Lie to Me

_****

One of Buffy's old classmates from Los Angeles transfers to Sunnydale High, proving to know far more about Buffy's destiny than he ever previously let on. Unfortunately his interest in her nocturnal activities proves dangerous when he gets himself involved with Spike and Drusilla.

Previous: Halloween

When it comes to her past in L.A., Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) has been largely silent, but with Ford's (Jason Behr) surprise arrival comes her realization that not everything about her old life was bad. One of Buffy's constant concerns is that her past will come back to haunt her, but Ford's the opposite: it's his certain future looming before him that's driven him to run away from his life in search of his old friend.

Buffy's elation to find that Ford has transferred to Sunnydale High is evident from the moment he arrives, and her admission that he was "[her] giant fifth-grade crush" only solidifies the jealousy that Xander (Nicholas Brendon) and Angel (David Boreanaz) have over his arrival, a matter complicated further by Buffy's inability to define her relationship with Angel as a boyfriend. Ford wastes no time in integrating himself into Buffy's friend circle, bonding with Willow (Alyson Hannigan) over stories of Buffy's past, and though he seems hesitant to make a move on Buffy given her current status with Angel, it's clear through their interactions that there's a mutual attraction. Angel later comes to Willow searching for information about Ford, stating that he never used to get jealous, "then [Buffy] comes along" and he finds his mind constantly occupied with thoughts of her. Angel's real jealousy stems from the fact that Ford can give Buffy a life in the daylight, and while Angel does love her, his past is so complicated that he thinks she may be better off without him. Buffy assures him that she loves him, but doesn't know if she trusts him, and while Angel argues that "maybe [she] shouldn't do either," Buffy spits back that that's up to her to decide. Buffy is torn here between two very similar men, both of whom she has deep feelings for, though in the end it seems that a relationship with either is doomed to failure.

The reveal that Ford wants to be a vampire, and is willing to offer Buffy up in trade, seems like an ultimate betrayal, but given the circumstances his decision becomes much more understandable while still remaining absolutely despicable. The conversation that Ford and Buffy have about meeting up at night is interesting because it's so tinged with double meanings as he tried to pull one over on her while she must pretend not to be suspicious, made all the more interesting in retrospect when he reveals his intention for her to have found out by the time he had spoken to her. Ford plays the bad guy because he needs Buffy to hate him, not because he is actually evil, and though Buffy's realization that he was trading her life for his own certainly colors her opinion of him, she understands what it is to know you're going to die and the intense desperation to avoid said fate. Knowing that a part of the boy she used to know is still in there she argues that he has a choice, no matter how terrible his choice is, and it's clear here that there's a genuine connection between the two of them, as they care very deeply for one another, and really did miss each other, but by necessity are enemies due to circumstance. In the end Buffy traps Spike (James Marsters) and his minions in the club with Ford, effectively allowing her friend to die as the villain he needed to be in order to lessen the pain of losing him. As she lays flowers on his grave she states that she "[doesn't] know what [she's] supposed to say[...it would]be simpler if [she] could just hate him," continuing that she "think[s] it made it easier for him to be the villain of the piece, really he was just scared."

Xander and Willow go with Angel to the Sunset Club, knowing that this is where Ford and his cronies are likely to be, and during their time there they make no effort to be discreet, speaking very openly about Buffy being the Slayer and Ford not being on the up and up, gaining the attention of one of Ford's friends in the process. They make quite an impression, most especially on Chanterelle (Julia Lee), and leave many questions that could lead to Ford jumping the gun in whatever he's planning. Their tactics here are very sloppy and serve only to cause more trouble for Buffy in the end.

Buffy finds a picture of Drusilla (Juliet Landau), and while Giles (Anthony Stewart Head) states that she was killed by an angry mob in Prague, Buffy had seen her only days before in the company of Angel. It's during this conversation that the vampire Ford had claimed to slay attacks Giles and steals a book from his office, leading Buffy to the realization that both the men in her life are lying to her. Angel argues that "sometimes the truth is worse, you live long enough you find that out," but it's the deception and lies that could very well lead Buffy to her death in the end, and she forces him to let her in on what's going on. Though he had tried to avoid admitting what he had once done to Drusilla, he tells Buffy the story of how he drove her insane before turning her into a vampire, a tale that could prove very similar to what Ford may end up doing to Buffy.

The chemistry between Gellar and Behr is very good here, and it's a bit of a shame that he appears only this once, as he would have become a very welcome addition to the cast. Lee's performance is a bit difficult to get a grasp of, as he dialogue is slightly stilted, and her body language is a little off, but her character is choosing her words very carefully, trying to become the fantasy version of herself, and in that sense it's played rather well.

Director Joss Whedon creates a very threatening mood right off the bat in a children's park, what should be a very non-threatening environment, as Drusilla slowly closes in on a young child left waiting for his mother. This effect is used in reverse with Ford's group of vampire-sympathizers romanticizing the demons, referring to them as "the lonely ones," "they who walk with the night," "creatures above," and the "exalted," assuming that they're merely misunderstood by the greater part of society when instead they could be living the dream of the American teenager to "die young and stay pretty." Angel's disgust with the Sunset Club is readily apparent, spouting off about how they know nothing of vampires including how they act or dress, only to then have one of them pass by wearing the exact same outfit as he. Ford is shown to be a big movie buff throughout the story, and in order to live the life of a villain he emulates them, even forcing Spike to repeat a famous line in order to maintain his fantasy of being evil. Though Ford assumes that he has to cut out everything and everyone he loves in order to become the perfect vampire, it's actually Spike's love for Drusilla that Buffy targets in order to end the madness, in effect saving everyone, aside from Ford, from the fate that would befall them.

Also written by Joss Whedon, this script explores the necessity of lies and the potential ramifications thereof, from smaller lies like Jenny (Robia LaMorte) refusing to tell Giles where their date is because she knows he'll hate the monster trucks she's taking him to, to the larger omissions, like Angel's relation to Drusilla's past. At first Buffy is relieved not to have to lie to Ford about her identity, as he claims to have discovered the truth shortly before she was booted from Hemery High, and later devastated to realize that he's using that information against her in an effort to become a vampire himself. The heart to heart that Buffy and Giles have in the end perfectly sums up their relationship with the larger world as she wonders if things will ever get easier, then asking him to lie to her. Giles states that "it's terribly simple, the good guys are always stalwart and true[...]nobody ever dies, and everybody lives happily ever after," and the two leave the cemetery knowing that there are still incredibly difficult trials ahead of them, and will continue to be until the day they themselves are struck down.

Ford's inclusion here effectively closes Buffy's story in Los Angeles, taking the one shining memory she had had of her previous life and tainting it once more with her duties as the Slayer. The relationship between Buffy and Angel also moves forward here, with the two of them admitting that they love one another but simply can't understand how to be together due to the complications of their realities.

Next: The Dark Age