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Buffy The Vampire Slayer
Gone
UPN Episode Air Date 01/08/02When we last left the Hell Mouth, Buffy was denying her attraction to Spike, but still enjoying him physically, Tara left Willow because Willow was into some heavy duty black magic, later causing her to get in an accident that resulted in Dawn being injured, Anya and Xander were planning their upcoming wedding, and then there was Troika - a group of geeky but resourceful boys tormenting Buffy and the citizens of Sunnydale.
As we return to the Summer home, Buffy and Dawn are performing a "Magic Clearance," removing all things magical from their home so as not to tempt Willow. Apparently they don't trust Willow enough to leave her home with magical paraphernalia, but they aren't worried about her conjuring up some mystical eye of newt or tongue of snail. There's no sign of Tara swooping in to help Willow through the withdrawal and cravings. This could be a sign that Tara will be gone forever. While the relationship between Willow and Tara may have run its course there is still some value to having Tara's character play the mature role model for Dawn. With Buffy tramping around with the local vampire and not taking care of Dawn as well as she once did, the mature grown-up figure has to be filled by someone.
Meanwhile, the local Sunnydale Social Worker is looking into Dawn's level of care at home. Apparently Dawn's falling grades and frequent absences combined with that broken arm of hers caught the attention of the Child Welfare Agency. The social worker, enjoyably played by Susan Ruttan, quickly concludes that Buffy may not be the best guardian for Dawn. It didn't help that Spike was hanging around when the social worker came by.
Reacting to Spike's enjoyment of Buffy's golden locks, and the pressures of raising Dawn, Buffy cuts off her own hair. After a stylist fixes it up a little it looks adorable. Unfortunately, shortly thereafter, Buffy is hit with an invisibility gun accidentally fired by a couple of the Troika boys.
One of the first stops is to do that which she wants but isn't ready to tell others about - Spike. Buffy had a much-needed vacation from the everyday stresses of being the Slayer. Buffy and Spike's relationship continues to be an interesting plot line. Buffy seems to just be out for physical satisfaction while Spike is looking for a deep emotional relationship.
It makes sense for Buffy, a tough fighting machine, to fill the emotional role of the stereotypical male here, but Spike being the clingy stereotypical female is harder to swallow. We'll have to see how this plays out. Buffy may realize there's more than just a physical attraction, or Spike may get fed up with the whole mess. These are the things I lay awake worrying about at night.
Xander assigns himself the task of getting Buffy re-visible, deciding this was the result of a spell gone wrong and quickly blaming Willow. She copes with the stresses of not being trusted while struggling to be good by figuring out what happened to Buffy using old-school, non-magical, detective work. Willow scours the town ultimately figuring it all out and redeeming herself by saving the day.
What about Xander, one may ask. Well, that would be a good question. One can only assume he got distracted from his important duties by debating wedding seating arrangements with his fiancée.
Aside from Xander's role in this episode wilting away awkwardly, it was well done. No evil monsters or demons, but that's not to say that Troika isn't a threat. As their attempts at world dominance (or seeing naked women) become more advanced and have greater effects on the Scooby Gang, they become more dangerous. Tonight's episode allowed Buffy to finally come face to face with the geeks that have been making her life crazier than usual. We'll have to see if the boys of Troika ripen to legitimate nemesis material or become what Spike's character originated as - the entertaining villain that Buffy is always able to beat.
