Someone is digging up corpses in Sunnydale, while Giles is fumbling about trying to start a romance with Jenny. Eric and Chris, two science club geeks, seem very keen on Cordelia. Chris and Eric have been making a Frankenstein's Bride for Chris' older brother, who died and was brought back to life by Chris. They kidnap Cordelia to use her head to finish the job, but Buffy and Co. find her in time, Daryl and Buffy fight, and the place is set on fire. Xander rescues Cordy from a horrible flamey death, while Buffy fights an enraged Daryl. The body that was to take Cordy's head is set on fire, and Daryl chooses to die with it rather than "live" alone.
|
|
|
While waiting for a new vampire to rise, Buffy gets into an argument with Angel. Angel tries to walk away in a huff, and while chasing him, Buffy falls into an open grave. Angel surmises another risen vampire, but tracks and a shoe on the ground lead Buffy to a different conclusion: "Whoever was buried here didn't rise from this grave... she was dragged from it."
The next day, Buffy and Xander find Giles practicing to ask Ms. Calendar out, and Buffy tells him of the empty grave. Giles suggests Willow's help, and Buffy retrieves her from the Science Fair sign-up, where she's talking with nice, quiet Chris Epps and creepy yearbook photographer Eric, who's busily snapping pictures of Willow and Cordelia for his "private collection." Willow finds that the grave's former occupant was killed in a car accident last week with two of her friends. Giles says it could be a voodoo priest creating a zombie army if there's more than one body missing, and Buffy suggests they check the other two graves. That night, while Giles and Xander dig, Buffy complains to Willow of Angel's jealous behavior. "Love makes you do the wacky," Willow sagely observes. Willow also reveals that Cordelia dated Chris' brother Daryl, a football star who was killed while rock climbing last year. After cheerleading practice, Cordelia runs into Angel and they find body parts in a dumpster.
The graves are empty, lending credence to the "army of zombies" theory, but upon returning to the library Buffy and friends find Angel and Cordelia, who tell them about the body parts. "What I saw didn't add up to three whole girls," Angel says. The gang deduces that whoever's been digging up the bodies and expertly dismembering them is a student at Sunnydale High, and checking the lockers of Willow's science club friends leads to two clear suspects, Eric and Chris. A photo in Eric's locker provides the motive: they're making a girl. The next day, Giles fails spectacularly to ask Ms. Calendar out, but she doesn't notice and they wind up with a date to that night's big football game anyway. Chris and Eric don't yet have a head, and Eric decides they'll have to kill someone to get it. They are encouraged by a shadowy figure — a reanimated Daryl.
Chris gives in to Daryl's emotional persuasion, and he and Eric agree to go after Cordelia. Paying a visit to Chris' house, Buffy meets Chris' mother, who is nearly catatonic, totally engrossed in watching Daryl's taped football games to the point where she doesn't even know what day it is. Buffy explores the house and finds out that Cordelia is the intended victim. She rushes back to the school where she saves Cordelia from Eric in the nick of time, and Chris tells her about Daryl.
Daryl has gone to the football game as well, and grabs Cordelia himself. She's taken to an abandoned science lab, where Daryl promises to be a better boyfriend to her. With Chris' help, Buffy tracks them to the lab, and drags Willow, Xander, Giles and Ms. Calendar along. Buffy tries to fight Daryl, and their fight sets the lab on fire. Xander gets Cordelia out of the burning building, and Chris stops Daryl from killing Buffy. Daryl promises not to leave his incomplete bride, and stays in the building to die. Ms. Calendar agrees to a second date with Giles, and a slightly repentant Buffy walks Angel home.
|
|
|
The scene in which Buffy and Xander find Giles practicing to ask Ms. Calendar out is a classic, from beginning to end a beautiful example of near-perfect comic writing. Given our druthers, we'd put the whole scene here, but instead we'll just point out our favorite highlights:
Buffy: "Being called an idiot tends to take people out of the dating mood."
Xander: "It actually kinda turns me on."
Buffy: "I fear you."
Xander: "Now, is it time to have a talk about the facts of life?"
Giles: "You know, I'm suddenly deciding this is none of your business."
Xander: "Y'know, because that whole stork thing is a smoke screen."
Giles: "Grave robbing? That's new. Interesting."
Buffy: "I know you meant to say 'gross and disturbing.'"
Giles, halfheartedly: "Yes, yes, yes of course. Uh, terrible thing. Must put a stop to it. Damn it."
Cordelia: "Eww! Why is it that every conversation you people have has the word corpse in it?"
Willow: "Love makes you do the wacky."
Buffy: "Sorry, but I'm an old fashioned gal. I was raised to believe that men dig up the corpses and the women have the babies."
Buffy: "I don't get it. Why would anybody wanna make a girl?" Xander, bitter: "You mean when there's so many pre-made ones just laying around? The things we do for love." Buffy: "Love has nothing to do with this." Xander, as Willow looks on: "Maybe not, but I'll tell you this: people don't fall in love with what's right in front of them. People want the dream. What they can't have."
Angel, about Xander: "He gets to be there when I can't. Take your classes, eat your meals, hear your jokes and complaints. He gets to see you in the sunlight."
|
|
