From The TV IV

Shadow is the eighth episode of the fifth season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the eighty-sixth episode overall, and heightens the treat of Joyce's mysterious illness. Meanwhile, Riley and Buffy grow further apart as he feels less and less in the loop and Glory attempts to find the key by conjuring a cobra creature.

Guest Stars: Amber Benson (Tara), Kristine Sutherland (Joyce), Clare Kramer (Glory), Charlie Weber (Ben), Kevin Weisman (Dreg), Megan Gray (Sandy), William Forward (Dr. Isaacs)

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

[edit] Plot Overview

[edit] Notes

[edit] Monster of the Week

• Cobra Creature: The cobra demon was transmogrified from a normal cobra and crafted into a giant, deadly monster by Glory in order to find the Key. The reason for this is that the Key can only be truly seen by someone of an altered state of mind (i.e. the mentally ill) or creatures like snakes.

[edit] Body Count

#	Whom	By Whom	How	Where
1	Sandy	Riley	Staked	Vampire Brothel
2	Snake Creature	Buffy	Choked	Outside Glory's Home

[edit] Arc Advancement

[edit] Happenings

[edit] Characters

• Joyce: Joyce's brain tumor is revealed in this episode.

[edit] Referbacks

• Graduation Day: At the end of the third season, the Mayor attempted to ascend into Godhood through a series of rituals performed at Sunnyvale High's graduation.

[edit] Trivia

[edit] The Show

• MacGuyverism: The stake that Riley uses to slay Sandy wasn't actually a stake but a wooden switchblade.

[edit] Behind the Scenes

[edit] Allusions and References

• Captain America: Captain America is a Marvel Comics character created in 1941 by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby. His original form was lost to obscurity after World War 2 ended and the patriotism that he was meant to inspire was no longer crucial. In the 1960s, however, he was revived in his current form, an man from a different era attempting to cope with modern times.

Xander: Captain America blowed it up real good!

• Aleister Crowley: Aleister Crowley was a mystic and sexual revolutionary who was well renouned for his allegedly Satanic lifestyle and his philosophies on mysticism and sex magick. The album referenced in the episode does not actually exist, but Crowley can be heard singing on a bootleg called "The Great Beast Speaks."

Giles: Aleister Crowley Sings? Um no, but we do have some rather nice whale sounds.

[edit] Memorable Moments

• Glory coming into the Magic Store and buying materials without anyone knowing who she is.
• Buffy chasing down the snake creature and choking it ala Leia in Return of the Jedi.

[edit] Quotes

• Xander: Am I right, Giles?
  Giles: I'm almost certain you're not, but to be fair, I wasn't listening.

• Anya: Are you stupid or something?
  Giles: Allow me to answer that question with a firing.
  Xander: She's kidding. An, we talked about the employee-employer vocabulary no-nos. That was number five.

• Buffy: How did she get away with this bad mojo stuff?
  Anya: Giles sold it to her.
  Giles: I didn't know it was her! I mean, how could I? If it's any consolation, I may have overcharged her.

[edit] Reviews

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