Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Recap/S3/E03 Faith, Hope, and Trick

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.


Willow is about to take advantage of a school rule which allows seniors to leave campus for lunch. She waxes philosophical about it being a "senior moment", one that has to be savored. -- Still, it takes Xander, Cordelia, and Oz to drag her to the grassy area, as Willow struggles to free herself and run back to the safety of campus.

"What if they change the rule without telling? What if they're lying in wait -- to arrest me, and throw me in detention, and mar my unblemished record?!"

As they approach Buffy's picnic basket, the Scoobies collectively decide not to flaunt their romances around Buffy. Oz counts down. "Prepare to uncouple. Uncouple." They all release hands and switch places. Once assembled, they chit chat about Buffy having another meeting with Snyder soon, and express hope that she'll be allowed back on campus soon. Speaking of which, Willow points out Scott Hope a few yards away. Scott has been interested in Buffy for a while. Buffy's not sure if she's ready for dating.

Nighttime. We are introduced to Kakistos and his colleague, Mr. Trick, as their stretch limo pulls into a Happy Burger drive-thru. Trick shares his good impressions of Sunnydale and their exemplary death rate. He's considering settling here, but his companion has other things on his mind. Trick knows the drill -- "kill the Slayer". Kakistos is hidden in shadow, but we now see that his hands are cloven hooves. The boss goes on about ripping spines out, eating hearts, and sucking bone marrow. Mr. Trick is getting hungry from all the talk of entrails etc. He vamps out and grabs the take-out guy, and drives off while the employee's legs flail out the window.

The Bronze. Buffy and Angel slow-dance in each other's arms. Angel's not wearing black, so you know it's a dream sequence. Buffy and Angel touch hands, and we see both of their claddagh rings. Buffy's slips off her finger and falls to the ground. Angel picks the ring up, and she flashes back to killing him. The music has changed from Third Eye Blind to Nine Kinds of Creepy. Buffy, her voice breaking, tells Angel that she had to. He crushes her ring in his hand, which starts gushing blood. He grits out, "I loved you," as blood starts to stain his white shirt from the spot where Buffy stabbed him. "Go to hell!!" Suddenly, his face decomposes into a green mess. "I did."

Buffy wakes with a jolt, safe in her bed. Her mom knocks on the door and sticks her head in to ask if she's ready to face "the beast?"

We cut to Snyder, who is laying out the terms for Buffy's return to school. Buffy sasses him for getting overruled by the school board. Joyce steps it to smooth things over:

"I think what my daughter's trying to say is: nyah nyah nyah nyah!"

They dismiss themselves from the office, and from an extremely put out Snyder. And his day's about to get better: The Mayor's on the phone, and would like a word.

Buffy and Willow go to the library, where Giles has asked them to meet him. He's working on a binding spell for Acathla, and wants a precise litany of how Buffy defeated Angel. Buffy blinks at the mention of this memory, but is nonchalant as she walks Giles through events. She looks at her watch and announces that she has to take a make-up exam.

Evening. The gang is chillaxing at The Bronze. Scott comes over asks Buffy to dance, but she's rendered speechless. Scott proposes that he go wait by the dance floor and that, if Buffy feels inclined to dance she can just "mosey on over." Willow points out that he's charming and normal, which is what Buffy is looking for. Oz is impressed by Scott's use of the word mosey. Cordelia and Xander approach, calling the gang's attention to a couple on the dance floor. Cordy sneers at "Disco Dave's" outdated dance moves. Buffy makes him for a vampire and closes in, but is waylaid by Scott, who mistakingly thinks she's "moseying" and wants to dance. Buffy, flustered, apologizes for the mix-up and and leaves, leaving Scott feeling foolish.

The Scoobies follow Buffy outside as well, and right when they're all ready to pounce, they find his 'victim' kicking the stuffing out of him. Oz makes the observation that there's a new Slayer in town. Faith asks to borrow the stake from Buffy's hand, as though she were simply borrowing a screw driver to fix a lamp, and dusts the vampire before calmly walking back inside.

Back in the Bronze, Faith is holding court over the other Scoobies. She shares some war stories, chock full of nudity, crocodiles, and priests -- the first of which has caught Xander's attention (to Cordelia's consternation). Faith switches gears and asks Buffy, "Isn't it crazy how slaying just always makes you hungry and horny?" The gang slowly and hilariously turns to look at Buffy.

"Well, sometimes I crave a non-fat yogurt afterwards."

Cordelia deduces that Faith was called after Kendra bit the dust last season. Willow asks what brings Faith to Sunnydale, and Faith explains that she wasn't, but that her watcher went to a retreat in England and she decided to "skip town" to meet the infamous Buffy. She asks her if she actually used a rocket launcher once, and Buffy lights up, (finally someone is interested in her), but is interrupted by Xander who is much more interested in hearing Faith's stories (as there may be nudity).

Cut to the library where Giles is telling the gang, in a wistful voice, about the watcher's retreat in the Cotswolds, where they have riding and punting, and how it's an honor to be invited and so forth. Faith's arrival was fortuitous, as a couple of locals have disappeared recently. Buffy says patrolling will have to wait until after dinner, as she promised her mom. Xander and Willow give her pointed looks, and she 'remembers' to invite Faith to as well. Willow proposes that Faith hang out with her and Xander in the meantime. Giles thinks Faith has "zest," but at Buffy's glower, he changes the subject to the binding spell. He asks more questions about the fight, but after a little of this, Buffy's had enough. She has a stack of exams to study for and a "zesty" new slayer to feed. The next time she kills Angel, she'll film it.

Xander and Willow are showing Faith different spots in the school where they faced evil. Faith is amused by the two of them, but finds Buffy a tad uptight; Faith thinks she needs to "find the fun" a little bit. Scott comes out of a classroom and bumps into Faith, and they get mingly. Buffy comes downstairs and looks on with jealousy. Willow thinks that maybe Faith and Scott would make a good couple. Buffy grouses that she hadn't closed the door on Scott for all time -- until she notices Xander's and Willow's pitying gaze.

"You really do need to find the fun, B." "...uffy."

Elsewhere, Mr. Trick fills Kakistos in on the presence of not one, but two Slayers in town. ("Not sure how that happens.") Kakistos gets up from his throne, and we see that his right eye is damaged beyond repair. He loudly proclaims that he doesn't care how many slayers there are, he wants to find the one that disfigured him and make her pay.

Joyce and Faith are talking over Buffy at the dinner table. Joyce is interested to know why Faith loves slaying, as Buffy never talks about it. Joyce is pleased to meet a Slayer who is open about her experiences. Faith gives Buffy a sideways glance and replies that she loves the feeling of being in the moment, and knowing that she'll win and they'll loose. Buffy sourly adds that it beats the feeling you get when they win and you lose, but Faith won't entertain such "negative" thoughts. Joyce is down with that, and with Faith in general. She also thinks Buffy "can be very negative sometimes." Joyce goes to the kitchen to fetch refills, and Buffy snits about Faith. She says she doesn't want to share her life, but Joyce would be glad to see her share the slaying, or even give it up to Faith.

The girls are out patrolling, and Faith observes that they've already covered this area. Buffy snarks that vampires sometimes go down streets even after you've checked them; "It's like they have no manners." Faith shrugs that Buffy knows best, as she's been doing this the longest, going on to imply that perhaps she's been doing it for too long. Faith brings up Angel (thanks, Scoobies), and Buffy gets in her face. They're almost ready to fight, and that's always a treat, but they're rudely set upon by a few vampires. Buffy tries to get Faith's attention, but a couple other vamps tackle her. Faith continues to punch away on a lone henchvamp. Buffy grabs a wooden plank from nearby and clocks the vamps, then stakes the one Faith's been beating to a pulp for the past 5 minutes it seems. Buffy asks Faith what her malfunction is. Faith plays dumb. Buffy thinks Faith enjoys her job a little too much, but Faith scoffs that she thought Buffy could handle herself, and leaves.

Buffy reports the night's events to Giles, but he thinks Buffy's overreacting. Nonetheless, he agrees to phone Faith's Watcher; he then imagines the Watchers sitting down to a nightcap and wonders if they still kayak. ("I used to love a good kayak.") Buffy snaps him out of his reverie. He asks about the vamps, and Buffy mentions that one of them said something about living for "kissing toast" -- or maybe "taquitos." Giles filters through the Buffy-speak and realizes she means Kakistos, which is the name of a vampire so old that his hands and feet are cloven. Buffy notes that that Kakistos' arrival seems to have coincided with Faith's. She plans to vist Faith to see if Khaki Trousers ("Kakistos.") rings a bell or an alarm. Unfortunately, she bumps into Scott on her way out. He proposes going to the Buster Keaton festival next week, and Buffy doesn't seem entirely opposed to the suggestion. Scott says that he's bought her a present, and fishes a box out of his pocket. Buffy opens the box to find a claddagh ring, which she drops in a panic. Scott has had just about enough of this loony and walks off. Giles reappears and tries to console Buffy, but she changes the subject and asks if Giles reached Faith's Watcher. Giles: "Her Watcher's dead."

Fleabag motel. Faith is charming the manager into letting her slide on the cost of the room until tomorrow. Buffy turns up, prompting Faith to ask what brings her to the poor side of town. "Cloven guy, goes by the name of Kakistos." At hearing the name, Faith starts stuffing clothes into her suitcase. That can't be good. She's almost out the door when somebody knocks. Faith sees through the peephole that it's the manager. She opens it to find that the manager's actually dead, and being held by Kakistos. Eek. Buffy grabs her wrist, and together they barrel out the bathroom window.

In an abandoned building nearby, Faith (on the verge of tears) spills the story that she saw Kakistos kill her Watcher, and she ran. Buffy thinks they can take him, but Faith resumes her freakout-fest when she sees the drained bodies of a Pizza Delivery Guy and Drive-Through Window Guy on the floor. They realize they've been railroaded into Kakistos's lair, and are quickly set upon by the vamps. Buffy fights a couple of mooks, but Faith is frozen with fright in the presence of Kakistos. Buffy throws Faith a crowbar, repeating the number one rule of slaying, "Don't die!". Mr. Trick arrives on the scene, and remarks to a henchvamp, "If we don't do something the Master could get killed. ...Well, our prayers are with him." They skedaddle.

Buffy's doing well with Kakistos, and manages to drive a stake into him. His torso is so thick, however, that the stake doesn't reach his heart. He knocks Buffy away and crows, "I guess you need a bigger stake, Slayer!" Faith picks up a large pointed crossbeam and drives it through him, and then he dies. That's what you get for giving a Slayer bright ideas. The girls are out of breath, and Buffy breaks the silence.

"You hungry?"

"Starved."

The next day in the library, Buffy has decided to spill her secret. She confesses that Willow's restoration spell had cured Angel just before she was forced to kill him, and Willow and Giles stare dumbly. After she leaves, Willow approaches Giles again to let her help with the spell, even though he doesn't like her messing with mystical forces, but he admits, "There is no spell." He exits, leaving Willow to contemplate what he did for Buffy, and why.

Buffy accosts Scott. She explains how "there used to be someone" but that it's all over now, and would love to go to the film festival with him if he's still interested. Scott answers without much conviction that he'll need to think about it. He walks a few paces, turns, and rushes back. "You know what, I've thought about it and I'm in, when do you want to go?" Buffy says she's got something to do tonight, but after that she's free.

The mansion. Buffy walks in and resolutely lays her claddagh ring on the floor. Once she's gone, a bright light emanates from the ring, and in a flash, a naked, feral, twitching figure falls to the ground. It's Angel.

Tropes:

Xander: [dreamily] They should film that story and show it every Christmas.

  • Call Back: Giles' subplot revisits the events of "Becoming Pt. 2," which Buffy hasn't fully processed yet.
  • Casual Kink: According to Faith, slaying really works up an appetite. Just wait until she explains all the alternative uses she's found for a stake.
  • Chekhov's Gag: "I saw that half-smile, you little slut!"
    • Willow invites Faith to hang with her and Xander. Xander butts in and answers 'yes' on Faith's behalf. "And bring your stories!"
    • Buffy mispronouncing Kakistos' name.
  • Continuity Cavalcade: While showing Faith around Sunnydale High, Xander and Willow refer to events of several past episodes:

Willow: Over here, we have the cafeteria, where we were mauled by snakes!

Xander: This is the spot where Angel tried to kill Willow.

Willow: Over there in the lounge is where Spike and his gang nearly massacred us all on Parent-Teacher Night. And up those stairs, I was sucked into a muddy grave!

Kakistos: I'm going to rip her spine from her body, and I'm going to eat her heart, and suck the marrow from her bones.
Mr. Trick: Now I'm hungry.

  • Damned By Faint Praise: Willow congratulates Buffy on her warm-up chat with Scott. ...then makes the mistake asking the Scoobies if they agree. "He didn't try to slit our throats or anything," quips Cordelia. "It's progress."
  • Dark Secret: Buffy and Faith both spill their own.
  • Decoy Damsel: Inverted with Faith and the disco vampire.
  • Does Not Know Her Own Strength: Buffy punches Xander's arm when he makes the slut joke. Xander smiles, then grimaces when he realises how much his arm hurts.
  • Dramatic Irony: Willow grousing about the ensoulment spell she tried on Angel. "Guess that was a bust..."
  • Environmental Symbolism: Trick's limo roars past a Happy Burger statue as the fast food employee's legs flail outside the window.
  • Epiphany Therapy
  • Establishing Character Moment: Mr. Trick's opening monologue in the limo. We also learn that Kakistos' attention span isn't the greatest, as he's focused only on "the Slayer", but Trick gently encourages him to keep an open mind.
    • Faith as a Decoy Damsel, and nonchalance at borrowing Buffy's stake without permission. The dynamic here echoes the very first scene of the show (Darla pretending to be a slasher film blonde before vamping out), only in reverse.
  • Fate Worse Than Death: One mention of Faith's watcher stops her in her tracks. Buffy asks if Kakistos killed her. Faith just stares and says, "They don't have a word for what he did to her."
    • The tie-in novel Go Ask Malice expands on Faith's memories of her first Watcher, Diana Dormer. Kakistos tore her in half right before Faith's eyes.
  • Fish Eye Lens: Faith looks through her peephole to see the manager staring dumbly back at her. Outside, Kakistos and his cronies are waiting, holding up the manager, who we now see is corpse.
  • Flash Back: To Angel's demise in "Becoming, Pt. 2"
  • Foreshadowing: Moments after Snyder begrudgingly welcomes Buffy back to school, his phone rings: It's the Mayor. Snyder's eyes bug out in fear.
    • Giles saying he's prepared a binding spell for Acathla, but he "doesn't want to bore [Buffy] with the details..."
  • Good Old Ways: Kakistos is a traditionalist who does not approve of modern innovation such as the electric light, preferring to light his lair with candles instead. He has little interest on modern comforts that would've allowed him to establish a power base with little effort. It was this short-sightedness that led Trick to abandon his Master to be dusted by the Slayers.
  • Good Scars, Evil Scars: In return for killing her Watcher, Faith left Kakistos something to remember her by.
  • Got Me Doing It / Last-Second Word Swap: "You really do need to find the fun, B. --uffy."
  • Grave Marking Scene: Buffy returns to the derelict mansion and lays her claddagh ring on the floor, saying, "Goodbye."
  • Hey, It's That Place!: The battle between Faith and the vampire takes place inside LA Firestation 23, also used as the interior for the firehouse of the Ghostbusters in 1984 and '89.
  • Improvised Weapon: In the junkyward fight, Faith slams a trashcan on top of a vamp's head, blinding him.
    • Buffy tosses Faith a crowbar, but she's too petrified with fear to effectively use it.
    • Faith picks up a large pointed crossbeam and drives it through Kakistos, dusting him.
  • Inappropriate Hunger: A Running Gag. First seen with Trick in the drive-thru, and later Faith's assertion that Slaying gives her the munchies.
  • Interplay of Sex and Violence: Faith's comment that slaying "makes you hungry and horny". An embarrassed Buffy denies the latter, but we see in later seasons that there's more than a little truth to it.
  • Ironic Echo: "If I were, I would be making a strange clucking sound with my tongue."
    • Buffy has a new "zesty" Slayer to feed.
    • Scott Hope is trying his luck with Buffy again and this time he's doing quite well...until he gives her a claddagh ring. Buffy unsurprisingly freaks out completely.
  • Is That a Threat?: Careful, Buffy. Faith looks like she's aching to punch your suburban ass silly.
  • It's a Long Story: Oz hesitantly wants to know Faith's viewpoint on lycanthropes. "It's a long story," says Buffy.

Oz: I got bit.

Buffy: Apparently not that long.

Buffy: He lived for kissing toast.
Giles: You mean 'Kakistos?'
Buffy: Maybe it was taquitos. Maybe he lived for taquitos.

Cordelia: Xander? Find a new theme.

  • Names to Run Away From Really Fast: According to Giles, Kakistos translates to "Worst of the Worst."
  • No-Holds-Barred Beatdown: Kakistos gets his mitts (er, hooves) on Faith, but instead of killing her, he just starts pummeling her.
  • Not So Different: At the mere mention of a cloven vampire, Faith starts stuffing clothes into her suitcase. Buffy, who knows firsthand that running away doesn't work, challenges Faith to stay put and deal with her problems.
  • No-Tell Motel: Faith crashes here upon coming to Sunnydale, further emphasizing the differences between her and Buffy.
  • Or So I Heard: Giles wistfully describing the Watcher's Retreat. "It's a great honor to be invited -- or so I'm told."
  • Overly Narrow Superlative: Among Snyder's conditions for Buffy's reentry is a recommendation letter from any faculty member "who is not an English librarian."
  • Persona Non Grata: When Xander greets Buffy, he declaims her "Banned from campus but not from our hearts."
  • Pull the Thread: We learn at the end of the episode that this was Giles' motive all along.
  • Punctuated Pounding: Long after the other mooks have fled the junkyward, Faith is still whaling on her vamp: "You! Can't! Touch! Me!"
  • Red Shirt: Mr. Trick has a taste for food service workers.
  • Remember When You Blew Up a Sun?: " "So, B, did you really use a rocket launcher one time?"
  • Right Behind Me: In the empty library, Willow asks Buffy if she's noticed that, when Giles is mad, he makes a "weird cluck-cluck noise with his tongue." Cue Giles standing up from behind the check-out counter. "Oh, hi! Been there long?"
  • Rule Number One: According to Buffy the first rule of Slaying is "Don't die." Now if Buffy hadn't already broken this rule, Faith wouldn't exist, so...
  • Saying Too Much: An exasperated Buffy explains to her Joyce that no one can "take over" for her until she snuffs it. Whoops. "When did you die? You never told me you died!"
  • Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Mr. Trick. "If we don't do something, the Master could get killed. {{[[[On Second Thought]] considers that}}] Well, our prayers are with him."
  • Shout-Out: Willow taking her first breath of freedom. "Hey," she exclaims cheerfully, "we're walkin' here!"
    • Mr. Trick marveling at Sunnydale's death rate. "Makes D.C. look like Mayberry.
  • Sinister Silhouettes: Kakistos in his limosine. His hands are plenty ugly enough.
  • Slow Motion Drop: Buffy dropping Scott's claddaugh ring.
  • Smash Cut: Joyce brightly asking, "Are you ready to face the beast?" Cut to said beast, Principal Snyder sitting behind his desk in shadow.
  • Slobs Versus Snobs: There's a definite undertone of this between Faith and Buffy. "What brings you to the poor side of town?"
  • Super Window Jump: Two time. Once with the Slayers somersaulting through a bathroom window, and later smashing their way into Kakistos' abandoned firehouse.
  • Survivors Guilt: Faith, for failing to avenge her Watcher's death.
  • Suspiciously Specific Denial: Willow accidentally lets slip that she's been dabbling.

Willow: Marnox Root... You know a smidge of this and a virgin's saliva...
Giles: ...
Willow: ...does something I know nothing about.

Buffy: Okay, but I was right about the leprechauns, right?
Giles: As far as I know, yes.

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