Lessons

"Lessons" is the first episode of the seventh and final season of the television show Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

A new improved Sunnydale High School is back, but Buffy is nervous about Dawn going there, due to her own bad experiences in the old school. Willow is in England with Giles, learning to control the magic which is now a part of her. Buffy encounters vengeful spirits of people she failed to save at the school. When they attack Dawn and two of her classmates, Kit and Carlos, Buffy fights them off, until Xander discovers the talisman used to summon them and destroys it, which destroys the spirits. Spike has returned from his quest which resulted in the return of his soul and is now borderline insane. The principal of the new Sunnydale High hires Buffy to work part-time as a counsellor. Spike is tormented by something which shape-shifts into the various enemies of Buffy, and the Slayer herself.

Quotes
Dawn: "He might not know those fancy martial art skills they inevitably seem to pick up." Dawn comments on the supernatural strength that vampires inherit.

Giles: "Synchronized swimming. Complete mystery to me." Giles admits the one thing he doesn't know anything about.

Buffy: "Ah, you put the box near the milk. I saw it on the food channel." Buffy teaches Xander how to make cereal.

Buffy: "You know, you could still drop out. Only nerds finish high school." Buffy gets cold feet about leaving Dawn at Sunnydale High.

Xander: "Whoa. Contracty goodness." ''Xander sees big bucks when coming across the bathroom floor caved in.

Warren (re: Buffy): "She's a girl! With sugar, and spice, and everything... useless, unless you're baking." Buffy will use a similar metaphor in the final episode.

Pop-Culture References

 * Dumbledore - Willow remarks how confused she is that Giles rehabilitates her with magic, like the fictional wizard character. Dumbledore is the headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the school Harry Potter attends, in J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series of books and movies.

Trivia

 * Kali Rocha filmed all of her scenes for this season in one day, including those in "Selfless".


 * The scenes that are marked as taking place in Westbury were actually shot at Anthony Stewart Head's house in Somerset, England. He owns the horse seen in the episode, and it is named "Otto".


 * This episode marks Dawn's first day at Sunnydale High. The First remarks to Spike, "We're going back to the beginning."  The first episode of Buffy depicted Buffy's first day at the old Sunnydale High.  (This is just one of many references to the old days of Sunnydale High.)


 * Willow's mentor in England, Ms. Harkness, is named after the Marvel character, Agatha Harkness, who is also a witch.


 * This show marks the first time Buffy is seen using a cell phone.


 * This is the only episode in the entire series where you can briefly see one of Sarah's real life tattoos. In the first act when Buffy & Xander are discussing the Sunnydale High you can the Chinese symbol for hope or luck on her left hip. But not later in the episode.