Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Recap/S4/E12 A New Man

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.

Giles: I refuse to act like a monster just because I look like a monster. I have a conscience. I have a soul. I am a human being. Oh, stop the car. (gets out, chases Prof. Walsh down the street and goes back to the car) Right, let's go then.

Giles turns into a demon after a night of drinking with Ethan.

Buffy: Why would a demon steal a car?
Anya: Why would a demon steal that car?

  • Always Someone Better: Giles has this feeling on meeting Walsh -- her unit has the demon world terrified and she appears to be taking over his role as Buffy's mentor and surrogate parent.
  • And This Is For

Buffy: (stabbing Demon!Giles) This is for Giles!
Giles: For me?

Riley: But you've killed a-- You did the thing with that-- Uh, you drowned. And the snake! Not to mention the...daily...slayage of...wow.

Buffy: It's no big, really. (cheerfully) Hey, who wants ice cream!

Riley: Buffy. When I saw you stop the world from, you know, ending...I just assumed that was a big week for you. Turns out I suddenly find myself...needing to know the plural of "apocalypse."

Buffy: Look. If you've been fighting since you were fifteen you'd have a hefty resume too.

Riley: (shocked) Fifteen!?

Giles: Buffy, I don't want to ask you to betray any confidences, and I certainly don't want to interfere--
Buffy: Uh-oh, you have "but-face." (Giles' Double Take) You look like you're gonna say "but."

  • Call Back: The Sunnydale Arms motel was Faith's residence before she was taken under the wing of the Mayor.
  • Car Chase

Spike: You just try and stop me you stupid jarhea__ (crashes car)

  • Chekhov's Gun: Ethan leaving his hotel address with the waitress. Also "314".
  • Cleanup Crew: Giles is puzzled there's no sign of the demon prince who's going to rise. Willow suggests the Initiative got there first and cleaned things up like they usually do.
  • Clothing Damage: Demon!Giles can't fit into his shirt.

And I liked that shirt!

  • Comically Small Bribe: Giles offers Spike a hundred dollars if he helps him find Rayne. Spike ups the ante to $200. Later when they're being chased by the Initiative, Giles suggests that he jump out of the car and let them chase Spike.

Spike: Hold on. These commandos. They're the same guys that are after me too.. Maybe I want you around to split their attention a bit?
Giles: I'll pay you another hundred dollars. (Cut to Giles jumping out of the car as Spike floors it)

  • Does Not Know His Own Strength: When Giles first wakes up as a demon -- he punches a hole in the wall, tears the banister off of his stairs, smashes a phone when he tries to call for help, rips through his favorite shirt, and breaks the front door off its hinges.
  • Does This Remind You of Anything?: Riley's reaction to Buffy's impressive list of kills is played like a discussion of previous sexual partners.
  • Double Entendre: Riley tells Buffy that she's so strong "I'm not even sure I can take you." Buffy looks coy.

"That all depends on your meaning."

  • Description Cut: Xander tells Spike that Buffy is meeting with someone who's still scary -- cut to Riley introducing the Slayer to Professor Walsh. Ethan says about the Initiative, "We're headed for one hell of a fight." Cut to Buffy sparring with Riley. Xander says that there's no-one cooler in a crisis than Giles -- cut to Giles snapping at Spike over his driving skills.
  • Drowning My Sorrows / Despair Speech: Giles feels he's obsolete.

The world has past us by. Someone snuck in and left us a couple of has-beens in our place. This Initiative, I mean, their methods may be causing problems, but they're getting the job done. Where am I? I'm an unemployed librarian with a tendency to get knocked on the head.

Ethan: I've got to learn to just do the damage and leave town. It's the "stay and gloat" that gets me every time.

    • Done twice.

Giles: Who am I kidding? Nothing's going to happen. (Leaves)
Ethan: (Steps out of shadows) I wouldn't say that. I wouldn't say that at all. In fact, Ripper, old mate, I'd say something rather interesting was about to hap--
Giles: (Comes back) Did someone...?
Ethan: Oh, bugger, I thought you'd gone!

  • Eyes Never Lie: Buffy realises the demon is Giles from his eyes (notably his annoyed expression on being stabbed).
  • Failed Attempt At Drama: Ethan is about to go into an ominous monologue when Giles hears him and comes back.
  • Foreshadowing: The sparring match shows Riley's embarrassment over Buffy's greater strength and therefore his ability to match her as a partner.
  • Go-Karting with Bowser
  • Hannibal Lecture: Professor Walsh telling Giles that Buffy lacks positive male role models.
  • Holding Hands: Willow and Tara hold hands to "atune their minds" during a spell. Whatever you say, Willow.
  • Hollywood Spelling: Averted when Riley calls the Initiative for a search on hotel registrations matching Ethan's name. "Ethan Rayne, R-A-Y-N-E."
  • Horror Doesn't Settle for Simple Tuesday: Buffy's nineteenth birthday is no less eventful.

Buffy: Of course, you could smash in all my toes with a hammer and it will still be the bestest Buffy Birthday Bash in a big long while.

  • Ho Yay: Ethan describes him and Giles as 'a couple of old mystics' in about the same tone of voice he'd use to call them 'a couple of old queens' (maybe more of a British thing), and after Ethan tells him that 'the night is still [their] time, the time of magic,' the scene immediately cuts to Willow and Tara sharing one of their most obvious 'MAGIC IS HOMOSEXUALITY' moments. Yeah, Joss was not subtle about that one.
    • Following the 'old mystics' line, it cuts to Giles and you hear Ethan say, 'You know, I find you very attractive. Maybe you could give me a call some time.' Cut back to Ethan hitting on a waitress.
  • Humiliation Conga: Giles' Day in The Limelight.
  • Incredibly Lame Pun

Walsh: We thought you were a myth.
Buffy: Well, you were myth-taken.

Spike: Hey, picked up a tail...
Demon!Giles: Yes, just a little, uh... Hurts when I sit.
Spike: I mean someone's following us.

Riley: You're really strong. Like Spider-Man strong.
Buffy: Yeah. But I don't stick to stuff. But . . yeah.
Riley: And you're in charge. You're like, make the plan, execute the plan. No one giving you orders.
Buffy: (Beat) I'm the Slayer.
Riley: I like it.

  • Oblivious Mockery: After Giles is already looking incredibly awkward sitting in the corner of Buffy's birthday party, the oldest man in the room, and has just had to explain to Riley that he was "between projects", Buffy manages the following one-two punch:

Buffy: You should meet her. She's absolutely the smartest person I've ever met.
Giles: Perhaps we should have invited Professor Walsh to the party.
Buffy: Oh, no. I mean, she's, like, 40. She's got better things to do than hang out with a bunch of kids.

Giles: Ethan Rayne; you have no idea how much thrashing you is gonna improve my day.

Walsh: We use the latest in scientific technology and state-of-the-art weaponry and you, if I understand correctly, poke them with a sharp stick.
Buffy: Well, it's more effective than it sounds.

  • Silver Bullet: Knowing the Fyarl demon can be killed by a silver weapon, Buffy grabs a silver letter opener from Giles desk to get revenge. Fortunately it's cheap pewter and Demon!Giles survives the otherwise fatal stab wound.
  • Sneeze of Doom: Apparently one of the powers of a Fyarl demon, but fortunately not one we see.
  • Translation Convention: Giles appears to be talking English until he's in the room with Xander, who only hears the demon language Fyarl. Giles expects the same thing on meeting Spike, only to find Spike can speak Fyarl.
  • Vampires Are Sex Gods: Spike uses his charms to get information from the waitress.
  • Villains Out Shopping: Demon!Giles comes across Spike checking out a crypt with a tape measure as he's looking for a new home.
  • The Wallflower: Giles at Buffy's birthday party.
  • We Have the Keys: Riley has a master key for every door on Main Street, as Buffy learns after kicking in a door.
  • What Do You Mean It's Not Heinous?: Spike nonchalantly grabs Xander's radio when packing up to leave Xander's apartment. When Xander calls him on this, Spike replies, "And you're what, shocked and disappointed? I'm evil!"
  • You No Take Candle: Lampshaded by Spike.

Funny hearing a Fyarl demon say "serviceable." Had a couple of them working for me once. They're more like "Like to crush. Crush now?"

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