Written and directed by David Greenwalt
At the Bronze, everyone discusses plans for a limo to the Homecoming dance. Buffy's unsure about going until Scott comes up and finally asks her to go. She bails early, and goes to visit Angel. He's pacing at the mansion, which is mostly because he's hungry for blood--which Buffy brings to him. He listens as she tells him that she's met someone else and he's dependable. She will still keep helping him get better, but she's moving on.
The next day at school, Scott dumps Buffy claiming she was too distant and leaves her standing in the halls, still a bit confused by it all. Twin Germans are watching her through binoculars, which is then feed into a video transmission and sends the image to a man in a wheelchair who is with Mr. Trick. Mr. Trick--indicating Buffy on a video screen--says that she's the target. Buffy misses school photos due to being absent on the day they were announced and the fact that Cordelia was distracted by her Homecoming duties to tell her she had to get ready for pictures. So, instead, Buffy was training with Faith in the library (where they then make plans to go to the dance together). Xander and Willow set up plans to get ready for the dance.
Meanwhile, Mr. Trick has assembled a group of killers to compete in "SlayerFest '98" which is his plan to kill both Buffy and Faith. The two Germans--lead by the man in the wheelchair, Lyle Gorch and his new wife, a hunter, and a strange demon with spiky things on his head. Buffy is very angry when she finds out she missed pictures because of Cordelia. The two yell at eachother and Cordelia mentions that she'd like to see Buffy try to win the crown. Buffy agrees to her challenge and says that she will win it.
That night, Xander is getting dressed up in his tux while Willow tries on various outfits that will hopefully make Oz say, "Oh." After several outfits and discussion with Xander about how far they've gotten, she comes out dressed in a long black gown. The two start dancing when Willow questions whether she's able to dance in the dress. The moment intensifies and leads into a passionate kiss. They both break away, denying that it ever happened and blaming it on the clothes.
Meanwhile, Buffy has gotten into the battle mood for Homecoming, but finds that after she presents this strategy to her friends, they are already helping Cordelia. Things get pretty intense as Buffy and Cordy resort to mean and rude tactics to beat the other one out of the race. While all this is going on, Mr. Tricks assembled killers are preparing for the competition, each in their own way. Buffy corners Willow and asks her to show her the database she made for Cordelia so she can see what kind of work she has cut out for her. Willow agrees, feeling guilty about the kiss and then abandoning Buffy to help Cordelia. The two German twins are listening to Buffy and Willow talk and find out about the plans for a limo. Buffy later finds out that Cordelia has been bribing voters with money, which leads to yet another argument. That is quickly broken up, but not before Buffy and Cordelia have their chance to call eachother nasty names.
Willow and Xander try to resolve their problems later that night, but whenever one was thinking about Buffy and Cordelia, the other was thinking about them and the kiss. They resolve that they have to make Buffy and Cordy get along. The night of the dance, the limo comes to pick up Buffy who instead of finding Faith in the limo, she finds Cordelia and a note that tells the two of them to work things out. However, the two German's are driving the limo and take the two girls deep into the forest, thinking they are both Slayers. When they get out, a VCR and TV are waiting for them with Mr. Trick giving them thirty seconds to run for their lives. When the girls run, they are nearly killed by the hunter who--having been distracted by Buffy--gets his foot trapped in one of his bear traps and then gives up all the information as to who/what is out there in the forest hunting them.
At the dance Willow and Xander watch the Dingoes play, standing uncomfortably. Faith comes up to see what's up, but they say nothing. Giles then approaches the two and says that something terrible has happened, they have to find Buffy. He was joking, but doesn't get a laugh out of it. Buffy and Cordelia find temporary safety in a shack, where they call Giles and warn him, then are attacked by the yellow spiny monster. The two get out in time for a missile (launched by the twin Germans) to go off and take out the yellow monster but leave them pretty much unharmed.
Back at the dance, Faith comes up to Scott who's dancing with another girl and mentions that the itching and burning and rash will go away as long as he keeps using the ointment. The girl is then afraid to come near him and Faith's mission is accomplished. Meanwhile, the Gorches have knocked out Giles in the library and are awaiting the Slayers. Buffy and Cordelia arrive at the library and fight with the Gorches. After the female vampire is killed, Buffy is knocked to the ground and Lyle goes after Cordelia. Putting her mouth to good use, she puts on a threatening show and scares him off. The girls then realize that their corsages (which were in the limo waiting for them) have transmitters buried into them.
Mr. Trick is picked up by the Sunnydale police that night and taken to the Mayor. He makes a deal that Trick can't refuse and doesn't have a choice but to. Being led by their boss and following sonar readings, the two Germans are split up and Buffy gets one to follow her into one room, while the other goes into another room. Buffy throws on of the transmitters on the back of the one that followed her, sticking it with wet toilet paper, and the two twins then shoot eachother through the wall.
Buffy and Cordy arrive back at the dance just in time to hear that the two other Homecoming contenders won in a tie. Dirty and tired, the girls leave, rolling their eyes at all the work they put into this and the waste of time it apparently was.
