Original Air Date: February 15th, 2000

Written by
Directed by

Summary

    Buffy is retelling her sewer escapades to Giles and the gang. Spike comments on her taste in men, implying that Riley had something to do with this but Buffy is sure that Riley would never be able to have her killed. Giles can't figure out why Professor Walsh would want to have her dead, but the only thing they can figure is that Buffy was getting too close to some highly important information. Deciding they aren't safe, Buffy decides they should all move to Xander's place when suddenly Riley appears and wants to know exactly what happened between Buffy and Maggie. He suddenly notices Spike in the corner and recognizes him as Hostile 17 and is angry that Buffy was hiding an HST. Spike leaves suddenly, deciding he's got some TV shows to watch. Buffy tells Riley that Professor Walsh set her up. Giles mentions that he's been told that the Initiative is working towards a darker purpose. Somewhat insulted, Riley stalks out of the house saying he would know if something like that was happening. Meanwhile Adam has escaped from the Initiative and finds a little boy in the woods. When he asks him what he is, the boy tells him that he's a monster.

    Meanwhile, inside the Initiative, Dr. Angleman finds Maggie's dead body and realizes that Adam has escaped. Meanwhile, much as Buffy had planned, everyone has relocated to Xander's basement and are all squatting there. Giles wakes up rather irritated after his very uncomfortable sleep. They turn on the TV to find that a young boy has been stabbed with a large skewer and was then mutilated. Buffy realizes that Polgara demon she fought the other night had a skewer for an arm. Angered, Buffy vows to kill the demon that murdered the boy. Riley returns home and takes Forrest into his room, telling him that that Maggie tried to have Buffy killed. But Forrest is only angered by Buffy and decides that if Maggie decided to have Buffy killed then maybe she deserved to be killed. Graham then enters the room and tells them all that Maggie was found dead. They go take a look at the body and Forrest immediately assumes that the skewer mark was the work of a stake; Buffy's doing. Riley is totally offended and they're about to start fighting when Dr. Angleman jumps in between them. He informs that he's having a team sent in from Washington and they're to perform a total lockdown on the Initiative until further notice. Riley gets together his men and tells them to suit up; they're going hunting for this demon. They begin tearing through cemeteries and mausoleums in an attempt to find their demon.

    Just as the sun is beginning to set on the day, Buffy heads to the scene of the crime where the little boy was murdered. Riley finds her there and she apologizes for what happened earlier. However, Riley is completely unresponsive and informs her that Maggie Walsh is dead and asks her if she's happy now. Unbelievably insulted, Buffy storms off, desperate to kill the Polgara demon. Meanwhile, Willow goes to Tara's room; she wants to do a spell that will tell her where demonic energies are in Sunnydale. Somewhat uncertain, Tara agrees to do the spell. Buffy goes to Willy's Place wanting to know about the Polgara demon and after a punch to the face, he offers up that there was only one Polgara but that the Initiative got him. She begins to ask about 314 when Riley appears in the bar, insulted that she's socializing with demons instead of killing them. He becomes extremely irate and demands to know who Buffy really is. As a woman gets up to go he pulls out a gun on her, saying she can't leave until he says she can. Riley's shaking now and babbling incessantly about what's really the truth. Giving up, he slams his hands down onto the bar, wondering what on earth is happening to him. Buffy takes him back to Xander's basement. He can't stop shaking though and continues to scratch at his skin, causing deep welts. Buffy takes her cloth headband and wraps it over a particularly rough patch on Riley's hand. He continues sweating and shaking profusely and she has him lie down, hoping he'll feel better after some rest. As he rests, Buffy tells the rest of the gang that she thinks something is seriously wrong with Riley. She decides to take Xander and head into the Initiative.

    Willow and Tara have set up for their spell and begin to cast it when Tara sneaks her handful of magic powder under her bed, preventing the spell from being cast while Willow had her eyes closed. Buffy and Xander sneak into the Initiative, using Buffy's pass. Buffy's trying to pass herself off as a doctor while Xander is dressed up in military gear. Back at Xander's place, no one has had any luck. Riley wakes up and gets dressed and roughly leaves the basement even though Willow tries to stop him. In the Initiative, Buffy overhears two doctors discussing the soldiers who have been fed meds, which explains why Riley is shaking and sweating; he's going through withdrawal. Buffy follows Dr. Angleman into a room and threatens him; she wants to see room 314. Riley suddenly appears and Buffy gets Dr. Angleman to confess that Maggie wanted her dead. Riley becomes enraged at Buffy until Adam suddenly appears, demonstrating what exactly was created in room 314. He explains that he is a biomechanic being and they realize that he was pieced together from man, machine and demon parts. Adam then reveals that in a sense, Maggie is also Riley's mother, because she shaped him, fed him chemicals and taught him how to think. Angered, Riley attacks Adam, only to find himself on the floor. Buffy tries to fight back but she's also violently shoved aside and she can't fight back because he's too strong. He stabs both Riley and Dr. Angleman, though not fatally. Forrest and Graham take Riley away to a military hospital where Buffy is not permitted to follow.

Summary written by Nika

 

My Rating

3/5

Niki Bartl's Review

I totally and completely hated this episode. The only good thing was that Maggie died, but that technically happened last episode so there was nothing good about this episode. I hate when kids die, it totally ruins a show for me. I didn't think they'd do it even, I thought and prayed that Buffy would come and save the little boy. I don't like Adam at all, and since the next show is about Faith, I don't like the idea of having Adam hanging around like an existing threat. I am anxious to see what happens with the Initiative, especially what Riley does with them. Does anyone else think Buffy was acting totally obsessive about Riley at the end? I mean, yeah, he's not dead, so you will eventually see him again. You'd think that sending your ex-boyfriend to hell, it would be a breeze to have a boyfriend in a military hospital where everyone hates you. I guess some people just can't look on the bright side of things.

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