Forever

"Forever" is the seventeenth episode of the fifth season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and is the ninety-fifth episode altogether. It was written and directed by series executive producer Marti Noxon. It originally broadcast on April 7th, 2001.

Following Joyce's death, Buffy questions her ability to cope now that her mother is dead, while Dawn attempts to bring her mother back through magic.

Synopsis
At the Sunnydale Funeral Home, Buffy picks out a casket for her mother. Dawn is concerned whether Joyce would be satisfied with the chosen casket, since she's the one who'll be in it forever. Later, the Scooby Gang gather for dinner at the Summers' house to discuss funeral plans. Buffy mentions that ever since her mother's demise, their father has not yet come in contact with them. Dawn feels left out when she realizes that before her mother goes into surgery, she and Buffy spoke about funeral choices, just in case.

Xander and Willow find Spike outside the house, who's stopping by to deliver flowers for Joyce. Although Spike clearly states that it was a sincere gesture, he and Xander get into a brief spat when Xander misinterprets this as means of Spike trying to take advantage of the situation to get closer to Buffy. When Spike sees that Xander won't be convinced that he is attempting to pay respects to Joyce, he throws the flowers down and leaves in a huff while Xander continues to berate him. Afterwards, Willow discovers that Spike didn't leave a card with the flowers, and the duo, though surprised, realize the sincerity of the gesture. Later that night, the remaining Summers women sit in their room, trying to cope with and contemplate the situation.

Joyce is buried the next day. After the sorrowful funeral, Dawn leaves with Willow and Tara, finding it hard to return to her own home. Buffy, though, stays at the cemetery, until nighttime comes. Angel arrives at that time, having been apparently called by Buffy, and apologizes for not being able to come sooner. Both rest under a tree, while Buffy expresses her regrets that she wasn't more useful. They then kiss, to which Buffy realizes that it's not such a good idea, and asks Angel to return to his home in L.A.

Meanwhile, Willow and Tara try unsuccessfully to cheer up the dreary Dawn, or at least get her mind off things. But they recoil in shock when Dawn expresses her wish to perform a resurrection spell for her mother. The two witches refuse to help her, explaining that it is wrong to use witchcraft to meddle in the matters of life and death. Post-coitus, Anya and Xander discuss about her ability to create life. When she thinks about it that way, it makes sex a little more meaningful and death a little less sad. In the meantime, Giles lingers sadly in his apartment, listening to a record he once played for Joyce (in "Band Candy)"

The next day, Willow and Tara leave for class, but not before Willow magically pulls out a specific book for Dawn. When she inspects it, she finds it contains a section about resurrection spells. Later that day, Dawn goes to The Magic Box to gather some ingredients. She sneaks up into a restricted area to steal a few books and potions. That night, she collects dirt from her mother's grave, but Spike catches her in the act. He knows what Dawn is doing and subsequently offers to help. Though Dawn initially regards it as an attempt to get in good with Buffy, Spike makes it very clear that he does not want Buffy to know of his involvement.

Meanwhile, Jinx, one of Glory's minions, approached Ben outside the hospital. After he inadvertently lets it slip that The Key is a human, Ben stabs Jinx in order to prevent him from telling Glory. But Jynx is only wounded, and he manages to return to Glory's apartment. Glory is ecstatic to hear the news, and cites that this piece of information narrows down the search severely.

At the same time, Dawn and Spike goes to a mysterious, amiable magic expert named Doc. After giving her the rest of the information needed to complete the spell, the two leave to collect the final ingredient for the spell - a Ghora's egg. The two then subsequently go on a mission to collect the egg. Confronting the Ghora, Spike distracts it while Dawn successfully steals one of its eggs; in the process, he is badly injured by the Ghora, though he kills it in turn. Later that night, Dawn returns home to perform the spell.

Concurrently, in their dorm room, Willow tells Tara that she wants to start a journal, ever since Joyce's death, after receiving the sudden epiphany that life is short. Tara then realizes that a witchcraft book is missing, and Dawn might have taken it. Realizing what Dawn is about to do, they then call Buffy to alert her.

Buffy finds Dawn, just as she finishes the spell. The two then get into a vicious argument. Dawn believes that Buffy does not even care about their mother's death, as she is just running around as if the whole thing is a chore. Dawn states that Buffy hasn't even cried - and kept pushing Dawn away, inadvertently or not. As tears roll, and footsteps approach the Summers home, Buffy states her case, and explains that she's just been keeping herself busy so that she does not have to deal with the situation; she runs around and works because if she stops, then Joyce is really gone.

Suddenly, a shadowy figure passes the window, and the girls hear a knock on the door. Buffy hopefully whispers "Mom..." and proceeds to open the door. Just then, Dawn realizes that some things just aren't meant to be, and as Buffy whips the door open, Dawn rips apart a portrait of her mother used in the spell, voiding the enchantment. The two Summers women then break down uncontrollably, silently declaring that whatever comes next, they'll deal with it together.

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
 * Anthony Stewart Head as Rupert Giles

Guest Starring

 * David Boreanaz as Angel
 * Clare Kramer as Glory
 * Charlie Weber as Ben
 * Troy T. Blendell as Jinx
 * Amber Benson as Tara Maclay
 * Joel Grey as Doc

Co Starring

 * Todd Duffey as Murk
 * Andrea Gall as Customer
 * Alan Henry Brown as Funeral Director
 * Darius Dudley as Minister
 * Anne Talbot as Lady With Baby
 * Noor Shic as Lady With Rosary

Production Information

 * Writer and director Marti Noxon says, "To me, the idea of wanting to defy death is just an inherent, almost mythological, iconic notion. It’s something we can relate to...a universal longing." She says the idea for this episode arose from the idea that Dawn would be in the bargaining stage of mourning, and "if you were in Sunnydale and someone you loved died, you would absolutely call on the forces of darkness" to resurrect them."


 * According to writer and director Marti Noxon, the inspiration for this episode came from W.W. Jacob's short story, "The Monkey's Paw".


 * Kristine Sutherland did not play Joyce's shadowy figure in the final scene.

Quotes
Willow - "I'm gonna stop by my mom's first. Been doing that a lot lately." Xander - "Yeah, I thought maybe I'd stop by your mom's too... Well, I'm not going to my house. Those people are scary."

Spike - "I liked the lady! Understand, monkey boy? She was decent. She didn't put on airs. She always had a nice cuppa for me. And she never treated me like a freak!"

Buffy - "Dawn...I've been...working. I've been busy, because I have to..." Dawn - ""No! You've been avoiding me." Buffy - "I'm not! I have to do these things, 'cause...'cause when I stop, then she's really gone."

Continuity

 * When Angel comes to comfort Buffy, Buffy tells him, (in reference to Joyce's death) "the exact thing they said was 'probably'". Actually, Dr. Kriegel told her, "It’s doubtful that this could have been dealt with in time". And the paramedics said, "There’s nothing you could have done". The word "probably" never turned up in their conversations.


 * The events of the second Buffy game, Chaos Bleeds occur sometime after this episode.


 * This is one of the only episodes in the series where Buffy does not have an action scene.


 * This is Angel's first appearance in Buffy since The Yoko Factor (second if his flashback appearance in Fool for Love is counted). This is also his last appearance until End of Days.


 * This is the last appearance of Giles's apartment, as The Scoobies do not go there for the rest of season five, and he has moved out by season six.


 * Angel's visit to comfort Buffy occurs after his reunion with his Los Angeles associates, in the Angel episode "Epiphany".


 * Buffy's father, Hank is mentioned in this episode. He was last seen in "When She Was Bad".


 * In the episode Band Candy Giles and Joyce regress to teenagers and are seen hanging out while listening to "Tales of Brave Ulysses" by Cream before they have sex on the hood of the police car. Giles is seen in his apartment after her funeral drinking a glass of scotch and listening to the same song. Buffy refused to hold a wake, so this could be Giles's way of reminiscing about his fondest memory of Joyce and also point to some unacknowledged affection for her he was harboring.


 * Spike says that Joyce didn't treat him like a freak, and always had a nice "cuppa" for him. We see them bonding in the episodes "Lovers Walk" and "Crush", among others.


 * Chicken feet are a staple ingredient in witchcraft. It is mentioned by Willow in "Doppelgängland" and by Anya in "Into the Woods".


 * Buffy mentions that before Joyce went into surgery, they had a talk about funeral choices.


 * Ben has hurt Jinx once before. He beat him up as a message to Glory in "Checkpoint".


 * This episode focuses on the aftermath of Joyce's death. She died in "I Was Made to Love You".


 * During her resurrection spell, Dawn calls on Osiris. In "Bargaining, Part Two", Willow summons Osiris to resurrect Buffy, and she attempts to save Tara by calling on Osiris again in "Villains".


 * This is the second episode to feature Willow misusing magic (to encourage Dawn to investigate resurrection), which will become a running theme throughout Season Six. The first time was her "I will it so" spell in "Something Blue".

Slayer Stats

 * Dawn dispels the reincarnation of Joyce

Music

 * Splendid - "Tomorrow We'll Wake". The song plays in the background during Anya and Xander's post-coitus discussion.


 * Cream - "Tales of Brave Ulysses". Giles plays this song in his apartment while thinking of Joyce.


 * Peter and the Wolf - "Peter's Theme". Doc hums this song while looking for a book.