Gone (Buffy episode)

Infobox Television episode
Title=Gone


Series=Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Season=6
Episode=11
Airdate=January 8 2002
Production=6ABB11
Writer=David Fury
Director=David Fury
Guests=Danny Strong
(Jonathan)
Adam Busch
(Warren)
Tom Lenk
(Andrew)
Daniel Hagen
(Frank)
Susan Ruttan
(Kroeger)
Episode list=List of Buffy the Vampire Slayer episodes
Prev=Wrecked
Next=Doublemeat Palace

"Gone" is the 11th episode of season 6 of the television show "Buffy the Vampire Slayer".

Plot synopsis

Summary

A social services worker threatens to take Dawn from Buffy; the Trio accidentally makes Buffy invisible.

Expanded overview

Buffy feels life getting on top of her with Willow calming down after an incident involving Dawn, a car and Willow high on the magicks (so much so that her eyes are almost permanently big and black). Dawn is ignoring Buffy too. The reason for that is because Buffy wasn't around (having sex with Spike) and is only talking to Xander. The social worker comes round to check on how Buffy's doing (at the worst possible time). The living room is scattered with Willow's old spell ingredients and objects. Buffy digs herself into a deep hole by saying "It's magic weed." Spike, in the daytime but using a blanket to cover him, comes for what is his... his lighter. He leaves, calling Buffy Goldilocks.

In a state of depression, Buffy cuts most of her own hair off, which cuts to her asking the hairdresser to sort out the mess.As for the Trio, they're just outside, about to make themselves invisible. However, Andrew Wells and Jonathan Levinson fight over who is going to use it first and activates the gun (the thing that is going to make them invisible) and a beam hits Buffy, making her waver and vanish (along with a dumpster, traffic cone, and fire hydrant).

Anya and Xander are talking about their upcoming wedding at the Magic Box. The door opens but no-one enters. Buffy's voice comes out of nowhere, along with picking up two magical circular items and making them look like eyes. Buffy continues her invisible adventures in Sunnydale. "I'm the ghost of fashion victims past," she moans to a civilian, who is wearing a studded cap. She then drives off with a parking inspector's van.

Buffy drives to the workplace of the social worker who had made that morning's inspection to the Summers' home. Using her invisibility to its full advantage, she tricks the social worker into behaving in a bizarre manner and replaces the Summers' report with pages consisting entirely of repetitions of "All work and no play makes Doris a dull girl", an allusion to "The Shining". She also tells her supervisor that "There was a voice. It made my coffee dance". The woman's supervisor believes she is having a mental break with reality and sends her home, saying that he would send someone else to inspect the Summers' home the next day.

She then heads to Spike's. Buffy attempts to sexually assault Spike, before he realizes who she is. "I told you stop trying to see me," she finally jokes and then she and Spike go underground for sex. In the meantime, Xander and Anya discover that the invisibility ray was causing the structure of the traffic cone to break down, and realize that the same thing would happen to Buffy if the invisibility wasn't reversed. Xander runs to Spike's crypt in search of Buffy, where he finds Spike in bed, naked and apparently alone, "doing push-ups". Xander has a chat with Spike, wanting to know where Buffy is, and Spike honestly says that he hasn't "seen" her. Throughout the conversation, invisible Buffy gropes and physically teases Spike, causing him to feel pleasure in Xander's presence. Spike tries to act normal, somewhat unsuccessfully. Xander finally leaves, disgusted by Spike's odd behavior, telling Spike that he really needs to get a girlfriend.

Buffy wants to continue their physical activities, but Spike tells her that he is tired of being with her and not really having her. He asks her to leave if she isn't really going to be with him. He is frustrated with her carefree attitude and doesn't appreciate the way she seems to be using the invisibility as an excuse to escape her real life. She protests, but eventually leaves. She doesn't do too well at home when she scares Dawn, who has the same frustrations as Spike, combined with extreme worry for her sister. The bad keeps on coming when she gets the message from Xander and Anya on the answering machine. "Tell her about the pudding" says Anya, referencing the way the invisible traffic cone found by Willow had started to disintegrate into mush. However, before Buffy can head back to the Magic Box, Jonathan phones her up (disguising his voice so Buffy doesn't identify him) and tells her that the Trio has kidnapped Willow and tells her to meet them at the arcade.

Buffy does so. However, Jonathan, Andrew, and Warren Mears have also made themselves invisible, and Warren is holding Willow hostage. Warren lies to Buffy, telling her that he is going to reverse the mechanism into making her visible. But Willow points out that he's put it on a setting that is going to kill her. Warren knocks her to the ground and aims the gun at Buffy, telling her that she can't see them. However, Buffy's Slayer training (and possibly her experiences in "Out of Mind, Out of Sight" and "Family") provide her with some ability to sense the invisible villains. A scuffle ensues. Warren ends up in the ball-pit, Andrew ends up in the pinball machine and Buffy is holding Jonathan. Willow, who has changed the frequency, aims at Buffy, Jonathan, Andrew, and Warren. "So, you're the ones that have banded together and become what? Pains in my ass?" Warren stands firm. "We're your arch-nemesises-ses." After a smoke-bomb goes off and after scuffling to open the door, the Trio escape. Buffy and Willow sit on the curb outside and talk. "You've cut your hair," observes Willow.

Acting

tarring

* Sarah Michelle Gellar as Buffy Summers
* Nicholas Brendon as Xander Harris
* Emma Caulfield as Anya Jenkins
* Michelle Trachtenberg as Dawn Summers
* James Marsters as Spike
* Alyson Hannigan as Willow Rosenberg

Guest starring

*Tom Lenk as Andrew Wells
*Danny Strong as Jonathan Levinson
*Adam Busch as Warren Mears
*Daniel Hagen as Social Services Supervisor
*Susan Ruttan as Doris Kroeger

Co-starring

*Jessa French as Cleo
*Kelly Parver as Girl in Park
*Jeffrey Jacquin as Meter Man
*Dwight Bacquie as Security Guard
*Lyndon Smith as Little Boy
*Melinda Webberley as Little Girl
*Elin Hampton as Co-Worker

Production details

Music

* Trespassers William - "I Know"

Translations

* Italian title: "Scomparsa" ("Disappeared": "female one")
* German title: "Verschwunden" ("Disappeared")
* French title: "La femme invisible" ("The Invisible Woman")

Quotes and trivia

* Sarah Michelle Gellar had requested to cut her hair, so the writers made her haircut a plot point of this episode.
* Buffy is whistling Going Through the Motions, a song from "Once More, With Feeling" as she is leaving the Social Services building.
*Xander references the episode "Out of Mind, Out of Sight" when questioning Buffy as to how she got invisible.

Continuity

Arc significance

* Buffy discovers the identities of the Trio.

* Spike begins to question the nature of his relationship with Buffy, a change that will eventually lead to his quest at the end of the season.

Timing

* Stories that take place around the same time in the Buffyverse:

External links

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