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{{Episode
{{buffyepisode
 
| season = 6
+
|season = 6
| number = 8
+
|number = 8
| image = Buffy62.jpg
+
|image = Tabula Rasa Buffy.jpg
| airdate = November 13, 2001
+
|airdate = November 13, [[2001]]
| writer = [[Rebecca Rand Kirshner]]
+
|writer = [[Rebecca Rand Kirshner]]
| director = [[David Grossman]]
+
|director = [[David Grossman]]
  +
|code = 6ABB08
| previous = "[[Once More, with Feeling]]"
 
| next = "[[Smashed]]"
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|series = ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]''
 
|previous = "[[Once More, with Feeling]]"
| cast = {{CastList
 
  +
|next = "[[Smashed]]"
| 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 = "[[Quickening]]"
| {{CastActor|name=Emma Caulfield|character=Anya Jenkins|billed=Anya}}
 
  +
|next2 = "[[Lullaby]]"
| {{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}}
 
  +
|special = [[Anthony Stewart Head]] — [[Rupert Giles|Giles]]
| {{CastActor|name=Alyson Hannigan|character=Willow Rosenberg|billed=Willow}}}}
 
  +
|gueststars = [[Raymond O'Connor]] — [[Bro'os|Teeth]]<br />[[Amber Benson]] — [[Tara Maclay|Tara]]
| specialgueststarring = {{CastGroup|{{CastActor|name=Anthony Stewart Head|character=Rupert Giles|billed=Giles}}}}
 
  +
|costars = [https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1187127 Geordie White] — Vamp #1<br />[https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0873060 Stephen Triplett] — Vamp #2<br />[https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0290529 David Franco] — Vamp #3
| gueststarring = {{CastGroup|{{CastActor|name=Raymond O'Connor|character=Bro'os|billed=Teeth}}
 
  +
|uncredited = [[Erik Betts]] — Vamp #4
| {{CastActor|name=Amber Benson|character=Tara Maclay|billed=Tara}}}}
 
 
|bandname = [[Michelle Branch]]
| costarring = {{CastGroup|{{CastActor|name=Geordie White|imdb=1187127|billed=Vamp #1}}
 
  +
|band = Michelle Branch — singer
| {{CastActor|name=Stephen Triplett|imdb=0873060|billed=Vamp #2}}
 
| {{CastActor|name=David Franco|imdb=0290529|billed=Vamp #3}}}}
 
| uncredited = {{CastGroup|{{CastActor|name=Erik Betts|billed=Vamp #4}}}}
 
| bandname = Michelle Branch
 
| bandmembers = {{CastGroup|{{CastActor|name=Michelle Branch|imdb=1163535|billed=Singer}}}}}}
 
 
}}
 
}}
   
"'''Tabula Rasa'''" is the eighth episode of the [[Buffy the Vampire Slayer#Season Six|sixth season]] of ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]'', and is the one hundred eighth episode altogether. It was written by [[Rebecca Rand Kirshner]] and directed by [[David Grossman]]. It originally broadcast on November 13, 2001.
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"'''{{PAGENAME}}'''" is the eighth episode of the [[Buffy the Vampire Slayer season 6|sixth season]] of ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]'' television show, and is the one hundred eighth episode in the series. Written by [[Rebecca Rand Kirshner]] and directed by [[David Grossman]], it originally broadcast on November 13, [[2001]] on [[UPN]].
 
In the aftermath of the discovery that they had pulled [[Buffy Summers]] out of [[Heaven]], [[Rupert Giles]] finally resolves to leave Sunnydale and return to England to allow Buffy to gain independence. Meanwhile, [[Willow Rosenberg]] agrees to go a week without using [[magic]] when [[Tara Maclay]] confronts her with her decision to leave her, but almost immediately goes back on her word and casts another [[memory spell]] with the intent of making Tara and Buffy forget the damages of the spells she used on them. The spell goes awry and gives the entire Scooby Gang, including herself, complete amnesia, which puts everyone in danger when a demonic loan shark, [[Bro'os|Teeth]], and his [[vampire]] enforcers attack [[the Magic Box]] to collect [[Spike]]'s gambling debt.
 
   
 
==Synopsis==
 
==Synopsis==
  +
Despite [[Tara Maclay|Tara]]'s misgivings about her overindulgence in [[magic|witchcraft]], [[Willow Rosenberg|Willow]] tries to cheer [[Buffy Summers|Buffy]] up by making the [[Slayer]] forget the idyllic afterlife she left behind. Alas, the spell goes awry and affects the minds of all the [[Scooby Gang|Scoobies]].<ref>[https://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/buffy-the-vampire-slayer/episode-8-season-6/tabula-rasa/100074/ "Watch Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 6 Episode 8: Tabula Rasa Online (2002)"]. ''TV Guide''. Retrieved April 10, 2020.</ref>
[[Image:608_TabulaRasa1.jpg|thumb|left|Buffy dismisses her kiss with Spike.]]
 
   
  +
==Summary==
Buffy patrols and runs into Spike who wants to talk about their kiss. Teeth, a demon loan shark (with a shark's head), confronts Spike about his kitten debt, but Buffy steps in and takes care of the thugs looking to beat 40 Siamese out of Spike. Willow, [[Alexander Harris|Xander]], [[Anya Jenkins|Anya]], and Tara talk about calling Buffy back from Heaven and their feelings in the aftermath of the revelation. While the other three agree they need to stop thinking about their past actions and just try to make things better for Buffy, Willow (feeling very guilty over destroying Buffy's peaceful afterlife) isn't receptive to this and suggests fixing the mess with a spell. Sensing the tension, Xander and Anya leave as Tara confronts Willow about her excessive and damaging use of magic. Willow suggests making Buffy forget about being in heaven, but Tara reveals she knows a memory-spell was used on her and lets Willow know how furious and violated she feels. Tara then decides that things aren't working between them at the moment and starts to break up with her girlfriend, however Willow is desperate not to lose her and offers to go a month without magic to prove that she is not dependent. Tara asks her to try for a week, but doesn't promise that this will save the relationship.
+
Buffy patrols and runs into [[Spike]], who wants to talk about their kiss. [[Bro'os|Teeth]], a [[demon]] loan shark (with a shark's head), confronts Spike about his kitten debt, but Buffy steps in and takes care of the thugs looking to beat 40 Siamese out of Spike. Willow, [[Alexander Harris|Xander]], [[Anya Jenkins|Anya]], and Tara talk about calling Buffy back from [[Buffy Summers' Heaven|Heaven]] and their feelings in the aftermath of the revelation. While the other three agree they need to stop thinking about their past actions and just try to make things better for Buffy, Willow (feeling very guilty over destroying Buffy's peaceful afterlife) isn't receptive to this and suggests fixing the mess with a [[spell]]. Sensing the tension, Xander and Anya leave as Tara confronts Willow about her excessive and damaging use of magic. Willow suggests making Buffy forget about being in heaven, but Tara reveals she knows a memory-spell was used on her and lets Willow know how furious and violated she feels. Tara then decides that things aren't working between them at the moment and starts to break up with her girlfriend, however Willow is desperate not to lose her and offers to go a month without magic to prove that she is not dependent. Tara asks her to try for a week, but doesn't promise that this will save the relationship.
   
 
Giles informs Buffy that he is returning to England for good and Buffy takes the news very badly. He knows she is too dependent on him and he must leave if she's ever going to learn to survive on her own. She begs him to stay, telling him she can learn to stand on her own with him around. Giles stands firm, assuring her he's doing the right thing but Buffy, deeply hurt and angry that her Watcher is seemingly abandoning her when she needs him most, tells him he's wrong.
 
Giles informs Buffy that he is returning to England for good and Buffy takes the news very badly. He knows she is too dependent on him and he must leave if she's ever going to learn to survive on her own. She begs him to stay, telling him she can learn to stand on her own with him around. Giles stands firm, assuring her he's doing the right thing but Buffy, deeply hurt and angry that her Watcher is seemingly abandoning her when she needs him most, tells him he's wrong.
   
Without her magic, Willow is late getting ready to leave the house so Tara and [[Dawn Summers]] leave for the [[Magic Box]] without her. As soon as they're gone, Willow uses magic to get dressed quickly and starts another spell by the fireplace that will make Tara and Buffy forget the damages of the spells Willow used on them. In her rush, she accidentally leaves a bag of the [[Lethe's Bramble]] by the fireplace.
+
Without her magic, Willow is late getting ready to leave the house so Tara and [[Dawn Summers|Dawn]] leave for the [[Magic Box]] without her. As soon as they're gone, Willow uses magic to get dressed quickly and starts another spell by the fireplace that will make Tara and Buffy forget the damages of the spells Willow used on them. In her rush, she accidentally leaves a bag of the [[Lethe's Bramble]] by the fireplace.
   
The whole gang, including a disguised Spike on the run from the loan shark, gather at the [[Magic Box]] during the day. Giles confesses that he is leaving and Buffy begins to have an emotional breakdown, unable to cope with her painful memories and the feeling that everyone is abandoning her. Willow has a crystal in her pocket that was used with her forgetting spell and it glows brightly in her hand. However, back at the [[Summers' residence|Summers' house]], a spark from the fireplace ignites the entire bag of Lethe's Bramble. Instead of just Buffy and Tara forgetting their recent upsets, the entire gang falls unconscious. They wake up later that evening with absolutely no knowledge of who or where they are. Spike suspects Giles is his father (because they're both English), Anya assumes she's getting married to Giles (because they jointly own the magic shop), and Willow and Xander tentatively assume they're dating (because they woke up lying next to each other and Willow was wearing Xander's coat). Xander, Willow, Anya, Giles, and Tara get their names from their IDs (although Xander is referred to as 'Alex'), and Dawn gets hers from her necklace. Lacking their own IDs, Buffy names herself Joan, and Spike mistakenly assumes the name Randy from the inside of his stolen coat is his name.
+
The whole gang, including a disguised Spike on the run from the loan shark, gather at the Magic Box during the day. Giles confesses that he is leaving and Buffy begins to have an emotional breakdown, unable to cope with her painful memories and the feeling that everyone is abandoning her. Willow has a crystal in her pocket that was used with her forgetting spell and it glows brightly in her hand. However, back at the [[1630 Revello Drive|Summers' house]], a spark from the fireplace ignites the entire bag of Lethe's Bramble. Instead of just Buffy and Tara forgetting their recent upsets, the entire gang falls unconscious. They wake up later that evening with absolutely no knowledge of who or where they are. Spike suspects Giles is his father (because they're both English), Anya assumes she's getting married to Giles (because they jointly own the magic shop and woke up next to each other), and Willow and Xander tentatively assume they're dating (because they woke up lying next to each other and Willow was wearing Xander's coat). Xander, Willow, Anya, Giles, and Tara get their names from their IDs (although Xander is referred to as 'Alex' by Dawn), and Dawn gets hers from her necklace. Lacking their own IDs, Buffy names herself Joan, and Spike mistakenly assumes the name Randy from the inside of his stolen coat is his name.
 
[[Image:TabulaRasaGif.gif|thumb|left|Buffy slaying a vampire as Joan. (click for animation)]]
 
   
 
A couple of [[vampire]]s outside the shop scare the entire gang and they hide in fear. Looking for Spike to repay his debt, the vampires attack the shop. Joan discovers she's a superhero of some sort when she stakes one of the vampires and saves Randy. Anya and Giles stay at the magic shop to try and find a solution while Joan and Randy run outside to fight off the vampires. Randy unknowingly assumes his vampire visage to fight off the vampire thugs, which sends Joan running away in fear.
 
A couple of [[vampire]]s outside the shop scare the entire gang and they hide in fear. Looking for Spike to repay his debt, the vampires attack the shop. Joan discovers she's a superhero of some sort when she stakes one of the vampires and saves Randy. Anya and Giles stay at the magic shop to try and find a solution while Joan and Randy run outside to fight off the vampires. Randy unknowingly assumes his vampire visage to fight off the vampire thugs, which sends Joan running away in fear.
   
The rest of the Scoobies retreat to the sewers but they encounter vampires down there too. Anya turns to a random page in a book and reads the incantation there, which causes a bunny to appear and frighten her. Joan attacks Randy when he catches up with her and informs him that he's a vampire. He's confused by it, but assumes that he's a good, noble vampire— a vampire with a [[soul]]— because he doesn't want to bite her (Joan thinks the idea of a [[Angel|vampire with a soul]] is incredibly lame). The loan shark and his minions attack the two and a fight ensues.
+
The rest of the Scoobies retreat to the sewers but they encounter vampires down there too. Anya turns to a random page in a book and reads the incantation there, which causes a bunny to appear and frighten her. Joan attacks Randy when he catches up with her and informs him that he's a vampire. He's confused by it, but assumes that he's a good, noble vampire — a vampire with a [[soul]] — because he doesn't want to bite her, which Joan thinks is incredibly lame. The loan shark and his minions attack the two and a fight ensues.
   
 
Anya continues to try random spells, [[Rabbit conjuration|which makes many more bunnies]], a dark green cloud to form inside the shop, and a skeletal beast to appear (which he must swordfight against). Giles and Anya argue while hiding behind the counter from an unseen growling beast and Giles reveals that he found a one-way plane ticket in his pocket for London, assuming he must be abandoning Anya. Eventually, Giles casts a [[banishing spell]] to remove everything. With the threats removed, Anya begs him not to leave her and they kiss passionately. Alex fights with the vampire chasing them in the sewers, finally staking it, and then accidentally steps on the crystal that fell from Willow's pocket. The breaking of the spell finds Giles and Anya kissing, Willow atop Tara after a fall, and Spike and Buffy deep in mid-action conversation.
 
Anya continues to try random spells, [[Rabbit conjuration|which makes many more bunnies]], a dark green cloud to form inside the shop, and a skeletal beast to appear (which he must swordfight against). Giles and Anya argue while hiding behind the counter from an unseen growling beast and Giles reveals that he found a one-way plane ticket in his pocket for London, assuming he must be abandoning Anya. Eventually, Giles casts a [[banishing spell]] to remove everything. With the threats removed, Anya begs him not to leave her and they kiss passionately. Alex fights with the vampire chasing them in the sewers, finally staking it, and then accidentally steps on the crystal that fell from Willow's pocket. The breaking of the spell finds Giles and Anya kissing, Willow atop Tara after a fall, and Spike and Buffy deep in mid-action conversation.
   
 
Tara and the others realize that Willow used magic, despite her promise. The spell broken, Buffy is momentarily too stunned to duck a few painful hits. Spike finishes off the rest of the vampires and promises to make up his debt to the intimidated Teeth. While Willow cries in the bathroom, Tara packs all of her things into boxes; then, receiving a hurt cold shoulder from Dawn, leaves. Full of grief, Giles takes his plane back to England. Spike finds Buffy at the [[Bronze]], but she turns her face away and he stalks off. She doesn't let him get far though, and they kiss passionately beneath the stairs of the Bronze.
[[Image:608_TabulaRasa3.jpg|thumb|left|Willow grieves|164x164px]]
 
 
Tara and the others realize that Willow used magic, despite her promise. The spell broken, Buffy is momentarily too stunned to duck a few painful hits. Spike finishes off the rest of the vampires and promises to make up his debt to the intimidated [[Teeth]]. While Willow cries in the bathroom, Tara packs all of her things into boxes; then, receiving a hurt cold shoulder from Dawn, leaves. Full of grief, Giles takes his plane back to England. Spike finds Buffy at [[The Bronze]], but she turns her face away and he stalks off. She doesn't let him get far though, and they kiss passionately beneath the stairs of The Bronze.{{Clear}}
 
   
 
==Continuity==
 
==Continuity==
  +
*Willow, Tara, Xander, and Anya discuss the discoveries of the previous episode "[[Once More, with Feeling]]": Buffy being torn from Heaven ("[[Bargaining, Part One]]") and Willow her fights with Tara's about her magical abuse ("[[All the Way]]").
*Even with the characters' memories gone, certain elements of their personalities crop up:
 
 
*Even with her memories gone, Anya tells Giles that she feels compelled to take out vengeance against him, a trait she had since her spell in "[[Selfless]]" that made her become a [[vengeance demon]]. She also retained her fear of rabbits (revealed in "[[Fear, Itself]]") and felt the same compulsion to protect the cash register from "[[Triangle]]".
**Tara and Willow are attracted to each other.
 
 
*Xander and Anya fail to sense any mutual connection, foreshadowing their doomed engagement in "[[Hell's Bells]]".
**Xander is immediately attracted to Willow.
 
 
*When Willow tells Dawn about her attraction to women, she uses the same words she did in episode "[[Doppelgängland]]" to describe her [[Willow Rosenberg (Wishverse)|evil vampire self]]: "I think I'm kind of gay." [[Andrew Wells]] will recognize his own sexuality with the same phrase in ''[[Love Dares You, Part One]]''.
**Anya tells Giles that she feels compelled to take out vengeance against him after learning that he was leaving for England. She also retained her fear of rabbits and felt an overwhelming compulsion to protect the cash register and her engagement ring.
 
 
*The tweed suit worn by Spike in his guise as Giles' son "Randy Giles" is the same one used in "[[Restless]]" for Xander's dream, where Giles described Spike as "Like a son to me".
**Giles and Spike feel animosity and hatred for one another, although they misinterpret it as a troubled father-son relationship.
 
 
*Teeth, the loan shark demon that hassles Spike to pay his debt, reappears in ''[[After the Fall]]'' comic series as one of the demon lords during the [[fall of Los Angeles]].
**Xander and Anya fail to sense any mutual connection, foreshadowing their doomed engagement.
 
 
*When Spike finds out he is a vampire, he adopts [[Angel]]'s persona by declaring: "I'm a vampire with a soul! I fight evil! I help the helpless!", which is the slogan for [[Angel Investigations]].
**Although Buffy retains many of her [[Slayer]] instincts, she and Spike feel no instinctive animosity towards each other, foreshadowing the significant change in direction of the relationship between the two in that season.
 
 
*Spike evokes to Buffy that they kissed each other once in "[[Once More, with Feeling]]". They have kissed as well in "[[Something Blue]]" and "[[Intervention]]", although under a spell in the first instance and the second kiss was a chaste thank-you.
**Buffy and Dawn feel a sisterly connection.
 
 
*The memory loss that the [[Scooby Gang]] underwent will later happen similarly to the Angel Investigations crew in "[[Spin the Bottle]]", when they forget everything about their lives up to their teen years.
**Giles remains the voice of reason, approaches the situation logically and effectively (he told Anya to look for books on mind-control and memory loss), and is still a skilled swordsman and problem-solver.
 
 
*Dawn says "Feature Creature" in this episode. Previously, Xander says "Creature Feature" in the episode "[[Ted]]".
 
  +
*Spike's description as Randy of Giles' "mid-life crisis transport" matches his actual current car, a [[2SAQ321|red BMW convertible]] acquired in "[[Real Me]]".
*When Willow tells Dawn about her attraction to women, she uses the exact same words she did in the season 3 episode "[[Doppelgängland]]" to describe her [[Willow Rosenberg (Wishverse)|evil vampire self]]: "I think I'm kind of gay".
 
 
*"Joan's" reaction to "Randy's" vampire face is very similar to Buffy's reaction when she first saw Angel's vampire face, in episode "[[Angel (episode)|Angel]]".
 
  +
*Giles leaves Sunnydale to England, to return in "[[Two to Go]]" and express regret for leaving the Scoobies in "[[Grave]]". Buffy will consider this the first step for the group falling apart (''[[New Rules, Part One]]'').
*Tara finally leaves Willow, who continues her downward spiral into magic addiction.
 
 
*The tweed suit worn by Spike in his guise as Giles' son "Randy Giles" is the same one used in "[[Restless]]" for Xander's dream, where he also described Giles as "Like a father to me".
 
 
*Teeth, the loan shark demon that hassles Spike to pay his debt, reappears in [[Angel: After the Fall]] as one of the Demon Lords of Los Angeles that [[Angel]] must defeat to return the city back to Earth.
 
 
*In the season 4 episode "[[Goodbye Iowa]]", Giles and Anya argue in Xander's basement. Buffy tells them to stop reenacting scenes from her parents' marriage.
 
 
*When Spike finds out he is a vampire, he adopts Angel's persona by declaring, "I'm a vampire with a soul! I fight evil! I help the helpless!", which was the [[Angel Investigations]] slogan.
 
   
  +
==Appearances==
*Spike evokes to Buffy that they kissed each other once in "[[Once More, with Feeling]]". They have kissed other times in "[[Something Blue]]" and "[[Intervention]]", but these can be argued as not counting as they were under a spell in the first instance and the second kiss was a chaste thank-you rather than their more passionate exchange.
 
  +
===Individuals===
  +
*[[Michelle Branch]]
  +
*[[Bro'os]]
  +
*[[Rupert Giles]]
  +
*[[Alexander Harris]]
  +
*[[Anya Jenkins]]
  +
*[[Tara Maclay]]
  +
*[[Willow Rosenberg]]
  +
*[[Spike]]
  +
*[[Buffy Summers]]
  +
*[[Dawn Summers]]
  +
*[[Skeleton warrior]]
  +
===Organizations and titles===
  +
*[[Scooby Gang]]
  +
*[[Slayer]]
  +
*[[Watcher]]
  +
*[[Witch]]
  +
===Species===
  +
*[[Demon]]
  +
*[[Human]]
  +
*[[Vampire]]
  +
===Events===
  +
*[[Kitten Poker]] {{Om}}
  +
===Locations===
  +
*[[Buffy Summers' Heaven]] {{Om}}
  +
*London, England {{Om}}
  +
*Los Angeles, USA {{Om}}
  +
**Bel Air {{Om}}
  +
*[[Sunnydale]], USA
  +
**[[1630 Revello Drive]]
  +
**[[Bronze]]
  +
**[[Maple Court]]
  +
***[[Book Stew!]]
  +
***[[Decker Hardware]]
  +
***[[Magic Box]]
  +
***[[Sun Cinema]]
  +
**[[Sunnydale Airport]]
  +
**[[University of California, Sunnydale]] {{Om}}
  +
===Weapons and objects===
  +
*[[Alexander Harris' apartment]]
  +
*[[Janus' statue]]
  +
*[[Lethe's Bramble]]
  +
*"[[Magic for Beginners]]"
  +
*[[Soul]] {{Om}}
  +
*[[Stake]]
  +
*[[Stone of the Oversight]]
  +
===Rituals and spells===
  +
*[[Rabbit conjuration spell]]
  +
*[[Fatas vega mata waray]]
  +
*[[Memory purge spell]]
   
== Body Count ==
+
==Death count==
 
*Two vampires, dusted by Buffy.
 
*Two vampires, dusted by Buffy.
 
*Three vampires, dusted by Spike.
 
*Three vampires, dusted by Spike.
 
*One vampire, dusted by Xander.
 
*One vampire, dusted by Xander.
   
== Behind the Scenes ==
+
==Behind the scenes==
  +
[[File:"Tabula Rasa" promo|thumb|200px]]
===Production===
 
*''Tabula Rasa'' is Latin for "blank slate."
 
   
 
===Production===
*[[Michelle Branch]] makes a special guest appearance singing "Goodbye to you".
 
  +
*The title "[[wikipedia:tabula rasa|tabula rasa]]", Latin for "blank slate", is a reference to the theory that individuals are born without built-in mental content and that therefore all knowledge comes from experience or perception.
 
*Without her memories, Anya mispronounces her name using the flat a, /'ænjə/, instead of with the usual broad a, /'ɑːnjə/ (like Anne-ya).
 
*The episode "Tabula Rasa" does not translate well into other languages. A sizable part of the humor is the interplay between Giles and Spike, laced with British idiom and Americans' stereotyped views of England; the puns based on "Randy" are meaningless in other languages. In French, "Randy" is translated to "Candide", possibly a reference to the Voltaire novel. Buffy's assumed name "Joan" is left as "Joan" in French, and the reference to Joan of Arc ("Jeanne d'Arc" in French) is mostly lost. Dawn's reference to Xander as "Alex", a more common shortened form of "Alexander", lacks significance in the French translation because he has been named Alex in France since "[[Welcome to the Hellmouth]]".
   
=== Pop Culture References ===
+
===Pop culture references===
  +
*Spike compares his kiss with Buffy with the film [[wikipedia:Gone with the Wind (film)|Gone with the Wind]] (1939).
 
*Anya referred to [[Wikipedia:Allen Funt|Allen Funt]], the host of ''Candid Camera'', when they were trying to figure out what happened.
 
*Anya referred to [[Wikipedia:Allen Funt|Allen Funt]], the host of ''Candid Camera'', when they were trying to figure out what happened.
   
  +
===Goofs, bloopers & continuity errors===
=== International titles ===
 
 
*When Anya is standing on the table and Giles saying to her "Come down, and we will go about fixing this in a sensible fashion," the lighting equipment behind the Magic Shop counter is visible the left of the screen.
* '''German: '''Tabula Rasa
 
* '''French: '''Tabula Rasa
 
   
 
===Music===
 
===Music===
*[[Michelle Branch]] - "Goodbye To You" <small>(performed by Branch at the Bronze)</small>
+
*[[Michelle Branch]] "Goodbye to You" <small>(Performed at the Bronze,)</small>
*[[Thomas Wanker]]- original score
+
*[[Thomas Wanker]] original score
   
=== Goofs ===
+
===International titles===
  +
*'''Armenian:''' "Մաքուր թերթից" (Clean Sheet)
* When Anya is standing on the table and Giles saying to her "Come down, and we will go about fixing this in a sensible fashion.", if you look to the left of the screen, you can see the lighting equipment behind the Magic Shop counter.
 
  +
*'''Czech:''' "Tabula rasa"
  +
*'''Finnish:''' "Jäähyväiset" (Goodbye)
 
*'''French:''' "Tabula Rasa"
 
*'''German:''' "Tabula Rasa"
  +
*'''Hungarian:''' "Tabula Rasa"
  +
*'''Italian:''' "Tabula Rasa"
  +
*'''Japanese:''' "白紙に戻して" (Return to Blank Slate)
  +
*'''Polish:''' "Tabula Rasa"
  +
*'''Portuguese (Brazil):''' "Tabula Rasa"
  +
*'''Romanian:''' "Tabula Rasa"
  +
*'''Russian:''' "С чистого листа" (With Clean Sheet)
  +
*'''Spanish (Latin America):''' "El Hechizo" (The Spell)
  +
*'''Spanish (Spain):''' "Tabula Rasa"
  +
  +
===Adaptations===
  +
*A [[Buffy the Vampire Slayer action figures|''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' action figure]] was produced based on Spike in this episode.
  +
*The comic issue [[Buffy the Vampire Slayer (2019) 10|''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' #10]] pays homage to this episode in an episode variant cover.
   
 
===Other===
 
===Other===
 
*As Spike walks away from Buffy at the Bronze, a fake severed hand can be seen under a glass lid on the counter.
*The demonic loan shark has a literal shark's head—an indicator that this was to be a mostly humorous episode (despite the lasting consequences of the ending scenes).
 
 
*This episode addresses the correlation between memory and identity, which is an oft-touched-upon theme in many of Whedon's works.
 
*"Tabula Rasa" is also a phrase used frequently in ''[[Wikipedia:Dollhouse (TV series)|Dollhouse]]'', another television show created by [[Joss Whedon]]. It is also one of several episode titles shared by Buffy and the series ''Criminal Minds'' which features Nic Brendon and numerous other ''Buffy'' guest stars.
 
*Just as the 5th season episode "[[The Replacement]]" mimics the plot of the ''Star Trek'' episode "The Enemy Within", this episode bears a striking resemblance to the plot of the ''Star Trek: Next Generation'' episode "Conundrum" (save for the fact that the mass amnesia in "Conundrum" was a deliberate attack rather than an unfortunate accident).
   
  +
==Gallery==
*In 2007's ''[[Angel: After the Fall]]'' #3, [[Brian Lynch]] reintroduces Loan Shark as the "Lord of Santa Monica." Lynch also jokingly comments that should Joss have major plans for him in ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight]]'', then you are to imagine it is his brother.
 
  +
===Promotional stills===
*The memory loss that the [[Scooby Gang]] underwent will later happen similarly to the [[Angel Investigations]] crew in "[[Spin the Bottle]]" (Although on that occasion they would merely forget everything about their lives up to their teen years rather than forgetting everything).
 
  +
<gallery widths="120" spacing="small" orientation="portrait">
 
  +
Tabula Rasa Buffy Giles 01.jpg
*Anya mispronounces her name using the flat a, /'ænjə/, instead of with the usual broad a, /'ɑːnjə/.
 
  +
Tabula Rasa Buffy Giles 02.jpg
 
  +
Tabula Rasa Buffy.jpg
*The episode "Tabula Rasa" does not translate well into other languages. A sizable part of the humor is the interplay between Giles and Spike, laced with British idiom and Americans' stereotyped views of England; the puns based on "Randy" are meaningless in other languages. In French, "Randy" is translated to "Candide", possibly a reference to the Voltaire novel. Buffy's assumed name "Joan" is left as "Joan" in French, and the reference to Joan of Arc ("Jeanne d'Arc" in French) is mostly lost. Dawn's reference to Xander as "Alex", a more common shortened form of "Alexander", lacks significance in the French translation because he has been named Alex in France since "[[Welcome to the Hellmouth]]".
 
  +
Tabula Rasa Dawn.jpg
 
  +
</gallery>
*"Tabula Rasa" is also a phrase used frequently in ''[[Wikipedia:Dollhouse (TV series)|Dollhouse]]'', another television show created by [[Joss Whedon]]. It is also one of several episode titles shared by Buffy and the series 'Criminal Minds' which features Nic Brendon and numerous other Buffy guest stars.   
 
  +
===Behind the scenes===
 
  +
<gallery widths="120" spacing="small" orientation="portrait">
*Just as the 5th season episode "[[The Replacement]]" mimics the plot of the Star Trek episode "The Enemy Within", this episode bears a striking resemblance to the plot of the Star Trek: Next Generation episode "Conundrum" (save for the fact that the mass amnesia in "Conundrum" was a deliberate attack rather than an unfortunate accident).
 
  +
Tabula Rasa Hannigan.jpg
 
  +
Tabula Rasa Head.jpg
*As Spike walks away from Buffy at [[The Bronze]], a fake severed hand can be seen under a glass lid on the counter.
 
  +
Tabula Rasa Gellar Head 01.jpg
 
  +
Tabula Rasa Gellar Head 02.jpg
*Spike postulates that he "...must be a noble vampire. A good guy on a mission of redemption. I help the helpless. I'm a vampire with soul." to which Buffy retorts, "A vampire with a soul? Oh my god, how lame is that?" This is a good-natured jab at the character [[Angel]].
 
  +
Tabula Rasa Caulfield Head Gellar Brendon.jpg
 
  +
Tabula Rasa Benson Caulfield.jpg
*Dawn says "Feature Creature" in this episode. Previously, Xander says "Creature Feature" in the episode "[[Ted]]".
 
  +
Tabula Rasa Hannigan Brendon.jpg
 
  +
</gallery>
*It's interesting that "Randy" felt the compulsion to do good despite still being a soulless vampire. Even though he ''was'' technically Spike, he didn't have Spike's memories; and memories would probably be the only reason a vampire would care about anyone else at all—especially at the expense of its own welfare. Another reason may be that Spike, unlike other vampires (like Angelus) who like to psychologically torture their victims, liked more the direct, violent fighting (two Slayers killed in fair duels).
 
 
* "Joan's" reaction to "Randy's" vampire face is very similar to Buffy's reaction when she first sees Angel's vampire face.
 
 
* This episode addresses the correlation between memory and identity, which is an oft-touched-upon theme in many of Whedon's works.
 
   
 
==Quotes==
 
==Quotes==
 
{{QuoteBlock
 
{{QuoteBlock
 
|Giles|"We'll get our memory back, and it'll all be right as rain."
 
|Giles|"We'll get our memory back, and it'll all be right as rain."
|Spike|"Oh, listen to Mary Poppins. He's got his crust all stiff and upper with that nancy-boy accent. You Englishmen are always so... bloody hell... sodding, blimey, shagging, knickers, bollocks... oh, god. I'm English!"
+
|Spike|"Oh, listen to Mary Poppins. He's got his crust all stiff and upper with that nancy-boy accent. You Englishmen are always so... Bloody hell... Sodding, blimey, shagging, knickers, bollocks. Oh, god. I'm English!"
 
|Giles|"Welcome to the nancy tribe."
 
|Giles|"Welcome to the nancy tribe."
 
}}
 
}}
 
{{QuoteBlock
 
{{QuoteBlock
 
|Spike|"You don't suppose you and I... We're not related, are we?"
|Teeth|"Time is what turns kittens into cats."
 
}}
 
{{QuoteBlock
 
|Spike|"You don't suppose you and I... we're not related, are we?"
 
 
|Anya|"There is a ruggedly handsome resemblance."
 
|Anya|"There is a ruggedly handsome resemblance."
|Giles|"A-And you do inspire a, um, particular feeling of familiarity and... disappointment.... Older brother?"
+
|Giles|"A-And you do inspire a, um, particular feeling of familiarity and... disappointment... Older brother?"
|Spike|"Father! Oh, God, how I must hate you."
+
|Spike|"Father! Oh, god, how I must hate you."
|Giles|"What did ''I'' do?"
+
|Giles|"What did I do?"
 
}}
 
}}
 
{{QuoteBlock
 
{{QuoteBlock
 
|Spike|"I must be a noble vampire. A good guy. On a mission of redemption. I help the helpless. I'm a vampire with a soul."
 
|Spike|"I must be a noble vampire. A good guy. On a mission of redemption. I help the helpless. I'm a vampire with a soul."
|Buffy|"A vampire with a soul? Oh my God... how lame is that?"
+
|Buffy|"A vampire with a soul? Oh my God, how lame is that?"
 
}}
 
}}
 
{{QuoteBlock
 
{{QuoteBlock
|Spike|"Randy Giles? Why not just call me Horny Giles or Desperate for a Shag Giles? I knew there was a reason I hated you."
+
|Spike|"Randy Giles? Why not just call me Horny Giles or Desperate for a Shag Giles? I knew there was a reason I hated you."
 
}}
 
}}
 
{{QuoteBlock
 
{{QuoteBlock
Line 156: Line 204:
 
}}
 
}}
   
  +
==References==
  +
{{References}}
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  +
[[de:Tabula Rasa]]
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[[fr:Tabula rasa]]
  +
[[nl:Tabula Rasa]]
   
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[[Category:Buffy the Vampire Slayer episodes]]
 
[[Category:Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 6]]
 
[[Category:Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 6]]

Revision as of 16:34, 6 May 2020

"Tabula Rasa" is the eighth episode of the sixth season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer television show, and is the one hundred eighth episode in the series. Written by Rebecca Rand Kirshner and directed by David Grossman, it originally broadcast on November 13, 2001 on UPN.

Synopsis

Despite Tara's misgivings about her overindulgence in witchcraft, Willow tries to cheer Buffy up by making the Slayer forget the idyllic afterlife she left behind. Alas, the spell goes awry and affects the minds of all the Scoobies.[1]

Summary

Buffy patrols and runs into Spike, who wants to talk about their kiss. Teeth, a demon loan shark (with a shark's head), confronts Spike about his kitten debt, but Buffy steps in and takes care of the thugs looking to beat 40 Siamese out of Spike. Willow, Xander, Anya, and Tara talk about calling Buffy back from Heaven and their feelings in the aftermath of the revelation. While the other three agree they need to stop thinking about their past actions and just try to make things better for Buffy, Willow (feeling very guilty over destroying Buffy's peaceful afterlife) isn't receptive to this and suggests fixing the mess with a spell. Sensing the tension, Xander and Anya leave as Tara confronts Willow about her excessive and damaging use of magic. Willow suggests making Buffy forget about being in heaven, but Tara reveals she knows a memory-spell was used on her and lets Willow know how furious and violated she feels. Tara then decides that things aren't working between them at the moment and starts to break up with her girlfriend, however Willow is desperate not to lose her and offers to go a month without magic to prove that she is not dependent. Tara asks her to try for a week, but doesn't promise that this will save the relationship.

Giles informs Buffy that he is returning to England for good and Buffy takes the news very badly. He knows she is too dependent on him and he must leave if she's ever going to learn to survive on her own. She begs him to stay, telling him she can learn to stand on her own with him around. Giles stands firm, assuring her he's doing the right thing but Buffy, deeply hurt and angry that her Watcher is seemingly abandoning her when she needs him most, tells him he's wrong.

Without her magic, Willow is late getting ready to leave the house so Tara and Dawn leave for the Magic Box without her. As soon as they're gone, Willow uses magic to get dressed quickly and starts another spell by the fireplace that will make Tara and Buffy forget the damages of the spells Willow used on them. In her rush, she accidentally leaves a bag of the Lethe's Bramble by the fireplace.

The whole gang, including a disguised Spike on the run from the loan shark, gather at the Magic Box during the day. Giles confesses that he is leaving and Buffy begins to have an emotional breakdown, unable to cope with her painful memories and the feeling that everyone is abandoning her. Willow has a crystal in her pocket that was used with her forgetting spell and it glows brightly in her hand. However, back at the Summers' house, a spark from the fireplace ignites the entire bag of Lethe's Bramble. Instead of just Buffy and Tara forgetting their recent upsets, the entire gang falls unconscious. They wake up later that evening with absolutely no knowledge of who or where they are. Spike suspects Giles is his father (because they're both English), Anya assumes she's getting married to Giles (because they jointly own the magic shop and woke up next to each other), and Willow and Xander tentatively assume they're dating (because they woke up lying next to each other and Willow was wearing Xander's coat). Xander, Willow, Anya, Giles, and Tara get their names from their IDs (although Xander is referred to as 'Alex' by Dawn), and Dawn gets hers from her necklace. Lacking their own IDs, Buffy names herself Joan, and Spike mistakenly assumes the name Randy from the inside of his stolen coat is his name.

A couple of vampires outside the shop scare the entire gang and they hide in fear. Looking for Spike to repay his debt, the vampires attack the shop. Joan discovers she's a superhero of some sort when she stakes one of the vampires and saves Randy. Anya and Giles stay at the magic shop to try and find a solution while Joan and Randy run outside to fight off the vampires. Randy unknowingly assumes his vampire visage to fight off the vampire thugs, which sends Joan running away in fear.

The rest of the Scoobies retreat to the sewers but they encounter vampires down there too. Anya turns to a random page in a book and reads the incantation there, which causes a bunny to appear and frighten her. Joan attacks Randy when he catches up with her and informs him that he's a vampire. He's confused by it, but assumes that he's a good, noble vampire — a vampire with a soul — because he doesn't want to bite her, which Joan thinks is incredibly lame. The loan shark and his minions attack the two and a fight ensues.

Anya continues to try random spells, which makes many more bunnies, a dark green cloud to form inside the shop, and a skeletal beast to appear (which he must swordfight against). Giles and Anya argue while hiding behind the counter from an unseen growling beast and Giles reveals that he found a one-way plane ticket in his pocket for London, assuming he must be abandoning Anya. Eventually, Giles casts a banishing spell to remove everything. With the threats removed, Anya begs him not to leave her and they kiss passionately. Alex fights with the vampire chasing them in the sewers, finally staking it, and then accidentally steps on the crystal that fell from Willow's pocket. The breaking of the spell finds Giles and Anya kissing, Willow atop Tara after a fall, and Spike and Buffy deep in mid-action conversation.

Tara and the others realize that Willow used magic, despite her promise. The spell broken, Buffy is momentarily too stunned to duck a few painful hits. Spike finishes off the rest of the vampires and promises to make up his debt to the intimidated Teeth. While Willow cries in the bathroom, Tara packs all of her things into boxes; then, receiving a hurt cold shoulder from Dawn, leaves. Full of grief, Giles takes his plane back to England. Spike finds Buffy at the Bronze, but she turns her face away and he stalks off. She doesn't let him get far though, and they kiss passionately beneath the stairs of the Bronze.

Continuity

  • Willow, Tara, Xander, and Anya discuss the discoveries of the previous episode "Once More, with Feeling": Buffy being torn from Heaven ("Bargaining, Part One") and Willow her fights with Tara's about her magical abuse ("All the Way").
  • Even with her memories gone, Anya tells Giles that she feels compelled to take out vengeance against him, a trait she had since her spell in "Selfless" that made her become a vengeance demon. She also retained her fear of rabbits (revealed in "Fear, Itself") and felt the same compulsion to protect the cash register from "Triangle".
  • Xander and Anya fail to sense any mutual connection, foreshadowing their doomed engagement in "Hell's Bells".
  • When Willow tells Dawn about her attraction to women, she uses the same words she did in episode "Doppelgängland" to describe her evil vampire self: "I think I'm kind of gay." Andrew Wells will recognize his own sexuality with the same phrase in Love Dares You, Part One.
  • The tweed suit worn by Spike in his guise as Giles' son "Randy Giles" is the same one used in "Restless" for Xander's dream, where Giles described Spike as "Like a son to me".
  • Teeth, the loan shark demon that hassles Spike to pay his debt, reappears in After the Fall comic series as one of the demon lords during the fall of Los Angeles.
  • When Spike finds out he is a vampire, he adopts Angel's persona by declaring: "I'm a vampire with a soul! I fight evil! I help the helpless!", which is the slogan for Angel Investigations.
  • Spike evokes to Buffy that they kissed each other once in "Once More, with Feeling". They have kissed as well in "Something Blue" and "Intervention", although under a spell in the first instance and the second kiss was a chaste thank-you.
  • The memory loss that the Scooby Gang underwent will later happen similarly to the Angel Investigations crew in "Spin the Bottle", when they forget everything about their lives up to their teen years.
  • Dawn says "Feature Creature" in this episode. Previously, Xander says "Creature Feature" in the episode "Ted".
  • Spike's description as Randy of Giles' "mid-life crisis transport" matches his actual current car, a red BMW convertible acquired in "Real Me".
  • "Joan's" reaction to "Randy's" vampire face is very similar to Buffy's reaction when she first saw Angel's vampire face, in episode "Angel".
  • Giles leaves Sunnydale to England, to return in "Two to Go" and express regret for leaving the Scoobies in "Grave". Buffy will consider this the first step for the group falling apart (New Rules, Part One).

Appearances

Individuals

Organizations and titles

Species

Events

Locations

Weapons and objects

Rituals and spells

Death count

  • Two vampires, dusted by Buffy.
  • Three vampires, dusted by Spike.
  • One vampire, dusted by Xander.

Behind the scenes

"Tabula_Rasa"_promo

"Tabula Rasa" promo

Production

  • The title "tabula rasa", Latin for "blank slate", is a reference to the theory that individuals are born without built-in mental content and that therefore all knowledge comes from experience or perception.
  • Without her memories, Anya mispronounces her name using the flat a, /'ænjə/, instead of with the usual broad a, /'ɑːnjə/ (like Anne-ya).
  • The episode "Tabula Rasa" does not translate well into other languages. A sizable part of the humor is the interplay between Giles and Spike, laced with British idiom and Americans' stereotyped views of England; the puns based on "Randy" are meaningless in other languages. In French, "Randy" is translated to "Candide", possibly a reference to the Voltaire novel. Buffy's assumed name "Joan" is left as "Joan" in French, and the reference to Joan of Arc ("Jeanne d'Arc" in French) is mostly lost. Dawn's reference to Xander as "Alex", a more common shortened form of "Alexander", lacks significance in the French translation because he has been named Alex in France since "Welcome to the Hellmouth".

Pop culture references

  • Spike compares his kiss with Buffy with the film Gone with the Wind (1939).
  • Anya referred to Allen Funt, the host of Candid Camera, when they were trying to figure out what happened.

Goofs, bloopers & continuity errors

  • When Anya is standing on the table and Giles saying to her "Come down, and we will go about fixing this in a sensible fashion," the lighting equipment behind the Magic Shop counter is visible the left of the screen.

Music

International titles

  • Armenian: "Մաքուր թերթից" (Clean Sheet)
  • Czech: "Tabula rasa"
  • Finnish: "Jäähyväiset" (Goodbye)
  • French: "Tabula Rasa"
  • German: "Tabula Rasa"
  • Hungarian: "Tabula Rasa"
  • Italian: "Tabula Rasa"
  • Japanese: "白紙に戻して" (Return to Blank Slate)
  • Polish: "Tabula Rasa"
  • Portuguese (Brazil): "Tabula Rasa"
  • Romanian: "Tabula Rasa"
  • Russian: "С чистого листа" (With Clean Sheet)
  • Spanish (Latin America): "El Hechizo" (The Spell)
  • Spanish (Spain): "Tabula Rasa"

Adaptations

Other

  • As Spike walks away from Buffy at the Bronze, a fake severed hand can be seen under a glass lid on the counter.
  • This episode addresses the correlation between memory and identity, which is an oft-touched-upon theme in many of Whedon's works.
  • "Tabula Rasa" is also a phrase used frequently in Dollhouse, another television show created by Joss Whedon. It is also one of several episode titles shared by Buffy and the series Criminal Minds which features Nic Brendon and numerous other Buffy guest stars.
  • Just as the 5th season episode "The Replacement" mimics the plot of the Star Trek episode "The Enemy Within", this episode bears a striking resemblance to the plot of the Star Trek: Next Generation episode "Conundrum" (save for the fact that the mass amnesia in "Conundrum" was a deliberate attack rather than an unfortunate accident).

Gallery

Promotional stills

Behind the scenes

Quotes

Giles: "We'll get our memory back, and it'll all be right as rain."
Spike: "Oh, listen to Mary Poppins. He's got his crust all stiff and upper with that nancy-boy accent. You Englishmen are always so... Bloody hell... Sodding, blimey, shagging, knickers, bollocks. Oh, god. I'm English!"
Giles: "Welcome to the nancy tribe."
Spike: "You don't suppose you and I... We're not related, are we?"
Anya: "There is a ruggedly handsome resemblance."
Giles: "A-And you do inspire a, um, particular feeling of familiarity and... disappointment... Older brother?"
Spike: "Father! Oh, god, how I must hate you."
Giles: "What did I do?"
Spike: "I must be a noble vampire. A good guy. On a mission of redemption. I help the helpless. I'm a vampire with a soul."
Buffy: "A vampire with a soul? Oh my God, how lame is that?"
Spike: "Randy Giles? Why not just call me Horny Giles or Desperate for a Shag Giles? I knew there was a reason I hated you."
Spike: "Dad can drive. He's bound to have some classic mid-life crisis transport. Something red, shiny, shaped like a penis."

References