tough love

"Tough Love" is the 19th episode of season 5 of the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Plot synopsis

Summary

Buffy withdraws from school in order to better look after Dawn, who has been skipping school and shirking her responsibilities since her mother's death. Buffy assumes a new role as head of household. Willow and Tara quarrel, and while they are separated Glory "feeds" on Tara's mind, rendering her mentally unstable. In a vengeful rage, Willow storms after Glory, unsuccessfully trying to defeat her.

Expanded overview

Buffy drops out of college, notifying one of her professors about the decision and regretting the need to make the decision. Ben finds himself fired from his job at the hospital because Glory has been monopolizing the human form they share. Glory takes a bath while she demands that her blindfolded minions tell her everything they know about the Key (this episode marks the last appearance of Glory's affectionate minion Jinx). Dawn and Buffy are called into Dawn's principal's office where Dawn's poor grades are discussed. At the magic shop, Anya talks about patriotism and how money ties into that.

Buffy seeks Giles's advice about being Dawn's mother figure then takes her sister home, attempting an authoritative role with Dawn. Glory's minions provide her with enough information to conclude who the Key is and Glory leads the way to gather it. Tara and Willow discuss their relationship and Willow's powers as a witch, but the discussion ends up angering Willow when Tara expresses first her concern about Willow's "frightening" power and then her fear that Willow may eventually decide that being a lesbian is not what she wants.

Buffy talks with Dawn about how Dawn's situation needs to improve in school or Buffy could possibly lose guardianship of Dawn. Depressed over her first major fight with Willow, Tara goes to a cultural fair, but finds herself sitting next to Glory on a park bench. Giles finds one of Glory's minions at the shop and questions him about Glory's plans. Willow goes after Tara who is in Glory's grasp, but can't get to Tara before it's too late. Glory discovers that Tara isn't the Key, and offers to let her go if she reveals the key's identity. Protecting Dawn, Tara refuses, and Glory drains Tara's mind of sanity.

Willow tries to destroy Glory after Glory removes Tara's sanity.

At the hospital, doctors look after Tara while Willow plans her vengeance against the evil god, Glory. Buffy arranges for Dawn to be kept safe by Spike in some underground caves while she takes care of the issues involving Tara. Dawn worries that she is evil and feels guilty, but Spike tries to convince her otherwise. Buffy thinks she's talked Willow out of any attempts to go after Glory, but Spike and Dawn later convince her that one can't be talked out of something like that. Willow rages, going to the magic shop to gather dangerous magic supplies in preparation for her attack on Glory.

At Glory's place, Willow makes an unexpected, but grand appearance, casting spells wildly, all in attempts to attack and destroy Glory. Although she causes Glory some pain (something no one else, not even Buffy, was able to do) the god is far more powerful than the witch, and Willow is almost seriously wounded. Luckily, Buffy shows up in time to stop it. Buffy and Glory battle ferociously, until one of Willow's force fields allows Willow and Buffy to escape. The next day, Willow, Tara, Buffy and Dawn eat, with Willow and Dawn spoon-feeding applesauce to Tara, while discussing the responsibilities that Willow and Buffy have now. Glory makes a surprise appearance, tearing out an entire wall. Tara, distressed, reveals Dawn is the key.

Acting

Starring

• Sarah Michelle Gellar as Buffy Summers
• Nicholas Brendon as Xander Harris
• Alyson Hannigan as Willow Rosenberg
• Emma Caulfield as Anya Jenkins
• Michelle Trachtenberg as Dawn Summers
• James Marsters as Spike
• Anthony Stewart Head as Rupert Giles

Guest starring

• Clare Kramer as Glory
• Charlie Weber as Ben
• Troy T. Blendell as Jinx
• Anne Betancourt as Principal Stevens
• Leland Crooke as Professor Lillian
• Amber Benson as Tara Maclay

Co-starring

• Todd Duffey as Murk
• Alan Heintz as Slook

Production details

Translations

• Italian title: "Contrasti d'amore" ("Love conflicts")
• German title: "Götterdämmerung" ("Twilight of the gods")
• French title: "Magie noire" ("Black Magic")
• Spanish title: "Un poderoso amor" ("A powerful love")
• Japanese title: "タフな恋" ("Tafu Na Koi" - "Tough Love")

Quotes and trivia

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Buffy the Vampire Slayer#Tough Love

• Xander is shown reading an X-Men comic book. The issue, X-Men #109.
• When firing Ben, his boss makes a reference to the Twinkie defense.

Continuity

Arc significance

• Tara and Willow have their most serious fight yet in this episode, related to Tara's unease at Willow's magic use, effectively setting up some of the next season's chief conflicts.

• Glory drains Tara's mind, putting her into a psychotic state for the rest of the season. Tara's insanity and Willow's pledge to get her back plays a central role in the season's finale.

• This episode is most notable for Willow's first blatantly violent, "dark" use of magic for personal reasons, complete with "Dark Willow's" trademark black eyes. Willow goes after Glory not because it's the "right" thing to do, but for revenge. This foreshadows her turn to evil in Season Six, when she again abuses magic for vengeance for Tara, with more destructive results.

• Willow also lies to her friends, leading them to believe she won't go after Glory on her own, marking the first time Willow has felt the need to lie to her friends about her magic use, something that will be a recurring theme in Season Six.

• Buffy withdraws from UC Sunnydale in this episode, so that she might better be able to take care of her sister (which includes both raising her and protecting her from Glory). Buffy's withdrawal makes yet another sacrifice she's made for others, and ends Buffy's attempts to further her education for the remainder of the series.

• Buffy struggles with being Dawn's authority figure (her mother, in a sense), and essentially depends upon Giles to encourage and indeed force her to act, a theme which will lead to Giles's eventual departure in Season Six.

• Glory learns that Dawn is the Key.

External links

• "Tough Love" at the Internet Movie Database
• "Tough Love" at TV.com
• "Tough Love" on BuffyGuide.com