Buffy’s still trying to find her place and plan an ultimate escape from the internment camp where she, Willow, and Spike are being held. But while there’s motivation, there is also danger. Can the confined half of the Scooby Gang make it back to freedom before one of them falls to tragedy?
Note: This recap may contain spoilers!
Buffy’s in a very tricky position as a Trustee. She’s being taunted by monsters one minute and forced to save them the next. Well, she tries to anyway. There’s the issue of vampires starting to become blood-hungry, pushed to their limits as the weekly rations don’t seem to satisfy the thirst they have. One such vampire comes up against Buffy and, when he doesn’t stand down, she has to stake him. It is a lesson to others to stay in line and follow the rules, but it also earns her the reputation of being a traitor and oppressor to the monsters she’s seeking to keep in line.
The ogre is the number one agitator who is getting the camp riled up and rebelling against Buffy’s control. He tends to do that a lot, stirring up trouble and then splitting the scene when things get rough. And we soon learn that he’s behind a planned rebellion that’s going to take place soon. When the force field goes down to let the water trucks in, the ogre has arranged for all the monsters to rush in so that they can permanently shut it down and they can escape. Thankfully Buffy manages to prevent that uprising from happening, even though it causes her reputation to take even more hits in the process. Now a whole bunch of the camp is against her and plotting her death.
Though, the whole situation worked to Buffy’s advantage for one point. The other Trustees offer to let her work outside the force field for a couple of days, monitoring the work crews, to give the monsters enough time to cool down and not lash out in hatred. The fact that she gets to see what the work crews are doing all day provides clues as to what those behind the internment camp might be up to. They are making the workers create machine parts involving runes and magic. And the other workers are contributing their own talents to the same overall project. Why would officials who are set against magic be using it in their work? We will soon find out.
And perhaps we’ll find out the ultimate fate of the witches, too. Willow managed to get some of them out of the camp, thanks to Lake’s intervention. They have to agree not to use magic out in the world and, while it seems like an impossible request, Willow convinces them that it’s the best course of action. That leads to her telling Lake that there is a way for her to guarantee they cannot use magic, and that is for Willow to drain them. She’s not comfortable doing so, but it is a possibility. But would she be choosing based on what’s right, or perhaps out of personal greed? If she doesn’t take away the magic, they will remain there with her. She has a choice to make, and I have a feeling that it’s not going to be an easy one. And it will probably have repercussions that stretch a whole lot farther than just the witches. All of their actions will have wide consequences. I hope that they are strong enough to weather them.
Rating: 4 / 5 Stars
