Showing posts with label Buffy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Buffy. Show all posts

Wednesday 23 March 2022

Get Up.


Talitha cumi” 


Quod perditum est, invenietur.
Not dead, nor not of the living.
Spirits of the interregnum, I call.
Gods, bind him. Cast his heart from the evil realm.
Te implor, Doamne; nu ignoră aceasta rugăminte!
Nici mort, nici al fiinţei,
lăsa orbită să fie vasul care-i vă transportă sufletul la el.
Aşa să fie! Aşa să fie!
Acum! Acum!

What was lost, shall be found.
Not dead, nor not of the living.
Gods, bind him, cast his heart from the evil realm.
I call on you, Gods, do not ignore this supplication!
Neither dead nor of being.
Let the orb be the vessel to carry his soul to him.
So be it! So be it!
Now! Now!


And He took The Damsel by The Hand 
and said unto her, 
Talitha cumi,” 
which is, being interpreted, 
“Damsel, I say unto thee, arise.”


42 INT. CORDELIA'S ROOM 
AT HOTEL / ANGEL INVESTIGATIONS 
Cordelia's sitting in her bed when Connor escorts Willow into her room. 

WILLOW 
Hi there. 

CORDELIA 
Long time, no see. (to Connor
It's OK, Connor. I'm fine. 
(Connor leaves the room

WILLOW
 (sits on the bed beside Cordy) How've you been? 

CORDELIA 
Higher power. You? 

WILLOW 
Ultimate Evil. 
But I got better. 

CORDELIA 
You heard about Faith? 

WILLOW (nods
Coma again. 

CORDELIA 
What about Angelus? 
Did you go down to see him yet? 

WILLOW 
I'm way avoidy. 
Too many memories. 
I'm just glad I don't have to be in the same room with him when I re-ensoul him. 

CORDELIA 
Oh, you really think you can pull it off? 
(feels around under her blanket

WILLOW 
Putting his soul back? 
It's the first spell I ever learned. 
I'm not gonna forget that

CORDELIA 
(grabs a knife under the blanket) 
What about the Muo-Ping? 

WILLOW 
The jar holding Angel's soul? 
Therein lies our boneage. 

CORDELIA 
Stolen right from our safe. 
And if we can't get the soul out of the jar, we can't put it back in Angel. 

WILLOW 
Yeah, Question is: 
“How do we get the soul out if we don't know where the jar is?”

CORDELIA 
And apparently, the thing's impervious to magic. 

WILLOW 
Yeah, I know already tried a standard locator spell, but zero joy. 

CORDELIA 
(puts down the knife
Right. Plus, Wesley's shaman says 
there's no way to extract the soul from a distance. 

WILLOW 
Soul trapped in a glass jar, 
impervious to magic. 
It is complicated. 

CORDELIA 
(nods
Tough nut to crack. 

WILLOW 
(gets an idea) 
Are you thinking what I'm thinking? 

CORDELIA 
(grabs the knife again) 
I doubt it. 

WILLOW 
(stands) 
We just break the jar

CORDELIA 
(gestures to her nightstand) 
Can you hand me that drink? 

WILLOW 
(backs to the door, excited
That way we don't have 
to magic the soul out. 
We just break the glass around it! 

CORDELIA 
(impatiently) 
Great idea. I'm really thirsty. 

WILLOW 
And then Angel's soul is still released into the ether, and—and there's something called Delothrian's Arrow. 
We don't even need to know 
where the target is. 
(opens the door

Cordy, this is fantastic! 
We're gonna get him back

(leaves the room

Cordelia throws the knife just as Willow leaves the room. The knife lands in the door at head level. 


43 INT. ROOM AT HOTEL / ANGEL INVESTIGATIONS 
Lorne's looking after Faith, who's still unconscious on the bed. 

LORNE 
Don't you worry, Princess. 
It'll all be over soon. I—
I've seen lots of girls go through just what you're going through now. 

(sings softly

There'll be another song for me, and I will sing it. 
Oh, there'll be another dream for me, someone will bring it. 

Cut to: 44 INT. DONUT SHOP - NIGHT 
1970's disco music plays as a long-haired Angel walks into the donut shop past Angelus. 

ANGELUS 
(rolling his eyes) 
Bring on the pain! Angel saunters up to the jukebox and selects a song. He stands there grooving as it starts to play. FAITH Mandy, huh? (Angelus sits down in a booth across from Faith) Must k*ll you he's got a jones for the power-ballads. Angelus swats as he hears buzzing sound. ANGELUS Worse were the concerts. (a couple walks out past Angel, who looks at them longingly) You know what that's like? (Angel sits at the counter) Every time he gets close, I feel it. Wanting to tear their flesh apart. The hunger. It's like a blade in my gut. FAITH Only, it's not your gut, princess. Angel's the one that belongs on the outside, not you. The clerk pours Angel a cup of coffee as Angel tries to recover from his temptation. ANGELUS You think it's that cut and dry, don't you? That if Angel gets his soul back— FAITH When he gets it. ANGELUS You'll just hang up your spurs and ride off into the sunset knowing you put the monster back in his cage. But, (disappears and reappears next to Faith) I'm always here, Faithy. Deep in. A man walks into the shop. CASHIER Hi. Can I help you? ROBBER Gimme your money. (sh**ts into the ceiling) Gimme the cash in the drawer. CASHIER (nervous) Oh. OK. ROBBER Open it! CASHIER Oh, all right. I, uh— ROBBER Come on! CASHIER I, uh, I just need to... ROBBER Now! (sh**ts the clerk, then runs out of the shop) ANGEL (goes to the clerk's side) It's gonna be OK. I'll get you to a hospital. You're—you're gonna be OK. All right? It's—everything's gonna be— CASHIER It hurts. ANGEL Yeah, I know. ANGELUS (mockingly) Doc, I think we're losing him. God, I love this episode! (the buzzing sound occurs again; Angelus swats at the air like there's a fly) What is that buzzing? Cut to: 


45 INT. CORDELIA'S ROOM AT HOTEL / ANGEL INVESTIGATIONS Cordelia's holding the crystal in her hand, trying to contact Angelus. CORDELIA Hear me, Angelus. Heed my warning. Awaken at once. Return from the darkness. Or just lay there and let that red-headed meddler put your soul back. Whichever! Cut to: 


46 INT. LOBBY AT HOTEL / ANGEL INVESTIGATIONS Wesley and Willow are preparing a spell. There's a bubbling jar in front of Willow. WILLOW Look, it's working. WESLEY I thought Delothrian's Arrow was used to protect good magicks. WILLOW It is. WESLEY So, how can you use it to break the jar? The Muo-Ping is a sacred object. It's holy. WILLOW It's glass, therefore crunchable. The sacred's what's inside. "All life a container..." WESLEY "...For the heart of all life." You've studied the Daharim. WILLOW It had to be something specific. There's lots of jars in the world—can't shatter them all. I mean, you could, but good things come in jars. Peanut butter, jelly, those two-headed fetal pigs at the natural history museum. (Wes doesn't respond) Come on, everybody loves fetal pigs. WESLEY (leans forward) Sorry. I think my sense of humor's trapped in a jar somewhere. WILLOW Does seem like you've given in to the grumpy side of the force. WESLEY A lot's happened. Not just Angelus. I've been—I've changed. I've seen a darkness in myself. I'm not sure you'd even begin to understand— WILLOW I flayed a guy alive and tried to destroy the world. WESLEY Oh. So... (stands, doesn't make eye-contact) WILLOW Darkness. Been there. WESLEY Yeah. Well, I never flayed... (seems sickened) I had a woman chained in a closet. WILLOW Hey. WESLEY That doesn't compare. WILLOW No, dark. That's dark. You've been to a place. WESLEY You seem exactly the same as when I left. No other major changes I'm not up on? WILLOW (shrugs) Just little things. So, uh, Fred. What's her story? 




Cut to: 47 INT. DONUT SHOP - NIGHT Angel is squatting next to the clerk. ANGEL God, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. The clerk dies. Angel stands and backs away, staring at the clerk. ANGELUS So, who's your big hero now? FAITH Wasn't even his fault. God, does the guy gotta pay for everything? ANGELUS Choices, little girl. The ones you make with your heart of hearts. (Angel goes to the door, but stops and locks the door) Uh-oh. What's gonna happen? FAITH He won't. Angel walks back to the clerk. ANGELUS I'm deep in, Faith. Soul or no soul. Angel vamps out and lifts the clerk. FAITH Angel! (Angel bites the clerk) Ugh. Faith's neck starts to bleed. FAITH He was gonna save him. ANGELUS Or did he choose to be a little slow on the draw? Whoops! Dinner by armed robbery. Look at him, Faith. You're a m*rder*r. You know just how good that blurry line tastes. You didn't think my hell was private, did ya? Angel screams. Fade to black. ACT III: 48 INT. ROOM AT HOTEL / ANGEL INVESTIGATIONS Lorne dabs away tears from Faith's face. Connor's sitting in a chair in the corner of the room, watching her. LORNE She's in the barrens now. They cry for a while. Quiet mostly. Like they're letting go of everything that meant something. CONNOR How long...'til...? LORNE Not long. You can hold her hand. Connor stands, but Wesley walks into the room. CONNOR Wesley, you did the right thing. She was brave, and she died in battle. WESLEY (staring at Faith) It's time. Cut to: 49 INT. LOBBY AT HOTEL / ANGEL INVESTIGATIONS Fred walks around the lobby in a circle carrying a lit white candle and ringing a bell. WILLOW (touches Fred's chin, lifting it higher, smiling) You're good. Good bells. (walks up to the front desk; to Gunn) OK, now all I gotta do is contact the spirit world, harness the Delothrian ebb, and focus it through my little marble of doom here. (holds out a small metal ball) And we'll restore the Muo-Ping's entropic equilibrium. GUNN The jar goes smash? WILLOW Smash-o-crash. GUNN All I need to know. I'll be downstairs in case the Prince of Darkness wakes up. (leaves the room) WILLOW OK. WESLEY (walks up to Willow) You ready? WILLOW (nods) Should be a snap. A bolt of orange energy hits Willow and sends her sliding across the floor. BEASTMASTER (V.O.) Stay your hand, witch! (show Cordelia is holding the crystal again, saying the words of the Beastmaster) You will not interfere with what must come to pass. WILLOW (stands, covers her head with her hands and weakly mumbles) Invadoria disparu! BEASTMASTER (V.O.) You think to banish me? 
WILLOW 
(to Wesley) 
There's somebody in my head. 

CORDELIA (as Beastmaster) 
As long as the soul is under my protection, it will never be freed. 

WILLOW 
(to the sky) 
Vetsche invadoria disparu! CORDELIA (as Beastmaster) I'th bid my thongue. WESLEY He's enormously powerful. It's the dead Beast's master. He contacted Angelus the same way. FRED He wants to stop us from getting the soul. 
WILLOW 
(black-eyed, holding her hand out, the marble in it floats and starts to glow) 
Open the window. Fill this stone. 
Inside, outside. Two made one. 

CORDELIA (as Beastmaster) 
You wanna go, Glinda? We'll go

Willow's knocked down by another bolt of energy from the Beastmaster. 

CONNOR 
Are you sure she can handle it? 

WILLOW 
(black-eyed, focused on the glowing ball in front of her
Alesh ashtoreth! 

The ground starts shaking. 

WESLEY 
I think she can hold her own. 


Cut to: 50 INT. ROOM AT HOTEL / ANGEL INVESTIGATIONS 

Lorne's talking to Faith while the building shakes around them. 

LORNE 
It's OK, Faith. It's OK. 
You just wait. They'll get Angel back,
 and... (trying to convince himself) 
it'll all be worth it. It'll all— 

(Faith gasps and sits up

Cut to: 51 EXT. ALLEY - NIGHT Faith finds herself in a dark alley full of trash. ANGELUS (O.S.) It'll all be worth it. Is that what you try to tell yourself, Faithy? Is that the nastly little lie that kept those thighs nice and warm in your prison bunk? FAITH (looks around, trying to find Angelus) You kiss your mama with that mouth? ANGELUS (shows up behind her, lying on the ground) No, but I ate her with it. (stands without bending his body) And now for a poem. "Faith goes gently into that good night." You're fading fast, baby. I can feel it. FAITH All the same, I hear this holler in the distance. Cut to: 51a INT. LOBBY AT HOTEL / ANGEL INVESTIGATIONS Still casting the spell, defying the Beastmaster. WILLOW Semsa nahl eresh a'lahm! Cut to: FAITH Tells me you're about to get what's coming to you. ANGELUS Or not. I've got friends in high places. (further down the alley, Angel stumbles around, knocking over garbage cans) Him, not being one of 'em. Angel grabs a rat and eats it. FAITH Ugh. When is this? ANGELUS When isn't it? Twenty years after that stupid donut shop, and his fingers never smelled of anything but rat! "I'm so sorry. I give up. I'm gonna live in a sewer!" FAITH He's paying for what he did. ANGELUS He's hiding from what he is—which may be a big Psych 101 revelation for you, cupcake, but I already know this crap, so why do I have to go through it again? ANGEL Maybe 'cause it's not about you, (stands) jackass. Cut to: 52 INT. LOBBY AT HOTEL / ANGEL INVESTIGATIONS The ground is shaking in the hotel. Wesley, Connor, Fred, and Willow are in the lobby. WESLEY Do you feel that? CONNOR There's something evil rising in the hotel. Cut to: 52a INT. CORDELIA'S ROOM AT HOTEL / ANGEL INVESTIGATIONS White-eyed Cordelia is chanting in front of the Muo-Ping. CORDELIA Seiza jai n'hast engai... Seiza jai n'hast engai... Cut to: 52b INT. BASEMENT AT HOTEL / ANGEL INVESTIGATIONS Gunn feels the ground shake as he guards Angelus in the cage. Cut to: An apparition of a huge demonic head floats above the gang in the lobby, growling and shrieking. CONNOR What the hell is that? WILLOW (to Connor) Ignore it. (to the glowing ball in front of her) Find your target. Leave my side. Cut to: 52a INT. CORDELIA'S ROOM AT HOTEL / ANGEL INVESTIGATIONS Cordelia is sitting in front of the muo-ping, talking to herself. CORDELIA OK, then. Huge floaty head not enough to scare you? Then why don't we try— (the glowing ball Willow sent comes straight toward the Muo-Ping; Cordelia puts up a hand to stop it, concentrating hard) And now she is on my last nerve! Cut to: WILLOW Geth na haroth castellum tol. Cut to: 52a INT. CORDELIA'S ROOM AT HOTEL / ANGEL INVESTIGATIONS Cordelia's concentrating hard on keeping Willow's magic marble from getting to the jar. CORDELIA If only this were a few weeks later. Cut to: WILLOW Break the glass FRED (looks around) Where's Connor? WILLOW Let loose the soul! Cut to: 52a INT. CORDELIA'S ROOM AT HOTEL / ANGEL INVESTIGATIONS Connor tries to burst into Cordelia's room, but it's barricaded. CONNOR (banging into the door) Cordy! Are you OK? CORDELIA (startled, breaks her concentration) Ah! (the marble breaks the Muo-Ping, releasing Angel's soul into the ether, Cordelia turns to look) Oh sh— Cut to: 53 EXT. ALLEY - NIGHT Angel, Angelus and Faith are talking in the alley. Angel is filthy, covered in dirt and grime, wearing a longish hair style. ANGELUS I don't believe this! You're the one behind this whole true-Hollywood sob-story? FAITH Angel, it's good to see you. (Angelus chuckles) Hate the hair. ANGEL Faith, why are you still here? FAITH Just waiting to see this pervert get stuffed back into the deep, crazy ground he came from. ANGEL Then what? After that, what happens? Angelus kicks Faith, knocking her down. ANGELUS Probably something like that. I had a feeling the rules have changed. ANGEL She's not who you're after. ANGELUS No kidding, rat boy. The slayer will just be gravy once I finish you off. BOTH (ANGEL & ANGELUS) I've been waiting a long time for this. Angel and Angelus start fighting. Fade to black. ACT IV: 54 EXT. ALLEY - NIGHT Angel and Angelus are fighting. ANGEL Faith, get up! Are you listening? FAITH (weakly) Angel, I'm dying. ANGEL Yeah. It's a lot easier than redemption, huh? (kicks Angelus) ANGELUS (grabs Angel by the neck) Always so concerned with the human condition. (throws Angel down the alley) It's no big mystery, man. They suffer, they die. That's what they're there for. ANGEL (lunges at Angelus) I'm not perfect, Faith. Even with a soul, I've done things I wished a thousand times I could take back. ANGELUS Yeah, like those Manilow concerts. (throws Angel across the alley) Son of a bitch! Cut to: 55 INT. CORDELIA'S ROOM AT HOTEL / ANGEL INVESTIGATIONS Connor bursts into Cordelia's room, pushing the barricade of furniture away from the door. CONNOR Cordy! I'm coming in. Cordelia bangs Connor over the head with a ceramic vase that shatters. CORDELIA Oh, Connor, I'm so sorry. I thought it came back. (cries) That horrible floaty head. CONNOR Did it hurt you? Is the baby...? CORDELIA (high-pitched voice) We nearly got k*lled. CONNOR Willow's spell must've opened a gateway to something. CORDELIA Evil. If she keeps at it, there's no telling what will happen. She's already let hell itself into this hotel. CONNOR I know. I've seen it. It's not safe for you here. I'm gonna make her stop. CORDELIA Connor, you can't! She's too powerful. But you can stop it. The reason for all of this. (whispers) You have to k*ll Angelus. Cut to: 56 INT. LOBBY AT HOTEL / ANGEL INVESTIGATIONS Fred, Wesley and Willow are lighting candles and incense in the lobby. FRED (looking around) So... now Angel's soul is just floating around out there? WILLOW Yeah, until I can channel it into the Orb of Thessulah. FRED Connor shouldn't have run off like that. WESLEY I'm sure he's just worried about Cordelia. FRED Do you ever think their relationship is maybe a little bit...icky? Cut to: 57 INT. CORDELIA'S ROOM AT HOTEL / ANGEL INVESTIGATIONS Cordelia's talking to Connor. CORDELIA You have to k*ll your father. You have to. Now, before anything else goes wrong. 

Cut to: 58 INT. LOBBY AT HOTEL 
/ ANGEL INVESTIGATIONS 
Willow and Fred are holding books. 

WILLOW (to Fred) 
Ready when you are. 

FRED 
(reading) 
Quod perditum est invenietur... 
WILLOW (reading) 
Nisi mort. Nisi al finitei. Te invoc, spirit al trecerii... 

Cut to: 59 INT. CORDELIA'S ROOM AT HOTEL / ANGEL INVESTIGATIONS Cordelia's talking to Connor. CORDELIA You know I have fought harder than anyone to save Angel's life, but there comes a time when you have to weigh risk versus reward. And as much as I love Angel...as a friend... k*ll*ing Angelus now is the only way to guarantee our family's safety. Cut to: 60 INT. CORDELIA'S ROOM AT HOTEL / ANGEL INVESTIGATIONS Gunn's still guarding the unconscious Angelus. CORDELIA (V.O.) I know it in my heart now. You're not just protecting me. You're protecting the world. 

Cut to: 61 INT. CORDELIA'S ROOM 
AT HOTEL / ANGEL INVESTIGATIONS 
Lorne's looking after the unconscious Faith. 

CORDELIA (V.O.) 
Sometimes one death can spare infinite pain. 

Cut to: 62 EXT. ALLEY - NIGHT 
While Angel and Angelus are fighting, Faith's lying unconscious against the alley wall. 

ANGEL 
Faith, wake up! 

FAITH 
(wakes) 
I've rolled the bones. 
You for me. 

ANGEL 
(walks away from the fight with Angelus to talk to Faith) 
I used to think that. That there'd be a point when I'd paid my dues. 

ANGELUS 
(knocks out Angel from behind) 
Anybody notice a battle with your alter-ego going on here? 

Cut to: 63 INT. HOTEL / ANGEL INVESTIGATIONS 
Connor's walking purposefully down the hallway. 

CONNOR (V.O.) 
What will I tell the others? 

CORDELIA (V.O.) 
They can't stop you if they don't know? 

CONNOR (V.O.) 
What about the sanctuary spell? 

CORDELIA (V.O.) 
I can fix it. We're Special, Connor. 

Willow's still working on the spell 
to re-ensoul Angel in the lobby. 
She's chanting, facing the Orb of Thessulah. 
Connor looks over at them

WILLOW 
Te implor doamne. 
Nu ignora accasta rugaminte lasa orbita 
sa fie vasul care-i va transporta sufletul la el. 

CORDELIA (V.O.) 
Special

Cut to: 64 EXT. ALLEY - NIGHT 
Angel and Angelus are fighting in the alley again. 
Angel leaves the fight and goes over to Faith's side, 
holding her up in his arms. 

ANGEL 
Faith, listen to me. You saw me drink
It doesn't get much lower than that. 
And I thought I could make up 
for it by disappearing

FAITH 
I did my time. 

ANGEL 
Our Time is never up, Faith. 
We pay for everything

FAITH 
It hurts

ANGEL 
I know. I know. 

Cut to: 65 INT. LOBBY AT HOTEL / ANGEL INVESTIGATIONS 
Willow's still working on the spell 
to re-ensoul Angel in the lobby. 
She's chanting, facing the Orb of Thessulah. 

WILLOW
Este scris aceasta putere 
este dreptul poporuil 
meu de a conduce. 

Cut to: 66 INT. BASEMENT AT HOTEL / ANGEL INVESTIGATIONS
Connor walks down the stairs into the basement. 

CONNOR 
Hey, Gunn, you should know...
(punches Gunn, knocking him out) 
they haven't finished the spell yet. 

Cut to: 67 EXT. ALLEY - NIGHT
Angel's talking to a weakened Faith. 

ANGEL
Get up! You have to get up now. 
Faith, you have to fight. 
I need you to fight. 
Do you understand what I'm saying? 

Angelus sneaks up behind Angel 
and knocks him out with a metal pipe. 

ANGELUS 
What won't I miss? The moralizing. 
Soul's already in the ether, boyo. I can smell it. 
How 'bout I send it off to that big puppy rescue in the sky.

FAITH 
(from behind
Arf arf, psycho. 

ANGELUS
Faith. Getting back into The Game. 

FAITH
I guess I am. 

ANGELUS 
(swings the pipe at Faith, but she disappears
Hey! 

Cut to: 68 INT. ROOM AT HOTEL 
/ ANGEL INVESTIGATIONS 
Faith wakes with a start, and without missing a beat, 
she runs out of the room. 

Cut to: 69 INT. LOBBY AT HOTEL 
/ ANGEL INVESTIGATIONS 
Willow's still working on the spell to re-ensoul Angel in the lobby. She's chanting, facing the Orb of Thessulah. 

WILLOW
Asa sa fie, acum. 

Cut to: 70 EXT. ALLEY - NIGHT
Angelus and Angel start to glow and combine into one being. 

Cut to: 71 INT. BASEMENT AT HOTEL 
/ ANGEL INVESTIGATIONS 
Chained Angel is mumbling to himself 
with Connor kneeling over him. 

ANGEL 
(mumbling) 
I need you to fight. 

CONNOR 
I'm pretty clear about what you need.
(rears his hand back, revealing that he's got a stake in it

FAITH
(grabs Connor's wrist, stopping him from staking Angel
Break me off a switch, son. 
(throws Connor against the cage wall
There's about to be a whoppin'. 

Faith and Connor fight. 

LORNE 
(runs into the basement, followed by Fred and Wesley
She's alive. It's a miracle! 
Faith continues to kick Connor's butt across the room. 
When he lands near the cage, 
Angel grabs his neck through the bars. 

ANGEL 
Connor, it's over. It's me. Really

Cut to: 72 INT. GARDEN AT HOTEL 
/ ANGEL INVESTIGATIONS 
Faith comes outside to talk to Angel. FAITH Hey. (leans forward on the rail) ANGEL How're you feeling? FAITH Like I did mushrooms and got eaten by a bear. ANGEL That about sums it up. FAITH Yep. ANGEL And now you're going to Sunnydale. FAITH I think I prefer the bear, but the way Willow talks it up, that's where I'm needed. ANGEL Never stop fighting. (leans on the rail beside Faith) FAITH Hey, I was gonna, but someone got all pep-talky on me. ANGEL Yeah. I'm sorry I didn't get to see you. Our little brain tour notwithstanding. FAITH (smiles) Another time. ANGEL (stands) I have a lot to thank you for. FAITH Well, that vice is plenty versa. I even start, it's only gonna lead to hugging, and... (shrugs, smiles) ANGEL Right. We can't have that. FAITH No. They walk inside. Cut to: 73 INT. LOBBY AT HOTEL / ANGEL INVESTIGATIONS Faith and Angel walk inside to see Connor sitting on a couch with Gunn standing in front of him with his arms crossed. CONNOR All right. I get it. I messed up. FAITH Hey, cheer up, punk. That just makes you one of us. GUNN You headed out? FAITH Yeah, no tears, big guy. (gives Gunn a high-five) GUNN Nah, I'm good. I just wish I could've seen you kicking the crap out of junior, here. FAITH It was pretty funny. Wes. WESLEY Faith. FAITH See. Brits know how to say goodbye. Angel here wanted a hug. ANGEL No, I didn't. FAITH Been a good show. GUNN Yeah, sit back and let the girl do all the heavy lifting. WESLEY That's pretty much it. FRED (walks out of the office with Willow, who's holding a book) I think that volume's outdated. You'd know better than me, but there's some interesting stuff about hellmouth. Might help. WILLOW This is great. FRED (extra smiley) I have to say, someday I'd love to bend your ear about the Pergamum Codex. I—I think some of the really obscure passages are actually Latin translated from a demonic tongue, and they're kind of a hoot. (giggles) All this stuff about Bacchanals and spells and—actually, I think it's probably funnier in Latin. You know how that is sometimes. WILLOW I'm seeing someone. FAITH Time goes by, Will. WILLOW OK. Good. Wagons west. See you guys. ANGEL Willow... FAITH He's going to tell you how much he owes you. WILLOW Aw, don't mention it. I got a slayer out of the deal, so we're even-steven. (hugs Angel) I'll tell Buffy you said hi. ANGEL Good. Thanks. WILLOW (starts to walk out, but stops, turn to them) Oh, um, next time you guys resurrect Angelus, call me first, OK? Willow and Faith walk out the front door. Angel turns to face the gang. ANGEL So, we're back. WESLEY It would seem. 
ANGEL Look, I know things have been— 

CORDELIA (walks down the stairs) Sorry, Angel. But if this is the speech about how the worst is behind us, you may want to save it for later. Cordelia's wearing a trampy outfit that reveals her pregnancy to the gang. Cut to:



As the orb is round in nature, as the earth, is round in nature 
and the heavens are round in nature, 
so is the soul. 

Return from whence you were banished, 
using this orb as your guide — 
penetrate every ounce of the flesh, 
every sinew of the body and every tissue of the heart. 

Make what lays before you more than the empty vessel that is animal, that is beast — make it man as God created when he separated the firmament of the heavens from the earth.
Come forth now, return, return. As the orb burns, let life burn.

Sunday 3 October 2021

Girl




BUFFY: You're the ones tried killing me. KNIGHT: No, we were fools, three alone. But if it takes a hundred men, we send a hundred men, and if it takes a thousand, we send a thousand. BUFFY: A thousand? KNIGHT: So long as you protect the key, the brotherhood will never stop until we destroy it and you. You are the Slayer, and we know what we must do. Now, be done with it. Kill us, and let legions follow. Buffy shoves the staff into his throat again, then tosses it aside, gets up and picks up the sword. The knight gets to his feet, and she puts the sword to his throat. He turns his head away waiting for the kill stroke. BUFFY: Go. The knight looks surprised, edges around her and leaves. Buffy stares at the sword. Cut to: Buffy entering the magic shop, still holding the sword. Pan across all the Watchers standing there, the four Slayerettes still sitting on the upper level, and Travers sitting at the table with a pile of papers spread out in front of him. Giles sits on the stairs leading up to the balcony. TRAVERS: You're late. BUFFY: Yeah. GILES: (sees the sword, gets up) Was, was there an attack? BUFFY: Yeah. TRAVERS: We can begin the review at last. We'll, uh, skip the more obvious questions... Buffy puts the sword down on his papers. BUFFY: There isn't gonna be a review. TRAVERS: Sorry? BUFFY: No review. No interrogation. No questions you *know* I can't answer. No hoops, no jumps - (Nigel starts to speak) and no interruptions. Nigel shuts up. Buffy looks around, begins to pace. BUFFY: See ... I've had a lot of people talking at me the last few days. Everyone just lining up to tell me how unimportant I am. And I've finally figured out why. (looks Travers in the eye) Power. I have it. They don't. This bothers them. Buffy moves back to the table, removing her coat. BUFFY: Glory ... came to my home today. GILES: (alarmed) Buffy, are you- BUFFY: (puts her coat on a chair) Just to talk. (resumes pacing) She told me I'm a bug, I'm a flea, she could squash me in a second. (stops, looks at Travers again) Only she didn't. She came into my home, and we talked. We had what in her warped brain probably passes for a civilized conversation. Why? (pauses) Because she needs something from me. Because I have power over her. Buffy looks around, hands on her hips. She walks the floor, looking from one Watcher to the next as she talks. BUFFY: You guys didn't come all the way from England to determine whether or not I was good enough to be let back in. You came to beg me to let you back in. To give your jobs, your lives some semblance of meaning. NIGEL: This is beyond insolence- Buffy grabs the sword from the table and throws it across the room in a single movement. It flies point-first into the wall directly in front of Nigel's nose. He jumps back looking shocked. BUFFY: (clears throat) I'm fairly certain I said no interruptions. XANDER: (whispers) That was excellent! Willow and Tara grin. BUFFY: You're Watchers. Without a Slayer, you're pretty much just watchin' Masterpiece Theater. You can't stop Glory. You can't do anything with the information you have except maybe publish it in the "Everyone Thinks We're Insane-O's Home Journal." (Pauses, addresses Travers again) So here's how it's gonna work. You're gonna tell me everything you know. Then you're gonna go away. (resumes pacing) You'll contact me if and when you have any further information about Glory. The magic shop will remain open. Mr. Giles will stay here as my official Watcher, reinstated at full salary... GILES: (coughing) Retroactive. BUFFY: ...to be paid retroactively from the month he was fired. I will continue my work with the help of my friends... WATCHER2: I, uh, I ... don't want a sword thrown at me, but, but, civilians, I - we're talking about children. BUFFY: (looks up at her friends on the balcony) We're talking about two very powerful witches and a thousand-year-old ex-demon. ANYA: Willow's a demon?! PHILIP: The boy? No power there. BUFFY: The boy has clocked more field time than all of you combined. He's part of the unit. WILLOW: (whispers to Xander) That's Riley-speak. XANDER: (whispers back, with a big grin) I've clocked field time. BUFFY: Now. (addresses the Watchers) You all may be very good at your jobs. The only way we're gonna find out is if you work with me. You can all take your time thinking about that. (turns back to Travers) But I want an answer right now from Quinton, 'cause I think he's understanding me. TRAVERS: (clears throat) Uh, your terms are acceptable. Giles smiles hugely. The Slayerettes burst into cheers and applause, but quickly stop, looking embarrassed. Buffy looks up at them, looks at Giles. She doesn't smile, but looks satisfied. She sits across from Travers. BUFFY: See? No biggie. TRAVERS: (nods) Uh, Rupert. GILES: Quinton? TRAVERS: When we inventoried your shop, we found a bottle of single malt scotch behind the, uh, incense holders. GILES: Well, it's, it's not, you know, during working hours. TRAVERS: I think I could use a glass. GILES: Well, I suppose we could- (starts to move away) BUFFY: (gets up) Just a minute. (Giles stops) Glory. I wanna know. TRAVERS: 
Well, there's a lot to go through. BUFFY: 
Just tell me what kind of demon I'm fighting. 
TRAVERS: 
Well, that's the thing, you see.
Glory isn't a demon. 

BUFFY: 
What is she? 

TRAVERS: 
She's a God. 

BUFFY: 
(long pause, eyes widen) Oh. Blackout. Executive Producer: Joss Whedon.

Monday 30 August 2021

Wait. Stop. Think!




'cuz Opportunity comes 
once in a Lifetime,
You'd better --

Loose y'self in The Music,
The Moment,
You WANT it,
Better never let it go (go)!



“....hmm.

‘spose My Illusions don’t WORK on Artificial Intelligence.

Stands to REASON when you THINK about it.

Oh, well —

TELEKINESIS it is.” 

When Buffy hears the door close she pushes the lid back open and climbs out, only to be startled by Faith's hand on her shoulder. 

Buffy, The Vampire Slayer :
Faith! 

Faith, The Vampire Slayer
(baffled and vaguely disgusted)
What are you doing, 
hiding in there? 

Buffy, The Vampire Slayer :
Looking for the amulet. 
Wasn't counting on the Special Guest Stars. 
Six against one. 
(gestures at the coffin
Hence the hiding

Faith, The Vampire Slayer : 
Well, it's six against two now, 
so come on. 

She rushes out of the crypt. 
Buffy climbs out of the coffin and follows her out. 

Cut outside. 
They come out in time to see the last two Eliminati jump down through a manhole into the sewers below. 

Faith makes tracks for it. 

Buffy
Wait. Stop. Think! 

Faith
(stops, defiantly) 
No, no, no

(starts again) 

Buffy
(chases her) 
It's a manhole. 
Tight space, no escape, six against two, 
not unlike three against one. 

Faith: 
And there might be more, (grabs Buffy's arm) 
so come on. 

(lets go

Buffy: 
You're just gonna go down there. 
That's your plan. 

Faith: 
Who said I had a plan
I don't know how many's down there, 
but I wanna find out. 

And I'll know when I land

And if you don't come in after me, 
(shrugs and smiles) 
I might die

Without any further hesitation 
she jumps in. 

Buffy can't believe it, 
but realizes she can't let her do it alone, 
and jumps in after her.