Buffy’s not around, so it’s up to the remaining members of Sunnydale to step up and protect the world from what’s to come. Unfortunately, those tasked with the job never really get a choice in the matter.
Note: This recap may contain spoilers!
We start with some conversational catch-up. Kendra, Robin, and Rose are hanging out at the Tuna Verse restaurant and discussing what lays ahead for them all. Downside is that Robin is increasingly testy and finally gets fed up with the discussion not leading to any kind of action. He didn’t ask to be a Watcher, but that’s the burden he’s currently carrying. And he seems to have the same attitude problem that Giles had. Maybe it’s a Watcher issue.
Kendra seems to have the right idea, in wanting to get everyone in the loop about the Hellmouth situation. With Buffy gone, it’s up to them to pick up the slack. But things work differently in Sunnydale. Namely, the good guys and the bad guys are a little hard to tell apart and all vampires aren’t necessarily evil. Case in point, half-vampire Xander.
Speaking of the turned-guy-in-question, he and Willow are out on night patrol and Xander seems to have a lot on his mind. He doesn’t have the attention span or patience to pay attention to Willow’s problems. This, of course, leads to a bit of a blow-up between the best friends and they pick at each other until Xander finally explodes and vamps out. When he snaps out of it, Xander admits that lately when he vamps out he feels more normal. When he’s human, he feels this pull towards darkness, like he could hurt Willow. That’s not a good sign and things are going to only get worse, as we soon see.
Kendra appears out of nowhere to attack Xander. In her mind, as she was taught, vampire equals bad and should be staked. Kendra is well-trained and even manages to get Xander pinned to the ground as Willow keeps trying to appeal to her. But Kendra’s not listening to Sunnydale logic. She’s the new Slayer, since Buffy’s gone, and she’s got a job to do. Then her new Watcher joins the party and it gets really bad really fast.
Robin says Buffy is dead, which may be true, but not something that her friends want to necessarily believe. And Robin’s not so keen on the situation either. He didn’t want the responsibility of being a Watcher and he appears to be cracking under the pressure. He’s frustrated at the role he’s been given and the opportunity he was never afforded. His mother was a Slayer, but the Council never chose him to continue the role. He will never be the Slayer he thought he was destined to be, but he is fulfilling what appears to be a much darker destiny.
Robin’s literally falling apart. He won’t listen to reason and then he gets really freaky before ordering Xander to join them. And Robin seems to be tapping into a much greater power than himself, as exerts some control over Xander. His soul is their soul, or so Robin claims. Thankfully, Xander manages to fight Robin’s control so that he, Willow, and Kendra can face off against whatever’s happening.
Willow quickly explains to Kendra about the whole sired, shared souls situation, so she’s on the same page with the group. Good thing, too, because Robin’s boss is building an army of men. The Hellmother will have her war, one way or the other. And as we leave the issue, we’re not sure where we stand, but we do know that Sunnydale will need all the help it can get.
Rating: 4 / 5 Stars
