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{{Episode
{{buffyepisode
 
| season = 7
+
|season = 7
| number = 1
+
|number = 1
| image = 701_Lessons3.jpg
+
|image = Lessons Buffy Dawn.jpg
| airdate = September 24, 2002
+
|airdate = September 24, [[2002]]
| writer = [[Joss Whedon]]
+
|writer = [[Joss Whedon]]
| director = [[David Solomon]]
+
|director = [[David Solomon]]
  +
|code = 7ABB01
| previous = "[[Grave]]"
 
| next = "[[Beneath You]]"
+
|series = ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]''
| cast = {{CastList
+
|previous = "[[Grave]]"
  +
|next = "[[Beneath You]]"
| starring = {{CastGroup|{{CastActor|name=Sarah Michelle Gellar|character=Buffy Summers|billed=Buffy}}
 
  +
|series2 = ''[[Angel (series)|Angel]]''
| {{CastActor|name=Nicholas Brendon|character=Xander Harris|billed=Xander}}
 
  +
|previous2 = "[[Tomorrow]]"
| {{CastActor|name=Emma Caulfield|character=Anya Jenkins|billed=Anya}}
 
  +
|next2 = "[[Deep Down]]"
| {{CastActor|name=Michelle Trachtenberg|character=Dawn Summers|billed=Dawn}}
 
  +
|stars = [[Sarah Michelle Gellar]] — [[Buffy Summers|Buffy]]<br />[[Nicholas Brendon]] — [[Alexander Harris|Xander]]<br />[[Emma Caulfield]] — [[Anya Jenkins|Anya]]<br />[[Michelle Trachtenberg]] — [[Dawn Summers|Dawn]]<br />[[James Marsters]] — [[Spike]]<br />[[Alyson Hannigan]] — [[Willow Rosenberg|Willow]]
| {{CastActor|name=James Marsters|character=Spike}}
 
  +
|specials = [[Anthony Stewart Head]] — [[Rupert Giles|Giles]]
| {{CastActor|name=Alyson Hannigan|character=Willow Rosenberg|billed=Willow}}}}
 
  +
|gueststars = [[Alex Breckenridge]] — [[Kit Holburn|Kit]]<br />[[Kali Rocha]] — [[Halfrek]]<br />[[D. B. Woodside]] — [[Robin Wood|Principal Wood]]
| specialgueststarring = {{CastGroup|{{CastActor|name=Anthony Stewart Head|character=Rupert Giles|billed=Giles}}}}
 
  +
|costars = [[Mark Metcalf]] — [[Master]]<br />[[Juliet Landau]] — [[Drusilla]]<br />[[Harry Groener]] — [[Richard Wilkins|Mayor Wilkins]]<br />[[George Hertzberg]] — [[Adam]]<br />[[Clare Kramer]] — [[Glorificus|Glory]]<br />[[Adam Busch]] — [[Warren Mears|Warren]]<br />[http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1388124 David Zepeda] — [[Carlos Trejo|Carlos]]<br />[http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0397386 Jeremy Howard] — [[Unidentified spirit I (Lessons)|Dead Nerd]]<br />[http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0835349 Ken Strunk] — [[Unidentified spirit II (Lessons)|Dead Janitor]]<br />[http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0068622 Rachael Bella] — [[Unidentified spirit III (Lessons)|Dead Girl]]<br />[https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0552232/ Ed F. Martin] — [[Lonegrin|Teacher]]<br />[http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0155921 Simon Chernin] — Student<br />[http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0219838 Jeff Denton] — [[Pelletti|Vampire]]
| gueststarring = {{CastGroup|{{CastActor|name=Alex Breckenridge|character=Kit Holburn|billed=Kit}}
 
  +
|uncredited = [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1267372 Mark Weathers] — Student<br />[http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1148357 Carl Darchuk] — Drunk
| {{CastActor|name=Kali Rocha|character=Halfrek}}
 
  +
|bandname = [[Strange Radio]]
| {{CastActor|name=D. B. Woodside|character=Robin Wood|billed=Principal Wood}}}}
 
  +
|band = [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0393958 Ciaran Hope] — singer<br />Karla Grefe — singer
| costarring = {{CastGroup|{{CastActor|name=Mark Metcalf|character=The Master}}
 
| {{CastActor|name=Juliet Landau|character=Drusilla}}
 
| {{CastActor|name=Harry Groener|character=Richard Wilkins|billed=Mayor Wilkins}}
 
| {{CastActor|name=George Hertzberg|character=Adam}}
 
| {{CastActor|name=Clare Kramer|character=Glory}}
 
| {{CastActor|name=Adam Busch|character=Warren Mears|billed=Warren}}
 
| {{CastActor|name=David Zepeda|imdb=1388124|character=Carlos Trejo|billed=Carlos}}
 
| {{CastActor|name=Jeremy Howard|imdb=0397386|billed=Dead Nerd}}
 
| {{CastActor|name=Ken Strunk|imdb=0835349|billed=Dead Janitor}}
 
| {{CastActor|name=Rachael Bella|imdb=0068622|billed=Dead Girl}}
 
| {{CastActor|name=Ed F. Martin|imdb=0552232|character=Mr. Lonegrin|billed=Teacher}}
 
| {{CastActor|name=Simon Chernin|imdb=0155921|billed=Student}}
 
| {{CastActor|name=Jeff Denton|imdb=0219838|character=Pelletti|billed=Vampire}}}}
 
| uncredited = {{CastGroup|{{CastActor|name=Mark Weathers|imdb=1267372|billed=Student}}
 
| {{CastActor|name=Carl Darchuk|imdb=1148357|billed=Drunk}}}}
 
| bandname = Ciaran Hope
 
| bandmembers = {{CastGroup|{{CastActor|name=Ciaran Hope|imdb=0393958|billed=Male Singer}}
 
| {{CastActor|name=Karla Grefe|imdb=0|billed=Female Singer}}}}}}
 
 
}}
 
}}
   
"'''Lessons'''" is the season premiere of the [[Buffy the Vampire Slayer#Season Seven|seventh season]] of ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]'', and is the hundred twenty-third episode altogether. It was written by [[Joss Whedon]] and directed by [[David Solomon]]. It originally broadcast on September 24, 2002.
+
"'''{{PAGENAME}}'''" is the season premiere of the [[Buffy the Vampire Slayer season 7|seventh season]] of ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]'' television show, and is the hundred twenty-third episode in the series. Written by [[Joss Whedon]] and directed by [[David Solomon]], it originally broadcast on September 24, [[2002]] on [[UPN]].
 
[[Dawn Summers|Dawn]] finds vengeful spirits in the new [[Sunnydale High School]]. [[Rupert Giles|Giles]] helps with [[Willow Rosenberg|Willow]]'s rehabilitation in England.
 
   
 
==Synopsis==
 
==Synopsis==
  +
WELCOME BACK TO THE HELLMOUTH — [[Dawn Summers|Dawn]] starts school at the newly rebuilt [[Sunnydale High School|Sunnydale High]], while [[Buffy Summers|Buffy]] patrols the new campus on the look out for anything out of the ordinary — and for good reason. Dead people hunt Dawn and Buffy, [[Spike]] reappears, and there's a new principal at school. In England, [[Rupert Giles|Giles]] helps [[Willow Rosenberg|Willow]] to learn to control her power and begin to forgive herself for her actions in [[Sunnydale]].
[[Image:701_Lessons1.jpg|thumb|left|Dawn: Hm. So, he's got the power?]]
 
   
  +
==Summary==
In Istanbul, a dark-haired girl is running, looking over her shoulder in fear. She's being chased by [[Bringers|men in hooded cloaks]]. After a heated chase and a near escape they catch her. Two hooded figures hold her down, while a third figure raises an arched, shiny, silver dagger and stabs her.
 
  +
In Istanbul, [[Istanbul Potential Slayer|a dark-haired girl]] is running, looking over her shoulder in fear. She's being chased by [[Harbingers of Death|men in hooded cloaks]]. After a heated chase and a near escape they catch her. Two hooded figures hold her down, while a third figure raises an arched, shiny, silver dagger and stabs her.
   
[[Buffy Summers|Buffy]] is in [[Sunnydale]] training her sister on how to fight vampires. She instructs Dawn that fighting (and slaying) are about power. They discuss the fact that Sunnydale High has just reopened.
+
Buffy is in Sunnydale training her sister on how to fight vampires. She instructs Dawn that fighting (and slaying) are about power. They discuss the fact that Sunnydale High has just reopened.
   
Meanwhile, [[Willow Rosenberg|Willow]] is studying with [[Rupert Giles|Giles]] in Westbury, England. She studies magic and meditation with a [[Devon Coven|coven of Wiccans]] that Giles knows. They discuss Willow's powers, and how witchcraft is no longer a hobby or an addiction she can quit as the magic is now a part of her She is learning control, but feels frightened and distraught because she "killed people". Giles reassures her that she can be helped and become 'Willow' again.<ref>"[[Villains]]"</ref>
+
Meanwhile, Willow is studying with Giles in Westbury, England. She studies magic and meditation with a [[Devon Coven|coven of Wiccans]] that Giles knows. They discuss Willow's powers, and how witchcraft is no longer a hobby or an addiction she can quit as the magic is now a part of her. She is learning control, but feels frightened and distraught because she "killed people." Giles reassures her that she can be helped and become "Willow" again.
   
[[Alexander Harris|Xander]] is working construction at the new high school which Dawn is to attend. He shows Buffy his discovery that the Principal's office is right over the [[Hellmouth]] (where the [[Sunnydale High School library|library]] used to sit). Buffy follows Dawn into the school where she meets [[Robin Wood|Principal Wood]]. She wanders into a bathroom, where she finds a mysterious talisman. Upon seeing the talisman, she sees a dead girl who threatens her. She says Buffy was unable to protect her, and that she will not be able to protect Dawn either.
+
[[Alexander Harris|Xander]] is working construction at the new high school which Dawn is to attend. He shows Buffy his discovery that the Principal's office is right over the [[Hellmouth]] (where the [[Sunnydale High School library|library]] used to sit). Buffy follows Dawn into the school where she meets [[Robin Wood|Principal Wood]]. She wanders into a bathroom, where she finds [[Talisman (Lessons)|a talisman]]. A dead girl appears and threatens her, saying that Buffy was unable to protect her, and that she will not be able to protect Dawn either.
   
  +
[[Anya Jenkins|Anya]] is still in the vengeance business and is drinking coffee with fellow [[vengeance demon]] and friend [[Halfrek]]. Hallie tells Anya that the other demons are noticing a lack of quality in her work, and that "something big is coming."
[[Image:701_Lessons4.jpg|thumb|left|The First/Mayor: So what'd you think? You'd get your soul back and everything'd be Jim Dandy? Soul's slipperier than a greased weasel. Why do you think I sold mine?]]
 
   
  +
Buffy tries to warn Dawn, but winds up only embarrassing her. Dawn then sees a similar dead student. She hurries to the bathroom where she meets [[Kit Holburn]], who has also been seeing things. They are about to leave the bathroom when the floor caves in and they wind up in the high school basement. Willow, back in England, has had a vision. She saw "the earth's teeth" — the [[Hellmouth]]. She tells Giles, who has taught her that everything is connected, that not everything that is connected to the earth is good.
[[Anya Jenkins|Anya]] is still in the [[Vengeance demon|vengeance]] business and is drinking coffee with her fellow vengeance demon [[Halfrek]]. "Hallie" tells Anya that the other demons are noticing a lack of quality in her work, and that "something big is coming".
 
   
  +
Dawn and Kit run into another student in the basement, [[Carlos Trejo]], who says he saw a dead janitor. They are soon confronted by the three dead people. The dead people tell them that everyone dies at Sunnydale, and they will be no different. Dawn calls Buffy on her new cell phone. Buffy descends into the basement to help Dawn, but cannot find her. Instead, she finds a deranged Spike holed up in a small room.
Buffy tries to warn Dawn, but winds up only embarrassing her. Dawn then sees a similar dead student. She hurries to the bathroom where she meets [[Kit Holburn]], who has also been seeing things. They are about to leave the bathroom when the floor caves in and they wind up in the high school basement. Willow, back in England, has had a vision. She saw "the earth's teeth"—the [[Hellmouth]]. She tells Giles, who has taught her that everything is connected, that not everything that is connected to the earth is good.
 
   
  +
He has scratches around his heart which he explains as attempts to "cut it out." He is rambling incoherently, but tells Buffy that the dead students are not [[zombie]]s or [[spirit|ghosts]], but "manifest [[spirit]]s" raised by a [[talisman]]. Buffy calls Xander, telling him to find and destroy the talisman. She then hears Dawn screaming, and runs to her rescue. She fights the spirits off as Xander wrestles with one. He breaks the talisman and the spirits disappear.
[[Image:701_Lessons2.jpg|thumb|left|Buffy: It's my hair. I have mom hair.]]
 
 
Dawn and Kit run into another student in the basement, [[Carlos Trejo]], who says he saw a dead janitor. They are soon confronted by the three dead people. The dead people tell them that everyone dies at Sunnydale, and they will be no different. Dawn calls Buffy on her new cell phone. Buffy descends into the basement to help Dawn, but cannot find her. Instead, she finds a deranged [[Spike]] holed up in a small room.
 
 
He has scratches around his heart which he explains as attempts to "cut it out". He is rambling incoherently, but tells Buffy that the dead students are not zombies or ghosts, but "manifest spirits" raised by a [[talisman]]. Buffy calls Xander, telling him to find and destroy the talisman. She then hears Dawn screaming, and runs to her rescue. She fights the spirits off as Xander wrestles with one to destroy the talisman. Xander breaks the talisman and the spirits disappear.
 
   
 
Buffy then sends Dawn, Kit, and Carlos off to class. Principal Wood is impressed that Buffy was able to convince Kit and Carlos to socialize and go to class, and says that they are the only two students with school records as large as Buffy's had been. He offers her a job working as a counselor at the school, and she gladly accepts. She wants to be able to keep an eye on her sister, the school, the Hellmouth, and the new principal.
 
Buffy then sends Dawn, Kit, and Carlos off to class. Principal Wood is impressed that Buffy was able to convince Kit and Carlos to socialize and go to class, and says that they are the only two students with school records as large as Buffy's had been. He offers her a job working as a counselor at the school, and she gladly accepts. She wants to be able to keep an eye on her sister, the school, the Hellmouth, and the new principal.
   
  +
Spike is now huddled in a corner in his basement room. He says that he had a speech to Buffy prepared, but she would not understand. [[First Evil|A figure]] that appears to be [[Warren Mears|Warren]] is seen pacing around him. He begins to give a speech about how great he is. He turns into [[Glorificus|Glory]], then [[Adam]], followed by [[Richard Wilkins|Mayor Wilkins]], [[Drusilla]], and the [[Master]]. Each of them continues the speech, but each in their own particular voice and using their individual personalities and manner of speaking. The Master says: "It's not about right. It's not about wrong." He then transforms into Buffy and says: "It's about power."
[[File:Buffy_(The_First).png|thumb|The First as Buffy: It's about power.]]
 
 
Spike is now huddled in a corner in his basement room. He says that he had a speech to Buffy prepared, but she would not understand. A [[First Evil|figure]] that appears to be [[Warren Mears]] is seen pacing around him. He begins to give a speech about how great he is. He turns into [[Glorificus|Glory]], then [[Adam]], followed by [[Richard Wilkins|Mayor Wilkins]], [[Drusilla]], and then [[The Master]]. Each of them continues the speech, but each in their own particular voice and using their individual personalities and manner of speaking. The Master says, "It's not about right. It's not about wrong." He then transforms into Buffy and tells Spike, "It's about power", the same thing Buffy had said to Dawn at the beginning.{{Clear}}
 
   
 
==Continuity==
 
==Continuity==
  +
*This is the first of multiple episodes to begin with the murder of a [[Potential Slayer]], until their pivotal stand in "[[Chosen]]."
 
  +
*Dawn comments that she is taller than Buffy. This has been apparent since the episode "[[Crush]]" and mentioned by Buffy in episode "[[Normal Again]]."
*The teaser follows the trend of season premieres taking place in a graveyard since "[[When She Was Bad]]", in which Buffy, Willow and Xander reunite in a cemetery. In "[[Anne]]", Willow, Xander, and Oz patrol a cemetery in place of an absent Buffy. The next year, in Season 4's "[[The Freshman]]", Buffy and Willow decide on what college courses to take in the graveyard. Season 5's "[[Buffy vs. Dracula]]" shows Buffy needing that extra dose of slaying-in-the-graveyard before bedtime. With Buffy dead, Season 6's "[[Bargaining, Part One]]" shows Giles, Spike, Xander, Tara, Anya, and the Buffybot patrolling in the cemetery under the leadership of Willow. Finally, in this episode Buffy trains Dawn in the techniques of vampire slaying.
 
  +
*Dawn fails to kill the vampire by missing the heart, which Buffy claims she also did fighting her first vampire. This can be seen during a flashback in "[[Becoming, Part One]]" and her retelling of the story in ''[[The Origin, Part One]]''.
 
  +
*Xander appears with a [[3PCE187|new car]] after his [[2SAM564|previous one]] was damaged by Willow in "[[Two to Go]]."
*At this point, the Scooby Gang has the fewest members at any time in the series: Buffy, Xander, and Dawn. From the previous season: Willow turned evil and is now being rehabilitated in England, Giles moved back to England, Anya became a Vengeance Demon after her failed wedding, Tara was killed, and Spike left Sunnydale to regain his soul. All will return to the Scooby Gang throughout the season, with the exception of Tara.
 
  +
*At this point, the Scooby Gang has the fewest active members at any time in the series: Buffy, Xander, and Dawn. From the previous season: Willow turned evil and is now being rehabilitated in England, Giles moved back to England, Anya became a vengeance demon after her failed wedding, Tara was killed, and Spike left Sunnydale to regain his soul. All will return to the Scooby Gang throughout the season, with the exception of Tara.
 
  +
*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 ("[[Welcome to the Hellmouth]]").
*This is the first of multiple episodes to begin with the murder of a Potential Slayer, until their pivotal stand in "[[Chosen]]".
 
  +
*Buffy warns Dawn to stay away from "hyena people, lizardy-type athletes" and invisible people — referencing the monsters who appeared respectively in episodes "[[The Pack]]," "[[Go Fish]]," and "[[Out of Mind, Out of Sight]]."
 
  +
*The character of Principal Wood is introduced. He is later revealed to be Nikki Wood's son ("[[First Date]]"), one of the slayers that Spike killed ("[[Fool for Love]]").
*This episode reintroduces the First Evil, this season's Big Bad (although it is not identified until "[[Never Leave Me]]"). The First makes an initial probe of Sunnydale's mettle under Buffy's reign by tormenting Angel in the season three episode "[[Amends]]".
 
  +
*Buffy and Xander discuss the layout of the new Sunnydale High and the location of the principal's office over the Hellmouth, an area previously rested over the library ("[[Prophecy Girl]]").
 
  +
*Dawn gets a mobile phone, the first we will see the Scoobies use since Cordelia in "Welcome to the Hellmouth." Buffy is also seen with her own for the first time.
*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.)
 
  +
*Buffy says, "There's always a talisman." In episode "[[Once More, with Feeling]]," Xander accidentally summons the demon [[Sweet]] through [[Sweet's talisman]].
 
  +
*Two girls and a boy (Dawn, Kit, and Carlos) form a friendship on the first school day after fighting the supernatural together, which is similar to the way Buffy, Willow, and Xander started their friendship in "Welcome to the Hellmouth."
*The character of Principal Wood is introduced, later to be revealed as Nikki Wood's son. Nikki Wood is one of the slayers that Spike killed. This will play out later in the season.
 
  +
*Having worked at [[Doublemeat Palace (business)|Doublemeat Palace]] since the episode "[[Doublemeat Palace]]," Buffy is now employed at Sunnydale High. As he reveals in "First Date," Principal Wood creates a counseling position for the express purpose of luring the Slayer.
 
  +
*This episode reintroduces the First Evil, this season's Big Bad (although it is not identified until "[[Never Leave Me]]"). The First makes an initial probe of Sunnydale's mettle under Buffy's reign by tormenting Angel four years earlier, in the episode "[[Amends]]."
*Having worked at [[Doublemeat Palace]] during season six, Buffy is now employed at Sunnydale High, where Principal Wood creates a counseling position for the express purpose of luring the Slayer.
 
  +
*At the end of the episode, the First appears as notable [[Big Bad]]s from previous seasons, in reverse chronological order: Warren Mears ([[Buffy the Vampire Slayer season 6|season 6]]), Glory ([[Buffy the Vampire Slayer season 5|season 5]]), Adam ([[Buffy the Vampire Slayer season 4|season 4]]), Mayor Wilkins ([[Buffy the Vampire Slayer season 3|season 3]]), Drusilla ([[Buffy the Vampire Slayer season 2|season 2]]), and the Master ([[Buffy the Vampire Slayer season 1|season 1]]).
 
  +
*This episode marks the first appearances (as visions) of Warren since "[[Villains]]," Glory since "[[The Gift]]," Adam since "[[Restless]]," Mayor Wilkins since "[[This Year's Girl]]," Drusilla since "[[Crush]]," the Master since "[[The Wish]]," and the First Evil since "Amends."
*This is the only episode where Spike and [[The Master]] (as The First) are seen together.
 
  +
*Adam calls Spike "number 17," a reference to the [[Initiative]]'s code name for him, Hostile 17 ("[[The Initiative]]").
 
  +
*The First (in the guise of Buffy) describes it not being about good or evil, but it being about power; [[Holland Manners]] also says this in the ''[[Angel (series)|Angel]]'' episode "[[Blind Date]]."
*This is also the only episode where Spike and [[The Mayor|The Mayor Wilkins]] (as The First) are seen together.
 
  +
*By appearing as Buffy, Drusilla, and Warren, the First demonstrates for the first time in the series that it can also appear as [[undead]] and [[resurrection|resurrected]] individuals, not just permanently dead people like Angel's victims in "Amends."
 
*At the end of the episode, except for Buffy, all of the First's appearances are the [[Big Bad]]s from previous seasons, in reverse chronological order: Warren Mears (Season 6), Glory (Season 5), Adam (Season 4), Mayor Wilkins (Season 3), Drusilla (Season 2), and The Master (season 1).
 
[[File:Buffy_main_villains_(The_First)_2.png|thumb|The First as Warren, Glory, Adam, Mayor Wilkins, Drusilla, and the Master]]
 
 
*By appearing as Buffy, Drusilla and Warren, The First demonstrates for the first time in the series that it can also appear as undead and previously deceased individuals, not just permanently dead people like [[Janna of the Kalderash|Jenny Calendar]] (Although nobody knew that Warren was still 'alive' at this point yet, except Amy and obviously, Warren himself).
 
 
*In her "intervention" over Anya's lackluster vengeance, Halfrek praises Anya's previous hard-core performance as a Vengeance Demon, saying "Do I have to mention Mrs. Czolgosz?" This is exceptionally obscure in-joke directed at [[Jane Espenson]], who wrote a joke in [[Buffy the Vampire Slayer#Season Four|Season Four]] about Anyanka making a male victim fall in love with President McKinley ("[[Superstar]]"). [[Wikipedia:Leon Czolgosz|Leon Czolgosz]] assassinated President McKinley. The joke was a little too obscure; Espenson didn't catch it.
 
 
*The regaining of Spike's soul is key in the series finale's battle, when Buffy asks him to wear an amulet (brought by Angel in "[[End of Days]]") that can only be wielded by someone both ensouled and possessing preternatural strength; a "champion." This will also be important in [[Angel (series)|Angel]] with the Shanshu prophecy.
 
 
*Buffy warns Dawn to stay away from "hyena people, lizardy-type athletes" and invisible people — referencing the monsters who appeared in the Season 1 episode "[[The Pack]]", the Season 2 episode "[[Go Fish]]" and the Season 1 episode "[[Out of Mind, Out of Sight]]".
 
 
*At breakfast Buffy and Xander discuss the layout of the new Sunnydale High and the location of the principal's office over the Hellmouth. This area previously rested over the library.
 
 
*This episode marks the first re-appearances of Warren since "[[Villains]]", Glory since "[[The Gift]]", Adam since "[[Restless]]", Mayor Wilkins since "[[This Year's Girl]]", Drusilla since "[[Crush]]", The Master since "[[The Wish]]", and The First Evil since "[[Amends]]".
 
 
*Adam calls Spike "number 17," a reference to [[The Initiative (organization)|the Initiative]]'s code name for him, Hostile 17.
 
 
*Dawn gets a mobile phone, the first we will see the Sunnydale Scoobies use since Cordelia in "[[Welcome to the Hellmouth]]".
 
 
*Dawn fails to kill the vampire by missing the heart, which Buffy claims she also did fighting her first vampire. This can be seen during a flashback in Season 2's "[[Becoming, Part One]]".
 
 
*Dawn comments that she is taller than Buffy. This has been apparent since they walk away from the crypt together in season 5's "[[Crush]]". This is also mentioned by Buffy when she is trying to figure out which reality is real (Sunnydale or mental institution) in Season 6's "[[Normal Again]]". Buffy then replies to Dawn "I should be taller than you."
 
 
* The First (in the guise of Buffy) mentions it not being about good or evil, but it being about power; [[Holland Manners]] mentions this to [[Lindsey McDonald]] in the ''Angel'' episode "[[Blind Date]]".
 
* In this episode we see two girls and a boy (Dawn, Kit and Carlos) to form a friendship on the first school day — which is similar to the way Buffy, Willow and Xander started their friendship in "Welcome to the Hellmouth".
 
 
* This is the only episode, which (skipping the teaser) starts and ends with the same phrase: "It's about power". In "[[Two to Go]]" Willow says almost the same phrase: "It's about the power."
 
 
* Buffy says, "There's always a talisman." This could be a reference to the Season 6 episode "[[Once More, with Feeling|Once More, With Feeling]]" when Xander accidentally summons the demon [[Sweet]] through a [[Sweet's talisman|talisman]].
 
 
== Body Count ==
 
*One Istanbul Potential Slayer, stabbed by a Harbinger of Death
 
*Pelletti, beheaded by Buffy with a sword
 
*Three Vengeful Spirits, destroyed by Xander when he breaks the Talisman
 
   
 
==Appearances==
 
==Appearances==
  +
===Individuals===
  +
*[[Adam]] {{OV}}
  +
*[[Drusilla]] {{OV}}
  +
*[[First Evil]]
  +
*[[Rupert Giles]]
  +
*[[Glorificus]] {{OV}}
  +
*[[Halfrek]]
  +
*[[Harkness]] {{Om}}
  +
*[[Alexander Harris]]
  +
*[[Kit Holburn]]
  +
*[[Anya Jenkins]]
  +
*[[Lonegrin]]
  +
*[[Master]] {{OV}}
  +
*[[Warren Mears]] {{OV}}
  +
*[[Pelletti]]
  +
*[[Willow Rosenberg]]
  +
*[[Spike]]
  +
*[[Buffy Summers]]
  +
*[[Dawn Summers]]
  +
*[[Carlos Trejo]]
  +
*[[Richard Wilkins]]
  +
*[[Robin Wood]]
  +
*[[Istanbul Potential Slayer]]
  +
*[[Unidentified spirit I (Lessons)]]
  +
*[[Unidentified spirit II (Lessons)]]
  +
*[[Unidentified spirit III (Lessons)]]
  +
===Organizations and titles===
  +
*[[Devon Coven]] {{Om}}
  +
*[[Harbingers of Death]]
  +
*[[Key]]
  +
*[[Potential Slayer]]
  +
*[[Scooby Gang]]
  +
*[[Slayer]]
  +
*[[Strange Radio]]
  +
*[[Watcher]]
  +
*[[Witch]]
  +
===Species===
  +
*Horse
  +
*[[Human]]
  +
**[[Werewolf]] {{Om}}
  +
*''Passiflora caerulea''
  +
*[[Spirit]]
  +
*[[Vampire]]
  +
*[[Vengeance demon]]
 
===Locations===
 
===Locations===
  +
*Istanbul, Turkey
* [[Sunnydale]], CA
 
  +
*Paraguay {{Om}}
* Istanbul, Turkey
 
  +
*[[Sunnydale]], USA
* Westbury, England
 
  +
**[[1630 Revello Drive]]
  +
**[[Espresso Pump]]
  +
**[[Hellmouth]] {{Om}}
  +
**[[Sunnydale High School]]
  +
*Westbury, England
  +
**[[Rupert Giles's country house]]
  +
===Weapons and objects===
  +
*[[3PCE187]]
  +
*[[Blood]] {{Om}}
  +
*[[Bringers' knife]]
  +
*[[Stake]]
  +
*''[[Sunnydale Press]]''
  +
*[[Talisman (Lessons)|Talisman]]
  +
  +
==Death count==
  +
*The unidentified Potential Slayer, stabbed by a Harbinger of Death.
  +
*Pelletti, beheaded by Buffy with a sword.
  +
*The three spirits, banished by Xander when he broke the talisman.
   
== Behind the Scenes ==
+
==Behind the scenes==
 
===Production===
 
===Production===
  +
*The scenes marked as taking place in Westbury were shot at [[Anthony Stewart Head]]'s Tilley Farm, a property in the Farmborough village in the outskirts of Bath. He owns the horse seen in the episode, named Otto.<ref>Tilley Farm, [https://www.facebook.com/tilley.farm/photos/a.993403230676736/1014166505267075/ "Posts"]. ''Facebook'', January 1, 2015.</ref>
*Kali Rocha was performing in the play ''Noises Off'' when Season Seven was shooting. She was flown in for one day and filmed all her Season Seven scenes ("[[Selfless]]" and this episode) on that one day. She filmed her "death scene" before a green screen for later super-imposition into the scene.
 
  +
*Willow's mentor in England, Ms. Harkness, is named after the Marvel Comics character, [[Wikipedia:Agatha Harkness|Agatha Harkness]], who is also a witch.
 
  +
*Kali Rocha was performing in the play ''Noises Off'' when season 7 was shooting. She was flown in for one day and filmed all her scenes ("[[Selfless]]" and this episode) on that one day. She filmed Halfrek's death before a green screen for later super-imposition into the scene.{{cite}}
*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".
 
  +
*In her intervention over Anya's lackluster vengeance, Halfrek praises Anya's previous hard-core performance as a vengeance demon, saying "Do I have to mention Mrs. Czolgosz?" This is exceptionally obscure in-joke directed at [[Jane Espenson]], who wrote a joke in "[[Superstar]]" about Anyanka making a male victim fall in love with President McKinley. [[Wikipedia:Leon Czolgosz|Leon Czolgosz]] assassinated President McKinley. The joke was a little too obscure; Espenson didn't catch it.{{cite}}
 
*Sarah Michelle Gellar, Nicholas Brendon, Alyson Hannigan, Anthony Stewart Head, and Mark Metcalf are the only actors to appear in the first and last season premires.
+
*Sarah Michelle Gellar, Nicholas Brendon, Alyson Hannigan, Anthony Stewart Head, and Mark Metcalf are the only actors to appear in the first and last season premieres.
   
===Deleted Scenes===
+
===Deleted scenes===
 
*This line was cut due to length:
 
*This line was cut due to length:
 
:'''Dawn:''' "...and my sister is a vampire slayer, her best friend is a witch who went bonkers and tried to destroy the world, um, I actually used to be a little ball of energy until about two years ago when some monks changed the past and made me Buffy's sister and for some reason a big klepto. My best friends are Leticia Jones, who moved to San Diego because this town is evil, and a floppy-eared demon named Clem."
 
:'''Dawn:''' "...and my sister is a vampire slayer, her best friend is a witch who went bonkers and tried to destroy the world, um, I actually used to be a little ball of energy until about two years ago when some monks changed the past and made me Buffy's sister and for some reason a big klepto. My best friends are Leticia Jones, who moved to San Diego because this town is evil, and a floppy-eared demon named Clem."
   
=== Pop Culture References ===
+
===Pop culture references===
  +
*Willow remarks how confused she is that Giles rehabilitates her with magic, comparing him to the fictional wizard character [[Wikipedia:Dumbledore|Dumbledore]], the Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in the ''Harry Potter'' franchise.
*Dawn stabbing her first vampire in the wrong place is reminiscent of the ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer (film)|Buffy]] ''film scene where Buffy also fails to stab her first vampire correctly. Buffy does say "My first time out, I missed the heart too" when Dawn replies "No way!" and Buffy says "Just the once".
 
  +
*Buffy refers to the three spirits as the "Resentful Dead," a reference to [[Wikipedia:The Grateful Dead|The Grateful Dead]].
 
*Willow's mentor in England, Ms. Harkness, is named after the Marvel Comics character, [[Wikipedia:Agatha Harkness|Agatha Harkness]], who is also a witch.
 
 
*Willow remarks how confused she is that Giles rehabilitates her with magic, comparing him to the fictional wizard character [[Wikipedia:Dumbledore|Dumbledore]], the Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the school [[w:c:harrypotter|Harry Potter]] attends, in J.K. Rowling's ''Harry Potter'' series of books and movies.
 
 
*Buffy refers to the three spirits as the "Resentful Dead", a reference to [[Wikipedia:The Grateful Dead|The Grateful Dead]].
 
 
 
*Dawn assures Buffy that she knows ''[[Wikipedia:To Serve Man|To Serve Man]]'' is a cookbook, a reference to the classic ''[[Wikipedia:The Twilight Zone (1959 TV series)|Twilight Zone]]'' episode.
 
*Dawn assures Buffy that she knows ''[[Wikipedia:To Serve Man|To Serve Man]]'' is a cookbook, a reference to the classic ''[[Wikipedia:The Twilight Zone (1959 TV series)|Twilight Zone]]'' episode.
 
 
*Principal Wood comments on Buffy's interaction with the students with the line "Curiouser and curiouser," a quote from Lewis Carroll's ''[[Wikipedia:Alice's Adventures in Wonderland|Alice's Adventures in Wonderland]]''.
 
*Principal Wood comments on Buffy's interaction with the students with the line "Curiouser and curiouser," a quote from Lewis Carroll's ''[[Wikipedia:Alice's Adventures in Wonderland|Alice's Adventures in Wonderland]]''.
  +
*When the First Evil speaks to Spike while impersonating the Master, it not only mentions the [[wikipedia:Big Bang|<nowiki>[</nowiki>Big<nowiki>]</nowiki> Bang]] as a widely accepted beginning of all things, but also [[wikipedia:Gospel of John|John]]'s symbolism of the "[https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+1&version=NABRE Word]" as the start of [[wikipedia:Creation myth|creation]].
   
===Goofs, Bloopers & Continuity Errors===
+
===Goofs===
  +
*The First (as Drusilla) touches and moves Spike's hair. However, it is made clear later in the season that the First is not corporeal, which means it is unable to physically touch anything.
 
  +
*In the scene when Buffy is about to rescue Dawn, Kat, and Carlos, right before she kicks in the door you can see she is still wearing heels, but when she goes through the door and kicks the dead janitor you can see she is wearing tennis shoes throughout the whole fight.
*The First (as Drusilla) touches and moves Spike's hair. However, it is made clear later in the season that The First is not corporeal, which means it is unable to physically touch anything.
 
  +
*Dawn says to Buffy that it is unfair of her to scare her on her first day of high school; in season 6 we learn that Dawn is a freshman.{{cite}} This could just be referring to her first day at Sunnydale.
*In the scene when Buffy is about to rescue Dawn, Kat and Carlos, right before she kicks in the door you can see she is still wearing heels, but when she goes through the door and kicks the dead janitor you can see she is wearing tennis shoes throughout the whole fight.
 
*Dawn says to Buffy that it is unfair of her to scare her on her first day of high school; in Season 6 we learn that Dawn is a freshman. This could just be referring to her first day at Sunnydale.
 
   
 
===Music===
 
===Music===
  +
*[[Strange Radio]] — "So High" <small>(Performed at the Espresso Pump.)</small>
*[[Douglas Romayne]]- "In Westbury Field"
 
*Douglas Romayne - "Istanbul"
+
*[[Douglas Romayne]] "In Westbury Field"
*Douglas Romayne - "Just In Time"
+
*Douglas Romayne "Istanbul"
*Douglas Romayne - "Lesson One"
+
*Douglas Romayne "Just in Time"
  +
*Douglas Romayne — "Lesson One"
*[[Ciaran Hope|Strange Radio]]- "So High". The duo perform the song at [[Espresso Pump|The Espresso Pump]].
 
   
=== International titles ===
+
===International titles===
  +
*'''Armenian:''' "Դասեր" (Lesson)
* '''German:''' Alles auf Anfang (''Back to the Beginning'')
 
* '''French:''' Rédemption (''Redemption'')
+
*'''Czech:''' "Lekce" (Lesson)
  +
*'''Finnish:''' "Avajaiset" (Opening)
  +
*'''French:''' "Rédemption" (Redemption)
  +
*'''German:''' "Alles auf Anfang" (Back to the Beginning)
  +
*'''Hungarian:''' "Az iskola" (The School)
  +
*'''Italian:''' "La consulente" (The [Female] Consultant)
  +
*'''Japanese:''' "レッスン" (Lesson)
  +
*'''Polish:''' "Lekcje" (Lessons)
  +
*'''Portuguese (Brazil):''' "Lições" (Lessons)
  +
*'''Romanian:''' "Lecții" (Lessons)
  +
*'''Russian:''' "Уроки" (Lessons)
  +
*'''Spanish (Latin America):''' "La lección" (The Lesson)
  +
*'''Spanish (Spain):''' "Lecciones" (Lessons)
  +
  +
===Adaptations===
  +
*The book ''[[Chosen: The One]]'' includes a novelization of this episode, along with all season 7.
  +
*A [[Buffy the Vampire Slayer action figures|''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' action figure]] was produced based on Dawn in this episode.
   
 
===Other===
 
===Other===
  +
*Joss Whedon and David Solomon provided the [[DVD commentaries]] for this episode.
*This is one of only two episodes in the entire series where one of Sarah's real life tattoos can be seen. In the first act when Buffy and Xander are discussing the Sunnydale High, the Chinese symbol for hope or luck on her left hip is seen. It can also be seen in the episode "[[Grave]]" when Buffy and Giles are talking in the training room (as she is bent over the vaulting horse laughing), and as she climbs out of the hole in the ground at the cemetery (made by Dark Willow).
 
  +
*This is one of only two episodes in the entire series where one of Sarah's real life tattoos can be seen. In the first act when Buffy and Xander are discussing the Sunnydale High, the Chinese symbol for hope or luck on her left hip is seen. It can also be seen in the episode "[[Grave]]," when Buffy and Giles are laughing in the training room and as she climbs out of the hole in the ground at the cemetery.
*This episode marks the first time Buffy is seen using a cell phone.
 
  +
*The teaser follows the trend of season premieres taking place in a graveyard since "[[When She Was Bad]]," followed by "[[Anne (episode)|Anne]]," "[[The Freshman]]," "[[Buffy vs. Dracula]]," and "[[Bargaining, Part One]]."
  +
  +
==Gallery==
  +
===Promotional stills===
  +
<gallery widths="120" spacing="small" orientation="portrait">
  +
Lessons Buffy Dawn.jpg
  +
Lessons Dawn 01.jpg
  +
Lessons Dawn 02.jpg
  +
Lessons Buffy 01.jpg
  +
Lessons Xander Buffy.jpg
  +
Lessons Xander.jpg
  +
Lessons Buffy 02.jpg
  +
Lessons spirits 01.jpg
  +
Lessons spirits 02.jpg
  +
Lessons Spike 01.jpg
  +
Lessons Spike 02.jpg
  +
Lessons Spike 03.jpg
  +
Lessons Spike 04.jpg
  +
Lessons Giles 03.jpg
  +
Lessons Willow Giles 02.jpg
  +
Lessons Willow Giles 01.jpg
  +
Lessons Giles 01.jpg
  +
Lessons Giles 02.jpg
  +
Lessons Willow Giles 03.jpg
  +
</gallery>
  +
===Behind the scenes===
  +
<gallery widths="120" spacing="small" orientation="portrait">
  +
Lessons Joss Whedon.jpg
  +
Lessons Joss Whedon 02.jpg
  +
Lessons Hannigan Whedon Head.jpg
  +
B7x01 Hannigan Head 01.jpg
  +
</gallery>
   
 
==Quotes==
 
==Quotes==
Line 187: Line 232:
 
}}
 
}}
 
{{QuoteBlock
 
{{QuoteBlock
  +
|Willow|"Is there anything you don't know everything about?"
|Buffy|"You know, you could still drop out. Only nerds finish high school."
 
  +
|Giles|"Synchronized swimming. Complete mystery to me."
 
}}
 
}}
 
 
{{QuoteBlock
 
{{QuoteBlock
  +
|Willow|"I deserve a lot worse. I killed people, Giles."
|Spike|"The thing is ... I had a speech. I learned it all. Oh, God. She won't understand, she won't understand."
 
  +
|Giles|"I've not forgotten."
|Warren|"Of course she won't understand, Sparky. I'm beyond her understanding. She's a girl. Sugar and spice and everything...useless unless you're baking. I'm more than that. More than flesh ..."
 
  +
|Willow|"When you brought me here, I thought it was to kill me or to lock me in some mystical dungeon for all eternity or — with the torture. Instead, you go all Dumbledore on me. I'm learning about magic. All about energy and Gaia and root systems."
|Glory|"... more than blood. I'm ... you know, I honestly don't think there's a human word fabulous enough for me. Oh, my name will be on everyone's lips, assuming their lips haven't been torn off. But not just yet. That's all right, though ..."
 
  +
|Giles|"Do you want to be punished?"
|Adam|"... I can be patient. Everything is well within parameters. She's exactly where I want her to be. And so are you, Number 17. You're right where you belong."
 
  +
|Willow|"I wanna be Willow."
|The Mayor|"So what'd you think? You'd get your soul back and everything'd be Jim Dandy? Soul's slipperier than a greased weasel. Why do you think I sold mine? Well, you probably thought that you'd be your own man, and I respect that, but ..."
 
  +
|Giles|"You are. In the end, we all are who we are, no matter how much we may appear to have changed."
|Drusilla|"... you never will. You'll always be mine. You'll always be in the dark with me, singing our little songs. You like our little songs, don't you? You've always liked them, right from the beginning. And that's where we're going ..."
 
|The Master|"... right back to the beginning. Not the Bang ... not the Word ... the true beginning. The next few months are going to be quite a ride. And I think we're all going to learn something about ourselves in the process. You'll learn you're a pathetic schmuck, if it hasn't sunk in already. Look at you. Trying to do what's right, just like her. You still don't get it. It's not about right, not about wrong ..."
 
|Buffy|"... it's about power."
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
{{QuoteBlock
 
{{QuoteBlock
  +
|Spike|"The thing is... I had a speech. I learned it all. Oh, God. She won't understand, she won't understand."
|Buffy|"Spike? Are you real?''[Spike laughs and looks funny at her. He stops laughing, and touches his hand tenderly on her face]''
 
  +
|The First (as Warren)|"Of course she won't understand, Sparky. I'm beyond her understanding. She's a girl. Sugar and spice and everything...useless unless you're baking. I'm more than that. More than flesh..."
|Spike|"Buffy, duck.
 
  +
|The First (as Glory)|"... more than blood. I'm... you know, I honestly don't think there's a human word fabulous enough for me. Oh, my name will be on everyone's lips, assuming their lips haven't been torn off. But not just yet. That's all right, though..."
|Buffy|What? Duck? There's a duck?''[From behind the dead janitor hits her over the head with a pipe.]''}}
 
  +
|The First (as Adam)|"... I can be patient. Everything is well within parameters. She's exactly where I want her to be. And so are you, Number 17. You're right where you belong."
{{QuoteBlock
 
  +
|The First (as the Mayor)|"So what'd you think? You'd get your soul back and everything'd be Jim Dandy? Soul's slipperier than a greased weasel. Why do you think I sold mine? Well, you probably thought that you'd be your own man, and I respect that, but..."
|Willow| "Is there anything you don't know everything about?"
 
  +
|The First (as Drusilla)|"... you never will. You'll always be mine. You'll always be in the dark with me, singing our little songs. You like our little songs, don't you? You've always liked them, right from the beginning. And that's where we're going..."
|Giles| "Synchronized swimming. Complete mystery to me."
 
  +
|The First (as the Master)|"... right back to the beginning. Not the Bang... not the Word... the true beginning. The next few months are going to be quite a ride. And I think we're all going to learn something about ourselves in the process. You'll learn you're a pathetic schmuck, if it hasn't sunk in already. Look at you. Trying to do what's right, just like her. You still don't get it. It's not about right, not about wrong..."
  +
|The First (as Buffy)|"It's about power."
 
}}
 
}}
   
  +
[[de:Alles auf Anfang]]
== References ==
 
  +
[[fr:Rédemption]]
{{Reflist}}[[Category:Dawn-centric episodes]]
 
  +
[[nl:Lessons]]
  +
  +
[[Category:Buffy the Vampire Slayer episodes]]
 
[[Category:Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 7]]
 
[[Category:Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 7]]
[[Category:Season Premieres]]
 

Revision as of 00:31, 9 July 2020

"Lessons" is the season premiere of the seventh season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer television show, and is the hundred twenty-third episode in the series. Written by Joss Whedon and directed by David Solomon, it originally broadcast on September 24, 2002 on UPN.

Synopsis

WELCOME BACK TO THE HELLMOUTH — Dawn starts school at the newly rebuilt Sunnydale High, while Buffy patrols the new campus on the look out for anything out of the ordinary — and for good reason. Dead people hunt Dawn and Buffy, Spike reappears, and there's a new principal at school. In England, Giles helps Willow to learn to control her power and begin to forgive herself for her actions in Sunnydale.

Summary

In Istanbul, a dark-haired girl is running, looking over her shoulder in fear. She's being chased by men in hooded cloaks. After a heated chase and a near escape they catch her. Two hooded figures hold her down, while a third figure raises an arched, shiny, silver dagger and stabs her.

Buffy is in Sunnydale training her sister on how to fight vampires. She instructs Dawn that fighting (and slaying) are about power. They discuss the fact that Sunnydale High has just reopened.

Meanwhile, Willow is studying with Giles in Westbury, England. She studies magic and meditation with a coven of Wiccans that Giles knows. They discuss Willow's powers, and how witchcraft is no longer a hobby or an addiction she can quit as the magic is now a part of her. She is learning control, but feels frightened and distraught because she "killed people." Giles reassures her that she can be helped and become "Willow" again.

Xander is working construction at the new high school which Dawn is to attend. He shows Buffy his discovery that the Principal's office is right over the Hellmouth (where the library used to sit). Buffy follows Dawn into the school where she meets Principal Wood. She wanders into a bathroom, where she finds a talisman. A dead girl appears and threatens her, saying that Buffy was unable to protect her, and that she will not be able to protect Dawn either.

Anya is still in the vengeance business and is drinking coffee with fellow vengeance demon and friend Halfrek. Hallie tells Anya that the other demons are noticing a lack of quality in her work, and that "something big is coming."

Buffy tries to warn Dawn, but winds up only embarrassing her. Dawn then sees a similar dead student. She hurries to the bathroom where she meets Kit Holburn, who has also been seeing things. They are about to leave the bathroom when the floor caves in and they wind up in the high school basement. Willow, back in England, has had a vision. She saw "the earth's teeth" — the Hellmouth. She tells Giles, who has taught her that everything is connected, that not everything that is connected to the earth is good.

Dawn and Kit run into another student in the basement, Carlos Trejo, who says he saw a dead janitor. They are soon confronted by the three dead people. The dead people tell them that everyone dies at Sunnydale, and they will be no different. Dawn calls Buffy on her new cell phone. Buffy descends into the basement to help Dawn, but cannot find her. Instead, she finds a deranged Spike holed up in a small room.

He has scratches around his heart which he explains as attempts to "cut it out." He is rambling incoherently, but tells Buffy that the dead students are not zombies or ghosts, but "manifest spirits" raised by a talisman. Buffy calls Xander, telling him to find and destroy the talisman. She then hears Dawn screaming, and runs to her rescue. She fights the spirits off as Xander wrestles with one. He breaks the talisman and the spirits disappear.

Buffy then sends Dawn, Kit, and Carlos off to class. Principal Wood is impressed that Buffy was able to convince Kit and Carlos to socialize and go to class, and says that they are the only two students with school records as large as Buffy's had been. He offers her a job working as a counselor at the school, and she gladly accepts. She wants to be able to keep an eye on her sister, the school, the Hellmouth, and the new principal.

Spike is now huddled in a corner in his basement room. He says that he had a speech to Buffy prepared, but she would not understand. A figure that appears to be Warren is seen pacing around him. He begins to give a speech about how great he is. He turns into Glory, then Adam, followed by Mayor Wilkins, Drusilla, and the Master. Each of them continues the speech, but each in their own particular voice and using their individual personalities and manner of speaking. The Master says: "It's not about right. It's not about wrong." He then transforms into Buffy and says: "It's about power."

Continuity

  • This is the first of multiple episodes to begin with the murder of a Potential Slayer, until their pivotal stand in "Chosen."
  • Dawn comments that she is taller than Buffy. This has been apparent since the episode "Crush" and mentioned by Buffy in episode "Normal Again."
  • Dawn fails to kill the vampire by missing the heart, which Buffy claims she also did fighting her first vampire. This can be seen during a flashback in "Becoming, Part One" and her retelling of the story in The Origin, Part One.
  • Xander appears with a new car after his previous one was damaged by Willow in "Two to Go."
  • At this point, the Scooby Gang has the fewest active members at any time in the series: Buffy, Xander, and Dawn. From the previous season: Willow turned evil and is now being rehabilitated in England, Giles moved back to England, Anya became a vengeance demon after her failed wedding, Tara was killed, and Spike left Sunnydale to regain his soul. All will return to the Scooby Gang throughout the season, with the exception of Tara.
  • 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 ("Welcome to the Hellmouth").
  • Buffy warns Dawn to stay away from "hyena people, lizardy-type athletes" and invisible people — referencing the monsters who appeared respectively in episodes "The Pack," "Go Fish," and "Out of Mind, Out of Sight."
  • The character of Principal Wood is introduced. He is later revealed to be Nikki Wood's son ("First Date"), one of the slayers that Spike killed ("Fool for Love").
  • Buffy and Xander discuss the layout of the new Sunnydale High and the location of the principal's office over the Hellmouth, an area previously rested over the library ("Prophecy Girl").
  • Dawn gets a mobile phone, the first we will see the Scoobies use since Cordelia in "Welcome to the Hellmouth." Buffy is also seen with her own for the first time.
  • Buffy says, "There's always a talisman." In episode "Once More, with Feeling," Xander accidentally summons the demon Sweet through Sweet's talisman.
  • Two girls and a boy (Dawn, Kit, and Carlos) form a friendship on the first school day after fighting the supernatural together, which is similar to the way Buffy, Willow, and Xander started their friendship in "Welcome to the Hellmouth."
  • Having worked at Doublemeat Palace since the episode "Doublemeat Palace," Buffy is now employed at Sunnydale High. As he reveals in "First Date," Principal Wood creates a counseling position for the express purpose of luring the Slayer.
  • This episode reintroduces the First Evil, this season's Big Bad (although it is not identified until "Never Leave Me"). The First makes an initial probe of Sunnydale's mettle under Buffy's reign by tormenting Angel four years earlier, in the episode "Amends."
  • At the end of the episode, the First appears as notable Big Bads from previous seasons, in reverse chronological order: Warren Mears (season 6), Glory (season 5), Adam (season 4), Mayor Wilkins (season 3), Drusilla (season 2), and the Master (season 1).
  • This episode marks the first appearances (as visions) of Warren since "Villains," Glory since "The Gift," Adam since "Restless," Mayor Wilkins since "This Year's Girl," Drusilla since "Crush," the Master since "The Wish," and the First Evil since "Amends."
  • Adam calls Spike "number 17," a reference to the Initiative's code name for him, Hostile 17 ("The Initiative").
  • The First (in the guise of Buffy) describes it not being about good or evil, but it being about power; Holland Manners also says this in the Angel episode "Blind Date."
  • By appearing as Buffy, Drusilla, and Warren, the First demonstrates for the first time in the series that it can also appear as undead and resurrected individuals, not just permanently dead people like Angel's victims in "Amends."

Appearances

Individuals

Organizations and titles

Species

Locations

Weapons and objects

Death count

  • The unidentified Potential Slayer, stabbed by a Harbinger of Death.
  • Pelletti, beheaded by Buffy with a sword.
  • The three spirits, banished by Xander when he broke the talisman.

Behind the scenes

Production

  • The scenes marked as taking place in Westbury were shot at Anthony Stewart Head's Tilley Farm, a property in the Farmborough village in the outskirts of Bath. He owns the horse seen in the episode, named Otto.[1]
  • Willow's mentor in England, Ms. Harkness, is named after the Marvel Comics character, Agatha Harkness, who is also a witch.
  • Kali Rocha was performing in the play Noises Off when season 7 was shooting. She was flown in for one day and filmed all her scenes ("Selfless" and this episode) on that one day. She filmed Halfrek's death before a green screen for later super-imposition into the scene.[citation needed]
  • In her intervention over Anya's lackluster vengeance, Halfrek praises Anya's previous hard-core performance as a vengeance demon, saying "Do I have to mention Mrs. Czolgosz?" This is exceptionally obscure in-joke directed at Jane Espenson, who wrote a joke in "Superstar" about Anyanka making a male victim fall in love with President McKinley. Leon Czolgosz assassinated President McKinley. The joke was a little too obscure; Espenson didn't catch it.[citation needed]
  • Sarah Michelle Gellar, Nicholas Brendon, Alyson Hannigan, Anthony Stewart Head, and Mark Metcalf are the only actors to appear in the first and last season premieres.

Deleted scenes

  • This line was cut due to length:
Dawn: "...and my sister is a vampire slayer, her best friend is a witch who went bonkers and tried to destroy the world, um, I actually used to be a little ball of energy until about two years ago when some monks changed the past and made me Buffy's sister and for some reason a big klepto. My best friends are Leticia Jones, who moved to San Diego because this town is evil, and a floppy-eared demon named Clem."

Pop culture references

  • Willow remarks how confused she is that Giles rehabilitates her with magic, comparing him to the fictional wizard character Dumbledore, the Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in the Harry Potter franchise.
  • Buffy refers to the three spirits as the "Resentful Dead," a reference to The Grateful Dead.
  • Dawn assures Buffy that she knows To Serve Man is a cookbook, a reference to the classic Twilight Zone episode.
  • Principal Wood comments on Buffy's interaction with the students with the line "Curiouser and curiouser," a quote from Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.
  • When the First Evil speaks to Spike while impersonating the Master, it not only mentions the [Big] Bang as a widely accepted beginning of all things, but also John's symbolism of the "Word" as the start of creation.

Goofs

  • The First (as Drusilla) touches and moves Spike's hair. However, it is made clear later in the season that the First is not corporeal, which means it is unable to physically touch anything.
  • In the scene when Buffy is about to rescue Dawn, Kat, and Carlos, right before she kicks in the door you can see she is still wearing heels, but when she goes through the door and kicks the dead janitor you can see she is wearing tennis shoes throughout the whole fight.
  • Dawn says to Buffy that it is unfair of her to scare her on her first day of high school; in season 6 we learn that Dawn is a freshman.[citation needed] This could just be referring to her first day at Sunnydale.

Music

  • Strange Radio — "So High" (Performed at the Espresso Pump.)
  • Douglas Romayne — "In Westbury Field"
  • Douglas Romayne — "Istanbul"
  • Douglas Romayne — "Just in Time"
  • Douglas Romayne — "Lesson One"

International titles

  • Armenian: "Դասեր" (Lesson)
  • Czech: "Lekce" (Lesson)
  • Finnish: "Avajaiset" (Opening)
  • French: "Rédemption" (Redemption)
  • German: "Alles auf Anfang" (Back to the Beginning)
  • Hungarian: "Az iskola" (The School)
  • Italian: "La consulente" (The [Female] Consultant)
  • Japanese: "レッスン" (Lesson)
  • Polish: "Lekcje" (Lessons)
  • Portuguese (Brazil): "Lições" (Lessons)
  • Romanian: "Lecții" (Lessons)
  • Russian: "Уроки" (Lessons)
  • Spanish (Latin America): "La lección" (The Lesson)
  • Spanish (Spain): "Lecciones" (Lessons)

Adaptations

Other

  • Joss Whedon and David Solomon provided the DVD commentaries for this episode.
  • This is one of only two episodes in the entire series where one of Sarah's real life tattoos can be seen. In the first act when Buffy and Xander are discussing the Sunnydale High, the Chinese symbol for hope or luck on her left hip is seen. It can also be seen in the episode "Grave," when Buffy and Giles are laughing in the training room and as she climbs out of the hole in the ground at the cemetery.
  • The teaser follows the trend of season premieres taking place in a graveyard since "When She Was Bad," followed by "Anne," "The Freshman," "Buffy vs. Dracula," and "Bargaining, Part One."

Gallery

Promotional stills

Behind the scenes

Quotes

Dawn: "Yeah, but he's new. He doesn't know his strength. He might not know all the fancy martial arts they inevitably seem to pick up."
Buffy: "Ah, you put the box near the milk. I saw it on the food channel."
Willow: "Is there anything you don't know everything about?"
Giles: "Synchronized swimming. Complete mystery to me."
Willow: "I deserve a lot worse. I killed people, Giles."
Giles: "I've not forgotten."
Willow: "When you brought me here, I thought it was to kill me or to lock me in some mystical dungeon for all eternity or — with the torture. Instead, you go all Dumbledore on me. I'm learning about magic. All about energy and Gaia and root systems."
Giles: "Do you want to be punished?"
Willow: "I wanna be Willow."
Giles: "You are. In the end, we all are who we are, no matter how much we may appear to have changed."
Spike: "The thing is... I had a speech. I learned it all. Oh, God. She won't understand, she won't understand."
The First (as Warren): "Of course she won't understand, Sparky. I'm beyond her understanding. She's a girl. Sugar and spice and everything...useless unless you're baking. I'm more than that. More than flesh..."
The First (as Glory): "... more than blood. I'm... you know, I honestly don't think there's a human word fabulous enough for me. Oh, my name will be on everyone's lips, assuming their lips haven't been torn off. But not just yet. That's all right, though..."
The First (as Adam): "... I can be patient. Everything is well within parameters. She's exactly where I want her to be. And so are you, Number 17. You're right where you belong."
The First (as the Mayor): "So what'd you think? You'd get your soul back and everything'd be Jim Dandy? Soul's slipperier than a greased weasel. Why do you think I sold mine? Well, you probably thought that you'd be your own man, and I respect that, but..."
The First (as Drusilla): "... you never will. You'll always be mine. You'll always be in the dark with me, singing our little songs. You like our little songs, don't you? You've always liked them, right from the beginning. And that's where we're going..."
The First (as the Master): "... right back to the beginning. Not the Bang... not the Word... the true beginning. The next few months are going to be quite a ride. And I think we're all going to learn something about ourselves in the process. You'll learn you're a pathetic schmuck, if it hasn't sunk in already. Look at you. Trying to do what's right, just like her. You still don't get it. It's not about right, not about wrong..."
The First (as Buffy): "It's about power."
  1. Tilley Farm, "Posts". Facebook, January 1, 2015.