Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Recap/S4/E08 Pangs

An excavation disturbs the spirit of a vengeful Native American spirit. Spike turns himself in to the Scoobies because he has nowhere else to go.

"Anya: The syphilis will make you blind and insane, but it won't kill you. The smallpox will do that."
 * Annoying Arrows
 * Anvilicious
 * Bad News in A Good Way:

"Anya: What's he like when he is evil? (After Angel breaks an Indian's neck)"
 * Bait and Switch: The episode opens with a handsome youth (clearly our Victim of the Week) walking fearfully through The Lost Woods, then jumping in fear as he comes face to face with...the Slayer!
 * Being Watched: Buffy senses Angel's presence. As she did not have this ability before, it's likely an after-effect of Angel feeding on her in "Graduation Day."
 * Bear Hug: Happens literally!
 * Blatant Lies: Buffy is certainly not holding her Thanksgiving Dinner at Giles' house so he'll be stuck with the cleaning up.
 * Buffy Speak: Buffy says the stolen Shumash knife is a "juicy piece of clueage." She wants to find a "non-slayee way" to stop Hus.
 * The Bus Came Back: And he's not evil!

"Riley: As long as he knows about the Initiative, he's a threat. We do this the Professor's way.
 * Butt Monkey: Xander again.
 * Cough Snark Cough: The commandoes are griping about how Prof. Walsh is making them search for Spike on Thanksgiving Day.

Forrest: (Coughing the words.) Mama's boy.

Riley: That's a nasty cough. You might need to spend the weekend in quarantine.

Forrest: Oh, no. I'm done coughing."

"Spike: A BEAR! YOU MADE A BEAR!
 * Description Cut: Even more than usual.
 * Everythings Worse With Bears

Buffy: I didn't mean to!

Spike: UNDO IT! UNDO IT!"

"Harmony: Get out!
 * Get Out

Spike: But, baby, this is where I belong.

Harmony: (Pointing.) Out. I mean it. I've been doing a lot of reading, and I'm in control of my own power now, so we're through."

""Soon he'll be sweating. I'm imagining having sex with him again.""
 * Hero Stole My Bike: The Scoobies steal some bikes to get back to Giles' apartment in a hurry, which leads to a shot of them pedaling along to Big Damn Heroes-type music.
 * Horror Doesn't Settle for Simple Tuesday: Happy Thanksgiving. Here's some funny syphilis.
 * Hot Men At Work: Anya watching Xander dig.

""Hey! Watch the heart!""
 * Human Pincushion: Spike, much to his annoyance.

"Buffy: I like my evil like I like my men -- evil. You know; straight up, black hat, tied to the train tracks, "soon my electro-ray will destroy Metropolis" bad. Not all mixed up with guilt and the destruction of an indigenous culture.""
 * I Like My X Like I Like My Y

"Xander: He's a vengeance demon. You don't talk to vengeance demons. You kill them."
 * I'm Standing Right Here: Xander accidentally burns Anya.

"Willow: Buffy, earlier you agreed with me about Thanksgiving. It's a sham. It's all about death.
 * Incredibly Lame Pun

Buffy: It is a sham, but it's a sham with yams. It's a yam sham.

Willow: You're not gonna jokey-rhyme your way out of this one."

"I'm strong and I'm beautiful and I don't need you to complete me. (pulls out stake) And you're mean!."
 * Indian Burial Ground
 * Inverted Trope: The vampire as scared victim being attacked by the Big Bad Buffy.
 * Jerkass Woobie: Spike starving and homeless, looking in on a vampire initiation.
 * The Last of These Is Not Like the Others: Harmony kicking out Spike

""I knew you'd end up welcoming me back with open...arms.""
 * Last Second Word Swap: Spike, running his hand up Harmony's leg.

"Willow: Yeah. Thanksgiving isn't about blending of 2 cultures; it's about one culture wiping out another. And then they make animated specials about the part where, with the maize and the big, big belt buckles. They don't show you the next scene, where all the bison die and squanto takes a musket ball in the stomach.
 * Magical Native American
 * Metaphorgotten

Buffy: Ok. Now, for some of that, you were channeling your mother."

"Giles: It's clear we're dealing with a spirit of some kind. It's very common for Indian spirits to change to animal form.
 * Mook Horror Show: The episode opens with a handsome fresh-faced youth with "Victim of the Week" written all over him creeping through the woods, then starting in fear as he comes face-to-face with Buffy. Turns out he's a vampire.
 * Oh Wait This Is My Grocery List: Willow starts reading what she thinks is a list of ingredients for a magic potion, only to be told it's the recipe for the turkey stuffing.
 * Pillow Pistol: Harmony keeps a wooden stake in her bed to scare off Spike. Or maybe for A Date With Rosie Palms, it's not quite clear.
 * Political Correctness Gone Mad: Parodied.

Buffy: It's plenty uncommon for me to freeze up during a fight. I mean, I had the guy, I was ready for the take-down, and I stopped. And Native American.

Giles: Sorry?

Buffy: We don't say "Indian."

Giles: Oh, right. Yes, yes. Um, always behind on the terms. Still trying not to refer to you lot as "bloody colonials.""

"Giles: Let's give him land!
 * Psycho Strings: Stake-wielding Harmony.
 * Required Spinoff Crossover: After these events Buffy visits Los Angeles to express her annoyance to Angel personally in the Tear Jerker Angel episode "I Will Remember You".
 * Running Gag: People assuming Angel has turned evil again. Every conversation Buffy has gets turned to the subject of food.
 * Sarcasm Mode: Giles gets in plenty in this episode.

Buffy: Sarcasm accomplishes nothing, Giles.

Giles: It's sort of an end in itself."

""You came in, you were stronger, and took their land. That's the way the world works. Julius Caesar doesn't go around saying 'I came, I conquered, I feel really bad about it.'""
 * And of course Spike.

""Good times. Especially with Angel here and everything." (As Buffy was not told this she glares down the table at a shameful Willow, an embarrassed Xander and Giles, and Spike trying not to laugh) "Oops.""
 * Saying Too Much: Xander.

"Willow: Hi. Well, I'm just gonna let you two... Look, they're selling coffee in the coffee shop. Yum."
 * Serious Business: Buffy's Thanksgiving dinner.
 * Shout Out: The aforementioned bike scene, straight out of E.T.
 * Spike makes a belated apology to the Shumash Indian. "Sorry about that, Chief!"
 * Sickly Green Glow
 * Soapbox Sadie: Willow.
 * Talk About That Thing: When Buffy runs into Riley outside the Expresso Pump.

""Pretty darn scary....It more like a riot than a Ralph's. I thought I was going to have to use Slayer moves on this one woman who was completely hoarding the pumpkin pie filling.""
 * Technical Pacifist: Buffy is reluctant to hurt Hus, but eventually gets over it.
 * Twisted Echo Cut: Willow asks what the stolen Chumash knife looks like; Smash Cut to Buffy telling Giles:


 * Voluntary Shapeshifting: The Chumash spirit morphs into a flock of ravens and a bear.
 * Woman Scorned: Harmony throws Spike out of the crypt when he goes there looking for food.