Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1996–2003): Season 7, Episode 7 - Conversations with Dead People - full transcript

Buffy strikes up a conversation with a vampire who was once an acquaintance in high school. Dawn defends Joyce from a menacing creature.

Previously on
Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Tara?

Willow, what did you do?

We have to get you out of here,
or you'll both be killed.

- What about Warren?
- She killed him.

We gotta get out of this town.
Mexico. We should go to Mexico.

- How did you do it?
- What is she talking about?

- Nothing. Let's go.
- I can see you.

You got your soul back.

Cassie? Cassie? Cassie?

This? Just
the beginning, love.



Horror and bloodshed.

From beneath you, it devours.

♪ Night falls ♪

♪ I fall ♪

♪ And where were you ♪

♪ And where were you ♪

♪ Warm skin ♪

♪ Wolf grin ♪

♪ And where were you ♪

♪ I fell into the moon ♪

♪ And it covered you ♪

♪ In blue ♪

♪ I fell into the moon ♪

♪ Can I make it right ♪



♪ Can I spend the night ♪

♪ High tide ♪

♪ Inside ♪

♪ The air is dew ♪

♪ And where were you ♪

♪ Wild-eyed ♪

♪ I died ♪

♪ And where were you ♪

♪ I crawled out ♪

♪ Of the world ♪

♪ When you said
I shouldn't stay ♪

♪ I crawled out ♪

♪ Of the world ♪

♪ Can I make it right ♪

♪ Can I spend the night ♪

♪ Alone ♪♪

Here we go.

You keep circling around. Just... Just
drive straight in. Will you shut up?

Gotta keep it low pro.

You're just scared.
Of course I'm scared.

Last time we were here, 33.3 bar
percent of us were flayed alive.

Calm down.

No one's getting flayed alive.

We've got a plan.
We're gonna fix all that.

We should have stayed
in México.

I didn't like it there. Everybody spoke
Mexicoan. You could have learned it.

You learned the entire Klingon
dictionary in two and a half weeks.

That had much clearer transitive
and intransitive rules, okay?

Besides, I can't keep
having those nightmares.

Me neither.

Desde abajo Te devora.

"It eats you,
starting with your bottom."

We've gotta
make it right.

We're outlaws...
with hearts of gold.

Anchovies, anchovies,
you're so delicious.

I love you more
than all the other fishes.

Oh! Ah.

Hmm.
She'll think it's blood.

Taste my blade,
spawn of evil!

♪ You see
You fool everyone ♪

♪ Time will tell
what's in it for you ♪

♪ I do my best
Don't need to... ♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

Cool.

So.

This is the UC library, huh?
It's so big.

- Hey.
- I know you.

I mean,
I saw your picture.

Yeah. I know. It's kinda weird
because we never really met.

Or kinda weird
'cause you're really dead.

- Yeah, well.
- Did I fall asleep?

No, no, I'm here.
I mean, not... not here here.

It's kind of
complicated.

Kind of ironic too,
you know?

I write all that intense
poetry about the end,

and here I am again,
chatting you up.

Yeah. Ironic.

I knew this would completely
freak you out. It's just...

She asked that I come talk to you.
It's important.

She? Don't worry. I'm
not gonna hurt you.

Who asked you?
What are you talking about?

She says she still sings.

What?

Remember that time on the bridge
when you sang to each other?

Well, she says even though
you can't hear it,

she still sings to you.

Tara?

Oh, come on!
She is so dead.

Well, he's clearly
a psychopath.

Is so!

What?
No, that is not Tom Hanks.

Well, what channel
are you on?

Okay, there it is again. I keep
hearing this, like, thumping.

No.

I can't tell if it's...

Kit! Are you there?

Is there a storm?

No!

Buffy?

Buffy Summers?
Have we...

Oh. Uh... Webs.
Holden Webster.

We went to school together.
European History.

I let you crib off my Vaclav
Havel essay that time.

- You really don't remember me?
- Sure. Sure.

♪♪

♪♪

Oh, God.

Oh, God.

Dawn?

♪♪

Mom?

Okay, um,

junior year,
spring production of Pippin.

I-I did
the lighting design.

I didn't see it. But you helped
me move the lighting board,

and I dropped it
on your foot.

Right! Foot.
Yes, of course.

History class. It's all coming back.
Sorry.

Oh, well, you know, it's not like I was
a big part of your life or anything.

No, I-I just...
I didn't recognize you.

Your face all demon, and I
think you filled out a lot.

Oh, yeah. Well, I got into tae
Kwon do in a big way at Dartmouth.

That's great.
Yeah.

So what have you been up to?
Well, apparently dying.

No, but other stuff.

Um, majoring in psych.
Really liking that.

Uh, I took a year off...

to do an internship at the
Sunnydale Mental Hospital.

Wow. That's gotta be
a... popular joint.

I keep telling them we oughta
get a velvet rope and a bouncer.

Hey, do you remember Jason Wheeler?
"Crazy J"?

Oh, yeah. He always had that shtick.
"Oh, I'm crazy! I'm crazy!"

How is he?
Crazy.

He's been in the chronic ward
since graduation.

Not really that funny,
I guess.

Ironic, sort of.
Yeah.

Whoa. Did my face just change?
Yeah, you look human now.

You can do that...
Go back and forth.

Oh, so I'm a vampire.
How weird is that?

Sorry.
No, no.

It feels great, strong.

Like I'm connected to a
powerful, all-consuming evil...

that's gonna suck the world
into a fiery oblivion.

How about you?
Not so much connected.

No, no, I mean...

You know, with the stake
and the cross.

You do this kind of thing
a lot?

I'm the Slayer.
It's sort of a thing.

So, what? You, like, fight
vampires professionally?

I don't get paid.
It's more like a calling.

Since...
Even in school.

I heard a lot of rumors about you
back then. You were all mysterious.

I was?
You were never around.

A lot of kids thought you were dating some
really old guy or you were heavy religious.

Scott Hope said you were gay.
What?

I dated that ringworm. He says that
about every girl he breaks up with.

And then last year...
Big surprise... he comes out.

Men. Do I know
how to pick 'em.

So all that time
you were a Slayer?

The. "The," like as
in "the only one?"

Pretty much.

Huh.

So, when you said "not connected,"
that was kind of a telling statement.

- Ah, Psych 101 alert.
- Well, I'm just sayin'.

What I really need is emotional
therapy from the evil dead.

Hey, it was your phrase.
I'm connected.

I'm connected to a lot of people, okay?
No, I hear you.

I really am!

Buffy! Come on, pick up.
I don't know what to do.

Do it again!
I heard you.

Why are you doing this?

Why are you...
I don't understand!

Stop! Stop it!
Stop it! Stop!

Hello?

Once... for yes.

Once for yes!

Twice for no!

Mom?

Mom?

It's you?

Are you okay?

You're not.

Mom?

Mommy?

Are you alone?

Why are you doing this?

Get up, you wuss.

I have shin splints.
Ow.

Maybe we should
turn on a light.

No, no. They'll see it from outside.
Right.

Maybe we should go get Buffy.
No way.

We should just tell her what we
know about the Seal of Danzalthar.

Think, McFly. Why would she
believe us without any proof?

We go to her empty-handed, we'll be
cooling our heels in the clink...

in a Bell's microsecond.

I ain't going back to the big house.
That place changes a man.

That's why
we need proof.

Think of it as a trial by fire.
A quest.

Una questa.

We find it, we alert the Slayer,
we help her destroy it.

We save Sunnydale.

Then we join her gang and
possibly hang out at her house.

Right. Okay.

What do we do?

We should find the principal's office
and work our way down from there.

Okay, uh... um... uh...

You go check down the hallway,
and I'll go over there.

Check communications?

Check, check.
Check, check.

Check. Check, check. Check, check.
Check.

Check.

Echo 2 to Echo 1.

This is Echo 1.
Go ahead.

Do you think they'll really
let us join their gang?

Nice job.

There you are. I'm scared out
of my freakin' gourd here.

- Take it easy.
- You have any idea how hard it's been to act this cool?

Calm down. You're doing great.
All specs are within parameters.

You keep leaving me.
I hate it when you leave me.

One time you died, and I ended up
a Mexican. We've been over this.

Now, that death thing was all
part of the master plan.

Come on.
"If you strike me down"...

"I shall become more powerful than you
could possibly imagine." Of course.

Do you think maybe Willow could
kill me too? Hey, don't worry.

If Short Round pulls off his end of
the bargain, we'll both become gods.

"That boy
is our last hope."

"No.
There is another."

Wait. Really? Who's our last hope?
I was just goin' with it.

It was a thing.
No, he's our last hope.

Tara, is it you?

She's sorry she couldn't
come herself.

Why didn't she?
I don't understand.

I mean, if you can manifest yourself.
She just can't.

Why not?
I don't understand.

Because of what you did. What?

You killed people.
You can't see her.

It's just how it is.
I'm sorry.

But... But she's
talking to you?

And...
And she can hear me?

Tara.

Tara, I miss you.

I miss you so much.

Can she hear me?

What's happening?
Did she say anything?

What? Did she go away?

She's crying.

No. No, don't cry.

Don't cry, sweetie.
Talk to me.

She misses you too.

- She wishes she could touch you.
- Me too.

Oh, me too.
Oh, God, Tara.

It hurts so much.
Every day.

It's... It's like
this giant hole,

and it's not getting better.

It will. It can.

How? You're gone.

But you're not.

You're strong,
like an Amazon, remember?

I do. I remember.

So you meet someone,
you form a bond.

But it never lasts.

Do you mean all relationships
or just yours?

My parents weren't exactly the
paragon of stay togethery-ness.

Maybe that's part of it.

I think there are people
out there who'd make it.

I just target
the impossible ones...

with deadly accuracy.

You think you do that
on purpose?

Maybe you're trying
to protect yourself?

Protecting myself...

from heartbreak, misery, sexual
violence and possible death?

Not so much.
From committing.

I commit. I'm committed.
I'm a committee.

So it's them. You're reaching out.
They're just not coming through.

Oh, it's different.

I think you're confusing me
because you're evil.

I think you're in some pain, which I
do kind of enjoy 'cause I'm evil now.

But you should just
ease up on yourself.

It's not exactly like you have
the patent on bad relationships.

Wouldn't it be cool
if I did?

What, are you supposed to
be settling down already?

At 21? My girlfriend at
college, she's so sweet.

We have this great thing, but that
doesn't mean I'm gonna go vampify her...

just so we can
be together forever.

Sire.
What?

The word. When you turn a human into
a vampire, it's you "sire" them.

Cool.
It's a noun too.

Oh, I have so much to learn.
Come on! Isn't this insane?

I mean, I was afraid to
talk to you in high school.

And now we're, like,
mortal enemies.

Hey, wouldn't it be cool if we became
nemeses? Is that how you say the word?

We're gonna have to fight
to the death, aren't we?

It's the time-honored custom.

Wow.

Reality just shows up
sometimes, doesn't it?

But you know, I got the blood lust
pumpin', and I kind of get it.

I'm looking for a fight. Oh, it's nothing
personal. No, you've been great.

And fun catching up.

I haven't kept in contact with many
of my friends from high school.

Guess I'll be looking
them up pretty soon.

Yeah.

Hey, I don't mean
to be Count Buttinsky here,

but you just don't
seem as thrilled.

Is it because
we're gonna fight?

It's 'cause
I'm gonna win.

Hello. Two years of tae Kwon
do and vampire strength.

I think somebody's
countin' their chickens.

You're not leaving this graveyard.
Can't let you.

Do the words "superiority
complex" mean anything to you?

Do you think I'm gonna let you go kill a
bunch of people? You know I'm sworn...

I get the battle against evil.
That's not the issue.

There is no issue.
Don't issue me.

Just answer me this: Whose fault
was your parents' divorce?

Okay, this is beyond evil.
This is insane troll logic.

What do my parents have to do with this?
I'm just curious.

Your opinion.
They both had a lot of...

Off the top
of your head.

My dad.
Uh-huh.

He cheated.

I... I think
he cheated.

So...

of all of these
relationships of yours...

that you knew, subconsciously,
were totally doomed,

whose fault is that?

It's incredibly different.

I was just wondering.

Is it possible,
even a little bit,

that the reason you have
trouble connecting to guys...

is because you think
maybe they're not worth it?

Maybe you think
you're better than them.

- Say, there's that blood lust I was looking for.
- Struck a nerve.

I'm gonna strike a nerve cluster in
a minute you don't get off this.

I don't remember you being this annoying.
You don't remember me at all.

Yes, I do. Yeah, like, after
30 minutes of reminding.

I don't take it personally because clearly you
were in your own little world in high school,

all chosen,
all destiny.

Who could live with that for seven
years and not feel superior?

I'm not.

My God, if anything, I...

What?
I just...

If you knew
what I've done,

what I've let myself
become.

My best friends
don't even...

You'd laugh if you heard some of
the things I've done to them.

Buffy,

I'm here to kill you,
not to judge you.

The last guy I was with,
it got really...

I behaved like a monster,

treated him like...

And at the same time,

I let him completely
take me over,

do things to me that...

I'm sorry.

Wow, I didn't mean to get all
true confessions on you there.

I don't know
what's wrong with me.

There's nothing wrong
with you.

Everyone's got issues.

- You son of a bitch.
- What?

I think I'm gonna kill you just
a little bit more than usual.

Aw, come on.
I mean, we had a moment.

You opened up.
It was really sweet.

It made me want to bite you. I'm
sorry if I overstepped my bounds.

I'm just new to this
whole mortal enemy stuff.

Pretty fast learner,
though, right?

I hear you.

I hear you breathing.

Are you hurting my mother?

Are you keeping her
from coming back to me?

Mom?

I... I see you.

I'm coming towards you, okay?

She's trying to talk to me!

Get off her
and let her talk to me!

The ax.

Get out!

No!

She's my mother.
I'm staying.

Seeing the high school
again,

a part of me wishes
I could go back.

Everything's shifting around. I
feel like we're in Hellraiser.

I hate Pinhead.

Don't say that.

We circled all the way around?
Maybe we should start over.

- There it is.
- What? Are you sure?

Yeah.

You know, I think
you may be right.

If this lines up,

what we're looking for should be right...
under there.

See? You're dead. That
enough of a moment for you?

Okay, but are you killing me 'cause
I'm evil or because you opened up?

What is wrong with you?

Nothing. I got no worries.
I'm dead.

Biggest thing on my mind is whether or not
Trisha Waldman came to my funeral or not.

You remember her.
Oh! Biteable.

See, this is what I hate
about you vampires.

Sex and death
and love and pain.

It's all the same
damn thing to you.

Well, you know, it's kind of a guy thing.
We talk about nailing a girl.

No, it is not the same.

With vampires, it is
completely... Believe me, I know.

Oh, my God.

Oh, your God, what?

Oh, well, you know, not my God because
I defy him and all of his works.

Does he exist? Is there
word on that, by the way?

Nothing solid.
Oh.

I keep getting off topic
'cause my mind is just racing.

All right.
I'll make a deal with you.

We fight to the death, great. That
last fight was just exhilarating!

And I actually had a move
coming up to block that stake.

But you have to answer
one question,

and if I'm right,
I get to ask anything.

No secrets. No defensiveness.
Anything I want to know.

What's your question?

Your last relationship...
Was it with a vampire?

I don't know where to start.

Um, after Warren shot you...

You know all about that,
what happened?

It was horrible.
I was horrible.

I lost myself,
the regular me.

Well, you were grieving.

A lot of people grieve. They
don't make with the flaying.

I hurt so many people.

It was the power. But I am the power.
I-It's in me.

Did I mention the random
destruction of property?

The Magic Box is not
so much a box now.

- The power is bigger than you are.
- I know.

Things are more clear
where Tara is,

where we are.

We can see your path,
and you have to stop.

You can't use magic again,
not ever.

Black magic, of course,

but Giles says it isn't as simple
as quitting it all cold turkey.

It's too dangerous. You can't take
the chance that you'll lose control.

I-I don't want to.
I-I can't.

- I never want to cause that kind of pain.
- Of course you don't.

So... I won't.
I'm gonna be okay.

- She says...
- What?

You're not gonna be okay.
You're gonna kill everybody.

- We almost got this thing uncovered.
- Yup.

I hope Buffy will know how to destroy it.
36-19-27. That's it!

That was my locker combination.
It's been bugging me all night.

Dude, I've spent the last few years
trying to forget about high school.

- Why are you trying so hard to remember it?
- I don't know.

I guess I miss it.
Don't you?

Yeah, I really miss it.

No, I'm serious.
I really miss it.

Time goes by,
and everything drops away.

All the cruelty, all the
pain, all the humiliation.

It all washes away.
I miss my friends.

I miss my enemies.

I miss the people
I talked to everyday.

I miss the people who
never knew I existed.

I miss 'em all.

I want to talk to them,
you know?

I want to find out
how they're doing.

I want to know what's
going on in their lives.

You know what? They don't
want to talk to you.

Those people
you just mentioned?

Not one of them
is sitting around going,

"I wonder what Jonathan's
up to right now?"

Not one of them
cares about you.

Well, I still care
about them.

That's why I'm here.

I know you're there.

I will cast you out.
My mother needs to talk to me.

Ah. I cast you
from this place!

It is your poison
and your bane!

It is the skin that is cut
from your flesh!

And the joke is...

he loved me.

I mean, in his own
sick, soulless way,

he really did
care for me.

But I-I didn't want
to be loved.

Didn't you?

I have all this power.

I didn't ask for it.
I don't deserve it.

It's like I wanted
to be punished.

I wanted to hurt
like I thought I deserved.

I sort of think...

You know, this is, um,
complicated.

If you'd rather
just fight.

Tell me.

I feel like
I'm worse than anyone.

Honestly, I...
I'm beneath them.

My friends,
my boyfriends.

I feel like I'm not worthy
of their love.

'Cause even though
they love me,

it doesn't mean anything...

because their opinions
don't matter.

They don't know.

They haven't been through
what I've been through.

They're not the Slayer.

I am.

Sometimes I feel...

This is awful.

I feel like
I'm better than them.

Superior.

Until you can't win.

And I thought
I was diabolical.

Or at least
I plan to be.

You do have
a superiority complex,

and you've got an inferiority
complex about it.

Kudos.

It doesn't make
any sense.

Oh. It makes
every kind of sense.

And it all adds up
to you feeling alone.

But, Buffy,
everybody feels alone.

Everybody is...
until you die.

Speaking of...

You ready for
our little death match?

I suppose.

Uh, thanks
for listening.

Oh, you know, there's some things
you can only tell a stranger.

You're not a stranger.

- That stuff with Spike, it's pretty...
- Hold it.

- What?
- Did you say "Spike"?

I cast you out
with every prayer...

from every god that walks the
earth and crawls beneath!

I cast you out with the
strength of those who love me!

I cast you out with the
strength I have inside me!

And I cast you out
into the void!

That's right!
Die, you bastard!

Mom?

I'm gonna what?

That's why I came.
We needed to warn you.

You saw my path?

What do you know?
Wh-What did you see?

You don't want to know what we saw.
Oh, God.

But if you stop completely,
no more magic...

Right. Right. Stop.

Wh... What about Giles?

He made it seem like it was just as
dangerous for me to quit completely,

like I'll go off
the deep end again.

You can't. If you do so
much as another spell...

I tried to stop. I-I tried.
What if I can't do this?

Don't think that way.
Well, how can I not?

You're telling me I'm gonna
murder all my friends.

I'm not strong. I'm not an Amazon.
I'm just me.

There is one thing,

one thing you could do
to stop it.

- What? Anything.
- Then you could see her.

- You wouldn't have to talk through me.
- Tara.

- That's what you want, isn't it?
- Of course.

So go, be with her.

Everybody will be safe,
and you'll be together again.

It's not that bad.

Really.

It's just like
going to sleep.

Who are you?

What do you mean?
How do you know Spike?

What do you mean, "how"? He was the
guy that, um... Oh, what's the word?

- Sired.
- Yeah. He was the guy that sired me.

Things are coming, Dawn.

Listen, things
are on their way.

I love you,
and I love Buffy,

but she won't
be there for you.

What? Why are you...

When it's bad,
Buffy won't choose you.

She'll be against you.

No! No, don't go!

Please don't go!

No.

Oh.

The suicide thing
was too far, huh?

Hmm.
You seemed so ripe.

- Tell me who you are.
- I stand by my opinion.

The world would be a better place if
you took a razor blade to your wrist.

- Stop.
- I can see it now.

Candlelight.
The Indigo Girls playing.

- A picture of your dead girlfriend on your bloody lap.
- Stop it.

Oh, baby, you left such a big hole.
It hurts so bad!

You don't know hurts.

This last year is gonna seem like cake after
what I put you and your friends through,

and I am not a fan
of easy death.

Fact is, the whole good versus
evil, balancing the scales thing?

I'm over it. I'm done
with the mortal coil.

But believe me,
I'm going for a big finish.

"From beneath you,
it devours."

Oh, not it. Me.

♪ I fell into the moon ♪

♪ And it covered you ♪

♪ In blue ♪

♪ I fell into the moon ♪

♪ Can I make it right ♪

♪ Can I spend the night ♪

♪ Alone ♪♪

Grr! Arrgh!