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Context Recap / BuffyTheVampireSlayerS2E1WhenSheWasBad

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1[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/buffys2e1_107.jpg]]
2
3
4->''"You know, we've never really been that close, which is nice, cause I don't really like you that much."''
5-->--'''Cordelia Chase'''
6
7Directed by Creator/JossWhedon
8
9Written by Whedon, Creator/RobDesHotel, & Creator/DeanBatali
10
11With vampire activity on the decline, Xander and Willow must content themselves with the perils of movie trivia. Xander whines that the summer has been extremely boring, but since Buffy has spent summer break in L.A. with her dad, the lack of demonic activity is a lucky break. A tender moment ensues when Xander playfully puts ice cream on Willow's nose, but just as he is about to kiss her, a vampire appears behind Willow. Xander intervenes and is barely holding out when, suddenly, a blonde tornado shows up and kicks the vampire into a proturuding tree branch. The Slayer is back in town.
12
13->"[[AsideGlance Miss me?]]"
14
15School reboots. Giles gets the gang together and exposits that although they closed the Hellmouth, the mystical energy still attracts evil forces to the town. For once, Giles offers Buffy some time to settle in, but she is eager to resume her training. Whilst practicing, Buffy has a [[FlashbackCut vision of the Master]] and begins furiously hitting a dummy. Giles furrows his brow.
16
17Across town, a vampire pastor named Absalom preaches to his undead flock; promising them that all is not lost. He gestures to his leader, the Anointed One, sitting atop a throne.
18
19Buffy has nightmares of The Master strangling her. She awakens in bed to find Angel in her room. He's come with a warning that the Anointed One has taken the reigns of the Master's order. Buffy coldly brushes him off, the first hint something's up with her. He tells her he missed her and leaves before she can reply. Meanwhile, the Anointed One is ordering his acolytes to dig up the Master's bones.
20
21At the Bronze, Buffy arrives in a revealing dress and begins a slow, sensual dance with Xander that makes everyone squirm--particularly Willow and Angel, which was the entire point. Cordelia, who witnessed the entire scene, confronts her outside and tells her to get over her problems. The moment that Buffy stalks off, Cordy is nabbed by two dark figures. They toss her into a basement with a KO'd Ms. Calendar. Buffy walks to the grave that holds the Master, and finds it dug up.
22
23At lunch the next day, Giles shares everyone's concerns about Buffy's mental state, unaware that she's standing in the doorway. When she reports on the Master's disappearance, Giles assures her that he has never heard of a vampire resurrection being successful. Buffy sarcastically thanks him for warning her that this kind of ritual ''exists''. Tension between the Scoobies mount as night falls. Giles learns that a revivification spell needs the blood of the "closest" person to the deceased. On cue, Cordelia's ransom note, wrapped around a large rock, is lobbed through the library window. Buffy leaves for the obvious trap, sighing in frustration that she cannot look out for the Scoobies while doing her job. Angry, confused looks all around.
24
25Outside the Bronze, Buffy tries to pick a fight with Angel, who ignores her and tails along. Inside, they find a brunette sobbing quietly. Buffy guesses this is some kind of lame Cordelia double, and realizes that the "trap" is not for her. At the same time, Giles realizes that the ritual requires the blood of those ''physically'' nearest to the Master when he died – in other words, Giles, Willow, Cordelia and Ms. Calendar. Cue the vamps looming towards them.
26
27Buffy returns to the library to find a bloodied Xander, who rages that if she had worked with them for five seconds, she could have prevented this. Reality having now dropped like an anvil on our heroine's head, she doubles back to The Bronze and tortures the Fake Cordy into confession.
28
29In the abandoned warehouse, the remaining Scoobies are hanging by their feet, suspended over The Master's skeleton. Buffy interrupts the ritual and lets the stakes fly while Angel and Xander reel the hostages out of reach. Absalom, clutching a sledgehammer, charges at the Slayer. She twirls one of his ceremonial torches like a baton, incinerating Absalom and staking another with the broken end. From the second level, Willow proclaims the battle over.
30
31"No, it's not" mutters Xander.
32
33As her friends look on, Buffy retrieves the sledgehammer and raises it on high. Holding back tears, she works out her issues with being dead and then revived on the Master's skeleton.
34
35The next day, Buffy, unsure of where she stands with her friends, resignedly goes to class. Willow generously says hello, and says they saved her a seat. Aw. Xander breaks the ice and suggests hanging out at The Bronze, but Willow vetoes that idea.
36
37->"Well, we could [[ARareSentence grind our enemies into talcum powder with a sledgehammer]], but, gosh, we did that ''last'' night."
38
39Meanwhile, the Anointed One takes a good look around the warehouse, noticing the smashed bones.
40
41->"[[SchiffOneLiner I hate that girl.]]"
42
43!!Tropes
44* AbandonedWarehouse: The site of Absalom's sacrificial pyre.
45* AchillesInHisTent: Buffy comes back from her summer in L.A. still steaming with issues from being killed for a minute in the Season One finale. When the Master's men steal the Master's bones with the intent to resurrect him, Buffy explodes at Giles and blows off the Scooby Gang's attempts at consoling her. This lasts until Willow, Giles, Cordelia and Miss Calender are captured by the vampires for the resurrection ritual. In this case, the prompt for her glorious return is less that she realizes that she's needed and more that it's brutally spelled out for her by Xander, who basically gives her an "[[WhatTheHellHero As a result of this mess I'm completely over indulging your self-pity; get over yourself and do what you should have done in the first place]]" speech.
46* AgentMulder: Willow's insistence that the way Buffy was meanly acting proves she ''must'' be [[DemonicPossession possessed]]. Aw.
47-->'''Xander:''' Are we overlooking the idea that she ''may'' [[ScullySyndrome be very attracted to me]]?! ''(off everyone's looks)'' [[SelfDeprecation She's possessed.]]
48* AllThereInTheScript: Although never mentioned on-screen, the female vampire is referred to as Tara in the script. The four vampires at the Factory are also named as Ned (the vampire that gets his hands burned while digging the Master's skeleton), Bob (the long, brown-haired vamp), Jane (the female) and Walt (the dark-haired vampire Buffy dusts from the back)
49* AlmostKiss
50** Just before Xander and Willow's lips touch, we see that a [[FailedASpotCheck growling vamp has sneaked up on them]].
51** Buffy plays with this trope during her MatingDance, leaning ''very'' close to Xander while hinting at RescueSex...[[TheTease then walking off]].
52* AmicableExes: Joyce and Hank appear to get along fine.
53* AskAStupidQuestion: Xander's announcing that Cibo Matto will be gracing their presence at the Bronze. Willow asks if they're playing.
54-->'''Xander:''' No, Will, they're going to be clog dancing.\
55'''Willow:''' ''(amazement)'' Cibo Matto can clog dance?! ''({{beat}})'' ...[[SarcasmBlind Oh, sarcasm, right.]]
56* BadBoss: While digging up The Master, the A.O. complains that his henchvamps aren't shoveling fast enough. He forces his acolytes to dig through [[HolyBurnsEvil consecrated earth with their bare hands]].
57* BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor: Xander stepping up to the plate and taking his best shot with Buffy. "I want to dance with you". He gets his wish, when a Buffy neck deep in PTSD bumps and grinds against him to enrage Willow and Angel.
58* BenevolentArchitecture: Buffy side-kicking the cemetery vamp into a nearby tree, where he's [[ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice dusted on a sharp protrusion]].
59* BigDamnHeroes: Buffy returns to town just in time to save Xander and Willow from a vampire.
60* BloodMagic: The Master's acolytes attempt a ritual to bring him back to life. This involves slitting the necks of his adversaries (i.e. the Scoobies) and wetting his skeleton with their blood.
61* BludgeonedToDeath: Vampires have exhumed The Master's skeleton as part of a ritual that involves messing with Buffy's mind. Absalom's hammer presents a perfect opportunity for her to work out her remaining issues while making him DeaderThanDead.
62* BondVillainStupidity: The vampires who abduct Giles and Willow, for whatever reason, leave Xander alive.
63* BrokenWindowWarning: A rock with a note attached is thrown through the library window. Buffy snatches it from mid-air with her Slayer reflexes.
64* BuffySpeak:
65-->'''Giles''': Punishing yourself like that is pointless.\
66'''Buffy''': It's entirely pointy.
67* BuyThemOff: Joyce is shocked at how many clothes and [[AllWomenLoveShoes shoes]] her daughter managed to accumulate. Hank admits that Buffy seemed distant throughout the whole summer, and he "overcompensated a little" with gifts.
68* CallBack:
69** The Master's defeat in the previous season, and Buffy's heart stopping momentarily.
70** Willow worriedly asks if Cordelia's been yapping to everybody about their "adventure" over the summer.
71-->'''Cordelia:''' What are you guys talking about? I'm talking about '''big squiggly demons that came from the ground'''! Remember? Prom night? With '''all the vampires'''?\
72'''Buffy''': Cordelia, your mouth is open, sound is coming from it, this is never good.
73* CannotSpitItOut: Buffy rudely dismissing Angel and snuggling back under the covers, determinedly silent.
74* CensorshipBySpelling: Willow asking why Buffy is acting like such a "B-I-T-C-H". Giles thinks they're too old to be spelling out words.
75-->'''Xander''': A "{{B|ookDumb}}itcah"?
76* ComicallyMissingThePoint: Buffy reads the note regarding Cordelia's abduction.
77-->'''Buffy''': 'Come to the Bronze before it opens, or we make her a meal.'\
78'''Xander''': [[FauxHorrific They're gonna cook her dinner?!]] ''(gets looks from everyone)'' [[CantBelieveISaidThat I'll pretend I didn't say that.]]
79* ConvenientlyTimedAttackFromBehind: "Man, your timing really doesn't suck".
80* CooldownHug / CryIntoChest: Buffy burying her face in Angel's chest, sobbing, following her very thorough job on the bones.
81* CouldHaveAvoidedThisPlot: Buffy leaves Giles, Willow and Xander alone in the library to confront the Order of Aurelius at the Bronze, insisting she can handle things herself. As it turns out, she walked into a trap, and Giles and Willow are kidnapped by the Order to be used as {{Human Sacrifice}}s while Buffy's away. When she realizes the trick and goes back to find the library ransacked and Xander beaten and bloody, Xander wastes no time calling her out and invoking this trope:
82-->'''Xander''': I don't know what your problem is, what your issues are... and as of right now, I officially don't ''care''. If you had worked with us for five minutes, you could've stopped this.
83* CryIntoChest: Buffy cries into Angel's chest after smashing the Master's bones.
84* CutHisHeartOutWithASpoon: "Your day is done, girl. I'll grind you into a sticky paste, and hear you beg, before I smash in your face".
85-->'''Buffy:''' ...So, are you gonna kill me, or are we just making small talk?
86* DanceOfRomance: PlayedForDrama during Buffy's intimate dance with Xander, showing what kind of person she could be without her moral code.
87* DaydreamSurprise: Giles leaps on Buffy and strangles her -- she tears off his face to reveal the Master.
88* DeaderThanDead: The Master is well and truly dead after this episode.
89* DeathGlare: Angel's reaction to Buffy and Xander's bump n' grind.
90* DecoyDamsel: "That's not Cordelia". Of course not -- the only way to make Cordelia cry is to cut up her credit cards.
91* DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment: "You're Amish! You can't fight back... 'cause you're Amish! I mock you with my ice cream cone, Amish Guy!"
92** Snyder saying that he can just smell delinquency, "like a sixth sense".
93--->'''Giles:''' Actually, that would be one of the five.
94* DidISayThatOutLoud: Buffy confessing that's she been having weird dreams. Willow blurts that the other night she dreamt about Xander-- she backpedals, "It wasn't Xander. In fact, it wasn't me. [[IHaveThisFriend It was a friends' dream]]... and s-she doesn't remember it".
95* DivideAndConquer: Angel pointing out that something is off about the pathetic Bronze ambush. "There's the bait. Where's the hook?"
96* TheDragon: Absalom, for all intents and purposes, serves as this to the Anointed One.
97* DramaticDrop: Absalom combusts in a very cool-looking mass of flames, and his mallet falls with a clang. Buffy meaningfully drops her own weapon (the torch) before approaching the bones of her old adversary -- the Master.
98* DramaticNecklaceRemoval: Buffy yanks off her cross necklace and shoves it down fake Cordy's throat.
99* DramaticUnmask: Buffy on Giles dream in her dream.
100* DullSurprise: Buffy's reaction to news of the A.O. gathering his forces.
101-->"Is that everything? Y'know, 'cause you woke me up from [[BlatantLies a really good dream]]."
102* DynamicEntry:
103** Xander grapples with a vampire in a losing effort until a hand yanks the vamp away. We then see the vamp get pummeled by someone in a shiny micro-mini.
104** A vampire acolyte gets [[KilledMidSentence Killed Mid-Chant]] to reveal Buffy standing behind him.
105* EasilyForgiven: Xander and Willow have forgiven Buffy by the end of the episode.
106* ExplainExplainOhCrap: Shortly after Buffy leaves for the Bronze, seemingly walking into a trap set by the Order, Giles finishes translating the revivification ritual and discovers that "closest" to the Master actually means those who were physically present when the Master died[[note]]Willow, Cordelia, Ms. Calendar and Giles himself[[/note]]. Giles doesn't even finish his sentence before he realizes what this means. A double dose of this trope follows when he sees vampires crowding into the library behind Willow and Xander, and realizes the "trap" was actually meant to lure Buffy away so the Order could capture them without interference.
107-->'''Giles''': It ''is'' a trap. It just isn't for her.
108* EveryoneHasStandards:
109** Even Cordelia's disgusted by Buffy's KickTheDog moment.
110--->"[[WhatTheHellHero You're really campaigning for bitch of the year, aren't you?"]]
111** Willow may dislike Cordelia, but Buffy being truly nasty to Cordy alarms her.
112* EvilCannotComprehendGood:
113-->'''Snyder:''' You really have faith in those kids, don't you?\
114'''Giles''': Yes, I do.\
115'''Snyder''': Weird.
116* EvilIsHammy: Just as well Absalom didn't raise the Master. Their combined hamminess would have destroyed the world.
117* ExcuseQuestion: "Guess That Movie Quote". Willow leads with "Use the Force, Luke" to which Xander rightly responds with an EyeTake. Willow then complains that it's a [[SomethingThatBeginsWithBoring dumb game]].
118* FaceRevealingTurn: What appears to be Cordelia sobbing turns out to be a vampire in GameFace.
119* FaceYourFears: This episode was an extended therapy session for Buffy as she deals with her feelings of helplessness and vulnerability.
120* FailedASpotCheck: Cordy calls after Buffy that maybe she'll ask Angel to play rebound with her, but a [[HandGagging hand grabs her over the mouth]]. Two vamps drag her away as Buffy obliviously stomps off.
121* FeetFirstIntroduction: Buffy at the Bronze.
122* FingerInTheMail: The blackmail note is held in place by a bracelet, which Buffy identifies as Cordelia's.
123* {{Foreshadowing}}:
124** Xander and Willow going on about how the most excitement they had was burying the Master ("We got to wear robes").
125** Joyce says, "I’ll just be happy if she makes it through the school year". Buffy is kicked out of school at the end of the school year, at the end of the season - making her mother's fear certain.
126* FreudianExcuseIsNoExcuse: Buffy's been sullen, moody, bitchy and lashing out at people because she's traumatized over her temporary death at the Master's hands. By the time Giles and Willow get captured by vampires due to her refusal to cooperate with them, Xander's beyond caring why she's acting that way and tells her point-blank he'll ''kill'' Buffy if anything happens to Willow.
127-->'''Xander''':I don't know what your problem is, what your issues are... and as of right now, I officially don't ''care''.
128* FreudianSlip: As Buffy sits and broods, Xander asks what she was thinking about, assuring her she can tell them, because they're "bosom friends! The friends of [[MaleGaze your bosom]]!"
129* GraveRobbing: The unearthing of the Master's skeleton.
130%%* GroinAttack
131* HijackedByGanon: The Master returning, while {{subverted|Trope}}, has been preying on Buffy's mind.
132* HumanSacrifice: The revivification ritual requires the blood of those who were physically closest to the Master -- Giles, Willow, Cordelia and Ms. Calender -- when he crashed into the library and was impaled. This proviso is obviously meant for the person responsible for slaying the Master; unluckily for the Scoobies, Buffy kicked him into a skylight beforehand.
133* IDontLikeYouAndYouDontLikeMe: Cordelia to Buffy in the alley outside The Bronze.
134-->"You know, we've never really been close, which is nice because I don't really like you that much, but you have on occasion [[ValleyGirl saved the world and stuff]], so I'm gonna do you a favor."
135* IHaveYourWife: Exploited by the A.O. to get close to those he needs to.
136* IllKillYou: Xander warns that if anything happens to Willow, [[SincerityMode he'll kill Buffy]].
137* ImprovisedWeapon:
138** Cordelia's imposter gargling Buffy's cross necklace.
139** In the warehouse, Buffy lands a hit on one henchvamp by smashing a crate over his head.
140** Buffy is charged from opposite sides by Absalom and a henchvamp; she breaks off of the ceremonial torches, then lets them run onto its ends. Absalom gets torched while the henchvamp stakes himself on the broken end.
141* InterplayOfSexAndViolence: Angel insisting Buffy's not as strong as she thinks, eliciting the response, "Think you can take me?" She goes on that he must have thought about what would happen if they ever fought, and the subtext here is obvious. "C'mon..." she says invitingly, "''Kick my ass''".
142* InsultBackfire:
143-->'''Cordelia:''' You're really campaigning for [[AlphaBitch Bitch of the Year]], aren't you?\
144'''Buffy:''' As defending champion, you nervous?\
145'''Cordelia:''' I can hold my own.
146** Cordy accosting the Scoobies in the hall, calling them "Literature/{{the Three Musketeers}}".
147--->'''Xander:''' I woulda gone with [[Film/TheThreeStooges Stooges]].\
148'''Willow:''' The Three Musketeers are cool.\
149'''Cordelia:''' ''(beat)'' I see your point.
150* IResembleThatRemark:
151** Xander's actually looking forward to the start of school, but Willow teases that he just wants to see Buffy again. Xander says he's over that noise -- then [[HypocriticalHumor wonders if Willow's heard from her]].
152** Giles wondering whether Snyder made the wrong career choice, and Snyder countering that someone has to keep an eye on the kids. "Every time a pretty girl walks by, every boy turns into a gibbering fool". On cue, Miss Calendar slinks up to Giles...
153* IronicEcho: Buffy tries to help up the wounded Xander, but he shrugs her off. "Vampires", he reports. "[[IWorkAlone The ones you could handle yourself]]".
154* ItsPersonal: Buffy doesn't cotton to her friends being ritually eviscerated. Her cold torture of the vampire decoy is also new behavior.
155* IWorkAlone: Buffy's suicidal overconfidence.
156* JackBauerInterrogationTechnique: Buffy removing her cross, stuffing it in the stoolie vampire's mouth, and holding her jaws shut as smoke starts to emanate from it. Angel and Xander look slightly put off. Bonus points for imitating the trope namer.
157* JerkassHasAPoint: Buffy, traumatized by her near-death experience at the hands of The Master, acts mean and uncommunicative to her friends. She winds up getting a tongue-lashing from Cordelia.
158* JerkassRealization: Buffy finally snaps out of her {{Jerkass}} behavior when her refusal to cooperate with the other Scoobies results in Giles and Willow being kidnapped and nearly sacrificed.
159* KickTheDog: Buffy's MatingDance with Xander (playing on his feelings for her), to hurt Willow, and make Angel jealous. Three dogs for the price of one!
160* KilledMidSentence: Absalom intoning, "For the Old One. For his pain. For the dark". The vamps join in a rousing chorus of "For the dark", except that Buffy dusts one of them in the middle of "da--".
161* LastSecondWordSwap: The Scoobies reuniting with Cordelia, who loudly inquires as to whether they fought any demons over the summer.
162-->'''Willow:''' Oh--yes! Our own '''personal''' demons!"\
163'''Xander''': Uh, such as, as, as lust and, uh, thrift!
164* LatexPerfection: Master-as-Giles in Buffy's dream.
165* LaymansTerms: Giles suggests that Buffy "may simply have what you Americans refer to as 'issues'". Only he pronounces it "Iz-yous".
166* LeaningOnTheFourthWall: When Willow and Xander meet Giles they had a bet on when he would have to look at his books and Xander timed it at "8 minutes 33 seconds". It's unclear when they started to time it in-universe, but it nearly matches the episode time of 8 minute 43 seconds.
167* LittleBlackDress: Dolled-up Buffy strutting into the Bronze wearing in a simple, elegant black dress.
168* LonelyPianoPiece: Plays over the cathartic smashing of the bones.
169* LongBusTrip: This is the final "real" appearance of Buffy's father Hank Summers on the series. All subsequent appearances will be in the form of flashbacks, dreams or hallucinations.
170* LoveTheme: This is the first recognizable appearance of the melody that will become "Close Your Eyes", Buffy and Angel's love theme. It begins as Buffy smashes the Master's bones and continues over Angel comforting Buffy.
171* MagneticPlotDevice: The vampires don't return until Buffy does. "It's like they knew I was coming back".
172* MakeSureHesDead: After saving her friends from being sacrificed to revive the Master, Buffy crushes the Master's bones with a sledgehammer to make sure he never comes back.
173* {{Masquerade}}: Willow and Cordelia have to be reminded they really don't talk out loud about the whole demon-fighting thing.
174* MatchstickWeapon: In the climactic fight, Buffy kills two vampires using a broken torch. She burns one with the flaming end and impales the other with the sharp, broken end.
175* MatingDance: Lampshaded in the following episode.
176-->'''Angel:''' "Danced with" is a pretty loose term. "Mated with" might be a little closer.
177* MeetTheNewBoss: The Anointed One is now in charge of the Master's surviving followers, and doesn't seem to have made any significant changes from the Master's leadership style.
178* MiseryBuildsCharacter: Cordelia told herself this to survive the horror of spending summer in Tuscany.
179-->'''Cordelia:''' Art and buildings? I was totally beachless for a month and a half. No one has suffered like I have. Of course I think that that kind of adversity builds character. Well, then I thought, I already have a lot of character. Is it possible to have too much character?
180* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: Buffy worries the damage done to her friendships will prove irreparable.
181-->'''Giles''': What are you gonna do? Crawl inside a cave for the rest of your life?\
182'''Buffy:''' Would it have cable?
183* NiceJobBreakingItHero: Buffy falls for an obvious trap and refuses to cooperate with the other Scoobies, leaving them unprotected in the library and allowing the Order of Aurelius to capture Giles and Willow. Xander furiously chews her out over it, snarling that if Buffy had just cooperated with them for five minutes, she could have stopped the vampires.
184* NotHerself: The clincher is [[MatingDance Buffy leading Xander on]], right in front of Willow and Angel. Even Xander, who's getting his fantasy fulfilled, seems caught between arousal and a nagging feeling that something's not quite right.
185* NotListeningToMeAreYou: Principal Snyder accompanying Giles down the hallway, likening the students to locusts. Giles and Jenny decide to head off to the faculty room together, leaving the oblivious Snyder behind.
186-->"I try and tell 'em about the important things in life. Discipline, responsibility, punctuality. Might as well be talking to myself."
187* NotSoDire: Cordy commiserating with Miss Calendar about how awful their ordeal was. "It stays with you forever. No matter what they tell you. None of that rust and blood and grime comes out. I mean, you can dry clean till judgment day, you are ''living'' with those stains".
188* NudeNatureDance: Giles asking Miss Calendar how her summer was, to which she replies that she went to Burning Man, which had, among other things, raves and naked mud dances. Giles's dilemma between "hippies" and "naked Miss Calendar" is [[EyeTake palpable]].
189* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: Buffy is acting out due to the trauma of having been NotQuiteDead. Buffy's attitude problem causes her to get baited easily by the vamps, leaving her friends unprotected so that Willow, Cordelia, Giles and Miss Calendar get kidnapped by the vampires working for the Anointed One. Xander, normally Buffy's biggest fan, lays it out for her:
190-->If they hurt Willow, IllKillYou!
191* OffhandBackhand / OneHitPolykill: As Absalom rushes at her blindly, Buffy snaps a large wooden torch in half. She swiftly stakes one henchvamp and sets Absalom on fire.
192* OhCrap: "It ''is'' a trap" ''(looks up and sees vampires are surrounding them)'' "It just isn't for her".
193* OpaqueLenses: Buffy riding in the car with Joyce. Emotional deflector shields up, Captain.
194* OperationJealousy: A particularly cruel version -- Buffy [[MatingDance dances intimately]] with Xander ([[ChildhoodFriendRomance with Willow watching]]) in order to hurt Angel (and possibly flaunt her power over Xander as well).
195* OutOfCharacterMoment: Buffy's behavior changes in response to the trauma of her near-death at the hands of the Master; she is sullen, actively lashes out at people, and flirts with Xander purely to upset Angel (and hurts Xander and Willow as a result). Willow first calls attention to it at school when Buffy's insult of Cordelia is "a little ''too'' good".
196* PercussiveTherapy: Buffy training on a wooden dummy that has pads attached to it. Giles tries to call her off, but she keeps going until she breaks the dummy in two with a side kick. Giles worriedly notes that she's stayed in shape.
197** Buffy beating up a vampire.
198-->'''Giles:''' Where's Buffy?
199-->'''Xander:''' Uh, she's working out her issues.
200** And of course, Buffy pulverizing the Master's bones with a sledgehammer.
201* PoliticalOvercorrectness: Buffy telling Angel she doesn't trust him anymore, as he's a vampire. He bristles, and she snarks, "Oh, I'm sorry, is that an offensive term? Should I say '[[ParodiedTrope Undead American]]'?"
202* PoorCommunicationKills: Buffy almost reveals how much she's hiding her pain when she tells Angel "I've missed you--", but [[StealthHiBye he's already flown the coop]].
203* PoorPredictableRock: Xander whining that his hand's cramped up from "Rock, Paper, Scissors". Willow deadpans that if you're always scissors, it's hard on the tendons.
204* PromotionToOpeningTitles: David Boreanaz is in them now. Thousands rejoice.
205* QuitYourWhining: Cordelia tells Buffy that whatever she's dealing with, "Get over it". Or soon "you won't even have the loser friends you have now".
206* RaceAgainstTheClock: 3 days to go until the Master's revival.
207* RansackedRoom: By the time Buffy backtracks her way there, the library is full of overturned tables.
208* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: Xander gives one to Buffy when her unwillingness to work with the group leads to everyone but Xander being kidnapped:
209-->I don't know what your problem is, what your issues are. But as of now, I officially don't care. If you had worked with us for five seconds, you could have stopped this.
210* RescueRomance: {{Averted}}. Xander saved Buffy's life in last season's finale, but when Buffy returns to school next year she's still traumatized and [[NotHerself acting out]] [[TookALevelInJerkass against all her friends]], [[MatingDance dancing intimately]] with Xander purely to make Angel jealous. After several minutes of getting Xander worked up...
211-->'''Buffy:''' Xander, did I ever thank you for saving my life?
212-->'''Xander:''' No...
213-->'''Buffy:''' Don't you wish I would? ''(walks off)''
214* RetailTherapy: What Buffy got up to in Los Angeles.
215* TheReveal: The A.O. on his throne.
216* RightBehindMe: Giles suggesting that Buffy may have residual trauma from her bout with the Master, just in time for Buffy to appear in the doorway. Xander: "It's a very interesting point about [[LastSecondWordSwap trout]], you just brought up now". Nice save, Derek Jeter.
217* RomanceInducingSmudge: Xander touching his ice cream cone to Willow's nose. At the Bronze, Willow tries in vain to recreate the moment while Xander anxiously cranes his neck for Buffy. "You got somethin' on your nose".
218* RousingSpeech: Absalom tells the other vampires not to despair over their failure of the previous season.
219* SecretKeeper: Cordelia assures Buffy that her secret identity is safe.
220-->'''Cordelia:''' Are you nuts? Do you think I would tell people that [[BackhandedCompliment I spent the whole evening with you]]?
221* SelectiveObliviousness: From the moment she arrives in town, Buffy takes on that patronizing, barely tolerating tone with Xander and Willow, and it takes a full day to pick up on it.
222* ScaryBlackMan: Absalom, who doubles as TheDragon and MouthOfSauron for the Anointed One.
223* ScreamingWarrior: Absalom, because Buffy keeps ruining his ultimatums.
224* SexForSolace: Alluded to on the dance floor. But it was just a way to snub all her friends at once.
225* ShellShockedVeteran: Buffy spent the holidays away from Sunnydale, which ironically led to her brooding and turning the near-death trauma over in her head rather than really deal with it.
226* ShoutOut: The movies Xander and Willow reference are, in order: ''Film/TheTerminator'', ''Film/PlanetOfTheApes1968'', ''[[Film/ANewHope Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope]]'' and ''Film/{{Witness}}''.
227* SideBet: Willow and Xander betting on how long it will take Giles to "consult his books". Everyone smiles at Giles. He [[TheUnsmile fake-smiles]] in return.
228* SinisterMinister: Absalom.
229* SlashedThroat: The ceremony involves the Scoobies being hung upside-down with their throats cut, anointing the Master's bones [[BloodMagic with their blood]].
230* SlasherSmile: The Master in Buffy's dream.
231* SmashTheSymbol: You don't need to be a therapist to know what the bones represent.
232* SmugSuper: Willow tries to defend Giles on the revivification matter, but Buffy snaps that she'd like to "have a little less from the civilians".
233* SnubByOmission: Buffy asking if the Scoobies had any fun without her. Simultaneously, Willow says "yes" and Xander says "no". Aw. Poor Willow.
234* SongsOfSolace: Buffy riding mute in Joyce's car is overlaid with "It Doesn't Matter" by Allison Kraus and Union Station.
235* StalkingIsLove: Angel of course, and lampshaded by Buffy.
236* StockFootage: At the very beginning, we see a courtyard shot of students. It is reused footage from "[[Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS1E5NeverKillABoyOnTheFirstDate Never Kill a Boy on the First Date]]". The guy walking away in the lilac shirt is Owen from that episode.
237* SuppressedRage: Buffy's in this state throughout the episode. Shown when she beats on a training dummy until it breaks, and finally smashes the Master's bones to bits with a hammer.
238* TargetedHumanSacrifice: Ironically, the people most responsible for the Master's demise (Buffy on the school roof, Xander and Angel on the stair landing) are exempt from the A.O's list, by virtue of not being ''in'' the library when it happened...
239* TheTease: Buffy taking our her frustrations on both Angel and Xander in a very cruel way.
240-->"Look, Angel, I'm sorry if I was supposed to spend the summer mooning over you, but I didn't. I moved on. To ''the living''".
241* ThatCameOutWrong: Giles giving Buffy a verbal pat on the back, saying her actions this week were "hardly the worst mistake you'll ever make". At Buffy's horrified look, he says he meant that to be more comforting.
242* TooMuchInformation: Willow asks if Xander really doesn't miss Buffy, and he admits that maybe he does a little, as he has "certain needs". Willow says she doesn't want to go there.
243* TookALevelInJerkass: A decidedly less kind and gentle Buffy, as hinted in her first scene when she snits at having to go face Giles.
244* TookALevelInKindness: Cordelia still isn't exactly friendly, but approaches the Scoobies of her own free will, agrees to keep Buffy's secret, and (unsuccessfully) ''tries'' to give Buffy advice.
245* TortureAlwaysWorks: Buffy jamming her necklace down a vampire's throat like a particularly potent Alka-Seltzer.
246* TrainingMontage: Aggressive rock plays as Buffy does a series of karate and gymnastics moves.
247* TrapIsTheOnlyOption: Buffy insists on it, even though everyone thinks it's a grave mistake.
248-->'''Willow:''' Well, what about the rest of the note?\
249'''Buffy:''' What rest of the note?\
250'''Willow:''' The part that says, '[[AC:P.S. This is a trap]]'?
251* UnusuallyUninterestingSight: Giles choking Buffy in her dream as the other Scoobies chomp on their snacks without a care in the world.
252* UnwillingSuspension: A pulley above the Master's bones, from which Willow, Giles, Cordy and Miss Calendar sway upside-down.
253* VillainExitStageLeft: Abalom quickly hustling the A.O. out of the melee.
254* WeNeedADistraction: Parodied.
255-->'''Angel''': We need you to distract the vampires.\
256'''Buffy''': Right.\
257'''Xander''': What are you going to do?\
258'''Buffy''': I'm going to kill them all. That oughta distract them.
259* WelcomeToMyWorld: Joyce empathizes with Hank, saying she hasn't been able to get through to Buffy for a long time.
260* WhatTheHellHero:
261** Xander gives a bristling one to Buffy after Giles and Willow are captured, even explicitly threatening to kill her if the vamps hurt Willow.
262-->'''Xander''': I don't know what your problem is, what your issues are... and as of right now, I officially don't ''care''. If you had worked with us for five minutes, you could've stopped this.
263** Cordelia of all people gives one after witnessing Buffy's behavior at the Bronze.
264* WrongGenreSavvy: Both Willow and Xander assume that Buffy's unusually {{Jerkass}} behavior may be the result of DemonicPossession, but Giles quickly realizes and points out to them that her behavior is actually a result of PTSD from her fight with the Master; after all, even if it was only for a few minutes, she ''was'' [[NotQuiteDead technically dead]].
265* YouAreTooLate: Cordy's double taunts Buffy that her friends are probably dead already.
266----

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