The Yoko Factor

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The Yoko Factor is the twentieth episode of the fourth season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and is the seventy-sixth episode altogether. It was written by Doug Petrie and directed by David Grossman. It originally broadcast on May 9, 2000.

Adam agrees to remove Spike's chip if he helps him by isolating Buffy from the rest of the Scooby Gang.

Synopsis

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Spike: You're not getting it, Mr. Bits. You're gonna be interestingly dead. Little Miss Tiny's got a habit of bollixing up the plans of every would-be, unstoppable bad-ass who sets foot in this town.

Colonel McNamara talks with Mr. Ward about plans for The Initiative, getting Riley back and dealing with Buffy. Spike tells Adam that Buffy is going to be a difficult challenge to defeat and he shouldn't underestimate her. Spike talks about killing two Slayers and not being able to kill Buffy, especially because of the chip now in his head. The two plan to separate Buffy from her friends.

Still upset about Angel, Buffy returns from L.A. to her empty dorm room. Xander brings Riley some rather colorful clothes to wear, and they talk about their mutual distaste for Angel. Not realizing that he didn't know, Xander accidentally tells Riley about how pure happiness with Buffy is the trigger that removed Angel's curse.

Giles is practicing his singing when Spike surprises him by showing up in his apartment. Spike talks with Giles about files inside The Initiative that he might be able to get for a very large price. Spike tells Giles that Buffy doesn't respect her former Watcher

anymore, and that upsets Giles.

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Riley: Xander took my clothes to clean `em and left me these. Does he, uh, hate me in some way I don't know about yet?

Willow and Tara play with their new kitten while planning their class schedule for next year. They also talk about future housing plans, but Willow hasn't talked with Buffy yet and isn't sure what she wants to do now that things have changed so much.

Riley goes to Buffy in the funny clown pants Xander gave him to wear. Using a radio, he's tapped into The Initiative and is making sure he's aware of everything going on with the operation. She mentions that Angel upset her, but she doesn't want to talk about it and Riley leaves. Xander and Anya bring Spike fatigues to wear and a fake gun. Spike continues to tear apart the Scooby Gang by making Xander feel unwanted by convincing him that the rest of the gang doesn't feel he's useful.

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Angel fighting all out with Riley.

Buffy goes patrolling and runs into Forrest, who is also looking for Adam. They argue as they go into a cave and find Adam. The three of them fight, Adam skewers Forrest and Buffy makes a run for it. Limping, she falls and slides down a hill, hitting her head on a rock. Pretending to have sneaked into The Initiative and retrieved some disks with information, Spike charges into Giles' place. Giles continues to get drunk while Willow tries to decrypt the disks. Spike talks to Willow and Tara about their Wicca interests and how her friends don't seem to support it. Willow thinks that means that their friends aren't accepting their romantic relationship.

Riley hears that there is trouble on the streets through his radio and goes to check it out. He finds that it is Angel fighting off the commandos, and Riley refuses to let Angel go see Buffy. The two have a brutal fight, of which Angel is clearly the victor. Since the fight is personal for both combatants, no punches are pulled. Angel, who normally refrains from using his superior physical strength against a human and still stinging from Buffy's recent comments in LA, holds nothing back in the fight. Similarly, Riley, having just learned what makes Angel lose his soul, uses every weapon (literally) on him. During the fight, Riley uses his tazer, a bottle, and his baton on Angel.

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Buffy: I guess I'm starting to understand why there's no ancient prophecy about a Chosen One and her friends.

The fight violently ends when Riley, having momentarily stunned Angel with his taser, is lifted by Angel and thrown into several trash cans. Angel then picks him up again and throws him once again into the side of a building. Finally, both run off when a military truck comes down the street. Buffy returns to her dorm room and Angel shows up. As Angel tries to talk to Buffy, Riley barges in and points a gun at Angel. Angel taunts Riley and the two come to blows again. Buffy separates them and wants to talk to Angel alone. Riley refuses to leave the room, so Buffy and Angel depart to the hallway, though not before Angel taunts Riley with a superior smirk.

Buffy goes off on Angel and then they laugh when Angel confesses he came to make up. Angel admits that he had no right to talk to Buffy like he had before, and explains that he had been attacked by the Initiative soldiers and Riley only waded into the middle of it and immediately accused him. Accepting, Buffy also admits that Angel was not entirely wrong; the two are no longer a part of the other's worlds, and she had no right to barge in on his. Having concluded his business, Angel leaves, stating that he doesn't like Riley, which actually amuses Buffy.

Spike reports back to Adam, happy to have split up the Scooby Gang. Riley is worried that Buffy has reunited with Angel, and confesses that he already knows about how Angel can lose his soul, which set him off. They profess their love to each other and then Buffy brings him bad news. She tells him that Forrest is dead and he leaves quickly.

The damage that Spike has done to the gang starts to become clear as the gang breaks out into a fight. While Tara and Anya sneak into the bathroom and hide, Buffy argues that she is going to take on Adam alone. Giles is incredibly drunk and makes funny comments in the background. Xander complains that his friends don't need him and Willow complains that Buffy doesn't accept Tara, revealing their relationship to Xander and Giles. While Giles goes to sleep the alcohol off, Buffy leaves, telling her friends that she doesn't need them.

In Adam's lair, Riley shows up as an expected guest.

Starring

• Sarah Michelle Gellar as Buffy Summers
• Nicholas Brendon as Xander Harris
• Alyson Hannigan as Willow Rosenberg
• Marc Blucas as Riley Finn
• James Marsters as Spike
• Anthony Stewart Head as Rupert Giles

Guest Starring

• Emma Caulfield as Anya
• Amber Benson as Tara Maclay
• Leonard Roberts as Forrest Gates
• Conor O'Farrell as Colonel McNamara
• George Hertzberg as Adam
• David Boreanaz as Angel

Co Starring

• Bob Fimiani as Mr. Ward
• Jade Carter as Lieutenant

Trivia

• The title of the episode refers to Yoko Ono, blamed by many for The Beatles' break up. In this episode, Spike acts as the "Yoko factor", sowing dissension within the Scooby Gang.

Quotes

Xander - "[gives Riley some less than dignified clothing] Try those on. You'll feel like a new man." 
Riley - "Would this man have a bright red nose and big, floppy feet?"

Willow - "Besides, when is there any us two? You two are the two who are the two. I'm the other one."

Spike - "[to Adam] Wow. I mean, yeah. I get why the demons all fall in line with you. You're like Tony Robbins. If he was a 
big scary... Frankenstein looking- [reconsiders] You're exactly like Tony Robbins."

Riley - "[about Angel] Well, there you go. Even when he's good he's all Mr. Billowy Coat King of Pain."

Willow - "Crack a government encrypted code on my laptop? Easy as really difficult pie."  
Spike - "You're not exactly the wiz these days either. God, I'm never going to get paid."  
Willow - "I am a wiz."  
Tara - "She is a wiz."  
Willow - "If ever a wiz there was."  
-- a reference to The Wizard of Oz.

Buffy - "I'm checking out that cave."  
Forrest - "My orders exactly."  
Buffy - "Alone?"  
Forrest - "We're spread a little thin, so yeah.  Family's tearing apart."  
Buffy - "(sarcastic) Family.  What kind of family are you?  Corleones." 
-- a reference to The Godfather.

Xander - "You and Willow go do the superpower thing. I'll stay behind and put around the bat cave with crusty old Alfred 
here."  
Giles - "Ah, no. I am no Alfred, sir. No, you forget. Alfred had a job."  
-- a reference to Batman.

Continuity

• Angel's visit to Sunnydale follows directly from the events of the Angel episode "Sanctuary".

• Spike knows exactly what to say to each member of the Scoobies to break them up, foreshadowing each character's personal insecurities that would be explored in the Season finale "Restless".

Music

• Lynyrd Skynyrd - "Free Bird" (sung by Giles)