Into the Woods (Buffy the Vampire Slayer episode)

Infobox Television episode
Title=Into the Woods


Series=Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Season=5
Episode=10
Airdate=December 19, 2000
Production=5ABB10
Writer=Marti Noxon
Director=Marti Noxon
Episode list=List of Buffy the Vampire Slayer episodes
Prev=Listening to Fear
Next=Triangle

"Into the Woods" is the tenth episode of season 5 of the television show "Buffy the Vampire Slayer".

Plot synopsis

ummary

Spike leads Buffy to see that Riley goes to a vampiric brothel, where humans pay vampires to suck their blood. When she confronts him about it, he decides to take the military up on an offer to join a demon-hunting unit, and leaves Buffy and Sunnydale.

Expanded overview

At the hospital, the Scooby Gang awaits news from the doctor about Joyce's surgery, and they are all relieved when the surgery is a success. Dawn spends the night with Xander and Anya so that Buffy and Riley can have some private time. With the house to themselves, Buffy and Riley spend a romantic evening together. In the middle of the night, Riley sneaks out of the house. Spike, who has been standing outside the house, secretly follows Riley to an old building.

Buffy spends the day with her mother in the hospital discussing Joyce's wig options and Buffy's relationship with Riley. Spike wakes Buffy from sleep that night to show her what Riley has been doing. Buffy is shocked to find him in the arms of a female vampire, being fed upon. Graham has persuaded his commanding officer to seek Riley's help in destroying demons for the government. They offer Riley a position in the government's new anti-demon organization.

Buffy and the gang go after the nest of vampires only to find the building empty. Buffy sets the building on fire, leaving her friends in the dark about what's truly bothering her. Riley is furious that Spike allowed Buffy to see the truth and after throwing the vampire around a bit, he stakes him. Fortunately for Spike, the stake is plastic and Riley's actions were only a warning. Spike maintains that Riley has no future with Buffy, and the two rivals eventually share a drink, discussing how they both love her, but she doesn't return the feeling for either of them. Spike tells Riley that he is generally jealous of his position of intimacy with Buffy, although sometimes he wonders if Riley's situation is worse, being so close to Buffy while not actually having her. However, he ultimately declares that Riley has the better deal. Riley asks Spike if he really thinks he has a shot with Buffy. Spike responds in the negative, but says that a fellow's got to try - he's got to do what he can.

Buffy releases her aggressions on a punching bag in the training room until Riley shows up determined to talk to her. He tells her he started his late-night vamp activities because he wanted to know what Buffy felt when she was bitten by Dracula. Riley tells her that the vampires needed him and Buffy didn't. After Buffy tries to convince him that she's given him everything she has, Riley says that he doesn't believe her, and tells her about the offer to return to the government. He is going to leave unless she can give him a reason to stay.

The vampires from the nest surround a distraught Buffy as she's leaving the shop. She stakes every single one of them in record time, including the vampire that she had witnessed drinking from Riley. Xander witnesses this and confronts Buffy, not willing to let her hide from her problems. He shows her the truth that she's been ignoring, that Riley has given her everything, and risked everything for her, while she has treated him as a rebound guy and expected him to be "convenient." She tries to change the subject by accusing Xander of treating Anya as a mere convenience, but Xander stays on point, telling her that Riley is the kind of guy that comes around once in a lifetime, and that she has to decide if she's really willing to lose him for good. Although she runs as fast as she can, Buffy is unable to get to the airport fast enough to stop Riley from leaving. The helicopter takes off with Buffy on the landing pad, calling after Riley. He stares in the other direction, leaving without knowing that she had tried to reach him.

After his talk with Buffy, Xander realizes that he needs to tell Anya how much he loves her and he does. Still shocked, Buffy returns home while Riley leaves Sunnydale, not looking back.

Acting

tarring

*Sarah Michelle Gellar as Buffy Summers
*Nicholas Brendon as Xander Harris
*Alyson Hannigan as Willow Rosenberg
*Marc Blucas as Riley Finn
*Emma Caulfield as Anya Jenkins
*Michelle Trachtenberg as Dawn Summers
*James Marsters as Spike
*Anthony Stewart Head as Rupert Giles

Guest starring

*Bailey Chase as Graham Miller
*Nick Chinlund as Major Ellis
*Kristine Sutherland as Joyce Summers

Co-starring

*Randy Thompson as Doctor Kriegel
*Rainy Jo Stout as Junkie Vampire Girl
*Emmanuel Xuereb as Whip
*Adam G. as Tough Vamp

Production details

This was the first "Buffy" episode directed by executive producer Marti Noxon. Of the experience, she says "It was thrilling and it was terrifying. I thought I was going to bolt the whole time." [Citation
title =Marti Noxon Online Chat: A change of direction
url =http://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/buffy/interviews/noxonchat/page4.shtml
accessdate = 2007-07-18 ]

Writing

When asked why they chose to have Riley leave Sunnydale, Joss Whedon says he tried to give Buffy a healthy relationship, but "people didn't want it. They did some great work together. But at the same time, when they were happy, it made people crazy. [Citation
last = Miller
first =Laura
title =The man behind the Slayer
date =May 20, 2003
url =http://dir.salon.com/story/ent/tv/int/2003/05/20/whedon/index.html?pn=3
accessdate = 2007-07-17 ] Marti Noxon adds, "Sunnydale romance just rarely goes well. Buffy with a boyfriend is not as interesting as Buffy in some kind of romantic strife. Riley, by his nature, was such a good and constant character that we were at risk of things getting a little dull." [Citation
title =Marti Noxon Online Chat: A change of direction
url =http://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/buffy/interviews/noxonchat/page4.shtml
accessdate = 2007-07-18 ]

Dedication

This episode is dedicated to D.C. Gustafson, a member of the series' art department, who died on November 4, 2000. [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0348976/]

Music

*Emiliana Torrini - "Summerbreeze"

Translations

* Italian title: "Ultimatum"
* German title: "Das Ultimatum" ("The Ultimatum")
* French title: "Par amour" ("Because of Love")
* Spanish title: "En lo profundo del bosque" ("In the Depth of the Woods")

Continuity

Arc significance

* This episode marks both the end of Buffy's and Riley's relationship and Riley's last appearance as a series regular, with him making one final appearance in the Season Six episode "As You Were".

Timing

ee also

*List of Buffyverse stories (episodes, comics and novels) in chronological order.
*List of Buffyverse-related topics - Index of articles relating to "Buffy" and "Angel".

References

External links

*
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* [http://www.buffyguide.com/episodes/intowoods.shtml "Into The Woods" on BuffyGuide.com]