Mysterious bodies, stalking demons, skulking strangers – all in a day’s work for Buffy
What They Say:
Buffy continues her nightly patrols while trying to cobble together a sensible life . . . Willow’s adopted a new look, while Dawn and Xander celebrate the comforts of a magicless world. The fun and games come to a halt when mysteriously marked bodies start appearing. As Buffy starts to investigate she captures the attention of San Francisco police detectives who have taken notice of the unnaturally gifted Slayer . . .
The Review:
The strange deaths we glimpsed in part one come to center stage in this episode. As the police dig deeper into the identities of the victims, they are surprised to find matches in missing persons cases from half a century ago. Since reality television has showcased the presence of vampires in the world, they immediately begin to pursue the idea that the victims were vampires. Who better to blame than the Slayer? Of course, we know that vampires “end in one big poof” when staked. But is that always the case? And who is the mysterious stranger shadowing Buffy on patrol?
Meanwhile, Buffy continues to experience fallout from her destruction of the seed of magic. The demon that caught up with her at the end of part one, looking for repayment of her student loan, just needs to find a way to pay his bills. I found this a humorous yet effective way to emphasize how the seed’s destruction impacts a wide variety of people in Buffy’s world. Yet Spike’s ongoing warnings about “rumblings” set the stage for another, darker, deadlier demon that seeks Buffy. Who or what is this mysterious danger? We get a few images of what may it may be, and I already want the next issue!
The action in this issue focuses mainly on Buffy, Spike, and the police department. As a Buffy fan who adores Spike, I’m excited to see his presence in her life. There’s just something about Spike, and the way he watches out for Buffy, that appeals to me. I do wish, though, that we got to see more of Willow. I’m dying to know how Willow is adjusting to her new reality, and to see if this season gives us any further insight into the dark future for her that we saw in season 8. I also missed having more Xander. He only got a few brief scenes, and his humor makes me smile. Hopefully we’ll get more of both of them next month.
In Summary:
This is a solid issue that continues to set up some major plot points for the season. While it wasn’t as compelling to me as the first issue, I was excited by the conflicts and new characters that entered in this one. I’m curious to learn more about the new skulking demon. Is he the one Spike has been warning Buffy about? When you add that to the question about the mysterious vampire deaths, and the unknown stranger, there is plenty in this story to make me eager for the next installment.
Grade: A-
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