Episode 13: Blood Ties

Ugh, sorry guys. I forgot this week is high holidays for us Chosen Ones (meaning Jews, not Slayers). Because of this I've had dinner every night with different groups of people which has kept me from being able to watch and write for you guys. But don't worry, I'm back with my recap of:

Season Five, Episode Thirteen

"Blood Ties"

The scoobies begin by sorting through what they know about Glory which is:

1. She's crazy
2. She's immortal
3. She's a god
4. She sucks people's brains to get energy within this dimension
5. They are all screwed

And with the music change, it's pretty easy to tell where the episode is heading: learning who the key is to be better prepared for Glory. Without realizing it, they are all asking that Buffy do something that she reeeeeeeally doesn't want to do; and for some good reasons. She's afraid of them knowing that Dawn's the key because they might treat her differently. Also, it's some very serious information that could get them into trouble with Glory if she suspects they know something *cough* this might be relevant in a future episode *cough*.

Buffy makes a silly decision telling them that her and Giles know about the key but didn't tell them. However, she comes clean moments after and now all the scoobies know about Dawn.

And now there's chanting! And mass murder! Boy, will this episode be fun; cue the intro!

And now that they know about Dawn, let's see how they act around her:


Willow & Tara: Awkward
Anya: YOU MAKE A VERY PRETTY LITTLE GIRL
Xander: Too busy needing help with his thing 


Huh, so as of right now I think Buffy is being proven right in fearing telling her friends. We'll keep track of the score throughout the episode before making our final judgement.

OH LOOK, PARTY TIME!



WILLOW: See, just what you needed. (Blows bubbles)
BUFFY: You are very, very wise. Now gimme, gimme, gimme! (Tara hands her a gift. Buffy begins ripping off the paper.)
ANYA: This is extremely suspenseful! I want the presents.
Buffy pulls out a dress.
BUFFY: Ohh ... it's beautiful. Thank you, guys.
TARA: Well, we thought you'd get lots of crossbows, other killy stuff.
WILLOW: Yeah, so we figured, less killy, more frilly.
ANYA: Gotta look. (Grabs the dress from Buffy) Oh, it's just so lovely! Oh, I wish it was mine!
Everyone gives her a look.
ANYA: (quietly) Oh, like you weren't all thinking the same thing. (puts the dress down)
GILES: I'm fairly certain I wasn't. (whispers to Xander) I've got one just like it.


Raise your hand if you love Giles *raises hand*

And now it's time for Dawn's gift: a sweet picture frame with a picture of a memory that was implanted into everyone's brain. How lovely. Don't worry, there's more awkwardness ahead.

After the present opening, Dawn walks around realizing everyone acts weird once she enters the room. So she does the only rationally think she can think of.



DAWN: Why does everybody start acting all weird when I'm around?
XANDER: Me? Me not weird.
DAWN: I'm not an idiot. I know you're talking about me.
XANDER: No, no, we really weren't.
ANYA: (fake voice) We were talking about sex.
DAWN: (to Joyce) They were talking about me, just like everybody is.
XANDER: Again, not so much. In fact, none.
ANYA: We were talking about sex. I mean, you know us, sometimes we like to pretend stuff-
JOYCE: Um...
XANDER: Anya!
ANYA: You know, like, say there's a fireman, or a shepherd-
BUFFY: You know what? Let's not have this exchange of images right now.
DAWN: Oh. Right. Of course. Can't let Dawn hear anything. (angry) Fine. I'm just gonna go to bed. That way I won't accidentally get exposed to, like, words.



Who believes that Dawn is actually going to bed? Nobody? Good, because if you did then you definitely should not be the parent of a teenager. Luckily she runs into Spike as she's sneaking out of the house. She tells him of her plans to go to the Magic Box and steal things and he tags along to help protect her.

Uh-oh, she plans on stealing Giles's notes. This can't end well...

She finds it and starts piecing it together. Only those outside of reality can detect it? Check.  The key is also susceptible to necromanced animal detection, particularly those of canine or serpent construct? Check.


SPIKE: (frowns at book) "The monks possessed the ability to transform energy, bend reality." Blah, blah, blah. (looks at Dawn) Good lord, Giles writes as dull as he talks, doesn't he? (back to book) "They started work. But the Council ... has suggested ... to us that they were interrupted. Presumably by ... Glory." (Dawn continues staring into the distance as she listens) "They obviously did manage to accomplish the taste..." (looks closer) "accomplish the task. They had to be certain the Slayer would protect it with her life. So they sent the key to her ... in human form. In the form of a sister." Huh! I guess that's you, nibblet.

Dun Dun DUN

We interrupt this important revelation to bring you this amazingly adorable moment:

BUFFY: Maybe it's time to start a new tradition. Birthdays without boyfriends. It could be just as much fun.
WILLOW: Preaching to the choir here, baby. (smiles at Tara)

We shall now return to your regularly scheduled programming.

Oh, look. Dawn seems to be handling this well; she just sliced up her arm. 

Everyone leaves the party so Buffy and Joyce can talk to Dawn. 

DAWN: (softly, not looking up) Why didn't you tell me?
BUFFY: We were going to. It just... (trails off. Dawn gives her an angry look)
JOYCE: We thought it would be better if we waited until you were older.
DAWN: How old am I now?
JOYCE: You're fourteen, sweetheart, you know that.
DAWN: No. The monks. When did ... when did they ... (trails off)
BUFFY: Six months ago.
DAWN: (trying to hold back tears) I've only been alive for six months, huh?
JOYCE: Honey, you've been alive a lot longer than that to us.
DAWN: You don't know that! You don't know anything. I'm, I'm just a key, right? Everything about me is made up.
BUFFY: Dawn ... (sits on the bed next to Dawn) Mom and I know what we feel. I know I care about you. I know that I worry about you-
DAWN: You worry about me because you have to. I'm your job. Protect the key, right?
BUFFY: I worry because my sister is cutting herself!
DAWN: Yeah? How do you know? Maybe this is just another fake memory from my fake family.
JOYCE: Sweetheart-
DAWN: Get out.
BUFFY: Dawn...
DAWN: Get out, get out, get out!




Buffy tells Giles they need to find out more about the key so Dawn can know about where she comes from but he's still confused on how she found out. He doesn't have to guess for long though because Anya is going to find a cigarette in some of the merchandise.

And it takes all of two seconds for Buffy to go and attack Spike.


BUFFY: How could you let her find out like that? From books and papers? You hate me that much?
SPIKE: I was just along for the ride. Not like I knew she was mystical glowy key thing. Nobody keeps me in the bloody loop, do they?
BUFFY: (bangs the lid, steps back) You could have stopped her.
SPIKE: Oh, yeah, here it comes. Something goes wrong in your life, blame Spike. News flash, blondie. (Heaves the lid up off of him, tossing it aside) If kid sis wants to grab a midnight stroll, she'll find a way sooner or later. I just thought she'd be safer with big bad looking over her shoulder.
BUFFY: (glares at him silently for a moment) She shouldn't have found out like that.
SPIKE: You didn't think you could keep the truth from her forever, did you? (angrily) Maybe if *you* had been more honest with her in the first place, you wouldn't be trying to make yourself feel better with a round of Kick The Spike.


He has a point about this. The issue is highly complex but she can't blame Spike for her finding out the way she did. It was her idea and he was just keeping her safe while she went through with it because she'd have done it with or without him.

Meanwhile, Dawn is freaking the eff out. She's yelling at everyone, getting suspended from school, and, obviously, she has to overhear this:



JOYCE: (OS) She yelled at a teacher. The things she said, Buffy, I mean she never used language like that
BUFFY: (OS) She probably feels like she can say or do anything right now. She's not real. We're not her family, we don't even know what she is.

To which she takes all her journals and burns them before running away. However, if she had stayed to finish listening in, she would have heard this:

JOYCE: How can you talk about Dawn as if she's a thing?
BUFFY: I'm not! I'm just ... saying that's probably how she feels.
JOYCE: Well, then we have to show her that it isn't true. She needs to know that she's still a part of this family and that we love her.
BUFFY: It's not that simple! We're not gonna be able to fix this with a hug and a kiss and a bowl of soup! Dawn needs to know where she came from, she needs real answers.
JOYCE: (sits) What she needs is her sister, Buffy, not the Slayer.
BUFFY: The Slayer is the only thing standing between Dawn ... and this god from the bitch dimension that wants to shove her in some kind of lock and give her a good twirl. Mom, I need to be out there, doing my job


God, is this one big mess. A whole bunch of big questions need to be answered: What's necessary to know about yourself in order to feel whole? What constitutes a person being a person? How much can we, or should we, rely on our memories?

And while we're all trying to formulate answers to them, Dawn is breaking into the mental ward of the hospital. Luckily, Ben finds her and she starts talking to him about her issues. And this can't possibly go wrong because there is no way that he's---

OMG HE TURNED INTO GLORY! 

(And look how funny the transformation looks. Lulz)

Glory is asking Dawn if she knows where Buffy is keeping her key. Dawn is stalling by asking what the key looks like and getting her to talk as long as she can in hopes that--

OH LOOK, BUFFY'S HERE! 

And with the help of the scoobies, Dawn is saved from Glory! But it's thanks to Buffy herself for saving Dawn from herself

BUFFY: Are you okay? Did she hurt you?
DAWN: Why do you care?
BUFFY: Because I love you. You're my sister.
DAWN: No I'm not.
BUFFY: Yes you are. (Lifts Dawn's arm, so we can see her arm and hand are still bloody) Look, it's blood. It's Summers blood. 

It's just like mine. It doesn't matter where you came from, or, or how you got here. You are my sister. (pause) There's no way you could annoy me so much if you weren't.

I'm not crying; there's just something in my eye...

Dawn tries telling Buffy about Ben but she can't really remember what happened to him...what's with that? It's as if Joss is just doing a lot of foreshadowing or something. 

ANYWAYS

Thus ends my long string of posts. Stay tuned next week for Kali's episode recap of Crush. 

Until next time,

Sarah