All commentary will be red text inside of a light gray box... kinda like this one.
I shouldn't have to say this, but... Beware of spoilers for all
of the Season 8 scripts!
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This episode kicks off the final four episodes of my series after having been away from the main Scoobies for three episodes, it was time to hit the ground running. Rather than just pick up where I left off, I wanted to use the time that had passed between the Scooby episodes. Things happened, but they happened when we weren't watching. I just think that it made the story more interesting that way.
I did reference Giles going to see Buffy in "It Just Is" though.
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TEASER
FADE IN:
EXT. ALFRED P. VANCE HIGH SCHOOL - ESTABLISHING - NIGHT
A dark, quiet night. Nobody is around.
INT. ALFRED P. VANCE HIGH SCHOOL - HALLWAY - NIGHT
BUFFY and GILES walk down the hallway, making their way down
toward the gym. Buffy has a band-aid on her forehead. As
they walk, they talk.
GILES
Are you sure we're supposed to be in
here at night?
BUFFY
Yup. At first, the principle didn't
like it so much and the girls got in
a bunch of trouble, but I talked to
her and made her believe it would
help Jenna's emotional healing
process.
(beat)
Which it has, right?
GILES
I suppose. I never really knew her
before.
BUFFY
Oh. Well, she was all kinds of upset
and stuff.
GILES
I imagine she would be after what
happened to her.
(beat)
She seems okay now though.
BUFFY
Better, anyway. Still distant. I
think she still kinda blames me for
all of this.
GILES
Do you?
BUFFY
Who else is there to blame? It was
my plan.
2.
GILES
This isn't something you caused,
Buffy. Jenna was made to be a Slayer,
with or without your plan.
BUFFY
I guess.
As they round a corner, Buffy grabs her right shoulder and
gives it a rub. Giles notices this.
GILES
Your shoulder still hurts?
BUFFY
Only a little. It'll be fine in a
few days.
(beat)
It's weird. When we first moved here,
it was like vampires didn't even
exist anymore. Now, the town's full
of them and everything else.
GILES
I think the power that's pulling
them to this town is getting stronger
as the Night of Morel Divineh nears.
BUFFY
Whatever the hell that means. Plus,
there's the fact that Kennedy's
dropped off the face of the earth
for the last month and a half. That's
just very unsettling.
GILES
We'll figure it out. We always do.
Buffy gives Giles a warm look. She's comforted by having him
around.
BUFFY
Yeah.
They reach the gym.
BUFFY (CONT'D)
This is it.
(looking at her watch)
I guess we can go in now.
Giles opens the door and allows Buffy to walk in first.
INT. ALFRED P. VANCE HIGH SCHOOL - GYM - CONTINUOUS
Buffy walks into the gym and stops short, looking at something
in the room. Giles follows her in, and also stops.
3.
They're stunned.
ANGLE ON : DAWN AND JENNA
In the middle of the gym, both holding staffs, battling.
Dawn swings her staff at Jenna, but Jenna blocks the attack.
She crouches down and swings her own staff, trying to sweep
Dawn's feet out from under her. Dawn jumps over the staff
easily.
Dawn swings downward at Jenna, but Jenna rolls out of the
way. Dawn once again attempts to hit her, but Jenna avoids
and jumps back to her feet.
ANGLE ON : BUFFY AND GILES
Watching this battle unfold.
GILES
Impressive.
BUFFY
Which one?
GILES
(beat)
Both.
ANGLE ON : DAWN AND JENNA
Jenna hits Dawn's staff out of her hands, and spins to swing
at Dawn's head.
Dawn, now unarmed, ducks under Jenna's attack. Jenna quickly
sweeps at Dawn's legs again, this time catching Dawn. Dawn
falls to the floor. Jenna puts the staff to Dawn's chest.
JENNA
My kill.
She steps back and helps Dawn up. Dawn brushes herself off
as Buffy and Giles walk toward them.
BUFFY
Not bad.
Dawn looks at Buffy and smiles.
DAWN
Thanks.
Dawn sees Giles and waits for his comments. He gives her a
proud look.
4.
GILES
You've done a wonderful job.
(then, to Jenna)
Both of you.
JENNA
Thanks.
Jenna looks to Buffy, then to the floor. She's still
uncomfortable around her. Buffy senses this.
BUFFY
I knew you had this in you.
JENNA
Yeah. Just kinda got put in me one
day.
This time, Buffy looks down for a moment, feeling guilty.
She tries to brighten up.
BUFFY
So, what else can you two do?
EXT. ALFRED P. VANCE HIGH SCHOOL - NIGHT
Buffy, Dawn, Giles and Jenna walk out of the school. Dawn
locks up behind them. They start to walk away from the
building.
GILES
You girls have done an astonishing
job for such a short time.
DAWN
Jenna picked this stuff up fast.
JENNA
It's no big deal.
BUFFY
You should take credit where you can
get it. These trainer types don't
hand it out easily.
Jenna's not sure how to respond to that.
JENNA
I should really get home. I'll see
you guys tomorrow, okay?
They all sense that this is weird for Jenna, but they don't
want to give her a hard time about it.
DAWN
Okay. See ya.
5.
GILES
Goodnight.
(to Dawn)
Have you ever thought of becoming a
Watcher?
DAWN
I can do that?
GILES
Seeing as how there's only about
fifty of us now, I don't see why
not.
DAWN
Neat.
Jenna walks away from the group. Once she's gone, they start
to walk in the opposite direction.
BUFFY
Did you guys see the progress with
me and Jenna. She even talked to me
and everything.
DAWN
I think she's starting to accept
everything more.
ANGLE ON : JENNA
On the other side of the school lawn. Walking home alone.
As she passes the school sign, we see KENNEDY standing next
to it.
KENNEDY
Mind if I walk with you?
Jenna stops and turns around. She's not thrilled.
FADE TO BLACK:
END OF TEASER
6.
ACT ONE
FADE IN:
EXT. ALFRED P. VANCE HIGH SCHOOL - NIGHT
Jenna turns and starts to walk away. Kennedy rushes to catch
up.
KENNEDY
Wow, you look pissed.
JENNA
Just leave me alone, okay?
KENNEDY
What's wrong?
Jenna stops walking and turns to Kennedy.
JENNA
What's wrong?
(beat)
You came to me, promising to take
this Slayer thing away if I helped
you out, and then you just vanished.
KENNEDY
There were things I had to take care
of.
JENNA
Whatever. Just leave me alone, okay?
Jenna starts to walk away. Kennedy follows.
KENNEDY
Look, I'm sorry I had to leave, but
I did it for the cause.
JENNA
Right. "The Night of Morel Divineh."
KENNEDY
It's only a few days away now, then
this'll be over. I promise.
JENNA
Fine. Let me know how that goes.
Kennedy stops talking and grabs Jenna's arm to stop her. She
looks at Jenna, not sure how to say the next part.
KENNEDY
I still need your help. Are you with
me?
7.
Jenna hesitates. She has to think about this for a second.
JENNA
What do you want me to do?
Kennedy smiles.
INT. BUFFY'S HOUSE - KITCHEN - DAY
Giles is sitting at the kitchen table, going over an old
book and taking notes. Buffy is standing behind him, reading
over his shoulder. After a moment, this starts to annoy Giles.
He finally turns to her.
GILES
Must you read over my shoulder like
that?
BUFFY
Oh.
(backs off)
Sorry. I just wanted to see if you
found anything.
GILES
I haven't. Of course, it would help
a great deal if my books hadn't been
lost in shipping.
BUFFY
Calm down. They said they'd deliver
them today, right?
GILES
Yes, well... I just hope the Night
of Morel Diveneh is kind enough to
wait until they get here. I'd hate
to figure it out, only to realize
that the world's already ended.
BUFFY
Giles, breath. You're starting to
talk like me.
Giles takes a second to gather himself.
GILES
I'll just make due with the few books
that I have.
BUFFY
Need help?
Giles looks at her.
8.
GILES
You should go spend time with your
father before he leaves.
BUFFY
You sure?
Giles nods.
BUFFY (CONT'D)
Okay, but I'm just in the other room.
Call me if you need me.
Buffy walks out of the room.
INT. BUFFY'S HOUSE - DINING ROOM - CONTINUOUS
Buffy walks into the dining room, where Dawn and HANK are
sitting at the table. A Scrabble board is set up in front of
them, along with some snacks. Dawn is placing her pieces on
the board.
DAWN
That's sixteen points, and a double
word score. I believe that places me
in the lead.
Buffy sits and looks at the board.
BUFFY
"Duodenum"? Is that a word?
HANK
Thank you! I asked the same thing.
DAWN
Yes, it's a word. Look it up if you
don't believe me.
Hank looks to Buffy.
HANK
Think we should challenge her?
BUFFY
(thinks about it)
What's the point. The girl's a big
ball of brain energy. She probably
memorized the dictionary.
DAWN
I did not.
(beat)
Well, part of the "Q" section once,
but only 'cause I was in the school
office and really bored.
9.
HANK
Fine, we'll allow it.
He writes the score down, then looks back to Buffy.
HANK (CONT'D)
Your turn.
Buffy looks at her letters, and then to the board. She thinks
for a moment, and then places some pieces on the board,
spelling out the word "Behead". She smiles and looks at Hank,
who is a bit disturbed.
HANK (CONT'D)
Who are you girls and what have you
done with my daughters?
BUFFY
What?
HANK
Look at the board. "Behead", "impale",
"eviscerate"... It's like we're
playing evil Scrabble.
Buffy and Dawn look at each other with big "oops" faces.
DAWN
We must have picked it up on TV.
BUFFY
Right. TV. Damn that violence and
desensitizing. What is this world
coming to?
Hank senses weirdness here, but moves on. He counts Buffy's
score and writes it down. As Hank looks over his letters to
see what he can write, Buffy's mind begins to wander. She
looks back toward the kitchen.
HANK
Something wrong?
BUFFY
No. I just... I'll be right back.
INT. BUFFY'S HOUSE - KITCHEN - DAY
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I wanted to show Buffy being torn between two worlds here. In one room, she has her family game of Scrabble. In the other room, her Watcher and Slayer duties. Seeing her trying to go back and forth between these worlds is something that will soon be resolved.
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Giles is still working. Buffy walks into the room and goes
to him.
BUFFY
Are you sure you don't need help?
GILES
What?
10.
BUFFY
I feel like I'm ditching school or
something, but without the fun part.
GILES
I assure you, I can handle this. Go.
Have fun.
BUFFY
You're sure?
GILES
I'm sure.
Buffy starts to walk into the other room, but stops and turns
around.
BUFFY
So, you're sure?
INT. BUFFY'S HOUSE - DINING ROOM - DAY
Dawn and Hank are sitting, playing the game. Dawn is looking
over her letters for another word to spell.
HANK
So, how are things with your
boyfriend? Ryan, right?
Dawn hesitates.
DAWN
Yeah.
(beat)
Things are kinda... not. We broke
up.
HANK
Oh, sorry. What happened?
DAWN
It's complicated. Y'know, something
came up and no matter how hard I
tried to deal with it, I just couldn't
put it out of my head.
HANK
I know the feeling.
There's an awkward silence. Finally, Dawn puts a word down.
HANK (CONT'D)
I'm sure it'll get easier though.
DAWN
Yeah.
11.
Just as Buffy walks back into the room, the DOORBELL RINGS.
BUFFY
That would be Giles' package.
She heads for the front door.
BUFFY (CONT'D)
Now he'll be able to breath again.
Once Buffy's out of the room, Dawn looks back to the Scrabble
game.
DAWN
This game would go a lot faster if
Buffy sat down for, like, more than
three seconds.
INT. BUFFY'S HOUSE - DINING ROOM - NIGHT
Buffy, WILLOW, XANDER, Dawn, Giles, and Jenna are sitting at
the table. There's a shipping crate nearby, which has been
opened and the table is full of old books. Everyone has
their faces buried in one, though Dawn isn't actually paying
attention to hers. Jenna's also distracted.
Jenna is watching the others as they go about their reading.
She's got something on her mind, and she's not exactly sure
how to go about it. Finally, she takes a deep breath and
puts her book down.
JENNA
I have to go to the bathroom.
She gets up and walks out of the room. As she's leaving,
Xander shakes his head at his book.
XANDER
Am I the only one who feels like
they've stepped into the middle of a
play without seeing the first act?
He looks up from his book.
XANDER (CONT'D)
'Cause this stuff isn't making any
kind of sense.
BUFFY
I didn't wanna be the one to say
something, but it does kinda make
less sense than usual.
WILLOW
That's because these are D'Orbrian
texts.
(MORE)
12.
WILLOW (CONT'D)
They're written differently than
most books. Kinda like supernatural
Pig Latin.
XANDER
Why? This Doh'Brien think he's better
than us? Too good for the regular
English?
Willow shrugs.
WILLOW
The trick is to read every second
letter first, and then go back to
the letter before it. Like a code.
XANDER
A big, stupid, elitist demonology
code.
BUFFY
So... have we found anything yet?
'Cause I'm pretty sure I wouldn't
even know it if I did find something.
WILLOW
I haven't found anything.
(to Dawn)
How 'bout you?
Dawn doesn't respond. Buffy can tell that something's wrong
with her.
WILLOW (CONT'D)
Dawn?
Dawn looks up at Willow.
DAWN
Hmm?
GILES
(still reading)
Here.
Everyone looks at Giles.
BUFFY
What?
WILLOW
Did you find something?
GILES
Something... Not a lot.
(MORE)
13.
GILES (CONT'D)
(then)
A vague reference to something called
"Noctis De Morel Divineh".
XANDER
Hey, no fair. He got a book with
real Latin.
(beat)
That was real Latin, right?
DAWN
More or less.
BUFFY
What's it say?
Giles reads a little.
GILES
It says that the Night of Morel
Divineh is the feast of the lower
being. It's the--um-- the opening of
the warrior, twice restored.
BUFFY
Which means?
GILES
I don't know.
DAWN
"Warrior, twice restored..."
Dawn looks at Buffy.
DAWN (CONT'D)
That's you.
BUFFY
Me?
(beat)
I don't wanna be opened.
WILLOW
The feast part doesn't sound so fun
either.
GILES
I don't think this is a literal text.
Most of the entries are metaphorical.
BUFFY
So no opening? That's a plus.
14.
XANDER
The thing I don't get is, how can we
be in the dark about this, but every
demon in the world seems to have
gotten the memo?
There's a silence. Nobody really knows.
DAWN
Maybe it's not a memo. Maybe it's
more of an MP3.
XANDER
Huh?
DAWN
Maybe the demons aren't reading about
it, or learning about it. Maybe it's
something that they just know.
GILES
Of course. We can't find any writings,
because there are no writings. It's
imprinted in the demon.
BUFFY
Great. We need something that every
demon is clued into and for the first
time ever, we don't have a demon
around.
WILLOW
Maybe we could call someone. Angel?
Buffy's not comfortable with that idea.
BUFFY
There's a whole can of worms that
I'm just not ready to pop open right
now.
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The reference to Angel is something that had to be done, but at the same time, I didn't want to go there. I could have written it in such a way that it would fit with Angel continuity, but it just seemed pointless to go there when I didn't have to.
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She gets an idea.
BUFFY (CONT'D)
No. If we wanna know what's going
down here, we're gonna have to find
out another way.
XANDER
How?
BUFFY
We're gonna find one of these demons,
and we're gonna hurt it 'til it talks.
FADE TO BLACK:
15.
END OF ACT ONE
16.
ACT TWO
FADE IN:
INT. BUFFY'S HOUSE - DINING ROOM - DAY
Buffy is sitting at the dining room table. Giles is standing
over her, holding a large, leather bound book. He is dressed
in a tweed suit, just as he used to wear. Buffy is listening
to him as he speaks.
GILES
Long after the Shadow Men and the
first Slayer, the battle between
good and evil raged on. Though the
Slayers had fought to keep the force
of evil back, it continued to grow.
The war would soon be lost if an
answer could not be found. In this
time, there was a group of women who
attempted to harness the hidden powers
of the world, in an attempt to assist
the Slayer. When they saw that the
war was being lost, they made the
journey to find an answer to their
troubles. They asked that more Slayers
be called, but their request was
denied for reasons that were not
explained to the women.
Buffy seems disinterested. She stands up and begins to pace.
Giles looks up at her with an annoyed expression, but he
continues to read.
GILES (CONT'D)
Instead, they were instructed to
forge a great weapon for the Slayer
to carry into battle. Once finished
with this weapon, the women would
once again make their journey, and
the weapon would be linked to the
source of the Slayer, and allow her
to channel more of this power, but
only within the limitations of the
weapon. So, the Slayer's Scythe was
crafted.
Buffy is bored to tears with this whole thing. She decides
to go for a walk. She heads for the front door. Giles follows
her, still reading from the book.
EXT. WOODY ROAD - DAY
Buffy walks down the road, trying to keep her balance as she
attempts to walk on the line that runs down the center of
the road.
17.
Giles walks behind her, still reading.
GILES
Over time, the Scythe was used by
the Slayer to push back the forces
of evil, however the women who had
crafted it began to fear that the
temptations of evil would soon corrupt
the men who had taken it upon
themselves to guide the Slayers.
Through them, the Slayer could also
be corrupted, and the power of the
Scythe would fall into the clutches
of evil.
EXT. BEAR RIVER - DAY
Dark clouds form overhead. It looks like it is about to storm
at any moment.
Buffy walks into town. It's completely empty, and looks
different than we've seen it before. The stores are different.
Some empty, but some with new, brightly painted signs. Buffy's
confused by this.
She looks over to a nearby wall, which is covered in posters
and flyers, all with the word "Alone" printed on them in big
bold letters. Buffy is disturbed by the sight of these, and
tries to keep her eyes off of the wall.
BUFFY
Where am I?
REVEAL THE FIRST (in Buffy form), standing next to Buffy,
wearing all black. She looks around and smiles.
FIRST/BUFFY
You don't recognize the place?
(looks at Buffy)
We're in the town that you built.
BUFFY
I built?
(then)
I'm really not handy with hammers
and nails. There's been issues with
holes in walls.
Through all of this, Giles (though muffled into almost
inaudible background noise) continues to read.
GILES
These fears caused the women to take
the great weapon and hide it. They
crossed oceans to hide it.
(MORE)
18.
GILES (CONT'D)
To ensure that the Watchers of the
Slayers could never find it. There
it remained for centuries, despite
the attempts of good and evil to
find it.
The First gestures for Buffy too look around.
FIRST/BUFFY
Well, I sure didn't make it. As
much as I'd like to take credit,
this one's all on you.
Confused, Buffy looks around the stores. There's a computer
store, an art gallery, one with a sign that says "Eastland
Academy For Girls" on it, another with a sign that says "The
Magic Box" on it. There's a Jamaican food restaurant, a
railroad supply company, and a cheerleader supply shop.
One of the empty shops has a "Coming Soon" sign in front of
it.
Again, Buffy's eyes are drawn to the wall with all of the
posters and flyers. Again, she doesn't want to see them, so
she looks away.
BUFFY
I don't understand. I didn't build
this.
FIRST/BUFFY
You did, and you are. Progress is
being made. The town is booming. New
stores opening every day.
Buffy looks to the First, growing angry.
BUFFY
You think I don't know what this is?
What you are? This is my head you're
in. You don't have power here.
FIRST/BUFFY
Believe that if you want. Bottom
line is, at the end of the day, you're
losing this battle. Nothing's changed
that.
GILES
(in the background)
As the dawn of the new millennium
fell upon the world, the rise of
evil was once again reaching dangerous
levels.
(MORE)
19.
GILES (CONT'D)
Evil had managed to discover the
location of the Scythe, but was unable
to harness it's power. It devised a
plan. One that would allow evil to
take over the world, and finally
destroy the Slayer line. While
attempting to stop the evil, the
Slayer would be led to the Scythe.
Once she held this power, she would
be manipulated into using it's energy
to channel the source of the Slayer
line, and eventually drain this source
of it's power, leaving the world
open for evil to make it's home.
BUFFY
(not hearing Giles)
There are Slayers all over this world.
You lost.
FIRST/BUFFY
Did I? I think that, even with all
of these Slayers, you're still alone.
You've always been alone. You'll
always be alone. That's what made
this so damned easy. You'll f--fall...
The First is starting to find it hard to speak. A pain fills
it's stomach. Buffy watches, confused.
The wind starts to pick up. LIGHTNING FLASHES.
FIRST/BUFFY (CONT'D)
No! You don't win this. This is m--
mine.
The First raises it's palm, and a LIGHT FORMS THERE. As Buffy
watches, the light engulfs the First. When the light dies,
Buffy is still face to face with herself, however the BLACK
CLOTHES HAVE TURNED WHITE.
BUFFY
Who are you?
This other Buffy smiles. As this happens, the wind grows
stronger.
Buffy looks over to the wall with all of the posters and
flyers. The papers are starting to blow off of the wall,
toward Buffy.
She looks down and sees one of the flyers at her feet with
the word "Alone" on it. When she looks up again, she sees
that a piece of the wall has cleared of papers.
20.
ANGLE ON : THE WALL
We can see graffiti under the papers now. We can just make
out the word "Alone" spraypainted to the wall.
Buffy turns away from this, not wanting to see it. She looks
back to this other Buffy that stands in front of her, still
smiling.
WHITE BUFFY
Beljoxa's Eye.
A flyer blows off of the wall, and into Buffy's face. She
turns to avoid it, and swats it out of her way.
When she finally looks back to where the other Buffy was,
the other Buffy is gone.
Confused, Buffy looks back to the wall.
ANGLE ON : THE SKY
The clouds start to break. A small glimmer of sunlight shines
through.
ANGLE ON : BUFFY
Staring at the wall. This time, she's not going to look away.
ANGLE ON : THE WALL
More papers have blown off of the wall, revealing more of
what was behind them. We can now make out more of the
graffiti. It's full message now reads : "YOU WERE NEVER ALONE"
GILES
The Slayer fell for the trap of the
evil, and used the power of a friend
to halt the spell of the Shadow Men,
and to activate all of those who
held the potential to become the
Slayer. This act gave the First the
chance to finally put an end to the
Slayer line, long enough to take
over the world.
Buffy still doesn't hear this. She's too busy looking at the
wall, trying to figure out it's meaning.
The whole point of the dreams in this episode was to move along the plot, give away some new information, and to give some inside looks into the minds of our Slayers. When Buffy sees the town that the First says she built herself, each of the stores represents a dead person from Buffy's life. Someone that she feels even the smallest amount of guilt over. She sees the word "alone" plastered around the town and doesn't want to look at it. This is the tool that the First used to make Buffy call the Slayers in "Chosen". The First played on Buffy's fear of always being alone.
Of course "You were never alone" was the same message given to Buffy in "Cold Front". The white clothed Buffy represents this force of good. The First Good. It works in much more subtle ways than the First Evil, but it's far more powerful, which is why it could take over the First Evil's form in Buffy's dream.
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HARD CUT TO:
INT. BUFFY'S HOUSE - DINING ROOM - MORNING
Buffy suddenly wakes up. She sits up in her chair, having
fallen asleep on a stack of books.
21.
Giles and Willow are sitting near her. Giles is eating a
muffin. When Buffy wakes up, they look over at her.
WILLOW
Enjoy the nap?
BUFFY
Not really.
(to Giles)
What's Beljoxa's Eye got to do with
any of this?
Giles looks at Buffy, confused.
GILES
(mid-muffin bite)
I'm sorry?
BUFFY
I had a Slayer dream. It was... Well,
it was weird. Someone mentioned
Beljoxa's Eye.
Giles puts the muffin down.
GILES
I don't know what that could mean.
WILLOW
Maybe we're supposed to see Beljoxa's
Eye?
GILES
That wouldn't be possible, even if
it were the case. We'd need a demon
to open the portal for us.
WILLOW
Oh.
They think for a moment.
BUFFY
Giles, what did the eye say when you
saw it before?
GILES
Nothing helpful. Only that the Slayer
line had somehow been destabilized
because of the Slayer, and that the
First was taking this opportunity to
enact a plan that would cease the
Slayer line... Which all sounds rather
important now that I think of it.
|
And c'mon! I know I'm not the only one who wondered why the Beljoxa's Eye thing wasn't used again in season 7. One of many threads left dangling.
|
WILLOW
Destabilized? How?
22.
BUFFY
By being here. I was supposed to be
dead, but I'm not.
(rolls her eyes)
And I just so happened to activate
every Slayer on the planet.
WILLOW
We. Big boldy highlight on that word.
You didn't do this alone.
BUFFY
But it was done. Whatever this Morel
Divineh thing is, I'm somehow
responsible.
WILLOW
Nothing like a bunch of guilt to add
to the pressure. So, what do we do?
BUFFY
We stick to the plan. Tonight, we
hunt. We find a demon and we make it
tell us everything.
Just as Buffy says that, Xander rushes into the room. He's
not happy.
XANDER
So, who's up for a little bad news?
BUFFY
What now?
XANDER
The Scythe. It's kinda... gone.
INT. BUFFY'S HOUSE - WEAPON ROOM - DAY
Buffy, Willow, Xander and Giles stand in the doorway, looking
at the empty Scythe stand.
XANDER
I noticed the door was open a little,
so I came to check it out.
WILLOW
Who could do this? I mean, we know
it's not vampire, right?
GILES
Whoever did this would appear to
have a vital piece of the puzzle. We
must find it.
23.
WILLOW
Which again brings up the question
of who did this. Who could have gotten
in here without us knowing?
Buffy continues to look at the empty stand with a straight
face. After a beat, she turns away from it.
BUFFY
This changes nothing. We do what we
planned, as we planned it.
XANDER
What about the Scythe?
BUFFY
We'll deal with that. The way I see
it, we have three goals now. Find
out what this Morel Divineh thing is
all about, find the Scythe, and make
sure we get our hands on the amulet
before anyone else can.
WILLOW
Me and Xander can get to work on
finding the amulet. I might be able
to find some records in Town Hall
that could tell us where this artist
woman lived.
BUFFY
Do it.
INT. TOWN HALL - RECORDS OFFICE - DAY
Willow and Xander walk into the office. Willow heads for her
computer, while Xander goes to some of the boxes, not knowing
where to start.
WILLOW
I might have something in the
database. It'll only take me a few
minutes to look.
XANDER
And I guess I'll try to track down a
box marked "really old stuff".
WILLOW
Most of the older records are toward
the back of the room. There's some
water damage, but they're readable.
Xander nods and walks to the back of the room. Willow starts
her search on the computer.
24.
As Xander looks for a box to pull out, his mind begins to
wander. He pauses.
XANDER
So, are we just gonna avoid the fact
that this is pretty much our fault?
WILLOW
(beat)
Do we really know what's happening?
XANDER
No, but we know that it has something
to do with the Slayer line being
weakened because of Buffy's being
alive. You and me are the only two
left who can take responsibility for
that.
Willow looks over to him.
WILLOW
How?
XANDER
I don't know.
Xander's not really sure how to process the thoughts he's
having. Willow sees the pain in his face, and tries to comfort
him despite her own feelings.
WILLOW
All we can do about this is try to
stop it. If we keep going back and
replaying everything and getting all
caught up in the guilty badness over
something we can't change, then we're
just gonna make it worse.
XANDER
(beat)
I guess.
Willow turns back to her computer.
WILLOW
Let's just do this. We can wallow
later.
Xander gets back to work.
EXT. BEAR RIVER - ESTABLISHING - DAY
A normal day in the small town. Sunny, and bright. People
going about their normal lives.
DISSOLVE TO:
25.
EXT. BEAR RIVER - ESTABLISHING - NIGHT
Same town, hours later. Most of the people have gone home by
this point, but there are still a few of them walking around.
EXT. WOODS - NIGHT
Buffy and Dawn walk through the woods. Dawn is carrying a
flashlight in her hand and a bag on her shoulder. She's
looking for some signs of a demon, but has her mind on
something else.
BUFFY
This patrolling thing was much easier
in Sunnydale. Look in a graveyard,
and then if you don't find anything,
maybe check out a cemetery. How are
we supposed to find anything in a
town that doesn't have any regular
demon haunts.
(beat, thinking)
"Demon haunts." I guess demons would
have haunts. Especially the ghosty
ones. Not that ghosts are demons,
but I mean there are ghost-like
demons, right?
Buffy looks to Dawn.
BUFFY (CONT'D)
Dawn?
Dawn looks up at her finally.
DAWN
Hmm? Sorry, I was thinking of
something else.
BUFFY
That's been happening a lot lately.
Would this something else happen to
involve a cute ex-football player
that you broke up with a few weeks
ago?
Dawn doesn't answer.
BUFFY (CONT'D)
What happened?
Dawn hesitates, but finally decides to talk about it.
DAWN
Things got complicated. I found
something out about him, and... It
was complicated.
(MORE)
26.
DAWN (CONT'D)
I mean, I tried to deal with it for
a while, but every time I looked at
him, I just kept thinking...
BUFFY
Was he a demon?
DAWN
No.
BUFFY
Then what was the big?
DAWN
(beat)
Ryan had cancer.
|
We finally find out what Ryan's big secret is here. The point to stress with this plot is that Dawn was living in a normal world, with normal people. That was my goal for the season. So I always planned to have Ryan's secret turn out to be something that would scare Dawn off for very normal, human reasons.
|
Dawn looks down. Buffy's confused.
BUFFY
"Had"? So, he's okay now?
DAWN
Yeah.
BUFFY
So? What am I missing here? If he's
better, then why are you so thrown?
Dawn stops walking.
DAWN
Because that's what they said about
Mom. She was better too, remember?
She was fine, and normal, and happy,
and then she was gone. Every time I
look at Ryan now, I just keep asking
myself if the same thing's gonna
happen to him. In my head, I know
it's stupid, but I can't help it.
Buffy puts a hand on Dawn's arm, to comfort her.
BUFFY
Dawn, Mom didn't die because of her
tumor. She died because of some post-
surgical complication. That's not
going to happen to Ryan.
DAWN
I know that. I understand that on an
intellectual level, but something in
my stomach just tightens up whenever
I think about it. I can't help it.
27.
BUFFY
Listen--
Before Buffy can continue, Giles walks up to them. Buffy
sees him, then looks to Dawn.
BUFFY (CONT'D)
We'll talk later.
GILES
I've circled around the area, but I
can't find anything. Perhaps it would
be best if we just returned to town
and hoped for a vampire to attack
there.
BUFFY
(sarcastic)
Here's hoping.
GILES
You know what I meant.
BUFFY
Yeah. I guess it's as good a plan as
any.
(beat)
Listen, I'm gonna go around the long
way. I'll meet you guys there, okay?
GILES
We could go with--
BUFFY
I'm good.
(to Dawn)
You okay?
Dawn nods.
BUFFY (CONT'D)
Then I'll see you guys in a little
while.
Buffy takes off in one direction. Dawn and Giles start to
walk in another.
EXT. TOWN HALL - NIGHT
Willow and Xander walk out of the building. Xander is
stretching, and rubbing his eyes.
XANDER
Well, that was a big pile of steaming
pointlessness.
28.
WILLOW
Not totally, I mean, we did find
some information.
XANDER
Yeah, but nothing that we didn't get
from Mrs. Gimly and her walking,
talking, talking, talking tours.
They stop walking.
WILLOW
We can figure this out. We just have
to think.
(beat)
What do we know about the Artist?
XANDER
Well, Buffy said that she kept to
herself. People didn't even know her
real name... Which would have been
handy to think of before we tried to
find her house.
WILLOW
What else?
XANDER
We know that she built really
resilient, yet completely ineffective
lightning rods.
(beat)
Other than that, I'm a blank.
They both think for a moment, and then their eyes light up.
They look at each other, thinking the same thing.
XANDER (CONT'D)
You don't think...?
WILLOW
Where better to hide the amulet than
on top of town hall?
XANDER
Let's go.
They rush back into the building.
EXT. TOWN HALL - ROOF - NIGHT
Xander climbs onto the roof, and then helps Willow onto it.
XANDER
Careful, it's on an angle.
29.
WILLOW
I got it.
They look up and see the beautifully crafted lightning rod.
XANDER
There it is.
They carefully make their way over to it. They look it up
and down.
XANDER (CONT'D)
What does the amulet look like? 'Cause
I don't see anything that looks too
much like an amulet.
He continues to look, not seeing anything. Willow, on the
other hand, does. She bends down and looks at a piece of
the rod, which has a sphere-shaped slightly purple hued
crystal set into it. She studies it.
XANDER (CONT'D)
What?
WILLOW
This is a Dolls-Eye crystal.
XANDER
A Dolls-Eye crystal? Here? That's
just... What's a Dolls-Eye crystal?
WILLOW
It's mystical, and very rare is what
it is. Also, really powerful, which
explains a lot about this town.
Willow's thinking more about this than she's saying, but
Xander doesn't notice.
WILLOW (CONT'D)
They act as a means of channeling
energies from other plains. They're
supposed to actually exist in
different worlds at the same time.
(thinks)
They can also be the byproduct of a
Moorian Delitesco spell.
XANDER
Which is?
WILLOW
Think, safety deposit box, but for
beings with unheard of amounts of
power.
(MORE)
30.
WILLOW (CONT'D)
I mean, a normal witch can use the
crystal for spells and stuff, but
with this type of spell... Even I've
never seen that kind of power.
XANDER
So, can the box be opened?
WILLOW
If you have the right key.
XANDER
Key? Like, Dawn Key?
WILLOW
No.
Willow straightens up, and turns away from the lightning
rod. She reaches into her shirt, and pulls out the intertwined
heart necklace. She unclasps it, and holds it in her hand.
Xander's confused.
XANDER
The necklace that Tara gave you?
(beat)
I'm officially confused. What's going
on here?
Willow doesn't reply. She bends down and puts the necklace
on the rooftop. Slowly, she straightens back up. She stands
for a moment, not saying anything.
XANDER (CONT'D)
Will?
Suddenly, Willow stomps on the necklace as hard as she can
with the heel of her shoe, smashing it.
ANGLE ON : THE NECKLACE
Willow picks up her foot. We can see the two heart pieces,
broken apart now. The small crystal that once dangled between
them is not connected to either. THE CRYSTAL BEGINS TO GLOW.
After a moment, IT GROWS into the Dolls-Eye crystal that
Tara gave to Willow in "The I In Team".
The Dolls-Eye Crystal is something that we saw back in season 4. Tara tried to give it to Willow, but Willow said it was too much for her to take. Later in that episode, we saw Willow with the crystal, but it wasn't focused on too much. It was never mentioned again, so it was the perfect tool for what I needed.
It was always the plan to have the crystal housed in this necklace. That's why Willow always grabbed onto it when she was thinking about Tara. The trick was to find a way to get the crystal to Bear River with Willow, since everything Willow owned was sucked into a giant pit. The result was something that I thought worked out really well plot-wise and emotionally for Willow.
Willow also mentions that these are used by beings with more power than Willow's ever seen. That's saying a lot.
I've always thought that Tara was more powerful than she let on.
|
Willow bends down and picks it up. Xander's more confused
than ever.
WILLOW
(eyeing the crystal
in her hand)
Tara didn't give me the necklace.
She shows him the crystal.
31.
WILLOW (CONT'D)
She gave me this.
XANDER
And that's the key to this lock box?
Willow nods.
WILLOW
It has to be.
She turns back to the lightning rod and bends town, to get
closer to it's crystal.
XANDER
Umm, Will? If the amulet's all locked
up, should we really be unlocking
it?
Willow pauses. There's a peaceful look on her face.
WILLOW
I think I have this for a reason. I
don't know what got this to me, or
why Tara's grandmother had it, but I
think I'm supposed to use it.
XANDER
(beat)
I don't know about this.
WILLOW
Trust me.
|
This is part of Willow's struggle to be someone powerful. She's lost her powers, and she's been lost inside of herself. She hasn't really known where she fits in. This crystal puts her back in the game. So, without thinking about it, she uses it. She wants to feel as though she matters in the bigger scheme of things.
|
Willow reaches out with her crystal, and touches it to the
crystal on the lightning rod. As they touch, THEY BEGIN TO
GLOW. After a second, WILLOW'S CRYSTAL MELTS INTO THE OTHER
CRYSTAL.
Willow steps back and watches as THE OTHER CRYSTAL ALSO MELTS.
The crystal TURNS INTO A METALLIC GOO, and drips down, onto
the rooftop. The GOO EVENTUALLY FORMS THE AMULET OF MOREL
DIVINEH, and solidifies. THUNDER ROARS as A SURGE OF ENERGY
shoots from the rod, expanding over the town.
EXT. WOODED STREET - NIGHT
Dawn and Giles walk down the road. They're still keeping an
eye out for demons.
There's a BEEPING SOUND. They look at each other, confused.
DAWN
What was that?
32.
GILES
I'm not sure.
There's ANOTHER BEEPING SOUND. Giles suddenly realizes what
it is. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out his cell
phone. He looks at it.
GILES (CONT'D)
Look at that. I have a signal.
Dawn looks at him, wondering how that happened.
EXT. TOWN HALL - ROOF - NIGHT
Willow smiles, and picks up the amulet.
WILLOW
We have the amulet.
FADE TO BLACK:
END OF ACT TWO
33.
ACT THREE
FADE IN:
INT. ALFRED P. VANCE HIGH SCHOOL - GYM - NIGHT
The gym is dark. The only light in the room shines down from
the ceiling, into the center of the room. It shines on a
white punching bag, which Jenna is hitting as hard as she
can.
DAWN (O.S.)
In the time of the Shadow Men,
humanity was new to this world. The
demons that once ruled over it were
now gone, but their seed remained,
and the roots of evil began to grow.
As this force grew, it began to
swallow the hopes of those humans
who tried to stop it.
ANGLE ON : DAWN
She steps into the outer edge of the light. She's still just
a vague form, hidden by shadows, but we can see that she is
reading from a very old, leather-bound book. The same one
that Giles had in Buffy's dream.
Jenna doesn't stop hitting the bag.
DAWN (CONT'D)
As the humans fought this, they became
divided. Some were tempted by the
evil, through it's lies and deception.
Among those tempted was the one girl
in all the world who had in her the
potential to battle this spreading
menace, and keep it from taking over.
Before this could happen, the girl
would need to be infused with the
strength and ability to do so.
As Dawn reads, Kennedy steps out of the shadows. She begins
to circle the punching bag.
KENNEDY
We both know you're not the girl,
Jenna. You shouldn't even be here.
Jenna punches the bag once again. This time, she notices
that there is a large red spot on the bag. Blood. She stops
punching and looks at her fists. They're bleeding.
KENNEDY (CONT'D)
What'd I tell you?
34.
INT. ALFRED P. VANCE HIGH SCHOOL - HALLWAY - NIGHT
Jenna now finds herself in the hallway, which is also dark.
There's a BLUE GLOW lighting the hall, which allows us to
see. She begins to walk slowly.
DAWN (V.O.)
Three men from her village, who had
once been great warriors set out on
a journey to find a way to battle
this force. These men were told of
the girl, and the power they would
need to awaken her potential. They
were told that the source of this
evil had once been a piece of the
light which created the world and
all of those who dwell on it.
Jenna stops walking. She sees something.
REVERSE ANGLE
At the end of the hall, there is a figure. It is familiar to
us, but very out of place in this school. It is THE ARTIST
(from "Legacy"), still hidden behind a hood. She turns a
corner. Jenna rushes after her.
DAWN (V.O.) (CONT'D)
It was explained that this part of
the light had cast aside it's heart
in it's desire to rule over the world.
Thus, the first evil was born. The
heart of this evil, which had been
cast aside, was left unused though
it was the source of a great power.
EXT. BUFFY'S BACKYARD - NIGHT
Jenna is standing in the middle of the backyard, which is
without any of the mystical herbs that we usually see here.
The Artist is moving around the yard, reaching into a small
pouch and pulling seeds from it. She spreads those seeds
around. Jenna watches her, confused.
JENNA
What are you doing?
The Artist looks back at her, even though we can't see her
face. She drops the pouch and starts to run away, scared.
JENNA (CONT'D)
Wait. What is this?
Jenna chases after the Artist.
35.
EXT. OLD BEAR RIVER - NIGHT
The Artist runs through the town (the incomplete version
that we saw in "Legacy, Part 2"). She stops and looks back.
Jenna is coming after her.
JENNA
Wait!
The Artist looks around for someplace to hide. Jenna stops
running, keeping space between her and the Artist.
JENNA (CONT'D)
I'm not here to hurt you.
Dawn walks up behind Jenna, still reading from the book.
Jenna looks back at Dawn, and then to the Artist who isn't
moving. Jenna's confused by all of this.
DAWN
The men were told that the power of
the heart could be used to balance
the forces in the world, but that
only those with the ability to harness
that power could be chosen to carry
it within them, for it would surely
devour all others who attempted to
hold it. The men were given a box,
which contained a fragment of this
heart. A fragment which would be
divided through the generations
between those chosen to wield it's
power.
The Artist looks to the Town Hall, which is still not
complete. She starts to walk toward it.
Jenna watches her go, and follows.
EXT. TOWN HALL - ROOF - NIGHT
The Artist removes the Amulet Of Morel Divineh from her pocket
and walks to the lightning rod. She looks back to make sure
nobody is watching. Jenna is there watching this, but the
Artist pays her no attention.
The Artist holds the amulet up to the beautifully crafted
iron rod, and bows her head. Soon, the AMULET MELTS INTO THE
ROD.
The ROD BEGINS TO GLOW, as the melted amulet drips down it.
The amulet goo makes it's way down to the open circular
section of the rod, and fills it. THE CRYSTAL ORB FORMS,
filling the circle.
36.
Once that is formed, MORE GOO DRIPS DOWN to the rooftop, and
THE DOLLS-EYE CRYSTAL FORMS on the roof.
The Artist bends down and picks it up. She looks closely at
it for a moment before turning around. She removes her hood,
revealing her face. It is a familiar face, because it is the
face of Amber Benson.
Carrying the crystal, she begins to walk away. She looks
down at the crystal with a slightly pained expression. A
tear forms in her eye.
WIDE ANGLE
We now see that the Artist is walking across the air, not
even touching the roof. She walks away from the rooftop,
through the air. As she walks away, a SURGE OF ENERGY shoots
from the lightning rod, across the entire town.
ANGLE ON : JENNA
Watching this with wide eyes.
DAWN (V.O.)
The three men returned to their
village with the box, and attempted
to convince the girl of her destiny.
Still, the force of evil tempted
her. Being the only human alive
able to carry the heart within her,
the Shadow Men were forced to grant
her this power, hoping that she would
eventually accept her role in the
battle against evil.
Dawn closes the book and looks at Jenna.
DAWN (CONT'D)
Time to wake up.
In season 7, we see Buffy visit the Shadow Men, who called the first Slayer. In that episode, these men were portrayed as being less than noble. However, as Buffy was fighting them, one kept telling her that she didn't understand. I thought that was interesting. Also, it seemed like that whole thing was something that the First could have set up since it paid Robin a visit before he gave Buffy that bag. Just the idea that there was more to that story that Buffy didn't see was, I thought, an interesting angle to play this from. After all, she ended up calling a whole lot more than one girl.
I did do my best to make this Slayer dream and what we learn in it mesh with what we already saw on the show before. Like when Buffy was told that the source of her power was demonic. I took that idea and put my own spin on it, making it not quite what it appeared to be before.
I do not call the Artist "Tara" in this dream, because I didn't want to spell out what all of this means. I do have very definite thoughts on the matter myself, but I wanted to leave people wondering exactly what was going on. What I will say is that I still don't believe that I've gone against anything that we've seen on the show before.
I also want to point out that this person appeared to the one Slayer who would have no clue who Tara was, or what she would look like.
When she walks away, she has a tear in her eye. I think that this is because she knows what's to come. She knows it, but knows that it must happen.
|
INT. JENNA'S HOUSE - JENNA'S ROOM - NIGHT
Jenna is asleep in her bed, still in her street clothes. She
suddenly wakes up. She doesn't know what to make of this
dream.
She slowly sits up, putting a hand on her head, wishing this
were all finally over. As she does this, we REVEAL BUFFY,
standing at the foot of her bed with her arms crossed.
Jenna gasps when she first sees Buffy, but then realizes who
it is.
JENNA
Buffy? What are you doing here?
37.
BUFFY
Where is it?
JENNA
Where's what?
BUFFY
You know what I'm talking about, so
don't try telling me that you didn't
take the Scythe.
JENNA
The Scy--? I don't have the Scythe.
BUFFY
I figured that much. Probably gave
it to Kennedy, right? I'm not stupid,
so don't pretend that I am. Kennedy
doesn't know about the weapon room,
and nobody else that does would take
the Scythe.
Jenna looks down. Guilty as charged. Buffy isn't interested
in her guilt. She stands with a firm expression. Finally,
Jenna speaks softly.
JENNA
I just want this to be over. I want
it to go away.
Buffy doesn't respond.
JENNA (CONT'D)
She told me that she could do that,
so I helped her. What's so wrong
with that?
BUFFY
Where is she?
JENNA
Back at her cabin. The abandoned one
at the end of Fuller.
Buffy starts to walk out of the room. She opens the door and
steps into the hallway. Before she's gone, she stops and
turns around.
BUFFY
Jenna...
Jenna looks up at her.
BUFFY (CONT'D)
We'll talk.
38.
After saying that, Buffy leaves. Jenna is left alone, feeling
more guilt over being caught than she does for taking the
Scythe. None of this makes sense to her.
EXT. TOWN HALL - NIGHT
Willow and Xander walk out of the building. Willow is still
holding the amulet. Xander follows her nervously.
XANDER
I'm extremely not comfortable with
this situation.
WILLOW
Relax. Nobody knows we have it.
XANDER
Right. Nobody knows that we have the
amulet that demons have mysteriously
been drawn to for the last century.
(beat)
Maybe we should have waited for Buffy.
Willow stops and turns around to talk to Xander.
WILLOW
Look, I'm not sure how, or why, but
we were supposed to find this.
Something or someone made sure that
it ended up in Tara's hands, and
then got to me. This can't just be a
coincidence.
XANDER
And as comforting as that is, I still
say that some Slayer backup would be
nice right about now.
WILLOW
Don't worry. We'll go find Buffy.
XANDER
In the next three seconds, I hope.
WILLOW
What?
Xander motions for Willow to look behind her. As Willow turns,
we REVEAL THREE VAMPIRES AND TWO DEMONS walking toward them
from different directions.
Two of the vampires are SANDERS and RIP, still grungy as we
saw them last time.
The other vampire is a female vampire, wearing lots of
leather.
39.
The two demons are not of the same species, and they are
coming from opposite sides of the street.
Willow's face drops.
WILLOW (CONT'D)
Well, that's not very good, is it?
XANDER
We should probably- y'know- run, or
something.
WILLOW
I can get behind that plan.
They take off running. The vampires and the demons pursue
them.
EXT. BEAR RIVER - MAIN STREET - NIGHT
Willow and Xander make their way to Main Street, and stop to
look behind them.
XANDER
Did we lose them?
WILLOW
I'm thinking, no. They're gonna be
drawn to the amulet, remember?
(beat)
I'm starting to think that unlocking
it might have been a bad idea.
XANDER
Y'think?
WILLOW
The house. Vampires can't come in
there.
They start to run again, but just as they do, they see TWO
MORE VAMPIRES coming from the direction they're headed in.
They turn around and see the other three vampires and two
demons catching up.
WILLOW (CONT'D)
Which way do we go?
XANDER
I pick the two vampires. Two's better
than five, right?
Willow nods and they charge toward the two vampires. When
they reach them, Xander slams into one of them, taking him
to the ground. The other vampire grabs Willow and starts to
struggle with her, trying to get it's hands on the amulet.
40.
Xander beats on the vampire that he's on top of until that
vampire finally pushes him off, sending Xander flying
backwards, crashing to the ground.
That vampire gets to his feet and goes after Willow too.
WILLOW
Xander! Help!
Xander struggles to get to his feet to help Willow.
ANGLE ON : WILLOW
Being attacked by the vampires. She knees one of them in the
groin, but that only stops him for a moment. She can't keep
fighting them off for very much longer.
Suddenly, ONE OF THE VAMPIRES POOFS. The other is pulled off
and thrown to the ground.
REVEAL Dawn and Giles standing near Willow. Dawn has a stake
in her hand and has a bag over her shoulder, and Giles attacks
the vampire that he just threw to the ground.
Xander gets up and looks back.
XANDER
We have to get out of here.
DAWN
What's going on?
WILLOW
We found the amulet. The demons can
sense it now.
GILES
(still fighting)
Dawn! Stake!
Dawn makes an "oops" face, and then turns and tosses her
stake to Giles. Giles catches it and stakes the vampire he's
fighting with. It POOFS.
Giles joins the other, looking back.
GILES (CONT'D)
We need to capture one of them.
XANDER
Now?
GILES
Could you suggest a better time?
Dawn pulls some weapons out of the bag. She hands Willow a
crossbow, and Xander a dagger.
41.
She pulls out another stake for herself. She takes a deep
breath.
DAWN
Let's do this.
All at once, they charge toward the attacking demons.
FADE TO BLACK:
END OF ACT THREE
42.
ACT FOUR
FADE IN:
INT. FANCY TRAINING ROOM - DAY
The room is filled with light as the sun comes through the
giant windows on the back wall. There is a blurred haze in
the room, giving it a very surreal feeling.
The floors are hard wood. The walls are painted nicely, and
trimmed with all kinds of fancy woodwork. The room has
everything that a Slayer... or Potential Slayer could possible
need.
Kennedy stands in the middle of the room as though she is
standing at attention while an older man, MR. HINKLEY (dressed
in a suit, very stuffy English type), stands in front of
her, eyeing her.
MR. HINKLEY
You're coming along nicely, Kennedy.
KENNEDY
Thank you, sir.
MR. HINKLEY
Have you been practicing your flips?
KENNEDY
Yes, sir.
MR. HINKLEY
Good. Show me.
Mr. Hinkley backs away. Kennedy readies herself to do a bunch
of impressive flips. As she prepares, she looks up and sees
ETHAN standing in the doorway, holding the now-familiar
leather book. He reads from it.
ETHAN
The Night Of Morel Divineh occurs on
the Relhoian leap-year after the
second restoration of the Chosen
One.
Ethan keeps talking, but WE CANNOT HEAR WHAT HE SAYS.
|
In Kennedy's dream, Ethan's voice goes out completely. Even in the other dreams, when Buffy or Jenna weren't interested, it was there in the background. For Kennedy, it's not. She doesn't hear it because she doesn't care. She only hears what she wants to hear.
|
MR. HINKLEY
Why are you waiting, Kennedy?
Kennedy looks away from Ethan, a little confused as to why
she can't hear him anymore, and looks to Mr. Hinkley.
KENNEDY
I'm sorry.
43.
MR. HINKLEY
Don't be sorry, be prepared.
Kennedy nods and begins to ready herself again. She takes a
few steps and then attempts to flip. When she does, she
stumbles and falls. She remains on the ground, upset by this.
MR. HINKLEY (CONT'D)
Entirely inadequate.
KENNEDY
I'm sorry. It won't happen again. I
don't know what happened.
MR. HINKLEY
I do.
(beat)
You're too old. You'll never be a
Slayer. You're useless to the world.
KENNEDY
That's not true. I can do it.
MR. HINKLEY
How do you expect to be a Slayer if
you can't flip?
KENNEDY
But I can do it. Just let me try
again.
MR. HINKLEY
It's too late.
WE HEAR ETHAN AGAIN.
ETHAN
On this day, the power of the Slayer
will be opened to the one who holds
the pieces, and shall be removed
from the Slayer, and whoever shall
perform this spell shall be filled
with this power.
Once again, Ethan continues to speak, but WE CANNOT HEAR
HIM.
Kennedy looks to him, and then back to Mr. Hinkley.
KENNEDY
See? There's a chance.
MR. HINKLEY
You've worked your entire life for
this. Ever since you were a child,
you've trained to be a Slayer. The
Slayer.
44.
Mr. Hinkley softens a little.
MR. HINKLEY (CONT'D)
You're better than this, my girl.
You deserve more than this. You
deserve your destiny.
He walks to her and helps her up. As he does, we can see a
strand of gray hair on Kennedy's head.
MR. HINKLEY (CONT'D)
Which is why it pains me to say this.
(beat)
You're simply too old. I've never
heard of a girl your age being chosen.
Kennedy starts to cry.
KENNEDY
You're wrong. I can do this.
MR. HINKLEY
I know you're capable. I've seen you
in training. You deserve this.
Ethan is ONCE AGAIN HEARD.
ETHAN
And this power shall fill the new
vessel, and they shall be mighty to
the day of their death.
His VOICE FADES AGAIN.
KENNEDY
Then tell me what to do. Tell me how
I can change this.
Mr. Hinkley thinks for a moment. Finally, he looks at her.
MR. HINKLEY
Go. Change your clothes for dinner.
We'll talk then.
Kennedy hesitates, wanting to know more now, but she finally
nods and turns to walk out of the room. As she leaves, Mr.
Hinkley smiles.
HIS SMILE GROWS to an unnaturally large grin as he watches
her leave.
ETHAN
So it shall be.
45.
INT. ABANDONED HOUSE - NIGHT
Kennedy is asleep on the floor when she suddenly wakes up.
This isn't the first time she's had this dream, so she's
used to it.
She sits up.
BUFFY (O.S.)
Damn. I just keep waking people up
tonight.
REVEAL BUFFY, standing at Kennedy's feet. She's pissed.
Kennedy leaps to her feet, preparing for whatever is to
follow.
KENNEDY
What are you doing here?
BUFFY
I come for what's mine.
KENNEDY
The Scythe.
BUFFY
Give it to me and I'll consider not
killing you.
KENNEDY
You don't know what you're doing.
BUFFY
Do you? What is the Night of Morel
Divineh?
KENNEDY
(smiles)
It's the answer to a lot of prayers.
BUFFY
And let me guess... You come out on
top?
KENNEDY
If that's the way it is, what's so
wrong with that?
BUFFY
You're playing a game you don't
understand. Give me the Scythe.
KENNEDY
Too late. The Scythe's not here.
See? I'm not so dumb after all.
46.
BUFFY
Smart would be telling me where it
is.
Kennedy smiles.
KENNEDY
You're not the only Slayer, Buffy.
Your threats mean squat to me. I'm
just as strong as you, and I've been
training a lot longer.
BUFFY
We'll see.
Buffy takes a step toward Kennedy.
BUFFY (CONT'D)
You will tell me where the Scythe
is.
KENNEDY
Or what? You'll hurt me?
BUFFY
You're not the first Slayer to go
mental on my watch. If I have to, I
will finish this.
KENNEDY
Well then...
Kennedy punches Buffy hard, leaving a large scratch on Buffy's
face.
KENNEDY (CONT'D)
You have to.
Buffy quickly recovers, and feels her scratch. She looks at
Kennedy's hand.
BUFFY
You had to be wearing a ring?
EXT. BEAR RIVER - MAIN STREET - NIGHT
Willow, Xander and Giles are fighting with the two demons
while Dawn is taking on the female vampire by herself. She's
a little nervous about it, but she seems to be handling
herself well.
ANGLE ON : SANDERS AND RIP
Standing back, watching the fight. Not unlike what they did
during the fight with Isabelle in the past.
47.
SANDERS
Just stay back and wait for the right
moment.
RIP
When will that be?
SANDERS
If I knew an exact time, don't you
think I'd tell you? We just have to
wait for our chance to get to the
girl.
Sanders eyes Willow. He can feel the amulet that she has on
her, and he wants it. He bides his time.
Meanwhile, Rip is just itching to get into the fight. He's
keeping his eye on Xander.
RIP
Now?
SANDERS
No.
There's a beat of silence.
RIP
Now?
Sanders rolls his eyes.
SANDERS
Please shut up now. I'm trying to
focus.
ANGLE ON : THE FIGHT
Giles is picked up by one of the demons, and pinned against
the wall of a building. He tries punching the demon, but it
does little good. The demon grabs his neck.
GILES
(garbled)
Surm hlp!
The others don't have the time or ability to help. They're
busy with their own fights.
Willow is being attacked by the second demon. She is
struggling to get free from it, but not having much luck.
The demon is also fighting Xander with it's free hand. Xander
is trying to protect Willow, but the demon isn't very
interested in him. It just wants the amulet.
48.
ANGLE ON : DAWN
Battling the female vampire. The vampire lunges at her, but
Dawn rolls out of the way. She quickly gets back to her feet
and attempts to kick the vampire. The vampire grabs her foot,
and holds onto it for a moment. Dawn's face fills with regret.
DAWN
Okay, kicking was a bad idea.
The vampire twists Dawn's foot, sending Dawn to the ground.
The vampire climbs on top of her, preparing to bite.
As the vampire bends to plant her teeth in Dawn's neck, Dawn
closes her eyes tight, and brings her stake around the
vampire's back. She plunges it into the vampire, who then
POOFS. Dawn coughs, having inhaled some of the vamp dust.
She smiles a little, and then remembers Giles. She turns
back to where he is and sees him struggling to get free of
the demon, who still has him pinned.
Dawn rushes to her supply bag and pulls out another dagger.
She races to Giles' side.
ANGLE ON : WILLOW AND XANDER
Fighting the second demon still. The demon pushes Xander out
of the way, causing Xander to fall to the ground. Willow
sees this and struggles to raise her crossbow. She manages
to shoot it, hitting the demon in the stomach.
The demon backs off and looks down at the arrow, then back
to Willow. As he looks at Willow, he grabs the arrow and
pulls it out, tossing it aside.
Willow grins in an "oh, crap" sort of way and tries to reload
the crossbow, but she can't seem to do it.
The demon takes a step toward her, angrier than before. Just
before it reaches her, Xander tackles the demon, taking it
down. He struggles with the demon on the ground.
ANGLE ON : DAWN AND GILES
Dawn stabs the demon that's attacking Giles repeatedly in
the back, but it seems to be making little difference. This
is annoying her.
DAWN (CONT'D)
What the hell are you?
The demon finally looks back at Dawn. She sees it's face
clearly for the first time. Her eyes widen.
49.
DAWN (CONT'D)
Hura demon!
(to Giles)
This is a Hura demon!
GILES
(still being choked)
Kll ert!
Dawn nods, and raises the dagger again. She stabs the demon
in the brain stem. This causes the demon to drop Giles, and
stumble back, clutching it's neck.
Dawn looks to Giles with a smile.
DAWN
Huras' vital organs are all stored
in the head and neck.
GILES
(raspy voice)
Very good.
Dawn helps Giles up.
WILLOW
Xander!
Dawn and Giles turn and see that the second demon is on top
of Xander, punching him in the face. Xander is unconscious.
Willow rushes to the demon and tries to pull it off, but
can't. After a second, the demon looks at Willow and it's
priorities change from Xander beating to amulet grabbing. It
leaves Xander and goes after Willow.
Willow backs up, scared.
WILLOW (CONT'D)
Uh... Some help, please?
Dawn and Giles hurry to get to Willow's side and fight the
demon. Dawn stops and tries to get a good look at the demon.
DAWN
Giles, I don't recognize this one!
GILES
Just stab it!
The demon manages to reach Willow and grab her before Dawn
and Giles get there. When Giles finally gets to the demon,
he punches the demon as hard as he can. The demon doesn't
flinch.
GILES (CONT'D)
Dagger.
50.
Dawn quickly gives Giles the dagger, which Giles stabs into
the demon's back. The demon tosses Willow aside, and angrily
turns to face Giles. It GROWLS LOUDLY in Giles' face. Giles
isn't very comfortable with this turn of events.
GILES (CONT'D)
Oh dear.
The demon grabs hold of Giles' arms and picks him up. Giles
drops the dagger, which Dawn hurries to pick up. She stabs
the demon's arm and pulls the dagger back out, taking a step
back.
The demon drops Giles and turns to her. It leans in toward
her and ROARS. This thing is just getting pissed now.
Dawn doesn't flinch. She cocks her head slightly.
DAWN
Pretty eyes.
She quickly stabs the demon in it's left eye, digging the
dagger in as far as it will go. The demon grabs it's face
and stumbles back. Eventually, it falls over, dead. Dawn
looks down at it.
DAWN (CONT'D)
Or- y'know- eye.
Her celebration is a short one. Willow yells behind her.
When Dawn turns, she sees Sanders and Rip attacking Willow.
Giles is already back on his feet by now. Both of them rush
to help Willow... again.
ANGLE ON : WILLOW
Sanders struggles with her, trying to get to the amulet that
is now in her pocket.
SANDERS
Give it to me!
Willow doesn't respond. She tried to push him away, but the
added annoyance of Rip also grabbing at her makes it hard.
Giles pulls Rip away from them, causing Willow and Sanders
to fall to the ground. Dawn pulls on Sanders to get him off
of Willow. Finally, she manages to get him off of Willow.
Sanders gets to his feet and stumbles backwards. Dawn stops
to see if Willow's okay, and helps her up.
WILLOW
This amulet is really starting to
get annoying.
51.
DAWN
Let's just kill this vampire so we
can go home.
Dawn turns to face Sanders, but doesn't see him. He's gone.
Giles has managed to get a good grip on Rip.
GILES
Dawn, get me the chains.
Rip struggles, but Giles holds onto him as Dawn gets to her
bag, and pulls out some chains.
Willow looks around for Sanders, wondering why he'd leave.
She reaches into her pocket, and immediately, her face fills
with alarm.
EXT. ABANDONED HOUSE - BACKYARD - NIGHT
The night is calm and quiet. The only sound is that of
CRICKETS CHIRPING. While there is much overgrowth, the place
probably wouldn't be half bad looking if it had been kept up
better.
Suddenly, Buffy and Kennedy come crashing through the back
window, slamming to the ground with a roll. They struggle
with each other, both trying to get the upper hand.
Buffy rolls on top of Kennedy and punches her in the face.
Kennedy only allows this to happen once before she flips
Buffy off of her.
Kennedy jumps to her feet and turns to face Buffy.
KENNEDY
You always thought you were better
than the rest of us.
Buffy gets to her feet and faces Kennedy.
BUFFY
Not all. Just you.
Kennedy smiles.
KENNEDY
Because you know I deserve this more.
BUFFY
Or possibly because your a selfish
brat who always got what she wanted
but was never happy with what she
had.
52.
Kennedy gets pissed off. She rushes toward Buffy, and tries
to punch her in the face. Buffy blocks her and grabs her
arm.
BUFFY (CONT'D)
You do kinda deserve this part though.
Buffy twists Kennedy's arm, causing Kennedy to wince in pain.
Kennedy knees Buffy and pulls herself free.
Kennedy takes a second to prepare herself, and then goes at
Buffy again with a kick. Buffy blocks. Kennedy bends down
and tries to sweep Buffy's feet out from under her, but Buffy
avoids her.
Buffy smiles.
BUFFY (CONT'D)
For someone who thinks she's better
suited for this job, you sure do
suck at it.
Kennedy throws another punch. This time, she hits Buffy in
the face. Buffy recovers and tries to hit back, but Kennedy
blocks her. Kennedy grabs Buffy's arm, and spins her around.
She releases Buffy, sending her crashing into the wall of
the house.
KENNEDY
What was that? I couldn't quite hear
you over the sound of your bones
cracking.
Kennedy tries to punch the back of Buffy's head, but Buffy
ducks out of the way. She kicks back, hitting Kennedy in the
gut. As Kennedy doubles over, Buffy turns and grabs her. She
picks Kennedy up, and slams her to the ground. She pins her
there.
BUFFY
Where's the Scythe?
Kennedy doesn't respond.
BUFFY (CONT'D)
Okay, let me rephrase that.
Buffy grabs Kennedy's head and slams it to the ground again.
BUFFY (CONT'D)
Where's the Scythe?
KENNEDY
I'm not gonna tell you, so you might
as well just stop asking.
Buffy holds Kennedy to the ground firmly.
53.
BUFFY
I have all night. Now, we can keep
going around in circles here, or you
can tell me. It's really just a matter
of how much you enjoy having your
blood on the inside.
Kennedy doesn't respond. Buffy punches her. Kennedy's lip
bleeds. Kennedy laughs.
BUFFY (CONT'D)
Think this is amusing?
KENNEDY
Little bit, yeah.
Buffy punches Kennedy again.
BUFFY
Still think it's funny?
KENNEDY
You have no idea.
Buffy's getting annoyed now.
BUFFY
I have no idea? You're the one messing
with forces that are beyond you.
These games that you're playing are
dangerous.
KENNEDY
Said the girl who doesn't even know
what the game is.
BUFFY
Then tell me. Explain it to me. Make
me see the light and maybe I'll help
you out.
KENNEDY
You're not a player in this round.
Sorry.
Kennedy kicks Buffy off of her. Buffy hits the ground, but
quickly recovers. Both girls get to their feet.
BUFFY
Do you really think you'd be worried
about telling me if you were the
good guy in all of this? Think about
it.
54.
KENNEDY
Maybe I'm just tired of you playing
four-star General Buffy. You're not
in command anymore. I don't have to
report to you.
Kennedy softens up, and crosses her arms. She smiles.
KENNEDY (CONT'D)
You just can't stand being out of
the loop, can you? Here I am, knowing
so much more than you, and it's eating
you alive.
BUFFY
Frankly, I don't think you're capable
of running this show.
(beat)
I won't let you do it. Whatever it
is, it ends here. You either tell me
where the Scythe is, or you don't
get out of here at all.
KENNEDY
What? You'll kill me?
BUFFY
If I have to.
KENNEDY
Isn't that against the rules? Slayer
handbook frowns upon killing humans.
(beat)
Then again, I hear you never read
the handbook.
BUFFY
I was kinda busy saving the world
that week.
KENNEDY
You never deserved this. You never
should have been chosen. Look at
what you've created. A world full of
girls who hate what they've become,
all because you didn't want to deal
with it alone. You call me selfish?
I'm not the one who put Slayer blood
on every vamp's bar tab.
Buffy's getting pissed off now.
BUFFY
You don't know what you're talking
about.
55.
KENNEDY
I think I do. I think I'm saying
what everyone else has been thinking
for the last year, but have been too
scared to say. You go on preaching
the tenets of Slayerhood, but you're
just trying to sell everyone else
the product you've never really bought
into.
BUFFY
I'd shut my mouth if I were you.
KENNEDY
Don't like hearing the truth, do
you?
BUFFY
I don't like hearing the ramblings
of a selfish little girl who's trying
to justify whatever plan she has.
(beat)
You think I don't know what you are,
or why you're in this? It's the same
thing that everyone else has been
after. The same thing that I've had
to fight time and time again.
(beat)
You're right. I never wanted the
power. That's what makes me different
from you, and from the Master, or
Glory... It's the people who want
the power that you have to worry
about.
KENNEDY
And yet you felt the need to toss
the burden onto as many other girls
as you could. Girls who had no idea
what was coming. You didn't care if
you ruined their lives in the process.
BUFFY
I didn't have a choice.
KENNEDY
Is that what you tell yourself at
night? Does it make it easier to
sleep?
Buffy looks up at the sky, bored.
BUFFY
Y'know, I am feeling a bit tired. I
think it's mostly just you're
yammering though.
(MORE)
56.
BUFFY (CONT'D)
I think I prefer the part where I
was kicking your ass.
Buffy walks to Kennedy and punches her hard. Kennedy flies
through the air and slams into the house before hitting the
ground.
BUFFY (CONT'D)
Yup. Much better.
Buffy walks to Kennedy and picks her up. She pins her to the
house.
BUFFY (CONT'D)
One more chance. Talk.
KENNEDY
I'm not gonna make it that easy for
you. I'm not gonna let you forget
those lives that you've destroyed.
Buffy punches her angrily.
KENNEDY (CONT'D)
Don't like it, do you? You don't
like looking at what you've done.
Buffy hits Kennedy again.
KENNEDY (CONT'D)
Go on, Buffy. Hit me again. Shut me
up. It won't change things. It won't
bring back those girls. It won't
stop them from dying, or selling
their blood to survive.
BUFFY
This isn't about them. This is about
you.
KENNEDY
Keep telling yourself that.
Buffy hits Kennedy again, harder than before.
KENNEDY (CONT'D)
Feel better? Has hitting me brought
Vi back from the dead?
The name brings pain to Buffy's face as she hits Kennedy
again.
BUFFY
Shut up.
57.
Buffy grabs Kennedy's shirt and throws her as hard as she
can. Kennedy is sent through the air, and crashes onto the
rotting, warped stairway that leads to the house's backyard
deck.
Buffy walks to her and leans over her. She punches Kennedy
again.
BUFFY (CONT'D)
I did what I had to.
Kennedy is groggy, and bleeding more now, but she still
manages to speak.
KENNEDY
You did what you wanted to.
Buffy hits Kennedy again.
BUFFY
This was never about what I wanted.
This was never about me.
KENNEDY
All of this...
(coughs up blood)
All of this, and you're still alone,
aren't you?
|
The way Kennedy is speaking to Buffy (at least in my mind) is very similar to how the First would speak to Buffy. I always imagined that the First (Evil) was standing nearby, telling Kennedy just what to say.
|
Buffy's eyes fill with tears. She punches Kennedy again, and
then grabs her. She picks her up and throws her back down
onto the stairs, hard.
BUFFY
Where's the Scythe?
She punches Kennedy again.
BUFFY (CONT'D)
Where is it?!
She waits for Kennedy to respond, but Kennedy doesn't.
ANGLE ON : KENNEDY
Limp. Eyes closed.
Dead.
A tear rolls down Buffy's cheek as she looks at Kennedy. She
feels for a pulse. When she finds none, she takes a step
back and starts to cry harder, though she tries to hold it
back.
In her mind, she's trying to figure out what just happened.
Right now, it's just jumbled in her mind.
58.
She wipes another tear away, and continues to back off.
Finally, she turns and walks away.
ANGLE ON : KENNEDY
Still dead, of course. Laying on the stairs in a very
uncomfortable position, her face covered in blood.
FADE OUT:
END OF EPISODE
|