The I in Team (8 Feb. 2000)

Buffy joins the Initiative, but her self-reliant and curious attitude doesn't mesh well with the military's chain of command.

Director:

James A. Contner

Writers:

Joss Whedon (creator), David Fury

Stars:

Sarah Michelle Gellar, Nicholas Brendon, Alyson Hannigan

Cast

Episode cast overview:
Sarah Michelle Gellar	...	Buffy Summers
Nicholas Brendon	...	Xander Harris
Alyson Hannigan	...	Willow Rosenberg
Marc Blucas	...	Riley Finn
James Marsters	...	Spike
Anthony Head	...	Rupert Giles (as Anthony Stewart Head)
Amber Benson	...	Tara Maclay
George Hertzberg	...	Adam
Leonard Roberts	...	Forrest Gates
Bailey Chase	...	Graham Miller
Jack Stehlin	...	Dr. Angelman
Emma Caulfield	...	Anya
Lindsay Crouse	...	Professor Maggie Walsh
Neil Daly	...	Mason

Storyline

Buffy is working within the Initiative, excited by the military equipment and collaboration with her lover Riley, with whom she finally shares love to the full, but who proves trained as a selected soldier to follow orders without too many questions. Meanwhile professor Walsh hides from them a secret project, assembling 'Adam' from parts of various monster races. Xander hopes to become Anya's big spender by starting a business in 'Booster' bars, but nobody seems to like any of the flavors, at all. Spike just moved out to his crypt and told Giles he wanted nothing more to do with the gang, but has to rush back begging for their help after being shot by the commandos -now equipped with command cameras- with a dart, which Xander identifies as a tracer; Willow performs an ionization spell as camouflage during surgical removal. Professor Walsh feels inquisitive Buffy become a 'liability' with too much influence on Riley, and sets her up to be cornered in the sewers with two slasher demons ...

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Plot Keywords:

love | returning character killed off | female protagonist | medical examination | undressing | 

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Genres:

Action | Drama | Fantasy

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Certificate:

TV-PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

8 February 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?

Goofs

When Riley and Buffy are about to have sex, when Buffy lies down, the bed sheets and pillows are blue and white striped. A few shots later, the sheets and pillows are dark red.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Willow Rosenberg: I implore you, Neisa, blessed goddess of chance and fortune, heed my call. Send to me the heart I desire.
Xander Harris: [the camera pulls back to show she is holding five cards] You know, magic at the poker table qualifies as cheating.
Willow Rosenberg: That wasn't magic. I was praying. Two, please.

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Connections

References Private Benjamin (1980)

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Soundtracks

"Keep Myself Awake"
Black Lab

User Reviews

Removing the Complication

Buffy is completely excited with Ripley and The Initiative, questioning many points of the operation. After capturing a demon, Buffy and Ripley make love, but Professor Maggie Walsh sees Buffy as a complication for the group and decides to get rid off her, betraying and sending Buffy to face death with two powerful demons. Meanwhile, Willow misses her friend and becomes closer to Tara Maclay (Amber Benson). The selfish Spike looks for help with Giles to remove a tracking device from his shoulder.

In "The I in Team", Buffy finally finds that Professor Maggie Walsh is also evil, but the real intentions of The Initiative are not disclosed. The last minutes of this episode are great, opening many possibilities for the next ones. Spike is hilarious, as usual, and in this moment he is my favorite character of this cool series. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Meu Papel na Equipe" ("My Role in the Team")