History Recap / BuffyTheVampireSlayerS7E7ConversationsWithDeadPeople

* InterplayOfSexAndViolence: Holden is exhilarated to be fighting to the death with the girl he once had a crush on in school. When he fantasises that a 'biteable' girl he knew might have shown up for his funeral, Buffy starts venting about how "[[ComingAndGoing sex and death]] and [[LoveHurts love and pain]]" are all the same to vampires, giving Holden a EurekaMoment that Buffy has had a relationship with one.

** Buffy briefly dated Scott Hope at the beginning of Season 3, only for Scott to dump her on the excuse that she seemed too distracted (as she was caring for a recently BackFromTheDead Angel). Holden [[ArmouredClosetGay suggests another reason]].

* TheConfidant: Buffy finds herself opening up to former psych student Holden Webster. Which is part of an ongoing theme of Buffy having difficulty opening up to her own loved ones (which, for instance, led to her ill-fated relationship with Spike, a character who had more than once previously tried to ''kill her'').

* ActorAllusion: Newly-sired vampire Holden tells Buffy that Scott Hope, her ex-boyfriend from season three, came out of the closet and is now openly gay. This is possibly a reference to the fact that Fab Filippo, the actor who played Scott, went on to star in America’s version of ''Series/QueerAsFolk''.

* DoesNotLikeShoes: Dawn is walking around the house without shoes; after smashing the glass-fronted microwave, she has to bandage up her feet.

* WhyWeCantHaveNiceThings: Dawn is playing about with Buffy's weapons. First she plants an axe-blade in a desk, then has an [[RecklessGunUsage accidental crossbow discharge]]. She tries to yank the quarrel out of the wall, only for a large lump of plaster to come out as well, which she tries to conceal with a potted plant. She also gets pizza sauce on Buffy's dress, which she doesn't worry about as she figures Buffy will assume it's blood (this sets up a BrickJoke in "First Date).

* NotQuiteDead[=/=]AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence: What First!Warren convinces Andrew has happened to him, referencing Obi-Wan Kenobi in the process.

-->'''Holden:''' Oh, well, you know, not my God, because I defy him and all of his works...

* HeelRealization[=/=]InferioritySuperiorityComplex: We get an explanation of the mindset that drives Buffy to make most of her decisions, dubious or otherwise.
-->'''Buffy:''' I feel like I'm worse than anyone. Honestly, I'm [[MeaningfulEcho beneath them]]. My friends, my boyfriends. I feel like I'm not worthy of their love. 'Cause even though they love me, it doesn't mean anything 'cause their opinions don't matter. They don't know. They haven't been through what I've been through. They're not the Slayer. I am. Sometimes I feel... (sighs) this is awful -- I feel like I'm better than them. Superior.
-->'''Holden:''' Until you can't win. And I thought I was diabolical -- or, at least I plan to be. You do have a superiority complex. And you've got an inferiority complex about it.

** Dawn talks on the phone to an off-screen Kit, who we saw in "[[Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS7E1Lessons Lessons]]".

* TheConfidant: Buffy finds herself opening up to former psych student Holden Webster. Which is part of an ongoing theme of Buffy having difficulty opening up to her own loved ones (which, for instance, lead to her ill-fated relationship with Spike, a character who had more than once previously tried to ''kill her'').

* ActorAllusion: Newly-sired vampire Holden tells Buffy that Scott Hope, her ex-boyfriend from season three, came out of the closet and is now gay. This is possibly a reference to the fact that Fab Filippo, the actor who played Scott, went on to star in America’s version of ''Series/QueerAsFolk''.

At the Summers home, Dawn is home alone and plays with Buffy's weapons and tries on some of her clothes. She watches an old horror movie whilst talking on the phone to her friend, Kit before a series of knocks happen at the door. The phone line is cut as a malevolent force begins attacking the house. During the attack, Dawn sees images of her mother every now and then. Dawn believes it's her trying to contact her from beyond the grave and an evil spirit is trying to stop her. Dawn is able to drive it off and is visited by what appears to be Joyce's ghost who tells her that she predicts Buffy and Dawn will become enemies.

* AFormYouAreComfortableWith: The First Evil appears as Cassie, Warren and Joyce in order to break up the gang -- and it's so good at it that fans are ''still'' discussing whether "Joyce" isn't actually Joyce, despite confirmation from WordOfGod.

* SlasherSmile: First!Warren and First!Cassie -- the latter taken UpToEleven when her head splits open and she turns inside out.

* AuthorAppeal: Apparently, Creator/JaneEspenson likes StockYuck/{{Anchovies}}, and was disappointed over a certain pizza chains' decision to drop them from their pizzas.

* HeelFaceDoorSlam: An OlderAndWiser Jonathan looks to do the right thing, no matter how many people have forgotten about him in the years since high school. Then, under the goading of First!Warren, his best friend, Andrew, stabs him to death, right when he could very well have been on his way to finally becoming a Scooby. Just as :Andrew himself did later in the season. Sorry, Jonathan.

* ShipTease: Buffy acknowledges that Spike's love for her was real, in contrast to the previous season where such an idea would be met with [[WhatMeasureIsANonHuman denial]], [[IBelieveThatYouBelieveIt condescension]] or a [[BastardGirlfriend punch in the face]].

** "Strong like an amazon" is what Willow said in response to Tara saying "We can be strong" (about Joyce Summer's death in "[[Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS5E16TheBody The Body]]"). Likewise Dawn's "Mom? ...Mommy?" when trying to reach Joyce [[MeaningfulEcho echoes Buffy's first reaction]] upon seeing her mother dead.

* [[FourLinesAllWaiting Four (and a half) Lines, All Waiting]]: This episode has four plotlines with dialogue, and one without, which never intersect during the entire episode.

* SomethingCompletelyDifferent: The episode features five stories taking place in different places at the same time, each of which includes, well, a conversation with a dead person. The stories aren't even thematically linked until the next episode, when they all converge.

* AbsenteeActor: Xander and Anya don't appear. The original plan was for the First to appear to Xander as Jesse (remember him? From waaay back in the first two episodes?) and Anya as Halfrek, but neither Creator/EricBalfour nor Kali Rocha was available. This is the only episode that Xander doesn't appear in, making Buffy and Willow the only characters with perfect attendance.

While on patrol, Buffy is attacked by a newly risen vampire. They fight for a while and as he prepares to bite her, he recognises her from Sunnydale High. He tells her that the two of them were old classmates and his name is Holden. Buffy feels guilty as she clearly can't remember him at all. The two seem to have no inclination to kill each other and begin to reminisce. When Holden asks Buffy why she has a stake and why she's trying to kill him, Buffy tells Holden that it's her job as the Slayer. Holden takes the news surprisingly well and says it explains her absences and why she was often late at school. He tells Buffy that many of the student thought that Buffy was training to be a nun. Holden tells her that he was a psychology major and gets her to talk about herself, all in between bouts of trying to kill her. Holden predicts that Buffy will never truly connect with other and that Spike -who everyone thought couldn't hurt humans thanks to the chip- was the one who sired him. Buffy later stakes him.

** First!Joyce tells Dawn "When it's bad, Buffy won't choose you. She'll be against you." In "[[Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS7E17LiesMyParentsToldMe Lies My Parents Told Me]]", Buffy admits to Giles that she'd now be willing to sacrifice Dawn to save the world, unlike in "[[Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS5E22TheGift The Gift]]". Likewise Joyce's words might well have influenced Dawn's decision to side against Buffy in "[[Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS7E19EmptyPlaces Empty Places]]". Though oddly enough, we never do get a situation where Buffy has to again choose between Dawn and the world, like all this seems to be setting up.

* CouldntFindAPen: Dawn sees what appears to be her mother, and the incredibly creepy words 'Mother's milk is red today' appear on the wall.

* OutOfCharacterAlert: Willow is tipped that "Cassie" (supposedly channelling a message from Tara) is not who she appears when she suggests [[TogetherInDeath Willow kill herself so she can be with her dead lover]].

* AbsenteeActor: Xander and Anya don't appear. The original plan was for the First to appear to Xander as Jesse (remember him? From waaay back in the first two episodes?) and Anya as Halfrek, but neither Creator/EricBalfour nor Kali Rocha were available. This is the only episode that Xander doesn't appear in, making Buffy and Willow the only characters with perfect attendance.

-->'''Willow:''' From beneath you, it devours.

* AbsenteeActor: Nicholas Brendon and Creator/EmmaCaulfield. In Brendon's case, this episode single-handedly keeps him from the distinction of having appeared in every episode of the show, leaving Creator/SarahMichelleGellar and Creator/AlysonHannigan as the only ones who can claim it.