Tom Lenk Movies

Dawn (Michelle Trachtenberg) follows in the footsteps of undead-lovin' big sister Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) when she ends up in the arms of a cute teen vamp. Her adventures take place on Halloween -- the same day Xander (Nicholas Brendon) finally announces his engagement to Anya (Emma Caulfield). During the festivities, Tara (Amber Benson) confronts Willow (Alyson Hannigan) about her over-reliance on magic to solve life's problems. Meanwhile, Dawn deals with her own teen angst by shoplifting from the magic shop and sneaking out with a friend for a midnight rendezvous with some handsome young lads. When her date sprouts fangs, however, Dawn is forced to dust him -- shades of Buffy and Angel (see "Becoming, Part 2"). Giles (Anthony Stewart Head), Spike (James Marsters), and Buffy eventually rescue Dawn and her friend from the mess they're in. But the Slayer leaves it up to her Watcher to mete out punishment. Elsewhere, Willow seeks to escape further scoldings by casting a spell to make Tara forget their fight. Originally broadcast October 30, 2001, on UPN, "All the Way" marked episode 106 of the cult-favorite series. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide

Skirmishes between Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) and the three dorky would-be villains who have targeted her continue as the Slayer attempts to hit the books and find gainful employment. While auditing classes back at U.C. Sunnydale, Buffy literally brushes up against Warren (Adam Busch), with confusing results. The dorky inventor plants on her a device that speeds time up, resulting in lost hours and missed appointments for the Slayer. Just as she figures out what's going on, the tiny troublemaker self-destructs. The next day, Buffy reports to work at the construction site where Xander (Nicholas Brendon) has agreed to hire her. First her gender and then her super-strength and over-efficiency annoy her burly co-worker's, but Buffy doesn't last long at the new job, anyway; once again, Warren and his sidekicks send demons to attack her, and in protecting her fellow workers she causes thousands of dollars in damages. Soon Buffy finds herself working for Anya (Emma Caulfield) as a salesgirl at the magic shop; this time, the nerds pull a Groundhog Day on her, looping her through this particularly annoying afternoon until she is finally able to restore time to its normal flow by making her first sale. Later, during a drunken escapade with Spike (James Marsters), Buffy comes face to face with Jonathan (Danny Strong) in battle but doesn't even know it: the diminutive would-be arch-fiend is disguised as a much larger demon. He, Warren, and Andrew (Tom Lenk) make their getaway, having successfully taken stock of the Slayer's abilities. Originally broadcast October 23, 2001, on the UPN network, "Life Serial" marked episode 105 of the cult-favorite series. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide

As Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) and the Scoobies recover from the recent assault on the Summers' house (see "Never Leave Me"), Spike (James Marsters) suffers at the hands of his captor, who appears in the form of his long-lost love, Drusilla (Juliet Landau). Dru brags about using Spike's blood to raise the Turok-Han, a monstrous bloodsucker who resembles an amped-up version of F.W. Murnau's Nosferatu, The Vampire, and who assists in Spike's watery torture. Just as Buffy is putting the pieces together and revealing to her friends that their foe is none other than the shape-shifting First Evil (see "Amends"), Giles (Anthony Stewart Head) arrives with three trainee slayers in tow. He confirms the threat of the First and reveals that his charges are among the final remaining bastions of the recently obliterated Watcher's Council. Buffy and Giles head to the abandoned Christmas tree lot where Buffy first encountered the robed Harbingers of the First. There, Buffy barely escapes the monstrous Turok-Han -- no thanks to Giles, who sits out the battle with no explanation. Emotionally and physically fried, Buffy nonetheless heads to her day job and encounters the enigmatic Principal Wood (D.B. Woodside) in the catacombs beneath the school. Meanwhile, everyone else uses the daylight hours to fortify the house against the über-vamp's inevitable after-dark assault -- an event that actually occurs when one of the trainee slayers freaks out and flees right into the monster's grasp. Too late to save the girl, Buffy gets a royal thrashing at the Turok-Han's hands. Nonetheless, she vows to stop cowering and start taking the fight to the First's own doorstep. That would probably be good news to Spike, who sees through the First's Drusilla drag but continues to suffer as the big bad's prisoner. Originally broadcast December 18, 2002, on the UPN network, "Bring on the Night" marked episode 132 of the cult-favorite series. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide

Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) turns to Tara (Amber Benson) for information about why Spike's anti-violence chip no longer registers her as human. Meanwhile, her sexual relationship with Spike (James Marsters) grows deeper and more twisted as the ardent vampire tries to show Buffy her dark side. Elsewhere, Warren (Adam Busch) seeks perverse sexual thrills of his own. The villainous nerd plans to use his latest invention, a cerebral dampener, to turn some lucky lady into his bedroom slave. The first candidate is Warren's ex-girlfriend, Katrina (Amelinda Embry), who's still angry about his dalliance with a sex-bot (see "I Was Made to Love You"). Eliminating any such grudges with the flick of a switch, Warren prepares to sleep with Katrina and then give Andrew (Tom Lenk) and Jonathan (Danny Strong) a turn. The dampener wears off, however, and Katrina accuses Warren of attempted rape. He hits her with a beer bottle, accidentally killing her. Andrew and Jonathan want to go to the police, but Warren insists on framing Buffy for his crime. With the help of a time-shifting demon, the villains stage a hallucinatory battle in which Buffy becomes convinced that she accidentally killed an innocent girl. Distraught, she prepares to turn herself in -- much to the dismay of Dawn (Michelle Trachtenberg), who becomes hysterical, and Spike, who gets the tar beat out of him trying to convince the Slayer not to throw her life away. At the last moment, though, Buffy learns the name of her supposed victim and realizes that Warren must be behind the entire episode. Nevertheless, she later breaks down in tears upon learning from Tara that she's still human after all; if she's still human, Buffy asks her astonished friend, then why is she allowing herself to do such perverted things with Spike? Originally broadcast February 5, 2002, on UPN, "Dead Things" marked episode 113 of the cult-favorite series. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide

Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) denies being attracted to Spike (James Marsters), both to herself and to the bad-boy vamp. But when he catches her holding on to a memento from their tryst, she grows furious and chops off a great deal of her hair. The Slayer soon gets an even more radical makeover when she's hit by an invisibility ray -- nerdy villains Warren (Adam Busch), Andrew (Tom Lenk), and Jonathan (Danny Strong) are at it again with the super-weapons. This time, the Slayer's happy for the change. Merrily pulling pranks on people around town -- including the social service worker who's been critiquing her parenting skills -- Buffy soon makes her way to Spike's crypt for some X-rated fun. Meanwhile, Xander (Nicholas Brendon) offends Willow (Alyson Hannigan) by accusing her of turning Buffy invisible. Miffed, the recovering magic addict sets about finding the real culprit -- without supernatural help. Thanks to Willow's exhaustive detective work, Anya (Emma Caulfield) discovers that anything hit by the ray gun soon turns to invisible mush. Looking to warn Buffy of the impending danger, Xander interrupts Spike and the Slayer's lovemaking. With Buffy invisible, though, Spike is able to pretend he's merely exercising. As Buffy continues her escapade, unaware that she's about to turn to pudding, the super-nerd troika kidnaps Willow. During the battle that follows, Buffy regains her visibility and finally comes face to face with the dorks who've been persecuting her. The geeks escape, but her near-jellification at their hands finally convinces Buffy to be grateful that she's back from the dead. Originally broadcast January 8, 2002, on UPN, "Gone" marked episode 111 of the cult-favorite series. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide

Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) and the Scoobies hole up in the Summers' house and imprison Spike (James Marsters) in hopes of learning more about the unseen adversary who's been manipulating him. On a trip to pick up animal blood for the captive to drink, Willow (Alyson Hannigan) encounters incognito super-nerd Andrew (Tom Lenk), who appears to be the pawn of the same shape-shifting fiend as Spike. Soon, ex-lovers Xander (Nicholas Brendon) and Anya (Emma Caulfield) are joyfully interrogating the geek. The terrified Andrew is more than forthcoming about his encounters with the spirit of Warren (Adam Busch) and his murder of equally dorky former ally Jonathan (Danny Strong). But Spike reveals very little -- until another visit from the big bad turns him into a mindless, vamped-out threat. Ultimately, Buffy shackles Spike down in the basement but refuses his pained entreaties for a merciful death. Touched by Spike's true confessions about the tribulations he endured to win back his soul (and, less successfully, her heart), Buffy tells Spike that she can see the better man deep inside him. Just then, robed warriors attack the house. Buffy assists her friends in staving them off upstairs, but it's all a diversion: they make off with Spike, whose own spilled blood soon fuels the spell that Jonathan's murder was incapable of completing. Elsewhere, a zonked-out Principal Wood (D.B. Woodside) buries Jonathan's body, and the headquarters of the Watcher's Council blows up spectacularly. Originally broadcast November 26, 2002, on the UPN network, "Never Leave Me" marked episode 131 of the cult-favorite series. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide

Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar), Anya (Emma Caulfield), and Xander (Nicholas Brendon) rush through the woods, aghast that power-mad Willow (Alyson Hannigan) has just murdered Warren (see "Villains"). Certain that the grief-stricken Wiccan is on her way to kill Andrew (Tom Lenk) and Jonathan (Danny Strong), Anya teleports to their jail cell to save the surviving super-nerds. Willow arrives, decimating both the cops and the police station, but the geeks escape in a police car with Buffy and the Scoobies. A high-speed chase ensues as Willow commandeers a semi-truck, riding it like a magical chariot. Eventually, though, her powers fizzle out and the others escape. As Buffy, the gang, and the nerds hole up at the Magic Box, Dawn (Michelle Trachtenberg) convinces Clem (James C. Leary), her demonic babysitter, to accompany her to the magical den of iniquity run by the sinister Rack (Jeff Kober -- see "Wrecked"). They arrive just as Willow is draining the supernatural pusher of his powers, leaving him dead and Willow once again super-powerful. Dawn touts her own love of Tara to the slain Wiccan's lover, momentarily sidelining Willow's rage. But the witch lashes out at her young friend -- and at Buffy, who arrives ready to fight. Willow transports the entire melee to the magic shop, where only Anya's chanting protects Jonathan and Andrew from Willow's wrath. As Buffy and her best friend duke it out, the nerds escape under Xander's supervision. Just as it appears that Willow will totally demolish Buffy, Giles (Anthony Stewart Head) arrives and floors Willow with a single incantation. Meanwhile, in Africa, Spike (James Marsters) completes the first in a series of mystical trials in order to become "like he was" and give Buffy "what she deserves." Originally broadcast May 21, 2002, on UPN, "Two to Go" marked episode 121 of the cult-favorite series. The season finale, "Grave," aired immediately afterward. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide

Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) interrupts her tender reunion with Angel (David Boreanaz) long enough to dispatch Caleb (Nathan Fillion) quite violently once and for all. Afterward, Angel says he can smell Spike (James Marsters) on Buffy. The Slayer admits that Spike now has a soul and is "in her heart," but she professes no desire for a relationship with either of her undead suitors. Instead, she wants to discover the person she's destined to become -- if, that is, she makes it through the impending conflict. To that end, Angel hands over a magical champion's amulet to be used against The First, then heads back to L.A. to form a second line of defense. Back at home, Spike is apoplectic with jealousy about Angel's return, but he accepts the amulet and shares another chaste, tender night with Buffy. A visit from The First, however, interrupts the Slayer's sleep -- and gives her a brilliant idea about how to defeat her nemesis. The Scoobies, the slayers-in-waiting, Faith (Eliza Dushku) and Buffy head to Sunnydale High to open the Seal of Danzalthar and wage war on The First's Turok-Han army. As Buffy and the slayerettes stream through the Seal, Willow (Alyson Hannigan) and Kennedy (Iyari Limon) complete a powerful spell to release the immense energy inside the Scythe and "call" every potential slayer in the world at the same time. Their potential now realized, the junior slayers join Buffy and Faith in kicking some serious Turok-Han butt. Injured in battle, Buffy once again receives a visit from The First, but the being's triumph is short-lived. Spike's amulet suddenly kicks in, punching a hole through the Hellmouth and turning Spike into a sort of magical magnifying glass for the sunlight that shines through. The Turok-Han army goes up in smoke and the entire town of Sunnydale begins to collapse into the Hellmouth. As the slayer brigade flees, Buffy professes her love for Spike even as his shining body begins to disintegrate. Cackling joyfully, Spike orders Buffy to save herself, and she does -- running across the tops of crumbling buildings and leaping onto the school bus that has become her army's unlikely rescue vehicle. Buffy and her allies are left to stare at the ruins of Sunnydale, mourn their losses -- including Anya (Emma Caulfield), who died protecting Andrew (Tom Lenk) from The First's bringers -- and contemplate their future in a world full of slayers. Originally broadcast May 20, 2003, on UPN, "Chosen" marked the 144th and final episode of the cult-favorite series. Although star Sarah Michelle Gellar officially pulled the plug on the show when she decided against renewing her contract, creator Joss Whedon said in interviews that he preferred to go out on top rather than allowing the series to linger past its creative peak. Fans were left with one final mystery: How would James Marsters join the cast of spin-off series Angel when his character, Spike, had died saving the world? ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide

As Xander (Nicholas Brendon) recovers at the hospital from having his eye gouged out by evil preacher Caleb (Nathan Fillion), Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) licks her own wounds and deals with the emotional fallout of having dragged her friends and the potentials into an ambush. Meanwhile, the citizens of Sunnydale -- including friendly demon Clem (James C. Leary) -- stage a mass exodus from their apocalypse-plagued town. Stopping by the deserted high school to pick up her things, Buffy again encounters The First's bible-thumping minion. Once more Caleb proves stronger than the Slayer, but Buffy learns some valuable information in the process of getting her butt kicked. Meanwhile, Spike (James Marsters) and Andrew (Tom Lenk) gather additional intelligence when Giles (Anthony Stewart Head) sends them to the site of one of Caleb's earlier atrocities. Back in Sunnydale, the restless potentials get a break from their training when Faith (Eliza Dushku) takes them to the Bronze to blow off some steam. Things turn ugly, however, when sinister cops arrive to arrest -- or kill -- the fugitive slayer. When she learns of the incident, Buffy blows her top, but a surprisingly mature Faith keeps her cool. Later, at a huge strategy session at the house, Buffy tries to convince the others that it's imperative to stage another siege on Caleb's winery hideout. She gets shot down -- not just by the beleaguered potentials, but by Xander, Anya (Emma Caulfield), Willow (Alyson Hannigan), Principal Wood (D.B. Woodside) and even Dawn (Michelle Trachtenberg); Spike, Buffy's staunchest ally, is still on reconnaissance. Despite her protests that there's no democracy during wartime, General Buffy finds herself deposed by a popular uprising. As for Faith, she's thrust into the unlikely role of replacement leader while her tearful fellow slayer strikes out on her own. Originally broadcast April 29, 2003, on UPN, "Empty Places" marked episode 141 of the cult-favorite series. The band playing during this episode's Bronze sequence is none other than Nerf Herder, the group that penned Buffy's memorable theme song. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide

Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) and Xander (Nicholas Brendon) each step out for the evening with someone new, but both dates are full of surprise revelations. Xander's rendezvous is with Lissa (pop singer Ashanti), a lovely young lady he meets on his construction job. Buffy's, meanwhile, is with Principal Robin Wood (D.B. Woodside), her boss at Sunnydale High School. Things begin normally enough for Buffy and Robin, but a vamp attack soon nips the fun in the bud. Much to Buffy's astonishment, though, the principal more than holds his own against the attackers. Over dinner, he reveals that he's the son of a slayer and was raised by his mother's watcher after her death. Now a part-time demon-fighter, he was fully aware of Buffy's identity when he hired her as school counselor. Once again the evening is interrupted, this time by a frantic phone call that Xander needs help. With Spike (James Marsters) and Robin in tow, Buffy heads to the school just in time to save her friend from being murdered by Lissa. It turns out Xander has once again romanced a demon, this time one who wants to get in good with The First by bring another Turok-Han to earth. As Xander's rescuers defeat his duplicitous date, Spike puts on his ugly face, revealing to the disgusted Robin that Buffy is in league with a vampire. Later, the specter of Robin's mother -- actually The First in disguise -- appears to him and reveals the identity of her killer. It turns out she's actually the slayer Spike murdered on a New York City subway in the 1970s (see "Fool for Love"). Originally broadcast Feb. 11, 2003, on UPN, "First Date" marked episode 136 of the cult-favorite series. K.D. Aubert here replaces April Weeden-Washington as Robin's mother, the subway Slayer. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide

Still incensed that Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) had the anti-violence chip removed from Spike's head, Giles (Anthony Stewart Head) shows up with a mystical means of tracing The First's hold on the re-ensouled vampire. Spike (James Marsters) therefore reluctantly submits to the insertion of a magical slug into his eye socket. Once inside his skull, the creature shakes loose all sorts of memories. Spike recalls the close relationship he shared with his crippled mother (Caroline Lagerfelt) and his disastrous decision to sire her once Drusilla (Juliet Landau) entered the picture. He also finally remembers the identity of The First's post-hypnotic trigger: "Early One Morning," a folk tune his mother used to sing to him, is the song that now summons the beast within. Meanwhile, Principal Wood (D.B. Woodside) recalls his troubled relationship with his own mother, slain slayer Nikki Wood (K.D. Aubert), and reveals to Giles that he's out for vengeance against Spike for killing her. Giles conspires to keep Buffy busy while Wood takes his best shot at Spike, but their unholy alliance backfires. The result? An indignant Buffy turns her back on her former Watcher, while Spike finally comes to terms with his past -- and with The First's hold on him. Originally broadcast March 25, 2003, on UPN, "Lies My Parents Told Me" marked episode 139 of the cult-favorite series. Willow (Alyson Hannigan) appears in this episode only long enough to head off to Los Angeles to help out another of Buffy's vampire-with-a-soul boyfriends (see Angel, "Orpheus"). ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide

Conducting some supernatural detective work, Giles (Anthony Stewart Head) and Anya (Emma Caulfield) learn that Buffy's resurrection (see "Bargaining, Part 1") caused a vulnerability in the slayer line, which is presumably the impetus for The First's campaign to kill all the potential slayers in the world. As the surviving potentials continue to stream into town, Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) does everything she can to get them to safety before The First's Bringers can take them out. Rona (Indigo), one such potential, gets a dramatic rescue at the Sunnydale bus depot and joins the assembled slayerettes at the house. Eve (Amanda Fuller), another potential, fills the other girls' heads with horror stories about what's in store for them at the hands of The First. Meanwhile, Buffy finds Eve's body in a motel outside town -- evidence that The First has infiltrated the ranks in the guise of yet another dead person. Once it's found out, the fiend taunts the assembled potentials, then winks out in a flash of light. Soon, the Turok-Han (Camden Toy) and a bunch of Bringers attack the house. Fresh out of ideas, Buffy asks Willow (Alyson Hannigan) to cast a protection spell, then assumes the role of decoy so Xander (Nicholas Brendon) can bring everyone to his construction site to hide. The übervamp cottons onto Buffy's con and turns up at the site ready to wreak havoc. But the Slayer achieves a stunning defeat and finally fells the creature that's been terrorizing her army. As it turns out, her earlier helplessness was a ruse cooked up telepathically by Buffy, Xander and Willow to set the stage for the Turok-Han's destruction. A triumphant Buffy gives the potentials a motivational speech and then rescues poor Spike (James Marsters) from the underground lair where The First has been torturing him. Originally broadcast January 7, 2003, on UPN, "Showtime" marked episode 133 of the cult-favorite series. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide