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Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Recap/S2/E21 Becoming, Part 1: Difference between revisions
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[[File:buffys2e21_6710.jpg|frame]]
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Through flashbacks, we see more of Angel's history as recalled by an enigmatic demon called Whistler. We see Angel sired by Darla in 1753, and later being cursed with a soul by the Kalderash clan in 1898. Angel is next seen living as a vagrant until he is retrieved by Whistler in 1996, who shows him the one thing that can give his life meaning: Buffy Summers, rookie Slayer. Whistler observes that Buffy is in way over her head, and Angel resolves to watch over her from afar.
In the present, a new artifact has just arrived at the museum: a big stone block. Drusilla kills the museum curator while Angelus and his minions steal the relic, which contains the demon Acathla. A virtuous knight stabbed him in the heart before he could draw a breath, but someone worthy can remove the sword to awaken him. Angelus hatches a plan to awaken Acathla, who will open a gateway to Hell, destroying the world.
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=== Tropes: ===
* [[All Your Base Are Belong to Us]]: Without Buffy, the Scoobies are revealed to be frighteningly unprepared to deal with a handful of vamps, let alone a souped-up one like Drusilla.
* [[The Alleged Car]]: As 1996!Buffy exits the school, a completely rusted Impala with blacked-out windows rolls up to the curb. It's Angel.
* [[Anticlimax]]: Blood in his hand, ominous evil speech made, Angelus grasps the sword's hilt and an intense bright light pours forth. And nothing else happens. Suddenly, a giant flame erupts, sending him [[Blown Across the Room|flying backward and landing on his ass]].
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* [[Backhanded Compliment]]: Cordelia 'congratulating' Willow on her success as a substitute teacher. It's good to have a fallback ready for when she goes out and fails in the real world. "That way you're not falling back on something. You're falling -- well, forward."
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* [[The Bad Guy Wins]]
* [[Bad Habits]]: A young Drusilla entering a [[Confessional]] booth just as Angelus is awkwardly setting aside the freshly-killed priest behind the screen. Dru tells him that she's been "seeing" again. Apparently, she had a vision of a mine cave-in before it occurred. Dru's mother has told her that her precognition is an affront to God and she sobs, "I don't want to be an evil thing." Angelus replies that she's a "devil child" and the Lord will "smite her down." He tells her to just give in to her evilness, but that suggestion makes Dru upset, so he wearily dismisses her with ten Our Fathers and an Act of Contrition.
* [[Bait and Switch]]: The episode makes it look like Angel will be restored while Buffy is fighting him in the graveyard. Unfortunately it's a two-parter.
* [[Beauty Is Never Tarnished]]: The dead Gypsy girl still looks fit, [[Woman in White|dressed in white]] and covered in rose petals.
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* [[Blood Magic]]: To awaken Acathla
* [[Bookshelf Dominoes]]: In the library melee, a vampire pushes a bookshelf onto the screaming Willow, who is knocked out. The following episode reveals that she has [[Convenient Coma|slipped into a coma]] from her injuries.
* [[Book Ends]] / [[Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass]]: As Buffy dusts her last vamp in the [[Batman Cold Open|cold open]], she gives a hand up to Xander, who has been conked out and hidden behind a headstone for this whole scene. He insists he was [[Half Truth|doing okay]] in the fight until "they resorted to fisticuffs." Later, Xander's arm is broken by a vampire, but surprisingly, he manages to fight on anyway. Ironically, he ends up being the most victorious of the non-superpowered Scoobies.
** This may [[Always Save the Girl|have something to do with Cordelia]], who was attacked by the same vamp whom Xander grapples with.
* [[Brick Joke]]: In "Passions" the shop owner mentions that somebody had purchased a couple Orbs of Thesulah and was using them as new age paperweights. We find out Giles was the one who bought them when he moved to Sunnydale the previous year.
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* [[California Doubling]]: How did Angel get from New York all the way to California in one cut? Easy: he walked between sets.
* [[Call Forward]]: Buffy is revealed to be quite [[The Ditz]] (like Cordelia, even down to the [[Girl Posse]]) before she found her destiny. This will be mentioned in a later episode in which Buffy confesses she once made Cordy [[Up to Eleven|look deep by comparison]].
** Joyce's marriage is already hitting the rocks in 1997. Following Buffy's first vampire kill, Joyce reproaches Buffy for not phoning. Downstairs, Dad's on the warpath. After her mother departs, Buffy turns on her bathroom faucet to drown out the sound of her parents arguing at the top of their lungs.
* [[Can't Get Away with Nuthin']]: Liam's siring in a Galway alleyway. Best. Anti-drinking PSA. ''Ever.''
* [[Continuity Nod]]: When asked about the Orb of Thessulah by Willow, Giles says he has one, saying "I've been using it as a paperweight." This references Ms.Calendar's visit to the gypsy store in "Passion", in which the shopkeeper tells her that tourists have been buying them as New Age paperweights.
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* [[Cool Sword]]: During the strategy session over how to tackle Acathla, Kendra produces a sword blessed by the same pesky virtuous knight that first defeated Acathla. Giles becomes very animated when he inspects it.
* [[Deconstructed Trope]]: While Angelus put his own dark spin on [[Stalking Is Love]], this episode subverts the Bangel romance with a ''[[Lolita]]'' [[Subtext]] that portrays Angel as a pathetic loser motivated as much by his desire for the innocent Buffy, as by his quest for redemption. This theme is reinforced by the Season 3 episode "Amends".
* [[Defensive Feint Trap]]: Kendra lashes out at Drusilla, but Dru calmly circles her, easily evading each swipe and sends Kendra spinning through the air with a single punch. Finally, Kendra kicks Dru in the gut, causing her to double over, and Kendra moves in for the kill. But Dru was just feigning her injury, and instead grasps Kendra by the throat. Nice knowing you.
* [[Destination Defenestration]]: Kendra catapulting one vampire through the window of Giles' office.
* [[Dope Slap]]: Angelus slapping Spike across the head by way of "[[Evil Is Petty|good morning]]".
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* [[Failed a Spot Check]]: Dru alerting Angelus that there's a tomb waiting for them at the museum "with a surprise inside." Angelus marvels at his delicate seer and asks if she can see all that in her head. "No, you ninny. She read it in the morning paper," deadpans Spike, and shows him the paper with a headline reading "<small>MYSTERY OBELISK UNEARTHED</small>". Angelus irritably snatches it.
** I don't know about you but I'm seriously beginning to wonder about Drusilla's "precognition" by this point.
* [[Feet First Introduction]]: The library's double doors swinging open -- to reveal Drusilla's red pumps striding in.
* [[Femme Fatalons]]: Darla instructs Liam to close his eyes, changes to her vampire visage, and bites his neck. Liam swoons to the ground, and Darla seals the deal by slashing a fingernail across open her [[Of Corsets Sexy|corseted bosom]] and forcing Angel's mouth onto it. Not as kinky as it sounds.
** This is shown to be the [[Boob Bite|preferred method for female vampires]] (well, Darla and Drusilla, anyway) to sire their mates.
* [[Finger-Poke of Doom]]: Drusilla prepares her finishing move by waving two fingers in front of Kendra's eyes: "[[Terms of Endangerment|Look at me, dearie]]." Kendra, who is now in Dru's thrall, sways helplessly back and forth. After toying with her a bit, Dru then [[Femme Fatalons|swipes her nails]] [[Slashed Throat|across Kendra's jugular]].
* [[Flashback Echo]]: "Everything that I am, everything that I have done, has led me to here." intones Angelus ominously. We then go back in time to 1996 Manhattan, where a homeless, half-crazed Angel is tearing up some trash cans, ineffectively trying to catch a rat.
** Inverted in the final flashback, with Angel resolving to aid the Slayer and "become somebody." We're then zipped back to the present with Angelus basking before Acathla, saying, "I have strayed. I have been lost. But Acathla redeems me. With this act, ''we'' will be free."
* [[Foreshadowing]]: Whistler speaks of "our side" and it is doubtful that he is referring to the Watchers' Council. This could be a subtle foreshadowing to the "[[Powers That Be]]" in the spinoff ''[[Angel]]''.
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* [[Human Sacrifice]]: Just like in seemingly every vampire ceremony, this one requires a human sacrifice.
* [[Hypocritical Humor]]: A member of her [[Girl Posse]] asks Buffy the [[Valley Girl]] if she's going to take Tyler to the dance.
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* [[I Call It Vera]]: Kendra loans Buffy her stake, Mr Pointy.
* [[I Have Many Names]]: 1997!Angel asking who the strange man accosting him in an alleyway is. He cheerfully says his name is Whistler; "Well, lately it is."
* [[In the Hood]]: Buffy patrolling the park in her Unabomber hoodie.
** A huddled, smoking figure walks through the halls toward Buffy's classroom. No one takes notice of this person until it enters Buffy's classroom. The woman pulls the shawl off of its face and declares, "Tonight. Sundown. At the graveyard," before beginning to smoke. "You will come to him or more will DIE!" The female vamp then explodes into flames, all the while pointing accusingly at Buffy. Man, that Angelus is a drama queen.
* [[Ironic Hell]]: Willow apologizing that she won't be able to help Buffy prepare for finals, what with being busy with the conjuring spell and the end of the world and all. But Buffy reassures her, noting that "if we go to hell by then, I won't have to take them. [beat] Or," she reflects ominously, "I'll be taking them ''forever''."
* [[It May Help You on Your Quest]]:
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* [[Nice Hat]]: Whistler's porkpie hat.
* [[Oh Crap]]: At the graveyard, Buffy and Angel scuffle some more. Buffy pulls out Mr. Pointy and says, "Come on. Let's finish this. You and me." Angelus chuckles, saying, "You never learn do you? This wasn't about you. This was ''never'' about you." A slow horror dawns on Buffy's on her face as she realizes she's played right into Angelus' hands. She takes off running.
* [[Only the Chosen May Wield]]: Inverted, as the bad guys are the ones trying to unsheathe it.
* [[Origins Episode]]
* [[The Other Darrin]]: Perennial mustachioed [[Hey, It's That Guy!]] Richard Riehle guest-stars as Merrick, Buffy's first watcher. This role was portrayed by Donald Sutherland in the feature movie.
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* [[Pink Means Feminine]]
* [[Plot Hole]]: When Angel first meets Buffy in "Welcome to the Hellmouth" he says that he'd thought she'd be taller, or at least have bigger muscles. This could be to cover up the fact that he has been watching her for months.
** As cool as the scene is where Angel's "immolate-o-gram" sets herself aflame, it seems strange that a vampire would burn up in indirect sunlight. Future episodes of this show and its spin-off, ''Angel'', show vampires surviving in rooms that are better-well lit than the one which killed the messenger.
* [[Private Eye Monologue]]: Whistler's narration.
** In the original cut of this episode it is Angel (not Whistler) who delivers the voice-over.
* [[Psycho Strings]]: From young Drusilla's flashback, we cut to present day Dru sashaying down Angelus' stairs to the screech of Victorian violins.
* [[Quip to Black]]: Inverted, with Whistler's monologue closing out the cliffhanger.
* [[Reduced to Ratburgers]]: By the time Whistler found him, Angel was homeless and scrounging off of rat blood. (To add insult to injury, he has difficulty catching one.)
* [[Recycled Set]]: The scene of young Buffy staking her first vamp takes place in a cemetery that is obviously the same as the one in Sunnydale.
* [[Red Shirt]]: Doug the curator picked a bad day to work late. As he inspects the runes, Angelus brings in a gang of henchvamps to steal the obelisk. "[[Pre-Mortem One-Liner|I'll take one these to go.]]" Dru grabs the curator from behind and bites into his neck. Angelus tut-tuts, "Dru? [[
* [[Resigned to the Call]]
* [[Retcon]]: The flashback to Los Angeles is taken directly from Joss Whedon's original script for the [[Buffy the Vampire Slayer (film)|''Buffy'' feature film]]. It is later published in comic format.
* [[Ritual Magic]]
* [[Sealed Evil in a Can]]: Sunnydale Museum has a new arrival: a big ominous rock. Giles is invited over in his capacity as the "best authority" on old relics in town. Giles spots a large crack running up the side, which indicates it could be opened, but he asks the curator to wait a few days before opening it so he can translate the runes on the outside. Bad call, Giles. Evil waits for no man.
* [[Self-Immolation]]: Angelus' "immolation-o-gram"
* [[Shaped Like Itself]]: Back at the mansion, Angelus grandly shows off his new toy to an unimpressed Spike. "It's a big rock.", Spike snarks. "I can't wait to tell my friends. ''They'' don't have a rock this big."
* [[Shout-Out]]: In ''[[Marvel]]'''s comic/film franchise ''[[Blade]]'', Blade is a half-vampire who [[Hunter of His Own Kind|kills other vamps]] (sound familiar?) and has a mentor named Whistler.
** In the german dub, Kendra's stake is called "Van Heugen", the nemesis of [[Dracula|Graf Dracula]].
* [[Sickening Crunch]]: Xander's arm being snapped by a vampire.
* [[Smash Cut]]: Whistler tells Angel that he can either become "even ''more'' useless", or he can become someone. A person. Someone to be counted. Angel asks Whistler what he wants with him, and Whistler replies that he wants to show him something. Flash to upbeat music as we pan down on a high school in Los Angeles. Angel rolls down his window, squints at the bright light, and looks over to see Buffy coming down the steps, chattering with three of her friends.
** Merrick tells Buffy he's come to escort her to her destiny. Buffy protests that she's "destiny-free," but the man corrects her that "you are the Chosen One. You alone can stop them." "Who?" queries Buffy. Well, the vampires, obviously. Buffy dumbly says, "Huh?" and gives him a cross-eyed look. Quick cut to a cemetary, where Buffy is fumbling around with her very first vampire mook.
* [[Stalking Is Love]]: When Angel says he wants to protect Buffy, Whistler comments that she must be prettier than the last Slayer.
* [[Stealth Hi Bye]]: As Buffy patrols the park, Kendra da Vampire Slayher pops out of the bushes and gives her a fright.
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'''Buffy:''' How about testing my face-punching? 'Cause I think you'll find it's improved. }}
* [[Suicide Mission]]: It's not revealed why a vampire would sacrifice herself simply to deliver a message to the Slayer. Either Drusilla hypnotized her, or the henchvamps have been caught up in the same apocalyptic fervor as their leaders.
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* [[Troubled Backstory Flashback]]: Pre-vampire Drusilla as a pious Catholic girl who is plagued by unwanted visions.
** The story of "Liam's" siring is told in greater detail in ''Angel'' S1 ("The Prodigal").
** Along with "Fool for Love", "[[Angel/Recap/S02
* [[Two Part Episode]]
* [[Villainous BSOD]]: Should you wonder at the gypsies' seemingly magnanimous response to their daughter's death, Angel's expression as the curse takes effect will probably make you reconsider.
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