History Recap / BuffyTheVampireSlayerS3E1Anne

* TheTriple: The doctor warns Buffy that she's in a whole lot of trouble. Lady, don't argue with a grouchy Slayer at 3am. "[[TheDrifter I don't want any trouble]]. I just want to be alone and quiet in a room with a chair and a fireplace and a tea cozy. I don't even know what a tea cozy is, [[RuleOfCool but I want one]]."

* TheTriple: The doctor warns Buffy that's in for a whole lot of trouble. Lady, don't argue with a grouchy Slayer at 3am. "[[TheDrifter I don't want any trouble]]. I just want to be alone and quiet in a room with a chair and a fireplace and a tea cozy. I don't even know what a tea cozy is, [[RuleOfCool but I want one]]."

* CutPhoneLines

* MorallyAmbiguousDoctorate: The blood bank.

* OpenSaysMe

* TheReveal

* TheTriple

* TheBait

* ComicallyMissingThePoint / LetsSplitUpGang

* MorallyAmbiguousDoctorate

* TranquilFury

* AdventureDuo

* BareYourMidriff

* CrashIntoHello

* DivingSave

* HalfTruth

* LoadBearingBoss: After Buffy returns with all the others, the black pool solidifies.

* {{Redshirt}}

* TheRunaway

* StockFootage: The montage depicting the teen runaways will be used again in the Angel pitch tape. The image of the teenage girl with the large skirt alone in the street will be used in the credits of ''Angel''.

* TitleDrop

* CallBack
* CannotSpitItOut
* ChekhovsGunman / {{Hobos}}

* TheDrifter

* ItsPersonal: Willow stubbornly defends her {{Pre-Asskicking One Linder}}s, but admits her choice of words was lame. Oz suggests this trope instead. "There's a reason why it's a classic."

* TryNotToDie

He growls and lunges at her, and she looks surprised that her line didn't have more of an effect. Xander and Oz move in to assist. Oz, however, has a little trouble [[AccidentalInnuendo getting the wood out of his pants]] (well, [[ItMakesSenseInContext you know]]), and the vamp takes the opportunity to do a cool backflip over Xander. The vamp runs. Dramatic music swells as Oz winds back his arm for a long-distance staking -- but his throw is lopsided and the stake bounces harmlessly off a trashcan.

Meanwhile, Sunnydale High is rebooting for the new year. Willow is shocked that Oz is carrying books, and he reveals that he was supposed to go to summer school but didn't, so he's repeating senior year. Willow's academic sensitivities kick in, and she starts to freak out a little, but the fans collectively tell Willow to shut up -- Moar Oz! Xander and Cordelia initially look happy to see each other again, but each is waiting for the other to make the first move. After some fumbled dialogue, they skulk off in opposite directions. Giles continues his search to find Buffy. He gets off the phone and announces that he has a lead -- a report of a young girl fighting vampires in Oakland. Xander is skeptical, as this is apparently not the first such lead they've had.

* DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment / ICantBelieveImSayingThis
* DinerBrawl

* GirlishPigtails

* HypocriticalHumor

* ItsPersonal
* ImportantHaircut

* MythologyGag: "Lily" and her boyfriend attempting to buy lunch at a diner by dumping a bunch of change onto the table. David Arquette and Luke Perry did the exact same thing in the ''[[{{Film/BuffyTheVampireSlayer}} Buffy]]'' feature film.

* NegatedMomentOfAwesome / ThrowingYourSwordAlwaysWorks

* SelectiveObliviousness

* SueDonym

* VeryFalseAdvertising

Night. Buffy walks back from work. Lily calls to her, "Buffy?" Buffy stops in her tracks. Lily asks if Buffy recognizes her, and promises that she didn't tell anyone Buffy's identity. We learn for sure that Lily is homeless, and Buffy reveals that Anne is [[SueDonym her middle name]]. Lily says that she's always changing her name; Chanterelle was part of her "exotic phase." Buffy informs her that chanterelle is a mushroom. Lily looks alarmed, and Buffy backpedals by telling her that it's an "exotic mushroom." Ah well. Inevitably, Lily asks Buffy for some cash, but an old man shambles in-between them. He creepily says, "I'm no one," and wanders out into the street before freezing like a deer in the headlights. Since he's actually ''in'' the headlights, Buffy races out and pushes him to safety, and gets hit by an SUV for her trouble. A crowd forms around Buffy, but she recovers and quickly runs off. Rounding a corner, she runs right into a missionary, knocking a bunch of flyers out of his hand. As they gather the flyers up, who introduces himself as "Ken." He inquires after her well-being, and PSAs about kids on the street. He gives Buffy a flyer for a halfway house called "Family Home."

Night. Buffy walks back from work. Lily calls to her, "Buffy?" Buffy stops in her tracks. Lily asks if Buffy recognizes her, and promises that she didn't tell anyone Buffy's identity. We learn for sure that Lily is homeless, and Buffy reveals that Anne is [[SueDonym her middle name]]. Lily says that she's always changing her name; Chanterelle was part of her "exotic phase." Buffy informs her that chanterelle is a mushroom. Lily looks alarmed, and Buffy backpedals by telling her that it's an "exotic mushroom." Ah well. Inevitably, Lily asks Buffy for some cash, but an old man shambles in-between them. He creepily says, "I'm no one," and wanders out into the street before freezes like a deer in the headlights. Since he's actually ''in'' the headlights, Buffy races out and pushes him to safety, and gets hit by an SUV for her trouble. A crowd forms around Buffy, but she recovers and quickly runs off. Rounding a corner, she runs right into a missionary, knocking a bunch of flyers out of his hand. As they gather the flyers up, who introduces himself as "Ken." He inquires after her well-being, and PSAs about kids on the street. He gives Buffy a flyer for a halfway house called "Family Home."

Night. Buffy walks back from work. Lily calls to her, "Buffy?" Buffy stops in her tracks. Lily asks if Buffy recognizes her, and promises that she didn't tell anyone Buffy's identity. We learn for sure that Lily is homeless, and Buffy reveals that Anne is [[SueDonym her middle name]]. Lily says that she's always changing her name; Chanterelle was part of her "exotic phase." Buffy informs her that chanterelle is a mushroom. Lily looks alarmed, and Buffy backpedals by telling her that it's an "exotic mushroom." Ah well. Inevitably, Lily asks Buffy for cash, but an old man stumbles between them. He creepily says, "I'm no one," and wanders out into the street before freezes like a deer in the headlights. Since he's actually ''in' the headlights, Buffy races out and pushes him to safety, and gets hit by an SUV for her trouble. A crowd forms around Buffy, but she recovers and quickly runs off. Rounding a corner, she runs right into a missionary, knocking a bunch of flyers out of his hand. As they gather the flyers up, who introduces himself as "Ken." He inquires after her well-being, and PSAs about kids on the street. He gives Buffy a flyer for a halfway house called "Family Home."

Xander wonders at the vamp's acrobatics. Oz suddenly recognizes the vamp as Andy Hoelich from the gymnastics team. Xander, fuming, chastises Willow for her cheesy line, but she defensively points out that the Slayer ''always'' has a quip ready. Xander misses Buffy's punnage, and Willow admonishes him for breaking the "past-tense rule." Right, right; Buffy's due back any moment now. The gang speculates on Buffy's return as the camera pans out.

* CloseupOnHead

Xander wonders at the vamp's acrobatics. Oz suddenly recognizes the vamp as Andy Hoelich from the gymnastics team. Xander, fuming, chastises Willow for her cheesy line, but she defensively points out that Buffy always has a quip ready. Xander misses her punnage, and Willow admonishes him for breaking the "past-tense rule." Right, right; Buffy's due back any moment now. The gang speculates on Buffy's return as the camera pans out.

He tries to beat her down, but she makes short work of the three guards, and instructs the kids to follow her. Time for the fight. Buffy is kicking demon ass and taking demon names. Oh yeah, who's no one now? Meanwhile, Lily shepherds the kids out, but Ken catches her and holds a knife to her throat. He says that if anyone fights, they'll all die. He lets Lily go and steps to the edge of the platform to lecture everyone on the price of "rebel--". One assumes he was going to say "rebellion," but we'll never know for sure, because Lily takes this opportunity to push him off the platform. THUD.

In the morning, Buffy -- in pigtails and a checkered uniform -- waits on a young couple who are canoodling. The girl is vampire-wannabe Chantarelle (from "[[{{Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS2E7LieToMe}} Lie to Me]]"), only looking much more like a {{street urchin}}. They lovers have matching tattoos that, when placed together, form a heart with their names on them: "Rickie" and "Lily." After reading Buffy's name tag, which says "[-ANNE-], Lily wonders if they've someplace before. Buffy, realizing she's just been made, asks another waitress to cover for her, and hightails it out of there.

Buffy wakes up. She walks to the window, and the camera pans out to reveal a street that's definitely on the wrong side of the tracks. In the morning, Buffy -- in pigtails and a checkered uniform -- waits on a young couple who are canoodling. The girl is vampire-wannabe Chantarelle (from "[[{{Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS2E7LieToMe}} Lie to Me]]"), only looking much more like a {{street urchin}}. They lovers have matching tattoos that, when placed together, form a heart with their names on them: "Rickie" and "Lily." After reading Buffy's name tag, which says "[-ANNE-], Lily wonders if they've someplace before. Buffy, realizing she's just been made, asks another waitress to cover for her, and hightails it out of there.

Lily finds Buffy at the diner. She tells Buffy that Rickie has disappeared, and begs her for help. Cut to a blood bank, where Lily exposits that she and Rickie Lily and Ricky went there the day before to score money (and cookies). Buffy asks a large female doctor if Rickie has been in in the last day. The answer is negative, and Buffy and Lily decide to split up and look for him. As they leave, the doctor's face falls, and the ominous music of "I'm Not Telling The Whole Story" plays. Out in the street, Buffy finds the man whose life she saved the previous night lying dead in the gutter, having drunk drain cleaner. She kneels and turns his arm over, and finds the "Lily" tattoo. Buffy concludes that Rickie has somehow been "drained" of his youth.

Lily waits nervously at Buffy's apartment. Buffy enters, and breaks the news about Rickie. Lily doesn't take it very well, accusing Buffy of maybe bringing a monster that caused this. Lily runs out. When she hits the streets, Ken finds her and invites her to come to Family Home, telling her that Rickie ''has already joined them''. Meanwhile at the blood bank, Buffy interrogates the portly octor from earlier about what happened to Rickie. The doc pleads that she just forwards "them" the names of the "healthy ones.". Cut to Ken preparing Lily, who's now wearing a smock, for a ceremony called a "Cleansing." Sounds ominous.

Lily waits nervously at Buffy's apartment. Buffy enters, and breaks the news about Rickie. Lily doesn't take it very well, accusing Buffy of maybe bringing a monster that caused this. Lily runs out. When she hits the streets, Ken finds her and invites her to come to Family Home, telling her that Rickie ''has already joined them''. Meanwhile at the blood bank, Buffy goes searching through the files trying to find out what happened to Rickie. The portly doctor from earlier shows up, and when Buffy [[PerpSweating makes it very difficult for her]] not to cooperate, she says that she just forwards the names of the "healthy ones" to an unnamed man. Cut to Ken preparing Lily, who's now wearing a smock, for a ceremony called a "Cleansing." Sounds ominous.

Meanwhile, Sunnydale High is rebooting for the new year. Willow is shocked that Oz is carrying books, and he reveals that he was supposed to go to summer school but didn't, so he's repeating senior year. Willow's academic sensitivities kick in, and she starts to freak out a little, but the fans collectively tell Willow to shut up -- Moar Oz! Xander and Cordelia initially look happy to see each other again, but it seems like each is waiting for the other to make the first move. Their smiles quickly fade, and after some fumbled dialogue, they skulk off in opposite directions. Giles continues his search to find Buffy. He gets off the phone and announces that he has a lead -- a report of a young girl fighting vampires in Oakland. Xander is skeptical, as this is apparently not the first such lead they've had.

He growls and lunges at her, and she looks surprised that her line didn't have more of an effect. Xander and Oz move in to assist. Oz, however, has a little trouble [[AccidentalInnuendo getting the wood out of his pants]] (well, [[ItMakesSenseInOnctext you know]]), and the vamp takes the opportunity to do a cool backflip over Xander. The vamp runs. Dramatic music swells as Oz winds back his arm for a long-distance staking -- but his throw is lopsided and the stake bounces harmlessly off a trashcan.

He growls and lunges at her, and she looks surprised that her line didn't have more of an effect. Xander and Oz move in to assist. Oz, however, has a little trouble [[AccidentalInnuendo getting the wood out of his pants]] (well, you know), and the vamp takes the opportunity to do a cool backflip over Xander. The vamp runs. Dramatic music swells as Oz winds back his arm for a long-distance staking -- but his throw is lopsided and the stake bounces harmlessly off a trashcan.

"[[ThrowingYourSwordAlwaysWorkas That really never works.]]"

Xander is baffled over the vamp's acrobatics, and Oz suddenly recognizes him as Andy Hoelich, a member of the gymnastics team. Xander fumes, than chastises Willow for her cheesy line, but she defensively points that Buffy always has a quip ready. Xander misses Buffy's punning, and Willow admonishes him for breaking the "past-tense rule." She's optimistic about Buffy showing up tomorrow, since it's the first day of school, but Xander brings her back to reality: Buffy's banned from campus, remember?

Buffy wakes up. She walks to the window, and the camera pans out to reveal a street that's definitely on the wrong side of the tracks.

Morning. Buffy, in pigtails and a checkered uniform, waits on two trucker types in a greasy spoon. She instructs Trucker #1 to pay at the counter, and he offers to pay in trade, [[{{LampshadedDoubleEntendre if you know what I mean]]. Trucker #2 slaps her behind as she walks away. She pauses, and from the music we're meant to think an ass-kicking is imminent, but instead she walks to her next table, where a young couple is canoodling. The girl is vampire-wannabe Chantarelle (from "[[{{Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS2E7LieToMe}} Lie to Me]]"), only looking much more like a {{street urchin}}. They're looking for a meal for the minor change they have, having spent all of their cash getting matching tattoos that, when placed together, form a heart with their names on them: "Rickie" and "Lily." After reading Buffy's name tag, which says "[-ANNE-], Lily wonders if they've someplace before. Buffy, realizing she's just been made, asks another waitress to cover for her, and hightails it out of there.

Meanwhile, Sunnydale High is rebooting for the new year. Willow is shocked that Oz is carrying books, and he reveals that he was supposed to go to summer school but didn't, so he's repeating senior year. Willow's academic sensitivities kick in, and she starts to freak out a little, but the fans collectively tell Willow to shut up -- Moar Oz! Xander and Cordelia initially look happy to see each other again, but it seems like each is waiting for the other to make the first move. Their smiles quickly fade, and after some fumbled dialogue, they skulk off in opposite directions.

Buffy's back in uniform. Time to head for work. She passes a missionary handing out leaflets talking to a homeless kid. Then we hear a plaintive "I'm no one," and Buffy sees a decrepit homeless woman lying in a doorway. Buffy looks perturbed.

Giles continues his search to find Buffy. He gets off the phone and announces that he has a lead -- a report of a young girl fighting vampires in Oakland. Xander is skeptical, as this is apparently not the first such lead they've had.

Night. Buffy walks back from work. Lily calls to her, "Anne! Anne! Buffy?" Buffy stops in her tracks. Lily asks if Buffy recognizes her, and promises that she didn't tell anyone Buffy's identity. They walk together. We learn for sure that Lily is homeless, and Buffy reveals that Anne is [[SueDonym her middle name]]. Lily says that she's always changing her name; Chanterelle was part of her "exotic phase." Buffy informs her that chanterelle is a mushroom. Lily looks alarmed, and Buffy backpedals by telling her that it's an "exotic mushroom." Ah well. Buffy asks what they called Lily at home, but Lily looks away with an expression that says, "Home is where the sexual abuse is." Inevitably, Lily asks Buffy for cash, but an old man stumbles between them. He stares creepily says, "I'm no one," and wanders out into the street before freezes like a deer in the headlights. Since he's actually ''in' the headlights, Buffy races out and pushes him to safety, and gets hit by an SUV for her trouble. A crowd forms around Buffy, but she recovers and quickly runs off. Rounding a corner, she runs right into the missionary, knocking a bunch of flyers out of his hand. As they gather the flyers up, who introduces himself as "Ken." He inquires after her well-being, and PSAs about kids on the street. He gives Buffy a flyer for a halfway house called "Family Home."

Xander, Willow and Oz mope at the Bronze. They lament the fact that they're losing half the vamps. Xander opines that they need "bait" as he stares at... Cordelia.

Giles returns from his false lead ("Bunch of school kids in heavy mascara") to visit with Joyce. She opens the door expectantly, but is disappointed to see him. She's afraid to leave the house in case Buffy calls or shows up. Giles tells Joyce that she shouldn't blame herself for Buffy's departure, but Joyce turns it around: "I blame you." Ooph. Giles's stoic face cracks a little bit. Joyce continues the attack, saying that she feels like Giles took Buffy away from her. Giles tries to recover: "I didn't make Buffy who she is." Joyce isn't buying: "And ''who'' exactly ''is she''?" Again, ooph.

Lily finds Buffy at the diner. She tells Buffy that Rickie has disappeared, and begs her for help. Buffy doesn't want to get involved, but Lily wears her down. Cut to a blood bank, where Lily exposits that she and Rickie Lily and Ricky went there the day before to score money (and cookies). Buffy asks a large female doctor if Rickie has been in in the last day. The answer is negative, and Buffy and Lily decide to split up and look for him. As they leave, the doctor's face falls, and the ominous music of "I'm Not Telling The Whole Story" plays. Out in the street, Buffy finds the man whose life she saved the previous night lying dead in the gutter, having drunk drain cleaner. She kneels and turns his arm over, and finds the "Lily" tattoo. What the--?

Lily waits nervously at Buffy's apartment. Buffy enters, and breaks the news about Rickie. Lily doesn't take it very well, accusing Buffy of maybe bringing a monster that caused this. Lily runs out. When she hits the streets, Ken finds her and invites her to come to Family Home, telling her that Rickie ''has already joined them''.

Late at night at the blood bank, Buffy goes searching through the files trying to find out what happened to Rickie. The portly doctor from earlier shows up, and when Buffy [[PerpSweating makes it very difficult for her]] not to cooperate, she says that she just forwards the names of the "healthy ones" to an unnamed man. Cut to Ken preparing Lily, who's now wearing a smock, for a ceremony called a "Cleansing." Sounds ominous.

Graveyard. The Scoobies, including Cordelia, are preparing to lure vamps into their web. Cordelia complains about being the bait, then passive-aggressively argues with Xander. Willow can hear it all from her hiding place, and the look on her face screams her soon-to-be-classic line, "Bored now." Behind her, the vamp that got away earlier is leering at Willow from behind. Whoops. Cordy and Xander are still bitching when they hear a scream from Willow. The others rush to her aid. Xander holds a stake to the vamp's heart, but can't get enough leverage to drive it home until Cordy tackles the two of them. That's enough to dust the vamp and leave Cordy lying on top of Xander; Overly dramatic music plays (again) as Cordy and Xander mack.

Ken instructs Lily to kneel in front of an ink-black, rectangular pool. He explains that the pool is to "wash away the past." With motor oil? Meanwhile, Buffy's at the Family Home door, asking some goon if she can join.

"You know, I just -- I woke up and I looked in the mirror and I thought, 'Hey! What's with all the sin?' I need to change. I'm -- I'm dirty. I'm, I'm bad, with the sex, and the -- envy, and that loud music us kids listen to nowadays."

The goon's borrowed Willow's "bored now" expression, and Buffy laments that she sucks at undercover. She kicks the door open and finds Ken in the cleansing room -- just in time for the tar to suck Lily into the pool. Buffy tries to follow, but Ken tangles her up and they both fall in, right through the black pool and into a hellish-looking forge. Young men and women, all dressed in the same style of smock as Lily, working as slaves. Some are being whipped by demon guards. Ken reveals himself as a demon of some sort with a human face glued on, and sends his guards after the girls. The two are quickly caught and told that they will be living there for as long as they can serve as useful slaves. Time moves much more quickly in their current reality, which is why Rickie aged so many years while no time had passed on Earth.

He tries to beat her down, but she makes short work of the three guards, and instructs the kids to follow her. Buffy and Lilly hatch a plan: Buffy = diversion, Lily = get the kids to safety. Time for the fight. Buffy is kicking demon ass and taking demon names. Oh yeah, who's no one now? Meanwhile, Lily shepherds the kids out, but Ken catches her and holds a knife to her throat. He says that if anyone fights, they'll all die. He lets Lily go and steps to the edge of the platform to lecture everyone on the price of "rebel--". One assumes he was going to say "rebellion," but we'll never know for sure, because Lily takes this opportunity to push him off the platform. THUD.

She rains down the club and splatters his head. Lily is puzzled.

"Well, you know, if he was really pissed off."

Back at home, Joyce grumpily answers the door again. She opens the door to find her daughter on the front steps. After a few moments, they hug.

He growls and moves to attack her, and she looks surprised that her line didn't have more of an effect. Xander grabs the vamp from behind while Oz attempts to stake him. Oz, however, has a little trouble [[AccidentalInnuendo getting the wood out of his pants]] (what?), and the vamp takes the opportunity to kick him while doing a cool back flip over Xander. The vamp runs. Dramatic music swells as Oz winds back his arm for a long-distance staking -- but his throw is lopsided and the stake bounces harmlessly off a trashcan.

"That really never works."

Xander is baffled over the vamp's acrobatics, and Oz suddenly recognizes him as Andy Hoelich, a member of the gymnastics team. Xander fumes, than chastises Willow for her cheesy line, but she defensively points that Buffy always has a quip ready. Xander misses Buffy's punning, and Willow admonishes him for breaking the "past-tense rule." Xander resignedly plays along. Willow's optimistic about Buffy showing up tomorrow, since it's the first day of school.

Morning. Buffy, in pigtails and a checkered uniform, waits on two trucker types in a greasy spoon. She instructs Trucker #1 to pay at the counter, and he offers to pay in trade, [[{{LampshadedDoubleEntendre if you know what I mean]]. Trucker #2 slaps her behind as she walks away. She pauses, and from the music we're meant to think an ass-kicking is imminent, but instead she walks to her next table, where a young couple is canoodling. The girl is vampire-wannabe Chantarelle (from "Lie to Me"), only looking much more like a {{street urchin}}. They're looking for a meal for the minor change they have, having spent all of their cash getting matching tattoos that, when placed together, form a heart with their names on them: "Rickie" and "Lily." After reading Buffy's name tag, which says "[-ANNE-], Lily wonders if they've someplace before. Buffy, realizing she's just been made, asks another waitress to cover for her, and hightails it out of there.

Meanwhile, Sunnydale High reboots itself for the new year. Willow and Giles are discussing the previous night's patrol. Willow is especially surprised that Oz is carrying books, and he reveals that he was supposed to go to summer school but didn't, so he's repeating senior year. Willow's academic sensitivities kick in, and she starts to freak out a little, but the audience collectively tells Willow to shut up -- moar Oz! Xander and Cordelia initially look happy to see each other again, but it seems like each is waiting for the other to make the first move. Their smiles quickly fade, and after some awkwardness, they skulk off in opposite directions.

Buffy's back in uniform. Time for work. She passes a missionary handing out leaflets talking to a homeless kid. Then we hear a plaintive "I'm no one," and Buffy sees a decrepit homeless woman lying in a doorway. Buffy looks perturbed.

Giles continues his search to find Buffy. He gets off the phone and announces that he has a lead -- a report of a young girl fighting vampires in Oakland. Xander is skeptical, as this is apparently not the first such lead they've had, and he doesn't want to see Giles get his hopes up too high. Willow, however, tries to cheer Giles on. He leaves in a hurry. Willow wonders if Giles might find Buffy this time, but Xander brings her back to reality: "I think he'll find her when she wants to be found."

Night. Buffy walks back from work. Lily calls to her, "Anne! Anne! Buffy?" Buffy stops in her tracks. Lily asks if Buffy recognizes her, and promises that she didn't tell anyone Buffy's identity. They walk together. We learn for sure that Lily is homeless, and Buffy reveals that Anne is [[SueDonym her middle name]]. Lily says that she's always changing her name; Chanterelle was part of her "exotic phase." Buffy informs her that chanterelle is a mushroom. Lily looks alarmed, and Buffy backpedals by telling her that it's an "exotic mushroom." Ah well. Buffy asks what they called Lily at home, but Lily looks away with an expression that says, "Home is where the sexual abuse is." Inevitably, Lily asks Buffy for cash, but Buffy declines, and they're about to go their separate ways when an old man stumbles between them. He stares vacantly at them, and says creepily, "I'm no one." Buffy processes that as the man wanders out into the street and freezes like a deer in the headlights. Since he's actually ''in' the headlights, Buffy races out and pushes him to safety, and gets hit by an SUV for her trouble. A crowd forms around Buffy, but she recovers and quickly runs off. Rounding a corner, she runs right into the missionary, knocking a bunch of flyers out of his hand. As they gather the flyers up, who introduces himself as "Ken." He inquires after her well-being, and PSAs about kids on the street. He gives Buffy a flyer for a halfway house called "Family Home."

Giles returns from his failed search to visit with Joyce. She opens the door expectantly, but is disappointed to find Giles. She's afraid to leave the house in case Buffy calls or shows up. Giles tells Joyce that she shouldn't blame herself for Buffy's departure, but Joyce turns it around: "I blame you." Ooph. Giles's stoic face cracks a little bit. Joyce continues the attack, saying that she feels like Giles took Buffy away from her. Giles tries to recover: "I didn't make Buffy who she is." Joyce isn't buying: "And ''who'' exactly ''is she''?" Again, ooph.

Lily finds Buffy at the diner. She tells Buffy that Rickie has disappeared, and begs her for help. Buffy doesn't want to get involved, but Lily wears her down. Cut to a blood bank, where Lily exposits that she and Rickie Lily and Ricky went there the day before to score money (and cookies). Buffy asks a large female doctor if Rickie has been in in the last day. The answer is negative, and Buffy and Lily decide to split up and look for him. As they leave, the doctor's face falls, and the ominous music of "I'm Not Telling The Whole Story" plays. Buffy finds the man whose life she saved the previous night lying in the gutter, very dead, having drunk drain cleaner. She kneels and turns his arm over, and finds the "Lily" tattoo. Found him.

Lily waits nervously at Buffy's apartment. Buffy enters, and breaks the news about Rickie. Lily doesn't take it very well, accusing Buffy of maybe bringing a monster that caused this. Lily runs out. When she hits the streets, Ken finds her and invites her to come to Family Home, telling her that Rickie ''has already joined them''. She accepts.

Late at night at the blood bank, Buffy goes searching through the files trying to find out what happened to Ricky. She sees that many of the people's files say "CANDIDATE" on them. The woman who runs the bank shows up and Buffy [[PerpSweating makes it very difficult for her]] not to cooperate, she says that she just gives the names of the healthy ones to an unnamed man. Cut to Ramon preparing Lily, who's now wearing a smock, for a ceremony called a "Cleansing." Sounds ominous.

Graveyard. The Scoobies, including Cordelia, are preparing to lure vamps into their web. Cordelia complains about being the bait, then passive-aggressively argues with Xander. Willow can hear it all from her hiding place, and the look on her face screams her soon-to-be-classic line, "Bored now." Behind her, the vamp that got away earlier is leering at Willow from behind. Whoops.

Ken instructs Lily to kneel in front of an ink-black, rectangular pool. He explains that the pool is to "wash away the past." With motor oil? Meanwhile, Buffy's at the Family Home door, explaining to some goon in a hilariously unconvincing way:

The goon's borrowed Willow's "bored now" expression, and Buffy laments, "[-Oh, I just suck at undercover-]. Where's Ken?" The goon tries to shut the door, but Buffy kicks it open and enters. She finds Ken in the cleansing room and demands an explanation, just in time for the tar to suck Lily into the pool. Buffy tries to follow, but Ken tangles her up and they both fall in, right through the black pool and into a hellish-looking forge. Young men and women, all dressed in the same style of smock as Lily, working as slaves. Some are being whipped by demon guards. Ken reveals himself as a demon of some sort with a human face glued on, and sends his guards after the girls. The two are quickly caught and told that they will be living there for as long as they can serve as useful slaves. Time moves much more quickly in their current reality, which is why Rickie aged so many years while no time had passed on Earth. Slaves who are too old to work are returned to their former dimension to die on the streets. They have been chosen because they're no one--there is nobody to miss them or notice they are gone.

Graveyard. Cordy and Xander are still bitching when they hear a scream from Willow. The others rush to her aid. Xander holds a stake to the vamp's heart, but can't get enough leverage to drive it home until Cordy tackles the two of them. That's enough to dust the vamp and leave Cordy lying on top of Xander; Overly dramatic music plays (again) as Cordy and Xander mack.

Buffy, Lily, and several other kids are brought before a demon guard for orientation. He barks at the kids, "You are no one now." Right. Let's practice. Demon Guard asks a boy at one end of the line who he is. The boy stammers, "A-Aaron." Wrong answer. Guard clocks him with a club. Buffy seems to steel herself at that. Lily's next in line: she cheeps, "No one!" Ding ding ding! You've been voted Girl Most Likely Not To Get Clocked On The Head By A Demon Guard! Then it's Buffy's turn. "Who are you?" She looks him straight in the eye, and with a bright smile she says,

Back at the "Family Home" in Los Angeles, Buffy tries to enter undercover. When that doesn't work, she kicks down the door and finds Ken with Lily over an icky black pool. However, it's too late for Lily; she's already been sucked in. Buffy tries to save her but Ken tries to keep her out. Instead, both fall through the black pool and into another dimension where time flows at a different rate. Ken reveals himself as a demon of some sort with a human face glued on, and sends his guards after the girls. The two are quickly caught and told that they will be living there for as long as they can serve as useful slaves. In this dimension time runs differently, in that a century pass there, but only a day on Earth. Slaves who are too old to work are returned to their former dimension to die on the streets. They have been chosen because they're no one--there is nobody to miss them or notice they are gone. Buffy says she wasn't chosen, but Ken tells her that it doesn't matter, because he knows who she is--she's Anne, a runaway anxious to get lost, hide herself and be no one.



At the Sunnydale Cemetery, Just then a vampire comes up from behind Willow and attacks her. Oz knocks the vamp off and attempts to stake it, but is thrown off. Xander tries too, then Cordelia tackles the vampire and all three go down to the ground, the stake impaling the vampire and leaving Cordy on top of Xander. The two kiss passionately.

The new slaves are being inducted into their life in the new dimension. A demon berates them and tells them that they don't matter. He insists that they say "I'm no one" when asked who they are. When the opportunity presents itself, Buffy reveals herself and fights off all the demons. After many rounds, she is stopped when Ken holds Lily at knife-point. When he is distracted by a lecture he's presenting to Buffy, Lily pushes him off the platform and he falls. Buffy tries to escape with all the others through a large iron gate. As she tries to get underneath while holding the heavy gate up, Ken pushes her through and in turn, gets impaled by the stakes on the gate. Buffy smashes in his head with a well-timed quip about Gandhi. After Buffy returns with all the others, the black pool solidifies.

After giving Lily her identity as "Anne," Buffy leaves and heads back to Sunnydale. Back at home, Buffy's mom opens the door to find her daughter on the front steps. After a few moments, they hug.

* BookEnds

* LoadBearingBoss

Buffy can't seem to get away from the weirdness in her life even as she's trying to make it on her own in Los Angeles.

The Scooby Gang, lacking a Slayer, has tried to take up her mission. It doesn't go as well as hoped; they attempt to slay Andrew Hoelich, an undead gymnast, which ends embarrassingly as they are very uncoordinated and weak. They discuss Buffy's absence and Willow wonders if Buffy knows school starts the next day.

Meanwhile, Buffy is on the beach and Angel finds her and wraps her in his arms. They embrace and he tells her, "I'll never leave. Not even if you kill me".

Buffy wakes up. She has taken up residence in Los Angeles where she is living in a tiny apartment and waitressing at a greasy spoon.

The next day, Sunnydale High reboots itself for the new year Sunnydale. Willow is disappointed (but us viewers are not, of course) when Oz tells her that he will be repeating his senior year of high school. Giles continues his search to find Buffy, following all the leads he has, only to be met with disappointment. Xander and Cordelia Chase, having been away from each other all summer long, are eagerly looking forward to seeing one another. But when they meet, they fumble a few words and skulk off in opposite directions.

Buffy finds herself waiting on a pair of homeless teens named Lily and Rickie. They're looking for a meal for the minor change they have, having spent all of their cash getting matching tattoos that, when placed together, form a heart with their names on them. After recognizing the girl as vampire-wannabe Chantarelle, Buffy realizes she's just been made. She leaves the diner, claiming to not be feeling well. Outside, passes an elderly homeless woman slumped in a doorway saying "I'm no one.", but pays it no mind.

That night, Lily, a.k.a. Chantarelle, finds Buffy on the street and they discuss their previous lives. Lily asks Buffy if she has any money and wants to go to a rave. Buffy says she wants to be alone, but is willing to give Lily the money to go spend with Rickie. An old man walks past them, in a daze, saying "I'm no one." Then, he stops in the middle of the street as an oncoming car drives towards him. Buffy rushes out and pushes him out of the way, only to be hit by the car instead. People gather around her and try to call for help, but she claims to be fine and runs off. She runs into a guy named Ken, who's passing out fliers about a teen shelter, and accidentally knocks all of his fliers to the ground. As they pick them up, he tries to make friends with her and get her to visit the home. She declines, claiming she is just fine.

Xander, Willow and Oz mope at the Bronze, listening to the music of Bellylove and talking about how terrible their slaying technique is. Xander suggests they use bait... Cordelia.

Giles returns from his failed search to talk to Joyce. She's afraid to leave the house in case Buffy calls or shows up. Giles tries to comfort her and tells her not to blame herself. She doesn't, instead blaming him for taking her little girl away and having a secret life with her.

Lily goes to Buffy the next day, telling her that Ricky is gone and she's worried that something bad might have happened, and asking for help. They go to the blood bank that day to see if they have seen Ricky. Lily and Ricky went there before to get some money (and cookies). The doctor tells them she hasn't seen him, and Buffy leaves with Lily to go search for Ricky. Buffy finds the elderly man she had saved on the street, dead, having drunk drain cleaner. But he has Ricky's distinctive tattoo on his arm. Buffy realizes it's Ricky, but that something drained the youth out of him.

When Buffy tells Lily, she doesn't take it very well, accusing Buffy of maybe bringing a monster that caused this. Lily runs out. When she hits the streets, Ken finds her and convinces her into coming to the family home, telling her that Ricky was already with them, and not dead. Late at night at the blood bank, Buffy goes searching through the files trying to find out what happened to Ricky. She ses that many of the people's files say "CANDIDATE" on them. The woman who runs the bank shows up and Buffy makes it very difficult for her not to cooperate, she says that she just gives the names of the healthy ones to "them".

Meanwhile, Ken has gotten Lily to change clothes for the "cleansing" and leads her into another room, where he tries to convince her to enter a strange, dirty pool of water.

At the Sunnydale Cemetery, Cordelia complains about being chosen as the bait. Oz checks to make sure everyone is "packing" with stakes and crosses and they all move to a hiding spot. Cordy follows after Xander and attempts to tell him that she didn't miss him over the summer and accuses him of having a summer fling. Just then a vampire comes up from behind Willow and attacks her. Oz knocks the vamp off and attempts to stake it, but is thrown off. Xander tries too, then Cordelia tackles the vampire and all three go down to the ground, the stake impaling the vampire and leaving Cordy on top of Xander. The two kiss passionately.

* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything

* TheOner

* PlotRelevantAgeUp / YearInsideHourOutside

* BenevolentArchtecture

* DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment / ICantBelieveIJustSaidThat

* FalseAdvertising

* LinkedClueMethodology

* PlotRelevantAgeUp YearInsideHourOutside

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* ADayInTheLimelight: The supporting cast is almost entirely absent.

* MonsterOfTheWeek
* TitleDrop: When the demon asks ''Anne'' who she is, Buffy gives this reply knowing the right answer (to avoid a brutal beating) is ''nobody''.
-->"I'm Buffy, The Vampire Slayer. And you are?"
** Cue Buffy wailing on said demon and orchestrating a prison break.