1.12 Prophecy Girl

Plot Synopsis (Hide)

While Xander tries to decide how to ask Buffy to go to the Prom, Giles is having a late night, researching into the prophecies concerning the Master. As he translates one text which talks about the Slayer facing the Master, he stops in horror at what he is reading. Moments later an earthquake strikes, causing bookcases to topple over, and huge cracks to appear in the library floor. In his underground lair, the Master is exultant, revelling in the destruction that heralds his release.

Next day, Buffy tries to talk to Giles about the increased vampire activity she's been noticing, but he seems distracted. After class, Xander finally plucks up his courage and asks Buffy to go to the Prom with him, but she turns him down, saying she doesn't feel that way about him. When Willow later catches up with him, he is still smarting, but when he suggests they go together, she also turns him down. It's clear that Willow feels the same way about Xander as he does about Buffy, and she doesn't want to spend the evening with him, knowing he would rather be with someone else.

Jenny Calendar comes to see Giles in the library. All sorts of weird events have been cropping up in her on-line research, and she believes they all point towards the end of the world. Several emails have been sent, by a monk, which talk about 'The Anointed One', and Giles is worried as they had thought he had been dealt with. Giles asks her to see what else she can find out, promising to explain everything later.

That evening, Buffy turns on a tap in the girls locker room, only to find blood gushes out instead of water. She goes to the library to speak to Giles, and finding him deep in conversation with Angel, she waits for a moment. Giles is talking about the prophecy he translated from the book Angel brought him, which says that the next night Buffy will face the Master, and she will die. Hearing this, Buffy begins to laugh and the others realise that she has heard their conversation. Angry and upset, Buffy tells Giles that she quits, she doesn't want to be the Slayer anymore, and he will have to find someone else to deal with the Master. At just sixteen years old, this is finally too much for her to cope with, and tearing the cross from around her neck she throws it to the ground and walks away.

Next morning, Willow and Cordelia go to the school TV room, only to find it has become a vampires playground. Several students are dead, including Cordelia's boyfriend. After Joyce hears about the tragedy on the news, Buffy goes straight over to Willows house, still wearing the Prom dress she was trying on. Willow is badly shaken - this was her world, and the vampires have violated it. As she tries to comfort her friend, Buffy realises that she is the only one who can stop the Master, and steels herself to do what has to be done.

In the library, Giles is preparing weapons, while he explains to Jenny what has been happening - he intends to face the Master himself, so his young charge won't have to die. Buffy arrives in time to hear the conversation, and tells Giles that fighting the Master is her responsibility, not his. He is determined to save her, however, and realising that she will not be able to convince him, Buffy swings a punch and knocks him cold. Leaving him to Jenny's care, she arms herself with a crossbow and sets off to face her destiny. Outside the school she comes across a small boy asking for help - recognising that he must be the Anointed One, she takes his hand and allows him to lead her to the Master.

Back in the library, Xander and Willow have arrived and been filled in. Xander goes to Angel's apartment, hoping he may know the way to the Master's lair, while the others try to determine where the Hellmouth will actually open. They decide it will probably be the Bronze, where the Prom is being held, so Jenny and Willow volunteer to go and warn everyone, leaving Giles to continue his research. When they get out into the car park, however, they realise the vampires are not going to the Bronze after all, and they are quickly surrounded.

Meanwhile, Buffy has arrived in the Master's lair, and he welcomes her. Catching sight of him, she smoothly launches a crossbow bolt, but he just catches it in mid air, and when she glances up after re-loading, he has vanished. She can still hear his voice, but it seems to come from all around her. She moves around cautiously, searching for him in vain, until he suddenly appears behind her. Knocking her weapon to the ground, he wraps his hand around her throat, but she manages to break free and turns to run. The Master holds out his hand, exerting his hypnotic power, and she freezes, staring at him in fear. He moves towards her slowly, and removes her leather jacket, obviously savouring the moment. Gloatingly, he tells her that it is her blood that will set him free, and that if she hadn't come to face him, he would not have been able to escape. He pauses a moment, to be sure she understands the truth, then bends and sinks his teeth into her neck, before dropping her discarded body into a pool of water. The Master pushes out with his hand, and the invisible walls of his prison disintegrate, allowing him to walk free.

Angel and Xander are already in the underground tunnels, when they hear the noise that signifies the Master's escape. Rushing into the cavern, Angel sees Buffy lying face-down in the water, and leaps to her aid as Xander follows him in. Finding no sign of breathing, Angel is distraught and at a loss what to do. Xander is the one who refuses to accept that Buffy is dead and, realising that if she has drowned there is a chance she can be revived, he starts CPR. When she shows no sign of responding, he looks ready to give up, and Angel's head drops in sorrow, but suddenly Buffy's eyes open, and she gasps in a breath before coughing up a lungful of water.

Back in the school car park, Cordelia screeches to a halt in her car, and yells to Jenny and Willow to get in. She then proceeds to drive them to the library - literally - through the outer door and along the corridor! They dash in and try to hold the door shut, just as the vampires arrive, and a startled Giles helps them barricade the door. As monstrous tentacles begin to creep through the damaged floor, it doesn't take them long to realise why all the vampires are coming to the library - this is where the hellmouth will open!

While the Master climbs on to the school roof, and looks down on his new empire, gloating over his triumph, Xander and Angel help Buffy to her feet. They are concerned, but she feels stronger than ever, and instinctively knows where the Master will be. As battle rages in the library, and the gang struggle to keep the vampires out, Buffy marches decisively towards the school, with Xander and Angel in her wake. Leaving them to guard her retreat, she heads up to the roof to face the Master for a second time.

Confident of his victory, the Master continues to gaze over Sunnydale, exulting in his success. He claims the world for his own, then hears Buffy's voice behind him, saying that it is not his world yet. Although suprised to see her alive, he is unperturbed, and once again exerts his hypnotic influence. Buffy slowly moves towards him, but this time, however, she is strong enough to resist, and the Master is dismayed to find he is no longer able to dominate her will.

In the library, a monstrous creature is emerging from the hellmouth, and Buffy's friends are fighting for their lives. Tentacles twine round Willow's ankle and begin to drag her away as Jenny hangs on grimly, screaming for Giles to help them. He grabs an axe, and does his best to attack the demonic creature. On the roof, Buffy launches her attack, and the Master reels. He fights back, but she beats him off until he manages to grab her by the neck again. Glancing down through the skylight, Buffy spots a broken table in the library which has a jagged shard pointing upwards. Grabbing the Master by his neck in turn, she pivots and sends him flying down into the library, impaling him on the upward spike.

As the Master's body turns violently to dust, the tentacles quickly retreat and the monster slithers back into the yawning hellmouth. Peace returns, as the vampires hastily disperse, and the gang get to their feet and brush themselves off. Buffy, Xander and Angel join the others in the library, and they all stare down for a moment at the skeleton which is all that remains of their adversary. Keen to leave the ordeal behind them, the gang decide to head for the party at the Bronze, and as they turn and walk away together, normality resumes with the babble of voices and laughter.

Highlights

• Buffy's whole "I'm sixteen years old" speech. Wonderful stuff.
• Xander arriving at Angel's home and says "mind if I come in", then barges in anyway - nice parallel to the fact that a vampire can't enter someone's home uninvited.
• The reprise of the Buffy theme, as she marches to confront the Master, wearing her tattered prom dress, with bedraggled hair, and with Xander & Angel trailing in her wake.

Nitpicks

• Giles is quite obviously phoning Angel at one point - how did he get his number? Is he listed? Under what??
• Buffy throws books at Giles in a rage - even upset, she's still the Slayer - how does she manage to miss? Surely she should have brained him!
• The prophecy says "And the Slayer will not know him, will not stop him, and he will lead her into Hell" yet when Buffy walks up to Collin she specifically says "It's OK, I know who you are." Sounds to me like the Slayer does know him...
• How come Cordy seemed to be driving so well, when a few episodes ago (Witch) we learned that she'd failed "Drivers Ed" twice already?