Crush (Buffy episode)

"Crush" is the 14th episode of season 5 of the television show Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Plot synopsis

Summary

Dawn has a crush on Spike, who reveals his crush on Buffy when he takes her on a stakeout date. When his advances are turned down, Spike kidnaps Buffy and Drusilla, who has returned to Sunnydale. He tries to force an admission of love from Buffy. Harmony appears as well and breaks up with Spike.

Expanded overview

The Bronze re-opens under new management, and Buffy watches as her friends dance. Spike shows up and tries to carry on a conversation with a disinterested Buffy. Willow reveals that she is suffering from headaches and nosebleeds as a result of her teleportation spell. Buffy spots Ben and offers her thanks to him for looking after Dawn. A train pulls into Sunnydale, but the porter goes on board to find all the passengers dead before he too is attacked.

Buffy returns home, and Giles suggests that Dawn be treated normally. Harmony tries to get Spike sexually aroused and suggests a game where she pretends to be Buffy. Buffy reads about the train murders, but concludes that it's a vampire and not Glory. Buffy searches for Dawn and finds her with Spike, listening to one of his scary stories. Dawn reveals her crush on Spike but really shocks her sister when she says that Spike has a crush on Buffy.

Buffy and Xander investigate the train, and Buffy confesses the possibility of Spike loving her. Buffy finds her mother and sister talking in the kitchen with Spike. He takes her to a warehouse where he believes the vamps from the train are. Buffy confronts Spike about his feelings, but when he confesses his love, she rejects him brutally. Returning to the crypt, Spike is shocked to find his sire and long-time love, Drusilla.

Drusilla tells him of the events in Los Angeles and tries to convince him to return with her. She's already aware of the chip in his head and tries to convince him he can be evil, even with the chip. Harmony arrives and yells at Drusilla for hurting Spike. Spike throws Harmony out of the way, announcing that not only is Drusilla back - he's back. Joyce and Willow talk to Buffy about the problem with Spike and tell her she has to make it clear to Spike that there is nothing between them.

Spike and Drusilla dance at the Bronze before Dru spots a couple on the catwalk for them to feed on. She snaps the neck of the girl, offering her to Spike before taking the guy for herself. Spike hesitates, but soon vamps and bites. Buffy discovers the extension of Spike's lair underground and a shrine dedicated to herself. As she returns to the surface, Buffy finds Spike and Drusilla waiting for her. Spike watches Drusilla shock Buffy with a cattle prod. After the Slayer collapses, Drusilla turns to Spike, only to be shocked herself as he seizes the cattle prod and uses it on her.

Buffy awakens to find herself chained up in the underground space below Spike's crypt, Drusilla tied to a pole across from her. Spike professes his love and offers to kill Drusilla to convince Buffy of his love. He threatens that if Buffy does not return his love, he'll untie Drusilla and let her kill Buffy. Spike asks for only a small sign that Buffy could love him. Buffy rejects Spike again, and he goes into a rage about women being so difficult. Harmony arrives and shoots Spike with a crossbow bolt. While Harmony and Spike fight, Drusilla breaks free and goes after Buffy while the Slayer is still chained up. Spike saves Buffy. Realizing that the Spike she once loved is gone forever, Drusilla leaves Sunnydale heartbroken.

Harmony leaves Spike, telling him it's completely over between the two of them. Buffy walks home with Spike following her, but Buffy tells him to stay away from her. He tries to follow her into her house, but finds that Willow has cast a spell to prevent his entry and Buffy shuts the door in his face.

Acting

Starring

• Sarah Michelle Gellar as Buffy Summers
• Nicholas Brendon as Xander Harris
• Alyson Hannigan as Willow Rosenberg
• Emma Caulfield as Anya Jenkins
• Michelle Trachtenberg as Dawn Summers
• James Marsters as Spike
• and Anthony Stewart Head as Rupert Giles

Guest starring

• Mercedes McNab as Harmony Kendall
• Charlie Weber as Ben
• Amber Benson as Tara Maclay
• Juliet Landau as Drusilla
• and Kristine Sutherland as Joyce Summers

Co-starring

• Frederick Dawson as Porter
• Greg Wayne as Student
• Joseph DiGiandomenico as Matt
• Walt Borchert as Jeff (as Walter Borchert )
• Asher Glaser as Boy In Bronze
• Jennifer Bergman as Girl In Bronze
• Nell Shanahan as Waitress

Production details

Writing

David Fury, asked to do an episode that took the Buffy/Spike relationship to the next level, decided that it was time for the audience to discover that Spike was in love with Buffy. He says, "...and it then progressed into Buffy finding out, which was something we were saving for later. It turned out to be a good play because we were able to take them to interesting places throughout the rest of the season." According to Fury, the resurrection of Spike and Drusilla's relationship "was really significant in terms of what love means to Spike.

Translations

• Italian title: " La cotta" ("The Crush")
• German title: "Die liebe Liebe" ("The lovely love")
• French title: "La déclaration" ("The declaration (of love)")
• Spanish title: "Aplastar" ("Crush")

Music

• Johannes Brahms - "Hungarian Dance No 5"
• Devics - "Key"
• Ramones - "I Wanna Be Sedated"
• Summercamp - "Happy"
• Summercamp - "Play It By Ear"

Cultural references

• The Ramones - While waiting in front of the vampire lair, Spike sings the chorus to The Ramone's song "I Wanna Be Sedated".
• Evil Dead - Xander refers to Spike as "Evil Dead", a reference to the the film of the same name.

Quotes and trivia

• The pink dress that Anya wears in the scene at the Bronze is later worn by Harmony in the Angel episode "Life of the Party".
• Willow and Tara discuss The Hunchback of Notre Dame.
• This episode marks the final "real" appearance of Drusilla in the Buffyverse as all her future appearances are either in the forms of illusions or flashbacks.
• This episode marks the final appearance of Harmony on the series; however, she will later appear as a recurring character and finally a regular cast member in the Angel series, becoming Angel's secretary at Wolfram & Hart.
• This is the first and only time Buffy has ever had to actually fight Drusilla.
• Willow wears a blue ribbon shortly before the scene in the Bronze.
• James Marsters found the scene where Spike tied Buffy up and using a taser on her humorous, stating that "it was supposed to be an act of love?"
• Several of the pictures in the shrine that Spike made for Buffy were pictures drawn by Angelus.

Continuity

Arc significance

Crossover with Angel: Drusilla's arrival in Sunnydale follows the events of "Redefinition". And after breaking up with Spike, Harmony is next seen in "Disharmony".

• Spike's feeling toward Buffy become known to Buffy and the Scoobies at large.
• Spike's de-invite lasts only a few episodes: Buffy re-invites him by the end of the season. She never de-invites him again, not even following his attempted rape.
• Buffy says she wants Spike "out of [her] life" in this episode, and uses the same line later in "Wrecked". Both times the rejection is very short; this time it lasts almost four episodes, before (at the end of "Intervention") Buffy learns that Spike is capable of great personal sacrifice on her behalf. Soon after she seeks out his help protecting Dawn ("Spiral").
• Willow and Tara's discussion of the Hunchback of Notre Dame foreshadows the nature of Buffy and Spike's relationship throughout Seasons 5 and 6: "...it can't end [happily], 'cause all of Quasimodo's actions were selfishly motivated. He had no moral compass, no understanding of right. Everything he did, he did out of love for a woman who would never be able to love him back. Also, you can tell it's not gonna have a happy ending when the main guy's all bumpy."

Timing

• Stories that take place around the same time in the Buffyverse:

External links

• "Crush" on BuffyGuide.com

References