Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Recap/S4/E03 The Harsh Light of Day

"Harmony: I don't know why I let you be so mean to me. Spike: Love hurts, baby."

Spike and the now vamped-up Harmony are searching for a mythical gem which can make vampires invincible. Buffy sleeps with a boy named Parker who was just using her. Anya returns and sleeps with Xander.

"Spike : I love syphilis more than you."
 * A Man Is Always Eager
 * Almost Kiss: Parker and Buffy's moment outside her dorm is interrupted by Willow and Oz running up to warn her about Harmony.
 * Attention Deficit Ooh Shiny: Harmony is this trope to a T.
 * Back Doodling: Harmony writes "Spike loves Harmony" on his back. Spike's reaction when he wakes up? He's not pleased.

"Harmony: Being a vampire sucks!"
 * Being Evil Sucks

"I like you. You're funny and you're nicely shaped. And, frankly, it's ludicrous to have these interlocking bodies and not interlock."
 * Brutal Honesty: Anya regarding sex -- the start of a Running Gag with Xander.

"Anya: At point the matter is brought to a conclusion with both parties satisfied and able to move on with their separate lives and interests. To sum up, I think it's a workable plan. Xander: So, the crux of this plan is... Anya: Sexual intercourse. I've said it like a dozen times. Xander: Uh, huh. Just working through a little hysterical deafness here."
 * The Bus Came Back: Harmony's back...cept now as a living dead. Yay?
 * Casual Kink: Spike still has chains from when he was dating Drusilla.
 * Coincidental Broadcast: Giles tells them that watching TV isn't going to help them with their problem. Sure enough the news showed a clue to Spike's whereabouts.
 * Continuity Nod: Xander reacts to all the blunt comments from Anya about wanting sex from him by telling her she's still more romantic than Faith.
 * Convenient Slow Dance
 * Crossover: What happens after Oz takes the Gem of Amara to Los Angeles is shown in the Angel episode "In The Dark".
 * Description Cut: "A guy dating Harmony dead. Must be, like, the most tolerant guy in the world." Cut to the Dramatic Unmask showing that Spike is back in Sunnydale.
 * Dress Hits Floor / Distracted by the Stark-Naked Sexy Ex-Demon

"Harmony: Ew. Like you're too good to work a clasp."
 * Double Entendre: Loads naturally in an episode about sex.
 * "You love that tunnel more than me."
 * [DING] "Fabric softener..."
 * Buffy stakes Spike (who's wearing the Gem). "Oh, do it again. It tickles. You know, in a good way."
 * Anya on why she wants to have sex with Xander. "It's the secret to getting you out of my mind. Putting you behind me. Behind me, figuratively. I'm thinking face-to-face for the event itself."
 * "Being a vampire sucks!"
 * Downer Ending: Buffy, Anya and Harmony walking alone, regretting having sex the night before.
 * Dramatic Necklace Removal: Lampshaded and parodied when Spike dramatically rips a necklace off of a corpse.

"Anya: I can't stop thinking about you. Sometimes in my dreams, you're all naked. Xander: Really. You know if I'm in the checkout line at the Wal-Mart I've had the same one."
 * Dramatic Unmask: Spike removes his welding mask to reveal the Big Bad is back!
 * Empathic Environment: The Greek letters on the Frat house are Gamma Alpha Pi (ΓΑΠ) which, from the angle the shot is taken, look a bit like FAIL. The house in the background across the street bears the letters ΤΩA. Perhaps it's a sorority house?
 * Erotic Dream

"Harmony: So is it doing it? Do you feel it. I mean, you don't look different, if you were wondering. I thought maybe you'd look taller or glow or something."
 * Evil Makeover: Averted.

"Harmony: You were always so funny, Willow. You haven't changed a bit. Willow: No, you neither. Harmony: Oh, maybe a little. [vamps out]"
 * Foe Yay: Buffy laughs a bit too loud when rejecting the idea that Spike is a former boyfriend.
 * Fool for Love
 * Game Face

"Spike: So you let Parker take a poke, eh? Didn't seem like you knew each other that well. What did it take to pry apart the Slayer's dimpled knees? Buffy: You're a pig, Spike. Spike: Did he play the sensitive lad and get you to seduce him? That's a good trick if the girl's thick enough to buy it. [They fight. Spike has the upper hand.] Spike: I wonder what went wrong? Were you too strong? Did you bruise the boy? Whatever. I guess you're just not worth a second go. Come to think of it, seems like somebody told me that. Who was it? Oh, yeah. Angel.
 * Girlfriend in Canada: According to Willow, Harmony would always use this tactic to cover for the fact that she couldn't hold a boyfriend (on the grounds of being so annoying).
 * Hard Work Montage: Spike drilling through the crypt while Buffy searches for Spike and waits for Parker's call.
 * Hannibal Lecture: Spike of course -- unfortunately it backfires.

[Buffy proceeds to kick every square inch of his ass.]"

"Devon: That was like the best set ever. We'll do great in LA. We're gonna have them glued to their seats. Willow: Uh, Devon. Aren't they supposed to dance? Oz: Well, we can glue them to the dance floor."
 * Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: Harmony after Spike gets fed up with her prattling. Good thing she found that gem beforehand.
 * Improvised Weapon: Backfires when it leads to Buffy's sweater getting ripped in half.
 * Ironic Echo Cut
 * It Doesn't Mean Anything
 * Literal Minded: Willow

"Spike: It isn't time yet."
 * Manipulative Bastard / The Casanova: Parker Abrams.
 * Mineral MacGuffin / Nigh Invulnerability: The Gem of Amara makes vampires immune to all harm, including staking and daylight.
 * Nipple-and-Dimed: SMG had visible nips during the fight with Spike.
 * Not Staying for Breakfast: Averted in a deliberate Call Back to "Innocence" -- Buffy finds an empty bed, but then Parker turns out to have ducked out for coffee. Then brutally subverted when it turns out Parker was just using her for sex after all.
 * Oh Crap: Spike has been trying to avoid letting the Slayer know he's back in town. Then he and Harmony bump into Buffy while carrying a neck-bleeding victim out of a frat party. Busted!
 * Plot Hole: How Harmony became a vampire; we saw her get bitten in "Graduation Day", but did any vamp have the chance to bring her across?
 * Percussive Therapy: Annoyed by Harmony's prattling, Spike tries to stake her. Furious at Spike's snarking, Buffy overcomes Spike.
 * Ready for Lovemaking: Harmony in Spike's lair.
 * Ring of Power
 * Romantic False Lead: Spike is sleeping with Harmony to get over Drusilla; Buffy is sleeping with Parker to get over Angel;  Xander sleeps with Anya to get over Faith, while Anya sleeps with Xander to get over him
 * Saying Too Much: Harmony blurts out to Buffy that they're looking for the Gem of Amara.
 * Scar Survey: Parker checks out Angel's bite scar on Buffy's neck. Buffy claims it was from an angry puppy.
 * Shirtless Scene: Our first, but not the last, look at Shirtless!Spike.
 * Something Else Also Rises: Xander turns around to offer Anya (whom he only knows as a weird ex-demon girl who makes a lousy prom date) a juice box, to find Anya has dropped her dress. Xander reacts by squeezing the carton he's currently holding, causing juice to spurt in the air.
 * STD Immunity: Averted as Anya has condoms. Even black ones.
 * Taking You with Me: Buffy grabs hold of Spike's ring and is about to remove it when Spike warns her that they'll both go up in flames. She does so anyway, and Spike immediately runs for cover instead.
 * We Will Meet Again: Spike calls a raincheck on fighting the Slayer, because he doesn't have the Gem.

"Anya: You should lock your door. Giles: Believe me I am kicking myself."
 * What Is This Thing You Call Love?: Anya
 * Your Door Was Open


 * You Remind Me of X: Plenty of Angel reminders; rather than deter Buffy (as with Scott Hope) this only makes her more determined to move on. Anya's forthcoming approach to sex reminds Xander of Faith and the two times they hooked up.