Episode 19: Choices

This is one intense episode. So grab yourself a snack and get comfortable; here's what happened this week on Buffy the Vampire Slayer...

Season Three, Episode Nineteen

"Choices"

The Mayor gives Faith a very thoughtful gift—a huge knife! Awww he shouldn't have. I mean seriously, he gave her a knife. What an unsafe gift to give a non-rational rogue Slayer. Faith and the Mayor have a weird father/daughter relationship, though. She responds to him like a 5 year old because he treats her that way, yet he asks her to kill people and gives her a knife as a present. It's so very interesting because it parallels Giles and Buffy's relationship yet there are so many differences between how each person approaches and talks with the other. Giles and Buffy treat each other as equals for the most part. The only times we've really seen them talk down to the other was Giles to Buffy after learning about her Angel secret and Buffy to Giles after he poisoned her to take away her Slayer powers on the Council's orders. Faith and the Mayor have yet to really speak to each other as equals, except perhaps when Faith first approached him about taking the job. Look how much has gone on just within the first 2 minutes? This episode is packed so we best be moving on to the next bit.

Buffy and Angel are slaying and Buffy says "sorry hunny." Sorry hunny? When did Buffy and Angel get back together again?! They're talking about how he “never takes [her] anywhere new" and I start laughing. Buffy is trying really hard to live a "normal" life and hold her relationship up to normal teenage standards but it becomes pretty challenging when  one has a sacred birthright to kill the other's kind...

At Casa de Summers, Joyce is very excited about Buffy getting into Northwestern, which is in Chicago, way far away from the Sunnydale hellmouth. How the heck did Buffy get in here when she barely attends class? *confusion*

Now at school, we see Snyder's one track mindset on catching drug deals going down.

"What is that?!" “My lunch” “Is that the new drug lingo?” "No, it's my lunch"

Pan over to Buffy, Willow, and Oz at a table while Xander sits near a tree, acting like a douche. Buffy is telling everyone about her mom's reaction to Northwestern and Willow finds out that “maybe [she does] hail from denial land” by thinking Buffy might be able to leave Sunnydale. Xander then quotes some shit and I tune him out, pretty much. Basically he doesn't want to go to college so he finds some "proper" way to make this an acceptable life choice to everyone around him by saying he's going to learn from books and travel. Raise your hand if you doubt this will happen and he'll end up just goofing off after high school?

The conversation then turns to Willow thank god and they start discussing how she got into Oxford which is “where they make Gileses” according to Buffy. Cordelia then joins them and Xander brags to her about what schools Willow got into. Does anyone else find this strange? Anyways, Cordelia disses every college and even says Yale is "for those who didn't get into Harvard" and Willow says "I got into Harvard." I love you, Willow <3

If anyone's missed the theme of tonight's episode, it's the choices you have when growing up. Xander's made his decision and Willow has every door open to her and Buffy gets a sad realizing that she has doors open to her but is locked in a cage, unable to reach any of these doors because of her duties. She ends up pleeding with Wesley to let her leave saying he "can’t just define [her] by [her] Slayerness that’s….something-ism." She then tells Giles and Wesley that she'll change everything to make it so that way she can leave. And just like that she decides to stop Faith and the Mayor. Is it just me or has this been the plan  all along...?

Speaking of Faith, she is sent by her daddy  the Mayor to retrieve a box from some guy. She ends up killing the guy and the vampire who was sent to be his driver says “you killed him” and she responds saying “what are you, the narrator?” I giggle.

Faith and vampire chauffeur drive to the Mayor and Buffy watches as Faith delivers him the box. She then forces the vampire to spill on the details of what the box is. Back in the Mayor's office, he tells Faith that “if Buffy Summers walked in here and said she wanted to switch to our side I’d say, 'no thanks, I got all the Slayer I need'” and Faith has a sad. Bad move bringing up Buffy, dude. He quickly realizes the error of his ways and says he shouldn't have mentioned the B word. He talks about Buffy and Angel and how they deserve each other and Faith deserves so much more than him and she goes to open the box. The Mayor lunges over to keep it shut and tells her not to do that. I wonder what could be inside this box...

Back with the scooby gang, plans are being made and no one is listening to Wesley. He's had enough and orders everyone to stop and Buffy responds by saying “get on the train or get off the tracks.” He warns about the dangers of what they could be facing but Buffy simply says it sounds like a job for Wicca girl and asks Willow if she's up for it.

“Hey, I eat danger for breakfast” “Yet, oddly enough, she panics in the face of breakfast foods”

Xander sees Cordelia “shopping” in a store and goes into torture her because he's an ass. He thinks she was being mean because she didn't get into any schools and she shows him how wrong he is by showing him 4-5 acceptance letters. Xander says they must have seen another side of her dad's money and leaves to go save the world. Xander, at this rate, Kali will never give you your name back.

Xander and Oz are assigned to mix this very delicate potion. Willow apparently drew them a diagram and included stick figure versions of them (you can tell them apart because Oz has a little guitar.) I love her so very much.

The bit with the gang going over plans before they go their separate ways is too hilarious to discuss it all. From Wesley asking to synchronize their watches and Willow suggesting they count "one-one thousand, two-one thousand" to Giles asking Wesley if he wants tea; too amazing. Then on the roof Willow works her magic, literally, and Angel and Buffy are somehow able to set up an elaborate crane thing within  2 minutes. HOW THE HELL DID THEY DO THAT!?!

I don't understand how they were able to do this...

Obviously, they get caught and end up having to fight two vampires but they get away! The Mayor sees the conference room and complains that he just had it redecorated and then gets angry and says “they've got my box” in the absolute best way possible; so awesome that it's almost my favorite line of the episode.

As he is having his sad, Faith comes in and Sarah freaks out:

SHE'S GOT WILLOW!!!!!

Back at the library, awesomeness ensues:

Buffy: How did you guys let ... How did this happen?
Giles: We thought she stayed with you.
Angel: They must have grabbed her when she hit the ground. Buffy, I'm sorry.
Buffy: Look, it's nobody's fault, okay. We just need to focus and deal. Oz, I swear I won't let them hurt her.
Xander: We go back. Full-on assault.
Giles: They'll kill her.
Wesley: We're assuming they haven't already.
Buffy: No. No, they know what she means to us. She's too valuable as long as we still have the box. We trade.
Wesley: We can't.
Buffy: No, it's the safest plan. (to Giles) It's the only way, right?
Giles: It might well be.
Buffy: Look, we call the Mayor and arrange a meeting.
Wesley: This box must be destroyed.
Xander: I need a volunteer to hit Wesley.
Wesley: Giles, you know I'm right about this.
Buffy: Wes, you want to duck and cover at this point?
Wesley: Damn it, you listen to me! This box is the key to the Mayor's Ascension. Thousands of lives depend on our getting rid of it. Now I want to help Willow as much as the rest of you, but we will find another way.
Buffy: There is no other way.
Wesley: You're the one who said take the fight to the Mayor. You were right. This is the town's best hope of survival. It's your chance to get out.
Buffy: You think I care about that? Are you made of human parts?
Giles: Alright! Let's deal with this rationally.
Buffy: Why are you taking his side?
  The outbursts of Buffy, Giles, and Wesley clash for a moment, then Wesley's voice breaks out of the babble.
Wesley: You'd sacrifice thousands of lives? Your families, your friends?
  Oz has been sitting through all this. He gets up and walks behind Wesley.
Wesley: It can all end right here. We have the means to destroy this box.
  Oz picks up the pot for the box-destroying ritual and throws it into a display case, smashing both to shards. Everyone looks at each other.
Buffy: Giles, make the phone call.

I absolutely love this scene. Apart from the awesomeness of everyone basically fangirling over Willow, we get to see yet another difference between Buffy and Faith. When Faith killed that guy, she made it just because she's saved so many but Buffy doesn't operate that way. Even when it isn't her best friend in danger, she's never willing to justify one person's death by saying thousands were saved. It just isn't how she operates and this will come into play throughout the rest of the series as well. Now, back to Willow fangirling.

Willow is rumaging through the room she's trapped in and a vampire comes in and asks what she's doing. She says she's looking for a sucking candy and begins to ramble: "Oh, uh, I'm looking for a sucking candy, cause my mouth gets dry when I'm nervous, or held prisoner against my will. And suddenly I'm thinking sucking isn't a good word to use around vampires. Hey! Did you get permission to eat the hostage? I don't think so. You're going to be in some trouble when the Mayor ...Ow!" The vampire has no interest in what she's saying and says "just a little taste."

And Willow stakes him with a pencil!

Willow is freed and hides while overhearing the Mayor and Faith talk about Buffy: "A dog's friendship is stronger than reason, stronger than it's own sense of self-preservation. Buffy's like a dog, and hey, before you can say Jack Robinson, you'll get to see me kill her like one."

This is why the Mayor is awesome. He is right on with how Buffy will act and who she is as a person. However, his flaw, is assuming that this mentality will be her downfall and not viewing it as an asset. Buffy may lack reason and fight to keep her friends safe but she doesn't do so with an unsafe rashness. Instead, she rises to the occasion and clearly sees how to best work the situation to keep everyone she loves safe. By having friends, she's actually able to fight better, I think because it gives her something to fight for. I believe I've actually heard this before...

"...we've got one thing that Voldemort doesn't have." "Yeah?" "Something worth fighting for"

Willow makes her way to the Mayor’s office and confuses me of whether or not she's acting like a Ravenclaw or a Gryffindor by looking through the books of Ascension. Before I'm able to figure it out though, Faith comes in and stops her. Willow says she wants to talk to Faith and she assumes it's to say “it’s not too late.” Willow responds by saying “it’s way too late. You know it didn’t have to be this way. But you made your choice. I know you had a tough life. I know that some people think you had a lot of bad breaks. Well, boo hoo! Poor you. You know, you had a lot more in your life than some people.  I mean, you had friends in your life like Buffy. Now you have no one. You were a Slayer and now you're nothing. You're just a big selfish, worthless waste." Then Faith punches her.

"You hurt me, I hurt you. I'm just a little more efficient." "Aw, here I just thought you didn't have a come-back."

The trade is about to happen and they're all looking very serious. Luckily, the Mayor is there to break the tension.

"Well, this is exciting, isn't it? (chuckles) Clandestine meetings by dark of night. Exchange of prisoners. I just, I, I feel like we should all be wearing trench coats."

He then gives Angel and Buffy a lecture on their relationship:

Mayor: Well, I wish you kids the best, I really do. But if you don't mind a bit of fatherly advice, I, uh, I-I just don't see much of a future for you two. I don't sense a lasting relationship. And not just because I plan to kill you. You two have a bumpy road ahead.
Buffy: I don't think we need to talk about this.
Mayor: God, you kids, you know. You don't like to think about the future. You don't like to make plans. Unless you want Faith to gut your friend like a sea bass, show a little respect for your elders.
Angel: You're not my elder. I've got a lotta years on you.
Mayor: Yeah, and that's just one of the things you're going to have to deal with. You're immortal, she's not. It's not. I married my Edna May in ought-three and I was with her right until the end. Not a pretty picture. Wrinkled and senile and cursing me for my youth.  Wasn't our happiest time. And let's not forget the fact that any moment of true happiness will turn you evil. I mean, come on. What kind of a life can you offer her? I don't see a lot of Sunday picnics in the offing. I see skulking in the shadows, hiding from the sun. She's a blossoming young girl and you want to keep her from the life she should have until it has passed her by. My God!  I think that's a little selfish. Is that what you came back from Hell for? Is that your greater purpose? (he stares at Angel for a moment and then shakes his head in disgust) Make the trade.

They make the trade and Willow’s safe. Then Snyder and the police come in because he thinks a drug deal is going down. The Mayor and Snyder talk and one of the police men (stupidly) opens up the box and we see a big creepy spider thing come out of it and kill him. Shit goes down and it ends with the Mayor telling the scoobies that there are around 50 billion of those things in the box.

"Raise your hand if you're invulnerable."

He then asks for Faith to follow him and it takes her a minute. She's staring at the wall where she just stabbed one of the creepy spiders with her knife. It's questionable as to whether she's staring at it because she's looking at the creepy spider and feeling that she took the wrong side or whether she doesn't want to leave her knife there; my guess is that it's both. I don't believe she was ever evil, just in need of a close emotional relationship with someone who saw her for her and not the girl with the same job as Buffy. She got that with the Mayor and is sticking with him because she doesn't really have a choice and the relationship is still nice to have. However, I also think the knife is part of it because she's never really been thought of. Here's a gift that he got her and that he picked out especially for her and she has to part with it. Don't worry Faith, you'll be seeing it again soon.

In classic Joss style, the scene ends with Snyder asking “why couldn’t you be dealing drugs like normal people?” and everyone lolz.

Willow then discussed with Buffy about her time being captured while Giles and Wesley listen in. Giles because impatient and asks if she remembers anything from the book and she teases him only to pull out a few pages and tells Giles to "see what he can make of them."

Look at that face, he's so happy. Such a Ravenclaw.

However, Wesley isn't as impressed and poses this question to Buffy “as of now we are right back where we started, wouldn’t you say?” And it's true. Buffy thought she could stop everything simply so that way she could leave only to learn that it's not possible. She's stuck in Sunnydale and her future is going to be filled with her Slayer duties whether she likes it or not. However, she's not the only one who's going to be kicking it at UC Sunnydale:

Buffy: I'm never getting out of here. I kept thinking if I stopped the Mayor or ... but I was kidding myself. I mean, there is always going to be something. I'm a Sunnydale girl, no other choice.
Willow: Must be tough. I mean, here I am, I can do anything I want.  I can go to any college in the country, four or five in Europe if I want.
Buffy: Please tell me you're going somewhere with this?
Willow: No. (hands Buffy a letter) I'm not going anywhere.
Buffy: UC Sunnydale?
Willow: I will be matriculating with Class of 2003.
Buffy: Are you serious?
Willow: Say, isn't that where you're going?
  Buffy hugs her and they tumble onto the ground.
Buffy: I can't believe it! Are you serious? Ah, wait, what am I saying? You can't.
Willow: What do you mean, I can't?
Buffy: I won't let you.
Willow: Of the two people here, which is the boss of me?
Buffy: There are better schools.
Willow: Sunnydale's not bad. A-And I can design my own curriculum.
Buffy: Okay, well, there are safer schools. There are safer prisons.  I can't let you stay because of me.
Willow: Actually, this isn't about you. Although I'm fond, don't get me wrong, of you. The other night, you know, being captured and all, facing off with Faith. Things just, kind of, got clear. I mean, you've been fighting evil here for three years, and I've helped some, and now we're supposed to decide what we want to do with our lives. And I just realized that that's what I want to do. Fight evil, help people. I mean, I-I think it's worth doing. And I don't think you do it because you have to. It's a good fight, Buffy, and I want in. (Favorite Line)
Buffy: I kind of love you.
Willow: And, besides, I have a shot at being a bad ass Wiccan, and what better place to learn?

As if it weren’t already sweet enough, the scene changes to watching Cordelia lovingly looking at a dress only to be told her break has been over for ten minutes. She wasn’t shopping when Xander came in, she was working. She’s nametag girl now. Poor Cordelia. It gives me more respect for her when stuff like this happens. She could have easily made Xander feel like an ass by telling him that she was working but she doesn't. Now, in part that's because she's embarrassed, but I'm ignoring that currently and am just being impressed by her letting him talk about about her when she had such an easy out available.

We close this episode with Buffy and Angel talking about what the Mayor said to them. They both know he’s right but don’t want to acknowledge it. They both have sads.

I guess humans can't have healthy relationships with vampires. Do you hear that, Stephenie Meyer?

-Sarah

Kali’s Notes:

-While I really feel like Faith got dealt a real crappy hand in life and has made some mistakes, this episode we really see that she is embracing the “evil psycho-Slayer” persona that she is trying to portray. First sign is killing the messenger and saying "It'll cut through bone" referring to cutting HIS HAND off to uncuff the box.

- Honestly Wesley is right about needing to destroy the box. Buffy is also right that the box is the only way to get Willow back. The choice here is not about what is right. Wesley is trying to save the town, while Buffy wants to save her friend, both of which are valiant decisions. Oz of course doesn't want to waste time arguing about what to do, so he makes the choice for them. And in a very Oz like way, his point gets across without saying a word- STFU AND SAVE WILLOW.

- One reason why I think Willow is a Gryffindor and totally awesome; instead of trying to escape City Hall she tries to get information on the ascension by searching the Mayor's office.

- What’s in the box? Spiders that eat your face! I think that’s Ron Weasley’s worst nightmare.

- Favorite Line (almost the same a Sarah's) Willow: I just realized that's what I want to do. Fight evil. Help people. Am I a big dork because this made me cry? Willow is so courageous. She chooses to stay in Sunnydale and put her life at risk instead of pursuing a better education somewhere else. Sorry Sarah, but this puts her firmly in the Gryffindor category.

- I find it interesting how Buffy and Angel take their relationship advice from Spike and the Mayor. The worst part is probably that they are both right. Like Spike said, they have too many deeper feelings for each other to just be friends. Yet, as the Mayor points out, their relationship is doomed, but we've pretty much known that from the beginning. But if Buffy and Angel want to live in denial for a little bit longer I say let them.