2.5 Reptile Boy

Plot Synopsis (Hide)

Giles seems to be piling a lot of pressure on Buffy at the moment. He lectures her sternly for being late, and for missing training sessions. After class, she rebels slightly by 'dawdling with her friends' when she is supposed to be meeting Giles in the library. Cordelia is trying to impress a college boy, Richard, but his friend notices Buffy and Richard asks for an introduction. Cordelia drags a reluctant Buffy over, but Richard seems crass and self-important, and Buffy soon moves away. Richard's friend follows her to apologise, and he seems much nicer, so Buffy talks to him until an angry Giles arrives to remind her about their training session. Tom invites Buffy to a party the following night, but she says she can't go.

That evening Buffy is out on patrol with Angel, and they find a broken bracelet in the cemetery. When Angel tells her he can smell blood on it, Buffy says she wishes she could see him when it wasn't "a blood thing". The conversation deteriorates - Angel is very aware that a relationship between them would be problematic, but Buffy feels he is treating her like a child, and after a fairly heated exchange, she turns and runs away from him.

Next day at school, Cordelia raises the subject of the party again - Richard has told her that to balance the numbers, she can't go unless Buffy goes as well. Brooding over her spat with Angel, and the pressures of being the Slayer, Buffy surprises herself as much as Cordelia by agreeing to go. Later Giles tells Buffy she should patrol that night, but despite Willow's disapproving frowns in the background, she makes excuses, saying her mother isn't well, and that she isn't feeling too good herself. Giles then tells her not to worry, that she should take the night off and stay at home with her mother.

In the Fraternity House, a new pledge is taking an oath of brotherhood in a ceremony led by a robed Richard. The chanting refers not only to the fraternity, but also to "Machida whom we serve". It all seems rather ominous, although the ceremony does end in typical college style - with a piss-up.

When Cordelia and Buffy arrive, Richard hands them both drinks, but Buffy puts hers straight down. Cordelia disappears with Richard, leaving Buffy alone, looking bored and ill-at-ease. One of the drunken students notices her, and lurches towards her, calling for her to dance with him. She looks startled, unsure what to do, but just before he crashes into her, Tom appears and whisks her on to the dance floor out of the way. She dances with him for a while, and they chat about maturity and relaxation. Later, Buffy wanders out to the patio alone, and Tom comes over to ask if she's ok, quickly followed by Richard bringing some drinks for a toast. Fed up with being mature, Buffy gives in and gulps down the drink.

In the meantime, Xander has managed to sneak in to the party and has been wandering about looking at girls and following trays of snacks. Eventually, some of the students spot him and realise he's a gatecrasher. Dragging him off, they dress him in a skirt and bra, with a blond wig and lipstick, and they make him dance for them, pretending he's a new pledge to the fraternity.

Back in the library, Giles and Willow continue to investigate the broken bracelet, eventually identifying the letters on it as belonging to a local school. Willow discovers that a girl from that school has recently gone missing, and finds further information, about other missing girls almost exactly a year ago. Giles decides they need to call Buffy, but Willow reminds him that she is 'ill' and suggests Angel instead.

Back at the party, Buffy is looking woozy, presumably from the drink, and she staggers upstairs looking for somewhere to rest. She finds a seemingly unoccupied room, crawls on to the bed and falls asleep. Richard watches from the doorway, then comes in and rolls her on to her back. He begins to move his hand over the base of her throat, but is suddenly pulled away from her by Tom, who harshly reminds Richard that Buffy is there for "the pleasure of the one we serve", and as the camera pulls back, we see Cordelia already slumped unconscious by the bed.

At the end of the party, Xander is pushed out of the house, where he tears off the pledge costume in disgust. Down in the basement, a new ceremony is starting - carrying a sword, Richard moves behind a kneeling Tom, who already has several symbols carved into his chest and shoulders. Behind them, Buffy and Cordelia are now chained to the wall next to the missing girl.

Angel tells Giles where Buffy found the bracelet and, realising that this is close to the fraternity house, Willow finally has to admit to the others where Buffy is. As they set off to help, Tom is leading the fraternity in homage to "Machida". It seems to be an annual sacrament, bringing wealth and good fortune to the brotherhood. The ritual involves three stones, one for each sacrifice, which Toms throws into a well in the centre of the basement. As the brothers chant, a giant demon, half man, half snake, rises from the well.

As Willow, Giles and Angel meet up with Xander outside the house. Xander has put on one of the fraternity robes which he found in the trash, and he manages to persuade one of the brothers to let him in, pretending he got locked out by mistake. As soon as the door is open, the rest of the gang fight their way in.

As the snake demon moves towards Cordelia, Buffy struggles to get free. She calls out to the demon, trying to attract its attention to herself, and Tom punches her, saying that if she speaks again he will cut her throat. Hearing noises upstairs, he sends several of the brothers to investigate as Machida continues to approach Cordelia.

While the others are battling the brothers, Willow heads for the basement to see what is happening. Buffy has managed to break free and lays into Machida and Tom as Willow yells to the rest of the gang to come and help. Tom attacks Buffy with a sword, and she shoves him out of the way as Machida begins to drag Cordelia towards the well. Grabbing the sword, Buffy severs the tail of the demon, which roars in pain and collapses dead to the floor.

As the others look after the kidnapped girl, and Angel manhandles Tom upstairs, Buffy apologises to Giles for the lie. Assuming she is in for another lecture, she is surprised when he apologises as well. He understands that he drives her too hard, knowing the dangers she will have to face, and for once he forgoes the lecture, realising that she now understands that as well.

Pop Culture References

Tom: 'Anyway, the Hulk has gone'
Probable reference to the (Incredible) Hulk character, originally from Marvel comics and later TV Series and films. A physicist, Dr. Banner, was caught in a radiation blast, and as a result changed into a mindless, raging, monster.

Nitpicks

• Doesn't Angel need an invite into the Fraternity House, as it's presumably private rather than public property?