This Year's Girl

"This Year's Girl" is the fifteenth episode of the fourth season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and is the seventy-first episode altogether. It was written by Douglas Petrie and directed by Michael Gershman. It originally broadcast on February 22, 2000.

Faith wakes up from her eight month coma and seeks revenge against Buffy Summers. After failing to attack her, she switches bodies with Buffy using a gift given to her by the now long-dead Mayor.

Synopsis


In a dream sequence, Buffy and Faith put clean sheets on a bed. Buffy says, "I wish I could stay, it's just with....", Faith replies, "...I know, there's so much to do before little sis gets here." Suddenly, Faith's blood begins to drip onto the white sheets. Buffy is revealed to be twisting a knife into Faith's stomach. Faith asks, "are you ever gonna take this thing out?"

Xander Harris is checking out the broken blaster gun from The Initiative in his basement, while the scoobies look on. Buffy asks him if he can repair it or not. Xander replies, "sure, as soon as i get my masters degree in advanced starship technology." Willow Rosenberg offers suggestions to help, to no avail. Rupert Giles is concerned about Buffy because she's been patrolling non-stop for days without finding Adam. Buffy is worried about Riley Finn because she still hasn't seen him since he was injured. Xander accidentally shocks himself with the blaster, but no one notices. Riley wakes up and tries to leave the hospital, but Forrest Gates and Graham Miller try to talk him out of it. Riley does not change his mind.

At the hospital, Faith, while in her coma, dreams of a picnic with the mayor. Buffy arrives, slits the Mayor's throat and stabs him in the belly with Faith's old knife, then threatens Faith herself. Faith crawls away.

On patrol, Buffy, Willow and Xander find a demon strung up on a tree opened up like a dissection experiment. Back at Xander's, Buffy explains her plans for getting Riley out, which involve fighting her way into the Initiative. Riley appears, explaining that he has simply walked away from the Initiative.

Back at the hospital, Faith has another dream. In the dream, Faith is running through a cemetery while Buffy pursues her. Faith falls into an open grave. Buffy jumps into the grave. A moment later Faith alone climbs out of the grave in her dream. The Faith awakens from her coma. Pulling free of the tubes in her body, Faith walks out into the hospital halls and encounters a girl. She thinks it's still the day of graduation, but the girl informs her that the school was destroyed and that the Mayor died at the graduation ceremony. After the girl tells Faith the current date, Faith leaves the hospital in the girl's clothes.

Riley and Buffy talk about their jobs working to fight the forces of evil. Buffy tells him he has a choice in what he does with his life. At the hospital, a detective talks with members of the hospital staff. They find a girl, beaten up and stripped, but no Faith. A nurse makes a call, asking for a team to be sent out.



Faith walks around Sunnydale looking at all the things that have changed, ending up outside Giles' house and eavesdropping on the Scooby Gang's plans to attack Adam. A phone call informs Buffy that Faith is awake and on the loose. They talk about how they're going to deal with her, but conclude that they'll have to see what condition she is in first. On campus, Buffy and Willow run into Faith. The two Slayers talk about what happened and fight briefly before the cops arrive and Faith runs.

Willow brings Tara Maclay along with her to search for Faith. Xander and Giles go searching the streets for Faith and Adam, but instead encounter Spike. He's not willing to help them, preferring the idea of helping Faith find and kill them all. A helicopter lands, three men carrying briefcases exit and after conversing with the nurse, they go into the hospital.



Faith is approached by a demon that tries to give her a gift, but she kills him and runs off with the box. She breaks into a store to watch a video tape of the Mayor on one of the VCRs and then opens a box from him that contains a special gift.

Buffy and Riley talk about Faith; Buffy doesn't mention that she stabbed Faith to save Angel. Faith arrives at Buffy's house and punches out Joyce Summers. Keeping Joyce her captive, Faith doesn't think Buffy will arrive, but is surprised when Buffy flies through the window. The Slayers have a fight that travels through almost every room of the house while Joyce calls the police.

Giles finds the lights don't work at his apartment, but a lamp turns on and the three men with briefcases are there. One of them says "Hello Rupert", causing Giles to realize that they are from the council.

Faith puts the gift from the Mayor on her hand and grabs Buffy's hand. A light flows through them and Buffy punches Faith. Buffy smashes the metal contraption from the Mayor and when Joyce asks her if she's okay, Buffy responds, "Five by five."

Deleted Scenes

 * This line was cut, where Buffy explains what she would like to use to get into The Initiative:
 * Buffy: "Explosives, tear gas, grappling hooks."

Goofs, Bloopers & Continuity Errors

 * During the Buffy/Faith fight scene, as the pair fall down the stairs, a hand holding a camera can be clearly seen on the other side of the railing tracking them as they fall.

Other

 * This episode is Faith-centric.

Continuity

 * This is the second episode that foreshadows the arrival of Buffy's sister. Both times, Faith was the one who mentioned her, the first time being in the Season 3 finale "Graduation Day, Part 2," when Faith said "Little Miss Muffet, counting down to 7-3-0." This time was less cryptic. Faith actually said "...little sis coming..."


 * When Faith walks through downtown Sunnydale she admires knives on display in the storefront window of Meyer Sports and Tackle the same shop she and Buffy broke into in "Bad Girls".


 * Faith's tattoo on her upper arm is missing when she's in Joyce's bedroom.


 * Faith awakens from the coma she has been in since "Graduation Day, Part Two".