a mother, and a sister that love her. What kind of god would demand her life for something that she has no control over?

Buffy: We are not your enemy. Tell your men to stand down.

Gregor: No.

Buffy: It is not her fault! She's human now!

Gregor: The key is too dangerous ... to be allowed to exist. No matter what form it has been pressed into.



Buffy: I'm sorry.

Giles: For what?

Buffy: We should have stayed. If we had, none of this would have happened.

Giles: Don't. What you did ... w-was necessary ... what I've always admired.

Buffy: Running away?

Giles: Being able to place ... your heart ... above all else. I'm so proud of you. You've come so far. You're everything a Watcher ... everything I could have hoped for.



Gregor: Poor frightened girl. You've no idea what you've gotten yourself into.

Buffy: Why don't you tell me?

Gregor: Would it make a difference? What do you know of the beast?

Buffy: Strong. Fast. Hellgod.

Gregor: From a dimension of unspeakable torment.

Buffy: A demon dimension. I know. She ruled with two other hellgods, right?

Gregor: Along with the beast they were a triumvirate of suffering and despair. Ruling with equal vengeance. But the beast's power grew beyond even what they could conceive. As did her lust for pain and misery. They looked upon her, what she had become ... and trembled.

Buffy: A god afraid?

Gregor: Such was her power. They feared she would attempt to seize their dimension for herself, and decided to strike first. A great battle erupted. In the end, they stood victorious over the beast ... barely. She was cast out. Banished to this lower plane of existence, forced to live and eventually die trapped within the body of a mortal ... a newborn male, created as her prison. That is the beast's ... only weakness.

Buffy: Kill the man ... and the god dies.

Gregor: Unfortunately, the identity of the human vessel has never been discovered.

Buffy: I don't understand. Now, I've seen Glory. Not a whole lot going on in the hairy chest department.

Gregor: You have seen a glimpse of the true beast. Her power was too great to be completely contained. She's found a way to escape her mortal prison ... for brief periods, before her energies are exhausted and she's forced back ... into her living cell of meat and bone.

Dawn: What about me? What about the key?

Buffy: Dawn.

Dawn: I want to know.

Gregor: The key ... is almost as old as the beast itself. Where it came from, how it was created ... the deepest of mysteries. All that is certain is that its power is absolute. Countless generations of my people have sacrificed their lives in search of it, to destroy it before its wrath could be unleashed.

Dawn: But the monks found it first.

Gregor: Yes, and hid it with their magicks.

Buffy: Why didn't they just destroy it? If the key is as dangerous as-

Gregor: Because they were fools. They thought they could harness its power for the forces of light. They failed, and paid with their blood.

Dawn: What do I do? What was I created for?

Gregor: You were created ... to open the gates that separate dimensions. The beast will use your power ... to return home and seize control of the hell she was banished from.

Buffy: That's it? That's Glory's master plan ... to go home?

Gregor: You misunderstand. Once the key is activated, it won't just open the gates to the beast's dimension. It's going to open all the gates. The walls separating realities will crumble. Dimensions will bleed into each other. Order will be overthrown and the universe will tumble into chaos ... all dark ... forever. That ... is what you were created for.



Dawn: Is ... is he gonna be okay?

Ben: He was hurt pretty bad, Dawn.

Dawn: It's because of me. It's all my fault.

Ben: No it isn't.

Dawn: You don't know what's happening.

Ben: I don't have to. I just know that sometimes terrible things happen to good people. It shouldn't, but ... it does. It's nobody's fault. It's just the way life is.



Willow: Buffy? Buffy! Buffy, you have to get up! We need you! Buffy, please! Buffy...



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Story: 9

Acting: 9

Writing: 9

Picture: 10

Gripping: 10

My Rank: 9

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Total: 9.3

I don't know where to begin when it comes to "Spiral." Thematically it's total filler, with the only bits of character development being things everyone should have figured out weeks ago. Logically it doesn't make any sense, with Buffy never having fled from any monster before in her life. And what about those Knights? Is their forehead tattoo the ritual symbol for "stalling for time?" Even as the mind processes that what it's watching here is total trash, the gut responds. Forgive me for saying so, but I enjoy watching this episode a lot more than "The Gift," which comes awfully close to toppling under the weight of its own pretensions. "Spiral" is a lot of things, but pretentious it's not.



From the teaser, where Glory dramatically is hit by a bus, "Spiral" displays a lot more zing than big chunks of Season Five. The comic potential of having such singular personalities as Spike and Anya stuck in close quarters for so much of the episode isn't wasted, either. Putting aside the disturbing fact that it's the first time we see Buffy kill a human and it goes entirely uncommented-on, the huge chase sequence with the knights on horseback is nearly unrivaled in the whole run of "Buffy" for sheer spectacle. Willow gets to do some magic that's powerful (the barrier) and just plain cool (making a broken phone booth work). Spike's having fun for the first time in ages. And seriously, has there ever been a bad Spike/Xander scene?



Then there are the problems. Giles is supposed to be on death's door, but he recovers rather rapidly and despite there being plenty of slack time in the next two shows, it's not mentioned again. We're supposed to believe for a moment that Ben is a threat to Dawn, but seeing as he's known she's the key for ages, wouldn't he have made his move by now? Well, if he's as dense as his "sister," maybe not. The Knights are far too stupid to be threatening. Actually, at this point, so is Glory.



That's the biggest problem with "Spiral." Buffy's behavior in the last several episodes of Season Five is so out of character that it completely undermines everything about her Joss eventually tries to say in "The Gift." If the finale is supposed to be about Buffy's love for her sister, her friends, and the world, why are the the episodes leading into it about her fleeing first physically and then emotionally from her problems? "Spiral" and (especially) "The Weight of the World" make Buffy's suicide look like a selfish action, and that's not what they were going for at all. Glory simply isn't scary or invincible enough to justify Buffy's behavior.



The apocalypse in "Graduation Day," we believed in. Even though we knew Joss would never really kill Willow, Xander, Oz, or Giles, we feared for them. By contrast, Season Four's Adam just didn't prove to be as convincing a villain as the mayor, so the show wisely underplayed his defeat and closed the season on a different note, driving home its real themes. At this point in Season Five, it's hard to figure out what the real themes are. The Buffy discovering her true Slayer-ness thing has fallen by the wayside. The your-real-family-is-whomever-loves-and-supports-you theme is contradicted by Buffy's appalling behavior towards pretty much everyone. And the whole Tara/Dracula "You think you know who you are, what's to come..." bit by this time is just a good line.



Argue all you want about its lateness in arriving, but the revelation that the end of "Spiral" brings to the Scoobies (that Glory and Ben are contained in the same body) gives a clear path to Glory's defeat. If Buffy wasn't so completely wrapped up in herself, she could have solved her problems a lot quicker and with a lot less loss of life. Oh, the folly of Season Five.