This week on the podcast Buffy and the Art of Story Becoming Part 2 (Season 2 Episode 22 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer):
This podcast episode covers (1) why the pace of Part 2 is so fast compared to Becoming Part 1; (2) how to show emotion through a character’s actions; (3) the elements of a pyrrhic victory; (4) and how the episode plays out Season 2 themes and foreshadows future relationships.
As always, the discussion of Buffy the Vampire Slayer is spoiler-free, except at the end (with plenty of warning).
Last Week: Becoming Part 1
Next Up: Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 2 In Review
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About Lisa M. Lilly
In addition to hosting the podcast Buffy and the Art of Story, Lisa M. Lilly is the author of the bestselling four-book Awakening supernatural thriller series and the Q.C. Davis mysteries, as well as numerous short stories. She also writes non-fiction, including books on writing craft, under L.M. Lilly. She is the founder of WritingAsASecondCareer.com.
Episode Transcript for Becoming Part 2
Hello and welcome to the podcast Buffy and the Art of Story Season Two. If you love Buffy the Vampire Slayer and you love creating stories – or just taking them apart to see how they work – you’re in the right place.
I am Lisa M Lilly, author of the Awakening supernatural thriller series and the Q.C. Davis mysteries and founder of WritingAsASecondCareer.com.
This Monday we're talking about Becoming Part Two. That is Season Two episode Twenty-Two. The second half of the two-episode finale.
What’s Included
We’ll cover:
the plot points from the Midpoint of the two-episode arc through the end;
episode plot turns;
how the pace of Part Two differs From Part One
showing emotion through a character's actions;
the concept of a Pyrrhic victory;
and how the episode plays out themes that are present throughout Season Two and foreshadows future relationships and developments.
As always, there will be no Spoilers except at the end to talk about foreshadowing, but I’ll give you plenty of warning.
Okay, let's dive into the Hellmouth.
Becoming Part Two was written and directed by Joss Whedon.
Opening Conflict Of Becoming Part Two
We start right where we left off. And it is a fantastic opening conflict for the episode.
Kendra is lying dead on the library floor. We hear a cop say, “Freeze,” as Buffy is leaning over Kendra.
There are two police officers. They pull Buffy away. One determines that Kendra is dead. The other says, “What about up there?”
And for the first time Buffy looks up and sees Xander lying in front of the bookshelves. She tries to get to him. But the police officer drags her out. She is protesting that she didn't do anything, and Snyder comes in with more police and says, “Why do I find that so hard to believe?”
He then tells the cops that if there's trouble, Buffy is behind it.
Buffy Breaks Away
When Buffy tries to tell the male cop that she just wants to see if her friends are okay, he says that's enough and tries to cuff her. She punches him and runs.
The female cop comes out of the library and fires her gun at Buffy as Buffy is fleeing. The woman cop radios in that a fugitive, a homicide suspect, is on the run and very dangerous.
We are only 1 minute 13 seconds in, and we go to credits.
We come back at the hospital. Buffy is wearing a black knit cap. Her hair is still long and hanging down. But she is dressed sort of unlike herself in this somewhat oversized coat that is not stylish at all. And is dark in color.
All the same, the cops’ radio description included that she had long blond hair. So when two cops come in later and don't notice her, it cements the idea that the cops in Sunnydale are also a bit slow. (Something Principal Snyder will explicitly say later on.)
She sees Xander. They hug. He pulls her closer.
Xander Turns Serious
When the two cops come in, Buffy had just asked about Willow. Xander didn't get a chance to answer before he hugged her. As he releases her she jokes, “Okay, that was about equal parts protecting me and copping a feel, right?”
Xander gives her this serious look and doesn't say anything. And Buffy says, “What is it?”
We’ve established over these two seasons that Xander always has the joke, the sarcasm. The observation that’s often somewhat inappropriate and at inappropriate times.
So when he says nothing and just looks at Buffy we already know that something terrible has happened to Willow.
Willow’s Injuries
The scene shifts. We see Willow in a hospital bed unconscious. There's a bandage on her head. At 3 minutes 21 seconds in, Xander and Buffy are in the hospital room. He says the doctor said its head trauma and Willow can wake up any time. But the longer that she is under the worse it is.
Buffy says she should never have let Willow try the curse. That Angel must have known.
Dramatic Irony
So we have here dramatic irony – where we as the audience know something the characters don't.
And here it's that it wasn't about stopping Willow from doing the curse. It was about taking Giles away.
So there are two things that are characters don't know. (1) Angel's purpose – that his purpose is to figure out how to do the ritual with Acathala, and (2) that he sees Giles as the key to that.
Dealing With The Parents
Buffy asks about Willow's parents and Xander says he called them. They are in Arizona with relatives. We don't expect to see her parents because we pretty much don't see anyone's parents other than Joyce. But for the sake of reality you have to have this mention of where they are.
Otherwise, it would stand out so much it would be distracting to the audience wondering in a why on earth would her parents not be here.
Buffy also asks about Oz. And Xander says he forgot. He’ll call him.
Cordelia Ran
Cordelia comes in. And just the way she and Xander hug we know it's the first time they’ve seen each other. She tells them that she ran. And she probably got through three counties before she realized no one was chasing her.
She looks at the floor and says, “Not too brave.”
But Buffy tells her she did the right thing.
Story Spark For Becoming Part Two
We are now at 4 minutes 37 seconds in. In a self-contained episode this is where we would see the Story Spark or Inciting Incident that gets the main plot rolling. It typically comes 10% through. Now we’re in a two-episode arc. So we’re long past getting the story started for that arc.
But this does serve as a Story Spark for this episode. Because this is right where Xander asks if Giles kept up with Cordelia. And she says she didn't see him.
Xander tells Buffy he's not in the hospital. So this is that moment when Buffy realizes that Giles is gone.
Angel Tortures Giles
The scene switches to Giles face down on the floor. Angel is also on the floor. On his stomach, head propped on his arms and looking at Giles, who now wakes up.
Angel says he wants to torture Giles. It's been a long time since he tortured anyone. They didn't even have chain saws back then. But he walks over to the stone statue of Acathla and says, “Oh, yeah, Acathla, he's an even harder guy to wake up than you.”
And he tells Giles that he has said the words. He's tried the ritual. He had blood on his hands and nothing. And he thinks that because Giles knows so much he'll be able to tell Angel what he's doing wrong. Then Angel says, “But honestly I sort of hope you don't. because I really want to torture you.”
David Boreanaz really sells this. This is the darkest that we've seen Angel. There's no joking, no sarcasm, no mocking. It is another time when we have built this character to be a certain way and to now see him so serious, without that mocking and joking underscores that he means it. He wants his answer about Acathla.
But even more in that moment, I completely believe that he would rather torture Giles.
Police Question Joyce
We switch to the Summers’ house. The police are questioning Joyce. The main one is that balding, thin detective who questioned Buffy in the episode Ted. (Where Joyce's boyfriend turned out to be a robot, and Buffy thought that she killed him.) And we will see this detective again. I really love that he keeps returning and we have that continuity,
Joyce is saying she doesn't know where Buffy is. She thinks she stayed over at her friend Willow’s. And the detective says, “Willow Rosenberg?”
And the other one says, “Second victim.” And the detective says, “Your daughter has a history of violence,” and he gives her his card and says to call if Buffy “decides” to stop by. Clearly implying that Joyce is a bad mom.
Buffy Meets Whistler
Buffy goes to Giles’ apartment and she finds Whistler. He’s that demon we saw in the last episode,...
