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* AnAesop: You can't save everyone, but you need to keep trying.
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* TechnologyMarchesOn: Remember a time when Google was just taking off, it hadn't become a verb, and people could realistically mistake "googling someone" for something other than ... googling them?
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* BullyHunter: Amanda comes to Buffy about being bullied. Buffy tells her she needs to stand up to the boy. Amanda admits that's why she's there -- because she pounded his face into the pavement and should she do it some more? Buffy, a long-time bully hunter herself, is at a loss for words. The scene becomes even more ironic when we later discover Amanda is a Potential Slayer.

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* BullyHunter: Amanda comes to Buffy about being bullied. Buffy tells her she needs to stand up to the boy. Amanda admits that's why she's there -- because she pounded his face into the pavement and should she do it some more? Buffy, a long-time bully hunter herself, is at a loss for words. [[spoiler: The scene becomes even more ironic when we later discover Amanda is a Potential Slayer.]]



* ChekhovsGunman: Cassie will return as the First who communicates with Willow in "[[Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS7E7ConversationsWithDeadPeople Conversations With Dead People]]". Amanda is revealed to be a potential Slayer in "[[Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS7E12Potential Potential]]".

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* ChekhovsGunman: [[spoiler: Cassie will return as the First who communicates with Willow in "[[Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS7E7ConversationsWithDeadPeople Conversations With Dead People]]". Amanda is revealed to be a potential Slayer in "[[Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS7E12Potential Potential]]".]]



** Amanda is sent to Buffy for having beaten the shit out of a boy bullying her. This is surprising to hear considering she's a willowy teenage girl, but her aptitude for violence will make more sense after TheReveal that she's a potential Slayer.

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** Amanda is sent to Buffy for having beaten the shit out of a boy bullying her. [[spoiler: This is surprising to hear considering she's a willowy teenage girl, but her aptitude for violence will make more sense after TheReveal that she's a potential Slayer. Slayer.]]
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* TechnologyMarchesOn: Remember a time when Google was just taking off, it hadn't become a verb, and people could realistically mistake "googling someone" for something other than ... googling them?
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Typo Fix


* CheatedDeathDiedAnyway: Buffy saves Cassied (who believes she will die on that day) from being killed by a cult; then just before midnight she collapses and dies of a congenital heart defect.

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* CheatedDeathDiedAnyway: Buffy saves Cassied Cassie (who believes she will die on that day) from being killed by a cult; then just before midnight she collapses and dies of a congenital heart defect.
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* AbsenteeActor: Anya and Giles.
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* CheatedDeathDiedAnyway: Buffy saves Cassied (who believes she will die on that day) from being killed by a cult; then just before midnight she collapses and dies of a congenital heart defect.
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Directed by Creator/RickRosenthal

Written by Creator/RebeccaKirshner & Creator/DrewZGreenberg
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** The fraternity in "[[Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS2E8ReptileBoy Reptile Boy]]" also sacrificed women to a demon in exchange for wealth.

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** The fraternity in "[[Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS2E8ReptileBoy "[[Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS2E5ReptileBoy Reptile Boy]]" also sacrificed women to a demon in exchange for wealth.



* CasssandraTruth: Cassie has visions of the future that no one believes. Buffy actively saves Cassie's life twice on the day she predicted she would die, but she ends up falling to the ground dead anyway.

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* CasssandraTruth: CassandraTruth: Cassie has visions of the future that no one believes. Buffy actively saves Cassie's life twice on the day she predicted she would die, but she ends up falling to the ground dead anyway.
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* TitledAfterTheSong: The title comes from the song by Music/TheBeatles.
* {{Troll}}: Dawn pranks Buffy by showing up at work to complain about her ControlFreak big sister who borrows her clothes without permisson. Buffy wearily goes along with it.
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* YouDidEverythingYouCould: A tearful Dawn reassures Buffy that Cassie's death wasn't her fault.
-->'''Buffy''': I failed her.
-->'''Dawn''': You didn't. You didn't 'cause you tried. You listened and you tried. She died 'cause of her heart, not 'cause of you. She was my friend 'cause of you.

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* BoundAndGagged

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* BoundAndGaggedBoundAndGagged: Cassie during the ritual.



* CallBack

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* CallBackCallBack:



** To Joyce Summer's death, which was also due to natural causes despite Buffy's attempt to discover a supernatural menace behind it all.

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** To Joyce Summer's Summers' death, which was also due to natural causes despite Buffy's attempt to discover a supernatural menace behind it all.all.
* CasssandraTruth: Cassie has visions of the future that no one believes. Buffy actively saves Cassie's life twice on the day she predicted she would die, but she ends up falling to the ground dead anyway.



* ChekhovsGunman: Cassie will return as the First who communicates with Willow in "Conversations With Dead People". Amanda is revealed to be a potential Slayer in "Potential".
* ComicallyMissingThePoint

to:

* ChekhovsGunman: Cassie will return as the First who communicates with Willow in "Conversations "[[Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS7E7ConversationsWithDeadPeople Conversations With Dead People". People]]". Amanda is revealed to be a potential Slayer in "Potential".
"[[Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS7E12Potential Potential]]".
* ComicallyMissingThePointComicallyMissingThePoint:



* CurseCutShort

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* CurseCutShortCurseCutShort:



* DiabolusExMachina: Poor little Cassie, rescued effortlessly from both an evil cult and arrow booby-trap, only to die from shock due to a heart condition (which was mentioned) as the arrow trap (which one of the villains sets up and discusses) activates. Buffy catches it without even blinking but it is too much for Cassie.



* DownerEnding: Buffy succeeds in saving Cassie's life from Peter and his buddies, but Cassie dies anyway.

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* DownerEnding: In her role as a guidance counselor at Sunnydale High, Buffy succeeds in saving encounters a student who predicts her own death. Buffy investigates and discovers that Cassie is to be sacrificed to a demon. Buffy defeats the demon by the end of the episode. In the final scene, just when Buffy feels she's stopped Cassie's life prediction, the girl drops dead in her presence...from Peter and his buddies, but Cassie dies anyway.a congenital heart defect.



* FacePalm: Buffy's reaction to a student who says he believes he's gay, and wants to test that theory by asking Buffy on a date. She's still in the same position when dealing with Dawn.

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* FacePalm: {{Facepalm}}: Buffy's reaction to a student who says he believes he's gay, and wants to test that theory by asking Buffy on a date. She's still in the same position when dealing with Dawn.



* GraveMarkingScene: Willow [[ShownTheirWork places stones on Tara's headstone]].

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* GraveMarkingScene: Willow [[ShownTheirWork places stones on visits Tara's headstone]].grave and placing a couple of stones on top of the tombstone
* HopeSpot: Cassie is saved by Buffy from being killed by a demon... but then a lethal trap goes off... and Buffy saves her just in time for a heart attack to kill Cassie.



* LifeWillKillYou

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* LifeWillKillYouLifeWillKillYou: PlayedWith. Buffy, while working as a school counselor, meets a student named Cassie who has predicted her own death. The Scoobies spend the episode trying to find out who might be after her, and learn of a cult that intends to sacrifice Cassie. Buffy saves Cassie from the cult, then saves her from a booby-trap by catching a crossbow bolt inches from Cassie's head. Cassie dies soon after of a heart attack.



-->'''Buffy:''' (pressing doorbell) [[TitleDrop Buffy the Vampire Slayer]] would break down this door.

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-->'''Buffy:''' (pressing doorbell) [[TitleDrop Buffy the Vampire Slayer]] Slayer would break down this door.



* {{Seers}}: Cassie
* SecretCircleOfSecrets / OminousLatinChanting



* TitleDrop: Buffy was moonlighting as a counselor for troubled teens. ("Buffy the vampire slayer would break down this door." "And Buffy the counselor?" "Waits.")



* YouCantFightFate: Oh, the many ways that may end up with Cassie dead, and then a simple heart attack gets her.
* YourDaysAreNumbered: Cassie

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* YouCantFightFate: Oh, the many ways that may end up with Cassie dead, has had premonitions about her own untimely death. Buffy saves her from homicidal maniacs, a demon, and then a simple DeathTrap, but she has a heart attack gets her.
condition and dies anyway.
* YourDaysAreNumbered: CassieCassie has future-seeing powers and knew exactly when she was going to die (a few days from when she was introduced, at age 16). Buffy and the gang try to protect her while convincing her that she might live. They're wrong.
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Now a Useful Note, which cannot be listed as a trope.


* TheWarOnTerror: Touched upon with a tough guy who goes to see Buffy for help. Turns out it's an act because his brother is a marine being sent to Iraq, and he's fronting while revealing he's scared he might die.

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Buffy begins work as school counsellor, and tries to save a girl who has predicted her own death.

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Buffy begins work Once the lights are turned out at a funeral home, Buffy, Xander and Dawn climb out of caskets. They chat about Buffy's nervousness about her new job and the struggle she may face while trying to mix her Slayer job with being a counselor. In one of the caskets, the three find a deceased woman who soon rises as a vampire, and is promptly staked.

At the high
school counsellor, the next day, Buffy talks with various students who all have their own problems ranging from trouble with bullies and tries violence to boredom. Willow and Xander walk together and talk about Buffy's struggles and Willow's worries about her role in dealing with the impending Hellmouth danger and if she was truly ready to come back to Sunnydale. Xander assures her that she'll be fine, although it may take time, then makes sure that Willow's ready for what she's about to do. Willow silently nods before walking forward alone towards Tara's grave.

Buffy talks with more students, including her own sister. But one girl named Cassie Newton stuns counselor Buffy when she matter-of-factly informs Buffy that she's going to die next Friday. Buffy has tons of questions, but Cassie doesn't have many answers. She doesn't understand it, but Cassie just knows that she's going to die and that there will be lots of coins. As she leaves for Mr. Corrigan's trigonometry class, Cassie compliments Buffy's shirt and warns her against the danger of spilling something on it. Buffy reports this to Principal Wood, but he's not as helpful as she'd like. After spilling coffee onto her white shirt, Buffy gets suspicious and sends Dawn to befriend Cassie. Dawn catches up with Cassie and they talk about Cassie's friend Mike Helgenberg, who has continuously asked Cassie to the dance, and been rejected every time.

Willow investigates Cassie on the computer and finds Cassie's own site with tons of sad, morbid poetry. Dawn returns home from school and thinks the reason for Cassie's problem is Mike, but Buffy and the others don't pay much attention. Willow finds a website on Cassie's father that shows his troubled past with the law and alcohol. Buffy and Xander go visit Cassie's father and confront him with their suspicion that he may get drunk and hurt his daughter. Mr. Newton confidently denies the accusation, and then goes on about how his ex-wife only allows him to spend one weekend a month with his daughter. Buffy then finds out that Mr. Newton's weekend with Cassie is the weekend just gone. Therefore, not only does he not have the chance to hurt Cassie, but if Cassie's prediction is true, then he will not see her again before her death.

Satisfied that Mr. Newton is not involved, Buffy and Xander leave and bump into Cassie, who was waiting for them outside of her dad's house. Although she appreciates Buffy's efforts to find the cause, she knows there's nothing Buffy can do to stop her death. Xander asks her if she's planning to kill herself, which Cassie denies. She talks about all the things she wishes she could do — going to the dance, going to college, falling in love, as well as many other things. But she knows she never can. She makes it clear to Buffy and Xander that she doesn't want to die, it's just what is going to happen on Friday.

Meanwhile, a group of guys in red cloaks walk around a circle and burn pictures of Cassie on a tray in the middle. Still motivated to help Cassie, Buffy reads poetry from Cassie's site and continues to investigate with the rest of the gang. Buffy goes to the school basement and asks Spike if he knows anything about Cassie. Because he "hurt the girl," he's punishing himself and trying to stay away from the voices. He doesn't have any information for her and Buffy leaves him, thinking her presence hurts him more than when she's not there.

Upstairs, Principal Wood and another administrator search through student lockers for anything suspicious. Buffy catches Mike in the halls and drills him to see if he may have intentions of hurting Cassie because she rejected him. He makes it clear that he doesn't mind that much, and has already moved on to thinking about Dawn. A bunch of coins fall from one of the lockers, drawing Buffy's attention. Buffy takes one of the coins and the number of the locker where they came from and talks to the student the locker belongs to. After some violent prompting, the student confesses that some of his friends want to hurt Cassie.

Dawn and Cassie walk away from the school as Cassie reveals how she knows Buffy sent Dawn to befriend Cassie but it doesn't matter as the two are now clearly real friends. Just then a student named Peter approaches, and Cassie tells Dawn that nothing that is about to happen is her fault. Peter asks Dawn about the dance, but only to be a jerk, not to really ask her out. When an irritated Dawn turns back towards Cassie, she is gone, Peter having successfully distracted her.

At the school that night, the cloaked group gathers again around a circle of coins and one of the boys turns out to be Peter. He checks with the others to make sure the school is secure and that no one can get in or out. Then, he pulls a bound and blindfolded Cassie out to the circle and holds a meat cleaver to her neck. She is to be a sacrifice to a demon that will provide the boys with "infinite riches".

As Peter starts the ritual, Buffy suddenly rips off a cloak, unveiling herself to the group and then smacks him around a bit. She doesn't think the ritual was a success, but a large demon, Avilas, appears behind her, proving her wrong. Buffy fights with the demon and Spike shows up with a flaming torch to help seeming to have at least temporarily regained his sanity as he doesn't want Cassie to get hurt. Buffy uses the torch to burn the demon while Spike cuts Cassie free from her bonds. Cassie tells him, "Someday she'll tell you" which shocks Spike and he retreats away. Desperately, Peter moves towards the fried demon and wants to know where his money is. The burned demon leans up and bites Peter on the shoulder once before exploding into dust.

Buffy and Cassie walk away together, leaving Peter to deal on his own. A crossbow booby trap set by one of the cloaked boys nearly kills Cassie, but Buffy catches the bolt. Buffy is happy that she seemingly stopped Cassie's prediction, and tells the girl that one person can make a difference, to which Cassie responds that Buffy will. Just then Cassie gasps and unexpectedly falls to the ground, dead.

The next day, the Scooby Gang gather at Buffy's and solemnly talk about how Cassie died because of a congenital heart defect. She was always going to die, no matter what happened. Buffy feels as if she failed Cassie, but a devastated Dawn corrects her, saying Buffy didn't fail, since she tried
to save a girl who has predicted Cassie, and it was because of her own death.
that Dawn and Cassie were friends. Buffy returns to work, knowing that while she will always try her best, sometimes she just can't help.
----



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!!Tropes in this episode



** The fraternity in "Reptile Boy" also sacrificed women to a demon in exchange for wealth.

to:

** The fraternity in "Reptile Boy" "[[Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS2E8ReptileBoy Reptile Boy]]" also sacrificed women to a demon in exchange for wealth.



* KillItWithFire: Buffy uses the flaming torch to set fire to the demon, which then [[DefeatEqualsExplosion explodes for no apparent reason]].



* {{Foreshadowing}}: Cassie says to Spike, "She'll tell you. Someday she'll tell you."

to:

* {{Foreshadowing}}: {{Foreshadowing}}:
**
Cassie says to Spike, "She'll tell you. Someday she'll tell you."



* HilariousInHindsight: Willow discusses Series/DoogieHowserMD fanfiction. Two years later there'd be a show that had [[Series/HowIMetYourMother Willow and Doogie.]]



* KillItWithFire: Buffy uses the flaming torch to set fire to the demon, which then [[DefeatEqualsExplosion explodes for no apparent reason]].



* TechnologyMarchesOn: Xander assumes "Have you googled her yet?" is an UnusualEuphemism.



* {{Tearjerker}}: Particularly Cassie's monologue after Buffy goes to her house.



* ViralMarketing: The website showing Cassie's poetry was recreated online (though the site is now defunct).



* YourDaysAreNumbered: Cassie

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* YourDaysAreNumbered: CassieCassie
----

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* {{Foreshadowing}}: Cassie says to Spike, "She'll tell you. Someday she'll tell you." *

to:

* {{Foreshadowing}}: Cassie says to Spike, "She'll tell you. Someday she'll tell you." *"
** Amanda is sent to Buffy for having beaten the shit out of a boy bullying her. This is surprising to hear considering she's a willowy teenage girl, but her aptitude for violence will make more sense after TheReveal that she's a potential Slayer.
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** [[AssholeVictim/ Not that he didn't deserve it]].

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** [[AssholeVictim/ [[AssholeVictim Not that he didn't deserve it]].
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** [[AssholeVictim/Not that he didn't deserve it]].

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** [[AssholeVictim/Not [[AssholeVictim/ Not that he didn't deserve it]].
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**[[AssholeVictim/Not that he didn't deserve it]].
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* BullyHunter: Amanda comes to Buffy about being bullied. Buffy tells her she needs to stand up to the boy. Amanda admits that's why she's there -- because she pounded his face into the pavement and should she do it some more? Buffy, a long-time bully hunter herself, is at a loss for words. [[spoiler:The scene becomes even more ironic when we later discover Amanda is a Potential Slayer.]]

to:

* BullyHunter: Amanda comes to Buffy about being bullied. Buffy tells her she needs to stand up to the boy. Amanda admits that's why she's there -- because she pounded his face into the pavement and should she do it some more? Buffy, a long-time bully hunter herself, is at a loss for words. [[spoiler:The The scene becomes even more ironic when we later discover Amanda is a Potential Slayer.]]



* ChekhovsGunman: [[spoiler:Cassie will return as a ghost (actually the First) who communicates with Willow in "Conversations With Dead People". Amanda is revealed to be a potential Slayer in "Potential".]]

to:

* ChekhovsGunman: [[spoiler:Cassie Cassie will return as a ghost (actually the First) First who communicates with Willow in "Conversations With Dead People". Amanda is revealed to be a potential Slayer in "Potential".]]



* {{Foreshadowing}}: Cassie says to Spike, "She'll tell you. Someday she'll tell you." [[spoiler:Buffy will finally tell Spike she loves him in the GrandFinale "Chosen".]]

to:

* {{Foreshadowing}}: Cassie says to Spike, "She'll tell you. Someday she'll tell you." [[spoiler:Buffy will finally tell Spike she loves him in the GrandFinale "Chosen".]]*



* HilariousInHindsight: Willow discusses Series/DoogieHowserMD fanfiction. A couple of years later there'd be a show that had [[Series/HowIMetYourMother Willow and Doogie.]]

to:

* HilariousInHindsight: Willow discusses Series/DoogieHowserMD fanfiction. A couple of Two years later there'd be a show that had [[Series/HowIMetYourMother Willow and Doogie.]]
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[[quoteright:284:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/btvs_s7_4_help.jpg]]

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[[quoteright:284:https://static.[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/btvs_s7_4_help.jpg]]
org/pmwiki/pub/images/screenshot_20190219_045021_video_player.jpg]]
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* RevealShot: Buffy is counselling a student who's complaining about her [[TinyTyrannicalGirl overly-controlling big sister]] -- [[CrowningMomentOfFunny it's Dawn]].

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* RevealShot: Buffy is counselling a student who's complaining about her [[TinyTyrannicalGirl overly-controlling big sister]] -- [[CrowningMomentOfFunny [[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments it's Dawn]].
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* ShoutOut: Cassie is shown reading ''SlaughterhouseFive'', a book about a man who knows exactly when and where he's going to die and has accepted it.

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* ShoutOut: Cassie is shown reading ''SlaughterhouseFive'', ''Literature/SlaughterhouseFive'', a book about a man who knows exactly when and where he's going to die and has accepted it.

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* [[spoiler:ArrowCatch: Buffy catches a crossbow quarrel just before it kills Cassie -- who then dies of a heart attack.]]
* BaitAndSwitch: Ominous music plays as coffin lids rise...to reveal Buffy and Xander hiding inside so they can check out a funeral home for vamps.
** [[spoiler:Cassie's predicted death is from a heart attack, not some supernatural menace.]]

to:

* [[spoiler:ArrowCatch: ArrowCatch: Buffy catches a crossbow quarrel just before it kills Cassie -- who then dies of a heart attack.]]
attack.
* BaitAndSwitch: BaitAndSwitch:
**
Ominous music plays as coffin lids rise...to reveal Buffy and Xander hiding inside so they can check out a funeral home for vamps.
** [[spoiler:Cassie's Cassie's predicted death is from a heart attack, not some supernatural menace.]]



** [[spoiler:Joyce Summer's death, which was also due to natural causes despite Buffy's attempt to discover a supernatural menace behind it all.]]
* ChekhovsGun: The {{Booby Trap}}s. [[spoiler:Subverted when they fail to kill anyone.]]

to:

** [[spoiler:Joyce To Joyce Summer's death, which was also due to natural causes despite Buffy's attempt to discover a supernatural menace behind it all.]]
all.
* ChekhovsGun: The {{Booby Trap}}s. [[spoiler:Subverted Subverted when they fail to kill anyone.]]



* InTheHood: [[spoiler:Good for DressingAsTheEnemy.]]

to:

* InTheHood: [[spoiler:Good Good for DressingAsTheEnemy.]]



* SelfFulfillingProphecy: [[spoiler:Cassie is depressed because she knows she's going to die, so the boys pick her for their HumanSacrifice because when she disappears everyone will assume she killed herself.]]
** Add to this [[spoiler:the stress she must have felt knowing she was going to die, which no doubt aggravated the heart condition that eventually killed her.]]

to:

* SelfFulfillingProphecy: [[spoiler:Cassie SelfFulfillingProphecy:
** Cassie
is depressed because she knows she's going to die, so the boys pick her for their HumanSacrifice because when she disappears everyone will assume she killed herself.]]
herself.
** Add to this [[spoiler:the the stress she must have felt knowing she was going to die, which no doubt aggravated the heart condition that eventually killed her.]]



* YouCantFightFate: Oh, the many ways that may end up with Cassie dead [[spoiler:and then a simple heart attack gets her]].

to:

* YouCantFightFate: Oh, the many ways that may end up with Cassie dead [[spoiler:and dead, and then a simple heart attack gets her]].her.

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