Family
Written and Directed by Joss Whedon
Tara tells Willow a story as Willow tries to drift to sleep. Tara wants to stay up and look at spells so she can be useful to the Scooby Gang, but Willow convinces her to sleep. Buffy tells Giles the truth about Dawn and they agree to keep this secret from everyone else. Glory escapes from the rubble of the collapsed building. Buffy has decided to move out of her dorm room because of her mother and Dawn, and the gang helps her pack. As Tara leaves the room, Willow reminds her friends about Tara's upcoming birthday and the party at the Bronze.
In the hospital locker room, a Lei-ach attempts to attack Ben, but Glory grabs him, in need of a favor. Buffy and Xander research Glory, while talking about how little they know about Tara. In a crypt, Buffy and Spike fight viciously with each other, and then Spike wakes from his daydream to find himself closely involved with Harmony. Tara arrives at the Magic Box, shocked to see that her father, brother Donny, and cousin Beth have all come to visit for Tara's twentieth birthday.
Buffy is overly protective of her sister and even stops her from going to a friend's house. Riley thinks something is up with Buffy but since she's not telling him everything, he leaves. Tara's father expresses his distaste for her witchcraft and informs her that she is going home with her family. Glory tells the Lei-ach demon she captured that she needs him and his friends to destroy the Slayer. At the magic shop, Tara casts a spell on the Scooby Gang.
Riley gets drunk at Willie's bar and a vampire named Sandy tries to pick him up, but he's not interested. Harmony tells Spike about the plans for the Lei-ach demons to kill the Slayer and he goes to watch. Tara and Beth talk about Tara not going home with them and Beth realizes that Tara did a spell on her friends to keep them from seeing her demon. At the magic shop, the Lei-ach demons appear, but because of Tara's spell, none of the gang can actually see the demons.
The Scooby Gang takes quite a beating from the demons they can't see. Spike shows up and when he realizes that Buffy is about to be killed, he saves her and helps kill the demons. Tara arrives in time to break her spell and allow Buffy to kill the rest of the demons. Tara's father explains that the women in their family are part demon and they need to be controlled. When Tara expresses that she doesn't want to leave, all of her friends stand in the way.
Spike punches Tara and experiences pain, showing that she's not a demon. He concludes that her family only makes the females think that they're demons so that they can be controlled and kept as an obedient woman. The gang parties at the Bronze for Tara's birthday, showering her with gifts like a crystal ball and broomstick. Riley arrives late, but with a present. Willow and Tara slow dance and talk about how happy they are together, then they float off the ground, to dance in the air.
"Buffy The Vampire Slayer" TM and © (or copyright) Fox and its related entities. All rights reserved. Any reproduction, duplication or distribution of these materials in any form is expressly prohibited. This web site, its operators and any content on this site relating to "Buffy The Vampire Slayer" are not authorized by Fox.
Last Updated: 11-7-00