Buffy for Beginners 2.13: Surprise

By Sabrina Boyer
It’s Halloween night as I write this, and I think it’s safe to say there’s no bigger surprise than sleeping with your boyfriend and having him ‘turn evil’ on you. I think we’re all in the same boat on this one. Way more of a surprise than you know, having a knife-wielding psycho at your back.

As the episode opens, it is a sultry dream sequence with Buffy heading into the Bronze from her bedroom, encountering Will speaking to a monkey, Joyce asking her if she’s really ready and dropping a plate and then seeing, ah, the salty goodness of Angel all to the backdrop of sexy sensual music. Cue up the power ballad as Angel and Buffy move closer to each other only for Angel to be staked and dusted by the likes of Drusilla. “Happy Birthday Buffy,” she says. We all know slayer dream sequences are more than your basic nightmare, and so perhaps one of the greatest episodes of the series kicks off arguably the best arc of the entire series. Seeing this episode out of sequence is what moved me to buy the first season of Buffy on DVD and never look back.

Buffy goes to check on Angel the next morning only to entangle into a passionate embrace. We know that the sexual tension building over the beginning of season two has almost reached its peak. “The part at the end of the night when we say goodnight? It’s getting harder,” Buffy whispers. Somethin’s a brewin’. Is that a stake in your pocket? Later at school, Will and Buffy discuss the finer aspects of carpe diem. Once you get to a certain point, seizing is sort of inevitable. Will joneses for Oz, though she’s worried about him being too old for her (senior and all) and Buffy responds with “Please, my boyfriend had a bicentennial.” Will invites Oz as her date to Buffy’s surprise party. Oh, Xan and Cordy contemplate admitting they’re dating. Again.

We come to learn that Buffy’s dream was more than maxi wig. Spike’s still in a wheelchair and they’re planning something vampirey for Dru’s birthday party as well. As she opens one of her presents early, “it reaks of death.” Meanwhile, Buffy argues that she now possesses the qualities one looks for in a licensed driver, and part of her dream comes to pass as Joyce asks her “Do you really think you’re ready Buffy?” then drops and breaks a plate. We also come to learn and important and gigantic piece of the Jenny Calendar puzzle, that she is from the gypsy tribe that originally cursed Angel with a soul in the first place. She’s been sent to the Hellmouth to keep tabs on Angel and his relationship with Buffy. He is not supposed to experience happiness, and Buffy was not an expected addition to his suffering.

Buffy informs Giles of her experience with her mom, and the Scoobies are still not aware that Dru is still alive. Buffy is not a perky birthday puppy, so Xan and Will think Buffy’s party is off; however, Giles says to go on with the party. Buffy pretends to be a regular 17-year-old girl while she heads back to the library to talk shop with Giles; however, she runs in to Ms. Calendar who sidetracks her to the Bronze for her ‘secret’ party. En route they encounter vamps stealing a package and Buffy schools them about their thunder need of a facial. The scoobies hide inside while Buff battles it out and slams through a window, staking a vamp right in front of everyone, including Oz. “Hey, did everyone just see that guy turn to dust?” Oz asks. “Yep, vampires are real, a lot of ‘em in Sunnydale, Willow will fill you in,” Xander replies. “That explains a lot,” Oz quips.

They end up opening the package nerdy vamp left behind and it’s a great big arm that reaches out to try and choke Buffy; we come to learn it’s a piece of the Judge, a demon that cannot be killed by a weapon forged by any man, to rid the world of humanity. Pieces of him were scattered all over the earth, and we learn that Dru wants to bring forth Armageddon by assembling the Judge. Jenny suggests Angel must get rid of the arm by taking it to the ends of the earth, and Buffy’s biggest bestest birthday present is to have Angel skip town for months. Buffy and Angel head to the docks to say goodbye, and Angel gives her the infamous Claddaugh ring, meaning love, friendship and loyalty, a symbol of his Irish heritage. If you consider yourself a Buffy fan, then you have that Claddaugh ring. The heart pointing towards you means you belong to somebody. Alas, Dru’s men interrupt them and Buffy is thrown into the water as Angel jumps in to save her while the arm is stolen back. Oh, and the Judge’s touch burns the humanity out of his victims.

The gang pulls an all-night research session and Buffy catnaps and has another prophetic dream. Cut to the lair and the Judge is assembled. (Sidenote: it’s the same actor that played Luke in ‘Welcome to the Hellmouth’ and ‘The Harvest’). He burns the nerdy vamp inside out while Dru screams “Do it again! Do it again!” Angel and Buffy head over to the lair to see if the Judge is assembled or not; it is, and they come close to getting killed but escape to the underground sewers just in time and head to Angel’s apartment. Cue the rain outside, the candles lit, the cold, wet bodies needing warmth, and we get touching love; but, cut to a white screen with Angel running out into the rain screaming Buffy’s name, seemingly in pain. To be continued. But all the rain and surprise throughout the episode should cue us in to a change a comin’. Rain typically means rebirth or change, a baptism. There’s change allright, but it’s not what either Buffy or Angel bargained for.

About Sabrina: As a kid my dad would sneak scary movies past my mom and let me indulge in his horror movie fetish. I grew up watching V, Alien Nation, The Thing, The Fog (all originals) and then, in 1992 when Buffy the movie came out, I became obsessed with vampires, girl power, and all things gothic. I once stayed home from school, faked sick, and watched BTVS: the movie 6 times in a row. I know the beginning cheerleading dance by heart (still). Currently, I’m obsessing over Laurell K. Hamilton novels, and dream about Anita Blake being my best friend.

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