Synopsis of Tabula Rasa
Written by Brandee Mode
The shows starts with Buffy walking through a cemetery at night and she is startled by Spike who wants to talk about the kiss they shared (at the end of the previous musical episode). She doesn't want to talk about it and starts walking away, he follows her. She tries to excuse it as being part of the singing spell. Spike says it wasn't. Buffy goes on about how she will "never, ever touch" him again, but then immediately grabs him and throws him to the ground, and herself along with him.
They look up to see a demon with a humanoid shaped body, but the head of a shark. He's wearing a suit and we learn he is a loan-shark. He has two vampires with him. Remember when Spike was playing poker and they used kittens for currency? Apparently, Spike owes 40 kittens to this shark-demon. Buffy wants to know why they can't use money "like everyone else" but no one really answers her. Spike insists he will pay his debt but it will take some time. Shark-demon doesn't want to wait because "time is what turns kittens into cats". He orders the two nameless vampires to attack Spike but Buffy knocks them down. One of the nameless vampires tells the shark-demon that she is the Slayer, so the shark-demon offers her a job collecting on debts. Buffy says no. While they are talking, Spike disappears. Buffy mutters to herself that her life would be more simple if she would stop saving his life.
Xander, Anya, Willow and Tara are at Xander's apartment. Anya is wondering what Heaven might have been like for Buffy. Tara says it's natural to be curious and says it was a "good place" to which Willow pouts about taking Buffy away from it and wrecking it for her. Xander admits it was selfish but he feels weird that he feels bad his friend is NOT dead. Tara and Anya point out that they need to stop obsessing about it and work on making things better for Buffy. Willow suggests a spell. Tara forcefully says no. Willow tries to convince her but Tara again insists on no more spells because Willow could hurt someone or herself. Willow tries to explain what she wanted was to make Buffy forget being in heaven, to which Tara replies...
TARA: "God, what is wrong with you?!"
At this point, Xander and Anya pretend the phone is ringing so they have an excuse to leave the table.
TARA: "Do you think I'm stupid? I know you used that spell on me."
Willow looks shocked that she has been caught. She tries to apologize, but Tara continues by asking Willow how she could "violate my mind like that" especially after what Glory did to her. Willow stutters, not really knowing what to say and finally just says she was trying to prevent a fight. Tara points out that they are in a relationship and they are supposed to decide those things together. Tara says that Willow has been using way too much magic; she doesn't try other solutions first, she just goes straight to a spell. Willow is apologetic that Tara is angry but doesn't really understand WHY she is angry. Willow claims she just wants "to help people" and Tara agree that maybe that's how it started but
TARA: "You're helping yourself now. Fixing things to your liking. Including me." She pauses to look down. With tears in her eyes, Tara says "I don't think this is gonna work."
Willow becomes desperate. Willow says she needs Tara more than magic and will prove it by going a month without doing any spells. With no expression on her face, Tara tells Willow to "go a week and then we'll see". She thinks they need some space.
WILLOW: "Are you saying you're gonna leave me?"
Buffy and Giles are in the back of the shop, in the training room. We join their conversation right after he has told her he is going back to England. Buffy is begging Giles to stay, claiming she "can do this without" him. He explains that is why he is leaving; because she CAN do it but she will never try if he is always there to help. And he cares about her too much to stay in Sunnydale and not help her.
GILES: "I've taught you all I can about being the Slayer and your mother taught you what you needed to know about life. You're not going to trust that until you're forced to stand alone."
Buffy is hurt and very angry that she can't convince him to stay and ends up leaving.
Dawn and Tara are ready to leave the house. They call upstairs to Willow, asking if she is ready yet. Willow appears at the top of the stairs in a towel and says "not so much" and she tells them to go to the Magic Box without her, she'll be there as soon as she can. It is obvious that Tara is still a little angry when she leaves with Dawn. Willow steps around the corner and back, within a few seconds and she is totally dressed. So much for the promise about not doing any magic.
In the living room, Willow gets out some Lethe's bramble and puts it in the fireplace. She says a spell, meant to make Tara forget about being angry and to make Buffy forget about being taken out of heaven. Part of the spell includes the words "tabula rasa" which is where we get the name of this episode. Willow touches a crystal to the burning bramble and the crystal is supposed to turn black when the spell has been cast. She tucks the crystal into her pocket.
At the Magic Box, Buffy is sitting by herself pouting because Giles is going to announce that he is leaving. Dawn thinks they are gathered because of a "monster of the week" and is asking questions about what they are looking for. Willow and Xander arrive. As they come in the door, she is thanking him for the use of his coat since it is cold outside. Giles begins to make his announcement only to be interrupted by Buffy, who it turn is interrupted by the arrival of a smoking Spike. He looks ridiculous, wearing a brown suit, bow tie and a hunter's cap, the kind with ear-flaps.
Spike says he is dressed like this because it is a disguise and he asks the group to help him hide from the shark-demon. Willow checks the crystal in her pocket and it is now glowing and green.
We are shown the fireplace back at the house, in time to see a spark ignite the bag of bramble that Willow left sitting on the hearth and the whole bag begins to burn.
(I'm confused as to why Willow would have left that out in plain view, you would think she would have tried to hide the evidence that she did a spell.)
Back at the shop, Giles is telling them that he's planning to stay in England "indefinitely" and Anya is getting excited. She wants to know if he means it this time. Buffy starts to leave, claiming she "can't do this" and Willow tries to apologize but Buffy seems impatient and irritated.
BUFFY: "Everybody's sorry. I know that you guys are just trying to help but it's just too much and I can't take it anymore. If you guys understood how it felt. How it feels. It's like I'm dying in--"
Buffy collapses to the floor in mid-sentence and everyone else in the shop quickly does the same. Giles and Anya slump against each other at the table, Tara slumps over in her chair. Dawn drops to the floor by herself while Willow and Xander drop to the floor next to each other. Spike has been sitting on the counter and slumps over on it. We see the bag of bramble smoking on the hearth.
It's now dark outside. Buffy is the first to wake up; looking confused, she turns on the lights. Xander and Willow wake up and are startled to be so close to someone else. Anya, Giles and Tara wake up yawning. Spike rolls off the counter, causing him to let out a shriek, which startles Dawn awake. She immediately looks scared and asks, "Who are you people?"
Buffy goes over to Dawn and tells her not to worry, she doesn't recognize anyone either. Buffy also realizes she doesn't know her own name. Xander wonders if it's a psychological test but Giles says it appears that they have all lost their memories. He suggests that they all had a drunken blackout, but Anya points out there is no evidence of alcohol around. Tara points out that they are in a *real* magic shop and Buffy thinks "maybe something magic happened." Giles claims that magic is "balderdash and chicanery" and then realizes that he is British. Dawn is still uneasy. Giles tries to comfort her by saying...
GILES: "We'll get our memory back and it will all be right as rain."
SPIKE: "Oh listen to Mary Poppins. He's got his crust all still and upper with that nancy-boy accent. You Englishmen are always so... (he gets a confused look) Bloody hell. Sodding, blimey, shagging, nickers, bollocks. Oh god. I'M English."
GILES: "Welcome to the nancy tribe."
Since they are both English, they assume that Spike and Giles must be father and son, also due to what Giles describes as a "feeling of familiarity and disappointment". Spike makes fun of Giles for being with much younger woman. Anya says it's OK though because she has realized she is wearing an engagement ring.
Willow realizes they should all have some kind of identification and everyone starts looking for a wallet. Xander finds his ID and discovers he is Alexander Harris so for the rest of the episode they call him Alex. Willow and Tara discover they are both students at Sunnydale college. Buffy and Dawn don't have wallets but Dawn is wearing a necklace with her name on it. She looks at it upside down and jokes that maybe her name is Umad. Giles discovers that he is Rupert Giles and when Spike looks for a wallet, he finds none. He does find a label in the ugly brown suit that says "made with care for Randy" and Spike immediately throws a fit at being named Randy.
SPIKE: "Randy Giles. Why not just call me Horny Giles or Desperate-for-a-shag Giles. I knew there was a reason I hated you."
Willow discovers she is wearing a jacket that says "Harris" on it and concludes that she and Alex-Xander must be a couple. Anya discovers papers saying she and Rupert own the shop. She pronounces her own name as Enya. Dawn offers to give Buffy a name but Buffy decides to name herself Joan. Dawn makes fun of the name Joan but says it's Buffy's "purgative" to give herself a lame name. Joan-Buffy corrects Dawn that she means "prerogative" and they conclude they are sisters. They hug.
Randy-Spike assumes that Rupert never gave him "affection like that." Rupert Giles looks irritated. Joan-Buffy decides they need help and Randy-Spike is irritated that she thinks she's "the boss". They all decide to go to the hospital. They start to leave but when Joan-Buffy opens the door there are vampires in the doorway. There is a shot of the whole group screaming before they turn to run.
(It was kind of funny. It reminds me of the Scooby Doo cartoons.)
They all run but somehow they all end up crouching not far from the main window. One of the vampires knocks on the window demanding that they "send out Spike" and of course the group misunderstands, thinking the vampires want stakes. Randy-Spike goes to get the "spikes" he saw earlier (which are really stakes). Dawn wonders what the vampires will do with them. The vampires are calling out for the Slayer and again the group misunderstands it as *slay her*
JOAN-BUFFY: "They're going to slay someone. A female someone. Who do those jerks think they are?"
ENYA-ANYA: "Bloodsuckers. They kill by sucking blood. Take it easy Joan."
Willow and Alex-Xander return to the group saying the found a trap door that leads to the sewer system. The groups heads toward the trap door and the vampires finally break in. Alex-Xander falls to his knees and since he doesn't know which religion he is, he says quick prayers for different religions. One of the vampires grabs Randy-Spike and shoves him against a bookcase, claiming that Randy-Spike owes them kittens, which confuses him. Joan-Buffy breaks free from the vampire holding her and runs over to the vampire holding Randy-Spike and stakes him out of instinct. Everyone is shocked when the vampire turns to dust. When asked what just happened, she replies
JOAN-BUFFY: "I don't know." She gradually gets a big grin on her face. "But is was cool. I think I know why Joan's the boss. I'm, like, a super-hero or something."
Alex-Xander faints. Joan-Buffy tells the gang that she and Randy-Spike will go out and distract the other vampires outside while the rest of them escape. Enya-Anya refuses to leave, claiming she needs to protect the cash register. Rupert Giles stays with her and so they can try to help the situation magically.
Rupert Giles stops his *son* Randy-Spike before he leaves to give him quick but awkward hug. Joan-Buffy and Randy-Spike run out the front door. One of the vampires grabs Randy-Spike. Without realizing it, he changes into his vamp face and hits the vampire. Randy-Spike turns to yell to Joan-Buffy "I'm a super-hero too!" but when Joan-Buffy sees that he is a vampire also, she screams and runs away.
Alex-Xander, Willow, Dawn, and Tara climb down a ladder into the sewer. Willow and Tara touch for a moment longer than necessary. They are quickly stopped by a vampire and the group screams and turns to run.
In the shop, Enya-Anya and Rupert Giles are looking through different books hoping to find something that will restore everyone's memory. Off by himself, he discovers his airplane ticket and realizes he was planning to go to London but he does not mention this to her. Enya-Anya chooses a book and opens it. She reads something out loud in a different language and suddenly a bunny appears. She lets out a scream and grabs ahold of him.
Randy-Spike catches up with Joan-Buffy and puts his hand on her shoulder to stop her. She automatically grabs him and flips him on the ground. She sits on him and points out that he is a vampire. He doesn't believe her until she tells him to feel his forehead and teeth. Randy-Spike decides that since he hasn't tried to bite anyone, he must be "a noble vampire, a good guy on a mission of redemption" and that he helps the hopeless, coming to the conclusion that he is "a vampire with a soul." To which Joan-Buffy replies...
JOAN: "A vampire with a soul? How lame is that!"
Enya-Anya is now standing on a chair because there are several bunnies now. When Rupert Giles suggests trying a different book, she refuses saying "this book made the little fluffers, this book's gonna send them back." She says another mini-spell and another bunny appears.
Randy-Spike is continuing to talk about how he must be a *good vampire* when the shark-demon and his vampire-henchmen arrive.
The gang in the sewer hides in a side tunnel and the vampire runs past them. Tara and Willow, breathing heavily, are huddled kind of close to each other and they give each other longing looks. The vampire is going back and forth nearby looking for them.
Back at the shop, Rupert Giles is frustrated because Enya-Anya is now standing on the table and will not stop using the book; which has resulted in even more bunnies and a green mist hovering above them.
RUPERT: "Clearly that is not a helpful book, darling."
She doesn't want to go down into "that pit of cotton-top hell". He says that staying up there making more bunnies is "a capital plan" and she starts complaining that she never understands what he's saying.
Joan-Buffy and Randy-Spike are fighting the no-name vampires while the shark-demon paces in the background. She stops long enough to say "Note to self: learn to duck" and then stakes one of them with a mailbox post. In the Magic Box, Rupert Giles is fencing with a skeleton and this time orders Enya-Anya to use a different book. In the tunnel, Willow asks Dawn how she's doing and Dawn replies that she is scared but that it feels "oddly familiar" while Willow agrees and says she feels "confused and kinda gay".
Rupert Giles and Enya-Anya are hiding behind the counter because there is something growling at them that we can't see. He calls her a "lunatic woman" and she hits him on the head with a book because she feels "compelled to take vengeance" on him.
RUPERT: "No wonder I'm leaving you."
He shows her the airplane ticket. She takes off the ring and throws it. He ignores her and starts looking through a book in the hopes of getting rid of whatever it is that's growling at them.
In the sewer, the vampire finally catches the scent of their fear and starts toward them. They run out the other side of the tunnel which appears to be U shaped because they run into the same vampire again.
Rupert Giles says something in another language and everything in the shop returns to normal. Enya-Anya hurries to retrieve her ring. They both apologize to each other at the same time and she admits, "that was the wrong book". She asks him not to leave her and he crosses the room and kisses her deeply.
As they climb down the little ladder, the vampire leaps toward Willow and Tara. Willow ends up pushing Tara on the ground, landing on top of her. The blackened crystal falls from the pouch unnoticed. From the other side of the *room* Alex-Xander taunts the vampire to distract him from the others. Dawn tosses a piece of wood to Alex-Xander who dusts the vampire. Willow and Tara don't move for a moment, just laying there, looking at each other. They are about to kiss when Alex-Xander steps on the crystal, crushing it. Everyone's memory returns instantly. Willow's eyes go wide with the realization of what happened and quickly gets off Tara.
Randy-Spike is holding back a no-name vampire and Joan-Buffy is about to stake him, saying "Don't mess with Joan the vam..." At this point her memory returns and she stops in shock. She is knocked to the ground and she stays there. She is kicked in the stomach and doesn't respond in any way.
Giles and Anya get a look of horror on their faces that they have kissed.
Tara realizes that the cause of everyone's memory loss was the result of another of Willow's spells. Willow feels in her pocket for the crystal and finds it missing. Xander lets out a giggle as he gets a memory back of a funny movie. Xander says they should get back. He and Dawn leave. When Tara refuses to look at Willow, she sadly leaves without saying anything. Tara begins to cry then turns to leave the sewer herself.
Giles and Anya are quickly cleaning the shop, obviously trying to pretend nothing happened between them. Meanwhile Buffy is still on the ground looking depressed. The shark-demon is scared now and he tells Spike that he doesn't need to pay the debt anymore. Spike grabs him by the lapels and insists that he always pays his debts. Spike goes to Buffy and holds out his hand to help her up. She ignores this and gets up by herself, walking past him without saying anything. Spike looks confused.
Then next little part of the episode is music playing in the background (Goodbye To You) while we see: Buffy sitting alone at the Bronze looking sad. Tara packing clothes into a box while Willow sits on the floor crying. Giles sitting on an airplane. He sighs looking a little sad also. Back at the Bronze, Spike walks toward Buffy with a look of honest concern but she looks straight at him, then turns so she is not facing him. Spike looks hurt and he walks away. Tara walks out the front door with her box. She sets it down and tries to give Dawn a hug, but Dawn pulls away and runs upstairs. Then back to the Bronze, where we see Buffy and Spike kissing, a lot.
Back to episode info