The Yoko Factor

"The Yoko Factor"
Buffy the Vampire Slayer episode
Episode no.	Season 4 Episode 20
Directed by	David Grossman
Written by	Doug Petrie
Production code	4ABB20
Original air date	May 9, 2000
Guest stars
Emma Caulfield as Anya Amber Benson as Tara Maclay Leonard Roberts as Forrest Gates Conor O'Farrell as Colonel McNamara George Hertzberg as Adam David Boreanaz as Angel Bob Fimiani as Mr. Ward Jade Carter as Lieutenant
Episode chronology
← Previous "New Moon Rising" Next → "Primeval"
List of Buffy the Vampire Slayer episodes

"The Yoko Factor" is the 20th episode of season 4 of the television show Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Plot synopsis

Colonel McNamara talks with a superior about plans for the Initiative, getting Riley back and dealing with Buffy. Spike tells Adam that Buffy is going to be a difficult challenge to defeat and he shouldn't underestimate her. Spike talks about killing two slayers and not being able to kill Buffy, especially because of the chip now in his head. The two plan to separate Buffy from her Slayerette friends. Still upset about what happened between her and Angel, Buffy returns from L.A. to her empty dorm room. Xander brings Riley some rather colorful clothes to wear, and they talk about their mutual distaste for Angel, Riley having been told by Buffy about her previous relationship with him. However it emerges that she may have told him the truth about the relationship but not the whole truth as while he was aware that Angel lost his soul, Xander accidentally tells Riley that having sex with Buffy was the trigger that set Angelus free.

Giles is practicing his singing when Spike surprises him by showing up in his apartment. Spike talks with Giles about files inside the Initiative that he might be able to get for a very large price. Spike tells Giles that Buffy doesn't respect her former watcher anymore, and that upsets Giles. Willow and Tara play with their new kitten while planning their class schedule for next year. They also talk about future housing plans, but Willow hasn't talked with Buffy yet and isn't sure what she wants to do now that things have changed so much.

Riley goes to Buffy in the funny clown pants Xander gave him to wear. Using a radio, he's tapped into the Initiative and is making sure he's aware of everything going on with the operation. She mentions that Angel upset her, but she doesn't want to talk about it and Riley leaves. Xander and Anya bring Spike fatigues to wear and a gun. Spike can't believe his luck that he would be given a weapon and points it at Xander intending to shoot, only for the chip to go off in his head. Turns out the chip doesn't allow Spike to point weapons at people... and the gun was fake anyway. Spike continues to tear apart the Scooby gang by making Xander feel unwanted by convincing him that the rest of the gang doesn't feel he's useful.

Buffy goes patrolling and runs into Forrest, who is also looking for Adam. They argue as they go into a cave and find Adam, who launches a surprise attack. Buffy and Adam exchange a few punches and kicks: Forrest trys to step in and help, but he is pushed away like a child by Buffy. Adam hurls the slayer against the cave wall, and Forrest uses the opening to shoot Adam with his stun rifle. Instead of harming him, however, the voltage merely seems to refresh Adam, who then disarms and fatally stabs Forrest with his bone scewer. Her will to fight gone, Buffy flees from the cave, with Adam taking pot shots at her. Running for her life, Buffy trips and tumbles down the side of a hill, striking her head on a rock, knocking her unconscious.

Meanwhile, pretending to have sneaked into the Initiative and retrieved some disks with information, Spike charges into Giles's place. Giles continues to get drunk while Willow tries to decrypt the disks. Spike talks to Willow and Tara about their Wicca interest and how her friends don't seem to support it. Willow thinks that means that their friends aren't accepting their romantic relationship.

Riley hears that there is trouble on the streets through his radio and goes to check it out. He finds that it is Angel fighting off the commandos, and Riley refuses to let Angel go see Buffy. The two have a brutal fight, of which Angel is clearly the victor. Both run off when a military truck comes down the street. Buffy returns to her dorm room and Angel shows up. As Angel tries to talk to Buffy, Riley barges in and raises a gun to Angel. Angel taunts Riley and the two come to blows again. Buffy separates them and wants to talk to Angel alone.

Buffy goes off on Angel and then they laugh when Angel confesses he came to make up. Buffy admits that he was correct when he said they're both leading separate lives and she had no right to just show up and tell him how to do things. The two part on friendly terms, although Angel stops to state that he doesn't like Riley. Spike reports back to Adam, happy to have split up the Scooby Gang. Riley is worried that Buffy has reunited with Angel, confesses that he already knows about how Angel can lose his soul. They profess their love to each other but then Buffy gives him the bad news that Forrest is dead. Riley is clearly distraught and leaves quickly.

The damage that Spike has done to the gang starts to become clear as gang breaks out into a fight. While Tara and Anya sneak into the bathroom and hide, Buffy goes off on Xander for telling Riley details about her and Angel's relationship and argues that she is going to take on Adam alone. Giles is incredibly drunk and makes funny comments in the background. Xander complains that his friends don't need him and Willow complains that Buffy doesn't accept Tara, revealing their relationship to Xander and Giles. While Giles goes to sleep the alcohol off, Buffy leaves, telling her friends that she doesn't need them as she has someone else she can depend on... little realising that Riley has gone to Adam's lair.

Production

• Whereas Anthony Head does not actually play guitar for Behind Blue Eyes in the episode "Where the Wild Things Are" (music supervisor John King did), this time he both sings and plays Free Bird.

Cultural references

• The title of the episode refers to Yoko Ono, whom many people blame for The Beatles' break up. In this episode, Spike acts as the "Yoko factor", sowing dissension within the Scooby Gang. The name could also be said to apply to Buffy, as in this episode it is said that she is the reason Riley betrays his 'family' in the initiative.
• Xander refers to Buffy as "L.A. Woman", the title of a song by The Doors.
• Adam tells Spike that he likes the Beatles song "Helter Skelter", which is often associated with The Manson Family.
• Buffy compares the members of the Initiative to the Corleone family in reference to the major mob family in the movie, The Godfather.
• Spike tells Adam that he is exactly like "Tony Robbins", the American self-help author.
• Spike refers to the final showdown with Buffy as "the wild rumpus", a reference to Maurice Sendak's book, Where The Wild Things Are.
• Willow references The Wizard of Oz when Spike accuses her of not being "a Wiz".
• The song Giles sings in his apartment is Free Bird by Lynyrd Skynyrd.
• Xander refers to Giles as "Alfred," referencing Bruce Wayne's butler Alfred Pennyworth in Batman publications.

Continuity

• Crossover with Angel: Angel's visit to Sunnydale follows the events of "Sanctuary".
• Spike's ability to read the Scooby Gang and see things others miss was also a vital part of Lovers Walk, especially in his famous Love's Bitch speech.
• Angel needs Buffy's permission to enter her room; however, in The Initiative, Spike is able to enter the same room without an invitation. This may be explained by the fact that dormitories are temporary residences (like the fraternity house in Reptile Boy) so Angel could have entered uninvited, but he was just being polite.

External links

• "The Yoko Factor" at the Internet Movie Database
• "The Yoko Factor" at TV.com