History Recap / BuffyTheVampireSlayerS7E2BeneathYou

* TakeThat: A rather petty one that's, well, [[{{Pun}} beneath them]] as the opening scene kills a young woman with pink-dyed hair who looks a lot like [[Series/{{Alias}} Sydney Bristow]] when she wears a red/pink wig, the character who was currently stealing a lot of Buffy's thunder as a badass female hero. The rest of the series would show this scene at every opportunity.

* KnockingTheKnockoff: Many people saw ''Series/{{Alias}}'', an action-adventure show about a young female spy, Sydney Bristow, as strongly influenced by Buffy. One of the Potential Slayers shown being murdered by the First Evil's minions has pink hair and a leather jacket similar to one of Sydney's most iconic looks.

* {{Flanderization}}: Deconstructed. Spike ''tries'' to pretend he's still his evil, soulless self by being violent and cracking even more mean-spirited snark he used to while actually soulless. He admits later, during his insane babbling that "the costume" didn't work.
* FlashbackCut: Spike hands Buffy a torch and their fingers touch -- the body contact causes Buffy to flash back to Spike's AttemptedRape.

* CrucifiedHeroShot: Spike does this, having completely lost it due to the weight of his new soul, he drapes himself over a church cross.

* BrickJoke: Wood doesn't eat at the [[Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS6E12DoublemeatPalace Doublemeat Palace]] because he's a vegetarian -- the SecretIngredient of their burgers is soy meat. He also warns Buffy not to befriend the students as they'll "eat you alive."

-->'''Spike:''' When did your sister become unbelievably crazy?

%% * GettingCrapPastThe Radar: Due to overwhelming and persistent misuse, GCPTR is on-page examples only until 01 June 2021. If you are reading this in the future, please check the trope page to make sure your example fits the current definition.

-->'''Dawn''': Spike. You sleep, right? You. Vampires. You sleep.
-->'''Spike''': Yeah. What's your point, niblet?
-->'''Dawn''': Well, I can't take you in a fight or anything, even with a chip in your head. But you do sleep. If you hurt my sister at all... touch her... you're gonna [[ManOnFire wake up on fire]].

* GettingCrapPastTheRadar: Spike's mad rambling:
-->I wanted to kill you. I think they were dreams. So weak... you made me weak, thinking of you. Holding myself, spilling useless buckets of salt all over your....ending.
** It also includes a heart-rending reference to Buffy using him while not seeing him as a person:
-->Hey, hey! No touching! Am I flesh? Am I flesh to you? Feed on flesh. My flesh. Nothing else. Not a spark. Oh, fine. Flesh, then. Solid through. Get it hard, service the girl. ''[unbuttons pants]''

* GoodCostumeSwitch: Spike's blue shirt. After his breakdown he takes it off, saying, "It didn't work. Costume. Didn't help. Couldn't hide."

* WalkingShirtlessScene: PlayedForDrama -- being alone in close proximity to a half-naked vampire who once tried to rape her puts Buffy on edge.

* CrucifiedHeroShot: Spike does this, having completely lost it due to [[spoiler:the weight of his new soul]], he drapes himself over a church cross.

* CallBack: Loads

** Spike taunting Buffy with "Working out the personal issues, huh?" and "Ooh, up for another round at the balcony then?" refer to Buffy [[RageAgainstTheReflection beating Spike]] and having sex with him on the Bronze balcony in "Dead Things"

* GettingCrapPastTheRadar: This is Creator/JossWhedon. Come on. After this Spike talks about getting it hard to service the girl while taking off his pants.
-->"[[ADateWithRosiePalms Holding myself]], spilling useless buckets of salt over your...[[LastSecondWordSwap ending]]."

** Spike is ReducedToRatburgers as Angel was after getting his soul (depicted in "Becoming, Part One").

* BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor
* BewareTheNiceOnes / IfYouEverDoAnythingToHurtHer: Dawn getting unbelievably scary.
-->'''Dawn''': Spike. You sleep, right? You. Vampires. You sleep.
-->'''Spike''': Yeah. What's your point, niblet?
-->'''Dawn''': Well, I can't take you in a fight or anything, even with a chip in your head. But you do sleep. If you hurt my sister at all... touch her... you're gonna [[ManOnFire wake up on fire]].
* BigDamnHeroes: Buffy comes swinging in on a rope to snatch Nancy from the jaws of the monster. Errol Flynn would be proud.

* BoredWithInsanity: Subverted; Spike appears to have reverted to normal, but Buffy doesn't believe his explanation that the zombie ghosts in "Lessons" were responsible for his ravings. She soon discovers his 'sanity' is only a facade.

** Buffy's prophetic dreams, last seen in Season 4's "Hush".

** Dawn smooching a vampire happened in "All The Way".
** Principal Flutie was eaten by students possessed by hyena spirits in "The Pack".
** Anya and Spike bring up their one-time SexForSolace in "Entropy".
** Spike assuming that Buffy just wants sex when she touches him refers to their DestructiveRomance, when Buffy would use Spike for sex and then walk out whenever things got platonic. Buffy's horrified response is due to his AttemptedRape in "Seeing Red".

** Spike talks of "[[ManlyTears spilling useless buckets of salt]] over your ending" (Buffy's death in "The Gift").

** "Can we rest, Buffy?" may be a reference to Spike's "Rest in Peace" song in "Once More With Feeling".

* DidTheyOrDidntThey: Spike referring to the catwalk sex scene from "Dead Things" confirmed it wasn't an ImagineSpot, as [[FanDisservice some fans claimed]].
* DoubleMeaningTitle: "Beneath You" refers to both the burrowing MonsterOfTheWeek and the ArcWords. It may also refer to "Fool for Love" where Cecily and later Buffy rejected William/Spike's ardor with the flat statement of "You're beneath me."

* HolyBurnsEvil / MachoMasochism / CrucifiedHeroShot: The episode ends with Ensouled!Spike draping himself over the church cross.

* OohMeAccentsSlipping: There are times during his crazy rants where James Marsters' normally pretty good English accent slips. Most noticeable during the "From beneath, it devours" speech on words like "Bloodshed." Also works in-universe, as when he's babbling in the basement the upper-class William accent pops out.

* UnusualEuphemism: Again subverted.
-->'''Anya:''' Oh, penis!

* WhyWouldAnyoneTakeHimBack: Asked by Buffy of Spike InUniverse. "Do you think you could just come back and...''be'' with me?" Spike snarks back that [[AmIJustAToyToYou there's a first time for everything]].

* {{Flanderization}}: Deconstructed. Spike ''tries'' to pretend he's still his evil, soulless self by cracking even more mean-spirited snark then he used to while actually soulless. He admits later, during his insane babbling that "the costume" didn't work.

* EurekaMoment: Nancy using the word 'wish' makes Xander realise that Anya is responsible for the worm monster. Spike mentioning Angel makes Buffy realise that Spike now has a soul.

The Scoobies meet a woman who's being terrified by a worm demon. Spike turns up offering his help.

** "Can we rest, Buffy?" may be a reference to Spike's "Rest in Peace" song in "Once More With Feeling".

** Principal Flutie was eaten by students possessed by hyena spirits in "The Pack".

* CallBack:
** After Buffy [[Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS1E7Angel finds out Angel is a vampire with a soul]], they kiss and we see Buffy's cross necklace searing his chest. Here, after Buffy realizes Spike has a soul, he drapes his body on a large cross as it burns him. Likewise Angel tells her in that episode, [[MeaningfulEcho "I wanted to kill you" and Spike uses the words "I dreamt of killing you"]].
** Spike's GameFace and EvilGloating in the Bronze harks back to when he was an unambiguous villain in Season 2.
** Buffy not telling her friends about Spike's return matches her actions re Angel's return in Season 3.
** Spike is ReducedToRatburgers as Angel was after getting his soul (depicted in "Becoming, Part One").
** "Can we rest, Buffy?" may be a reference to Spike's "Rest in Peace" song in "Once More With Feeling".
* ContinuityNod: Loads

-->'''Buffy:''' You heard about Principal Flutie, right?