Choices

"Choices" is the nineteenth episode of the third season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and is the fifty-third episode altogether. It was written by David Fury and directed by James A. Contner. It originally broadcast on May 4, 1999.

In order to gain an artifact that is essential for his Ascension, the Mayor kidnaps Willow in order to force the Scooby Gang to hand it over.

Synopsis


The Mayor gives Faith a knife for a gift in exchange for an errand he asks her to handle for him. Buffy and Angel are fighting off vampires at the cemetery. They then discuss their relationship and how it seems to be going nowhere. Joyce finds out that Buffy was accepted to Northwestern, but Buffy is reluctant to make any plans for leaving because of what she'd be leaving behind. Joyce doesn't seem to be hearing a word of it and goes to call family members in Illinois.

At school, Principal Snyder is on a drug search (even searching a student's lunch in the process). Buffy and friends discuss their college futures and Buffy mentions that she did get accepted to the University of California, Sunnydale. Willow on the other hand has been accepted to every school in the country and some out of, including Oxford. Xander has plans to travel around and find out what his future may be since college isn't posing as much of an option. Cordelia Chase arrives for long enough to insult everyone based on their college futures. Buffy tells Wesley and Giles that she wants out of Sunnydale. Her job as the Slayer, however, is too much of a problem for them to just ignore. Buffy then decides that if she takes the offensive against the Mayor, bringing the fight to him, that she could defeat him, stop the Ascension and then be able to go away for college.



Later that night, Faith is there to meet the box at the airport, killing the courier and taking his hand off to separate him from the box. Buffy watches from the bushes as Faith arrives in a limo and brings the box to the Mayor. After the coast is clear, Buffy attacks the courier and forces information about the box out of him before staking him.

When Buffy returns to the library, with information about the Box of Gavrok, Giles and Willow bring maps of City Hall so that they can plan to infiltrate the building in order to take the box from the Mayor. The box, which is being kept in a top floor conference room is protected by magic -- which they plan to have Willow handle so they get to the box. Xander is sent off in search of supplies for the ritual that will destroy the box. Wesley is annoyed that no one will listen to him, and feels that they are rushing this too much.

On his shopping trip, Xander spies Cordelia in a clothing shop. He stops in long enough to give her his best comeback to the insults she provided him the day before but she shocks him with her acceptance letters to several very important colleges. That night, Wesley and Giles drop off Buffy, Willow, and Angel at City Hall. Back at the library, Xander and Oz follow Willow's instructions to prepare the ritual to destroy the box.



After Willow performs the spell, she leaves and Buffy gets ready to take the box. Angel lowers her through the skylight to take the box. After she gets the box though, an alarm goes off and the rope gets stuck. Buffy is left hanging as two vampires enter. Unable to get Buffy free, Angel leaps into the fray and the two fight the vampires. After tearing up the conference room, they escape and hide in the bushes while Giles and Wesley cause a diversion.

The Mayor is extremely angry that they got away with his box, but he suddenly becomes very happy when he finds that Faith has captured Willow. The gang finds out about Willow's capture and they're all very upset, especially Oz. Buffy decides that they will trade the box for Willow. Wesley is strongly against it and tells Buffy that she was right to take the offensive against the Mayor, and that by giving up the box they are sentencing all of Sunnydale to death. Everyone fights over the issue until Oz ends the argument by smashing the pot needed for the ritual and Buffy tells Giles to set up the meeting.

Willow tries to escape from the room she's locked in, but only succeeds in attracting the attention of a vampire guard. He tries to taste a bit of her blood, but she levitates a pencil and stakes him before he can take a bite. Willow sneaks out of her room and finds the Mayor's office. Inside, she finds the Books of Ascension, which she reads until Faith discovers her. In the ensuing confrontation, Willow launches a tirade against Faith, informing her that, despite her rough life, she had a lot working with the Scoobies, and now that she is working for the Mayor, she is now alone, friendless, and a "big, selfish, worthless, waste." Having been expecting a speech on how it was not too late for her to turn back, Faith is briefly taken aback, but quickly overcomes it and physically assaults Willow before the Mayor enters and informs them that the Scoobies have negotiated a deal.



The meeting takes place in the cafeteria where everyone meets the Mayor and his crew armed with weapons. The Mayor gives a speech about how he doesn't think that Buffy and Angel have any future together. The trade is made, but Principal Snyder shows up with security guards before anyone can leave, expecting to find drugs in the box. One of the guards opens the box and a large beetle-like creature crawls out and kills him. Another beetle breaks free and the two manage to attack The Mayor and Buffy. Both beetles are killed, one with the knife the Mayor gave Faith, and the Mayor leaves, box in hand, with Faith following behind, reluctantly leaving behind the knife.

At the library, Willow tells everyone her story, then presents Giles with a few important pages which she tore from the Books. Wesley reminds Buffy that the Scooby Gang are now back exactly where they started, with no way to stop the Ascension.

At school the next day, Buffy comes to the conclusion that she's never going to leave Sunnydale. Willow tells her of her plans to go to UC Sunnydale because she wants to keep helping Buffy save the world and continue her study of Wicca.

Cordelia, meanwhile, is posing in front of a mirror with a fashionable and expensive-looking prom dress. The scene is upended, however, when her manager approaches and tells her to get back to work, revealing that Cordelia is not shopping; in spite of Xander's jibes about her father's money, she has been forced to take a menial retail job.

That night Buffy and Angel talk about Buffy's future and she says that everything will be okay.

Goofs, Bloopers & Continuity Errors

 * After the Gavrock jumps onto Buffy's back and she smashes it, when the camera switches to Xander he's laughing at first but covers it up.
 * The policeman that was supposedly killed by the Gavrock twitches his eyelids after the Gavrock leaves his face.

Continuity

 * This episode marks the first time that Buffy and the Mayor actually meet, even though they were in the same room at the City Hall press conference in "Gingerbread" and crossed paths in the sewers in "Band Candy".

Music

 * The Bangles - "Walk Like an Egyptian"
 * Christophe Beck - "Into the Mayor's Lair"