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Forever

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Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Season 5, Episode 17
Air date April 17, 2001
Written by Marti Noxon
Directed by Marti Noxon
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"Forever" is the seventeenth episode of the fifth season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and is the ninety-fifth episode altogether. It was written and directed by series executive producer Marti Noxon. It originally broadcast on April 7th, 2001.

Following Joyce's death, Buffy questions her ability to cope now that her mother is dead, while Dawn attempts to bring her mother back through magic.

Contents

Synopsis

Buffy picks a casket
At a funeral home, Buffy picks out a casket for her mother. Dawn is concerned whether Joyce would be satisfied with the chosen casket, since she's the one who'll be in it forever. Later, the Scooby Gang gather for dinner at the Summers' house to discuss funeral plans. Buffy mentions that ever since her mother's demise, their father has not yet come in contact with them. Dawn feels left out when she realizes that before her mother goes into surgery, she and Buffy spoke about funeral choices, just in case.

Xander and Willow find Spike outside the house, who's stopping by to deliver flowers for Joyce. Although Spike clearly states that it was a sincere gesture, he and Xander get into a brief spat when Xander misinterprets this as means of Spike trying to take advantage of the situation to get closer to Buffy. When Spike sees that Xander won't be convinced that he is attempting to pay respects to Joyce, he throws the flowers down and leaves in a huff. Afterwards, Willow discovers that Spike didn't leave a card with the flowers, and both herself and Xander are shocked to discover that Spike was indeed trying to pay respects to Joyce. Later that night, the remaining Summers women sit in their room, trying to cope with and contemplate the situation.

Joyce is buried the next day. After the sorrowful funeral, Dawn leaves with Willow and Tara, finding it hard to return to her own home. Buffy, though, stays at the cemetery, until nighttime comes. Angel arrives at that time, having been apparently called by Buffy, and apologizes for not being able to come sooner. Both rest under a tree, while Buffy expresses her regrets that she wasn't more useful. They then kiss, to which Buffy realizes that it's not such a good idea, and asks Angel to return to his home in L.A.



Buffy and Angel kiss

Meanwhile, Willow and Tara try unsuccessfully to cheer up the dreary Dawn, or at least get her mind off things. But they recoil in shock when Dawn expresses her wish to perform a resurrection spell for her mother. The two witches refuse to help her, explaining that it is wrong to use witchcraft to meddle in the matters of life and death. Post-coitus, Anya and Xander discuss about her ability to create life. When she thinks about it that way, it makes sex a little more meaningful and death a little less sad. In the meantime, Giles lingers sadly in his apartment, listening to a record he once played for Joyce (in "Band Candy)"

The next day, Willow and Tara leave for class, but not before Willow magically pulls out a specific book for Dawn. When she inspects it, she finds it contains a section about resurrection spells. Later that day, Dawn goes to The Magic Box to gather some ingredients. She sneaks up into a restricted area to steal a few books and potions. That night, she collects dirt from her mother's grave, but Spike catches her in the act. He knows what Dawn is doing and subsequently offers to help, though he insists that Buffy never know of his involvement.

Meanwhile, Jinx, one of Glory's minions, approached Ben outside the hospital. After he inadvertently lets it slip that The Key is a human, Ben stabs Jinx in order to prevent him from telling Glory. But Jynx is only wounded, and he manages to return to Glory's apartment. Glory is ecstatic to hear the news, and cites that this piece of information narrows down the search severely.



Dawn and Spike gather ingredients

At the same time, Dawn and Spike goes to a mysterious, amiable magic expert named Doc. After giving her the rest of the information needed to complete the spell, the two leave to collect the final ingredient for the spell - a Ghora's egg. The two then subsequently go on a mission to collect the egg, which they accomplish successfully. Later that night, Dawn returns home to perform the spell.

Concurrently, in their dorm room, Willow tells Tara that she wants to start a journal, ever since Joyce's death, after receiving the sudden epiphany that life is short. Tara then realizes that a witchcraft book is missing, and Dawn might have taken it. They then call Buffy to alert her.



Buffy and Dawn argue

Buffy finds Dawn, just as she finishes the spell. The two then get into a vicious argument. Dawn believes that Buffy does not even care about their mother's death, as she is just running around as if the whole thing is a chore. Dawn states that Buffy hasn't even cried - and kept pushing Dawn away, inadvertently or not. As tears roll, and footsteps approach the Summers home, Buffy states her case, and explains that she's just been keeping herself busy so that she does not have to deal with the situation; she runs around and works because if she stops, then Joyce is really gone.

Suddenly, a shadowy figure passes the window, and the girls hear a knock on the door. Buffy hopefully whispers "Mom..." and proceeds to open the door. Just then, Dawn realizes that some things just aren't meant to be, and as Buffy whips the door open, Dawn rips apart a portrait of her mother used in the spell, voiding the enchantment. The two Summers women then break down uncontrollably, silently declaring that whatever comes next, they'll deal with it together.

Starring

Guest Starring

Co Starring

  • Todd Duffey as Murk
  • Andrea Gall as Customer
  • Alan Henry Brown as Funeral Director
  • Darius Dudley as Minister
  • Anne Talbot as Lady With Baby
  • Noor Shic as Lady With Rosary

Trivia

  • Jawas are Star Wars characters described as "hooded scavengers of the Tatooine Deserts". Ben calls Glory's lumpy minions "Jawa rejects".
  • During Joyce's funeral, the minister says, "We commend to almighty God... ashes to ashes and dust to dust... and give her peace". He is reading from the burial service found in the Book of Common Prayer, which includes the commonly heard phrase "ashes to ashes and dust to dust" (that phrase is based on the The bible, Genesis 3:19: "...for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return"). This part of the speech is normally read while earth is cast upon the coffin.
  • Writer and director Marti Noxon says, "To me, the idea of wanting to defy death is just an inherent, almost mythological, iconic notion. It’s something we can relate to...a universal longing." She says the idea for this episode arose from the idea that Dawn would be in the bargaining stage of mourning, and "if you were in Sunnydale and someone you loved died, you would absolutely call on the forces of darkness" to resurrect them."
  • According to writer and director Marti Noxon, the inspiration for this episode came from W.W. Jacob's short story, "The Monkey's Paw".


Continuity

  • When Angel comes to comfort Buffy, Buffy tells him, (in reference to Joyce's death) "the exact thing they said was 'probably'". Actually, Dr. Kriegel told her, "It’s doubtful that this could have been dealt with in time". And the paramedics said, "There’s nothing you could have done". The word "probably" never turned up in their conversations.
  • The events of the second Buffy game, Chaos Bleeds occur sometime after this episode.
  • This is one of the only episodes in the series where Buffy does not have an action scene.
  • This is the last appearance of Giles's apartment, as The Scoobies do not go there for the rest of season five, and he has moved out by season six.
  • Angel's visit to comfort Buffy occurs after his reunion with his Los Angeles associates, in the Angel episode "Epiphany".
  • Buffy's father, Hank is mentioned in this episode. He was last seen in "When She Was Bad".
  • When they turn into teenagers, Giles and Joyce listened to a song in "Band Candy". The same song, "Tales of Brave Ulysses" by the band Cream, is heard in this episode.
  • Spike says that Joyce didn't treat him like a freak, and always had a nice "cuppa" for him. We see them bonding in the episodes "Lovers Walk" and "Crush", among others.
  • Buffy mentions that before Joyce went into surgery, they had a talk about funeral choices.
  • Ben has hurt Jinx once before. He beat him up as a message to Glory in "Checkpoint".
  • During her resurrection spell, Dawn calls on Osiris. In "Bargaining, Part Two", Willow summons Osiris to resurrect Buffy, and she attempts to save Tara by calling on Osiris again in "Villains".
  • This is the second episode to feature Willow misusing magic (to encourage Dawn to investigate resurrection), which will become a running theme throughout Season Six. The first time was her "I will it so" spell in "Something Blue".

Slayer Stats


Music

  • Splendid - "Tomorrow We'll Wake". The song plays in the background during Anya and Xander's post-coitus discussion.


Gallery

Spike brings flowers for Joyce.

Joyce's funeral.

Dawn wants to perform a spell.

Xander and Anya discuss life.

Buffy and Angel embrace in the cemetery.

Spike and Dawn talk.

The Doc.

Spike fights The Ghora demon.

Dawn performs the spell.

Buffy and Dawn burst into tears.

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