The gang is moving toward something big, but at this point they’re still moving. However, there were some revelations about a secondary character that took me by surprise and got me re-energized for the plot, so that’s always a good turn. Let’s see where they go with this!
Note: This recap may contain spoilers!
The Vampyr book is now gone, thanks to Xander and Spike. Good going, guys! However, it doesn’t appear to be an issue of their negligence, but instead an inside job. Giles didn’t take it, and the protection wards Willow put into place are still holding strong. So, who stole the book? Turns out it’s the one I’d least expect, Andrew. He’s taken off with the book without a word to anyone, and he’s headed straight to their old stomping ground: Sunnydale. While Xander and Spike try to give him the benefit of the doubt that there’s a reason he’s doing what he’s doing, the rest are not so trusting. Added is the fact is that Sunnydale is the site of a “celebration of the occult at the town that proved its existence” every Halloween. With magic back in the picture, this is a recipe for disaster and it’s a race against time to get to Andrew before he can cause overwhelming damage.
Willow, Spike, and Buffy take off in pursuit of Andrew while Giles stays behind to do research, with Xander and Dawn providing support when they have time. Good plan, except there’s also a big, bad tentacle monster who is out to get the Slayer. Yes, we can’t have just one problem at a time, can we? The creature, called The Soul Glutton / Damnation Made Flesh / The Slithering Doom, gives us the backstory of how he created havoc, fell in love, settled down, and then lost it all because of a Slayer. He was too late to get back at the Slayer that did this to him and his family, so he’s determined to get his vengeance on the entire world now. Seems quite an escalation, but vengeance is usually that way.
Andrew finally makes it to Sunnydale and finds his underground bunker / bomb shelter. We soon learn that he wants to resurrect the other members of the trio, starting with Jonathan Levinson. They all saved their DNA and a digital copy of their consciousness in boxes stored in the bunker, and Andrew is sure that he can bring them back through the means he’s come up with. Considering how wrong his resurrections have gone before (hello, Robot!Buffy), I don’t put too much trust in him, but we’ll see.
Before he departs the bunker, he stores the Vampyr book in a shielded case so that Willow can no longer track its energy. It does put them off the trail for a bit, but they eventually find the empty bunker and discover Andrew’s resurrection plan. Before they can take steps on that, they have to deal with the monster who has suddenly showed up. Like I said, one problem just isn’t enough for these characters. They all put up a good fight until the monster retreats to regroup and the gang decides what their plan should be.
Willow decides that she will go after Andrew, who she thinks will go to Warren’s grave where his skin is buried, while Buffy and Spike should go after the monster. Buffy and Spike track the monster to Spike’s old crypt, bringing back old, bad memories. I miss his crypt, but I understand why he wanted to distance himself from it once he was souled. Spike proceeds to apologize for all the things he’s done bad to Buffy, and she says she doesn’t blame him because he didn’t have a soul. Quite a get-out-of-jail-free card, isn’t it? The heart-to-heart doesn’t last long, since Buffy finds a fresh body and the monster reveals himself.
Meanwhile, Willow’s gotten to Warren’s grave, where his skin is buried. She finds Warren’s box, which Andrew has broken because he apparently doesn’t want to resurrect Warren. So what is his plan? Something that I didn’t see coming. The last panel reveals that he’s going to try a resurrection spell on Tara! This could go horribly, horribly wrong, and the pain it could create is enormous. I’m looking forward to seeing where this goes, but also wary. All in all, it’s a good way to end the issue.
Rating: 4 / 5 Stars
