Family (7 Nov. 2000)

When relatives arrive in Sunnydale, to celebrate her birthday, Tara uses a magic spell on her friends to keep them from learning her "secret." Meanwhile, Glory unleashes a hoard of demons to hunt down Buffy.

Director:

Joss Whedon

Writers:

Joss Whedon (creator), Joss Whedon

Stars:

Sarah Michelle Gellar, Nicholas Brendon, Alyson Hannigan

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
Sarah Michelle Gellar	...	Buffy Summers
Nicholas Brendon	...	Xander Harris
Alyson Hannigan	...	Willow Rosenberg
Marc Blucas	...	Riley Finn
Emma Caulfield	...	Anya
Michelle Trachtenberg	...	Dawn Summers
James Marsters	...	Spike
Anthony Head	...	Rupert Giles (as Anthony Stewart Head)
Mercedes McNab	...	Harmony Kendall
Clare Kramer	...	Glory
Charlie Weber	...	Ben
Amy Adams	...	Cousin Beth
Steve Rankin	...	Mr. Maclay
Amber Benson	...	Tara Maclay
Ezra Buzzington	...	Bartender

Storyline

Buffy tells Giles the truth about Dawn and they decide to keep the secret about her origin. Buffy moves back home to stay together with her sick mother and Dawn. On the Eve of Tara's birthday, her big brother Donny, her father and her cousin visit her to bring her back home, since she would have a demon inside that would unleash in her twentieth anniversary. Meanwhile, The Beast forces Lei-Ach demons to chase and kill Buffy. Tara casts a spell to her friends to make demons invisible bringing trouble to her friends.

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Plot Keywords:

heroine | sister sister relationship | female protagonist | lesbian

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Genres:

Action | Drama | Fantasy

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Certificate:

TV-PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

7 November 2000 (USA)

Filming Locations:

1800 Stewart St., Santa Monica, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Mutant Enemy, Kuzui Enterprises, Sandollar Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This is the first time that we learn Tara's surname, but only from reading subtitle dialogue. It's not in the credits.

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Goofs

In the teaser, when Tara reaches out to turn off the bedside light it goes off before her hand gets to it.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Willow: Tell me a story.
Tara: Okay. Once upon a time, there was, um... a kitty. She was very little, and she was all alone, and nobody wanted her.
Willow: This is a very upsetting story.

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Connections

References Miss Congeniality (2000)

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Soundtracks

"I Can't Take My Eyes Off You"
Performed by Melanie Doane

User Reviews

The Real Family of Tara

Buffy tells Giles the truth about Dawn and they decide to keep the secret about her origin. Buffy moves back home to stay together with her sick mother and Dawn. On the Eve of Tara's birthday, her big brother Donny, her father and her cousin visit her to bring her back home, since she would have a demon inside that would unleash in her twentieth anniversary. Meanwhile, The Beast forces Lei-Ach demons to chase and kill Buffy. Tara casts a spell to her friends to make demons invisible bringing trouble to her friends.

This reasonable episode is centered in Tara, a character that has not been well explored along the last seasons. Tara sees who her real family is, increasing her bonds with the Scooby group. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Família" ("Family")