Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Pangs
From The TV IV
| Pangs | |
| Season 4, Episode 8 | |
| Airdate | November 23, 1999 |
| Production Number | 4ABB08 |
| Writer(s) | Jane Espenson |
| Director(s) | Michael Lange |
| The Initiative | Something Blue |
| Buffy the Vampire Slayer — Season Four | |
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Pangs is the eighth episode of the fourth season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and the sixty-fourth episode overall.
Starring: Sarah Michelle Gellar (Buffy Summers), Nicholas Brendon (Xander Harris), Alyson Hannigan (Willow Rosenberg), James Marsters (Spike)
And: Anthony Stewart Head (Giles)
Guest Starring: Marc Blucas (Riley Finn), Mercedes McNab (Harmony Kendall), Emma Caulfield (Anya), Leonard Roberts (Forrest Gates), Bailey Chase (Graham Miller), Tod Thawley (Hus)
And: David Boreanaz (Angel)
Co-Starring: Margaret Easley (Curator), William Vogt (Jamie), Mark Ankeny (Dean Guerrero)
Contents |
Plot Overview
Notes
Monster of the Week
When Xander falls into the old Sunnydale mission, he accidentally releases Hus, the avenging spirit of the Chumash people. The Chumash were a peaceful indigenous tribe that populated Sunnydale until colonists found their way to California. The Europeans committed a variety of atrocities which ended in total genocide.
Hus's powers are all connected to the atrocities committed against his people. He gives Xander a cocktail of disease which includes syphilis, malaria and smallpox (just as the natives were given in a European mission), he cuts off the anthropology professor's ear and hangs a man whose family dates back to the Chumash's time. He also takes the form of animals, a common ability among Native American spirits.
When he and the other spirits attack, the only thing that stops them is attacking with their own weapons. When Hus is killed, the others disappear.
Body Count
| # | Whom | By Whom | How | Where |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vampire | Buffy | Staked | UC Sunnydale |
| 2 | Curator | Hus | Throat Cut | Her Office |
| 3 | Person | Vampire | Bitten | Warehouse |
| 4 | Father Gabriel | Hus | Hanged | Church |
| 5 | Chumash Spirit | Angel | Neck Snapped | Giles' House |
| 6 | Chumash Spirit | Angel | Axed | Giles' House |
| 7 | Hus | Buffy | Stabbed | Giles' House |
Music
Arc Advancement
Happenings
- Vampire Lore: Spike explains that when a vampire doesn't feed, they become walking skeletons. They apparently can't die from hunger, but Spike indicates that it is very unpleasant.
Characters
Referbacks
- 3x22 - Graduation Day (2): Angel decided that it was in everyone's best interests if he left Sunnydale for good. He feared that his relationship with Buffy would inevitably lead to him turning evil again (something which he vehemently denies he has become in this episode). He has since set up shop as a private investigator in Los Angeles.
- Willow: All this "leaving for her own good garbage."
- Angel 1x01 - City Of: Angel unexpectedly ran into Cordelia at a party and wound up saving her from a vampire who prays on young would-be actresses and models looking for a big break. Since then, she's been employed as his secretary for the detective business.
Trivia
The Show
- Crossover: Angel's appearance in this episode follows a vision that Doyle received which he interpreted as Buffy being in trouble in Bachelor Party. The story continues to spill over into I Will Remember You, which followed this episode in its original airing.
Behind the Scenes
- International: Buffy the Vampire Slayer has been dubbed into many different languages and the title translated for each different international version. Some international translations of this episode's title are:
- French: "L'esprit vengeur" ("The Vengeful Spirit")
- Italian: "Crampi" ("Cramps")
- German: "Der Geist der Chumash" ("The Spirit of the Chumash")
- Spanish: "Angustia" ("Anguish")
