Crush (''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'')

"Crush"
Buffy the Vampire Slayer episode
Episode no. Season 5
Episode 14
Directed by Dan Attias
Written by David Fury
Production code 5ABB14
Original air date February 13, 2001
Guest appearance(s)

"Crush" is the 14th episode of season 5 of the television show Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Dawn has a crush on Spike, who reveals his crush on Buffy when he takes her on a stakeout date. When his advances are turned down, Spike kidnaps Buffy and Drusilla, who has returned to Sunnydale. He tries to force an admission of love from Buffy. Harmony appears as well and breaks up with Spike.

Plot synopsis

The Bronze re-opens, and Buffy watches as her friends dance. Spike shows up only to be forced away by Xander. Willow reveals that she is suffering from headaches and nosebleeds as a result of her teleportation spell. A train pulls into Sunnydale and the porter goes on board, he finds all the passengers to be dead. As he sees the carnage he too is attacked and killed.

When Buffy returns home after partying, Giles suggests that Dawn be treated normally. In the meantime, Harmony shows up and tries to get Spike sexually aroused and suggests a game where she pretends to be Buffy. Buffy reads about the train murders, and concludes that it's a vampire and not Glory. Buffy searches for Dawn and finds her with Spike, listening to one of his scary stories. Dawn reveals her crush on Spike but what really shocks Buffy is when she says that Spike has a crush on Buffy.

Buffy and Xander investigate the train murders, and Buffy confesses the possibility of Spike loving her, though Xander doesn't take it seriously and is even amused by this. A blindfolded doll in the overhead compartment of the train, hidden from Buffy and Xander, is revealed to the audience. The doll resembles those in Drusilla's doll collection, first seen in "School Hard".

While Buffy and Spike are staking out in front of a warehouse, Buffy is unnerved by some of Spike's behavior, because he normally does not help for free and has never really taken an interest in her personal likes and dislikes. Buffy and Spike attack the vampires, but they immediately run off at the sight of the Slayer. Buffy realizes that the warehouse is a vampire nest, and thus they couldn't have been the ones involved in the train massacre. When Spike goes so far as to unwittingly hold the door open for her, Buffy finally demands to know why he is acting like this, demanding to know if everything that just happened was just Spike's version of a date. At first, Spike loudly and amusedly denies it, but then asks, in a hopeful manner, "Do you want it to be?" Buffy is disgusted by the fact that Spike was trying to hit on her. Despite Spike's pleas and confessions, Buffy refuses to listen to him and denies that there is something between them, insisting that Spike is still a dangerous villain and, being soulless, is incapable of such emotion. Having completely and brutally rejected Spike, Buffy departs the warehouse in horror and disgust. Despondently returning to his crypt, Spike is greeted by his longtime love, Drusilla.

Drusilla tells him of the events in Los Angeles and tries to convince him to return with her. She's already aware of the chip in his head and tries to convince him he can be evil, even with the chip. Harmony arrives and yells at Drusilla for hurting Spike. Spike throws Harmony out of the way, announcing that not only is Drusilla back - he's back.

While out looking for Spike, Buffy discovers the extension of his underground lair, which includes a shrine dedicated to herself. As she returns to the surface, Buffy finds Spike and Drusilla waiting for her. Spike watches Drusilla shock Buffy with a cattle prod. After the Slayer collapses, Drusilla turns to Spike, only to be shocked herself as he seizes the cattle prod and uses it on her.

Buffy awakens to find herself chained up in the underground space below Spike's crypt, Drusilla is tied to a pole across from her. Spike poetically describes his 120-year romance with Drusilla—prompting an appreciative sigh from her—but also professes his love for Buffy and offers to kill Drusilla to convince Buffy of his love. He threatens that if Buffy does not return his love, he'll untie Drusilla and let her kill Buffy. Spike asks Buffy for only a small sign that she could love him. Buffy rejects Spike again, and he goes into a rage about women being so difficult. Harmony arrives and shoots Spike with a crossbow bolt. While Harmony and Spike fight, Drusilla breaks free and goes after Buffy while the Slayer is still chained up. Spike grabs Drusilla, and unchains Buffy. Realizing that the Spike she once loved is gone forever, Drusilla leaves Sunnydale heartbroken.

Harmony leaves Spike, telling him it's completely over between the two of them. The minute she leaves, Buffy physically attacks Spike and storms off. Spike follows her and desperately attempts to get her to talk to him, but Buffy makes it very clear that he is no longer a part of her life, and he is to stay away from her and her family and friends from now on. Undaunted, Spike tries to follow her into her house, only to find that she has had his invitation revoked. As he recovers from the surprise, Buffy merely glares at him with disdain and closes the door in his face.

Production details

Writing

David Fury, asked to do an episode that took the Buffy/Spike relationship to the next level, decided that it was time for the audience to discover that Spike was in love with Buffy. He says, "...and it then progressed into Buffy finding out, which was something we were saving for later. It turned out to be a good play because we were able to take them to interesting places throughout the rest of the season." According to Fury, the resurrection of Spike and Drusilla's relationship "was really significant in terms of what love means to Spike."[1]

Cultural references

Continuity

Arc significance

References

  1. ↑ BBC Interview with David Fury, retrieved 2007-07-20
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