Season 2, Episode 10 | Aired: 24 November 1997 | Written by: Marti Noxon | Directed by: David Semel
The resolution of the two-parter, and the episode that fully establishes Kendra as an ally, completes the Drusilla restoration, and demonstrates that Spike and Drusilla together are a genuinely dangerous force — one that even an alliance of two Slayers couldn’t prevent.
What Happens
Buffy and Kendra join forces — awkwardly at first, their different Slaying styles creating friction — to stop Spike’s ritual for restoring Drusilla. The ritual requires a Slayer to be killed. Spike intends to use Angel, bound and weakened, as the energy source, and succeeds: Drusilla is restored to full strength, drawing life from Angel.
Buffy arrives in time to stop the worst of it. A church fight that’s one of the season’s better action sequences. Drusilla, newly powerful, carries Spike out of the burning building. The Order of Taraka assassins are dealt with. Kendra leaves Sunnydale, returning to her Watcher with a different understanding of what the Slayer role can be.
Key Moments
Drusilla fully restored is a significant moment — she’s now as dangerous as Spike, and the two of them together are operating at full capacity. The power dynamic between them shifts, subtly, for the rest of the season.
The Buffy/Kendra dynamic is the episode’s heart. They’re both Slayers, both right about some things, both limited by what they’ve been taught. Their farewell is brief but respectful — a relationship that would have been interesting to develop further.
Monster / Villain
The Order of Taraka dispatched; Spike and Drusilla victorious-ish — Drusilla restored, Spike injured. A villain win dressed up as a draw.
Notable Quote
“You talk about slaying like it’s a job. It’s not. It’s who I am.” — Buffy to Kendra. One of the season’s clearest statements of theme.
Where It Fits
Part 2 closes the immediate crisis while leaving Spike and Drusilla stronger than before. The season’s central conflict — stopping whatever Spike and Dru are planning — intensifies. And the Slayer mythology has been permanently expanded by Kendra’s existence.