Season 4 Episode 08 - Pangs

So Buffy's after some random vampire, who tells her that she should go back where she came from; things were better before she came. She kills him quite easily, but looks around uneasily, as though she thinks someone is watching her. And someone is... Angel, hiding in the bushes.

The next day, Buffy, Willow, and Anya are witnessing the ground-breaking the new Cultural Center on campus. Xander's doing construction for the site, and Anya's very turned on by the construction worker look. She is, in fact, imagining having sex with him. The Professor of Anthropology, who's in charge of this project, rambles on about all the cultures working together to make one big great culture, and how nice it is to do this right before Thanksgiving, and Willow thinks she's full of it. Willow declares that Thanksgiving is a farce, seeing as we pretend to have eaten maize with the Indians, when really the Pilgrims massacred them and stole all their land. Buffy admits that Willow has a point, but she won't be celebrating anyway, because her mom is going to Aunt Arlene's. Willow's family doesn't celebrate it. Xander begins to dig, much to Anya's delight, and he suddenly falls right through the ground into some mysterious place with drawings on the dirt walls.

That night at the dorm, Buffy is looking out the window; it seems as though she thinks someone or something is out there. Is it the truth? No, just Angel, secretly spying again. Willow tells Buffy that she found out that Xander fell into the old Sunnydale Mission, which was thought to be lost. Some noisy students walk down the hall, and the two comment on all the kids who get to go home for Thanksgiving. Buffy is jealous, but suddenly decides that she can have her own Thanksgiving. Willow is disturbed, but Buffy convinces her. Willow perks up at the idea of not inviting Anya, but Buffy points out that she and Xander are pretty tight. Buffy is glad that everyone has a place to go.

Except for Spike, apparently, who's stumbling about, cold and hungry, covered in an extremely tattered blanket. Riley and his crew are out looking for him. Forrest figures that Spike's no threat, since he can't feed, but Riley points out that he's a threat because he knows about the Initiative. He wants to do things Walsh's way.

Anya goes to Xander's, wondering why he's not digging (she went to see him at work, but he wasn't there). He's about to leave for work, but Anya realizes that he's sick and decides to take care of him. Xander refers to her as his girlfriend, though he claims that he could be delirious.

At school, the anthropology teacher is looking at an artifact display, when a green glowy film appears, a hand materializes around a knife in the display, and a big Indian guy appears. He grabs her and slits her throat with the knife.

Buffy and Willow are researching the deed (turns out her ear was cut off), and Willow has some interesting theories. Buffy notices that there's a knife missing from the display.

The next day, Buffy is at Giles' place, preparing for Thanksgiving dinner, which she's decided should be at his house. She shares the details of her trip to the grocery store, as well as the details of the murder. She leaves to go get more stuff, and Angel appears. Giles asks what he thinks of the murder. Giles isn't particularly pleased about Angel trying to help Buffy without at least telling her that he's here, but Angel maintains that it's the only way. He tells Giles that they should speak to Father Gabriel, a priest whose family has been in this area since missionary times; he may be of some help. Angel then leaves to go watch Buffy.

Spike is still wandering about in his blanket. He watches sadly through a window as some vamps make a meal out of someone.

Buffy and Willow are downtown on their way to the store that night, debating the joys of whipping your own whipped cream, when Riley approaches. Willow heads into the coffee shop to leave them alone, and promptly bumps right into Angel. He covers her mouth before she can blurt out his name, which makes her think he's evil again. He explains that he's protecting Buffy, but she can't know. And then he wonders who the guy is that Buffy's talking to. Buffy invites Riley to their Thanksgiving dinner, but he's headed to Iowa for the holiday.

Spike heads over to see if Harmony will take him in, but she's been reading self-help books, and she claims that she is powerful and doesn't need Spike to complete her. He tries to seduce her, but she grabs a stake and chases him out with it. She won't even give him someone to eat.

Buffy goes to the church to look for Father Gabriel, and finds him hanging, dead. The Chumash guy has already killed him, and he claims that she can't stop him, as he is vengeance; the avenging spirit sent by his people to get justice (oh, and his name is Hus). They fight, and she gains the advantage. He manages to guilt her out of it, claiming that she slaughtered his people and is now going to kill their spirit. She lets him go, and he turns himself into a flock of birds.

The next day, Buffy is going over the events with Giles. Giles points out that Hus has killed innocent people. Willow arrives, armed with peas and a bunch of books about the Chumash. Turns out they were peaceful until the Europeans came, spreading diseases, hanging them, cutting of their ears... all sorts of nice stuff. Willow thinks that if instead of killing Hus, they should find a way to help him. Giles just wants to kill him, and the two get into an old fashioned Thanksgiving argument (that does happen at everyone's house, right?). Outside, a coyote watches them through the window. Giles takes Willow aside, and they realize that they have both seen Angel. There's a knock at the door; the group opens it to find Anya and a sick Xander.

At UC Sunnydale, Hus is going through the Cultural Center, presumably looking for Chumash artifacts.

At Giles', Xander says that the doctor didn't know what was wrong with him, as he has a lot of symptoms that don't connect. Buffy points out that they connect to the Chumash guy. Willow tells him that the Chumash suffered from diseases like malaria, small pox, and syphilis. Xander locks onto the syphilis part, and wonders why they're not slaying him yet. Willow explains that it's not that simple, and Xander claims that you don't talk to vengeance demons, you kill them. This, of course, offends Anya, and the whole group begins to argue — except Buffy, who chooses to make pie. Giles tries to talk some sense into her, and suddenly there's a knock at the door. Buffy answers, to find Spike, cowering from the sunlight under his blanket. He asks for help, but Buffy isn't interested. She and Giles refuse to let him in, but he explains that he can't bite, getting Willow to confirm it, and offers them information about the Initiative.

Elsewhere, Hus does a little spell, bringing forth some more warriors to help him get revenge.

They've decided to let Spike in, but Buffy ties him nice and tight to a chair. Giles has figured out that Hus must be targeting authority figures, and they determine that the Dean of UC Sunnydale may be at risk. Buffy and Willow begin to debate the whole killing-the-Chumash-guy thing again, and Spike thinks it's ridiculous. He claims that conquering nations conquer people, and that's all there is to it. Xander and Giles admit that he's right (though Giles points out that he already said this stuff). Willow, Anya, and Xander go to warn the Dean. Spike asks when he's going to get fed. Buffy is just telling him to quit his whining, when suddenly an arrow is shot into the centerpiece of the table. They look up to see Hus outside, and Buffy tries to offer apologies. She and Giles duck, leaving Spike out in the middle of the room, as arrows start whizzing through the windows. Spike gets nailed, just shy of the heart.

The gang is coming back from the Dean's house (where they were met with skepticism) when they run into Angel. Xander, too, thinks he must be evil again. Willow explains that they think he's looking for a leader, but Angel explains that to a warrior, the leader is the strongest warrior. In other words, Buffy.

At Giles', Giles receives a warning phone call from Angel, Spike gets hit by more arrows, and Buffy gets hit in the arm by one. Elsewhere, the gang (not Angel) has stolen bicycles and is on their way back. Buffy and Giles try shooting their crossbows, but they miss. The gang (including Angel) arrives outside, and some of the warriors come inside. Everyone fights, and they start to realize that these guys don't die. Buffy finally catches on that they can be killed with their own weapons, but before she can put that to the test, Hus then turns himself into a bear. Spike is not pleased with this ("Undo it! Undo it!"). Buffy gets knocked around a bit, Xander throws rolls at the bear to distract it, and Buffy stabs it, causing him and the other warriors to turn into green mist and disappear. Angel, still outside, looks at Buffy through the window and sneaks off. Spike wonders if they won.

The gang sits down to dinner (Spike, too, with no meal for him). Willow is mad at herself for trying to kill the Chumash. The gang concludes that it wasn't so bad — they got through it, after all, and Willow points out that it was like old times, with them all working together. Xander agrees: "Yeah, especially with Angel being here and everything." Buffy stares at him. Everyone stares at her. "Oops," says Xander.