Doomed (Buffy episode)
Encyclopedia
"Doomed" is the 11th episode of season 4 of the television show Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
and Riley
finally talk. As much as Riley wants to tell Buffy who he really is, he can't, but Buffy is able to guess based on the evidence of the past several weeks. Riley is amazed by her talents and abilities, but when she confesses that she's the Slayer, he doesn't know what that is. An earthquake
hits and although it is mild, the memory of the last earthquake
in Sunnydale
disturbs Buffy.
As Xander
cleans up some of the earthquake damage, he tells Spike that if he's living there he'll have to do some of the housework. Willow
checks in with Buffy and informs her of the aftershock party that is taking place in one of the dorm buildings that lost power. Buffy goes to Giles
, fearing that the world is going to come to an end, but he dismisses her worry, thinking that the earthquake was just a normal California occurrence.
Riley pumps Forrest for information on the Slayer, which Forrest thinks is just a myth that monsters made up. In fact, the demons themselves are explained away as being simple animals. A demon goes berserk and attacks Riley and Forrest. They manage to subdue it and wonder at the strange activity their demonic captives have been exhibiting since the earthquake.
At the party, Willow sees Percy, whom she tutored in high school. Laurie, Percy's date, objects to his talking with Willow and suggests that they go somewhere else. Meanwhile, a guy mixing drinks in one of the dorm rooms has his throat slit by a large demon. Later, Willow overhears Percy trying to soothe Laurie by describing Willow as an "Egghead" and "Captain of the Nerd Squad". Depressed, Willow goes into one of the dorm rooms to lie on a bed, but when the lights come back on, she finds herself next to the body that was mutilated by the demon.
Returning home, Xander finds Spike wearing a Hawaiian shirt and shorts because he shrunk his own clothes. When Spike tries to threaten him, Xander quickly loses his temper and tears Spike down verbally, harshly informing him that no one is scared of him anymore and that he's not even worth the effort to pummel.
Riley shoots baskets with Forrest and broods about Buffy when Graham walks in and tells them about the murder. Riley orders the others to report to Prof. Walsh
, while he checks the situation out for himself.
Willow fills everyone in about the body she found, and about Percy talking badly about her. After she shows everyone the symbol carved into the student's chest, Giles says it is definitely the end of the world again. Buffy hunts down this demon, and finds it at a mausoleum where it's collecting the bones of a small child. She fights with the demon, but it escapes and she runs into Riley.
He tries to talk to her, to convince her to give a relationship between them a chance, but because of all the pain in her past, and the problems she's certain it would cause, she tells him no. Research leads them to find that the demon needs the blood of a man, the bones of a child, and the Word of Valios to perform a ritual called the 'Sacrifice of Three', which will destroy the world. Riley talks to his team and sends them out to find and kill the demon.
Willow and Xander walk in on Spike trying to kill himself by falling on a stake. Their appearance distracts and makes him miss the stake. Pitying him, Willow insists that they take him along, and Xander reluctantly agrees.
Out on patrol, Buffy runs into Riley again and Riley resumes their earlier conversation. He tells Buffy that she needs to be more positive, to not look for the bad in the situation. He tells her he doesn't care about her past and begs her to just take a chance on him, but she continues to refuse.
Later, instead of showing appreciation for their efforts, Spike taunts Willow and Xander about things ranging from their love lives to their "uselessness" to Buffy while they make their way to Giles' apartment. Though Willow and Xander protest his words as untrue, Spike clearly strikes a nerve.
Giles discovers that the Word of Valios is actually a talisman that he has in his possession. The demons however have already made their way to his apartment and they beat him up badly before taking the talisman. The gang finds Giles and they head off to the high school after he informs them that the ritual is to open the Hellmouth. Cautiously walking down the halls of the destroyed Sunnydale High School while stepping around piles of charred Mayor meat, the gang makes it to the remains of the library where three demons are performing the ritual. A fight breaks out, and then one of the demons jumps into the Hellmouth, revealing that they're the sacrifice for the ritual.
A second demon attacks Spike, and after several hits, he finally hits back. There's no pain in his head, and he realizes he can hurt demons without the chip hurting him. Ecstatic about being able to fight again, Spike promptly beats the demon senseless, and proceeds to throw it into the Hellmouth. While the rest of the gang escape the tottering building, Riley shows up to help Buffy fight. The third demon makes its way into the Hellmouth and Buffy goes in after it. Thanks to a cable and hook Riley attached to her belt, Buffy is pulled out of the Hellmouth along with the third demon. The world is saved again.
Afterwards, Riley tries to keep up his secret identity, but Buffy's friends pretty much know who he is by his clothes, while Spike evades detection by posing as a "friend of Xander's" with a bad American accent. The next day, Buffy goes to Riley's dorm, where he says how upset he is at himself for allowing her and her friends to find out about him. Telling him that everything will be okay, she kisses him.
Back in Xander's basement apartment, Spike is eager for another brawl and tries to persuade Willow and Xander to go out for some more demon-hunting rather than watching television, but they are too disturbed and frightened by his overly-excited attitude to do so.
Plot synopsis
BuffyBuffy Summers
Buffy Summers is a fictional character from Joss Whedon's Buffy the Vampire Slayer franchise. She first appeared in the 1992 film Buffy the Vampire Slayer before going on to appear in the television series and subsequent comic book of the same name...
and Riley
Riley Finn
Riley Finn is a fictional character created by Joss Whedon for the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Portrayed by Marc Blucas, Riley was introduced in the 1999 season four premiere episode, "The Freshman", and Blucas was part of the series credited cast for the second part of season four...
finally talk. As much as Riley wants to tell Buffy who he really is, he can't, but Buffy is able to guess based on the evidence of the past several weeks. Riley is amazed by her talents and abilities, but when she confesses that she's the Slayer, he doesn't know what that is. An earthquake
Earthquake
An earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. The seismicity, seismism or seismic activity of an area refers to the frequency, type and size of earthquakes experienced over a period of time...
hits and although it is mild, the memory of the last earthquake
Prophecy Girl
"Prophecy Girl" is the season finale of the WB Television Network's first season of the drama television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and the 12th episode of the series. The episode first aired on June 2, 1997 with the series acting as a midseason replacement for Savannah...
in Sunnydale
Sunnydale
Sunnydale, California is the fictional setting for the U.S. television drama Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Series creator Joss Whedon conceived the town as a representation of a generic California city, as well as a narrative parody of the all-too-serene towns typical in traditional horror...
disturbs Buffy.
As Xander
Xander Harris
Alexander LaVelle "Xander" Harris is a fictional character in the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, as well as in numerous items in the series Expanded Universe, such as comic books, tie-in novels and video games...
cleans up some of the earthquake damage, he tells Spike that if he's living there he'll have to do some of the housework. Willow
Willow Rosenberg
Willow Rosenberg is a fictional character created for the fantasy television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer . She was developed by Joss Whedon and portrayed throughout the TV series by Alyson Hannigan...
checks in with Buffy and informs her of the aftershock party that is taking place in one of the dorm buildings that lost power. Buffy goes to Giles
Rupert Giles
Rupert Giles is a fictional character created by Joss Whedon for the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The character is portrayed by Anthony Stewart Head. He serves as Buffy Summers' mentor and surrogate father figure...
, fearing that the world is going to come to an end, but he dismisses her worry, thinking that the earthquake was just a normal California occurrence.
Riley pumps Forrest for information on the Slayer, which Forrest thinks is just a myth that monsters made up. In fact, the demons themselves are explained away as being simple animals. A demon goes berserk and attacks Riley and Forrest. They manage to subdue it and wonder at the strange activity their demonic captives have been exhibiting since the earthquake.
At the party, Willow sees Percy, whom she tutored in high school. Laurie, Percy's date, objects to his talking with Willow and suggests that they go somewhere else. Meanwhile, a guy mixing drinks in one of the dorm rooms has his throat slit by a large demon. Later, Willow overhears Percy trying to soothe Laurie by describing Willow as an "Egghead" and "Captain of the Nerd Squad". Depressed, Willow goes into one of the dorm rooms to lie on a bed, but when the lights come back on, she finds herself next to the body that was mutilated by the demon.
Returning home, Xander finds Spike wearing a Hawaiian shirt and shorts because he shrunk his own clothes. When Spike tries to threaten him, Xander quickly loses his temper and tears Spike down verbally, harshly informing him that no one is scared of him anymore and that he's not even worth the effort to pummel.
Riley shoots baskets with Forrest and broods about Buffy when Graham walks in and tells them about the murder. Riley orders the others to report to Prof. Walsh
Maggie Walsh
Professor Maggie Walsh is a fictional character in the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The character is portrayed by Lindsay Crouse.-History:...
, while he checks the situation out for himself.
Willow fills everyone in about the body she found, and about Percy talking badly about her. After she shows everyone the symbol carved into the student's chest, Giles says it is definitely the end of the world again. Buffy hunts down this demon, and finds it at a mausoleum where it's collecting the bones of a small child. She fights with the demon, but it escapes and she runs into Riley.
He tries to talk to her, to convince her to give a relationship between them a chance, but because of all the pain in her past, and the problems she's certain it would cause, she tells him no. Research leads them to find that the demon needs the blood of a man, the bones of a child, and the Word of Valios to perform a ritual called the 'Sacrifice of Three', which will destroy the world. Riley talks to his team and sends them out to find and kill the demon.
Willow and Xander walk in on Spike trying to kill himself by falling on a stake. Their appearance distracts and makes him miss the stake. Pitying him, Willow insists that they take him along, and Xander reluctantly agrees.
Out on patrol, Buffy runs into Riley again and Riley resumes their earlier conversation. He tells Buffy that she needs to be more positive, to not look for the bad in the situation. He tells her he doesn't care about her past and begs her to just take a chance on him, but she continues to refuse.
Later, instead of showing appreciation for their efforts, Spike taunts Willow and Xander about things ranging from their love lives to their "uselessness" to Buffy while they make their way to Giles' apartment. Though Willow and Xander protest his words as untrue, Spike clearly strikes a nerve.
Giles discovers that the Word of Valios is actually a talisman that he has in his possession. The demons however have already made their way to his apartment and they beat him up badly before taking the talisman. The gang finds Giles and they head off to the high school after he informs them that the ritual is to open the Hellmouth. Cautiously walking down the halls of the destroyed Sunnydale High School while stepping around piles of charred Mayor meat, the gang makes it to the remains of the library where three demons are performing the ritual. A fight breaks out, and then one of the demons jumps into the Hellmouth, revealing that they're the sacrifice for the ritual.
A second demon attacks Spike, and after several hits, he finally hits back. There's no pain in his head, and he realizes he can hurt demons without the chip hurting him. Ecstatic about being able to fight again, Spike promptly beats the demon senseless, and proceeds to throw it into the Hellmouth. While the rest of the gang escape the tottering building, Riley shows up to help Buffy fight. The third demon makes its way into the Hellmouth and Buffy goes in after it. Thanks to a cable and hook Riley attached to her belt, Buffy is pulled out of the Hellmouth along with the third demon. The world is saved again.
Afterwards, Riley tries to keep up his secret identity, but Buffy's friends pretty much know who he is by his clothes, while Spike evades detection by posing as a "friend of Xander's" with a bad American accent. The next day, Buffy goes to Riley's dorm, where he says how upset he is at himself for allowing her and her friends to find out about him. Telling him that everything will be okay, she kisses him.
Back in Xander's basement apartment, Spike is eager for another brawl and tries to persuade Willow and Xander to go out for some more demon-hunting rather than watching television, but they are too disturbed and frightened by his overly-excited attitude to do so.
Trivia
- The page where Giles discovers the picture of the Word of Valios contains verses from Ezekiel 30 of the King James Bible edition.
- When Riley asks about the Slayer, Forrest replies, "SlayerSlayerSlayer is an American thrash metal band formed in Huntington Park, California, in 1981 by guitarists Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King. Slayer rose to fame with their 1986 release, Reign in Blood, and is credited as one of the "Big Four" thrash metal acts, along with Metallica, Megadeth and...
? Thrash band. Anvil-heavy guitar rock with delusions of Black SabbathBlack SabbathBlack Sabbath are an English heavy metal band, formed in Aston, Birmingham in 1969 by Ozzy Osbourne , Tony Iommi , Geezer Butler , and Bill Ward . The band has since experienced multiple line-up changes, with Tony Iommi the only constant presence in the band through the years. A total of 22...
." Fred Burkle also mistakes the two in "Spin the Bottle". - The map that Giles uses to show previous earthquake activity in Sunnydale is a map of Santa Barbara, CaliforniaSanta Barbara, CaliforniaSanta Barbara is the county seat of Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Situated on an east-west trending section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States, the city lies between the steeply-rising Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean...
. - Spike is discovered to use the famous "Big BadBig BadBig Bad is a term originally used by the Buffy the Vampire Slayer television series to describe a major recurring adversary, usually the chief villain or antagonist in a particular broadcast season...
" term as a self-conferred nickname. Xander even mentions this while taunting him with the line "You're not the 'Big Bad' anymore. You're not even the 'Kinda Naughty'."
Arc significance
- Marc Blucas joins the regular cast and is added to the opening credits.
- Spike fights evil alongside the Scoobies for the first time.
- In this episode, the Slayer myth is revealed to appear in Medieval folklore.
- This is the first time that the ruins of Sunnydale High School is seen after its destructionGraduation Day (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)"Graduation Day" is the season finale of the WB Television Network's third season of the drama television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, consisting of the twenty-first and twenty-second episodes. They are also the fifty-fifth and fifty-sixth episodes of the show overall...
.