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This Year's Girl

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Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Season 4, Episode 15
Air date February 22, 2000
Written by Douglas Petrie
Directed by Michael Gershman
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"This Year's Girl" is the fifteenth episode of the fourth season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and is the seventy-first episode altogether. It was written by Douglas Petrie and directed by Michael Gershman. It originally broadcast on February 22, 2000.

Faith wakes up from her eight month coma and seeks revenge against Buffy. After failing to attack her, she switches bodies with Buffy using a gift given to her by the now long-dead Mayor.

Contents

Synopsis

Faith: Little sis coming. I know.
In a dream, Buffy and Faith put clean sheets on a bed, until suddenly Faith's blood begins to drip onto the white sheets. Buffy twists a knife in Faith's stomach. Xander is checking out the blaster gun from The Initiative, but he doesn't have the knowledge to fix it.

Giles is concerned about Buffy because she's been patrolling non-stop for days without finding Adam. Buffy is worried about Riley because she still hasn't seen him. Xander accidentally shocks himself with the blaster, but no one notices. Riley wakes up and tries to leave the hospital, but Forrest and Graham try to talk him out of it.

On patrol, Buffy, Willow, and Xander find a demon strung up on a tree opened up like a dissection experiment. Buffy explains her plans for getting Riley out, but it turns out it's not necessary as he has gotten away from the hospital and is there in Xander's basement with them.

Adam's handiwork.

At the hospital, Faith, still in a coma, is dreaming she is having a picnic with the Mayor. The dream becomes a nightmare when Buffy arrives, slits the Mayor's throat, then chases Faith into an open grave. As Faith climbs out of the grave in her dream, she awakens from her coma. Pulling free of the tubes in her body, Faith walks out into the hospital halls and encounters a girl. She thinks it's still the day of graduation, but the girl informs her of the date and that the Mayor died at the graduation ceremony. Faith leaves the hospital in the girl's clothes.

Riley and Buffy talk about their jobs working to fight the forces of evil. Buffy tells him he has a choice in what he does with his life. At the hospital, a detective talks with members of the hospital staff. They find a girl, beaten up and stripped, but no Faith. A nurse makes a call, asking for a team to be sent out.

Faith: What'd you think? I'd wake up and we'd go for tea? You tried to gut me, blondie.

Faith walks around Sunnydale looking at all the things that have changed, ending up outside Giles' house eavesdropping on the Scooby Gang's plans to attack Adam. A phone call informs Buffy that Faith is awake and on the loose. They talk about how they're going to deal with her, but conclude that they'll have to see what condition she is in first. On campus, Buffy and Willow run into Faith. The two Slayers talk about what happened and fight briefly before the cops arrive and Faith runs.

Willow brings Tara along with her to search for Faith. Xander and Giles go searching the streets for Faith and Adam, but instead encounter Spike. He's not willing to help them, preferring the idea of helping Faith find and kill them all. A helicopter lands, three men carrying briefcases exit and after conversing with the nurse, they go into the hospital.
The Mayor's gift.
Faith is approached by a demon that tries to give her a gift, but she kills him and runs off with the box. She breaks into a store to watch a video tape of the Mayor on one of the VCRs and then opens a box from him that contains a special gift.

Buffy and Riley talk about Faith; Buffy doesn't mention that she stabbed Faith to save Angel. Faith arrives at Buffy's house and punches out Joyce. Keeping Joyce her captive, Faith doesn't think Buffy will arrive, but is surprised when Buffy flies through the window. The Slayers have a fight that travels through almost every room of the house while Joyce calls the police.

Giles finds the lights don't work at his apartment, but a lamp turns on and the three men with briefcases are there. One of them says "Hello Rupert", causing Giles to realize that they are from the council.

Faith puts the gift from the Mayor on her hand and grabs Buffy's hand. A light flows through them and Buffy punches Faith. Buffy smashes the metal contraption from the Mayor and when Joyce asks her if she's okay, Buffy responds, "Five by five."

Starring

Guest Starring

Co Starring

Trivia

  • During the Buffy/Faith fight scene, as the pair fall down the stairs, a hand holding a camera can be clearly seen on the other side of the railing tracking them as they fall.

Quotes

Buffy - "It's Faith. She's awake. She beat someone up, took her clothing, and disappeared out of the hospital. No one knows
where she is." 
Xander - "I'd say this qualifies for a "worse timing ever" award." 
Willow - "What do we do?" 
Giles - "Well, we have to find her." 
Willow - "What about Adam?" 
Xander - "I'd hate to see the pursuit of a homicidal lunatic get in the way of pursuing a homicidal lunatic." 

Buffy - "There's no way around it. Faith is back and, whether I like it or not, she's my responsibility." 
Willow - "Yeah, too bad. That was the funnest coma ever." 
Buffy - "We have no idea where she is. We don't know what she's thinking, what she's feeling." 
Xander - "(spitefully) Who she's doing." 
Buffy - "She could be terrified. Maybe she doesn't even remember? Or, or maybe she does and, and she's sorry and she's alone,
hiding somewhere?" 
Giles - "Uh, perhaps there's some form of rehabilitation we just haven't thought about?" 
Willow - "And if not, ass-kicking makes a solid Plan B." 
Buffy - "I'm not gonna rule it out. First thing, we need to find her. Then we can take it from there." 
Riley - "(bewildered) Who's Faith?" 

Riley  "I've never seen anybody get under your skin this way before. What did she do to you exactly?" 
Buffy - "It's a long story." 
Riley - "I'm from Iowa. We drive four hours for a high school football game. Try me."

Continuity

  • This is the second episode that foreshadows the arrival of Buffy's sister. Both times, Faith was the one who mentioned her, the first time being in the Season 3 finale "Graduation Day, Part 2," when Faith said "Little Miss Muffet, counting down to 7-3-0." This time was less cryptic. Faith actually said "...little sis coming..."
  • Faith's tattoo on her upper arm is missing when she's in Joyce's bedroom.
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