Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Crush

Crush
Season 5, Episode 14
Airdate	February 13, 2001
Production Number	5ABB14
Written by	David Fury
Directed by	Daniel Attias
← 5x13 Blood Ties	5x15 → I Was Made to Love You
Buffy the Vampire Slayer — Season Five

Crush is the fourteenth episode of the fifth season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the ninety-second episode overall, and delves more into Spike's love for Buffy. One of the Summers returns Spike's feelings, but unfortunately for him it's the pint-sized one. Meanwhile, a woman from Spike's past comes back into his life.

Sarah Michelle Gellar (Buffy Summers), Nicholas Brendon (Xander Harris), Alyson Hannigan (Willow Rosenberg), Emma Caulfield (Anya), Michelle Trachtenberg (Dawn Summers), James Marsters (Spike)

and Anthony Stewart Head (Giles)

Guest Starring: Mercedes McNab (Harmony Kendall), Charlie Weber (Ben), Amber Benson (Tara), Juliet Landau (Drusilla)

and Kristine Sutherland (Joyce Summers)

Co-Starring: Frederick Dawson (Porter), Greg Wayne (Student), Joseph DiGiandomenico (Matt), Walter Borchert (Jeff), Asher Glaser (Boy in Bronze), Jennifer Bergman (Girl in Bronze), Nell Shanahan (Waitress)

Plot Overview

Buffy discovers Spike's feelings for her and is utterly repulsed. However, Spike's love-life takes a new turn when Drusilla returns to Sunnydale with the temptation to return him to his old self.

Notes

Monster of the Week

• No new monster of the week, as this episode featured the return of Drusilla.

Body Count

#	Whom	By Whom	How	Where
1/2/3/4/5/6	Train Passengers & Conductor	Drusilla	Neck Bites	Train
7/8	Make Out Couple	Drusilla	Snapped Neck	The Bronze

Music

• Devics - "Key"

• Summercamp - "Play It By Ear"

• Summercamp - "Happy"

Arc Advancement

Characters

• Spike: Spike admits that he's in love with Buffy. He is eventually left by Drusilla and Harmony, while Buffy takes away his invitation into her home.

Referbacks

• Triangle: Spike mentions that it's not his fault that the Bronze's insurance doesn't cover "acts of troll."

• Blood Ties: Willow mentions still having headaches and nosebleeds from casting a teleportation spell on Glory.

• Becoming: Drusilla last appeared in the referenced episode.

Trivia

The Show

• Final Apperance: Although Drusilla appears in later episodes in both Buffy and the Angel spin-off series, they are all either flashbacks or The First transforming into her. This episode marks the final appearance that she makes in contemporary times.

• Final Appearance: This episode marks the final appearance of Harmony in the series, however she returns in Angel as a regular cast member.

• Angel Tie-In: The instance that Drusilla recants to Spike involving Darla being brought back to life is a brief summery of the events that occurred in the Angel episodes "Reunion" and "Redefinition".

Behind the Scenes

• Alternative Title: On the Radio Sunnydale soundtrack album, producer John C. King calls this episode, "Crush, Kill, Destroy".

Allusions and References

• Evil Dead: Evil Dead is a series of horror movies directed by Sam Raimi and starring Bruce Campbell, the movies are often referenced by horror directors and fans as one of the greatest uses of horror and comedy. It gained cult recognition and began Sam Raimi's career in the business. The main story involves five people accidentally unleashing demons in the woods.

Xander: Hey, Evil Dead, you're in my seat.

• The Hunchback of Notre Dame: The conversation that the girls have is about the novel The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo. The novel was about a misshapen, deformed bellringer named Quasimodo who falls in love with a gypsy named Esmeralda. Esmeralda, in turn, was in love with Judge Claude Frollo. There were several adaptations made of it, while Tara refers to the 1939 version which starred Charles Laughton, Buffy was talking about the 1996 animated Disney musical.

Willow: I just don't see why he couldn't have ended up with Esmeralda.

• The Ramones: The Ramones were, arguably, the first American punk band. They formed in the mid-1970s and gradually gained popularity and fame for their previously unheard of style of playing. Spike sings a bit of "I Wanna Be Sedated", a single off their 1978 album Road to Ruin.

Spike: I wanna be sedated...

• Queen of the Damned: Queen of the Damned is a novel written by Anne Rice as part of her Vampire Chronicles, which includes Interview With a Vampire. The Queen of the Damned is the oldest and most powerful of all vampires and was considered the mother of the vampire race. It was most recently adapted into a film staring Aaliyah.

Harmony: Now you've gone and picked up some cheap Queen Of The Damned to dress up like your precious Drood-zilla.

• The Addams Family: Morticia is a reference to the mother of the Addams Family, a cartoon created in 1932 by Charles Addams. The family went on to be adapted into various forms on television and into three movies. Harmony calling Drusilla "Moricia" works on a second level because Mercedes McNab was in the first two Addams Family movies.

Harmony: 'Cause Spikey don't play that game anymore, Morticia.

Memorable Moments

• Buffy telling Xander about Spike's love for her and slumping into the tape body outline on the train.

• Spike attempting to follow Buffy into her house only to slam into the invisible wall.

Quotes

• Spike: It's just, we took on that Glory chippie together, I was right there with you, fightin' the fight.

Buffy: Actually, you were sleeping the sleep of the knocked unconscious.

• Xander: (to Spike) Hey, uh, Evil Dead, you're in my seat.

Spike: Bugger it. (leaves)

Anya: Xander, I think you may have hurt his feelings.

Xander: And you should never hurt the feelings of a brutal killer. You know, that's, uh, that's actually some pretty good advice.

• Buffy: Poor Will. Still getting those headaches?

Willow: Fewer and further between, but, yep, they're still exercising their visitation rights.

• Xander: The point is, I work hard for that money.

Spike: And you're saying I didn't?

Xander: You stole it!

Spike: And you're making it into very hard work!

• Willow: What'd you think, Buffy?

Buffy: The test isn't till tomorrow, right? I don't have an opinion till then.

Willow: But, you read it, right?

Buffy: Kinda not. I rented the movie.

Tara: Oh, with, um - with Charles Laughton?

Buffy: I don't know. Was he one of the singing gargoyles?

• Dawn: I'm not even human. Not originally.

Spike: Yeah, well, originally I was. I got over it. Doesn't seem to me it matters very much how you start out.

• Dawn: And the lady just invited you in?

Spike: Well, I had hubby by the throat, didn't I? Promised her he'd live if she gave me the invite.

Dawn: And did you? Let him live?

Spike: What do you think? Too much for you?

Dawn: No. Keep going.

Spike: And I kill 'em. Right quick, the whole lot. But... there's someone missing. Supposed to be... this little girl. So I get real quiet and I hear this tiny noise coming from the coal bin. This little sigh. So I listened harder. It's very, very quiet...

(Buffy bursts into the crypt)

Spike: Oh, bloody hell.

Buffy: Spike, I need your help. Dawn is... (sees Dawn) here.

Dawn: Spike was just telling a story and he was just at this really cool part --

Buffy: (to Spike) What the hell is this? What is she doing here?

Dawn: Just hanging out.

Buffy: Here?

Dawn: Can you please let him finish the story? Then you could do the lecture?

Buffy: Yeah. Okay. Let's hear the story that Spike is telling my little sister.

Spike: Right. Yeah. So, uh, I knew the girl was in the coal bin. And I rip it open, very violent, haul her out of there... and then I give her to a good family in a nice home where they're never ever mean to her, and didn't lock her in the coal bin.

Dawn: What? That's so lame.

• Buffy: These vamps have been here for a while. They've nested.

Spike: So, you're saying they're a couple of poofters?

• Buffy: What is this? The late-night stakeout, the bogus suspects, the flask. Is this a date?

Spike: A - Please! A date? You are completely off your bird! I mean - Do you want it to be?

• Spike: You can't deny it. There's something between us.

Buffy: Loathing. Disgust.

Spike: Heat. Desire.

Buffy: Please! Spike, you're a vampire.

Spike: Angel was a vampire.

Buffy: Angel was good!

Spike: And I can be too. I've changed, Buffy.

Buffy: What, that chip in your head? That's not change. Tha-That's just... holding you back. You're like a serial killer in prison!

Spike: Women marry 'em all the time!

• Buffy: You don't know what you mean! You don't know what feelings are!

Spike: I damn well do! I lie awake every night!

Buffy: You sleep during the day!

Spike: Yeah, but... You are missing the point.

• Joyce: Honey, did you somehow, unintentionally, lead him on in any way? Uh, send him signals?

Buffy: Well, I do beat him up a lot. For Spike that's like third base.

• Joyce: Better to nip this in the bud before --

Buffy: The bud nips me?

Joyce: Exactly.

Willow: If you want, Buffy, I can go with. Back you up with some scowling.

• Buffy: Besides, you know, maybe I'm wrong. Maybe this - this whole thing's just been blown way out of proportion and he's already gone back to wanting me dead.

Willow: Here's hoping.

• Spike: I love you.

Buffy: Oh, my God.

Spike: Hey, no, look at me. I... love you. You're all I bloody think about... dream about. You're in my gut, my throat. I'm drowning in you, Summers. I'm drowning in you.

(Drusilla laughs)

Spike: I can do without the laugh track, Dru.

Drusilla: But it's so funny. I knew... before you did. I knew you loved the Slayer. The pixies in my head whispered it to me.

• Buffy: That doesn't prove anything except that you're a sick miserable vampire that I should have dusted a long time ago. And, hey, already there.

Spike: Don't mock this.

Buffy: Go mock yourself.

• Spike: If you don't admit that there's something there, some tiny feeling for me, then I'll untie Dru, let her kill you instead.

Drusilla: Yes, please. I like that game much more.

Spike: Just... give me something. A crumb... the barest smidgen. Tell me, maybe, someday, there's a chance.

Buffy: Spike....the only chance you had with me was when I was unconscious.

• Spike: Gaaah! What the bleeding hell is wrong with you bloody women?! What the hell does it take?! Why do you bitches torture me?!

Buffy: Which question do you want me to answer first?

• Spike: You can't just walk away from this.

Buffy: What part of punching you in the face do you not understand?

Spike: So we had a fight. It's not our first, love. It doesn't change anything.

Buffy: It changes everything, Spike! I want you out. I want you out of this town, I want you off this planet! You don't come near me, my friends, or my family again, ever! Understand?