Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Doomed

Doomed
Season 4, Episode 11
Airdate	January 18, 2000
Production Number	4ABB11
Written by	Marti Noxon & David Fury & Jane Espenson
Directed by	James A. Contner
← 4x10 Hush	4x12 → A New Man
Buffy the Vampire Slayer — Season Four

Doomed is the eleventh episode of the fourth season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and the sixty-seventh episode overall.

Sarah Michelle Gellar (Buffy Summers), Nicholas Brendon (Xander Harris), Alyson Hannigan (Willow Rosenberg), Marc Blucas (Riley Finn), James Marsters (Spike)

and Anthony Stewart Head (Giles)

Guest Starring: Leonard Roberts (Forrest Gates), Bailey Chase (Graham Miller), Ethan Erickson (Percy West)

Co-Starring: Anastasia Horne (Laurie), Anthony Anselmi (Partier)

Plot Overview

Still dealing with each other's secret identities, Buffy and Riley group their respective resources to combat a set of demons gathering ingredients to bring on an apocalypse.

Notes

Monster of the Week

The demons which very nearly cause the apocalypse (once again) are Vahrall Demons. The inscription in Giles' book describes them with a series of short sentences:

Slick like gall, and gird in moonlight, father of portents, and brother to blight, limbs of talons, eyes like knives, bane to the blameless, thief of lives.

Very little is said about their exact plan, but it entails using the blood of a man, the bones of a child, the Word of Valios (a 15th century talisman which Giles happened to have in his possession) and three sacrifices to bring about a vague end of the world scenario. The sacrifices, originally thought to be of three humans, turns out to be self-sacrifices made in order to open the Sunnydale Hellmouth.

Body Count

#	Whom	By Whom	How	Where
1	Student	Demon	Throat Cut	Dorm Room
2	Vahrall Demon	—	Jumped Into Hellmouth	Library Ruins
3	Vahrall Demon	Spike	Thrown Into Hellmouth	Library Ruins
4	Vahrall Demon	Buffy	Stabbed	Library Ruins

Music

• "Hey!" by The Hellacopters: The song playing when Willow arrives at the aftershock party is "Hey!" by the Swedish rock band The Hellacopters. The song appears on the band's 1997 album Payin' the Dues, their second album.

• "Mouth Allmighty" by Echobelly: When Willow is eavesdropping on Percy's conversation, the one where he calls her a nerd, "Mouth Allmighty" by Echobelly is playing in the background. The BritPop band rose to prominence when former Smiths singer Morrissey praised their music and asked that they open for him on tour when they were starting out.

Arc Advancement

Happenings

• Slayer Lore: Forrest passes the Slayer off as simple myth, which he claims came from medieval folklorists attempting to explain what The Initiative handles on a day to day basis. This is the first time that the Slayer is believed to be a mythical boogeyman invented to scare children.

• Sunnydale High: Despite suffering massive structural damage when Buffy blew it up with the Mayor inside, Sunnydale High is still standing. The ruins aren't actually knocked down until the school is rebuilt.

Characters

• Spike: After a bout of suicidal depression, Spike is rejuvenated by the realization that although he can't harm humans, he can still fight demons. Although he has helped Buffy in the past for purely selfish reasons, this is the first time where he willingly inserts himself into the fold of fighting evil and becomes one of the members of the group.

• Riley: After coming to the rescue at the Hellmouth, Riley winds up accidentally outing himself as a member of the Initiative to Xander, Willow and Spike. By now, everyone except Giles knows his secret, much to his chagrin.

Referbacks

• 1x13 - Prophecy Girl: The Master's escape from his underground church prison was signified by a massive earthquake. When Buffy confronted The Master, she drowned in a pool of water, triggering the earthquake and allowing the Master to ascend to the surface. Buffy revived soon after her death by Xander giving her CPR.

Buffy: The last time we had an earthquake, I died.

• 3x22 - Graduation Day (2): From her first appearance in Sunnydale, Faith professed a love of slaying and that attitude eventually drove her into the hands of the Mayor. When she poisoned Angel with a toxin that could only be healed with the blood of a Slayer, Buffy set out to make Faith that Slayer. Faith escaped from the fight with her life, but not before suffering massive trauma that put her in a coma.

Buffy: Fun? The last person I know who believed that is in a coma right now because she had so much fun on the job.

Trivia

The Show

• Credits: Marc Blucas is added to the opening credits in this episode as a billed actor. He'll remain in that position for the duration of the season and into the next.

Behind the Scenes

• International: Buffy the Vampire Slayer has been dubbed into many different languages and the title translated for each different international version. Some international translations of this episode's title are:
  • French: "La fin du monde" ("The End of the World")
  • Italian: "La fine del mondo" ("The End of the World")
  • German: "Das Opfer der Drei" ("The Sacrifice of Three")
  • Spanish: "El fin del mundo" ("The End of the World")

Allusions and References

• Slayer: The Slayer that Forrest refers to is a thrash metal band founded in 1981 by guitarists Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King. The band is a cornerstone of the American thrash metal scene, particularly due to the influence of their 1986 album Reign in Blood. Forrest goes on to criticize them, saying that they are a pale imitation of Black Sabbath, a band that is frequently pointed to as the godfather of metal.

Forrest: Slayer? Thrash band. Anvil-heavy guitar rock with delusions of Black Sabbath.

Goofs

• After Spike is tossed the bag of bones, they seem to disappear and then reappear again between shots.

• When Spike is forced to wear Xander's clothes, he is wearing tan cargo shorts through the remainder of the episode until they get to the high school where he's now suddenly wearing blue jeans.

Quotes

• Riley: What are you?

Buffy: Capricorn, on the cusp of Aquarius. You?

• Buffy: I'm the Slayer. (Riley looks at her blankly) Slay-er. Chosen One. She who hangs out a lot in cemeteries. (he still has no reaction) You're kidding. Ask around. Look it up. Slayer, comma, The.

• Spike: My soddin' sleeping chair's bloody... sodden.

• Willow: So, naturally they're dealing with the crisis the only way they know how: Aftershock Party.

Buffy: Ah, this from the dorm that brought us the Somebody-Sneezed Party, and the Day that Ends in "Y" Party.

Willow: They do seem to be pretty generous with the milestones.

• Xander: (to Spike) I hate to break it to you, oh, Impotent One, but you're not the big bad anymore. You're not even the kind of naughty. You're nothing but a waste of space. My space. And as much as I always got a big laugh watching Buffy kick your shiny white bum, and as much as I know I can give you a little bum-kicking myself right now, I'm here to tell you something. You're not even worth it.

• Riley: Buffy. She's pretty cool, isn't she?

Forrest: Yes, already! She's cool. She's hot. She's tepid. She's all-temperature Buffy.

• Giles: It's the end of the world.

Buffy, Willow, and Xander: Again?!

• Riley: I don't know what's happened in your past.

Buffy: Pain. Death. Apocalypse. None of it fun.

• Riley: This thing -- this you and me thing... it's stupid!

Buffy: I know. Which is why we can't do it... the you and me thing.

Riley: No. I mean, you're stupid. I mean... I don't mean that. No. I think maybe I do!

Buffy: Wow. With sweet talk like that, you'll definitely melt my reservations.

• Giles: Oh - as usual - dear.

• Spike: Yeah! That's right! I'm back and I'm a bloody animal!

• Spike: What's this? Sitting around watching the telly while there's evil still afoot. That's not very industrious of you. I say we go out there and kick a little demon ass! What, can't go without your Buffy, is that it? Too chicken? Let's find her! She is the Chosen One after all. Come on! Vampires! Grrr! Nasty! Let's annihilate them. For justice and for... the safety of puppies and... Christmas, right? Let's fight that evil! Let's kill something! Oh, come on!