Tom Lenk Movies
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
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
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
Despite the return of her beloved former watcher, domestic and financial issues compound the dark depression in which the Slayer has wallowed since her return from the dead. A flooded basement sends Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) scrounging for a loan when she learns that her mother's insurance money has long since been exhausted. Just as she's being turned down by the loan officer, Buffy witnesses a demon attacking the bank. During the confusion, the fiend's unseen accomplice makes off with a wad of cash. Angry about losing out on her loan and letting the demon escape, the exhausted Slayer heads to the training room to let off some steam. Soon Giles (Anthony Stewart Head) appears, fresh off the plane from England and full of reassuring wisdom. Worried that Buffy doesn't seem quite herself, he chastises an unrepentant Willow (Alyson Hannigan) for her foolhardy trafficking in dark magic. Elsewhere, three other former Sunnydale High misfits make use of the black arts: nerdy inventor Warren (Adam Busch, see "I Was Made to Love You"); class dork Jonathan (Danny Strong, see "Superstar"); and Andrew (Tom Lenk), the science fiction-obsessed younger brother of Tucker, the villain of "The Prom." These three hapless self-styled super-villains plan to use their ill-gotten gains from their earlier bank robbery to take over the entire town. The demon who assisted in their larceny tries to take out the Slayer, but Buffy vanquishes it -- without learning a thing about the creature's three very human accomplices. Originally broadcast October 16, 2001, on the UPN network, "Flooded" marked episode 104 of the cult-favorite series. Andrew, Jonathan, and Warren would appear throughout the rest of season six as both comic relief and the year's unlikely "big bad" villains. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide
Warren (Adam Busch), Jonathan (Danny Strong), and Andrew (Tom Lenk) proceed with their quest to make their names as super-villains by using a ray gun to freeze a museum guard and steal a valuable artifact. As Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) and her friends investigate the crime, the Slayer continues to fend off the affections of Spike (James Marsters). When the quarrel turns physical, however, the love-sick vampire learns that he's now capable of hitting the Slayer without experiencing excruciating pain. To his dismay, he realizes that the anti-violence chip in his skull still works fine on everyone else; he can hit only Buffy -- apparently because she came back from the dead less than human. Elsewhere, Tara (Amber Benson) assures Dawn (Michelle Trachtenberg) that she'll always be there for her even though Tara's relationship with Willow (Alyson Hannigan) is over. As for Willow, she begins her new post-Tara life by finally figuring out how to turn Wiccan pal Amy (Elizabeth Anne Allen) from a rat (see "Gingerbread") back into a human. Amy and Willow embark on a night on the town, turning the Bronze into their own private magical playground. Meanwhile, Spike confronts Buffy about her seeming inhumanity. They fight ferociously, but somehow the battle turns into a tryst of super-heroic proportions. After two years of yearning, Spike finally makes love with Buffy -- savagely, as an abandoned building crumbles around them. Originally broadcast November 20, 2001, on UPN, "Smashed" marked episode 109 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
The mystery of the Slayer's newfound sibling deepens as narrator Dawn (Michelle Trachtenberg) confides to her diary that she's sick of big sis Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) hogging all the attention. Buffy vents her own frustrations about having to balance her duties as the Slayer with her sisterly responsibilities -- a juggling act thrown into sharp relief when Dawn accidentally invites bimbo vampire Harmony (Mercedes McNab) into the house and gets kidnapped, necessitating a dramatic rescue. As for viewers, they may well be frustrated by the sudden and inexplicable appearance of Dawn in the surprise ending of the previous episode (see "Buffy vs. Dracula"); Buffy was an only child for the first 78 episodes of the series, but now she and her friends are acting as if Dawn has been around all along. Perhaps the truth has something to do with the mad vagrant who accosts Dawn and tells her she doesn't belong here; nonetheless, it will be three more episodes before the truth about the girl's origin is revealed (see "No Place Like Home"). In the meantime, Giles (Anthony Stewart Head) decides to take over Sunnydale's magic shop after yet another of its proprietors ends up dead. Originally broadcast October 3, 2000, on the WB network, "Real Me" marked episode 80 of the cult-favorite series. As of this episode, Michelle Trachtenberg joins the regular cast. Tom Lenk, who portrays vampire Cyrus here, would return in the prominent role of geeky would-be villain Andrew throughout the sixth and seventh seasons. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide








