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. |
- 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!
Anya: What's he like when he is evil? (After Angel breaks an Indian's neck) |
- Butt Monkey: Xander again.
- Cough-Snark-Cough: The commandoes are griping about how Prof. Walsh is making them search for Spike on Thanksgiving Day.
- Description Cut: Even more than usual.
- Everything's Worse with Bears
Spike: A BEAR! YOU MADE A BEAR! |
Harmony: Get out! |
- 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.
"Soon he'll be sweating. I'm imagining having sex with him again." |
- Human Pincushion: Spike, much to his annoyance.
"Hey! Watch the heart!" |
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'm Standing Right Here: Xander accidentally burns Anya.
Xander: He's a vengeance demon. You don't talk to vengeance demons. You kill them. |
- 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'm strong and I'm beautiful and I don't need you to complete me. (pulls out stake) And you're mean!. |
- Last-Second Word Swap: Spike, running his hand up Harmony's leg.
"I knew you'd end up welcoming me back with open...arms." |
- 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.
- 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.
Giles: Let's give him land! |
- And of course Spike.
"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.'" |
- Saying Too Much: Xander.
- 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.
Willow: Hi. Well, I'm just gonna let you two... Look, they're selling coffee in the coffee shop. Yum. |
- 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:
"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." |
- 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.