Lessons (Buffy episode)
Encyclopedia
"Lessons" is the first episode of the seventh season of the television show Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Dawn finds vengeful spirits in the new Sunnydale High while Giles is rehabilitating Willow in England.
: A dark-haired girl is running through the arched hallway, looking over her shoulder and panting from the exertion of running so fast. She slips down an embankment. She's being chased. A man on the street sees her through his front door, and closes it rather than help her. Two people in hooded cloaks are chasing her. After trying various alleys looking for an escape route, she finds herself trapped in a dead-end. She sees a drain pipe next to her and tries to use it to scale the building. The people chasing her grab her foot, but she manages to escape their grip and easily climbs up to the roof. There, another hooded figure is waiting and pushes her off the building. She screams, but she lands on the ground alive, on her back. Two hooded figures hold her down, and she fights back with all her might. A third figure raises an arched, shiny, silver dagger and stabs her.
Buffy
is in Sunnydale
training her sister on how to fight vampires. She instructs Dawn
that fighting and slaying are about power. They discuss the fact that Sunnydale High
has just reopened. Meanwhile, Willow
is studying with Giles
in Westbury, England. She studies magic and meditation with a coven of Wiccans that Giles knows. She is learning control, but feels frightened and distraught because she "killed people
".
Xander
is working construction at the new high school which Dawn is to attend. He notes that the principal's office is right over the Hellmouth. Buffy follows Dawn into the school where she meets Principal Robin Wood. She goes into a bathroom, where she finds a mysterious talisman. Upon seeing the talisman, she sees a dead girl who threatens her. She says Buffy was unable to protect her, and that she will not be able to protect Dawn either.
Anya
is still in the vengeance
business, and is drinking coffee with her fellow vengeance demon Halfrek
. "Hallie" tells Anya that the other demons are noticing a lack of quality in her work, and that "something big is coming".
Buffy tries to warn Dawn, but winds up only embarrassing her. Dawn then sees a similar dead student. She hurries to the bathroom where she meets Kit Holbum, who has also been seeing things. They are about to leave the bathroom when the floor caves in and they wind up in the high school basement.
Back in England, Willow has a terrible vision of "the earth's teeth" -- the Hellmouth. She tells Giles, who has taught her that everything is connected, that not everything that is connected to the earth is good.
Dawn and Kit run into another student in the basement, Carlos Trejo, who says he saw a dead janitor. They are soon confronted by the three dead people. The dead people tell them that everyone dies in Sunnydale, and they will be no different. Dawn calls Buffy on her new cell phone. Buffy descends into the basement to help Dawn, only to run into the three dead people herself. After a brief conversation, Buffy realizes that the three dead people are trying to prevent her from going through a certain door. Buffy makes it to the door on her second try. She opens the door, but instead of finding Dawn and the other two students, Buffy finds a deranged Spike.
Once Buffy and Spike are alone in this part of the basement, Buffy having locked the dead people out on the other side of the door, she realizes that not only is Spike in a poor mental state, he is in terrible physical condition as well. She asks him about a series of cuts on his chest, and he replies that he tried to "cut it out". Before their conversation can continue, Dawn calls Buffy again. In spite of Spike's mad rambling, he is able to tell Buffy that the dead students are not 'zombies' or 'ghosts', but 'manifest spirits raised by a talisman'. Buffy tells Dawn to find a weapon because the spirits are corporeal, and then leaves Spike's presence once she realizes that he is in no shape to help her.
Buffy then calls Xander and tells him to find and destroy the talisman. Buffy follows Dawn's screams to another room in the basement, where she finds Dawn has made a weapon from a bag and some bricks. Dawn throws the weapon to Buffy who then fights the spirits off as Xander wrestles with one in the bathroom after finding the talisman. Xander breaks the talisman and the spirits disappear.
Back in the school proper, Buffy sends Dawn, Kit, and Carlos off to class with some words of advice. Principal Wood is impressed that Buffy is able to convince Kit and Carlos, the only two students with school records as long as Buffy's, to socialize and to go to class. He offers her a job working as a counselor at the school, and she gladly accepts.
Spike huddles in the school basement and tells Warren Mears
that he has prepared a speech to give Buffy, but she will not understand what he has to say. As Warren paces around Spike, he morphs successively into Glory
, Adam, Mayor Wilkins, Drusilla and the Master - i.e. the previous major villains of the series in reverse order. They all speak to Spike about a plan "to go back to the beginning". The Master says, "It's not about right; it's not about wrong," then he morphs into Buffy who tells Spike, "It's about power."
, England. He owns the horse seen in the episode, and it is named "Otto".
Kali Rocha filmed all of her scenes for this season in one day, including those in "Selfless
".
Plot
IstanbulIstanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
: A dark-haired girl is running through the arched hallway, looking over her shoulder and panting from the exertion of running so fast. She slips down an embankment. She's being chased. A man on the street sees her through his front door, and closes it rather than help her. Two people in hooded cloaks are chasing her. After trying various alleys looking for an escape route, she finds herself trapped in a dead-end. She sees a drain pipe next to her and tries to use it to scale the building. The people chasing her grab her foot, but she manages to escape their grip and easily climbs up to the roof. There, another hooded figure is waiting and pushes her off the building. She screams, but she lands on the ground alive, on her back. Two hooded figures hold her down, and she fights back with all her might. A third figure raises an arched, shiny, silver dagger and stabs her.
Buffy
Buffy Summers
Buffy Summers is a fictional character from Joss Whedon's Buffy the Vampire Slayer franchise. She first appeared in the 1992 film Buffy the Vampire Slayer before going on to appear in the television series and subsequent comic book of the same name...
is in Sunnydale
Sunnydale
Sunnydale, California is the fictional setting for the U.S. television drama Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Series creator Joss Whedon conceived the town as a representation of a generic California city, as well as a narrative parody of the all-too-serene towns typical in traditional horror...
training her sister on how to fight vampires. She instructs Dawn
Dawn Summers
Dawn Summers is a fictional character created by Joss Whedon and introduced by Marti Noxon and David Fury on the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, portrayed by Michelle Trachtenberg. She made her debut in the premiere episode of the show's fifth season, and subsequently appeared in every...
that fighting and slaying are about power. They discuss the fact that Sunnydale High
Sunnydale
Sunnydale, California is the fictional setting for the U.S. television drama Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Series creator Joss Whedon conceived the town as a representation of a generic California city, as well as a narrative parody of the all-too-serene towns typical in traditional horror...
has just reopened. Meanwhile, Willow
Willow Rosenberg
Willow Rosenberg is a fictional character created for the fantasy television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer . She was developed by Joss Whedon and portrayed throughout the TV series by Alyson Hannigan...
is studying with Giles
Rupert Giles
Rupert Giles is a fictional character created by Joss Whedon for the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The character is portrayed by Anthony Stewart Head. He serves as Buffy Summers' mentor and surrogate father figure...
in Westbury, England. She studies magic and meditation with a coven of Wiccans that Giles knows. She is learning control, but feels frightened and distraught because she "killed people
Villains (Buffy episode)
"Villains" is the 20th episode of season 6 of the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer.- Plot summary :An ambulance arrives at the Summers' house to treat the wounded Buffy. Upstairs, the distraught Willow calls upon Osiris to bring the murdered Tara back to life, but the god cannot, because...
".
Xander
Xander Harris
Alexander LaVelle "Xander" Harris is a fictional character in the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, as well as in numerous items in the series Expanded Universe, such as comic books, tie-in novels and video games...
is working construction at the new high school which Dawn is to attend. He notes that the principal's office is right over the Hellmouth. Buffy follows Dawn into the school where she meets Principal Robin Wood. She goes into a bathroom, where she finds a mysterious talisman. Upon seeing the talisman, she sees a dead girl who threatens her. She says Buffy was unable to protect her, and that she will not be able to protect Dawn either.
Anya
Anya Jenkins
Anya is a fictional character created by Joss Whedon for the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. She also appears in the comic book series based on the television show. Portrayed by Emma Caulfield, the character appears as a guest star in the third and fourth seasons of the show before...
is still in the vengeance
Vengeance demon
Vengeance demons are a group of beings that appear in the TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. They are immortals who travel the world exacting vengeance on behalf of victims, such as scorned men, women or neglected children...
business, and is drinking coffee with her fellow vengeance demon Halfrek
Halfrek
Halfrek or Hallie is a recurring fictional character on the TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. She appears as a vengeance demon in seasons 6 and 7, and has previously appeared as Cecily in season 5. She is played by actress Kali Rocha....
. "Hallie" tells Anya that the other demons are noticing a lack of quality in her work, and that "something big is coming".
Buffy tries to warn Dawn, but winds up only embarrassing her. Dawn then sees a similar dead student. She hurries to the bathroom where she meets Kit Holbum, who has also been seeing things. They are about to leave the bathroom when the floor caves in and they wind up in the high school basement.
Back in England, Willow has a terrible vision of "the earth's teeth" -- the Hellmouth. She tells Giles, who has taught her that everything is connected, that not everything that is connected to the earth is good.
Dawn and Kit run into another student in the basement, Carlos Trejo, who says he saw a dead janitor. They are soon confronted by the three dead people. The dead people tell them that everyone dies in Sunnydale, and they will be no different. Dawn calls Buffy on her new cell phone. Buffy descends into the basement to help Dawn, only to run into the three dead people herself. After a brief conversation, Buffy realizes that the three dead people are trying to prevent her from going through a certain door. Buffy makes it to the door on her second try. She opens the door, but instead of finding Dawn and the other two students, Buffy finds a deranged Spike.
Once Buffy and Spike are alone in this part of the basement, Buffy having locked the dead people out on the other side of the door, she realizes that not only is Spike in a poor mental state, he is in terrible physical condition as well. She asks him about a series of cuts on his chest, and he replies that he tried to "cut it out". Before their conversation can continue, Dawn calls Buffy again. In spite of Spike's mad rambling, he is able to tell Buffy that the dead students are not 'zombies' or 'ghosts', but 'manifest spirits raised by a talisman'. Buffy tells Dawn to find a weapon because the spirits are corporeal, and then leaves Spike's presence once she realizes that he is in no shape to help her.
Buffy then calls Xander and tells him to find and destroy the talisman. Buffy follows Dawn's screams to another room in the basement, where she finds Dawn has made a weapon from a bag and some bricks. Dawn throws the weapon to Buffy who then fights the spirits off as Xander wrestles with one in the bathroom after finding the talisman. Xander breaks the talisman and the spirits disappear.
Back in the school proper, Buffy sends Dawn, Kit, and Carlos off to class with some words of advice. Principal Wood is impressed that Buffy is able to convince Kit and Carlos, the only two students with school records as long as Buffy's, to socialize and to go to class. He offers her a job working as a counselor at the school, and she gladly accepts.
Spike huddles in the school basement and tells Warren Mears
Warren Mears
Warren Mears is a fictional character portrayed by Adam Busch in the American television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, as well as its canonical comic book series continuation.-Television:...
that he has prepared a speech to give Buffy, but she will not understand what he has to say. As Warren paces around Spike, he morphs successively into Glory
Glorificus
Glory is a fictional character in the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Also known as "Glorificus," "That Which Cannot Be Named," "The Abomination," and "The Beast," she appeared during the fifth season of the program and was portrayed by Clare Kramer.-History:Glorificus is a god from a...
, Adam, Mayor Wilkins, Drusilla and the Master - i.e. the previous major villains of the series in reverse order. They all speak to Spike about a plan "to go back to the beginning". The Master says, "It's not about right; it's not about wrong," then he morphs into Buffy who tells Spike, "It's about power."
Starring
- Sarah Michelle GellarSarah Michelle GellarSarah Michelle Prinze , known professionally by her birth name of Sarah Michelle Gellar , is an American actress, singer and executive producer...
as Buffy SummersBuffy SummersBuffy Summers is a fictional character from Joss Whedon's Buffy the Vampire Slayer franchise. She first appeared in the 1992 film Buffy the Vampire Slayer before going on to appear in the television series and subsequent comic book of the same name...
/The First Evil - Nicholas BrendonNicholas BrendonNicholas Brendon , is an actor best known for his character Xander Harris in the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer .-Early life:...
as Xander HarrisXander HarrisAlexander LaVelle "Xander" Harris is a fictional character in the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, as well as in numerous items in the series Expanded Universe, such as comic books, tie-in novels and video games... - Michelle TrachtenbergMichelle TrachtenbergMichelle Christine Trachtenberg is an American actress. She is best known for her roles as Dawn Summers in the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and as Georgina Sparks in Gossip Girl...
as Dawn SummersDawn SummersDawn Summers is a fictional character created by Joss Whedon and introduced by Marti Noxon and David Fury on the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, portrayed by Michelle Trachtenberg. She made her debut in the premiere episode of the show's fifth season, and subsequently appeared in every... - Emma CaulfieldEmma CaulfieldEmma Caulfield is an American actress best known for her role as ex-demon Anya Jenkins on the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, as well as Susan Keats, a love interest of Brandon Walsh's on the television series Beverly Hills, 90210.-Early life:Emma Caulfield was born Emma Chukker in San...
as Anya JenkinsAnya JenkinsAnya is a fictional character created by Joss Whedon for the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. She also appears in the comic book series based on the television show. Portrayed by Emma Caulfield, the character appears as a guest star in the third and fourth seasons of the show before... - James MarstersJames MarstersJames Wesley Marsters is an American actor and musician. Marsters first came to the attention of the general public playing the popular character Spike, a platinum-blond yobbish English vampire in the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its spin-off series, Angel from 1997 to 2004...
as Spike - Alyson HanniganAlyson HanniganAlyson Lee Hannigan is an American actress. She is known for her roles as Willow Rosenberg in the cult classic television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Michelle Flaherty in three American Pie films, and Lily Aldrin on the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother.-Early life:Hannigan was born in...
as Willow RosenbergWillow RosenbergWillow Rosenberg is a fictional character created for the fantasy television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer . She was developed by Joss Whedon and portrayed throughout the TV series by Alyson Hannigan...
Guest Starring
- DB Woodside as Robin Wood
- Alex BreckenridgeAlex BreckenridgeAlexandra "Alex" Breckenridge is an American film and television actress, photographer and voice artist. Noted for her role as Willa McPherson on the television series Dirt, she also had a supporting role on the short lived series The Ex List...
as Kit Holburn - Kali RochaKali Rocha-Early life:Rocha was born in Memphis, Tennessee and grew up in Providence, Rhode Island, graduating from Carnegie Mellon School of Drama in 1993.-Career:...
as HalfrekHalfrekHalfrek or Hallie is a recurring fictional character on the TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. She appears as a vengeance demon in seasons 6 and 7, and has previously appeared as Cecily in season 5. She is played by actress Kali Rocha.... - Mark MetcalfMark MetcalfMark Howes Metcalf is an American actor in both television and film.-Early life:Metcalf attended Westfield High School in Westfield, New Jersey.-Film and television work:...
as The FirstFirst EvilThe First Evil is a fictional character created by Joss Whedon for the TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The First Evil first appeared in the third season episode "Amends", and became the main antagonist of the 7th and final season.A being manifested from all evil in existence, the First is an...
/The Master - Juliet LandauJuliet LandauJuliet Rose Landau is an American actress best known for her role as Drusilla on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its spinoff show Angel, the latter appearance earning her a Saturn Award nomination. She is also known for co-starring as Loretta King Hadler in Tim Burton's Ed Wood.She has appeared in a...
as The First/Drusilla - Harry GroenerHarry GroenerHarry Groener is a German-born American actor and dancer, perhaps best known for playing Mayor Wilkins in Buffy the Vampire Slayer .-Early life:...
as The First/Richard Wilkins - George HertzbergGeorge HertzbergGeorge Hertzberg is an American actor best known for his portrayal of the cyber-demonic soldier Adam in the fourth season of the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer...
as The First/Adam - Clare KramerClare KramerClare Elizabeth Kramer is an American actress best known for her portrayal of Glory, the main villain in Season 5 of the TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer.-Early life:...
as The First/GloryGlorificusGlory is a fictional character in the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Also known as "Glorificus," "That Which Cannot Be Named," "The Abomination," and "The Beast," she appeared during the fifth season of the program and was portrayed by Clare Kramer.-History:Glorificus is a god from a... - Adam BuschAdam BuschAdam Busch is an American actor who played the recurring character Warren Mears on the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. He first appeared on Buffy in season 5, in an episode called "I Was Made to Love You".-Career:Early roles include Noah Allen from Nickelodeon's the Mystery Files of...
as The First/Warren MearsWarren MearsWarren Mears is a fictional character portrayed by Adam Busch in the American television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, as well as its canonical comic book series continuation.-Television:... - David ZepedaDavid ZepedaDavid Zepeda Quintero , represented Mexico and placed first runner-up to Australia's Brett Wilson in the Manhunt International 2000 pageant, held in Singapore on September 29, 2000.-Biography:...
as Carlos Trejo
Production
The scenes set in Westbury were actually shot at Anthony Stewart Head's house in SomersetSomerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
, England. He owns the horse seen in the episode, and it is named "Otto".
Kali Rocha filmed all of her scenes for this season in one day, including those in "Selfless
Selfless (Buffy episode)
"Selfless" is the fifth episode of the seventh and final season of television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer.- Plot synopsis :Anya finally gets back into her old vengeance demon ways by helping a girl get revenge on an entire fraternity by having a spider demon tear their hearts out...
".
Trivia
- As Buffy, Dawn and her friends are exiting the basement, Buffy comments that the school seems 'a bit smaller' which is the same comment Willow and Xander make as they walk through the charred remains in season 4.
- Spike's in the basement of the newly refurbished Sunnydale High, The First appears before him as a host of former villains. Warren, Glory, Adam, the Mayor, Drusilla and Buffy's first big bad, the Master, and since its able to appear as the dead its last incarnation is Buffy herself.
- This is the only time that Spike and the Master appear together, though the Master is only a manifestation of the First, and Spike and the Master never actually met onscreen.
- In season 6's DVD extras, the cast appeared on Academy of TV Arts and Sciences Panel Discussion. Here Michelle Trachtenberg said that she'd been begging Whedon to let her character wear black, seeing as she'd never been allowed to in order to keep her looking youthful and innocent. Dawn is seen wearing almost all black here on her first day of school.
Arc significance
- The First comments, in the guise of Buffy, that everything is about 'Power' (which is the theme of season seven). This is a conclusion that Buffy herself comes to twice: once while facing Glory and then again in the series finale.
- The First makes its first appearance since season 3, where it was seen tormenting the first vampire with a soul, Angel.
- The First was able to come back to attempt the annihilation of the Slayer line through Buffy's resurrection, which was carried out at the beginning of the 6th season by Willow, Xander, Anya, and Tara.