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No Place Like Home (Buffy episode)
Encyclopedia
"No Place Like Home" is the fifth episode of season 5 of the television show Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
s rushed to perform a ritual while a powerful force of some sort threatened their lives. In the present, Buffy
stakes a vampire outside an abandoned building, and then gets caught by the night watchman who thinks she's a teen looking for a rave
. As she turns to leave he tells her not to forget her glow-ball, an orb which Buffy doesn't recognize but takes to investigate.
Buffy makes breakfast for her mom
, who is still suffering from headaches that the doctors can't explain. Dawn takes credit for the breakfast, telling Joyce that Buffy only helped. Joyce and Dawn bond (Joyce calling Dawn her pumpkin belly), which leaves Buffy feeling like an outsider. Giles
' big opening is less than successful at first, but eventually, the magic shop gets to be so popular that he can't handle it all on his own. Buffy presents the orb to Giles, but Giles can't explain it right away, though he recognizes it as paranormal
in origin because "it's so shiny".
While picking up a prescription for her mother at the hospital, Buffy encounters the night watchman again as he's being strapped down to a gurney. He's less than stable, but he manages to warn Buffy that she will be attacked through her family.
A monk works on a blueprint
in an empty building just as The Beast
smashes through a large steel door, revealing itself to be a supernatural blond female. The Beast tied him up an gagged him and torture him for information about the Key out of the monk, but he won't tell her anything. She starts to speak crazily until she puts her fingers to the head of a security guard and seems to suck the life force from him.
Buffy assumes that the danger she was warned about is what is causing her mother's headaches. Anya
recommends to Buffy that she perform a spell to reveal any spells that may be affecting her family. Buffy doesn't want Riley
to feel unwanted, so she offers to let him help her with the spell. He realizes what she's doing, then they talk and agree to take care of each other.
Buffy performs the ritual in her bedroom then walks around her house to look for anything unusual. Nothing appears weird about her mother, but Buffy sees Dawn's image flashing in and out of pictures around the house. When she enters Dawn's room, Buffy sees Dawn's possessions, bed, desk, and decorations also fading in and out, as well as Dawn herself. Buffy confronts Dawn about it, and she concludes that Dawn isn't her sister. Buffy physically assaults and threatens Dawn, telling her to stay away from their mother, but Buffy's supposed little sister appears truly confused and doesn't understand Buffy's sudden change in attitude.
Giles calls to tell Buffy about the orb, a Dagon Sphere, and its purpose of protection from an unnamed evil. Buffy returns to the abandoned building in hopes of finding more information. Buffy encounters Spike lurking outside her home and demands to know what he was doing there. Spike gives a rather poor and unsatisfying explanation (Out for a walk... Bitch), though Buffy nonetheless decides to let him off with a warning, to which Spike gets frustrated and launches a bizarre rant against her before departing, leaving Buffy puzzled. Looking down, Buffy notes a small pile of Spike's discarded cigarette butts; he must have been loitering there for several hours. Shaking her head, she proceeds to return to the warehouse as Dawn watches the whole exchange from the window.
Buffy comes up against the Beast, who quickly proves to be too strong for Buffy to handle. After taking quite a beating, Buffy is able to escape with the monk. The Beast throws a tantrum, causing the room to collapse on her, which delays her pursuit. Back at The Magic Box, Giles offers Anya a job when he realizes that the job is too much for just one, and that she enjoys handling the money.
In his last moments of life, the monk warns Buffy that she must protect the key. He tells her that the key is a collection of energy put into a human form, Dawn
's form. They sent her to the Slayer to be protected from those looking for it. Before he dies, he tells her that her memories of Dawn were constructed, and that Dawn is now an innocent human who not only needs the protection of the Slayer, but also the love of a sister. When Buffy returns home, she apologizes to Dawn, and the two girls are able to relate on at least one subject - their concern for their mother.
Plot synopsis
Two months ago, several monkMonk
A monk is a person who practices religious asceticism, living either alone or with any number of monks, while always maintaining some degree of physical separation from those not sharing the same purpose...
s rushed to perform a ritual while a powerful force of some sort threatened their lives. In the present, Buffy
Buffy 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...
stakes a vampire outside an abandoned building, and then gets caught by the night watchman who thinks she's a teen looking for a rave
Rave
Rave, rave dance, and rave party are parties that originated mostly from acid house parties, which featured fast-paced electronic music and light shows. At these parties people dance and socialize to dance music played by disc jockeys and occasionally live performers...
. As she turns to leave he tells her not to forget her glow-ball, an orb which Buffy doesn't recognize but takes to investigate.
Buffy makes breakfast for her mom
Joyce Summers
Joyce Summers is a fictional character in the fantasy television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer . Played by Kristine Sutherland, Joyce is the mother of the main character, Buffy Summers . Joyce appears regularly from the first episode until the character's death in the fifth season episode "The...
, who is still suffering from headaches that the doctors can't explain. Dawn takes credit for the breakfast, telling Joyce that Buffy only helped. Joyce and Dawn bond (Joyce calling Dawn her pumpkin belly), which leaves Buffy feeling like an outsider. 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...
' big opening is less than successful at first, but eventually, the magic shop gets to be so popular that he can't handle it all on his own. Buffy presents the orb to Giles, but Giles can't explain it right away, though he recognizes it as paranormal
Paranormal
Paranormal is a general term that designates experiences that lie outside "the range of normal experience or scientific explanation" or that indicates phenomena understood to be outside of science's current ability to explain or measure...
in origin because "it's so shiny".
While picking up a prescription for her mother at the hospital, Buffy encounters the night watchman again as he's being strapped down to a gurney. He's less than stable, but he manages to warn Buffy that she will be attacked through her family.
A monk works on a blueprint
Blueprint
A blueprint is a type of paper-based reproduction usually of a technical drawing, documenting an architecture or an engineering design. More generally, the term "blueprint" has come to be used to refer to any detailed plan....
in an empty building just as The Beast
Glorificus
Glory is a fictional character in the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Also known as "Glorificus," "That Which Cannot Be Named," "The Abomination," and "The Beast," she appeared during the fifth season of the program and was portrayed by Clare Kramer.-History:Glorificus is a god from a...
smashes through a large steel door, revealing itself to be a supernatural blond female. The Beast tied him up an gagged him and torture him for information about the Key out of the monk, but he won't tell her anything. She starts to speak crazily until she puts her fingers to the head of a security guard and seems to suck the life force from him.
Buffy assumes that the danger she was warned about is what is causing her mother's headaches. Anya
Anya Jenkins
Anya is a fictional character created by Joss Whedon for the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. She also appears in the comic book series based on the television show. Portrayed by Emma Caulfield, the character appears as a guest star in the third and fourth seasons of the show before...
recommends to Buffy that she perform a spell to reveal any spells that may be affecting her family. Buffy doesn't want 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...
to feel unwanted, so she offers to let him help her with the spell. He realizes what she's doing, then they talk and agree to take care of each other.
Buffy performs the ritual in her bedroom then walks around her house to look for anything unusual. Nothing appears weird about her mother, but Buffy sees Dawn's image flashing in and out of pictures around the house. When she enters Dawn's room, Buffy sees Dawn's possessions, bed, desk, and decorations also fading in and out, as well as Dawn herself. Buffy confronts Dawn about it, and she concludes that Dawn isn't her sister. Buffy physically assaults and threatens Dawn, telling her to stay away from their mother, but Buffy's supposed little sister appears truly confused and doesn't understand Buffy's sudden change in attitude.
Giles calls to tell Buffy about the orb, a Dagon Sphere, and its purpose of protection from an unnamed evil. Buffy returns to the abandoned building in hopes of finding more information. Buffy encounters Spike lurking outside her home and demands to know what he was doing there. Spike gives a rather poor and unsatisfying explanation (Out for a walk... Bitch), though Buffy nonetheless decides to let him off with a warning, to which Spike gets frustrated and launches a bizarre rant against her before departing, leaving Buffy puzzled. Looking down, Buffy notes a small pile of Spike's discarded cigarette butts; he must have been loitering there for several hours. Shaking her head, she proceeds to return to the warehouse as Dawn watches the whole exchange from the window.
Buffy comes up against the Beast, who quickly proves to be too strong for Buffy to handle. After taking quite a beating, Buffy is able to escape with the monk. The Beast throws a tantrum, causing the room to collapse on her, which delays her pursuit. Back at The Magic Box, Giles offers Anya a job when he realizes that the job is too much for just one, and that she enjoys handling the money.
In his last moments of life, the monk warns Buffy that she must protect the key. He tells her that the key is a collection of energy put into a human form, Dawn
Dawn Summers
Dawn Summers is a fictional character created by Joss Whedon and introduced by Marti Noxon and David Fury on the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, portrayed by Michelle Trachtenberg. She made her debut in the premiere episode of the show's fifth season, and subsequently appeared in every...
's form. They sent her to the Slayer to be protected from those looking for it. Before he dies, he tells her that her memories of Dawn were constructed, and that Dawn is now an innocent human who not only needs the protection of the Slayer, but also the love of a sister. When Buffy returns home, she apologizes to Dawn, and the two girls are able to relate on at least one subject - their concern for their mother.
Ratings
- The original run of "No Place Like Home" attracted 6.4 million viewers, the highest rated episode of the season.
Arc significance
- This episode begins the main story arc of the season, revealing the truth about Dawn and introducing Glory as "That Which Cannot Be Named" and "The Abomination."
- Anya is hired at the Magic Box by Giles, a job she will keep until the end of season 6.
- This is the first time Spike sees Buffy after his realisation that he loves her. It is also the first of two occasions when she calls him 'William'. The second and last is during season 6, when she ends their sexual relationship.