An old friend, turned new enemy, is causing a lot of destruction and sadness around Sunnydale. Buffy and the rest of the group are going to have to make some hard choices before this is all over. However, these twists and turns are creating an exciting storyline!
Note: This recap may contain spoilers!
Rose has suffered as a result of the Slayers, Kendra knows that. But even though she’s keeping vigil at her friend’s bedside, she’s not taking the blame entirely on her own. Instead, she points to Giles as being ultimately responsible. If he had trained Buffy better, made her face her limitations and push through them, perhaps Rose wouldn’t be laying in that hospital bed. A tough thing to hear, especially for the Slayer-in-question who is listening in on the other side of the door.
Buffy’s dealing with a lot, and I get that. She’s working through the loss of Xander and the absence of Willow, the complicated relationship with Robin, and the burden of carrying the title of Slayer alongside another. It’s only natural that she would have odd dreams about her lost friend, even if they do involve a flying dinosaur named Zeppo. And while she wants to reach out to Willow to help decipher what it all means, she knows she can’t. But one phone notification is enough to have her seeking out to others, because this is something she cannot face alone.
Over at Giles’ house, she shows him and Kendra what the message was. It appears Xander is speaking from the dead, with an ominous “Miss me?” texted to his friend. Or more likely, he’s gone full undead, as Kendra points out. If that’s the case, they are going to have to confront the monster without letting personal connections from the past get in the way. Added to that, with the weird dreams Buffy’s been having lately and the odd message Giles gets from Jenny’s number, something big is brewing.
Jenny’s been put in the middle of something very dangerous, which might spell her death. While reading a tarot deck to her cat, Dolly, she’s interrupted by a frantic knocking on her door. It’s Xander, looking worse for wear. He says he was being chased and begs her to invite him inside, which she does, as she’s unaware that he is not who he appears. After causing destruction to her and her home, he sends a text to Giles that reads “I’m so hot right now, come over.” That cheeky message is a play on the fact he’s set Jenny’s house ablaze.
Racing over to Jenny’s house, Buffy and Kenda go inside to try and find Jenny. Instead, Xander attacks them and a lot of fighting ensues. He manages to take care of Kendra, throwing her out the window, so it’s down to just him and Buffy. But she will not be lured in by the appearance of her long-lost friend. He has changed, he is dangerous, and she must eliminate the threat. Buffy manages to rescue Jenny’s cat, but the woman herself is nowhere to be found. And Xander is long-gone, so they’ll have to confront him another day.
All of this is putting Giles in a bad place and he is not doing well with the potential that Jenny’s dead. However, Kendra and Buffy seem to come to some kind of truce. They must be united if they hope to win against Xander. The last scenes of the issue are Rose’s hospital room and we see Willow there at her bedside. With her return, a whole lot of complicated feelings are going to be added to the mix, but her help will be needed if they hope to defeat Xander. Interesting times ahead!
Rating: 4 / 5 Stars
