First a warning. I'm a little, shall we say, inebriated. I wasn't planning on writing the recap while drunk but since I've already done the two stupidest things that one can do while intoxicated (accepting a phone call from ex-boyfriend and plucking the eyebrows, for those of you keeping track), I thought I might as well go ahead and write the recap. So here I sit, lovelorn and with a perpetual expression of anger (I kind of overdid the arch).

The previouslys segue into the final scene from last week: Glory rips off the wall of Tara's dorm room, where Willow, Tara, Buffy, and Dawn are more than a little surprised at her rude manners for not bothering to knock. They stare aghast at the hellish god, perhaps appalled by the white-lace-dress-over-red-slip ensemble she's chosen to wear for her deconstructionist activities. Unfortunately, Tara takes this opportunity to fulfill her brain-sucked duties by recognizing Dawn as the Key. The screen goes dark for a second, and then we're back. Buffy grabs Dawn by the arm and busts out through Tara's dorm room door. Glory chuckles and prepares to follow, but Willow, hugging Tara with one arm, casts a spell that first freezes Glory in place and then knocks her backwards. Willow flees, Tara in tow. Glory follows after Buffy and Dawn, not letting little impediments like walls slow her down. She also runs all super-zippy fast, but the less said about the Flash-like activities, the better. Buffy (I actually had "Bussy" typed there, which is pretty funny, but not as funny as "Buggy", my usual typo) and Dawn run across campus, but Dawn can't keep up, so Buffy's stunt double grabs up Dawn and runs across the grass carrying her. I almost fell out of my chair laughing the first time I watched this episode and saw the scene of the stunt woman toddling along carrying the Dawn-dummy. While working on the recap, I did actually fall out of my chair laughing watching this, but that might say more about the number of margaritas I've been imbibing than the lasting comedy value of this scene. Either way, I don't think hysterical giggling was really the reaction the writer and director of this episode were looking for. But -- oops, all the carrying was in vain, because Glory has zipped along and positioned herself in front of the sisters. "Last words, slay-runt?" queries Glory, and Buffy responds, "Just one. Truck." A huge oil tanker slams full speed into Glory, who is sent flying and smashes onto a car hood. She then morphs reluctantly into Ben, who looks very silly in white lace.

The gang has gathered on Xander's incredible expanding and contracting apartment set. Hey, Xander has a swanky upholstered wet bar in his living room. I've never noticed that before. The gang are not gathered around the bar drinking margaritas on the rocks, which shows their lack of common sense, but are instead listening to Dawn relate the events of the most recent showdown with Glory. "And Buffy's just standing there not even blinking like, 'bring it on,' and WHAM! Hell bitch in orbit." The Scoobies think Dawn means that Buffy bested Glory and excitedly congratulate her, but Buffy, staring out the window, glooms, "A truck hit her." Geez, Buffy, the truck of your grimness just hit this happy little party. Still not looking at her friends and family, Buffy wonders how she and Dawn got away from Glory, since the truck "couldn't have slowed her down for more than a second." Buffy seems incredibly wound up as she rants that Glory will only be harder to fight now that she knows Dawn is the Key. Anya suggests dropping a piano on Glory, referencing Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd, and Giles snarks back, "Yes, or perhaps we could paint a convincing tunnel on the side of a mountain." I'm not convinced it's in character for Giles to even know such a thing. He's supposed to be the bookish, television-rejecting type, isn't he? ["But it was funny, plus cutting to Anya, and that's what really counts in my book." -- Ace] Suddenly, Buffy reenters the conversation, saying that there's no way for the Scooby gang to defeat Glory, and because of that, she's decided that they all have to leave town. Xander and Giles seem reluctant to run, but Buffy overrides the dissension and tells everyone to pack up supplies and not tell anyone of the plan. She snaps at Xander that she'll handle getting transportation.