Season 5

Buffy Season 5 Episode Guide

Eppisode 1:

Buffy VS. Dracula

It's a beautiful day at the beach as Buffy and Riley toss around a football. While the rest of the gang are catching some rays and trying not to exert themselves, Xander struggles with making some fire for the barbecue. With barely any effort, Willow says a couple of magic words and a fireball instantly appears in the grill, knocking Xander off of his seat. As she explains how the spell works, a sudden downpour hits the beach. Buffy and the gang quickly grab everything and run off. The rain continues into the night as a delivery truck pulls up to a castle. The two movers are anxious to finish their job and get out of the storm. As they hurriedly slide a long, heavy, wooden box out of the truck bed, they drop one of the ends onto the ground. Dirt comes out of the cracked corner, confusing one of the movers. The other mover suggests that they just turn the box on its side and leave it there. Unexpectedly, a hand tears through the crate and through the neck of one of the movers.The next day at Giles' place, Willow helps Giles with his computer. He is eager to begin archiving a large collection of old texts, but Willow isn't too willing to get started. She suggests that winter is the better archiving season, not summer. Giles confides in Willow that he plans to go back to England. He wants the archiving done so that the gang will have all the information at their fingertips. He makes her promise not to tell anyone, especially Buffy. A shocked Willow pleads with him to stay, but he says that Buffy obviously doesn't need him anymore and that he's quite proud of her. Willow argues that everyone else, including herself, needs him to watch over them. Giles tells her that they will be fine and they can stay in touch. He plans to tell Buffy about his return to England soon.Back at home, Buffy finishes dinner with Joyce and heads to the cemetery for a patrol. After ridding the world of one more vampire, she encounters a dark stranger. He tells her that he is very impressed with her powerful hunting skills. Buffy challenges him but he declines. She asks him who he is and he says that he assumed she knew. He is Dracula. Buffy does not immediately believe him. She mentions that many pimply, overweight vamps she had fought in the past claimed to be the one and only Dracula as well. With stake in hand, she lunges toward him. He vanishes and materializes behind her. Again she goes in for the attack and he disappears. Just then, Willow and Xander, who also happen to be patrolling, wander into the scene. As Buffy tells them to get out of there, Dracula materializes right behind them. After Xander thoroughly insults the infamous vampire, Buffy tells them that she's pretty sure that he is Dracula. Realizing his obvious blunder, Xander apologizes and Dracula tells Buffy that he will see her soon. He then takes the form of a bat and flies off into the night.Xander, Willow and Buffy go to Giles' to tell the rest of the gang about meeting Dracula. They are completely starstruck. Willow and Buffy go on about Dracula's dark, penetrating eyes and sexy accent making both Riley and Tara a bit jealous. Much to Xander's dismay, Anya adds that she hung out with Dracula a couple times back in her demon days and it was really cool. Everyone decides to learn everything they can about Dracula and reconvene in the morning to come up with a plan. On Xander's way home, Dracula pays him a visit. He wants Xander to be his eyes and ears in daylight. For this favor, Dracula promises to reward Xander with immortality. Meanwhile, Riley finds Spike and asks him what he knows about Dracula. Spike reveals that he and Dracula were once rivals, but not much more. Before the night is over, a mysterious fog seeps into Buffy's room as she sleeps. She awakens to find Dracula at the foot of her bed. He then charms the Slayer into letting him bite her neck.The next morning, Buffy hides the puncture wounds left by Dracula's bite with a scarf. Everyone meets at Giles' house to talk about what they have learned. Willow says that Dracula would rather have a connection with his victims than just kill them. His special powers include reading and controlling minds and appearing in dreams. Giles says that Dracula prefers that his victims be somewhat willing, and even yearn for him. This makes Buffy uncomfortable and she tries to leave. Riley confronts her and rips the scarf off. Everyone sees the bite marks left on her exposed neck. She explains that she's not exactly sure how it happened. Riley guesses that she's under the thrall of Dracula and shouldn't go anywhere near him. Xander offers to keep an eye on her at his place. Willow and Tara prepare to do a protection spell on Buffy's house while Giles and Riley search for Dracula. Xander tells Buffy that he has to take her to the master. Buffy willingly agrees.At Dracula's castle, Buffy pulls a stake out to end Dracula's spell, but Dracula uses his powers to make her put it back down. Meanwhile, Giles and Riley arrive at the castle, but Giles falls into a pit with Dracula's harem, and Riley is delayed by Dracula's new minion, Xander. Back in Dracula's lair, Dracula offers Buffy a taste of his blood, which she accepts. The blood causes a flood of flashbacks and breaks Dracula's spell. She throws Dracula across the room. Dracula, surprised that he can't control Buffy, resorts to fighting. As Buffy gains the upper hand, Dracula tries his disappearing act, only this time, Buffy is in the right place at the right time when he starts to materialize. She thrusts the stake into his heart, and Dracula is dusted. Soon after, Giles and Riley wander into the room, finding Buffy safe. Xander is upset that he was under Dracula's control. As they leave, the mysterious fog starts to swirl and Dracula materializes. Pointing out that she has seen too many movies to know that they always come back, she thrusts the stake into Dracula's heart and he is dusted again. The fog starts to swirl yet again, but Buffy announces that she is still standing right there. The fog quickly dissipates for the last time.Giles invites Buffy over the following day to tell her about his plan to return to England but before he can let it out, she tells him that she needs him to be her watcher again. He happily accepts. Buffy returns home to inform her mom that she will be going to the movies. Her mom suggests to a shocked Buffy that she take her younger sister along...

Episode Summary taken from the official WB Buffy website (closed) previously buffy.com

Eppisode 2:

Real me

Deep in concentration during a training session at Giles' house, Buffy executes a very difficult one-handed handstand. Below her lies a neatly stacked pile of crystals. Dawn, Buffy's newly arrived younger sister, carelessly adds another crystal to the pile, causing them to topple. This disrupts Buffy's concentration and she falls flat on her back. As a surprised Buffy looks up, Dawn asks smartly if they can leave.Back in her room, Dawn writes glumly in her journal. Suffering from a major case of sibling rivalry, she writes that no one knows the real her and that no one understands what it's like to have a slayer for an older sister. She surmises that she too could save the world if she were handed Buffy's superpowers. The next morning, Joyce, Buffy and Dawn eat breakfast in the kitchen. Dawn cunningly takes Buffy's bowl of cereal along with the last of the milk, annoying Buffy to no end. As if things weren't bad enough, Joyce suggests that Buffy take Dawn to the mall to get her back-to-school supplies since she'll be going to the magic shop with Giles. Just as Buffy grudgingly agrees, Riley drops by. Dawn expresses her disgust for Riley in her inner monologue and storms out the kitchen. Realizing that she had forgotten her previous plans with Riley, Buffy agrees to meet with him later.As Giles, Buffy and Dawn ride down the street in his sporty new car, Dawn spots Willow and Tara, so they pull over. In her journal, Dawn writes about how she really likes Willow and Tara because they are witches, and that casting spells is much cooler than slaying. Willow is happy that Buffy is developing a work ethic with the slayer training but is upset that Buffy has to drop the drama class they're both in. As the gang approaches the magic shop, things don't look right. When they enter, they notice that the place has been ransacked, and Willow trips over the body of the storeowner. Buffy leads an unwilling Dawn out of the store before she sees the body and tells her to wait outside. While Dawn tries to peek through the blinds from the outside, a weird, disheveled man approaches her and asks her what she's doing. Just as Dawn is about to yell for Buffy, he quiets her and tells her that he knows her, knows what she is and that she doesn't belong there. Inside, Buffy and Giles agree that judging by the bite-fest on the victim, more than one vampire was present for the attack, which means that there must be a new fang club about. Willow informs Buffy and Giles that some of the inventory is missing, mostly books including one about the methodology of the vampire slayer. While Buffy is upset about missing a book she was after, Giles is more concerned that there is a pack of vampires interested in learning more about the Slayer, but his attention is diverted when he examines the store's ledger and notices how high the profit margins are. Giles then discovers a shattered showcase and wonders what item was taken. Willow informs him that it was a cheap, ceramic unicorn. As they all agree that the next step would be to find the lair, Giles wonders what kind of unholy creature would fancy a cheap, tasteless statuary.Deep in her lair, Harmony congratulates her minions for a successful raid on the magic shop and is touched that someone brought her back a cute, ceramic unicorn. She tells her vampire minions that the books will help them carry through with their plans to kill the Slayer later on that night. The vampires look satisfied.Back at the house, Joyce berates Buffy for bringing Dawn to a murder scene, and accuses her of wanting to dump Dawn off so that she can go out with Riley. Buffy reminds her that she and Riley are going to patrol, not party. Dawn protests against needing a babysitter until she hears Joyce and Buffy agree on letting Xander babysit. As Joyce leaves, a dressed-up Dawn answers the door for Xander, who comes bearing pizza. Just as a smitten Dawn is about to close the door, Anya bursts in with a bunch of board games. Out on patrol, Buffy rants to Riley about how Joyce expects her to coddle Dawn. Riley comments that Buffy seems to be a little too hard on Dawn. Meanwhile, Dawn does some ranting of her own to Xander and Anya, when a brick crashes through the living room window. Attached is a note that reads "Slayer, come out and die." Xander quietly peers out the front door and sees Harmony and her gang. He mockingly informs her that Buffy is not home and she and her buddies will have to come back later to be killed by Buffy. Harmony reaches for Xander, and realizes too late that she has not been invited in. Frustrated, Harmony begins a war of insults that draws Dawn in, trying to defend her precious Xander. Without thinking, Dawn yells out for Harmony to come inside so Xander can kick her butt. Anya tries to stop Dawn from interfering, but it's too late. Harmony storms in and knocks Xander to the floor. While Xander struggles with Harmony, the other vampires try to enter through the door but bounce off of the protective field. Xander manages to kick Harmony back through the front door and shuts it, locking her out. Harmony yells out that she will be back and Xander assures her that they will be ready.Later on that night, Xander informs Buffy of Harmony's plans to kill her and that she can get into the house thanks to Dawn's invite. Buffy is furious, but Xander defends Dawn by telling her that was an accident. Meanwhile, while Harmony and her minions make their way back to her lair, they get a surprise visit from Spike. After hearing Harmony's story, Spike is surprised to hear that she has her own gang and plans to kill the Slayer, but he warns against it, telling her to leave it up to the professionals. She vows that Buffy will be dead before sunrise and to kill everyone that was ever mean to her in Sunnydale after Buffy is dead. Back at the house, Buffy prepares her weapons and complains about how Dawn gave Harmony a backstage pass to kill them all in their sleep. Xander tries to defend Dawn as Dawn secretly listens in, but Buffy's continuous tongue-lashing of Dawn sends Dawn running out of the house crying. Anya sees her and runs out after her, but is too late. One of Harmony's minions knocks Anya out and takes off with Dawn.Later that night, Buffy bursts into Spike's lair to get information on Harmony, and he gives it up after a few punches to the face. Back at Harmony's lair, Harmony congratulates her minions on a job well done. They want to feed on Dawn but Harmony won't allow it. Harmony tells a chained-up Dawn about how her gang doesn't respect her and treats her like she doesn't even matter. She asks Dawn if she knows what that feels like and Dawn responds that she does. Just then, the gang walks in and tells Harmony that they don't like her plan. They have a plan of their own: kill her and eat Dawn. One of the vampires grabs Harmony by the throat as another approaches Dawn. Dawn warns the vampire that if he touches her, her sister will kill him. Not frightened at all, he laughs and pokes her on the shoulder. As the other vampires laugh at his mocking gesture, a stake flies into chest, turning him into a cloud of dust. Buffy appears and tells Dawn to close her eyes. As Buffy quickly takes care of the vampire gang and unties Dawn, Harmony sees her chance and makes an escape. Back at the house, Dawn and Buffy tell Joyce that everything went smoothly.The next day at the magic shop, Dawn writes in her journal that everything seems to have worked out okay - Anya is going to be fine and Xander isn't mad at her. Meanwhile, as Buffy and Giles look through boxes, Buffy asks Giles if he's sure about being the shop's new owner since the life expectancy of magic shop owners in Sunnydale is so short. He says that he was a librarian for years and it's not much different except that people pay for the things they are not returning. When Giles and Buffy go into the back to see if there's enough space to do their training, Buffy comes back and warns Dawn to not break anything. She leaves and comes back again to tell her not to touch anything. She comes back one more time to tell Dawn that not doing anything would be good. Dawn rolls her eyes and writes that Buffy still thinks of her as her dumb little sister, and that she is in for a big surprise...

Episode Summary taken from the official WB Buffy website (closed) previously buffy.com

Eppisode 3:

The replacement

Xander, Anya, Buffy and Riley try to watch a kung fu movie in Xander's basement bedroom while his parents argue loudly in the room above. While Xander vocally realizes that it may be the right time to look for another place to live, Buffy over-analyzes the attack method of one of the kung fu fighters in the movie. Riley suggests that maybe she should leave her slayer work behind sometimes. Meanwhile, in a damp dark place, a strange demon recites an incantation for the death of the Slayer. The next day Buffy, Riley, Willow and Anya accompany Xander while he looks at an apartment. Anya loves it and tells Xander to get it regardless of price, but Xander explains that he cannot afford it with his construction job ending. When Anya blows up in Xander's face about visiting him in his drunk parents' basement, then storms out, Xander decides to fill out the application. At his newly acquired magic shop, Giles rummages through a box of miscellaneous charms and trinkets when he is surprised by the demon who was reciting the anti-Slayer incantation the night before. Giles tries unsuccessfully to stop him by clubbing him with a statue, but the demon knocks Giles across the room with little effort, then leaves. Later that day, Giles recounts his run-in with the demon to the gang while Willow finds a book on demons. She discovers that the demon's name is Toth and that he prefers to fight using special devices. Giles mentions that the demon smelled of a distinct odor but couldn't guess exactly what it was. Buffy, Riley, Willow, Xander and Giles decide to go looking for him somewhere chock-full of odors - the city dump. When they get there, they bump into Spike, who is scavenging for lovely items for the home. When they inquire about the demon, Spike informs them that he sees one right behind them. As the gang turns around to look for themselves, Toth points a rod-like device at them and fires a destructive blast, which misses. He shoots again and Xander dives in front of Buffy, taking the full brunt of the blast. They rush mistakenly over to an imposter Xander, created by the blast, who lies in a pile of trash, and are relieved to find that he is not seriously hurt. After they help him to his feet, they discover that the demon has vanished. As the gang leaves with the newly created imposter Xander, the real Xander lies unconscious in the trash pile, unbeknownst to the Scooby gang.The real Xander wakes up bewildered the next morning in the city dump. He goes to his house only to find that his room is locked, and when he approaches his window in hopes of breaking in, Xander is shocked to find a person that looks exactly like him is in his room. An exasperated Xander runs to a payphone to call Buffy, but he hangs up when he sees the other Xander walking down the street and decides to follow the imposter. At Buffy's house, Riley seems a bit worried as he watches Buffy packing up weapons for her future fight. Buffy tries to calm him with kisses but is interrupted by gagging noises coming from a disgusted Dawn. Buffy tells her little sister to go away, but Dawn points out that she can stand in the hallway if she wants to. Joyce comes out of her room in the midst of all the bickering and tells them to sort it out themselves. Buffy remedies the situation by slamming the door in Dawn's face. Meanwhile, Xander follows the imposter around and finds that the imposter is apparently assuming his life. Xander secretly watches as his boss gives the imposter a promotion. Then later in the apartment that Xander wanted, the landlady gives the other Xander the keys to his new place. As if this wasn't enough, the imposter calls Anya and asks her to meet him at the new apartment later. The imposter then leaves the apartment and Xander confronts him in the hallway by jumping on his back, but the imposter knocks Xander off easily and leaves.Xander finally realizes that he needs Buffy's help and rushes over to Giles' place to find her. He peers through a window where he finds the imposter is already there, advising Giles, Buffy and Riley that they have to find and kill his imposter. The imposter informs Buffy that he will be at the new apartment with Anya while she finds and slays the other Xander, who they conclude must be the demon Toth. A desperate Xander goes to Willow's to explain to her what really happened. He tells Willow that the imposter seems to have hypnotized Buffy, and Willow looks for a spell to snap her out of it. Xander is upset and confides in Willow that it seems like his imposter is doing everything better; he's smarter, people are treating him better and maybe he should just let the demon keep his identity. Willow convinces Xander that he is a good person and shouldn't let the demon win. Remembering that the imposter made plans with Anya, Xander takes off, determined not to let the demon have her too. Xander shows up at Anya's place, but Anya is nowhere to be found. At the imposter's new apartment, the imposter convinces an unknowing Anya that he got the new apartment entirely for her because he knew that she wanted it. They kiss, but Anya is stressed out and ruins the mood. The idea of aging does not sit well with her since she used to be a demon and demons live for thousands of years. Charming her with the right words, the imposter and Anya kiss again. Suddenly, the real Xander crashes through the door and orders the imposter to get away from Anya.Willow hurries over to Giles' place to notify everyone that she has talked to the real Xander and they talked to the demon Toth, who is allegedly impersonating Xander. Buffy, Riley and Giles reflect about how the Xander they spoke to did seem different - more confident and forceful. Looking out from behind a book, Giles informs the gang that neither Xander is a demon. The rod-like device Toth blasted Xander with splits a person in half, distilling personality traits into two separate bodies. One body keeps the stronger traits while the other possesses the weaker traits. Riley asks which Xander is the real one. Giles deduces that both are Xander and the two halves can't exist without each other. Therefore, Toth's original plan was to split Buffy and kill the weaker half, which would kill her all together. Back at the apartment, the two Xanders argue while a confused Anya can only watch. The stronger Xander threatens to take care of the weaker Xander, but the weaker Xander thwarts his attempt by pulling out a gun. Anya and the strong Xander reach for the gun, and soon, all of them are grasping the gun, waving it in the air. As Buffy and Riley race to Xander's new apartment, she asks him if he wishes that she was the one who got split into two people. The stronger Buffy would be the Slayer and the weaker would be the regular Buffy Summers, the one that Riley loves. Riley disagrees and tells her that a big part of being Buffy is being the Slayer. He reassures her that there is no part of her that he's not in love with.Back at the apartment, the stronger Xander knocks the gun to the floor and quickly retrieves it. He instructs Anya to move out of the way as he points the gun in the weaker Xander's direction. Just then, Buffy and Riley walk in and convince him to hand the gun over to Buffy. Buffy explains to the Xanders that they are both Xander and they can't kill each other. They all decide to go back to Giles' house, but before they can leave, Toth crashes through the front door of the apartment. Toth threatens Buffy by telling her that he would not miss again and takes another shot at her with his device. Buffy somersaults out of the way, missing the blast as Riley jumps on Toth from behind knocking the device out of the demon's grasp. Buffy finishes the job by slaying the demon with a sword. Back at Giles' place, the gang marvels at the fact that they now have two Xanders. Giles researches a way to reintegrate them, but Anya says that there is no hurry- she wants to take them both home and Giles can put them back together in the morning. Giles suggests to everyone that they start the integration process and pretend that they didn't hear the disturbing sex talk. Willow completes the spell and now there the two Xanders become one again. A discontent Anya comments that she prefers it the other way.The next day, the gang helps Xander move out of his basement, as Anya reads a magazine, refusing to help. Xander brings her a box, which she reluctantly brings to the truck, leaving Xander alone with Riley. Xander tells Riley that he envies how stable his and Buffy's relationship is in contrast to his own turbulent relationship with Anya. Riley replies that he feels very lucky to have Buffy but shocks Xander when he says that Buffy doesn't love him back. Buffy walks in before an astonished Xander can respond, and gives Riley a kiss.

Episode Summary taken from the official WB Buffy website (closed) previously buffy.com

Eppisode 4:

Out of my mind

The cemetery is deceptively quiet as Buffy gets a bird's eye view from atop a crypt. Hidden in a new grave, she finds a vampire who she easily slays. Another one of the undead jumps out from behind her, but before she can dust him, Riley jumps out to help, surprising both Buffy and Riley, who thought they were patrolling different areas of the cemetery. Just as Riley slays the vampire, one more climbs out of another new grave. This time, both Buffy and Riley are surprised to see Spike appear and attack the new vamp. Buffy inquires about Spike's anti-vamp activities and he tells her that he just wanted a little violence before bedtime. Distracted by speaking to Buffy, Spike gets floored with a punch. Buffy slays the vampire and warns Spike to keep out of her way. Spike sarcastically remarks that maybe he should stay home and knit sweaters. Riley adds that Buffy is right and that Spike shouldn't be around when Buffy is patrolling. Buffy makes a face at Riley that implies Riley should stay home as well. Spike catches the look and tells Riley that he has knitting needles that he may borrow. As Buffy and Riley leave, Riley tells Buffy that he hopes that he didn't get in her way. She assures him that he didn't but at the same time she isn't crazy about the idea of him patrolling alone. Spike waits where they left him, vowing that he will one day drink the blood of the Slayer.At school the next morning, Buffy complains to Willow that between her college classes and training with Giles, she's working too hard. Willow agrees to accompany Buffy to her training lesson with Giles. At the magic shop, Giles, Xander, Anya and Tara put the finishing touches on the furniture as Buffy and Willow arrive. Giles and Xander take Buffy to the new training room, and Riley, who hides inside, surprises her with a playful tackle. Impressed, she takes a look around and thanks them for all of their hard work. Later that night, Spike's peaceful evening of watching Dawson's Creek is interrupted by a knock at the door of his lair. A panicked and delusional Harmony rushes in, desperate for a place to hide from Buffy. When Spike seems surprised that Buffy would be looking for her, Harmony informs Spike that she is now Buffy's arch-nemesis. Realizing they now have a common enemy, Spike agrees to help Harmony plan the slaying of the Slayer, but will not take part because of the chip in his head. Meanwhile, Buffy and Riley share an intimate moment in bed.The next morning, Joyce and Dawn talk about school in the kitchen. As Joyce serves Dawn an omelet, she pauses and becomes disorientated, asking Dawn who she is. Joyce suddenly collapses on the floor and Dawn immediately calls 911. Buffy and Riley rush to the hospital to find Dawn in the waiting room with a doctor. The doctor tells them that they need to run more tests on Joyce but most likely, it's nothing serious. While Buffy talks to the doctor, Dawn uses a borrowed stethoscope to listen to the doctor's heart. She moves on to Buffy's heart, then to Riley's. She is surprised to hear a totally different sound coming from Riley's heart. Another doctor checks Riley out and recommends that he stay in the hospital after finding that he has an excessively rapid heartbeat. Riley refuses, which worries Buffy. He claims that his heart works differently and that everything is fine. Buffy reminds him that he is still human therefore still capable of having a heart attack. Just then, Joyce walks into the room, announcing that she is done with her tests and is ready to go home. Anxious to leave, Riley rushes to open the door for everyone.Back at Buffy's, Joyce grudgingly rests on the couch as Willow and Dawn baby her. Joyce says that she's fine and that Riley is the one she's worried about. Later on, Buffy, Willow and Dawn discuss Riley's health in Buffy's room. Willow says that Riley seems to be in great shape, but Buffy is not convinced. She surmises that if only they could reach the Initiative, it might shed some light on Riley's situation. Discouraged, Buffy says that it would be almost impossible to find the Initiative since they don't exist anymore and they never claimed to exist in the first place. When Dawn suggests saying something out loud in hopes that the Initiative could somehow hear it, Buffy gets an idea and quickly leaves. She arrives at Riley's place and finds nobody home. Her hunch is that Riley's phone is bugged by the Initiative. Picking up the phone, Buffy hears a couple clicks instead of a dial tone. Instead of dialing, she speaks into the 'empty' line, saying that Riley is in trouble.Meanwhile, Riley plays an intense game of basketball with some guys at the park. His game is cut short when Graham and two Initiative agents show up. Graham tells Riley that they need to get him into an operating room immediately. Unconvinced, Riley tells them that he is not ready to be put under government control where they can make him unconscious and naked. Graham tells him that they need to take him to a waiting doctor for his own good whether he likes it or not. Riley understands that they mean business and fights his way out of it. After knocking out all three of them, Riley takes off down the street. Later, Graham finds Buffy at school and tells her of Riley's escape. She begs him to tell her what's wrong with Riley, and he eventually gives in, saying that Riley's heart is in trouble, even though he can't feel any pain. Graham informs Buffy that she needs to get Riley to a specialist who is expecting him at Sunnydale General Hospital. She vows to get him there.The gang congregates that night at Giles' shop to figure out where Riley might be. Buffy tells Xander and Anya to check the docks. Willow and Tara offer to check out a burned out school that Riley had once used as a hiding place. Buffy figures that maybe Riley could be hiding out in the Initiative caves, but she is not very familiar with them. Giles suggests that he has an associate who knows those caves like the back of his melanin-deprived hand: Spike. Disgusted, Buffy reluctantly agrees to deal with Spike. At Spike's lair, Spike and Harmony play twenty questions when they hear someone trying to bust open the door. Fearing that it's Buffy out to get her, Harmony jumps into a coffin for cover. Spike sits on top of the coffin as Buffy finally manages to open the door. She offers Spike a cash bribe if he can find Riley in the Initiative caves and bring him to the waiting specialist. When he tells her to give him half of the money up front, Buffy tears the bills in half and hands him one of the halves.At the hospital, the specialist asks Graham when Riley will arrive. He expresses his concern that it might already be too late for Riley. Much to Graham's relief there is a knock a the door, but when he opens it, it's not who he expects. Harmony pushes an unconscious guard into Graham knocking him out. Armed with a crossbow, Spike barges in and informs the doctor that he now has a new patient. Spike and Harmony force the doctor into a medical lecture room on campus. Spike tells the doctor to remove the chip in his head, and the doctor gives the excuse that he can't because they are not in a proper medical facility. They threaten the doctor, leaving him no choice. As she explores the empty halls of the Initiative, Buffy finds an upset Riley punching a wall. She tries to convince him to see the doctor, but Riley tells her that he doesn't trust the Initiative's doctor and fears that they will take away his superpowers. He fears that if he loses his superpowers, he'll be just like everyone else and thinks that Buffy won't be interested in him anymore. Buffy tearfully confides to Riley that she loves him with or without his superpowers, and that she needs him and will take him to the doctor no matter what. Riley finally agrees.Back in the lecture hall, Harmony chats mindlessly to the doctor while he tries to remove the chip from Spike's brain. Buffy and Riley reach the hospital only to find that Spike and Harmony have kidnapped the doctor. Buffy swears that when she finds Spike, she'll rip his head off. Meanwhile, the doctor successfully removes the chip, delighting Harmony. Spike expresses his happiness as well, stating that now he can do what he's wanted to do for a long time - kill the Slayer. Just as the doctor finishes stitching him up, Buffy and Riley show up. As Spike informs Buffy about the removal of the chip, Harmony accidentally fires the crossbow, burying the arrow in Riley's leg. This sparks an all-out brawl in the lecture hall. Spike quickly gains an upper hand on Buffy, but as he goes to bite her, he grabs his head and recoils in pain. Riley quickly moves to subdue Harmony, but stops mid-punch and clutches his heart. As Riley falls to the floor, Spike discovers that the doctor duped him and did not actually remove the chip. Knowing they have no chance, he and Harmony run off. Later that night at the hospital, the doctor checks on Riley's heart and stitches up his leg, telling him that he should be fine. Buffy makes sure that Riley is better before leaving to go check on Joyce. After his recovery, Riley walks down the hall with Graham. Graham tells Riley that there's nothing for him in Sunnydale. He adds that Riley once had a mission and now it seems that his mission is only to be Buffy's boyfriend. As Riley storms off, Graham reminds him that he still belongs to the Initiative.At his lair, Spike's peaceful evening is once again interrupted by a visit from a furious Buffy. She tells him that she is going to do something that she should have done years ago and pulls out a stake. Offering Buffy his bare chest, Spike invites her to go ahead and put an end to his torment. A shocked Buffy hesitates, her stake in mid-air. Unexpectedly, Spike takes a firm hold of Buffy and kisses her ravenously. She returns his kisses but pulls away confused. Both are surprised at their actions and just stare at each other. Buffy then forcefully grabs Spike and covers him with kisses, telling him that she wants him. In the heat of the moment, he tells her that he loves her and wants her too. Abruptly, Spike wakes up from this dream shaken, sweaty and in utter disbelief.

Episode Summary taken from the official WB Buffy website (closed) previously buffy.com

Eppisode 5:

No place like home

ALL IN THE FAMILY? An unseen evil comes to Sunnydale that helps Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) discover more about her newly arrived little sister Dawn (Michelle Trachtenberg) and the girls are distressed and confused when their mom (Kristine Sutherland) suddenly becomes ill without any clear explanation, medical or supernatural. Nicholas Brendon, Alyson Hannigan, Anthony Stewart Head, Marc Blucas, James Marsters and Emma Caulfield also star. David Solomon directed the episode written by Douglas Petrie.

Eppisode 6:

Family

LOVE DOES CRAZY THINGS - Willow (Alyson Hannigan) feels betrayed when Tara's (Amber Benson) family makes a surprise visit to Sunnydale for her birthday threatening to reveal a shocking secret that could endanger all of their lives. Meanwhile, Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) and Giles (Anthony Stewart Head) secretly try to learn more about the new evil that is hunting her and her family. Nicholas Brendon, Emma Caulfield, Marc Blucas, Kristine Sutherland and Michelle Trachtenberg also star. Joss Whedon wrote and directed the episode.

Eppisode 7:

Fool for love

ANGEL, DRUSILLA AND DARLA HAUNT SPIKE'S MEMORY - In an effort to learn about slayers' final battles, Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) forces Spike (James Marsters) to recount how he was able to kill two slayers. His flashbacks reveal his first meeting with his one true love, Drusilla (guest star Juliet Landau), and how lovers Angel (guest star David Boreanaz) and Darla (guest star Julie Benz) joined them. Nicholas Brendon, Alyson Hannigan, Emma Caulfield, Marc Blucas, Anthony Stewart Head, Kristine Sutherland and Michelle Trachtenberg also star. Doug Petrie wrote the episode directed by Nick Marck.

Eppisode 8:

Shadow

BUFFY MAY HAVE MET HER MATCH -In order to protect her sister Dawn (Michelle Trachtenberg), Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) must face a horrible beast that has been conjured by the powerful demon Glory (guest star Clare Kramer) to help seek out "The Key." Nicholas Brendon, Alyson Hannigan, Anthony Stewart Head, James Marsters, Marc Blucas, Kristine Sutherland and Emma Caulfield also star. Dan Attias directed the episode written by David Fury.

Eppisode 9:

Listening to fear

SOMETHING FROM ANOTHER PLANET TARGETS BUFFY'S MOM - As Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) and Dawn (Michelle Trachtenberg) help their mother (Kristine Sutherland) prepare for brain surgery, a creepy extra-terrestrial demon becomes fixated on an increasingly disoriented Joyce and infiltrates the Summers' home. Nicholas Brendon, Alyson Hannigan, Anthony Stewart Head, James Marsters, Marc Blucas and Emma Caulfield also star. David Solomon directed the episode written by Rebecca Rand Kirshner

Eppisode 10:

Into the woods

ONCE BITTEN - Spike (James Marsters) disrupts Buffy's (Sarah Michelle Gellar) one moment of peace after her mom's (Kristine Sutherland) successful operation to expose Riley's (Marc Blucas) late nights spent in the arms of a vampire, sending an upset and bewildered Buffy into a tailspin and putting their relationship in turmoil. Nicholas Brendon, Alyson Hannigan, Anthony Stewart Head and Emma Caulfield also star. Marti Noxon wrote and directed the episode.

Eppisode 11:

Triangle

XANDER IN THE MIDDLE - While Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) recovers from losing Riley, emotions are charged between Willow (Alyson Hannigan) and Anya (Emma Caulfield) when they are left in charge of the magic shop and Willow accidentally conjures an enormous troll (guest star Abraham Benrubi, "ER") that will force them to deal with their less than perfect friendship and their feelings towards Xander (Nicholas Brendon). Anthony Stewart Head, James Marsters, Kristine Sutherland, Amber Benson and Michelle Trachtenberg also star also star. Christopher Hibler directed the episode written by Jane Espenson.

Eppisode 12:

Checkpoint

BUFFY vs. WATCHER'S COUNCIL - The Watcher's Council arrives in Sunnydale demanding Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) pass an exhaustive review of her slaying skills or they will withhold critical information about Glory (guest star Clare Kramer) and have Giles (Anthony Stewart Head) deported back to England. Nicholas Brendon, Alyson Hannigan, James Marsters, Emma Caulfield, Kristine Sutherland, Amber Benson and Michelle Trachtenberg also star. Nick Marck directed the episode written by Jane Espenson & Douglas Petrie.

Eppisode 13:

Blood ties

DAWN IS UNVEILED AS THE KEY - As Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) and friends celebrate her 20th birthday, Dawn (Michelle Trachtenberg) is traumatized to learn she is the Key and runs away but Buffy and the Scooby gang must find her before Glory (guest star Clare Kramer) does. Nicholas Brendon, Alyson Hannigan, Anthony Stewart Head, James Marsters, Emma Caulfield, Kristine Sutherland and Amber Benson also star. Michael Gershman directed the episode written by Steven S. DeKnight.

Eppisode 14:

Crush

SPIKE CONFESSES HIS LOVE TO THE SLAYER - Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) confronts Spike (James Marsters) about his suspected crush and is appalled by his admission of love, and her brutal rejection sends him back into the clutches of Drusilla (guest star Juliet Landau) who has returned to Sunnydale intent on returning Spike to his killer ways. Nicholas Brendon, Alyson Hannigan, Emma Caulfield, Kristine Sutherland, Amber Benson and Michelle Trachtenberg also star. David Fury wrote the episode directed by Dan Attias.

Eppisode 15:

I was made to love you

THE PERFECT WOMAN - Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) must stop a heartbroken young woman (guest star Shonda Farr) who was manufactured to be the perfect girlfriend from destroying the city and then finds herself comforting the creation over the loss of love in both of their lives. Nicholas Brendon, Alyson Hannigan, Emma Caulfield, Michelle Trachtenberg, and Amber Benson also star. James A. Contner directed the episode written by Jane Espenson.

Eppisode 16:

The body

TRAGEDY SHATTERS BUFFY'S WORLD - Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) and her friends are overwhelmed with grief and their lives are changed forever when they must deal with the loss of someone close to all of them. Nicholas Brendon, Alyson Hannigan, Anthony Stewart Head, James Marsters, Emma Caulfield, Kristine Sutherland, Michelle Trachtenberg and Amber Benson also star. Joss Whedon wrote and directed the episode.

Eppisode 17:

Forever

ANGEL COMES BACK TO BUFFY - A grieving and confused Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) falls into the loving arms of Angel (guest star David Boreanaz) who comes back to Sunnydale after he gets word about the death of her mother. Meanwhile, a distraught Dawn (Michelle Trachtenberg) takes it upon herself to perform a magic spell to bring her mom back to life. Nicholas Brendon, Alyson Hannigan, Anthony Stewart Head, James Marsters, Emma Caulfield and Amber Benson also star. Marti Noxon wrote and directed the episode.

Eppisode 18:

Intervention

FULL OF LOVE - Buffy travels to a sacred location on a solemn quest guided by the first slayer with the hopes of uncovering why she has become emotionally paralyzed and to help regain her focus towards slaying. Back in Sunnydale, unable to have the real thing, Spike builds a Buffy robot, who is a picture-perfect replica and so devoted to the rogue that it leaves the Scooby gang reeling and Glory's minions convinced he is the Key. Nicholas Brendon, Alyson Hannigan, Anthony Stewart Head, Emma Caulfield, Kristine Sutherland, Michelle Trachtenberg and Amber Benson also star. Michael Gershman directed the episode written by Jane Espenson.

Eppisode 19:

Tough love

A MEMBER OF THE SCOOBY GANG IS SACRIFICED - Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) must step up as the authority figure for Dawn (Michelle Trachtenberg) now that their mom is gone, all the while fearful that Glory (guest star Clare Kramer) is closer to discovering the Key when a member of the Scooby gang is her latest victim. Nicholas Brendon, Alyson Hannigan, Anthony Stewart Head, Emma Caulfield, and Amber Benson also star. David Grossman directed the episode written by Rebecca Rand Kirshner.

Eppisode 20:

Spiral

BUFFY AND THE GANG FLEE SUNNYDALE - Buffy explodes into action and takes the gang on the road once Glory discovers that Dawn is the Key. While on the run, things happen fast as Giles and Spike are wounded, Dawn learns she has the power to destroy the universe, and Willow stays close to an incoherent Tara. James A. Contner directed the episode written by Steven S. DeKnight.

Eppisode 21:

Weight of the world

WILLOW GOES INTO THE MIND OF THE SLAYER TO BRING BUFFY BACK - Buffy slips into catatonia after Glory kidnaps Dawn and prepares to bring about the end of the world, so Willow uses her wicca talents to reach Buffy deep inside her innermost secrets and subconscious fears. David Solomon directed the episode written by Doug Petrie.

Eppisode 22:

The gift (100th eppisode!!!)

FIFTH SEASON FINALE & 100TH EPISODE WRITTEN & DIRECTED BY JOSS WHEDON - Another imminent apocalypse is at hand in Sunnydale. Buffy must square off against a true God when Glory prepares to use Dawn to break down the walls between the dimensions and unleash all Hell on Earth. Buffy, Xander, Willow, Giles, Anya, Tara and Spike go to battle with the knowledge that they may not all survive. Joss Whedon wrote and directed the episode.