BtVS: Becoming 1 & 2

Becoming parts 1 & 2, the two part season finale of Buffy the Vampire Slayer's sophomore season is a fast paced, roller coaster ride, filled with twists and turns, jealousy and betrayal, and an ending that breaks your heart.
everything changes.

cinematic in scope, epic in depth, and worthy of the big screen. written and directed by Joss Whedon, the story centers around Angel. we're given peeks into his origin and life before Sunnydale.

Becoming part 1
There's moments in your life that make you, that set the course of who you're gonna be. Sometimes they're little, subtle moments. Sometimes... they're not. I'll show you what I mean.
-Whistler

Max Perlich, as Whistler, ushers us into 1753 with that bit of narration. finally after 2 seasons we're shown, not only how Angel became a vampire, but (as the show progresses) how he got his soul, why he came to Sunnydale and how he was introduced to the most important person in his very long life, Buffy.

Darla (Julie Benz, last seen as dust in the first season's Angel episode) returns in the first of many more flashbacks, and we're given a glimpse of Angelus' obsessive corruption of Drucilla.

present day (1998)
Buffy, no longer willing to wait for Angelus to make his move and risk the death of another friend is taking the fight to him. killing every vampire she sees.

meanwhile at the Sunnydale Museum of Natural History Giles is asked to investigate a large stone obelisk. unearthed by a construction crew, the obelisk is covered with glyphs that predate any settlements Giles is aware of.

across town at their swanky mansion, Dru and Angelus have taken an interest in the obelisk, which turns out to be the tomb of Acathla, a demon brought forth to destroy the world in the middle ages. needless to say Acathla was stopped.

Oh, hey. You dropped this.
while studying up for a chemistry final in the computer room where Willow has been teaching, Buffy drops her pencil and finds the floppy disk dropped by Ms. Calendar in Passion. when the girls realize what they've found excitement ensues.

It hurts, yes? Good. It will hurt more.
flashback to 1898 Romania. a gypsy woman chants the curse that gives Angel back his soul. a sublime form of vengance for killing the favorite daughter of the clan. rather than simply killing him, Angelus will, for the rest of his undead life, be haunted by the faces of every person he's murdered. tortured for the crimes of 100 years. a fate far worse than death.

I'm Perspective Guy. Angel's a killer.
thinking Buffy cares more about getting her boyfriend back than avenging the death of Jenny, Xander doesn't think giving Angel is soul back is the best course of action. Xander's never liked Angel much anyway, and he'd rather see him dead. an opinion shared by Cordy and later Kendra (who's been sent back to Sunnydale by her watcher to lend a hand in the coming fight). oh, and that Orb of Thesula that Jenny paid good money (and her life) for? she needn't have bothered. Giles had one on his desk as a paperweight the whole time. if she'd of only asked.

I'll have one of these to go.
while Buffy and the scooby gang ponder the pros and cons of returning Angel's soul, Angelus and Dru break into the Museum, kill Dr. Perren (Jack McGee), and steal the tomb of Acathla.
Angelus tries the ritual to bring forth Alfalfa.. er, Acathla, but fails. which gives Spike a bit of a chuckle. Spike's not onboard with the idea of sucking the world into hell, he likes the world and the "Happy Meals with legs", Manchester United, and dog racing. he's also not too happy with how much time Angelus has been spending with Drucilla. anyway, not sure what he's doing wrong Angelus decides it's time to enlist the help of an "old friend".

And what a package you are. The Stink Guy!
Manhattan 1996, Angelus is in pretty bad shape. homeless, dirty, living off rats, he wanders the alleys avoiding humans as much as he can. until he meets Whistler, a demon sent to maintain the balance between good and evil. he offers Angel a chance to make something of himself besides a crazy homeless guy. most importantly, he introduces him to Buffy.

You're not from Bullock's, are you? 'Cause I-I meant to pay for that lipstick.
Hemery High School, LA
Angel watches from a black out Impala as Merrick (Richard Riehle, looking nothing like Donald Southerland) introduces himself and her destiny to Buffy.
in a quick retelling of the movie plot (vastly different from the original, one wonders how good it would have been if Joss had directed it himself), with Angel watching.
he makes the choice to help her and the chronicle of Buffy and Angel begins.

immolation-o-gram
while in class taking a test a skanky female vamp walks in with a message for Buffy from Angelus. she's to meet him at the graveyard after sundown. little does Buffy realize it's a ruse to keep her occupied while Dru and crew go to the library to kidnap Giles, and in the process kill Kendra, break Xander's wrist and give Willow a concussion that sends her to the hospital in a coma.
by the time she realizes it it's too late.

Giles Report: what would the season finale be without Giles getting knocked out and hauled off to be tortured?

end of part one. to be continued...

Becoming part 2
opens with the cops pointing a gun at Buffy. she manages to get away, but not before Snyder shows up to identify her. later (after the credits) Buffy shows up at the hospital, where she finds Xander and discovers what happened to Willow. she also discover from Cordy that Giles hasn't been seen since.

the last time I tortured somebody, they didn't even HAVE chainsaws
across town Giles wakes only to find out that he's been captured by Angelus in hopes that the watcher will explain what he's doing wrong to raise Acathla. he doesn't want him to tell him right away because he'd really rather torture him first just for grins.

Hello, cutie.
while crossing through a park Buffy is spotted by a policeman. who should come to her rescue but Spike. out of his chair and ready to save the world. all he wants in return for helping Buffy stop Angelus is for her to let him and Drucilla go, leave town and hopefully never cross paths again.
not feeling safe on the streets with the police looking for her, Buffy heads back to her house.

Mom... I'm a Vampire Slayer.
when they get there Joyce pulls up in the car. she's been out looking for Buffy. as they turn to go inside a vampire attacks, which doesn't leave Buffy any choice but to tell her mother the truth. a revelation that Joyce doesn't really handle well. unwilling to accept it she tries to stop Buffy from leaving and ends up telling her that if she leaves the house not to come back. something Buffy takes to heart.

You never ever got a single date in high school, did you?
returning to the library to retrieve the sword (i forgot to mention earlier, Kendra brought a sword) Buffy runs into Snyder who takes great pleasure in informing our heroine that she's expelled. could this day get any worse for Buffy? don't ask.

Do you see my resolve face?
at the hospital Willow has regained consciousness and wants to try the curse again. Xander protests but Willow is determined. She tells him to go find Buffy and tell her. which he does, sort of. well, he finds her at least, but tells Buffy to "kick his ass". not exactly verbatim.

Sorry. I was in the moment.
showing incredible will power under torture Giles still hasn't revealed the secret of awakening Acathla. which, though he is enjoying himself, isn't making Angelus happy. Spike gets Dru to use her mojo on Giles making him see Jenny. the ploy works and Angelus now has what he needs to awaken Acathla. but before he can finish the ritual Buffy shows up to stop him.

things get pretty exciting, but rather than give you all the details and spoil the fun, i'm just going to say that Buffy wins, kills Angel and he gets sucked into the hell dimension resealing Acathla. gotta leave a couple of surprises.

so, Angelus is defeated and the world is safe yet again. all is well. but wait, no it isn't. Buffy's been expelled, her mother has kicked her out, and she's killed her boyfriend and sent him to a hell dimension. what to do, what to do? run away.
Buffy hops a bus and leaves Sunnydale.
remember this sign, you'll be seeing it again.

Season Three: more chills and thrills as things heat up in Sunnydale. yet another Slayer is called to replace Kendra, Mayor Wilkens enters the picture (it is an election year, sort of), and graduation looms on the horizon.