Synopsis of Shadow
Written by TK
The hospital
Joyce is getting her CAT scan. Outside, Dawn and Buffy are waiting. They're both very nervous.
Magic shop
Xander is upset that Riley went and destroyed all those vampires by himself. The magic shop finally has an ad in the phone book. The gang is still researching Buffy's mysterious blonde woman and is having little luck. They wonder where she might be hiding out and Xander thinks she's probably in a sewer or in an old warehouse or something.
Glory's hotel room
Glory is in a sumptuous hotel room trying on new shoes. An obsequious demon named Dreg gives her a spell on a scroll. Glory says it had better work or she'll have to kill Dreg. Dreg says it will definitely work if she has all the other items she needs. Glory looks at the magic shop's ad in the phone book and assures Dreg that she'll have everything she needs.
Buffy's house
Riley comes over to Buffy's house and the front door is open. Riley busts Spike in Buffy's bedroom smelling her sweater. As Riley kicks Spike out, Spike teases him that Buffy likes her men tough, and Riley just isn't her type. Spike points out that he still has an invitation to Buffy's house. He tells Riley how he spent all the last evening with Buffy, and then taunts Riley about how he knows that Buffy's mom is in the hospital and Riley doesn't. Riley threatens Spike with forced sunlight, but instead just kicks him out of the house an throws him a blanket for shade.
The hospital
Riley shows up to support Buffy. She thanks him for coming and asks if he'll sit with Dawn while she goes to talk to her mom about the results. Buffy goes to talk to her mom and her mom says she has a "shadow" on her brain. They'll need to operate to take a biopsy to figure out what the shadow is. Buffy and her mom both try to be strong for one another even thought they're both scared.
Magic shop
The whole gang is frustrated that they can't find any info on this blonde strong woman. Tara suggests that maybe she's not in the books, perhaps she's been around so long that she's older than the written word. Giles and Willow remember the Dagon sphere that Buffy found, and how it's supposed to protect people from "that which cannot be named." Giles theorizes that this blonde woman predates language. The gang realizes they're flying blind, with no way to predict what this woman might do, what her habits are or how to defeat her. Giles turns around and there is Glory with some items in her hand that she'd like to purchase (of course, no one there recognizes her as the woman they're looking for). He rings up her purchase and she leaves, a happy customer. Giles predicts that they'll see this blonde woman soon since Buffy reported that she was so powerful.
The hospital
Dawn is asleep and Buffy is leaning on Riley. The doctor comes out and says that the operation went fine. Buffy asks for the results. The doctor informs Buffy that her mother has a brain tumor. He says that her symptoms will probably progress quickly, like speech and sight problems, but meanwhile they're going to try to figure out if it's operable. If it's not operable, there are other possible treatments that Buffy might want to read about. He says that Buffy's mom has an almost one in three chance of survival. He starts quizzing Buffy on her mother's lifestyle while she's in so much shock that she can barely answer. Ben comes over and tells the doctor that he's needed elsewhere. The doctor leaves and Ben tells Buffy he just did that so that she could breathe for a little while. Ben tells her to go outside and take a break while her mother's still under anaesthesia. Riley comes over and Buffy says she wants to see if she can find a healing spell or something. Riley suggests that it probably won't work and Buffy snaps at him that he's not helping. She asks Riley to take Dawn to school and tell her that they don't know the biopsy results yet. Buffy is off to the magic shop.
Magic shop
At the magic shop Anya is looking through receipts. She notices some items that one person bought that put together could do very bad things. Giles doesn't immediately see what the problem is, but after they think about it they realize with horror that the young woman he sold them to must be Buffy's blonde adversary.
Some merry-go-round somewhere
Riley and Dawn are sitting on a bench next to merry-go-round eating ice-cream. Riley is trying to be comforting. Dawn recollects her 10th birthday with Buffy and her mom at this same merry-go-round. Dawn is worried that her mother isn't going to get better. Riley assures her that Summers women are tough. Dawn talks about how much better Riley is than Angel for Buffy, how Buffy was always all worked up about Angel and how she never gets that emotional about Riley. Riley doesn't necessarily take it as a compliment, but doesn't say anything to Dawn.
Magic shop
Buffy wants some sort of mystical cure for her mom. Giles and Tara point out that the mystical and medical don't mix, and that they could just make things worse. Anya comments that they already made things worse. The rest of the gang tries to cover, but Buffy insists on knowing what she's talking about. They explain how Glory (although they still don't know her name) came in and bought the ingredients to make some sort of reptilian monster. Buffy says she's going to kill her. She says that even though she got her ass kicked last time she fought this woman, this time she is ready for her and has the element of surprise.
The zoo
Glory steals a cobra and as she puts it into a clay pot, she tells it that she's going to make it a star. She and the demon Dreg start reciting the stuff for the spell. Buffy comes in and catches Glory by surprise. She gets a few good hits in before Glory gets herself together and fights back. Glory insists that Dreg continue the spell while she beats the crap out of Buffy. As Dreg finishes, Glory through Buffy through a window into a reptile display. Glory yells, "Arise!" and a huge cobra monster thing bursts out of the clay pot. While Glory is distracted telling her new reptile friend to go find the key, Buffy runs away.
The magic shop
Riley comes in. When he finds out Buffy went after Glory again, he gets all bent out of shape that she went off by herself. Xander points out that it's much like what Riley did earlier. Riley says it's different. Xander says that Buffy needs something physical that she can fight right now. What's Riley's excuse? Riley leaves.
A church
The cobra monster is exploring the church, trying to find the key.
The magic shop/The hospital
Buffy calls Giles from the hospital and tells him that she failed to kill Glory and now there's a big snake monster on the loose. She also tells Giles that Dawn is on her way over and to take care of her. Giles assures her he will.
Montage of scenes
Riley sitting at the demon bar
Buffy in the waiting room of the hospital
Dawn doing her homework at the magic shop
The female vampire joining Riley at the bar
The doctor talking to Buffy and Joyce, Joyce trying to hold back tears and look strong
The vampire and Riley off in a corner. She bites his neck seductively and he lets her. Suddenly he pushes her away and stakes her. He stands there looking dazed with blood from her bite marks running down his neck.
The cobra monster at the merry-go-round where Riley and Dawn were earlier. The monster's eyes flash red.
Magic shop
Buffy comes in and she and Dawn hug. Buffy is going to take Dawn to the hospital to see their mom. As Dawn is gathering up her stuff to leave, Buffy asks the gang if there was any sign of the big snake monster. They say they haven't seen it. Suddenly, the cobra monster busts through the front window of the magic shop. It knocks over a table, pinning Buffy beneath is, and heads straight for Dawn. It rears up in front of Dawn, eyes flashing, as Dawn screams uncontrollably. Buffy looks on helplessly from under the table. Then the cobra monster just up and leaves the way it came. Buffy realizes that the cobra monster knows about Dawn. She runs after it out into the street where it's causing chaos in it's getaway. She chases it down the street, and Giles runs out to his car. He gets into his red BMW convertible, picks up Buffy, and they chase after it. They both realize they have to stop it before it gets back to Glory. (Buffy now knows Glory's name because she heard it at the zoo.)
Glory's hotel room
Glory is throwing a tantrum and throwing stuff at Dreg because her monster isn't back with her key yet. Dreg says it just takes time. Glory says she has a schedule to keep.
Near a park
The cobra monster cuts through a park and Buffy jumps out of the car to chase it on foot. She grabs a chain and jumps the cobra, riding it like a bucking bronco and strangling it with the chain. It dies and she lets the chain drop. It turns out it just pretended to die and bucks her off. She attacks it and beats it senseless. She's still beating it after it's dead. Above the park, Glory is looking out her window. (I'm not sure if Glory sees Buffy killing the cobra monster or not.)
The hospital
Buffy is in her mother's hospital room. Joyce says she needs to talk to Dawn alone. Buffy lets Dawn in and leaves. Riley comes up to Buffy wearing a turtleneck sweater and hugs her. She hugs him back. He says to let it all out, he's here for her. She says she can't, because if she starts she won't be able to stop. Joyce calls from the room and Buffy just walks away from Riley, into the room, and closes the door. Riley is left out in the hall without a word feeling very useless and unwanted.
Back to episode info