Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Recap/S6/E19 Seeing Red

"Ask me again why I could never love you!"

Warren steals a pair of demon orbs that give him superpowers. Spike's attempt to reconcile with Buffy goes disastrously wrong. After Buffy foils the Trio's latest scheme, Warren takes a terrible revenge.

"Tara: When did morning happen? Willow: After the moon went down. (kisses Tara) I forgot how good this could feel... us together... without the magic. Tara: There was plenty of magic."
 * : You know the scene.
 * Big No: Andrew seeing the archway collapse on Warren.
 * Booby Trap: The Trio's basement
 * Bullets Do Not Work That Way: Again, you know the scene. In fact, quoting the Diabolus Ex Machina page: "The gunman was outside on the ground shooting a pistol randomly into the air and yet on pure luck managed a hit so precise that a Marine sniper perched on the opposite rooftop with a rifle would have been hard-pressed to match it." Damn you Joss.
 * It's called a bullet ricocheting. It happens tragically in real life; therefore, there's Truth in Television.
 * Ok, but still... Damn you Joss.
 * Bully Hunter: The first thing Warren does on gaining superpowers is look up someone who bullied him in school and pick a fight with him by hitting on his girlfriend.
 * Chekhov's Gun: Spike leaves his Badass Longcoat in Buffy's apartment, and doesn't put it back on until Season 7 in a He's Back moment.
 * Covered in Gunge: Jonathan after wearing the Neezla skin.
 * Cliff Hanger
 * Curse Cut Short: Warren gets out "I swear to God I'm gonna take you down, you piece of sh--" before taking off in his jetpack.
 * Daylight Horror:
 * Description Cut
 * The Xander/Buffy argument cutting to Tara saying "It's all a mess." (the Trio's captured files)
 * Warren says, "Let's make some noise." Cut to Buffy fighting a vampire.
 * Did the Earth Move For You, Too?: Willow and Tara.
 * Warren says, "Let's make some noise." Cut to Buffy fighting a vampire.
 * Did the Earth Move For You, Too?: Willow and Tara.

"Willow: Hey. Clothes. Tara: Better not get used to them."
 * Double Entendre: Tara and Willow work in as many as possible.

"Tara: What about the Trio's evil scheme? Willow: (moving over to Tara) I'm busy working on my own."
 * Willow and Tara are going through the stuff Buffy retrieved. Unfortunately they're doing it while lying in bed together.

"Buffy: There's two ways this can end. And right now, I'm thinkin' they're both going to hurt. (Warren climbs out of the rubble)
 * Double Meaning Title
 * Downer Ending:
 * Dramatic Irony: It's only when things are about to break down completely between Buffy and Spike that they start to have that 'relationship' talk Spike wanted back in "Gone" and "Tabula Rasa".
 * Drama-Preserving Handicap: Buffy gets a back injury during a fight with a vampire,
 * The Easy Way or the Hard Way

Andrew: I think you're right."

"Andrew: [You] don't look any different. I thought they were supposed to make us all huge and veiny."
 * Drowning My Sorrows: Spike and Xander.
 * Evil Cannot Comprehend Good: Spike assumes that Buffy stopped Xander from killing him because she's secretly in love with him.
 * Evil Makeover: Averted when Warren activates the orbs.

"Buffy: [Anya did] something very stupid. Xander: With your boyfriend. Buffy: He is not my boyfriend."
 * Failed Attempt At Drama: After Buffy has defeated Warren and Andrew, the former escapes using a Jet Pack. Andrew reveals that he has a jet pack as well, and tells Buffy that it's not over and We Will Meet Again
 * Famous Last Words: "Your shirt..."
 * Foreshadowing: Jonathan re Warren. "He's going to end up getting us thrown into jail. Or worse."
 * Friendship Moment: When making up after their previous argument, Xander says he doesn't know what he'd do without Buffy and Willow, to which Buffy replies "Let's never find out".
 * Geographic Flexibility: Sunnydale has an amusement park too.
 * Get a Room: Averted -- everyone is eager to give the lovebirds their personal space.
 * Get Out!: The first thing Buffy says to Spike in the bathroom scene. It goes downhill from there.
 * A Glass in the Hand: Spike breaks a bottle in his hand after having a Flashback Echo of
 * Heel Face Turn: Jonathan tips Buffy to Warren's Achilles Heel.
 * He Is Not My Boyfriend: For once, this is true.

"I can't wait to get my hands on his orbs."
 * Hide Your Gays: Averted; after two years of lesbian love being conveyed by Held Gaze, Intertwined Fingers and Does This Remind You of Anything? subtext, we suddenly have three Tillow smoochy scenes in a single episode! I wonder why...
 * Ho Yay: Andrew re Warren.

"Warren: Is that all ya got? (archway collapses on top of him)"
 * Inadvertent Entrance Cue: Willow is saying (re Buffy and Spike) "You know, when two people have such strong feelings for each other--" when a bedsheet-wrapped Tara steps out into the corridor, turning Dawn into Squee Girl.
 * Is That the Best You Can Do?: Buffy knocks Warren into a stone archway. He gets up unharmed.

"Andrew: He never really loved... hanging out with us."
 * Last-Second Word Swap: More Ho Yay from Andrew re Warren.

"Spike: I wanted something, anything to make these feelings stop; I just wanted it to stop! (whispers) You should have let him kill me."
 * Living Bodysuit: The Trio skin the Neezla demon so they can pass through the energy barrier and steal the orbs.
 * Love Hurts

"Warren: Say goodnight, bitch!
 * Love Makes You Evil
 * Modesty Bedsheet: Given that it involves two women, at least it's less conspicuous.
 * Neck Snap: Warren tests his new powers by doing this to a Neezla demon.
 * Pre-Ass-Kicking One-Liner

(Buffy snatches the orbs off Warren and smashes them)

Buffy: Goodnight, bitch! (Warren gets Punched Across the Room)"

"Willow: Tara and I can Sherlock around. Andrew: You can't Siegfried and Roy the barrier. Buffy: Jonathan and Andrew got clinked, but Warren pulled a Rocket Man."
 * Person as Verb

"Buffy: How hard you gonna hit when you're blowin' in the wind? (Vampire kicks Buffy into a tombstone just as she dusts him) Buffy: (groaning) That was rhetorical."
 * Promotion to Opening Titles: Amber Benson,
 * Metaphorgotten: Both Anya and Xander start talking to a woman in a bar and end up ranting about their recent problems.
 * My God, What Have I Done?: Spike, though he immediately asks, "Why didn't I do it?"
 * Punched Across the Room / Punch Catch: Warren now has this power.
 * Red Eyes, Take Warning
 * Rule of Symbolism: Willow and Tara wake up among red sheets.
 * Sex Equals Love: What Spike believes -- all that violent passion must have meant something to her, right?
 * Shout-Out: When Spike complains about the chip in his head, Clem suggests using a wet cloth.
 * So Happy Together: Tillow
 * Some Kind of Force Field: The barrier protecting the orbs.
 * Shower of Angst:
 * Speaking Simlish: Spoofed; the ancient text the geeks had in their basement is actually a Klingon love poem.
 * Squee: Dawn on realising Willow and Tara have gotten back together again.
 * Static Stun Gun: Used by the Trio on the Nezzla demon.
 * Stay Frosty: Warren to Andrew.
 * Super Strength / Nigh Invulnerability: The Orbs of Nezzla'khan give Warren these powers.
 * Supervillain Packing Heat / Mundane Solution
 * Tempting Fate / Rhetorical Question Blunder
 * Tempting Fate / Rhetorical Question Blunder

"Willow: Okay, we're here, ready for action! ...uh, bad guy fighting action."
 * Tested on Humans: Warren tests Jonathan's ability to survive the Nezzla demon barrier by shoving him through it.
 * That Came Out Wrong: Willow and Tara come downstairs all Holding Hands and giggly.


 * There Was a Door: Buffy breaking into the Trio's basement (ahhh, Percussive Therapy for Woman Scorned). Warren rips the door off an armoured truck.
 * Third-Act Stupidity: Warren attacks Buffy in her home instead of fleeing Sunnydale. Likely a sign of his Villainous Breakdown by this stage.
 * This Is Your Brain on Evil: Warren activating the orbs.
 * Toasted Buns: Warren yelps as he takes off with his Jet Pack.

"Anya: And then he thinks he can just sweep the carnage underneath the rug by saying, "Oh-" Cut to Andrew: (backing off from a demon) I'm sorry! Sorry!"
 * Twisted Echo Cut

"Get nice and comfy, Slayer. I'll be back. And when I do, things are gonna change."
 * Visual Innuendo / Freud Was Right: Feminist icon Buffy destroys Straw Misogynist Warren's power by busting his balls...err, orbs. He responds by getting a gun.
 * We Will Meet Again: Spike on his bike.

"Warren: You think maybe you could put in a word for me with that Anya chick? 'Cause if she's taking it from a vamp, I think I might have a chance. Xander punches Warren -- and gasps in pain.
 * Wham! Episode
 * White Shirt of Death / Blood-Splattered Innocents:
 * Worf Had the Flu: only got as far as it did because a run-of-the-mill vampire had got a lucky shot in earlier (as she was staking him, no less). Both injuries carry over into Buffy's fight with a superpowered Warren -- even with super-strength and near-invulnerability, he can tell she's off her game.
 * You Fight Like a Cow

Warren: No wonder she's screwing a dead guy. You hit like a girl.

Xander: Well, at least I know how to get one."


 * You Have Got to Be Kidding Me!: Buffy whines "Oh come on!" after seeing Warren take off in a Jet Pack.