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Crush is the fourteenth episode of the fifth season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the ninty-second episode overall, and delves more into Spike's love for Buffy. One of the Summers returns Spike's feelings, but unfortunately for him it's the pint-sized one. Meanwhile, a woman from Spike's past comes back into his life.

Guest Stars: Amber Benson (Tara), Kristine Sutherland (Joyce), Juliet Landau (Drusilla), Mercedes McNab (Harmony), Frederick Dawson (Porter), Greg Wayne (Student), Joseph Digiandomenico (Matt), Walter Borchert (Jeff), Asher Glaser (Boy in Bronze), Jennifer Bergman (Girl in Bronze), Nell Shanahan (Waitress)

Contents 1 Plot Overview 2 Notes 2.1 Monster of the Week 2.2 Body Count 3 Arc Advancement 3.1 Happenings 3.2 Characters 3.3 Referbacks 4 Trivia 4.1 The Show 4.2 Behind the Scenes 4.3 Allusions and References 4.4 Memorable Moments 5 Quotes 6 Reviews

Plot Overview

Notes

Monster of the Week

• No new monster of the week, as this episode featured the return of Drusilla.

Body Count

#	Whom	By Whom	How	Where
1/2/3/4/5/6	Train Passengers & Conductor	Drusilla	Neck Bites	Train
7/8	Make Out Couple	Drusilla	Snapped Neck	The Bronze

Arc Advancement

Happenings

Characters

• Spike: Spike admits that he's in love with Buffy. He is eventually left by Drusilla and Harmony, while Buffy takes away his invitation into her home.

Referbacks

• Triangle: Spike mentions that it's not his fault that the Bronze's insurance doesn't cover "acts of troll."
• Blood Ties: Willow mentions still having headaches and nosebleeds from casting a teleportation spell on Glory.
• Becoming: Drusilla last appeared in the referenced episode.

Trivia

The Show

• Final Apperance: Although Drusilla appears in later episodes in both Buffy and the Angel spin-off series, they are all either flashbacks or The First transforming into her. This episode marks the final appearance that she makes in contemporary times.
• Final Appearance: This episode marks the final appearance of Harmony in the series, however she returns in Angel as a regular cast member.
• Angel Tie-In: The instance that Drusilla recants to Spike involving Darla being brought back to life is a brief summery of the events that occurred in the Angel episodes Reunion and Redefinition.

Behind the Scenes

• Alternative Title: On the "Radio Sunnydale" soundtrack album, producer John C. King calls this episode, "Crush, Kill, Destroy."

Allusions and References

• Evil Dead: Evil Dead is a series of horror movies directed by Sam Raimi and starring Bruce Campbell, the movies are often referenced by horror directors and fans as one of the greatest uses of horror and comedy. It gained cult recognition and began Sam Raimi's career in the business. The main story involves five people accidentally unleashing demons in the woods.

Xander: Hey, Evil Dead, you're in my seat.

• The Hunchback of Notre Dame: The conversation that the girls have is about the novel The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo. The novel was about a misshapen, deformed bellringer named Quasimodo who falls in love with a gypsy named Esmeralda. Esmeralda, in turn, was in love with Judge Claude Frollo. There were several adaptations made of it, while Tara refers to the 1939 version which starred Charles Laughton, Buffy was talking about the 1996 animated Disney musical.

Willow: I just don't see why he couldn't have ended up with Esmeralda.

• The Ramones: The Ramones were, arguably, the first American punk band. They formed in the mid-1970s and gradually gained popularity and fame for their previously unheard of style of playing. Spike sings a bit of "I Wanna Be Sedated," a single off their 1978 album Road to Ruin.

Spike: I wanna be sedated...

• Queen of the Damned: Queen of the Damned is a novel written by Anne Rice as part of her Vampire Chronicles, which includes Interview With a Vampire. The Queen of the Damned is the oldest and most powerful of all vampires and was considered the mother of the vampire race. It was most recently adapted into a film staring Aaliyah.

Harmony: Now you've gone and picked up some cheap Queen Of The Damned to dress up like your precious Drood-zilla.

• The Addams Family: Morticia is a reference to the mother of the Addams Family, a cartoon created in 1932 by Charles Addams. The family went on to be adapted into various forms on television and into three movies. Harmony calling Drusilla "Moricia" works on a second level because Mercedes McNab was in the first two Addams Family movies.

Harmony: 'Cause Spikey don't play that game anymore, Morticia.

Memorable Moments

• Buffy telling Xander about Spike's love for her and slumping into the tape body outline on the train.
• Spike attempting to follow Buffy into her house only to slam into the invisible wall.

Quotes

• Xander: The point is, I work hard for that money.
  Spike: And you're saying I didn't?
  Xander: You stole it!
  Spike: And you're making it into very hard work!

• Buffy: Spike, the only time you had a chance with me was when I was unconscious.

Reviews

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