Something Blue

"Something Blue" is the ninth episode of the fourth season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and is the sixty-fifth episode altogether. It was written by Tracey Forbes and directed by Nick Marck. It originally broadcast on November 30, 1999.

Willow casts a spell to assuage her pain but it goes awry, blinding Giles, turning Xander into a demon magnet, and causing Buffy and Spike to become engaged.

Synopsis


Buffy talks to Riley and he invites her out on a picnic. Willow and Buffy talk about a possible relationship with Riley, and the consequences that may result from any relationship. Buffy wonders if the passion of her relationships comes from the pain and fighting. Spike is chained up and kept in the bathtub at Giles's apartment. Buffy tries to get information from him, and feeds him pig's blood, but he doesn't give up much. Willow suggests a truth spell to make Spike talk.

Going to Oz's place, she finds his things missing and learns that he had his things shipped to him, crushing her last hopes of his return. Annoyed by Spike, Giles calls Willow and arranges for them to perform the truth spell. That night at The Bronze, Willow opts to drown her sorrows in alcohol. After she insults Xander, Buffy takes her back to their dorm. Later, in the bathroom, Willow performs a spell to let her will be granted in order to make her pain go away.



Willow tries to see if her spell worked, but her commands don't work. Giles drops by to find out why she didn't show to help him perform the spell. She feels like there's too much pressure on her that she can't live up to. Angry, she says that he can't see anything, and then Giles leaves. Giles tries to perform the spell on Spike alone, but is having difficulty reading. After Giles drops the key to the chains keeping Spike captive, Spike is able to break free and run away.

While Willow and Buffy talk, one of Willow's casual comments briefly returns Amy to human form, before Willow just as casually -- and unwittingly -- turns her back into a rat.



After Giles calls, Buffy goes to find Spike and once he's caught (once more due to a sarcastic comment from Willow), she brings him back to Giles's apartment. While talking to Xander, Willow sarcastically mentions Buffy and Spike getting married, and then at Giles's place, Spike proposes to Buffy and she accepts.

Xander continues to try to console Willow until she states the fact that he is a demon magnet. While Buffy and Spike cuddle and kiss and make plans for the wedding, Giles calls Willow for help and moments later reaches the conclusion that he is totally blind. Buffy visits the magic shop for supplies to undo the spell that caused Giles to become blind. She then runs into Riley outside of a bridal shop and tells him about the wedding, which confuses and upsets him.



Xander and Anya's romantic time is interrupted by various demons that attack them. They rush to Giles's place where Xander realizes that everything Willow has said is coming true. D'Hoffryn, the demon responsible for making Anya a vengeance demon, comes forth and takes Willow through a portal into his demon world to make the same offer. When the gang goes to look for her, Anya recognizes the remains of portal left by D'Hoffryn.

Buffy and the rest of the group go to a crypt where they hope to stop D'Hoffryn from turning Willow into a demon. En route to the crypt, several demons attack, still drawn to Xander because of Willow's spell. In the meantime, Willow turns down D'Hoffryn's offer and he sends her back. Willow breaks the spell and Buffy and Spike find themselves in the middle of a kiss, much to their horror and disgust. Willow apologizes and tries to make up for her messed up spell with cookies. Buffy finds herself over the whole "bad boy" thing. The next day, Buffy finds Riley and manages to convince him her talk of her upcoming wedding was a joke.

Continuity

 * While discussing ways of reversing Gile's blindness, Spike picks up a book bearing the same symbol featured in the episode Gingerbread which Willow was trying to use to cast a protection spell for Buffy.


 * This episode marks the first time Buffy and Spike kiss (albeit under the influence of magic).


 * Buffy mentions having met with Angel for five minutes (from her point-of-view) in 'I Will Remember You'.


 * This episode foreshadows two major plot-lines of season 6 - Willow's abuse of magic for her own ends, and Buffy and Spike in a relationship.


 * The dress shop in which Buffy admires the wedding dress is the same one in which Cordelia Chase worked in "The Prom".


 * In this episode, D'Hoffryn gives Willow a talisman so that she can summon him if she changes her mind about becoming a vengeance demon. Willow will later use this talisman in the Season Seven episode "Selfless" in order to talk to D'Hoffryn about Anya.


 * The "Lesbian Alliance" banner that Buffy sees Riley hanging in the beginning of the episode is a foreshadowing of Willow's upcoming lesbian relationship, beginning in the next episode.

Body Count

 * One vampire, dusted by Buffy
 * One Serparvo demon, drowned by Xander

Deleted Scenes

 * This line was cut:
 * Buffy: "So she did a good spell - but the plan kind of sucked. I mean, she's the one stuck eating pellets out of a plastic cup."

Pop Culture Reference

 * Willow suggested a girls' night to eat sundaes and watch Steel Magnolias.
 * Spike references the Zagat's Guide, which is a collection of ratings and reviews for restaurants and other establishments in various cities.
 * Willow calls Spike "the undead English Patient," a reference to the 1992 novel (also film) The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje.
 * Spike references the daytime soap opera Passions.
 * Xander calls Willow a "brave little toaster" a reference to the novel/animated film The Brave Little Toaster. The novel was written by Thomas Disch.

Music

 * Bette Midler - "Wind Beneath My Wings"
 * Blink-182 - "All the Small Things"
 * Joe 90 - "Truth"
 * Sue Willett - "Night Time Company"