Darth Rosenberg

Episode 6.21: Two To Go. Original Airdate 5.21.02

"After killing Warren, Dark Willow tries to track down Andrew and Jonathan. Meanwhile, in Africa [brb, dying of laughter], Spike battles against a numerous amount of foes to try to get his chip removed [this entire summary is a mess]."

Daniel's Thoughts:

• We start right where we left off. Running through the woods.
• Anya: “Jonathan and whats-his-face” Hehe.
• Anya can teleport. Is it sad that, the first thing I thought of if I had teleportation powers is that I could pop over to the store and get some milk for my cereal tomorrow? [Can you grab me some, too? I ran out this morning. - Z]
• Buffy’s gonna run there! Super-cardio!  And Xander, being not special at all, will take the long way.
• Sunnydale police station – a place we don’t really see much, but should.
• It’s such a set-prison.
• Ugh, I don’t get this hero-worshipping of Warren by Andrew.
• I love Anya’s no-nonsense breakdown of what happened to Warren and everyone.
• “So please stop looking at me like it’s your first trip to the circus.”
• Can’t Anya get his key or something?
• See, this is why I don’t think Willow is pure evil now. She hurts/stops the cops but she doesn’t kill them when she easily can.
• I love the way Buffy runs sometimes. It’s so demure.
• OMG, the Willow scream.
• Xander stole a police car!
• Buffy smacking Andrew.
• Oh hey, there’s Willow – on top of a truck.
• Really good action scene that they did not have the budget for in season 1.
• It’s also nice to see a non-set street.
• Hahaha, Clem doing a potato chip taste test.
• Demon: “You understand?” “[Yes, I have to take a test. Shirtless. It has to be shirtless right?]””[Why exactly?”][“It’s uh…part of the ritual.”]
• I wish Buffy remembered that Jonathan helped her defeat Warren. I’m still not sure I understand why that happened, but I wish it would at least come up again.
• Damn, Rack is so damn creepy.
• Now he’s a dead Rack.
• Man, Willow making fun of Dawn is so creepy-funny.
• Jeez, Andrew is so damn pathetic.
• “Darth Rosenberg” – love it.
• Ugh, shut up, Xander.
• “And if it gets really bad-” “Let me guess, you’ll propose?”  Daaaaayyyyummmm Anya. Someone call the burn unit!

• “That wasn’t vengeance. That was solace.” How could Xander not understand that?
• “You don’t get to play the martyr.” YES. YES. EVERYTHING ANYA IS SAYING. YES. ALL OF IT.
• What is with the self-hating in this episode? First Xander and now Willow.
• Ooh, Willow’s laying down the truth-bombs.
• Oh, so Willow can teleport now…when she couldn’t just last episode? I’m assuming it was the Rack-iness – so I won’t shenanigan that.
• Ooh Buffy vs. Willow smack-down.
• Breaking the magic shop!
• GILES!!!!

Zelda's Thoughts:

• Another chilling moment - Villains ends with Willow saying "One down ..." and this episode is titled "Two To Go"
• So this originally aired back to back with Grave, so this is sort of the finale part one.
• As Buffy goes charging off, we begin the arc of Xander Feels Useless and Human, in preparation for Xander Saves the Day with Crayons
• "Laugh it up, fuzzball!" It was in this horrifying moment that I realized Andrew might be me.
• "You were out of the Trio a long time ago ... *tries to resist making the reference. fails* ... in a galaxy far, far away." Actually it was this moment. They're really playing up the humor of our clowns here. I guess it's because 1 - we know they're no longer the Big Bad, and 2 - Villains ended pretty heavily, and we could use some comic relief.
• "Oh my god, Warren." // "Oh my god, me."
• "Don't move, you'll be safe here," the guard says as bricks from their prison are magically ripped out. He certainly fits the criterion of deeply stupid required for the Sunnydale police force.

I don't have a comment, I just love this moment.

• Oooh Wlllow's rocking the banshee scream.
• "Boys, if you don't knock it off, I will pull this car over and you can just walk to your painful deaths from here."
• "But we didn't do anything." // *Buffy punches Andrew in the face* // *Zelda cheers*
• I like the nod here that Jonathan's also known the Scoobies for ages. He remembers old Willow too.
• Clem is ranking his snacks. I love how this has grown into his primary character note, his affection for snacks. No wonder this red-eyed, creepy-looking sweetheart became a fan favorite. He's just so endearing.
• Back to Africa! Full of vaguely-phrased allusions to Spike's soul/chip.
• I can't help but laughing, though. "Here we are now, entertain us." // *suddenly fire fists* // "SON OF A -" *is facepunched*
• "No, I can't [sense Willow], which means whatever she's feeling, it's gone way beyond simple vengeance." It's true. She already got her vengeance on the actual direct cause of Tara's death. It didn't fix it. It didn't fix the hole in her. But she has to keep going anyway.
• Rack is such a gross presence. I mean, way to commit to the dealer parasitical thing, from the writers and actor. But. "You still taste like strawberries, only now you're ripe." Ugh. Can't wait for Willow to dead him.
• Digging the black veins Willow's sporting now.
• "You don't have to talk. Just think real loud. I can hear you." So creepy. So detached.
• "Wanna go back? End the pain? You'll be happier." That's definitely the trajectory Willow's heading for, for herself.
• "I can't do this. I'm in retail. Stupid ancient Sumerian."
• Xander, you don't get to go all self-pitying and being butt hurt if Anya's mean to you. You fucked up, Xander. As Anya says, you don't get to play the martyr.
• Though I do have sympathy for the survivor's guilt he has right now, having two of his friends get shot.
• BUFFY VERSUS WILLOW TIME.
• "Let me tell you something about Willow. She's a loser and she always has been. People picked on Willow in junior high school, high school, up until college. With her stupid mousy ways. And now? Willow's a junkie ... The only thing Willow was ever good for ... the only thing I had going for me were the moments, just moments, when Tara would look at me and I was wonderful." It kills me. It's the first time she's admitting to pain, and it's when she shifts from third person trashing of Willow to using "I." But it's also ... it's heartbreaking that she considers the only good thing about herself was the love reflected back at her by Tara. We know her self-worth wasn't always so warped like that.
• That spinning move to get them to the Magic Box is so cool.
• Anya's amazing. She's terrified, speaking a language she doesn't understand, but she's there and she's chanting and she doesn't stop. And she's the only thing holding Willow's power at bay.
• Gosh, it's lucky Spike is the least flammable vampire ever. He just held the fist of Fire Hands for like 10 seconds and the fire magically didn't spread to engulf him.*cough* SHENANIGANS.

• And then Anya stays when the rest evacuate. Anya's awesome.
• I can't believe they actually end up following Andrew's half-baked Mexico plan. Especially after Jonathan agreed to stay in Sunnydale and face prison for his crimes.
• "The Slayer thing really isn't about the violence. It's about the power." We'll return to that theme next season.
• GILES IT'S GILES IT'S GILES YOU GUYS GILES IS HERE GILES IS BACK I'M CRYING A LITTLE BIT
• I'm so glad they didn't telegraph his presence in the guest star credits at the top of the episode

Favorite Lines:

Daniel: Xander: "And if it gets really bad ..." Anya: "Let me guess, you'll propose?"

Zelda: "I'd like to test that theory." - Giles

Arc/Continuity Stuff:

• Recurring: Jonathan, Andrew, and the joke about no one remembering Andrew's name, Clem, Rack, GILES
• Dawn knows to look for Rack because of that one time Willow dragged her to his lair

LOOK EVERYONE, IT'S GILES, HE  CAME BACK FOR US.

Stats:

Anya's Hair - blonde, ponytail, sideswept bangs

Dead Humans - 1

Dead Undeads - 1

Dead Flashbacks - 0

Giles Unconscious - 0

Giles Cleans His Glasses - 0

GILES IS A BAMF - 1

Buffy Breaks a Door - 3

Willow Breaks a Prison - 1

Evil Reveal - 0

Unevil Reveal - 0

Shenanigans Called - 1

Apocalypse Called - 0