Dirty Girls

"Dirty Girls" is the 18th episode of season 7 of the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Plot synopsis

Summary

A group of Bringers chase a new Potential into the grasp of Caleb, an evil villain in priests' clothing. He brands her, stabs her, gives her a message for the Slayer, and throws her out of the car. Willow and Faith return to Sunnydale and find the injured girl, who tells Buffy that Caleb says he has something of hers. Faith encounters the rising tensions in the Summers' home and renews her brief acquaintance with Spike, evoking Buffy's jealousy. Later, Buffy gathers a group of dismayed Potentials for an attack against Caleb after she and Faith discover his stronghold. The attack is a disaster; Caleb easily overpowers the whole group, killing Dianne and Molly and seriously injuring Xander. The terrified survivors are taken to the hospital and Buffy reflects on the debacle.

Expanded overview

A young Potential, Shannon, is chased through the woods by Bringers. She accepts the assistance of a stranger driving a truck and is horrified to discover that she has fallen into a trap. The man, Caleb, terrifies her and burns his mark into her neck. He gives her a message for the Slayer (which the viewer does not hear at this time), stabs her in the stomach, and forces her out of the car. Faith and Willow find the girl on their way back to Sunnydale after re-ensouling Angel in L.A. and take her to the hospital.

At the Summers' home, Xander's erotic dream about the teenage Potentials is cut short when the girls wake him up to fix the toilet. At the hospital, Faith asks Willow why the Scooby Gang failed to warn her about the threat of the Bringers, informing Willow that she had been attacked in prison. Faith leaves the hospital in search of Buffy, despite Willow's protestations that Faith should not approach Buffy alone. Faith witnesses Spike chasing a girl through a cemetery. Mistakenly believing that Spike has reverted to his old habits, Faith ignores his attempts to explain and attacks him. Buffy arrives to clear up the confusion, and the girl that Spike had been chasing, now in her vampire form, attacks Faith, who (borrowing a stake from Buffy, who has shown up) quickly slays her. Back at the house, Faith encounters a cold reception from both Dawn and Giles, and Spike explains that the tension is not all because of her. Meanwhile, the First Evil reveals Buffy's form to Caleb.

Andrew tries to bring the Potentials up to speed on Faith's history. While they are quick to point out that Faith had killed a volcanologist, not a Vulcan, they watch Faith (who is exercising in the back yard) with fascination and curiosity. At the school, Buffy and Principal Wood revisit their previous discussion about Spike, and they agree that their alliance against The First Evil is more important than personal agendas. Robin fires her from her school job, emphasizing the need for her to focus on the mission.

In the Summers' home, Faith sneaks down into the basement for a cigarette and a moment away from the "wannabees" who, in her opinion, have had entirely too much coffee. Faith finds Spike in the basement, and they discuss their common dangerous pasts, as well as various sexual proclivities. Faith reminds him of their previous conversation, which had occurred when she was in Buffy's body. Spike acknowledges that she had made quite an impression at the time. He informs Faith of his relationship with Buffy, which greatly surprises her. Buffy comes downstairs and becomes visibly jealous to find them lounging on Spike's bed. When told that Shannon has come to from her injuries, Buffy quickly leaves for the hospital. Shannon relates her experiences with Caleb. She tells Buffy of Caleb's message: he has something of Buffy's. Later at the house, Buffy tries to motivate the terrified Potentials to accompany her when she attacks Caleb (who, meanwhile, is re-enacting scenes of his past murders with the First Evil). Buffy, alone, is confident in her plan; Giles, Spike, her friends, and the Potentials all question her decision. Buffy and Faith, on a recon mission, follow a Bringer through the woods. They discuss Faith's intentions and her recent experiences with Angel before locating Caleb's stronghold in an old winery.

At the Summers' home, Xander directs the Potentials on the methods of attacking in battle. When Rona criticizes Buffy's intentions, Xander strongly defends his friend. Leaving Willow and Giles to stay behind to protect the more inexperienced girls, Buffy leads Spike, Faith, and the more experienced Potentials to the vineyard; they divide into two groups: an assault team and a back-up team. After an initial clash with the Bringers, Caleb appears. He has super-strength: he quickly knocks aside Buffy and Spike, and breaks Rona's arm. Xander and Faith arrive with the back-up team, but Faith is soon knocked unconscious. Caleb kills Diane and Molly, and Buffy orders a retreat. Xander starts to yell that everyone needs to get out, but is then attacked himself by Caleb. Caleb says "So, you're the one who sees everything? Lets see what we can do about that." He then stabs his thumb into Xander's eye as Xander screams. Spike tackles Caleb, giving them enough time to get Xander and leave the vineyard.

Alone and distraught, Buffy leaves the injured girls and walks through the empty streets as Caleb tells the First, in Buffy's form, that their victory is imminent.

Acting

Starring

Special guest star

Guest starring

Co-starring

Production details

Music

Robert Duncan - "Something About Buffy"

Translations

Italian title: On TV "Ragazze sporche" ("Dirty girls") or, on DVD, "Ragazze cattive" ("Bad girls")
German title: "Caleb"
French title: "L'armée des ombres" ("The Army Of Shadows")
Spanish title: "Chicas De Dinero" ("Dirty Of Girls")
Japanese title: "汚れた女" ("Dirty girls")

Cultural references

In the montage when Andrew narrates the deeds of Faith, there is a scene with her fighting a Vulcan resembling Mr. Spock. In the DVD commentary, it is said that when Buffy's producers asked Star Trek's people permission to do it, they gladly accepted, telling them "to do what they want."

Xander's comment about Matthew Broderick killing a "big dumb lizard that was not the real Godzilla" refers to the American made film Godzilla, and how the title creature looks different from the classic Godzilla.

When they first refer to the vineyard as "an evil vineyard," Spike immediately responds "Yeah, like Falcon Crest," which was a soap opera based around a wine family. This is a reference to Spike's love of soap operas, as primarily depicted in Seasons Four and Five.

Quotes and trivia

Nathan Fillion played Malcolm Reynolds in Joss Whedon's short lived space western Firefly. He is also not the only hero of Firefly to play a villain in the "Buffyverse." Gina Torres, who played Zoe Washburne on Firefly, also portrayed the villain Jasmine on Angel; Adam Baldwin, who played Jayne Cobb, portrayed Marcus Hamilton.

In the DVD commentary, Nicholas Brendon says that he should always wear an eyepatch, even if it's clear that Willow could mend Xander's eye, in case that another TV series/movie would be made.

According to the DVD commentary for this episode, the scene between Faith and Spike was meant to lead into a possible spin-off featuring Faith and Spike.

Continuity

Arc significance

Crossover with Angel: Willow took Faith with her from Los Angeles in "Orpheus".

Caleb, the main agent of the First, arrives in Sunnydale.

Faith returns to Sunnydale, this time on the side of good.

This episode really sparks off the seriousness of what the Potentials have to face in the upcoming and unavoidable battle against The First Evil. This episode also drastically begins the mistrust of Buffy as a leader by the Potentials and even the Scoobies as a result of the outcome of the battle against Caleb at the vineyard.

This episode reunites Faith and Spike, who had met once previously (while Faith was in Buffy's body).

The Potential Molly is killed in this episode, making Kennedy the only remaining Potential from the original three that Giles brought.

Caleb will prove to be telling the truth about having something of Buffy's in two episodes when the Scythe is revealed.

External links