Plot
In New York in 1977, Spike fights Nikki Wood, a Slayer whom he will eventually kill, in a park at night in pouring rain while her son Robin watches from his hiding place behind a bench. Spike has the opportunity to kill her but Robin distracts him and he lets her go, vowing that they will meet again. When he leaves, a clearly troubled Nikki finds her son and calms his fears by telling him, "The mission is what matters."
In present-day Sunnydale, Buffy, Principal Robin Wood, and Spike are fighting a bunch of vampires in an alley. Buffy and Spike manage to kill their quarry, but a vampire knocks Wood to the ground, and is about to kill him. Spike saves Wood by killing the vampire from behind, then helps him up, telling him not to hold back with using the stake. Wood thanks him, but he grips onto the stake so hard his hand starts dripping blood.
Previously, the First Evil had programmed Spike with a post-hypnotic suggestion in his mind that allows it to turn Spike violent using an old song, "Early One Morning", as a trigger. This way the First was able to command him to kill again. Buffy wants to find out how to turn it off so that she can fully trust Spike against the First, but Giles opposes Buffy, believing that Spike is still dangerous and must be contained or disposed of.
At the same time, the Scoobies go to Buffy's basement, where Willow makes a spell with the Prokaryote stone, a magical artifact that penetrates Spike's mind and makes him more conscious of how the trigger works. During this process information about Spike's human past is revealed, including how he turned his sick mother into a vampire only to be rejected by her newly vampiric self. The song that his mother used to sing makes him relive the whole episode and switch into his evil, soulless self. He unwittingly hurts Dawn in the process and scares them all, except Buffy. Meanwhile, Willow receives a phone call from a girl named Fred and quickly leaves for Los Angeles, promising Buffy she will be back as soon as she can.
After the previous incident, Wood and Giles privately conspire to get Spike killed. When Giles learns that Spike had killed Wood's mother, Nikki, the two plan for Giles to distract Buffy while Wood takes care of Spike. Giles takes Buffy on patrol and begins asking her indirect questions and making obscure references to her role against the First. In the meantime, Wood takes Spike to his hideout where he reveals that he knows Spike murdered his mother and that he is going to kill the monster inside him. Spike says he has no remorse over killing Wood's mother. Wood then plays "Early One Morning", which triggers Spike's violent, monstrous self and the two fight. As the fight progresses, Spike continues to relive the events that transpired between him and his mother, due to the Prokaryote Stone. Wood takes advantage of Spike's flashbacks, and using weapons, knocks Spike around until he cannot stand and he then attempts to stake him.
At this point, Spike regains control of his own mind, having faced his own anger and regret on turning his mother into a vampire and then being forced to kill her. Wood is now almost helpless against the much stronger Spike, who gives him a violent beating, demonstrates that the song has no more power over him and points out the difference between their own mothers – Spike's mother actually loved him back. While Giles and Buffy are talking in the cemetery, they are ambushed by another vampire. Buffy realizes that Giles has been trying to distract her while Wood kills Spike. She kills the vampire and rushes to Wood's place, where she finds Spike and a badly injured but alive Wood. Spike tells her that he stopped himself from killing Wood, but only because he had already killed Wood's mother. Buffy tells Wood that she needs Spike alive and that she has no time for personal vendettas, and vows to let Spike kill him if he tries anything like this again. As she walks away, she says she has a mission to win this war - "The mission is what matters" - echoing Wood's mother's words when he was a child. Once at home, Buffy tells Giles that his and Wood's plan failed, and disowns him as her mentor.
William "Spike" Pratt, played by James Marsters, is a fictional character created by Joss Whedon and David Greenwalt for the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel. Spike is a vampire and played various roles on the shows, including villain, anti-hero, trickster and romantic interest. For Marsters, the role as Spike began a career in science fiction television, becoming "the obvious go-to guy for US cult [television]." For creator Whedon, Spike is the "most fully developed" of his characters. The character was intended to be a brief villain, with Whedon originally adamant to not have another major "romantic vampire" character like Angel. Marsters says "Spike was supposed to be dirty and evil, punk rock, and then dead." However, the character ended up staying through the second season, and then returning in the fourth to replace Cordelia as "the character who told Buffy she was stupid and about to die."
The Buffyverse or Slayerverse is a media franchise created by Joss Whedon. The term also refers to the shared fictional universe in which the TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel are set. This term, originally coined by fans of the TV series, has since been used in the titles of published works, and adopted by Joss Whedon, the creator of the fictional universe. The Buffyverse is a place in which supernatural phenomena exist, and supernatural evil can be challenged by people willing to fight against such forces. Much of the licensed Buffyverse merchandise and media, while being official, is not considered to be canon within the universe.
Joyce Summers is a fictional character in the action-horror television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997–2003). Played by Kristine Sutherland, Joyce is the mother of the main character, Buffy Summers, and appears in 58 of the 144 episodes.
Robin Wood is a recurring character on the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The character, present for most of Season Seven, is played by D. B. Woodside.
"Chosen" is the series finale of the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the 22nd episode of season 7 and the 144th episode of the series. It was written and directed by series creator Joss Whedon and originally aired on UPN on May 20, 2003. The Buffy story would not be continued beyond this point until "The Long Way Home", a comic book, in 2007 and the Buffy and Angel saga would end in the Season Twelve series in late 2018.
"Pangs" is the eighth episode of season 4 of the television show Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It was written by Jane Espenson, directed by Michael Lange, and first broadcast on November 23, 1999 on The WB.
"Becoming" is the season finale of the second season of the drama television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, consisting of the twenty-first and twenty-second episodes. The episode aired on The WB was split into two parts which were broadcast separately; "Part 1" first aired on May 12, 1998 and "Part 2" first aired on May 19, 1998. Both episodes were written and directed by series creator Joss Whedon.
"Bring on the Night" is the tenth episode of the seventh and final season of the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The episode aired on December 17, 2002 on UPN.
"Never Leave Me" is the ninth episode of the seventh and final season of the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, in which the Scooby Gang begins to realize the magnitude of their peril. The episode aired on November 26, 2002 on UPN.
"First Date" is the fourteenth episode of seventh and final season of the television show Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The episode aired on February 11, 2003 on UPN.
"Sleeper" is the eighth episode of the seventh and final season of the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The episode aired on November 19, 2002 on UPN.
"Buffy vs. Dracula" is the season 5 premiere of the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The episode aired on September 26, 2000 on The WB.
"Dirty Girls" is the 18th episode of the seventh and final season of the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The episode aired on April 15, 2003, on UPN.
"Something Blue" is the 9th episode of season 4 of the television show Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Written by Tracey Forbes and directed by Nick Marck, it originally aired on November 30, 1999 on The WB. In "Something Blue", a spell by Willow goes awry, blinding Giles, making Xander a literal demon magnet, and causing Buffy and Spike to fall in love and get engaged.
"The Yoko Factor" is the 20th episode of season 4 of the television show Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The episode aired on May 9, 2000 on The WB.
"Entropy" is the 18th episode of season 6 of the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The episode aired on April 30, 2002 on UPN.
The Lost Slayer is a series of four novels written by Christopher Golden. It was later collected together in one omnibus paperback. Each was published by Pocket Books
"Lie to Me" is the seventh episode of the second season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It originally aired on The WB on November 3, 1997.
The seventh and final season of the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer premiered on September 24, 2002 on UPN and concluded its 22-episode run on May 20, 2003. It maintained its previous timeslot, airing Tuesdays at 8:00 pm ET.
