Villains (Buffy episode)
Encyclopedia
"Villains" is the 20th episode of season 6 of the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
calls upon Osiris
to bring the murdered Tara back to life, but the god cannot, because the death did not involve magic. She leaves, learning from Xander that Warren Mears
had shot Buffy, but does not tell him that Warren had also killed Tara.
As Warren celebrates at Willie's bar, he brags of killing the Slayer. The demon bartender tells him that TV news reports Buffy is still alive. Warren visits black magician Rack, seeking protection; he pays for Rack's help, but Rack warns him that the enraged Willow will likely overwhelm his defenses.
Willow goes to the magic shop. Despite Anya's
attempt to stop her, she absorbs great power and transforms herself into a dark magician. She appears at the hospital, magically healing Buffy to help her capture Warren. Dawn
returns home and finds Tara's body.
Xander and Buffy accompany Willow in her pursuit; Buffy tries to dissuade Willow from using magic, but Willow argues that Buffy's life was preserved only through her sorcery. They catch up to a bus on which Warren is apparently fleeing; Willow attempts to kill him, but finds "he" is only a robotic duplicate. She finally reveals Tara's death to Buffy and Xander. When they refuse to cooperate in Warren's execution, warning that the magic might corrupt her beyond redemption, she lashes out at them and vanishes.
Buffy and Xander return to the house, finding Dawn with Tara's body. After the body is removed, they debate Warren's fate, with only Buffy unconvinced that he should be killed; but all agree Willow's intended vengeance will end up destroying her as well. Buffy and Xander seek Spike's aid, but learn he has left Sunnydale without explanation.
In Africa, Spike approaches a cave-living demon, seeking to undergo an ordeal to win his greatest desire: the power to best Buffy, which he feels he has lost since his chip was inserted. The demon agrees, although he considers it pathetic that feelings concerning the Slayer have led Spike to this.
Buffy and Xander ask Anya for help, and learn she has once again become a vengeance demon. Willow uses magic to locate Warren. She pursues him through a forest; when he ambushes her and plunges an axe through her torso. She recovers immediately, negates his magical defenses, and immobilizes him. As he taunts her, she realizes Warren has killed a woman before, and becomes more determined to execute him. She magically inflicts the pain of Tara's death on him. While Buffy and her companions approach, Warren begs for mercy. Willow silences him, then, as Buffy arrives, she kills Warren by flaying him and incinerating him. She disappears, proclaiming her intent to kill Warren's jailed partners.
Despite Buffy's morality speech, Xander, Dawn, and Anya maintain that Warren should be killed for his crimes, and they later quietly support Willow for her choice to kill Warren.
Plot summary
An ambulance arrives at the Summers' house to treat the wounded Buffy. Upstairs, the distraught WillowWillow 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...
calls upon Osiris
Osiris
Osiris is an Egyptian god, usually identified as the god of the afterlife, the underworld and the dead. He is classically depicted as a green-skinned man with a pharaoh's beard, partially mummy-wrapped at the legs, wearing a distinctive crown with two large ostrich feathers at either side, and...
to bring the murdered Tara back to life, but the god cannot, because the death did not involve magic. She leaves, learning from Xander that Warren Mears
Warren Mears
Warren Mears is a fictional character portrayed by Adam Busch in the American television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, as well as its canonical comic book series continuation.-Television:...
had shot Buffy, but does not tell him that Warren had also killed Tara.
As Warren celebrates at Willie's bar, he brags of killing the Slayer. The demon bartender tells him that TV news reports Buffy is still alive. Warren visits black magician Rack, seeking protection; he pays for Rack's help, but Rack warns him that the enraged Willow will likely overwhelm his defenses.
Willow goes to the magic shop. Despite Anya's
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...
attempt to stop her, she absorbs great power and transforms herself into a dark magician. She appears at the hospital, magically healing Buffy to help her capture Warren. 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...
returns home and finds Tara's body.
Xander and Buffy accompany Willow in her pursuit; Buffy tries to dissuade Willow from using magic, but Willow argues that Buffy's life was preserved only through her sorcery. They catch up to a bus on which Warren is apparently fleeing; Willow attempts to kill him, but finds "he" is only a robotic duplicate. She finally reveals Tara's death to Buffy and Xander. When they refuse to cooperate in Warren's execution, warning that the magic might corrupt her beyond redemption, she lashes out at them and vanishes.
Buffy and Xander return to the house, finding Dawn with Tara's body. After the body is removed, they debate Warren's fate, with only Buffy unconvinced that he should be killed; but all agree Willow's intended vengeance will end up destroying her as well. Buffy and Xander seek Spike's aid, but learn he has left Sunnydale without explanation.
In Africa, Spike approaches a cave-living demon, seeking to undergo an ordeal to win his greatest desire: the power to best Buffy, which he feels he has lost since his chip was inserted. The demon agrees, although he considers it pathetic that feelings concerning the Slayer have led Spike to this.
Buffy and Xander ask Anya for help, and learn she has once again become a vengeance demon. Willow uses magic to locate Warren. She pursues him through a forest; when he ambushes her and plunges an axe through her torso. She recovers immediately, negates his magical defenses, and immobilizes him. As he taunts her, she realizes Warren has killed a woman before, and becomes more determined to execute him. She magically inflicts the pain of Tara's death on him. While Buffy and her companions approach, Warren begs for mercy. Willow silences him, then, as Buffy arrives, she kills Warren by flaying him and incinerating him. She disappears, proclaiming her intent to kill Warren's jailed partners.
Trivia
- Upon learning of Tara's death, Xander gasps, "Christ, Will, why didn't you say anything?" This is the only use of the word "Christ" (rarely used colloquially on American television) in the entire series.
Cultural references
- When Willow magically seizes control of Xander's car, he sarcastically refers to her as "Puppet MasterPuppet Master (franchise)Puppet Master is a horror film franchise which focuses on a group of puppets animated by an Egyptian spell, each equipped with their own unique and dangerous device and are represented as heroes, anti-heroes, and antagonists...
." - The destination of the bus in which Willow finds the robot-Warren is "Further," a reference to 1960s icon Ken KeseyKen KeseyKenneth Elton "Ken" Kesey was an American author, best known for his novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest , and as a counter-cultural figure who considered himself a link between the Beat Generation of the 1950s and the hippies of the 1960s. "I was too young to be a beatnik, and too old to be a...
and his Merry PrankstersMerry PrankstersThe Merry Pranksters were a group of people who formed around American author Ken Kesey in 1964 and sometimes lived communally at his homes in California and Oregon...
, who drove a colorful bus with the same designation. - This episode is Tara's last appearance on the TV show (she later appears in the Buffy comic Goddesses and Monsters).
Themes
In Televised Morality, Gregory Stevenson uses this episode to support his claim that Buffy surrenders to authority, provided it does not conflict with her moral responsibility as the Slayer. Warren is human, and killed Tara with a human weapon; therefore from Buffy's perspective he should be punished by the human legal system. When Xander argues that the legal system is inefficient and flawed, Buffy says, "We can't control the universe."Despite Buffy's morality speech, Xander, Dawn, and Anya maintain that Warren should be killed for his crimes, and they later quietly support Willow for her choice to kill Warren.
Continuity
- As Buffy recovers, Xander jokes that "the dying thing is funny once, maybe twice." Buffy previously died in Season One's finale Prophecy GirlProphecy 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...
, and Xander resuscitated her in the same episode. She died a second time in Season Five's finale, The GiftThe Gift (Buffy episode)"The Gift" is the fifth season finale, and the 100th episode, of the fantasy television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer . It was the last episode to air on The WB Television Network and was labeled as the "series finale", though the show was immediately picked up by rival network UPN for an...
, and was resurrected by the Scoobies (including Xander) at the beginning of Season Six. Later, in Season Seven's penultimate episode End of DaysEnd of Days (Buffy episode)"End of Days" is the 21st episode of the seventh and final season of the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer.-Plot synopsis:Starting moments after the previous episode ended, "End of Days" begins as Buffy effortlessly pulls the scythe from the stone...
, Xander jokes to Buffy, "If you die, I'll just bring you back to life. That's what I do." - Just before she flays Warren, Dark Willow says "bored now", an oft-repeated complaint of Vampire Willow in season 3 episodes "The WishThe Wish (Buffy episode)"The Wish" is the ninth episode of season 3 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.- Plot synopsis :Following Xander and Willow's kiss in "Lovers Walk", Oz has called a time-out on his relationship with Willow and Cordelia is decidedly avoiding any contact with Xander. Cordelia returns to school only to be...
" and "Doppelgangland". - After flaying Warren, Dark Willow says "One down", leading to the title of the next episode "Two to GoTwo to Go (Buffy episode)"Two to Go" is the 21st episode of season 6 of the television show Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The name of the episode is a reference to the previous one, which ends with Willow saying "One down" after killing Warren...
"
Arc significance
- This begins the arc of Anya's loyalty after Buffy and Xander find out she's a vengeance demon. This arc continues until the Season Seven episode "SelflessSelfless (Buffy episode)"Selfless" is the fifth episode of the seventh and final season of television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer.- Plot synopsis :Anya finally gets back into her old vengeance demon ways by helping a girl get revenge on an entire fraternity by having a spider demon tear their hearts out...
". - This marks Willow's turn to evil, which will last until the end of the season.
- This marks the last appearance of Tara.
- While everyone believes that Warren is dead, events of the Season EightBuffy the Vampire Slayer Season EightBuffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight is a comic book series published by Dark Horse Comics. The series serves as a canonical continuation of the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and follows the events of that show's final televised season. It is produced by Joss Whedon, who wrote the...
comic book arc "The Long Way HomeThe Long Way Home (Buffy comic)"The Long Way Home" is the first arc from the Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight series of comic books, a direct continuation of the television series of the same name. It is written by creator Joss Whedon. It ran for four issues. The first issue was released on March 14, 2007, and the final...
" will show that he was quickly resurrected, and kept alive, by Amy MadisonAmy MadisonAmy Madison is a fictional character, a witch played by Elizabeth Anne Allen in the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and by Shay Astar in the Season 8 motion comics. She made appearances in every season of Buffy except Seasons Five .Amy is a witch...
.