All the Way

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"All the Way"
Buffy the Vampire Slayer episode
Episode no.	Season 6 Episode 6
Directed by	David Solomon
Written by	Steven S. DeKnight
Production code	6ABB06
Original air date	October 30, 2001
Guest actors
Anthony Stewart Head as Rupert Giles Amber Benson as Tara Maclay Amber Tamblyn as Janice Penshaw Kavan Reece as Justin John O'Leary as 'Old Man' Kaltenbach Dave Power as Zack Charles Duckworth as Glenn Dawn Worrall as Christy Emily Kay as Maria Adam Gordon as Carl Steven Anthony Lawrence as Chunky Kid Sabrina Speer as Girl Chad Erikson as Guy Dominic Rambaran as Paramedic #1 Anthony Sago as Paramedic #2 Lorin Becker as Witch Woman Lily Jackson as Witchy Poo
Episode chronology
← Previous "Life Serial" Next → "Once More, with Feeling"
List of Buffy the Vampire Slayer episodes

"All the Way" is the sixth episode of season 6 of the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Plot synopsis

It is Halloween and Anya has set the gang to work in the magic shop. She sends Buffy to the basement, where she runs into Spike. At his suggestion, Buffy attempts to leave to go patrol with Spike, but Giles points out that Halloween is an inactive day for most evil creatures, and engages Buffy in helping with bagging products.

An elderly man, Kaltenbach, is seen walking down the street humming "Pop Goes the Weasel" while carrying a bag of what appears to be groceries. He enters his home, peers out of a window at the children in costumes walking by, and says he's going to give them something "special" this year. He then pulls a large knife out of his kitchen drawer.

The Magic Box has enjoyed its busiest day ever, to Anya's delight. Xander decides that the time is right to announce his engagement to Anya, and the group makes its way back to Buffy's house to celebrate. Back at the Summers home, Willow conjures up decorations for the party, but Tara now shares Giles's concerns about Willow's frivolous use of magic. Willow brushes off these concerns.

Dawn tells Buffy that she is going to her friend Janice Penshaw's house, but really meets Janice and two older boys: Justin and Zack. Dawn becomes attracted to Justin. When the foursome stops in front of "old man" Kaltenbach's house, Dawn, on a dare, walks up to the porch to smash a pumpkin. She is caught by Kaltenbach, who warns her not to mess with them, then laughs and invites them all inside for a "special treat". Inside, Justin volunteers to help Kaltenbach with his preparations in the kitchen. The old man is about to cut into a baked dish when Justin, now revealed as a vampire, bites and drains him. Justin then returns to the others and announces that they need to flee because he stole the man's wallet.

Meanwhile, at the Summers home, Xander, who was already nervous in response to Giles's serious talk with him about his and Anya's future plans, becomes even more nervous when Anya chatters with Giles, Buffy and Xander about the wedding and plans for children.

On patrol, Buffy runs across an accident scene with a corpse that was left behind by Zack while he was stealing a car. While she is tracking the culprit, she encounters Spike, who passes on a message from Giles: Dawn has misled the adults regarding her plans for the night. Now the whole gang is on the case. At The Bronze, Willow wants to use an extremely risky spell to locate Dawn, but Tara stops her, and an angry argument ensues.

In the stolen car, Justin drives Dawn and the others out into the forest and stops. Zack and Janice depart, leaving Justin and Dawn alone in the car. Justin kisses Dawn – her first kiss – and then reveals his vampire face. Dawn attempts to escape from Justin, but he catches her. Giles is quickly on the scene to help, but vampires emerge from several cars, ready to fight. As they close in, Spike and Buffy show up to assist. Dawn runs away from the fight, but Justin finds her. He attempts to change her, but as he is leaning in to bite her neck, Dawn stakes him with a crossbow bolt, fired earlier in the melee.

The gang returns home, where Buffy is quick to leave the job of chastising Dawn to Giles, who is unhappy about how Buffy is relying on him so much. Meanwhile, Willow casts a spell on Tara to make her forget their quarrel.

Cultural references

• Anya is dressed up as a Charlie's Angel for Halloween.
• Star Wars: Upon seeing a couple dressed as Luke and Leia dancing in the Bronze, Willow asks, "Do they know they're brother and sister?"
• Xander references Henry V (a Shakespeare play) with the words "once more unto the breach," from one of the more famous speeches in the play.

Continuity

• While arguing with Giles about patrolling, Buffy references "Halloween" and "Fear, Itself", the two previous Halloween episodes.
• When asked to get more Mandrake Root from the basement, Buffy comments that it wouldn't be her fault if they have the same conversation over and over and over again, in reference to the time loop in the previous episode.
• This episode reveals the full extent of Spike's dislike for Halloween, when he takes personal offense to the vampire "rebels" hunting on Halloween. This would be further explored in the Angel episode "Life of the Party", wherein he constantly criticizes Wolfram & Hart's annual Halloween Bash.

Arc significance

• In this episode, Giles sees that Buffy is becoming too reliant on him; this leads to his decision to leave Sunnydale in the next episode.
• Willow erases Tara's memory in this episode, which will influence her decision to end her relationship with Willow over the next two episodes and is another example of Willow's escalating magic use.
• This episode also contains the first signs that Xander is unsure of his decision to marry Anya, something that later reaches its climax in the episode "Hell's Bells".
• At the start of the episode Dawn steals a gold coin from the magic shop which is a sign of her growing kleptomania.

Reception

At Imdb, "All the Way" was given a rating of 7.2 out of 10^[1]. TV.com scored the episode 7.9 out of 10.^[2]

References

1. ^ "'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' All the Way (TV episode 2001) - IMDb". Internet Movie Database. Imdb.com. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0533386/. 
2. ^ "Buffy the Vampire Slayer - Season 6, Episode 6: All the Way - TV.com". CBS. http://www.tv.com/shows/buffy-the-vampire-slayer/all-the-way-70476/. 

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