Amends

"Amends" is the tenth episode of season 3 of the television show Buffy the Vampire Slayer. See also List of Buffy the Vampire Slayer episodes.

Plot synopsis

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Summary

It's Christmas in Sunnydale and Angel is haunted with dreams of the people he murdered over the years as Angelus, but when Buffy starts appearing in his dreams, they realize something is not right. Visions of his past victims, including Jenny Calendar, appear to him and try to get him to kill Buffy, saying that he will be released from the pain if he does so. Angel cannot bring himself to do this, so instead he opts to kill himself by standing on a hill and waiting for the sun to come up. Buffy and Giles figure out The First Evil has been driving Angel insane. Buffy finds the Bringers and pummels them. After The First appears to her, informing her that she can't possibly fight it and that Angel is about to be dust, she runs to his mansion to stop him. Buffy finds Angel atop the hill behind the mansion, awaiting sunrise. They have a tense and heartbreaking conversation in which Buffy punches him and he throws her to the ground. He wants her to leave him alone because he thinks the world is better off without him. With tears in both vampire champion and slayer's eyes, looking at each other, the heatwave from which Sunnydale has been suffering abruptly ends and the first flakes of snow start to fall. With the weather report saying the sun shouldn't be expected to be seen at all today, Buffy and Angel take a romantic walk through the town.

Expanded overview

Dublin 1838--Angel is dreaming of his past, where he kills a man that supposedly was indebted to him. When he wakes up, unable to fall asleep again, he walks the streets of Sunnydale and runs into Buffy. They exchange a few words and then Angel freaks out, seeing the ghost of the man whom he killed in his dream. The next day, Buffy tells her friends about her freaky encounter with Angel. They fill each other in on holiday plans and then Oz shows up, ready to talk to Willow. He tells her how much he misses her and that he's willing to give their relationship another shot.

Buffy and her Mom go shopping for a Christmas tree and decide to invite Faith to Christmas dinner, but not Giles. Angel's nightmares continue to haunt him, and he finally resorts to going to Giles for help. Armed with a crossbow, Giles invites him in and listens to Angel tell him about the dreams and how he wants to know why he came back from hell. Their conversation is cut short when Angel sees Jenny, and runs off.

In another one of Angel's dreams, he attacks a service woman but as he finishes her off, he looks up and sees Buffy there in his dream. They both wake up, realizing that they're in each other's dreams. Buffy goes to Giles and they plan to research so they can find out what force is taking over Angel. Xander offers to help as well since saving Angel is a better option than being at home. Willow having joined in on the research party fills Buffy in on her getting back with Oz.

Angel is still unable to sleep and encounters Jenny's spirit at the mansion. He tries to apologize, but she doesn't want to hear it, she just wants to make him suffer. He is then visited by the many ghosts of his victims, including the man and service woman he had killed. Finally, nearly crazy from being reminded of what a monster he was, Angel begs for it to stop. Jenny offers him comfort and tells him to rest. At the library, Buffy also falls asleep and both she and Angel are in the same dream again. This time, the two are making passionate love on Buffy's bed. Looking over his shoulder, Buffy notices a creature with its eyes sewn shut just before Angel vamps out and bites her. They both wake up. Jenny tells Angel he needs to kill Buffy.

Giles has found out that the force that is taking over Angel is called The First. It's very powerful and impossible to kill. However, there are three priests (the creatures with their eyes sewn shut) which Buffy can kill, and hopefully put an end to the mental torment Angel is suffering from. Buffy and Xander visit Willie the Snitch, but he only says that The First may be underground. Oz arrives at Willow's house with videos and finds she has a bit more planned for the night. He tells her he's not ready to take their relationship that far and that she doesn't need to prove herself to him, which she's fine with and they just kiss.

At home, Buffy and her mom are trimming the tree when Faith shows up. She had refused Buffy's previous invitation saying she had a party to go to however there was no party. Buffy goes upstairs to her room to find that Angel is there waiting for her. Blind with the need to find peace of mind, he fights the urge to kill Buffy. He jumps out of her window, desperate to not kill Buffy. Buffy leaves Faith in charge of watching her mom while she goes to Giles for immediate help. At the mansion, Jenny tries to convince Angel that he must kill Buffy. When he has made it clear that he can't, he knows that his only other option is to kill himself with the sunlight.

After some more research, Buffy discovers that wherever the priests are, nothing will grow above or below. Buffy remembers a bunch of dead trees at the Christmas tree lot. She goes there and in the middle of a circle of dead trees, she makes a hole in the ground which then leads to the priests. She tears the place and the priests apart, then encounters the First in Jenny's body. They attack each other verbally and then Buffy runs off to the mansion to save Angel from killing himself with the sun.

She finds him atop a hill, the sun only minutes away from rising. He tells her that he loves her and wants her so much that he'd be willing to lose his soul just to be with her. Buffy desperately wants him to come inside but he believes very strongly that he is evil and he's got to be strong for once, and die. They yell, and hit each other, and cry and say how much they love one another. Buffy gives him his last chance to prove how strong he really can be and to come in from the sun. Then, out of nowhere, snow begins to fall, covering the previously sunny and hot Sunnydale, in a beautiful white Christmas.

Willow and Oz wake up on Willow's bed (they were just sleeping) to the snow. Xander wakes up in a tent in his backyard covered in snow. Giles notices it from his apartment, while Faith and Joyce see it from the Summer's home. Buffy and Angel walk hand in hand together through the snow.

Christmas Buffy promo

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File:Buffy-Lovers' Walk promo screenshot-01.jpg

The promo can be downloaded from an external link below.

Immediately after following the first airing of Lover's Walk, was the first airing of an advert which featured Gellar and Boreanaz as their characters, Buffy and Angel. Despite being uncanonical, if it were forced into Buffyverse continuity it would fit after "Amends":

File:Buffy-Lovers' Walk promo screenshot-03.jpg

Promo synopsis

Buffy is standing outside at a phone booth. Strangely Sunnydale appears to be snowing. Buffy says "This season with 1800 Collect, you don't have to be alone for the holidays". She then begins dialing the phone. Buffy hears footsteps behind her. She turns grabs a stake-shaped icicle, and makes a staking motion before Angel grabs her hand. Angel: "Sorry I'm Late." Buffy replies "You should have called", The two smile, look into the snowing sky then walk off together.

Promo offer

The promo was offering fans the chance to enter a sweeps stake every time they made a call using the 1-800-COLLECT communications system.

File:Buffy-Lovers' Walk promo screenshot-05.jpg

The prize was a walk-on part on Buffy. Jessica Johnson of Maryland, won a three day trip for two to participate in the episode The Prom.

Promo continuity

The advert would have to take place shortly after Amends, since snow in Sunnydale is highly unusual. The advert is clearly not part of Buffyverse canon since both the narrator and Buffy actively break the Fourth wall.

Writing and acting

Production details

Music

Barry White - "Cant Get Enough Of Your Love Babe"
Christophe Beck - "Dreaming Of"
Christophe Beck - "Dublin"
Christophe Beck - "Magic Snow Music"
The Crystals - "He's a rebel"

Quotes and trivia

Joss Whedon has cited many times Buffy and Angel's fight on the hilltop as one of the best things he has ever written, especially the line, "It's not the demon in me that needs killing, Buffy. It's the man."