Never Leave Me, Whatever that Means. A Review.

by Mary

"Never Leave Me' is a quite a piece of work, although I have no idea at all what the title means. The episode was good and all with lots of Spike but now I want to go burn myself on a cross and rest or something along those lines. Even with all the sheer Xander and Anya fun in the episode, I now feel a little traumatized. My Spike gets hurt, really hurt and no one has saved him yet I can't bear it and I have had quite enough of it! No more hurting Spike darn it unless he specifically requests it in a spirit of fun and naughtiness. I have spoken.

It starts off with Scoobs Inc. together fixing the damages to casa Summers from Dawn's ghostly confrontation. Continuity is always good. Anya seems really anxious to stake Spike, but I like her so I am going to assume she is kidding. Oddly enough, Xander is not too into the idea, which clearly means something is up with him but I like it so much love to whatever is messing with Xander. And we also have Andrew dressed up as Spike resisting Morphy Warren and Jonathan's pretty funny cries for him to kill someone else for them. Finally, Jonathan says they can work around him not killing anyone. Pan to Buffy tying up Spike, but not in a fun kind of way. Hmm, I think one of them is in big trouble and I am hoping it is the girl. Spike's safety first, I always say

Moving on, we have Principal Wood **yawn** getting some kids in trouble before talking to Dawn who tells him Buffy can't be in today because she in vomiting a lot. I shudder to myself when I think of all the Buffy baby theories this line of Dawn's might cause and almost miss Buffy calling our good pal Quentin Travers at the Watcher's Council who gives her no help at all in finding Giles. Turns out, he doesn't know where Giles is either and is looking for him. In fact, he is in a big meeting and they are all looking for Giles. So is Giles ok?? We see him not at all this week. I am not pleased with this so I am just going to assume Anya is secretly nursing him back to health. Add ten points to the Tabula Rosa Ganya poll!

Back at Casa Summers, Spike is going through severe human blood withdrawals and Buffy is being very compassionate towards him. Buffy's kindness is impressive here I must say, although my fingers kind of burned typing that. However, if he goes to a 12 step program for blood addiction, I will be quite cross. I do remember last season after all. Later, Buffy dispatches Willow to get him some pig's blood for him after a bit of dialog between Buffy and Willow where we are made to see that Buffy is thinking of Spike before herself and the B/A theme music comes on. Well, the music didn't really come on but I thought of it here, it was a B/A type deal. Spike better not go to hell or to Los Angeles and have a son I do not like, that is all I have to say on this matter.

Then we have even more of Andrew and Warren and I must rant a little before moving on. Warren and Andrew are not the Big Bads we most want to see yet they are practically regulars this season! What about the Master, The Mayor, Dru, and Glory?? They are who we want to see. Shoot, Adam is even better than Warren, at least he was cute out of makeup. Don't just focus on Warren all the time, the season is not getting any younger you know! Ok, rant off, back to the story. Andrew fails to kill a pig for the blood Warren needs for his evil scheme. This is humorous and Warren's line "That's the worst attempt at pig slaughtering I've ever seen" is now in my favorite quotes book. Once he fails to kill the pig, Andrew goes to the butcher for blood as well (this guy must be loaded at this point) and runs into Willow, another former Big Bad I do not want to see in action ever again. Neither does he so he freaks a little and she is easily able to "bully" him into returning to Buffy's with her. I do not like them together, way too season 6 for my taste. Horrors.

At Buffy's, Xander and Anya, who are the best exs ever, start interrogating Andrew while Buffy is benevolently feeding Spike some pig`s blood. She is really caring for Spike; I am flabbergasted. At any rate, Xander, or as Andrew calls him with disdain "carpenter," is playing good cop to Anya's bad cop and fun is to be had by all. Anya even smacks Andrew good., and Xander calls her outside for a little talk like he does not like what she did when really he is mightily impressed and they crack me up. I just love these two now that they are not dating. If they had been this fun all along, I would have been a Xanya shipper for sure.

Now, to the really significant stuff, Spikey goodness. He and Buffy start talking and soft music plays the background and it is all quite B/S shippy I must say. They have an actual conversation about how he got his soul back, how he feels, his new insights on her, just pretty much everything that they did not cover about the soul this year. I am stunned someone finally shows some interest in the soul. This new Buffy writer is quite good, he seems to actually watch the show and it makes a big difference in the quality of the story. Can we keep him?? If we absolutely have to get rid of a writer, I know just who to pick. **very evil grin**

Meanwhile, the interrogation fun continues. Andrew mentions the Spike-Anya sex, Xander scares him with Anya vengeance demon stories, and my girl Anya loses rushes in and attacks Andrew and actually even punches Xander when he tries to get her off of him. Hee, a delightful romp. Buffy leaves Spike to go check on the racket Xander and Anya are making, and then who is there with him but a very disappointed Morphy Spike. While she is checking on the interrogation, she hears Spike talking to himself and then starting to sing and she goes back to him. He is suddenly acting like basement Spike, only without the redemption hair. He asks for more blood, she turns around to get it, he breaks free, hits her real good, grabs Andrew through the walls just as he is starting to spill about the seal, and bites him. I guess he is tired of the lame Big Bads too.

Buffy pulls Spike off of Andrew which seems to snap him out of the Morphy spell. For a brief second we see things as Spike does, evil Morphy Spike included, until Buffy stomps him into a cataleptic state. **covers face in horror** Was this necessary?? It was just Andrew after all, no one really likes him. And Andrew does not even die so this violence against Spike was uncalled for I say. **grumble grumble** Then there is a Scoob meeting where Xander kind of figures everything out: Spike is a sleeper agent and the song acts a trigger, you know, what we all guessed awhile back. Buffy then starts taking charge and giving orders with extra urgency because she kind of cares about Spike I am thinking. Oh yeah, and Principal Wood finds Jonathan's body **sob** in the basement and his facial expression does not even change. We will call him Stone Cold Principal Wood from now on. Later, he calmly buries dear sweet Jonathan in the basement. You know, we might all have been right when we first saw him in "Lessons," he might just be evil.

Now, back to more Buffy-Spike talking. B/Sers, you hit the jackpot this week let me tell you. I had to watch this twice before reviewing as I thought maybe I was imagining things. She wipes the blood off his face for goodness sake. Spike is trying to get Buffy to kill him by telling her all sorts of horrid things about himself and them but she is having none of it. She is all doe eyed and caring (I assume this is the real Buffy and not Morphy) and she even acknowledges the help Spike has helped her in the past. As if this was not enough, she tells Spike that he fought to be a better man and that she believes in him. Not that she believes he is an evil, souless thing but she believes in him!!!!! I am sure this is somehow an evil Mutant Enemy plot to break hearts but it was just so lovely and I just love the new writer for this!!!! I do I do. Buffy believes in Spike!!! It took her long enough to get with the program but still, good times. Folks are at long last catching up with the audience.

Of course, right after she tells him that, all hell breaks loose, so, to properly relish the moment, I suggest watching it several times before moving on to the rest of the show as it is kind of the highlight. When you are done with your little B/S party, you will see the mystery robbed figures attack Scoobs Inc. There is a huge and pretty fun fight and we see one of the guy's face and it is not a pretty sight. The Scoobs win the fight quite suddenly and Xander and Buffy go running off to check on Spike who is gone. Yep, it was all a ruse to get Spike because well, you have all seen him. Buffy also figures out the Big Bad is the First Evil, so now pretty much everyone in the show is now up on what we all figured out in episode 1 this season.

Then it really hits the fan.

Quentin is leading a meeting of folks I assume to be watchers. They talk about their losses and missing members and are preparing to go to Sunnydale and fight for the cause when BOOM goes the building. I guess the fight is off, they lose. I am pretty glad they didn't find Giles though.

Of course, the explosion diminishes in importance quickly as Spike is in significant trouble in the very next scene. He is tied down to some cross looking thing and shirtless and injured and sexy (are we sure Marti had no part in this?) while Morphy Spike is taunting him about his failures and underlings are cutting some pattern into his flesh and my poor baby. No one comes to save him and then Morphy Buffy appears and talks about how hot he is because well you know, shirtless and all. Even the First Evil has taste. Then he is elevated and his blood flows to the seal, much to Morphy Buffy's glee, and things happen to the seal and the Judge appears. Well actually, Buffy goes and throws herself off a tower. Not really, I am lying again. What really happens is , after a comment is made about seeing what a real vampire looks like, a grotesque looking creature who will have no shot at dating Buffy comes out of the seal. The end. No one saves Spike!

So now we not only do not know what is going to happen to Giles but we don't know what is going to happen to Spike. That is unbearable darn it!!! But still, the episode was action packed, there was lots of Spike, and Buffy believes in him so everything will be ok. **laughs manically** I give the episode pretty high marks but I am now totally convinced that Spike is doomed. We would never get this many shippy and redemption messages if he was not going to die in order to save Buffy. **sob** Buffy is not worth it, save yourself Spike before it is too late! Please, run away. I don't want to see you turn to dust. I love you, you are like family to me. Never leave me. Hey, maybe that is what the title means. OK, I am losing it, if you have theories about how Spike is not going to die, I would love to hear them. Until then, I will be in the basement crying.

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Mary