Surprise (Buffy episode)
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Surprise is Episode 13 of Season 2 on Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Plot outline
Summary
The Scoobies are planning a surprise birthday for Buffy's 17th birthday. Willow is asked by Oz on a date, but is reminded of the party after promising him she will agree. She invites him to the party.
Drusilla also has a birthday, and Spike plans to reassemble The Judge for her. The ancient demon would destroy humanity. One of the pieces Spike arranged to be shipped to Sunnydale is intercepted by Buffy, however, as Ms. Calendar drives her to the surprise party. Buffy slays the vampires transporting an arm of The Judge and crashes through the wall and into her party. Oz, surprised, is told that vampires exist and find that would "explain a lot."
Jenny, who was revealed earlier in the episode to be Janna of the Kalderash tribe (the gypsies who cursed Angel with a soul), takes advantage of the situation by sending Angel to hide the arm in the farthest corner of the earth. As Buffy and Angel say their goodbye at the docks, Spike's vampires attack them and steal the arm. Returning empty-handed, they decide to go to the factory where Drusilla is having her party. There, they find the judge fully assembled and narrowly escape with their life. Angel and Buffy end up at Angel's apartment drenched. They have sex. While Buffy sleeps contented afterwards, Angel finds himself kneeling on his knees outside, crying out Buffy's name in the heavy storm in pain and fear.
Expanded overview
Buffy wakes up and walks to the bathroom only to find that her bathroom is replaced by the Bronze. With Drusilla silently following her, Buffy walks through the crowds, encountering her mother and Willow before finally finding Angel. Suddenly, from behind, Drusilla stakes Angel. The next day she goes over to Angel's place before school. She tells him about her dream, and while she has to get to school, she has a hard time saying goodbye to Angel. At school, Buffy and Willow talk about whether Buffy is ready to take her relationship with Angel further. Willow goes to talk to Oz, and they make plans to attend Buffy's surprise birthday party together. Meanwhile, Xander tries to ask Cordelia to be his date to the party but, she doesn't want anyone else to know about her relationship with him. We see Spike--although confined to a wheelchair--is on his way to recovery while Drusilla is strong as ever. Ms. Calendar is visited by her Uncle, who remindes her of her gypsy duties. Her responsibility is to make sure Angel's curse remains, and therefore must keep Buffy from him.
Buffy asks her mom about getting her driver's licence, but her Mom responds with something she said in Buffy's dream and it scares Buffy. That night, Ms. Calendar tries to set Buffy up but her plan is ruined when Buffy spots several vampires and goes to slay them. After killing the last vampire, Buffy discovers the party that was planned. Oz witnesses the killing of the last vampire and is not terribly shocked. Ms. Calendar brings out a box which the vampires were transporting and they open it to find a hand. The hand however comes to life and strangles Buffy. After rescuing Buffy, Angel explains that he thinks Drusilla is trying to bring back a demon called "The Judge". This demon's intention is to kill everything with humanity and leave only demons remaining, so Angel suggests that he take the hand to another country and hide it from Dusilla.
At the warehouse, Drusilla is threatening to poke Dalton's eyes out for losing her present. Spike convinces her to give him a chance and she does. Buffy and Angel go to the dock where Angel is to get on a boat. He gives her a claddagh ring and she tries to convince him to stay. As they are kissing, some vampires attack them in hopes of getting the box back. They fight but Buffy is thrown off the pier and Angel goes to save her. The vampires make it away with the box containing the Judge's arm.
At the warehouse, Spike and Drusilla are having a party as they bring "The Judge" back to life. Everyone researches at the library to find out how to stop the Judge. After a dream reveals the location, Buffy and Angel find Drusilla at the warehouse, but are captured. The Judge attempts to kill Buffy but she and Angel break free. At his apartment, Angel gives Buffy some clothes to change into. She begins to change and finds that she has a cut on her back. Angel looks at it and then she ends up crying in his arms. Worried that she may not have the opportunity again, Buffy kisses Angel, indiciating that she wants to take their relationship to the next level. Later, Angel wakes up, apparently in a lot of pain. He gets up and somehow ends up outside dressed. Falling to the ground, he cries out Buffy's name. Buffy continues to sleep, unable to hear Angel's cries.
Quotes and trivia
- Brian Thompson, who played The Judge, also played Luke in "Welcome to the Hellmouth". Both episodes were two-parters in which his character died in the second part.
- Together with "Innocence", the show transitioned from Mondays to Tuesdays. This was the last episode to be played on a Monday -- all subsequent episodes were played on Tuesdays.
Writing and acting
Cast and crew
- Guest star Vincent Schiavelli is the only one not in the infobox.
Production details
Music
- Christophe Beck - "Buffy-Angel love theme"
- Christophe Beck - "Escape"
- Christophe Beck - "Moment of Happiness"
- Clement & Murray - "Anything"
- Rasputina - "Transylvanian concubine"
Continuity
Arc significance
This episode began a tradition of Buffy birthdays gone awry, although Buffy did not celebrate her birthday on-screen in the final season.
This episode started several important plot-lines. Oz and Willow had their first date, commencing one of the longest relationships on the show. Angel is transforming into Angelus and the Big Bad of Season 2; Spike and Drusilla turned out to be "the little bads."
Buffy, obviously, lost her virginity at the end.
Timing
- Stories that take place around the same time in the Buffyverse:
External links
- [Soulful Spike Society analysis of Surprise]
- [Buffy World summary]
- [Buffy Guide]
- [Buffy formula, explaining "the big bad" and "the little bad" concepts]
- [TV Tome]
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