History Recap / BuffyTheVampireSlayerS6E13DeadThings

** To Season 2's "[[Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS2E19IOnlyHaveEyesForYou I Only Have Eyes For You]]". Buffy, depressed and unwilling to join her friends on the dance floor, retreats to the catwalk of the Bronze and rejects a boy who makes advances to her there. The events of that episode enable Buffy to start forgiving herself for her ill-considered actions motivated by her illicit passion for a vampire. In this episode she is unable to do either.

* {{Gaslighting}}: Spike continues to push the idea on an already severely depressive Buffy that she CameBackWrong, and is thus inherently dark. Buffy ends up telling Tara (who was gaslighted into thinking she was a demon for a long time) about this, and she convinces Buffy that it's false.

* {{Gaslighting}}: Spike convinces the already severely depressive Buffy that she CameBackWrong, and is thus inherently evil. Buffy ends up telling Tara (who was also gaslighted into thinking she was inherently evil for a long time) about this, and she convinces Buffy that it's false. Interestingly, this is a plot point Creator/JossWhedon avoided answering. It's quite likely this was intentional.

* [[DistractedByTheSexy Distracted By The Sex]]: Buffy is neglecting her Slayer duties because of her SecretRelationship, which only adds to her feelings of guilt.

* BlackAndWhiteMorality: Buffy can't love Spike as he's an Evil Bloodsucking Fiend, but thinks it's equally wrong to have sex without love, or to enjoy kinky sex that helps her cope with her post-resurrection trauma. She insists it's impossible for Spike to love her as you can't love without a soul. The Slayer is meant to slay vampires and protect the innocent; instead she's killed an innocent woman and shared her bed with a vampire, therefore Buffy needs to be locked up. And the Scoobies would surely be disgusted with Buffy's DatingCatwoman relationship as she is; when Tara responds with sympathy and understanding, it's the final straw.

* SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome: Until this point, The Trio have been living in a comic book and were mostly a harmless nuisance straight out of the Silver Age. This is the episode where they're forced to face the facts that supervillainy, by definition, means hurting people; that there is no such thing as a "willing slave"; that forcing someone to sexually service you against their will is rape ''regardless of the means you use''; and that if you hit someone on the head with something there's a very good chance that they won't simply be knocked out to get up later no worse for wear.

* BaitAndSwitch:
** On a meta-level: Longtime viewers of the show are probably so accustomed to the use of Bait and Switch that it can be genuinely surprising when the opening scene, which sounds like Buffy and Spike having a DestructoNookie, turns out to actually ''be'' exactly that.
** A DescriptionCut implies that Warren is going to use the MindControl device on Buffy, but he's actually after his ex-girlfriend Katrina.

* NiceMeanAndInBetween: The Trio fall into these roles; Warren is an unrepentant villain, Andrew is bothered but feels exhilarated at having got away with their crime, while Jonathan is still feeling guilty.

* YourMakeupIsRunning: Katrina when Buffy finds her. Given that she's actually being impersonated by Jonathan, it's likely for RuleOfSymbolism given that [[MinionWithAnFInEvil he's the only member of the Trio shown to be guilty afterwards]].

* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: Warren clearly still holds a torch for Katrina, and tries to win her over normally before resorting to MindControl. Even Buffy recalls that Warren loved her, which only strengthens her theory that he was responsible for her death.

* YourMakeupIsRunning: Katrina (when she's being impersonated by Jonathan).

* NotSoDifferentRemark: Buffy is familiar with Faith's views on men and how she treats them. The DestructiveRomance with Spike leads the Slayer to realize she is as bad as Faith. Buffy is absolutely freaked.

* SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome: In-universe. Until this point, The Trio have been living in a comic book and were mostly a harmless nuisance straight out of the Silver Age. This is the episode where they're forced to face the facts that supervillainy, by definition, means hurting people; that there is no such thing as a "willing slave"; that forcing someone to sexually service you against their will is rape ''regardless of the means you use''; and that if you hit someone on the head with something there's a very good chance that they won't simply be knocked out to get up later no worse for wear.

* TomeOfEldritchLore: The Brekezikrieg Grimore.

* BondageIsBad: ZigzaggedTrope; Buffy is shocked by the things she got up to with Spike, yet her cheerful attitude the morning after [[IntimatePsychotherapy implies she found it]] [[CatharsisFactor therapeutic as well]].

%%* ArmorPiercingQuestion: "Do you love him?"

%%* TheConfidant: Tara for Buffy re Spuffy.

%%* IDidWhatIHadToDo: Spike dumping Katrina's body in the river.
%%* InTheHood: Rwasundi demons.
* InstantlyProvenWrong: Spike dumped Katrina's body to protect Buffy.

%%* TomeOfEldritchLore: Brekezikrieg Grimore.

%%* YourMakeupIsRunning: Jonathan when he's impersonating Katrina.

* CuffsOffRubWrists: Buffy appears to [[BondageIsBad refuse Spike's offer to handcuff her]], but the next day is shown rubbing her wrists and hiding her bruises from Tara.

'''Andrew:''' Juicy, pulsating candy.

* BastardGirlfriend: Buffy is devastated over how she had become this.

** Buffy likely has the events of "[[Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS3E14BadGirls Bad Girls]]" and "[[Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS3E15Consequences Consequences]]" very much in mind. [[EvilCounterpart Faith]] accidentally killed a civilian during a melee, tried in vain to dispose of the body by dumping it in water, and argued afterwards that the death of one person didn't matter compared to all the lives she had saved.

** Spike says no-one will find the body right before hearing two police officers mention they've found the body.

* GameFace / FangThpeak: Spike confronting Buffy in the alley.

* NotSoDifferent: Buffy is familiar with Faith's views on men and how she treats them. The DestructiveRomance with Spike leads the Slayer to realize she is as bad as Faith. Buffy is absolutely freaked.

* RealityEnsues: In-universe. Until this point, The Trio have been living in a comic book and were mostly a harmless nuisance straight out of the Silver Age. This is the episode where they're forced to face the facts that supervillainy, by definition, means hurting people; that there is no such thing as a "willing slave"; that forcing someone to sexually service you against their will is rape ''regardless of the means you use''; and that if you hit someone on the head with something there's a very good chance that they won't simply be knocked out to get up later no worse for wear.

* PrisonRape: Katrina's FamousLastWords (apart from "get off me!") are "I'm gonna make sure you get locked up for this, then we'll see how you like getting raped!"

* QuestionableConsent: PlayedForDrama when the Trio use a MindControlDevice to try to make a woman have sex with them. Warren uses it on Katrina, but she breaks out of it before things get very far. She is understandably freaked out and furious, screaming that the three of them tried to rape her. Andrew and Jonathan's horrified reactions make it clear that [[HeelRealization it never occurred to them]] that ''making'' a girl consent might be anything more than kinky fun.

* AccidentalMurder: Warren kills Katrina when he [[TapOnTheHead hits her over the head]] with a [[GrievousBottleyHarm bottle]] a bit harder than he intended.

** [[CuffsOffRubWrists It's shown that Buffy used the cuffs]] that Spike offered her. I guess ItRunsInTheFamily -- [[Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS3E6BandCandy Joyce enjoyed handcuffs too]].

** This becomes inverted when Spike says that he won't let Buffy turn herself in because he loves her. Buffy responds by savagely beating Spike, [[RageAgainstTheReflection implying that she's the evil thing]] who can't comprehend Spike's selfless actions.

** Spike... er... giving Buffy some back door service on the Bronze balcony. Some fans even insisted it was so gross that it had to be an ImagineSpot; unfortunately, a later episode has Spike talking about it.

* NotSoDifferent: Buffy is familiar with Faith's views on men and how she treats them. The DestructiveRomance with Spike leads the Slayer to realize she is as bad as Faith. [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone Buffy is absolutely freaked.]]

* RealityEnsues: In-universe. Until this point, The Trio have been living in a comic book. This is the episode where they're forced to face the facts that supervillainy, by definition, means hurting people; that there is no such thing as a "willing slave"; that forcing someone to sexually service you against their will is rape ''regardless of the means you use''; and that if you hit someone on the head with something there's a very good chance that they won't simply be knocked out to get up later no worse for wear.

* ThisIsThePartWhere: When Buffy and Spike realise they're having a FriendshipMoment, Spike notes this is usually the part "where you kick me in the head and run off, [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone virtue fluttering]]". Later when Buffy [[NotStayingForBreakfast comes up with the Dawn excuse to leave]], he mutters with bitter resignation, "And she's off…"