- Fueled by black magic, Willow targets Andrew and Jonathan, leading to a battle between Buffy and Willow; Spike fights an unstoppable foe.
- After killing Warren, Dark Willow tries to track-down Andrew and Jonathan to kill them, which prompts Buffy to rescue them from their jail cell and hide them at the Magic Shop thus putting herself in the unlikely role of nerd/villain protector since Buffy is the only one who believes it's wrong to kill humans regardless of how evil or murderous they are. Meanwhile in Africa, Spike battles against the first of several foes to earn the right to have is request granted.—spyk_
- Picking up minutes after the previous episode left off, Buffy, Xander and Anya run through the forest as Xander stops, trying to fight the need to throw up (again) after seeing Willow flay Warren alive. Buffy tells them that they have no time, for remembering Willow's words "one down" meaning that she intends to go after and kill Warren's two accomplices, Jonathan and Andrew, whom are still at the County Jail. Xander asks why would Willow go after Jonathan and Andrew as they had nothing to do with killing Tara, because Warren did it all by himself. Buffy says that Will has an addictive personality and could be at the jail already. But Anya tells them that Willow can only go airborne which is not faster then teleporting, which she does by using her new vengeance demon powers. Buffy and Xander continue to walk through the woods and talk about Willow and what they intend to do with her. Buffy tells Xander that regardless of what happened, Willow killed a person and killing people changes you. She reminds Xander of what went down with Faith, who turned evil three years earlier after she accidentally killed a human, and that Willow's case is a lot worse. Xander, however, tries to justify Willow's actions by reminding Buffy that Warren was a cold-blooded serial killer of women just getting started. On top of that, Xander still firmly believes that the murderous Warren finally got what he deserved. However, Buffy still does not believe that Warren deserved to die for murdering his ex-girlfriend, or Tara, but both Buffy and Xander agree that Jonathan and Andrew don't deserve to die since they never killed anyone. A minute later, Xander and Buffy arrive at Xander's car parked along a dirt road, which has been demolished, apparently by Willow, to prevent them from following her. Buffy runs off, while a self-loathing Xander walks after her.
At the County Jail, Jonathan and Andrew are in their cell debating what they are going to do next. Andrew thinks that Warren might have implanted them with devices as way of "proving themselves". But Jonathan has a more realistic view and tells him that Warren has abandoned them, leading to both immature geeks fighting. Just then, Anya teleports into their cell and tells them about Warren's shooting rampage, him killing Tara, and being killed by Willow who is on her way to the jail to kill both of them. Andrew is shocked by Warren's death, but Jonathan seems only worried about himself. Anya tries talking to a jail guard to let the two boys out of their cell, but the guard refuses. At the same time, Willow arrives outside the police station and puts a sleep spell on one officer as she attempts to get at Jonathan and Andrew in their second floor cell by magically removing the bricks from the side of the building. Buffy arrives and enters the building amid confusion as Willow manages to break a hole in the building and then levitates herself into Jonathan and Andrew's jail cell, only to find it empty. The only evidence is bent bars, apparently done by Buffy to free them. Only Anya is there and before she can say anything, Willow angrily zaps her with magic bolts of lighting and screams in a primordial rage.
Having gotten Jonathan and Andrew out of their cell, Buffy takes them outside where Xander arrives in a stolen police car, and the four of them drive off. Buffy Jonathan and Andrew that they intend to hide them somewhere until Willow can be stopped. Suddenly, the car they are in is smashed from behind by a large semi-truck which has been magically commandeered by Willow. After a short chase, Willow begins to 'drain' of magic, leaving Buffy and Xander to drive away with Jonathan and Andrew.
Meanwhile, at Spike's crypt, Dawn tries to convince Clem to take her to Rack's place in order to get his help to find Willow.
In the cave in Africa, Spike is led, barefoot and bare-chested, to an arena-like space where the cave demon tells him that this is part of his trial in his quest. Soon, a large, burly man walks out of the shadows of the cave arena to confront Spike. The man slams his fists together, which catch on fire. The 'flaming-fists' warrior then attacks Spike.
In a back alley in Sunnydale, Dawn walks with Clem to try to persuade him to use his demon sense to find Rack's place. Clem tells her that it's a dangerous neighborhood and that a bad element comes down there. He also asks that if they do find Willow, if they can talk her out of using magic.
Meanwhile, Buffy and Xander arrive at the Magic Box shop with Jonathan and Andrew, just as Anya arrives, where they debate on what to do next. Buffy suggests finding magic to stop Willow or slow her down, but Xander remarks that Willow took every magic spell text from the books. Anya then produces an old Sumerian book of anti-magic spells which might help, but the text is all in Sumerian which Anya cannot read. Buffy tells Anya to work on translating it, and Jonathan steps forward with an offer to help. Buffy tells Jonathan that she doesn't want his help for she and her friends are only protecting them from Willow so she will not kill both of them and cross a line. As Anya begins working to translate the magic text, Xander asks Buffy if they stop Willow from using magic, what do they do then. Buffy says that she will talk to Willow. "And say what? Huh?" Xander asks considering that Willow saw the love of her life murdered by Jonathan and Andrew's evil and misogynist leader. Buffy doesn't know what to say, and explains that Willow must be someplace recharging her magic powers.
At Rack's magic loft, Willow arrives and Rack greets her after seeing her new dark appearance, with an offer to induce her with more dark magic that he has experienced. Willow agrees, and then she suddenly grabs Rack and begins draining him of his powers. At the same time, Dawn arrives with Clem after finding Rack's place and she offers to look in the back room for Rack, while a worried Clem stays outside. Dawn finds a dead and levitating Rack, having been drained of his powers, and a dark-eyed Willow there having murdered Rack and absorbed his magic in order to become more powerful. Dawn is frightened by the new-looking 'Dark Willow' who has black, eyes and dark veins running across her face. Dawn tells Willow that she misses Tara, too, and that what she is doing is wrong. Willow is unmoved and a little annoyed by Dawn's words and offers to turn Dawn back into an energy force when she was the Key to get more power. Just then, Buffy arrives as Willow is threatening Dawn.
Back at the magic shop, Jonathan and Andrew talk about what they intend to do. Andrew suggests fleeing to Mexico to start over, while Jonathan tells him to grow up. Nearby, Anya is still trying to translate the anti-magic textbook with little success as Xander asks Anya if she will turn against him. Anya tells Xander that she can't magically wish him harm for leaving her at their wedding several weeks earlier so she will settle on hating him. Xander tells Anya that he is doing that plenty already, for that morning when Warren ran into Buffy's backyard to shoot her, he saw him holding the gun and did nothing as he was too afraid to move. Xander tells Anya that he believes that he really is a useless coward and always will be. Anya says nothing.
Back at Rack's place, Buffy tries talking to Willow about her obsession with magic and to stop before it goes any further. Willow tells Buffy about her loss of Tara and that nothing in the world matters any more. In a very nervous and unconvincing tone, Buffy tries to tell Willow that there is so much to live for in the world, but Willow balks at Buffy's lame explanation and says that Buffy hates living as much as she does. Buffy denies it, but she is not a very good liar, at all. With a mesmerizing stare, Willow reminds Buffy that since her return to life, her unhappiness with the world and of her actions over the past several months. During her speech, Willow magically teleports herself, Buffy and Dawn to the Magic Box where both Buffy and Dawn collapse to the ground, weakened by the teleportation. Willow is now face-to-face with Jonathan and Andrew who grab swords. Willow then begins shooting them with magic bolts from her hands, but they are both unharmed. Anya has retreated behind a curtain and is chanting a verse in the Sumerian magic protection book which she has successfully translated.
In the cave in Africa, a bruised Spike continues fighting his flaming-fists opponent, until he gets the upper hand and kills his challenger by knocking him to the ground and breaks the man's neck. But to Spike's slight chagrin, the cave demon tells him that this is only the first of many challenges he is to pass to have his request granted.
Back in Sunnydale, Willow sees that Jonathan and Andrew are protected by some kind of anti-magic spell, so she makes herself physically strong to "beat them to death". Just then, Buffy recovers and stands in Willow's way who responds by punching her aside. Buffy rises and punches Willow aside as well. Anya tells Xander and Dawn to take Jonathan and Andrew away from the shop as she stays behind to continue to chant the magic protection spell. After they leave, Buffy and Willow, for the first time ever, fight in a vicious one-on-one combat which destroys part of the magic shop with their blows.
Outside, Andrew stops running and wants to escape to Mexico with Jonathan and rebels by holding his sword against Xander's neck to intimidate him and Dawn to let them go. But Jonathan holds his sword at Andrew's neck, making him lower his sword. Jonathan tells Andrew that they are no longer running for when this thing is over, if they are still alive, they will return to jail to serve their time.
Back at the magic shop, Buffy and Willow continue fighting until Willow, thrown back against a doorway, sees Anya chanting the Sumerian protection spell. Willow knocks Buffy aside and then attacks Anya, snatching her magic book aside and throws Anya against a wall, knocking her out. Now free to use magic again, Willow then attacks Buffy by zapping her with more dark magic from her hands. Willow boasts that there is no one with the magic to stop her now. Suddenly, Willow is zapped by another burst of green-colored magic bolts and looks up to see Giles standing in the doorway of the magic shop.... ready to combat Willow over her theory of magic superiority.
To be continued.....
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