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Season 7 Episode 8 "Sleeper"

Spike is busy burying a girl. He's humming a tune. Perhaps the blond girl from last episode? Perhaps.

In London, the Watcher's Council is under attack from the Goons In Cloaks, we last saw in episode two. These goons are making short work of the people in the council room as everyone is quickly stabbed.

Dawn and Willow sift through the remains of the Summer's house. Dawn discusses the bizarre haunting of the previous episode. Dawn believes her mom did indeed visit her, but Willow is adamant that these things were evil in nature. Dawn questions that maybe Willow's ghost was evil and hers was good.

Buffy is at Xander's apartment. They are discussing Spike and wondering if Holden was telling the truth last episode; that Spike is indeed siring vampires. Buffy does not believe this as Spike still has the anti-violence chip in his head. Spike enters at this moment and instantly gets that 'people have been talking about me' vibe. Buffy confronts Spike with Holden Webster's name to gauge his reaction. Spike calmly evades the accusation and goes to bed. Since Xander & Buffy have to work that morning, and since they are both very suspicious of Spike, Xander gets Anya to come over to look after Spike while he sleeps. Anya is highly resistant to this idea, but gives in.

Buffy arrives at her shattered home and discusses  recent events with Willow. They realize that the bizarre haunting they all experienced, Spike's erratic behavior and the rumblings of the Hellmouth could all indicate the coming of the next Big Bad.

Anya is determined to find incriminating evidence on Spike and sneaks into his bedroom as he sleeps. She does a brief sweep of the room before Spike catches her in the act. Trying in vain to explain her presence Anya decides she's there to seduce Spike, and attempts to do just that. Spike isn't really interested and brushes her off. If Buffy were looking for signs of Spike's insanity, I submit Spike's refusal of Anya, exhibit A. Anya goes back to the living room in a huff, peeved that her advances were so easily rebuffed. As night falls, Spike leaves the apartment. Anya calls Buffy to inform her of this.

Spike is out on the town. A man playing harmonica plays the same tune Spike humming at the start of the episode. Buffy discreetly follows behind. The streets seem inordinately crowded for night time. This is Sunnydale not New York. But since Sunnydale has it's own university and airport, I guess it has a thriving night life as well. Buffy spots Spike chatting up a girl, and tries to follow through the crowded streets. As Spike attempts to woo the girl Buffy interrupts him. Oddly she eggs him on to attack the girl. He vamps out and does just that, taking a chunk out of her neck. Buffy smiles and says, "That's my boy!" Methinks things are not what they seem. Buffy then morphs into Spike. The real Spike looks confused and horrified and runs away.

At the Summer's home, or what's left of it, the Scoobies have an all member meeting. The topic: Is Spike Evil? Willow says there has not been any increase in murders recently, but ten young women are missing. At Xander's apartment that night, Spike prepares to leave but is stopped by Xander. Spike knocks him out and leaves anyway. Spike goes around town trying to find proof vindicating himself of any vamp crimes. Xander wakes up and informs Buffy of being TKO'd by Spike. At the Bronze, Spike is approached a girl vampire who claims Spike sired her. They fight on that balcony in the Bronze that is ALWAYS vacant of people except vampires. I believe this is the same balcony where Spike and Buffy had sex last year. I think I remember Drucilla & Spike lurking up there way back when. Spike pushes the girl vampire off the balcony and she hits the floor she turns to dust. The band stops playing...there's an uncomfortable silence as the music starts again. Probably happens all the time in Sunnydale. I should mention, this band is fronted by none other than Aimee Mann. She had some notoriety in the 90's, but to me she'll always be the lead singer of 80's one hit wonder 'Till Tuesday. And if you don't know that 'Til Tuesday's only hit was called Voices Carry...well words cannot describe the pity I feel for you.

Buffy asks the doorman of a swank club about Spike's comings and goings. The doorman replies that Spike has left with a different girl every night that week. Buffy and the doorman also discuss if Spike stole Billy Idol's look, or vice versa. After killing the girl vamp at the Bronze and being accused of siring her, Spike calls Buffy and asks for help. He's not so sure of his own innocence any more. Spike encounters Morphed Spike. Morphed Spike says that Spike is going against the plan, but that things will still work out.  Spike meets with Buffy and leads her to an abandoned house. Spike confesses to murdering a lot of people there. We see Morph Spike in the background. Buffy cannot see or hear him. Morph Spike is singing the same tune we heard earlier. Real Spike vamps out and attacks Buffy. The vampires that Spike had previously sired start to rise from the ground. These vampires start attacking Buffy too. Morph Spike tells Real Spike to taste Buffy, and he does, licking her wounds. Real Spike's memories start flooding back...he remembers killing all these people and siring them to vampires. He's staggered by this wave of remembrance. Buffy stakes the remaining vampires. Spike offers his heart for Buffy to stake. Buffy refuses, as she realizes that something (Morph Spike) has been messing with Spike's mind. And she makes the connection that it is probably the same thing that Dawn & Willow encountered last episode. Back at her home, Buffy gathers the Scoobies and tells them they must keep Spike close at hand, if they're going to find the answers they need.

In London, Giles comes across the Goons In Cloaks massacre of the Watcher's Council. Giles finds one man barely alive. He mutters that things have started and that they must be gathered. Giles does not see a Goon in Cloak behind him swinging an axe at his head. End of episode.

What I liked: Spike's scenes with Buffy are again the high point. Aimee Mann's appearance, and her line of dialogue about playing vampire towns had me laughing. Xander and Anya had some nice (if brief) scenes. The revelation that Morph Spike controls Real Spike via that tune that is constantly played. Thus the title, 'Sleeper'. Real Spike is Morph Spike's sleeper agent. Giles final cliffhanger scene.

What I didn't like: Much confusion in this episode concerning real Spike and morph Spike. Who's who? This episode was all about moving the plot along, as the Scoobies slowly piece together info on the Big Bad and realize that Spike has not gone evil. Nothing much happened in this episode at all. Not much character development save for Spike. Once again, Willow is under utilized.

Rating: (out of 6) 3

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