History Recap / BuffyTheVampireSlayerS4E7TheInitiative

* {{Adorkable}}: Riley the Teutonic doofus.

* SmokeOut: An accidental version; Riley shoots a fire extinguisher [[ImprovisedWeapon wielded by Spike]], filling the corridor with CO[[subscript:2]] gas.

* ShoutOut: To ''Series/ThePrisoner'', including a large white ball in the huge hanger.

* ArentYouGoingToRavishMe: Willow is suffering esteem issues thanks to Oz leaving her, so she's not happy when even Spike doesn't appear interested.

* [[DoesNotKnowHisOwnStrength Does Not Know Her Own Strength]]: Buffy snaps the handle off a yoghurt machine, then sneaks away as it spills on the floor.

* MustBeInvited: A depressed Willow says, "Come in" without asking who's at the door.

* MundaneMadeAwesome: [[SoundtrackDissonance Dramatic music]] plays during Xander and Harmony's slo-mo slap-fight.

* BreakupBonfire: Xander comes across Harmony burning Spike's stuff.

* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: After one of the strongest allusions to rape in the series we get the famous '[[TheLoinsSleepTonight performance anxiety]]' scene.

* [[DoesNotKnowHisOwnStrength Does Not Know Her Own Strength]]: Buffy snaps the handle off a yoghurt machine, then sneaks away as it spills on the floor.
* ElaborateUndergroundBase: With the standard hidden elevator and filmed in the real-life former secret govt location, [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skunk_Works Skunk Works]].
* FailedASpotCheck: After Riley comes to visit, Willow realises that Buffy has left an open bag of weapons in the dorm. She tries to surreptitiously nudge it back under the bed. Riley sees what she's doing and helps her without looking inside the bag.
* FakeKillScare: The 'Spike attacks Willow' scene was deliberately set up to make it appear Willow had been killed, [[TrollingCreator in response to Internet rumors that this would happen]].
* {{Foreshadowing}}:
** Giles draws a sketch of the Initiative soldier Buffy saw in [[Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS4E6WildAtHeart "Wild at Heart"]].
--->'''Buffy:''' That's your man.\\
'''Giles:''' Your man, actually.
** Spike says re Buffy, "I always worried what would happen when that bitch got some funding." To find out, see the ''[=BtVS=]'' comic series.
** Spike's comment about Nazis isn't a casual quip. The ''Series/{{Angel}}'' episode "[[Recap/AngelS05E13WhyWeFight Why We Fight]]" shows he was kidnapped by Nazis during World War 2 for their own experiments. That episode also mentions the "Demon Research Initiative", implied to be a precursor of the current organisation.
** Spike assumes Buffy is in cahoots with the Initiative, but then sees Buffy fighting the soldiers. In the next episode, having run out of options, Spike will go to Buffy for protection, offering information on the Initiative in exchange.
** Willow says "Come in" without checking who's at the door. The next time this happens, [[MustBeInvited it's a vampire]].
* GasLeakCoverup: A 'fraternity prank' is used to explain the battle between Buffy and the Initiative.
* GenreBlindness: It takes Willow quite a long time to realize that if Spike gets over his "performance problem," she is either dead or vamped. Then she hits him with a lamp and make a run for it.

* SexyBack: Buffy changes into "something slutty" to wear at the party.

** Spike assumes Buffy is in cahoots with the Initiative, but then sees Buffy fighting the soldiers. In the next episode, [[spoiler:having run out of options, Spike will go to Buffy for protection, offering information on the Initiative in exchange.]]

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/btvs_s4_ep07_theinitiative.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:"The problem is, what kind of girl's gonna go out with a guy who's acting all Joe Regular by day, and turns Demon Hunter by night?"]]

* ShadowArchetype: Parallels are drawn between Spike and Riley [[spoiler:foreshadowing their alliance with Buffy, their rivalry for her affection, and the fact that Riley like Spike is also one of the Initiative's experimental subjects.]]

* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: The famous '[[TheLoinsSleepTonight performance anxiety]]' scene.

** To [[Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS3E8LoversWalk "Lover's Walk"]], in which Willow offered a sympathetic ear to Spike while his prisoner.

** Spike's terms of endearment for Harmony. She's his little foam latte, his mon petite creme brulee[[note]]Aww, Italian![[/note]], his... pack of mentholated cigarettes?

* TitledAfterTheSong: Averted; the original title of this episode was "Secret Agent Man" (from the song by Johnny Rivers), but that would have given away TheReveal about Riley Finn.

Spike escapes the Initiative. Riley tries to put the moves on Buffy, but he's not who he appears to be.

->''"The problem is, what kind of girl is gonna go out with a guy who's acting all Joe Regular by day and then turns all demon-hunter by night?"''

* BlessedAreTheCheesemakers: Willow reveals to Riley that Buffy likes cheese, when he eventually gets her to help with his courting.

** InUniverse: Xander's WimpFight with Harmony was put in to show that Xander no longer remembers his [[ChekhovsBoomerang military skills]] from [[Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS2E6Halloween "Halloween"]]. [[SidekickGlassCeiling Poor Xander]].
** With the reveal that Spike's RestrainingBolt prevents him from harming mortals, the former TropeNamer's Spikeification kicks into full swing.

-->'''Willow:''' Ok, say that I help ''[sweet music plays]'' and you start a conversation. It goes great. You like Buffy, she likes you. You spend time together, feelings grow deeper, and one day, without even realizing it, you find you're in love. Time stops, and it feels like the whole world's made for you two, and you two alone ''[MusicalisInterruptus]'' until the day one of you leaves and rips the still-beating heart from the other, who's now a broken, hollow, mockery of the human condition.

'''Willow:''' I know I'm not the kind of girl vamps like to sink their teeth into. It's always like, "Oh, you're [[LikeBrotherandSister like a sister to me]]," or, "[[IDontWanttoRuinOurFriendship Oh, you're such a good friend]]."\\

* DoesNotKnowHerOwnStrength: Buffy snaps the handle off a yoghurt machine, then sneaks away as it spills on the floor.

* GovernmentConspiracy: The Initiative

* IndyPloy: Giles asks what plan Buffy has for dealing with Spike. She replies, "[[IAmTheNoun I am the plan]]."

* {{Redshirt}}: Tom, the vampire captured by the Initiative in the season premiere, gets dusted during Spike's escape attempt.

* YouKnowTooMuch: Walsh orders that Hostile 17 be recaptured because he knows about the Initiative.

->''The problem is, what kind of girl is gonna go out with a guy who's acting all Joe Regular by day and then turns all demon-hunter by night?''

-->"Call in a standard triangle flanking maneuver. We're going in. I need a lockdown on Grid 6."
* BadassDecay (InUniverse) / SidekickGlassCeiling: Xander's fight with Harmony was put in to show that Xander no longer remembered his [[ChekhovsBoomerang military skills]] from "Halloween".

* BlessedAreTheCheesemakers: Willow reveals to Riley that Buffy likes cheese, when he eventually gets her to help courting.

-->'''Forrest:''' Oh...Check her out. Is she hot, or is she hot?
-->'''Riley:''' (Looks up.) She's Buffy.

** To "Lovers Walk", in which Willow offered a sympathetic ear to Spike while his prisoner.
** To "Anne" where someone is set up as bait for a vampire, only for that vampire to attack Willow instead.
* CasualKink

* ChronicBackstabbingDisorder: Tom and Spike are escaping the lab when they're suddenly confronted by GasMaskMooks; [[GrievousHarmWithABody Spike pushes Tom into them]] saying, "This is where we split up" and makes his escape while Tom is being staked.
* [[VerbThis Contain This!]]

* DescriptionCut
-->'''Spike:''' I don't care how brilliant she (Buffy) is!
-->'''Buffy:''' ''(struggling with a ballpoint)'' Stupid pen.

-->'''Willow:''' Ok, say that I help [sweet music plays] and you start a conversation. It goes great. You like Buffy, she likes you. You spend time together, feelings grow deeper, and one day, without even realizing it, you find you're in love. Time stops, And it feels like the whole world's made for you two, and you two alone [MusicalisInterruptus] until the day one of you leaves and rips the still-beating heart from the other, who's now a broken, hollow, mockery of the human condition.
-->'''Riley:''' ({{beat}}) Yep, that's the plan.

'''Spike:''' I felt all right when I started. Let's try again. ''(He tries to bite Willow, but he can't do it.)''\\

'''Spike:''' [[Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS3E8LoversWalk Remember last year?]] You had on that [[SweaterGirl fuzzy pink number]] with the lilac underneath. ''([[VampiresAreSexGods Gives her a sexy look]].)''\\

'''Spike:''' Don't patronize me! ''(Paces around the room.)'' I'm only 126!\\

* FakeKillScare: The 'Spike attacks Willow' scene was deliberately set up to make it appear Willow had been killed, [[TrollingCreator in response to internet rumors that this would happen]].
* {{Foreshadowing}}: Giles draws a sketch of the Initiative soldier Buffy saw in "Wild At Heart".
-->'''Buffy:''' That's your man.
-->'''Giles:''' Your man, actually.
** Spike says re Buffy, "I always worried what would happen when that bitch got some funding." To find out, see the BTVS comic series.
** Spike's comment about Nazis isn't a casual quip. The ''Angel'' episode "[[Recap/AngelS05E13WhyWeFight Why We Fight]]" shows he was kidnapped by Nazis during World War 2 for their own experiments. That episode also mentions the "Demon Research Initiative", implied to be a precursor of the current organisation.

* GrievousHarmWithABody / HoistByHisOwnPetard: Spike swings one Initiative scientist into the other, who accidentally jabs his colleague with a knockout hypo.

-->'''Willow''': Have fun! And remember, if you hurt her, I'll beat you to death with a shovel.
-->'''Riley''': [''pulls questioning face'']
-->'''Willow''': [''matter-of-fact-ly''] A vague disclaimer is nobody's friend.

* InfraredXrayCamera: The commandoes' thermal camera enables them to see where Spike is in the dorm due to his low body temperature. Of course real thermal cameras can't see through glass.

* IronicEcho: Both Riley and Spike gotta "go see a girl".

''Cut to Spike lying in his cell, half-conscious.''\\

* LovesTheSoundOfScreaming

* TheMasqueradeWillKillYourDatingLife: Lampshaded by Riley.

* NotGoodWithRejection: Now Oz has left her, being spurned as Spike's victim doesn't make Willow feel any better.

-->'''Willow:''' Why don't we wait a half an hour and try again? ({{Beat}}) Or... [grabs a lamp and whacks him]
* OpenSesame / ToTheBatpole: The lift to the Initiative headquarters.

* PowerPerversionPotential: Parker is crudely appreciative of Buffy's stamina. He's not the only one (see S4 "Who Are You?" and S6 "As You Were") to imply that her Slayer powers result in exceptional bedroom prowess.

* ShoutOut: ''ThePrisoner'' (including a large white ball in the huge hanger).

* SmokeOut: An accidental version; Riley shoots a fire extinguisher [[ImprovisedWeapon wielded by Spike]], filling the corridor with [=CO2=] gas.
* StealthHiBye: When Harmony tells Xander that Spike disappeared after mentioning Buffy, she turns to set a pile of Spike's stuff on fire. She turns back and Xander had disappeared.

* TalkAboutThatThing: Xander getting Buffy away from Riley with the news Spike is back in town. Seeing Xander HoldingHands with Buffy as he pulls her out of the crowd doesn't help Riley feel better.

** Spike's terms of endearment for Harmony. She's his little foam latte, his mon petite creme brulee, his...pack of mentholated cigarettes?

* VampireInvitation: A depressed Willow says, "Come in" without asking who's at the door.

* WimpFight: [[NonActionGuy Xander]] comes across [[IneffectualSympatheticVillain Vampire]] [[DumbBlonde Harmony]] and, after initial boastful threats start fighting...with a bitchslap and continuing into [[LittleGirlsKickShins shin-kicking]], name-calling, and [[ByTheHair hair-pulling]]. It finally ends in a stalemate and an [[LetUsNeverSpeakofThisAgain agreement never to mention it to anyone]].
-->'''Xander:''' Harmony, it's been great catching up. Really, I'm just gonna pick up the tattered shreds of my dignity and go home.

'''Buffy:''' You're right. A human being in pain has nothing to do with your job. (walks away)\\
'''Prof. Walsh:''' (to Riley) I like her.

-->'''Riley:''' And most of those are about your own mother. ''(Forrest {{Dope Slap}}s him)''

* {{Adorkable}}: Riley the Teutonic dofuss.