Empty Places (29 Apr. 2003)

After their horrifying loss at the vineyard, the gang turn against Buffy and begin to follow Faith instead. Meanwhile, Spike and Andrew travel to an old church to question a priest about Caleb.

Director:

James A. Contner

Writers:

Joss Whedon (creator), Drew Z. Greenberg

Stars:

Sarah Michelle Gellar, Nicholas Brendon, Emma Caulfield

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
Sarah Michelle Gellar	...	Buffy Summers
Nicholas Brendon	...	Xander Harris
Emma Caulfield	...	Anya
Michelle Trachtenberg	...	Dawn Summers
James Marsters	...	Spike
Alyson Hannigan	...	Willow Rosenberg
Anthony Head	...	Rupert Giles (as Anthony Stewart Head)
Eliza Dushku	...	Faith
Nathan Fillion	...	Caleb
Tom Lenk	...	Andrew Wells
Iyari Limon	...	Kennedy
Indigo	...	Rona
Sarah Hagan	...	Amanda
Kristy Wu	...	Chao-Ahn
Dorian Missick	...	Police Officer

Storyline

In the aftermath of the defeat and loss of Molly and a few other potential slayers, Buffy is beside herself with guilt for underestimating Caleb's powers, while the twisted ex-priest launches an attack against Buffy at the deserted Sunnydale High School just as the population begins to evacuate the town when news of the Hellmouth begins to spread. That evening, Faith takes the stressed out potential slayers out to blow off some steam, but soon they run afoul of Sunnydale's Finest police force whom are still after Faith for her escape from prison back in Los Angeles. Hurting from their last battle and unsure of Buffy's leadership, the gang makes a decision that may change everything.

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Plot Keywords:

sister sister relationship | heroine | lesbian | female protagonist

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Genres:

Action | Drama | Fantasy

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Certificate:

TV-PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

29 April 2003 (USA)

Filming Locations:

1800 Stewart St., Santa Monica, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Mutant Enemy, Kuzui Enterprises, Sandollar Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

42 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

While on the mission with Andrew, Spike talks of his love for the onion blossom appetizer. This is the second time he has mentioned his fondness for them, the first time being in Season 5 episode Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Crush.

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Goofs

At 9:38 you can see the reflection of the camera operator in the oven door above the stove.

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Quotes

Buffy: [to Faith] Don't be afraid to lead them. Whether you wanted it or not, their lives are yours. It's only gonna get harder. Protect them, but lead them.

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Soundtracks

"Rock City News"
Performed by Nerf Herder
Appears Courtesy of Honest Don's Records / Fat Wreck Records

User Reviews

Way to stab us in the back.

So yeah, season 7 wasn't as great as the previous 6 seasons, but it was still brilliant in its own way. It has been stated before that Joss looks over every script for each episode to approve of it and perhaps make some additional changes of his own. When I first watched this episode, I was so angry. I was in tears. It felt like I was punched in the gut for no words could describe the disbelief I felt at the Scoobies behaviour towards Buffy. Sure they've had interventions and disagreements before (see season 3, when they "attack" Buffy once they find out she's been keeping Angel being alive as a secret) but never have they full out turned against her like that. It just did not fit. I watched it and thought to myself "who the hell are these people?!?!?! Joss Whedon, what the frack is going on?" But now, (after 6 years lol) I have come to the conclusion that Joss did it on purpose. He wanted this effect to happen to us. He wanted us to feel exactly how Buffy felt. The entire episode builds up from the aftermath of the last episode, which started out with everyone on Buffy's side, trusting her, following her only to have it end badly. REALLY badly. Having Xander, the heart of the group, lose an eye was like a slap in the face for everyone. And in "Empty Places" you can see Buffy shutting down. You can tell how awful she feels about Xander and doubting her ability to lead these people, to then realizing that she was right all along about Caleb and the cellar, only to THEN have the closest people to her turn their backs on her. And having Dawn (that biotch) kicking her out of her own house (again, i really hate Dawn at this moment).

In this episode, we are Buffy. We hurt, and we're so tired that we give up at the end.

Joss makes us realize that sometimes, during dark times, the people you care about just might not be there for you. That things can indeed, get worse.

Of course, they also had to end the episode with Buffy so despondent because then in the next episode Spike can swoop in and be the big hero, thus again further developing the "new" relationship between Buffy and Spike.

Well done. I hated this episode with every fibre of my being, while realizing just how good it was in it's intent to make me feel this way. (Does that even make any sense?)