Synopsis of This Year's Girl
Faith, still in her coma, is dreaming that she's making a bed with Buffy. They're friendly with each other, but there is tension. Buffy keeps saying that she has to go because she has something to do. Faith starts dripping blood on the clean white sheets of the bed, and then looks down at the knife in her belly and asks Buffy if she's ever going to take this thing out.
Buffy is with Willow, Xander and Giles, and is alternately concerned about Riley (what kind of care he's getting from the Initiative and if he's really okay as they keep telling her) and concerned about Adam (killing him). She has Xander try to repair the broken blaster that she still has from the Initiative, because she figures she can use all the fire-power she can get.
Riley is at the hospital. He gets up, still tender, but able to walk, and tries to leave the hospital. A number of soldiers, including his friends, try to stop him.
Faith is dreaming that she's having a pleasant picnic with the Mayor, until Buffy comes along and stabs him with the same knife she stabbed Faith with last season. Faith tries to get away from Buffy, but all she can do is crawl.
Buffy, Willow and Xander are out looking for Adam, and they find a demon strung up with its guts open. They go back to reconnoiter and figure out that Adam is still studying the biology of other beings. Buffy says she absolutely has to go get Riley, because she can't think of leaving him with the people that created this thing. Just as she's thinking up a plan to bust him out of the Initiative, Riley shows up. He says that the Inititative did try to prevent his leaving, but no one was really willing to kick his ass to do it.
Faith is still dreaming that she's running away from Buffy who's hunting her with the knife. She's running through a cemetary and falls into an open grave. Buffy stands at the edge of the grave looking down at a pathetic Faith, and then jumps in after her. It suddenly starts to rain, and a hand reached up out of the grave. It's Faith, who emerges triumphant, and turns her face up to the rain. Faith, in her hospital bed, wakes up.
Buffy and Riley are together back at her dorm room. Riley is confused as to what to do, because he's so used to taking orders. Buffy says he can either stay with the Initiative and try to change things from the inside, or he can bust out on his own and demon hunt his way. He says he doesn't even know what his way is. She says all they should worry about for now is Adam... and each other.
Faith, in her hospital bed, takes off her monitors and her IV, and walks out into the hallway. She runs into another girl (who is wearing a long red sweater) and says she needs to get to Sunnydale High graduation. The girl says that Sunnydale High doesn't even exist anymore. Faith asks the date, and is slightly horrified when she finds out it's February, 2000. The girl tells Faith about graduation, and how some students, the principal and the mayor all died.
Faith is at Sunnydale High wearing the long red sweater. She looks at the ruins in awe, and then goes into town and walks around checking everything out. Meanwhile, her disappearance at the hospital is noticed. A cop, a doctor, and a nurse are all in her room. The nurse is explaining how she came in at 8pm like she was supposed to, and Faith was already gone. The cop can't believe that a girl wanted for questioning in murder was left with no security. The doctor says he doesn't understand, that girl was really never going to wake up. When the cop and the doctor leave, the nurse makes a phone call and says that it's happened, and the team should be sent out.
Buffy, Riley, Willow, Xander, and Giles are all at Giles's apartment trying to plan how to get Adam. Faith is at the window spying on them. Riley repairs the blaster that Xander was having such a hard time with with no trouble at all. They talk about how it would be nice if they could spy around the Initiative and see if Maggie left any instructions for Adam. They realize that getting into the Intiative would be pretty hard, and then Riley reminds them that he can still come and go there as he pleases. Buffy asks him if he would mind being a double-agent. He says he's not sure he likes the title, but that he would definitely share information with Buffy and he friends. The phone rings, and it's for Buffy. She gets the info that Faith is awake. They all realize that they might have to put the Adam-hunt on hold while they hunt Faith.
Willow and Buffy are walking through campus. Buffy tells Willow that she told Riley the story of Faith, but sort of smoothed over the Angel parts, since that would be a much longer conversation. Buffy says she looked for Faith, but couldn't find her, but the pressure's on, 'cause all the cops in town are probably looking for her too. Suddenly, Faith is right in front of them.
Faith confronts Buffy, saying she feels just fine after her coma, five by five. Faith taunts Buffy with their past as only Faith can. They start fighting right there in broad daylight in the middle of campus until the cops come. Faith runs away, and Buffy runs after her, but loses her.
Willow is with Tara, Faith hunting. Willow tells Tara about Faith, how she's the tough girl and says strange things like five by five. They're just going to try to find out where Faith is, and then hide while Buffy kicks her butt.
Xander is with Giles, Faith hunting with the repaired blaster. They run into Spike in an alley, and ask Spike if he's seen Faith. Spike says if he does see Faith, he'll cheer her on while she kills the Scooby gang. He asks why they can't get it through their thick skulls that he still hates them, and even if he can't hurt them himself, he can certainly aim a loose cannon in their direction.
The nurse who made the phone call is standing outside the hospital, and greets three men in black jackets with suitcases disembarking from a helicopter.
Faith is in town, looking at knives in a store-window. A cop car drives by, and she sneaks into an alley to avoid it. A demon walks up to her, saying he has something from a friend. She kicks the demon's ass and takes the envelope he's carrying. She breaks into a video store to watch the video tape in the envelope. It's the Mayor, telling her that if she's watching this tape, he's probably dead. He says some comforting words, and then tells her to open the box that came with the tape. She takes out a strange-looking device as the Mayor, on tape, begins to tell her about it.
Riley and Buffy are in Buffy's dorm room. Buffy is trying to make him understand how dangerous Faith is. He wants to help Buffy hunt Faith, but Buffy reminds him that he's still in pain from his previous injury. Riley says he thinks Buffy is holding out on him as to why she's so upset about Faith. Buffy says the first thing Faith will do is come after her and the people she loves.
Faith shows up at Joyce's (Buffy's mother) front door and knocks her out.
Joyce is tied up in her house, and Faith is taunting her, saying how Buffy has forgotten about her mother just like Buffy forgot about Faith. Buffy comes flying through the window and an incredible fight ensues. Joyce dials 911.
Giles enters his apartment, and the three men in black jackets are there. He says hello to Rupert.
At Buffy's house, the cops are coming. Faith runs for the mantel, where she has planted the device that she stashed there earlier. She puts it on her hand, and grasps Buffy's hand in own. There's a flash of light, and then Buffy, looking dazed, gives Faith one last whack that sends her flying to the floor unconscious. Joyce, having freed herself, comes running downstairs and asks Buffy if she's okay. Buffy looks really surprised, but says she's fine. The device that Faith used is now on Buffy's hand, and Joyce asks what it is. Buffy says it's probably some weapon that Faith tried to use, but it didn't work. She drops it on the floor and crushes it beneath her foot. It gives a faint flash of light as it falls apart. Buffy smiles, and she's feeling just fine... five by five.
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