Synopsis of Graduation Day 1

Written by Bone

For those of you who can't wait: Buffy kills Faith.

Our story starts out with Xander and Cordy finding the right cap and gown for Graduation. Cordy hates the colors. Xander just wants to look good since he is feeling like his luck has run out and he will die on graduation day. Harmony asks Willow to sign her yearbook. They exchange books, sign and return to owner. Harmony says she hopes they stay in touch after graduation. Willow says likewise. Buffy comes up and Willow says she will miss Harmony. Buffy thought Willow hated her. Willow agrees that she does hate Harmony since she had been picking on her for 10 years. Willow feels she will just miss everything about leaving school.

Buffy says the whole thing reminded her of the sixties without the war and hairy armpits. She says she isn't going to graduation because she will have to be fighting the mayor. Willow asks if she can't do both (like the Prom). Xander walks up to them and realizes they don't know who the commencement speaker is. Willow is hoping it is Sigfried [sp?] or Roy or one of the tigers. No it is the Mayor.

We switch to an apartment where Faith calls on an older gentleman. He doesn't want to see her until she says the Mayor sent her. He lets her in and charms him into letting her call him by his first name, Lester. He never thought the mayor would be interested in his work. She then asks him to turn around and she would make it quick as she pulls a knife. He tells her to put the knife away. She doesn't and he says he'll scream. She only says who wouldn't and she pins him against the wall and tells him her boss wanted him dead. He asks why. She says she didn't ask. She kills again.

At Faith's apartment, the Mayor is cleaning up a bit. Faith comes out in a fairly plain dress and says she looks foolish in it. The Mayor comments on how wonderful she looks and that the will not be his day but hers too. He stokes her hair and says no father could be prouder of a daughter. He then takes her out for an Iceiee [sp?].

Percy the basketball player sees Willow as she rides to school on her bike. He got a B on his history final. He thanks her and says he didn't want her kicking his butt anymore like she did at the Bronze. She starts to say it wasn't her but says instead it was for his own good. Oz walks up and Willow tells Percy that history is important. He says he'll forget about it all after graduation. As he walks off, Oz comments that he might not be around long after graduation. Willow is bummed. He says he was making light of the moment. She wants to find a spell that can stop the ascension.

Xander comes in late to a class and is reprimanded by the teacher. He sits next to Anya. She wants to go out on a date with him. He doesn't want to listen to her talk about all the men she destroyed during her demon days. She says they could do something else like watch sports. Sarcastic Xander says men like sports, action movies, eat beef and watch bosoms. He can't believe that is all she has learned about men in almost 1000 years. She is hurt and says she is trying to be more like a normal human. Xander apologizes. He says he'll be busy trying to stop the ascension. She gets a horrified look. Switch to the library. Buffy is holding up the newspaper showing the death of Lester. We learn he is a Geologist (Vulcanologist). Buffy thinks Faith did this. Giles and Wesley are fencing as Buffy tells them this looks like her handy work. Giles agrees as he blocks all of Wesley's thrusts without looking at him. Giles agrees with Buffy and they plan to go find out what this Lester knew and maybe find out something about stopping the ascension. Wesley comes up with the same plan. They all agree. Giles tells Buffy to be careful in case Faith shows up. Wesley says they should not lose sight of the big picture of stopping the Mayor. Faith is a footnote. At this time Xander brings Anya to the library. She witnessed ascension 800 years earlier. A sorcerer became the demon Lohesh[sp?]. Wesley says that Lohesh is a 4-legged serpent and not all that tough. Anya says that he hasn't seen a real demon. Buffy says she has. Anya says that demons like vamps, aren't full demons but a human/demon hybrid. They are different in that they are much bigger.

The Mayor is at the school looking over the graduation site. Snyder is there groveling as usual. He says that Sunnydale owes Snyder a debt of gratitude for keeping things orderly. He says to Snyder that he will be repaid in full.

Oz and Willow walk into the library and Willow wants to know why evil-girl is there. They explain about her knowledge of ascension. Buffy asks if there is anything else Anya can remember. The Mayor walks in. He knows they are plotting. Buffy hides the newspaper with the death headline. He is glad to know young people still are interested in reading. He picks up one of the books and reads that all the races will come together in terror as the beast arises. He thinks it is nice that all the races will come together. Buffy asks if he ever gets tired of hearing himself talk. He puts the book down and tells Giles he has raised one spunky little girl. He says he will eat her. This is too much for Giles to take. He grabs one of the epees and stabs the Mayor through the chest. He staggers back and says "Whoa". He then pulls the sword out and tells Giles that that was thoughtless. " Violent outbursts in front of the children. They look to you for guidance". Buffy tells him to get out. He says he smells fear and that is smart. He says some of their deaths will be quick and tosses the epee back to Giles. He reminds them not to miss the commencement speech and walks out.

Anya leaves and Xander catches up to her. He wants her to stay and help. She says the ascension can't be stopped and that she was leaving. Cordy walks up and asks what was her problem as Anya walks off. Xander tells her that the Mayor is going to kill the graduating class. She asks if he was going to 5th period. He says he was going to skip it. She says me too and they walk off together. (Have they made up and are back to making out?)

Buffy is home packing her Mom's things. She wants her to leave. Joyce says she can't leave with her. Buffy says that if she stays she will get her killed because she can't fight and worry about mom at the same time. It looks like Joyce relents.

Oz and Willow are in her room looking for a spell. She is frustrated that she can't even help Amy the rat. Oz jokes about it his usual style. Willow wants him to act like he cares. To panic just a little. He kisses her passionately. This is how he panics he tells her as they make out for the first time.

Buffy is at Lester's getting his books. Angel walks in to help. Giles sent him to back her up in case Faith showed. She wants to take his notes back to Giles so he can study them. Of course they argue about breaking up while outside. As they are arguing, an arrow pierces Angel from behind, just missing his heart. A vamp tells Faith she missed the heart. She says she knows.

Back at the Library, Buffy and Giles remove the arrow from Angel. It is quite painful but he believes he will heal quickly. The books say that Lester found what he thought was a dinosaur in lava rock. Giles and Wesley deduce that even though the Mayor cannot be killed the demon can. That is why he killed Lester. Angel gets up but falls down. Giles and Buffy get him to his mansion before sunrise. They find out that the arrow has a poison that kills vampires. Wesley says he will ask the council for help. Willow and Oz are cuddling as they get a call about Angel.

The mayor starts eating the spider-like bugs so that they will help him change for the ascension. Faith says its gross and the mayor says she doesn't have to watch. She wants to fight some more but he tells her to go home and get rest in case there is trouble at the ascension the next day.

The others start looking for a cure in Giles's books. They send Xander out to get stuff from the spell shop. He sees Anya . She has come to ask him to leave with her. She says she feels all bad inside when she thinks that something might happen to him. Like she wants to vomit. Xander says he is sorry that he gives her a barfy feeling but that is world of romance. She says he might just get in the way. He can't do much to help anyway. He says he will stay and fight with his friends. (She is a babe. I might have left) As he is leaving she asks aren't they supposed to kiss.

Buffy is tending to Angel as Wesley comes back with a long face. He says that the Council would not help Angel because he is a vampire. Buffy tells him to ask again. He says they are loosing sight of the big picture again and must concentrate on the Mayor. Buffy says she quits. Giles agrees with her when Wesley asks for his help. Wesley says this is mutiny. Buffy says its graduation. She leaves Giles to tend to Angel while she goes to the gang to find out what the cure is. Oz finds what the cure is and then says damn. Willow sees what the cure is and can't speak. They tell her that Angel needs to drain the blood of a slayer in order to survive. Buffy says Faith will do. Willow explains that draining her blood will kill her. Buffy says not if she is already dead and gets the guys looking for Faith's apartment. Buffy gets Faith's knife from the cage as Xander is talking about not losing her. She only wants the address. We see Faith training and Angel dying. We see Buffy going through mental preparation for the confrontation. They get the address and off she goes to find her.

Faith is listening to music. Buffy turns off the stereo and confronts her. She says the only way Angel will get her blood is if she is dead and Buffy is prepared to do this. She strikes Faith in the face and the battle of the slayers is on. No one has the upper hand as they trash Faith's apartment fighting. They crash through a window on to a balcony. Buffy handcuffs Faith to her and the fight continues.

Switch to Angel dying and calling Buffy's name. Giles and Xander find a reference to the demon the mayor will change into. The picture is 3 pages long. Xander makes a Jaws reference. I think were gonna need a bigger boat. Switch to the Mayor eating the bugs. A vamp interrupts and says there is trouble at Faith's.

Faith manages to get Buffy's arm in a position where she breaks the chain of the cuffs. She grabs a pole as Buffy pulls out the knife. The fight continues as they get closer to a ledge. Right when it looks that both might fall, Buffy skewers Faith with the knife. She hits Buffy one last time and knocks her from the ledge. Faith says that Buffy finally killed her. But it won't help Angel as she sees a truck approaching. She falls into the bed of the truck with quite a thud as and the truck carries her off as Buffy watches.

Ok, we don't know if Faith is really dead.

The end

I CAN'T WAIT UNTIL NEXT SUNDAY.

-Bone

Back to episode info