The battle with Dru has just begun. And we question where Spike’s true loyalties are. Will he return to Dru or is his devotion to Xander stronger? We don’t know the answer yet, but the journey sure is interesting!
Note: This recap may contain spoilers!
As the issue kicks off, Spike, Buffy, and Faith arrive to find Giles standing in front of the destroyed shop. Dru and her minions took Willow and Xander, leaving behind Giles and Tara unharmed. While Dru is very interested in Willow, because she’s vital to her ritual, Xander was just an afterthought. He could be sacrificed at any point, so time is of the essence.
Dru’s plan becomes even clearer as Faith finds some papers the vampire dropped on the way out. They are crude drawings showing Dru’s displeasure of Slayers. She envisions that she will capture two of them, Willow and Faith, and use the Dagger of Ka’angas to kill them. Then she will keep Buffy alive and continue snacking on her friends as Dru rises to power. Giles finds the ritual Dru is going to perform will open a portal to Hell permanently and Dru will reign as the Queen of the Damned.
Tara reluctantly stays behind with Giles, while Spike, Faith, and Buffy head out to Hungrus’ lair. Spike knows they will find Dru there because she wants revenge. And it turns out he was right. They fight off Dru’s minions as they make their way through the lair’s tunnels. Then the team finds Willow and Xander hanging from the ceiling in cages. They make an attempt to rescue them, Spike and Faith boosting Buffy enough to stretch to Xander’s cage, but they don’t get a chance to free him. Instead, Baby Crab arrives below. He is chained up, a kidnap victim as well, and doing Dru’s bidding to protect Xander.
Now, Buffy and Faith are caged as well. And their fates seem dire. Dru starts to flip a coin to figure out which one should die and Spike grabs the coin out of the air, pretending to be interested in Dru. Sadly, Xander thinks all he is saying is true and that Spike really has turned on them. I know that not to be true, based on how much he cares for Xander, but Spike’s acting has to be believable if he has a chance to rescue the team.
Meanwhile, Willow refuses to use her powers, since she doesn’t yet have control over them, But she does want to try reaching out to Tara. Maybe the witch will hear Willow and can come help them. Faith, Buffy, and Xander hold her hands to ground her and Willow makes contact. We leave the issue at this point, no resolution yet. I do hope the rescue goes well and Xander realizes that Spike was just acting. I am pulling for them all!
Rating: 4 / 5 Stars
