Two to Go

by Jerry

'Two to Go', written by Doug Petrie, is the first part of the two part season finale, following Willow's spiraling quest for magical vengeance as it brings her into open conflict with Buffy and the rest of her friends.

The show opens with Buffy, Xander, and Anya running through the woods (a shot oddly similar to the one that opened the season, which was of Spike, Tara, and Giles). Xander pulls up, out of breath and nauseated by what he's just seen (and smelled - ick) - Willow's skinning of Warren. Filling in the rest of Willow's "One down..." with the episode title, Buffy figures out that Willow is going after the incarcerated Jonathan and Andrew. Explaining that it will take a while for Willow to reach the police station but she can get there sooner, Anya zips off using her vengeance demon power of teleportation (which we've seen Halfrek use once or twice, so it's not like Petrie totally made that up). Buffy is concerned, but Xander, for once, expresses confidence in Anya. Buffy is worried about how killing Warren will change Willow - she's done enough killing to know it leaves it's mark. Xander suggests that Warren deserved to die, which is hard to object too strenuously to, but Buffy points out that Jonathan and Andrew don't. As they uncertainly ponder whether Willow is still really Willow, Xander and Buffy come upon Xander's car, which Willow has trashed to keep them from following (add this to the financial column of 'things Willow needs to pay for'). Buffy takes off running for the police station, leaving Xander alone and frustrated by his inability to help in the clash of his super-powered friends.

At the Sunnydale Police station, Jonathan and Andrew are stewing in their cell. Andrew, still in denial, is seeking hidden messages from Warren, unwilling to accept that his hero has abandoned him. "You are sadness personified", Jonathan tells him. As they continue to bicker like 10-year-olds, Anya suddenly materializes in the cell. She tells the startled nerds about Warren's murder of Tara, and Willow's bloody revenge. "Oh my God - Warren!" is Andrew's response. "Oh my God - me!" is Jonathan's. Neither seems to care about Tara's death. Anya tries to persuade an incredulous prison guard to release the prisoners, but even after she teleports through the bars, he's reluctant. Anya's lack of diplomacy doesn't really help.

Outside the station, there is big ominous rumbling, and a scarily calm Willow materializes in a flash of electricity. She effortlessly puts to sleep a cop who confronts her. Putting on Evil Resolve Face, Willow starts to psychokinetically pull the building apart a brick at a time to get to her prey. The Sunnydale police come rushing out of the building, but she magically flings them around, and they display remarkable forbearance in not trying to shoot her. I know a few years on the Sunnydale PD would make me a bit trigger happy, and Willow IS destroying the station house. Trapped in the cell, Andrew whines that they don't deserve this. He's not entirely wrong, but not as right as Jonathan, who unhappily accepts that their plight is a consequence of their actions.

Amid the ruckus, Buffy arrives and sneaks into the station house. Willow finishes opening up a hole in the wall to her satisfaction, and levitates herself over the cops and into the cell, only to discover her quarry gone, with the bars bent open in a way that suggests that if Popeye didn't do it, it was probably Buffy. Anya is still there, and tries to reason with Willow, but Willow lashes out with her powers , knocking Anya out, and emits an ear-piercing screech (I guess now we know why she didn't sing more in the musical).

Down on the ground, Buffy, Jonathan, and Andrew cringe at hearing the rage of 'Dark Phoenix'. As they're about to run for it, Xander pulls up in a stolen police car, and they make a break for it.

On the road, Jonathan wonders why Willow hasn't just "made us dead". Buffy says Willow wants to kill them personally. Andrew again complains that they didn't do anything, earning a smack in the face from Buffy. Voicing the views of most of us, Jonathan marvels at how the sweet, shy girl he knew in high school could have turned into this avenging angel. Suddenly the car is rear-ended by a truck, with Vengeance Willow riding atop the cab, in full black-eyed fury, looking like something they ought to be paying Stephen King royalties for as the helpless driver struggles futilely to resist. I think a police car should be able to outrun a sixteen-wheeler, but either Xander is a lousy driver or Willow is making the truck extra-fast (If you're going uber-evil, a bit of speeding really isn't a big deal). Jonathan wonders if Willow knows her friends are in the car, too, but it doesn't seem likely that Willow cares. She suddenly starts to run out of power, the trucker regains control, and Xander is able to drive everyone out of danger for the moment.

In the crypt, Clem is doing his best as a babysitter - snack food taste tests, card games, maybe a movie ("PG thirteeeeen"). The problem is that Dawn is tired of being babysat. Her friends and family are in trouble, and she wants to do something about it. Clem is concerned about Dawn, and very much wants to stay off of the Slayer's bad side, but Dawn tries to persuade him. She needs a demon to help her , and she thinks Spike would if he were there. Clem says "Spike's gone"...

So we cut to Spike in the cave in Africa, getting ready for his Trials. As with Angel, Spike's trials require shirtlessness. I can deal, but why doesn't Cordelia get trials like that? Spike points out that he and the demon have hashed out the terms of the deal - if he passes the test, he gets what he wants. A large, pro-wrestler-type guy appears, and Spike prepares to take him on. "Here we are now - entertain us", he quips, in case we were wondering if his music collection ended with the Ramones. The big guy surprises Spike with the ability to ignite his fists in flames. On the plus side, this would indicate that Spike can hurt him without chip problems.

In the bad part of Sunnydale (like there's any other part?) Clem and Dawn are looking for Rack's place. Clem is reluctant - the place attracts a bad element. Dawn is determined to go there, thinking that Rack can help her find Willow - at any rate, Willow now is the bad element.. It's pretty clear that Dawn is determined to take as much responsibility as the rest of the Scoobies for trying to save the day. Clem warns her off, noting that Rack "likes little girls", which gets Dawn angrily noting she's not a little girl. Dawn is being more brave than wise, as Clem realizes, but he goes along.

The Scoobies, such as they are (Buffy, Xander, and Anya, with Jonathan and Andrew in tow), arrive at the Magic Box to look for help fighting Willow. You can tell Buffy's serious because of the black cat burglar's cap that she only wears during an apocalypse. Although they are kind of ugly, I find that Anya's pants distract me from my mission as a reviewer for a moment. Okay, back to the story. Anya notes that she can no longer sense Willow, meaning that Willow is "beyond simple vengeance". Andrew wants to summon a demon to kill Willow, but Buffy won't stand for that. Most of the books have been drained, but Anya has a book of protection spells secured under the counter. Unfortunately, they are in a language she thinks is ancient Sumerian, and she can't read it. Jonathan, who apparently might be able to, is rebuffed when he offers his help. Buffy and Xander have understandable reasons not to trust Jonathan, although it's clear he could and would help if they let him. Buffy says that if Willow kills Jonathan, she'll cross a line and be lost. I guess the line just beyond 'skin somebody alive' is the point where you become REALLY bad.

Xander pulls Buffy aside to talk about what to do next. Buffy points out that Willow is probably looking for a new source of power.

We're a Rack's place. There's a guy on the floor who's possibly dead, or possibly really, really stoned. Rack is pleased to see Willow in all her Dark Power glory. He tries to put on his creepy seducer moves, as Willow looks temporarily uncertain and vulnerable. When Rack gets close enough, she tells him she wants to "take a little tour", echoing what he said to her in 'Wrecked', and it's clear who is using who this time. Electrical sparks crackle between them as Willow drains Rack's powers.

Clem and Dawn zap into Rack's waiting room. I'm not sure if this means Clem is 'into the Big Bad' as Spike suggested was needed to find Rack's place, or if we should stop nitpicking and just watch the show. Clem is afraid to be there, and concerned for Dawn, who he knows shouldn't be there either. Clem chooses to stay in the waiting room as Dawn goes in to look for Rack. That's the last we see of Clem, so I guess he's still there.

Dawn makes her way into the back room, where she's spooked to find Rack's lifeless body hovering in midair. "Hey, cutie", she hears as she spins to try to leave, only to be confronted by a black-eyed, now veiny-faced, and more than a little high Willow. Dawn points out angrily that Willow is back on the magics. "No, honey, I AM the magics", Willow boasts. Dawn tries to leave, but Willow won't let her "run and tell Buffy", a tone that suggests Willow's resentment of both of them. Dawn stresses how badly she misses Tara, almost getting through to Willow, but Willow hardens herself to Dawn's feelings and her own. She mocks Dawn's pain, not just about Tara, but about Buffy and Joyce as well, harping on Dawn's 'whining' and threatening to revert Dawn into a glob of energy. How much of this is truly Willow is hard to say - clearly these are Willow's issues, freed of any moral restraint, like the vampire version of herself, or the Billy-infected form of Wesley. The difference here is that Willow has chosen to go down this path - it's not something that was done to her. As Willow moves in for the kill, Buffy busts in.

At the Magic Box, Anya is struggling to translate the spell book, and chafing at having Xander looking over her shoulder. Anya fumes about her inability to speak ancient Sumerian (hey, she's only 1100) and Jonathan corrects her that it's Babylonian, although he apparently can't read Babylonian either. Xander doesn't welcome Jonathan's help. Andrew wants Jonathan to help him turn on the Scoobies so they can bust out and start over - he's even willing to let Jonathan lead ("I like taking orders"). Jonathan isn't listening - he's decided to face the music. "Grow up!", he warns Andrew.

Anya and Xander yell at the two nerds to stop bickering, noting that if they can't figure out the protection spell, Jonathan and Andrew will wind up like Skinless Warren. Andrew counters that Darth Rosenberg is a "truck-driving magic mama" who isn't going to stop with just killing the two of them. Xander claims that Willow would never hurt her friends, but Anya suggests that Willow doesn't care in Xander lives or dies. Xander's troubled by the possibility that might be true, and wonders if he can trust Anya not to use the situation as an excuse for vengeance. Anya says she'd love to take vengeance upon him, but she can't (which doesn't really seem to be the case - she did stop Spike from making a wish against Xander), so he got away with it. Xander sarcastically replies that Anya sleeping with Spike couldn't possibly have hurt him, and she answers that that was solace, not vengeance - it was about her, not him. "None of this would be happening if it wasn't for you", Anya tells him. Xander agrees, bemoaning his hesitation when he saw Warren had a gun. He's heavily into blaming himself for Tara's death and Willow's freak out, but Anya was talking about their relationship, and it's clear it still hurts her to see him in pain.

Over at Rack's, Buffy is trying to reason with Willow, trying to get Willow to see that she's still herself. Here we get to the crux of the problem. Willow hates herself, and apparently has for a long time. She feels that her "true self" is weak and pathetic, and that no one ever respected her before she could do magic. The only thing that really made her feel worthwhile was Tara's love, and that is gone (if you want to look at Willow in a REALLY bad light, this would suggest that the main thing she loved about Tara was that Tara worshipped her, but I'd like to think that when she's a little less high, Willow has more genuine feelings). Buffy tries to keep Willow from destroying herself, and finds herself arguing the "so much to live for" case. Willow sneers at this coming from Buffy, and understandably so, given her behavior this season. As they talk, the scene begins to spin, and suddenly Buffy, Willow and Dawn are in the Magic Box.

Buffy and Dawn collapse dizzily from the trip, and Willow turns on Jonathan and Andrew, channeling lighting-style magic at them. It's magically blocked. Willow thinks Jonathan is doing it, but it's actually Anya, who's hiding behind a bookcase chanting the protection spell. The Vengeance Demon continues to go to great lengths to thwart vengeance.

Jonathan and Andrew try to make a break for it, grabbing swords as Willow prevents them from leaving. "If at first you don't succeed...", she says as ....

... well, as she channels more magic at them, but also as...

... a battered Spike is hurled into the walls of the cave. Johnny Human Torch roughs him up some more, but Spike eventually gets the drop on him, kicking him where it hurts, and ultimately snapping his neck. As is always interesting to note, Spike fought for his life without going into Game Face. The demon who's testing Spike appears. Spike asked if he passed. The demon agrees he's passed the first stage. Spike is less than pleased by the "first stage" part.

Willow gives up for a moment on trying to fry Andrew and Jonathan. She admires the effectiveness of the counter-spell protecting them. Willow decides to take a different approach, casting a spell on herself to make her super strong (she also seems to have brain-sucked Jackie Chan when we weren't looking, since she goes on to show off more than just super-strength). She flips over the famous Magic Box round table with one hand, and Buffy steps in, getting flung across the room for her troubles. "I said I didn't want to (hurt you)", Buffy states as she gets up. "Didn't say I wouldn't" - apparently a little Spike rubbed off on her, since he said more or less the same to her in 'Smashed'. She flings Willow across the room, allowing Xander and Dawn to make a break for it with Jonathan and Andrew. Xander tries to get Anya to leave as well, but she chooses to stay to keep Willow from using her magic on Buffy.

Now it's time for Buffy and Willow to face off. Buffy's reluctant to do so, but Willow relishes it, and it's clear the jealousy of Buffy she's wallowing in has been there a while. Buffy and New Improved Kung-Fu Willow go at it (ironically, Willow has now for all intents and purposes turned into Faith, who she hated - clothes, hair, fighting skills, and attitude).

Xander and Dawn are leading the sword-wielding nerds away. Xander remains unsure of himself, and can't decide where they should go. Andrew wants to flee to Mexico, but Xander wants to keep them around to face the music - just not from Willow. Andrew pulls his sword on Xander, but Jonathan pulls his on Andrew. He wants to stay and make things right, even if they have to go to jail.

Buffy and Willow throw each other about, destroying a good chunk of the Magic Box in the process. Eventually, Willow gets tossed into the front of the shop, where she spots Anya chanting in a corner. While Anya could teleport out, she doesn't. Willow grabs her, Anya calls for help, but Buffy is temporarily down for the count. Willow tosses Anya across the store, knocking her out. Buffy gets back up, and Willow describes to her how she now understands that the "slayer thing" is all about the power (which it may not be for Buffy, but sure is for her) as she blasts Buffy. "There's no one in the world who has the power to stop me now", she gloats as she moves in for the kill. Suddenly, she's hit with a huge blast of magic, which throws her across the room. It's Giles, back and meaning business...

To be continued.

-- Jerry

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