Buffy the Vampire Slayer/This Year's Girl (1)

This Year's Girl (1)
Season 4, Episode 15
Airdate	February 22, 2000
Production Number	4ABB15
Written by	Douglas Petrie
Directed by	Michael Gershman
← 4x14 Goodbye, Iowa	4x16 → Who Are You? (2)
Buffy the Vampire Slayer — Season Four

This Year's Girl (1) is the fifteenth episode of the fourth season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and the seventy-first 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: Kristine Sutherland (Joyce Summers), Amber Benson (Tara Maclay), Leonard Roberts (Forrest Gates), Bailey Chase (Graham Miller), Chet Grissom (Detective), Alastair Duncan (Collins), Harry Groener (The Mayor)

and Eliza Dushku (Faith)

Co-Starring: Jeff Ricketts (Weatherby), Kevin Owers (Smith), Mark Gantt (Demon), Kimberly McRae (Visitor), Sara Van Horn (Older Nurse), Brian Hawley (Orderly), Jack Esformes (Doctor)

Plot Overview

The Scoobies' hunt for Adam takes a hiccup when Faith wakes up from her coma. Reeling from the pain of her loss and Buffy's fast ability to move on, Faith is eager for vengeance. Meanwhile, when news of Faith's escape gets out, the Watchers Council sends out a special team to retrieve the rogue Slayer.

Notes

Monster of the Week

There is no monster of the week, aside from a flayed demon who briefly appears and messenger on behalf of the Mayor with the tape for Faith. Instead, the episode deals with Faith waking from her coma and attacking Buffy with a device which switches their bodies.

Body Count

#	Whom	By Whom	How	Where
1	Demon	Adam	Gutted	Woods
2	Demon	Faith	Neck Snapped	Alleyway

Arc Advancement

Happenings

• Foreshadowing: Faith has another prophetic dream involving Buffy, with the last one being in the season three finale. In the dream, Buffy and Faith are making the bed in Buffy's house. Buffy tells faith that she has to go because there's much work to do, which Faith acknowledges, saying that "little sis" is coming.

• Watchers Council: Collins, Weatherby and Smith arrive in Sunnydale after Faith awakens from her coma and escapes. What exactly they're doing is unknown, but it is made clear that they are agents of the Watchers Council.

Referbacks

• 3x22 - Graduation Day (2): Faith was put into a coma by Buffy after suffering head trauma and a series of other injuries during their fight. Buffy attacked her in hopes of using her blood to cure Angel, who had been poisoned with a substance that could only be cured with the blood of a Slayer. Later that day, the Mayor ascended into demonhood and blown up inside the school after he ate Principal Snyder, broke Larry's back and employed a horde of vampires to keep the students at bay.

• 3x13 - The Zeppo: Faith and Xander had sex one night after Xander aided her escape from a demon member of an apocalypse cult. Their history was very brief and, when Xander last tried to use their "connection" to help her, she nearly strangled him to death.

Xander: You see, Faith and I have a little thing between us called "history."

Trivia

The Show

• Chronology: The first day depicted in this episode takes place on February 25, 2000.

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: "Une Revenante, Première Partie" ("A Ghost, Part 1")
  • Italian: "La Ragazza dell'Anno" ("The Girl of the Year")
  • German: "Böses Erwachen" ("Bad Awakening")
  • Spanish: "La Chica del Año" ("The Girl of the Year")

Goofs

• During the patrol scene in the woods, the camera follows Buffy as it passes by the trees with the strung up demon. As it wanders by the second tree, you can clearly see a crewman standing out in the open.

Quotes

• Buffy: They smell good, don't they?

Faith: What?

Buffy: Clean sheets. Like summer.

Faith: I wouldn't know.

• Xander: So, here it is. The latest in state-of-the-art combat technology. I gotta say, it doesn't look that complicated.

Buffy: So you can repair it?

Xander: Sure. Just as soon as I get my master's degree in advanced starship technology.

Willow: Well, why don't we experiment? Press some buttons, see what happens.

Giles: Well, I'd like to veto that.

Xander: Second. It's called a blaster, Will. A word that tends to discourage experimentation. Now, if it were called the Orgasmator, I'd be the first to try your basic button-press approach.

• Xander: I'd hate to see the pursuit of a homicidal lunatic get in the way of pursuing a homicidal lunatic.

• Willow: What did you tell him?

Buffy: The truth - that she's my wacky identical cousin from England, and whenever she visits, hijinks ensue.

Willow: It's good you guys have such an honest relationship.

• Willow: How'd you handle the Angel-y parts?

Buffy: I did some editing.

• Faith: That's the thing about a coma. You wake up all rested and rejuvenated, and ready for payback.

Buffy: So much for pleasantries, huh?

Faith: What'd you think, I'd wake up and we'd go for tea? You tried to gut me, Blondie.

• Faith: I wake up to find this blond chick isn't even dating the guy she was so nuts about before. I mean, she's moved on to the first college beefstick she meets. And not only has she forgotten about the love of her life, she's forgotten all about the chick she nearly killed for him. So that's my dream. That and some stuff about cigars and a tunnel.

• Willow: She's like this cleavagey slutbomb walking around going, "Ooh, check me out. I'm wicked cool. I'm five-by-five."

Tara: Five-by-five? Five what by five what?

Willow: See, that's the thing. No one knows.

• Tara: So, we recon till nightfall?

Willow: Then the ritual hiding begins.

• Joyce: You sure you're okay?

Faith: Five-by-five.