Buffy Challenge Post 48: Season 5: Episode 19 - 20

Tough Love

With 4 episodes to go, they need to get a move on to rap up this very busy season of Buffy..........

Previously ........... Glory is a God, Dawn is the Key, Ben and Glory are one and Ben spilt the beans, Glory captured Spike but couldn't make him talk.....

Oh that's right Buffy is still studying well was studying seeing that she has now having to defer her studies with everything that is going on. Well we get a another layer to Buffy, She likes poetry.

Ben gets fired from his job for not attending for 2 week, that will kind of do it I guess. Ben is fighting the inner demon that is Glory and finally Glory wins out.

Glory is enjoying a bubble bath with sorry I was distracted again by Glory in the bath..... Glory has her minions blindfolded while they try to brainstorm and figure out who the key really is.

which switches us to Dawn..... who has been skipping school. we also get a bit of a timeline as Buffy mentions that it has been a tough couple of months in the meeting with the principal. (oh boy the principal is so dead if she has more than one scene.)

At the magic box and Anya is giving us her definition of patriotism (which I read somewhere is big in America) She is American and she is in love with capitalism and people browsing are so un American! Xander once again needs to quit when he is behind as Buffy needs to have a chat with the foreigner Giles.

Buffy is struggling with Dawn and she is asking Giles to step into the role of authoritarian with Dawn. He lets her know that only Buffy can fill this role. It is a difficult thing to ask for someone so young, to step into the role of her mother. No small task.

Willow is right on the mark with her explanation of kids learning better using visuals. Buffy doesn't buy it and puts her foot down.  I've got a feeling that Dawn is going to feel that Buffy is a hypocrite for leaving her studies.

It seems that Glory has figured out who the Key is and that person is in trouble. (I think there will be some misdirection and it won't be Dawn.) Willow and Terra are having a chat about the Buffy situation and Terra lets Willow know how difficult the situation is. Willow is feeling a little left out because she can't fully grasp the concept of loss. Terra and Willow are examining their relationship and the word frightened has really got Willow on edge. Is this scene going somewhere? It feels a little forced.

Buffy is trying to set some goals for Dawn which is clearly not  working, this is all happening while the minions are watching. Buffy lets Dawn know that if she doesn't get Dawn on track then she will be removed from her care. So far this episode is moving at a snails pace as everyone seems to have their issues.

Surprise, Surprise...... Glory thinks that Terra is the key. The minion is captured by Giles who seems to be afraid of twine. He lets them know that Glory has Terra, she squeezes her had so tight that blood oozes out. When she gets a taste of her blood she realizes that Terra is not the key. Her threats go on deaf ears as Glory does her mind thing to her. Willow arrives too late as Terra is now a schizophrenic mess. The hospital is like communism according to Anya.

Buffy drops Dawn off with Spike for protection, there is way too much exposition in this episode as we hear why Dawn is feeling so horrible. Dawn feels like she is the reason bad things are happening. Willow steps up to the plate and wants to take out Glory, emotions are running high as Willow sets out for revenge as only a witch knows how...... with books!

Whoa, here comes a really peeved off Willow attacking Glory. Unfortunately and quite predictably she is no match for Glory as Buffy comes and saves the day.

Terra is left without a mind as she is reduced to someone with a mental disability. As we think this episode is about to end, Glory shows up and Terra due to her state of mind lets her know that Dawn is the key. fade to black.

There are times when episodes are just bad that it is ridiculous, this was not one of them, this was just boring, this episode could of been cut down to about 15 minutes and it would of hit the key points needed. It was overly padded and it suffered because of that. So hard to rate so I'm going to say......

4/10

Not horrible, just boring.

Spiral

Previously ......... Key was hidden and made into Dawn, Glory is looking for the Key, Ben and Glory are one in the same, Spike loves Buffy, there are knights looking to get their hands on the key, Glory takes Terra's mind and with that finds out Dawn is the key. We start where we left off as Buffy and Dawn run from a really angry god. (who now runs like the flash!). Glory gets hit by a truck (I know how that feels) and Ben takes back control.

Dawn lets the gang know what happened and also makes Buffy out to be a hero. Buffy now realizes that no matter what they have done they have not even been able to put a scratch on Glory. Anya suggests death by piano (nice call back to season two with the rocket launcher from Xander!) I agree with Anya Bugs Bunny is creepy. Buffy wants to run away and Anya agrees. Fight or Flight, and Buffy finally chooses flight.

So there are female minions? who look exactly like the male ones? Ben is trying to figure out a way to rid himself from Glory. Hey another DC Universe reference from Xander with Sergeant Rock! Buffy and Spike rock up in a winabego  (to the protest of Xander and Giles) and they are off on a road trip.

Back at the hospital the knights are signing out their comrade who had the run in with Glory earlier in the season and I have to say that was magnificent penmanship!  Oh that's right they are after the key also and they brought a small army with them.

Giles is driving the van and Xander is not traveling well. Willow is cramming on her Magic book to find how to stop Glory. Something is happening to the people who have been effected by glory as some form of darkness is overcoming them. Dawn is finally appreciating everything Buffy has done for her in a touching scene and as soon as Dawn says things can't get any crazier, crazy things happen like a bunch of medieval knight on horses attacking the van.

Ok how can I discribe this sequence? it's like one of those old westerns where they fight on a moving train, but substitute train with camper van, cowboys with knights and the old west with the modern Californian desert. all in all lots of fun as Buffy show us her mad sword wielding skills and gets rid of almost all of the knights except for the one who puts a spear into Giles and crashes the van. They take cover in an old abandoned gas station as Giles is going into shock. Unfortunately the knights make short work of their defenses. Thanks to Willow they get an energy barrier around the station. The head knight is captured and we finally get some answers to what the key is. I have to give real props to the actress playing Terra as her performance in the last few episodes has been exceptional. The people effected by Glory have started some sort of movement. Giles is looking really bad right now however I doubt they are going to kill off Giles. Buffy goes to ask for help from the enemy and they allow Ben in to tend to Giles. (BAD MOVE!!)

Spike and Xander are having a moment, it only took 5 seasons. Spike does talk some sense when it comes to his idea of making a break for it. Buffy however will have none of it. We get a history lesson about Glory's origin. They have found the weakness, where they only have to kill Ben to kill Glory. The Key is also to explained why it exists. The key opens the dimensional wall to  the demon space. Talk about having a lot on her plate as Dawn sees that the fate of the universe is in her.

The general gets to Ben and lets him know that the death of the key will stop this madness. Ben now has a decision to make however Glory has taken back control with her on the inside she has been able to take Dawn, destroy the army that was waiting out there and leave. Buffy slumps down with her worst fears realized.

Now that was a huge improvement from the previous episode, I loved the chase scene in the winabego and the final act of the episode sets up the season finally nicely. How does Buffy get her sister back and stop Glory when she knows that all of her attempts previously have been fruitless? Will Giles survive? and will Terra get her full psyche back?

6/10

Looking forward to the conclusion to this very interesting season in our next installment. So until then don't go opening up any inter dimensional barriers that may make the universe collapse on itself.