Earshot Transcript - 1/3
Buffy running thru park in red jacket with two “Go Fish” looking creatures
(except tan in color) chasing her. She trips and falls, gets up, and engages
in hand-to-hand.
Buffy: “You demons cant resist a run & stumble can you?”
Buffy catches a knife thrown by one of the creatures, turns, and stabs the
other, who she had just thrown on top of the picnic table. It’s dead, with a
gooey, white liquid seeping from the wound. She turns in time to see the
creature who threw the knife running away.
Buffy: “One down, one gone.”
Pan down to Buffy's hand. A strange tattoo-like image appears on the back of
her hand and slowly fades away. She doesn't notice it.
Fade to opening credit
Outside of school cuts to Buffy and Willow entering library
Willow: “So scabby demon got away?”
Buffy: “Scabby demon number two got away. Scabby demon number one, big
check in the slay column.”
Willow: “I don’t like this no mouth thing, its disquieting.”
Buffy: “Well, no mouth means no teeth...unless they have them somewhere
else.”
Xander, Oz are sitting at the library table, with Giles standing near them.
Giles: “Here we go, we've been researching the mayor’s forthcoming
ascension.”
Oz: “It’s pretty riveting stuff.”
Buffy: “what do we know?”
Xander: What don’t we know! tell her Giles.”
Giles: “Based upon the supposed date, graduation day, and the mayor being
impervious
to harm, I’ve cross-referenced...”
Xander (interrupting): “He’s a cross referencing fool.”
Giles (giving Xander his disapproving look): “...and I’ve eliminated several
possibilities.
It’s not the ritual slaying of the demon Azareth or the....(pauses).......I
don’t know what’s going happen.”
Oz: “That was sort of an anticlimax.”
Buffy: “We don’t know anything? The whole fake Angel thing was for nothing?
Giles: “No...no..no, umm, if nothing else, Angel’s charade has brought
Faith’s
treachery into the open and this information on the ascension will prove
useful
eventually, I just need to put it together.”
Pan down to Buffy scratching at her hand.
Wesley enters looking dapper as ever.
Wesley: “Terribly sorry, I was detain. Official counsel business. Mr.
Giles, you were speaking?”
Giles: “I was just filling Buffy in on my progress regarding the research of
the asencion.”
Wesley (snidely): “What took up the rest of the minute?”
Giles (after brief pause): “Touche. Of course, my work is unofficial. I’m
sure, however, with the resources of the counsel at your disposal, you will
have something to add.”
Wesley: “Well, I’m please to state, with certainty, the demon Azareth, will
not only be involved...”
The whole gang, minus Giles, simultaneously gets up and heads out of the
library, leaving Wesley standing at the head of the table.
Wesley (to no one in particular) “...I'm sure well find out more soon.”
Giles (sarcastically): “The demon Azareth??”
Cut to Buffy and Willow in the school hallway at Willow’s locker.
Willow: “So, have you talk to Angel lately?”
Buffy: “Not really. Seeing him bad, even pretend bad, and Faith...”
Willow: “He only kissed her for the greater good.”
Buffy: “I don’t know. To the naked eye it looked like fun. Or maybe it
wasn't. Maybe
he wasn't even tempted. I just wish I could be sure.”
Willow: “As always, I advise you to ask.”
Buffy: “Think he’d tell me?”
Voice in the hall: “Hogan!!”
Cut to Percy walking towards Willow and Buffy with Hogan, who, like Percy, is
wearing
a letterman's jacket.
Passerby: “Great game man.”
Xander joins Willow and Buffy.
Xander (with disdain): “Hogan Martin thinks he’s soooo hot. Like we should
all be awed
by him just cause he can put a ball in the net.”
Hogan: “Hey Xander.”
Xander (to Buffy and Willow, genuinely excitedly): “He said my name! He knows
my
name!”
Percy: “Hey Willow. Hey.”
Willow: “Hi.”
Percy: “Ummm, look, I can’t make the study session after school. Ummm, can
we do it
5th period?”
Willow: “OK. Did you finish the reading?”
Percy: “Most of it.”
Willow (in schoolteacher, unapproving-type voice): “Percy.”
Percy (sheepishly): “I’ll finish it at lunch.”
Willow: “That’s my little trooper.”
Hogan (to Willow): “I don’t know what you’re doing to him. I actually heard
him
complete a sentence. It had a clause and everything.”
Percy: “You’re watching the game, right?”
Willow: “Would’nt miss it!”
Xander (as Hogan and Percy turn to leave): “See ya Hogan.”
Buffy and Willow are alone again.
Buffy: “You're going to the game? I didn't know you liked basketball.”
Willow: “I didn't either. But, I really started getting into it. Especially
now that we're in
the championship. It’s so exciting. Too bad you’re patrolling...we’re all
going. Oz,
Xander, everybody.”
Willow turns off to head to class.
Buffy (aloud, to herself): “Right, everyone who isn't currently Buffy.”
Buffy scratches her hand again.
Cut to Buffy in the library with Giles.
Giles: “You touched one of the demons?”
Buffy: “A good touch, not a bad touch. Anyway its been itching like crazy.
No big, just
another problem for the good people at Lubriderm, right?”
Giles, who has been flipping through a book, finds a picture of the demon,
Giles: “This the demon in question?”
Buffy: “In the disgusting flesh.”
Giles: “hmmn”
Buffy: “What?”
Giles: “It says it can infect the host.”
Buffy: “Infect? Infect?.....(getting no response from Giles, who still has
his head in the
book) GILES!”
Giles(off in bookland): “hmmm.”
Buffy: “...INFECT!?!”
Giles: “Oh. Umm, ‘infects the host with an aspect of the demon.’ That’s
all
it says.”
Buffy: “An aspect of the demon?”
Giles: “It’s rather terse isn’t it?”
Buffy: “You mean like a part of it?”
Giles: “There could be any number of explanations for your hand. uhh, uhh,
a
new fabric
softener can cause irritation. In any case, I would advise not to attempt to
track the one
that got away. Let’s minimize your exposure.”
Buffy: “Part of the Demon? Hope its not the outside part.”
Cut to the school quad. Cordy and the other cheerleaders are leading a rally
for the
Basketball team.
Cheerleaders: “H-O-G-A-N is Hogan! Go Hogan!!! (cheers from the crowd)
Pan to the gang sitting on a bench nearby.
Buffy: “Is it just me or is this really lame?”
Oz: “I don’t know. I usually enjoy lameness, but this is leaving me kinda
cold.”
Willow (reading the school newspaper): “Well, according to Freddy’s latest
editorial,
‘the pep rally is a place for pseudo prostitutes to provoke men into a sexual
frenzy, which,
when thwarted, results in pointless athletic competition.’”
Xander: “And the downside being?”
Willow: “The school paper is edging on depressing lately, you guys notice
that?”
Oz: “I don’t know. I always go straight to the obits.”
Willow (seeing buffy feeling the back of her head): “What are you doing,
Buffy?”
Buffy (worriedly): “Nothing. checking for horns!”
Buffy and Willow stand up and stroll a short distance away, leaving Oz and
Xander on the
bench.
Willow(trying to cheer Buffy up): “Ahh, you know Buffy, I don’t think Giles
is right
about you becoming like a demon....he’s totally burnt. You know, dealing with
Faith, and
this ascension thing. Between you and me, he’s not doing his best work.”
Buffy: “What if he is right. I’m suddenly gonna grow this demon part. We
don’t even
know what it is. It could be claws....or scales (notices willow eyes go
wide)
What???
Willow (worriedly): “Was it a boy demon???”
Cut to Oz and Xander watching Cordy and the cheerleaders.
Xander (approvingly): “They really are very good.”
Oz: “Their spelling has improved.”
Xander: “You know Oz, I look at all this beauty, and these health young
woman and I
wonder why I ever wasted my time on Cordelia. I mean, look at her....she’s no
better
looking then the rest of them.”
Oz: “None of them are really my...”
Xander (interrupting when he sees Wesley walking by and looking at Cordelia):
“Oh my
god!! He’s looking at her! He’s got his filthy, adult, pierce-brosny eyes
all
over my
Cordy!”
Oz: “You’re a very complex man, aren’t you?”
Cut back to Willow and Buffy
Buffy: “It’s just, I’m scared Will. There’s this thing in me and I can’t
find it. I can’t
stop it. What if it changes me. Not just the way I look. All of a sudden I
could be
something that’s not me anymore.”
Willow (initially looking to her right, away from Buffy): “Woo Hoo!!!
..Sorry they
spelled Percy, and, and, and, I have to show support - he’s needy. But, but I
heard what
you were saying, really. And, and I would be frightened too, but I’m sure
you’re gonna be
ok.”
Cut to buffy walking on sidewalk at that night. She stops and looks in her
compact mirror
Buffy (woefully, to herself): “Still got a mouth.”
Angel appears behind her and startles her.
Angel: “Sorry.”
Buffy (somewhat sarcastically): “Oh, its OK. I didn’t see you, so I should
have known
you were there. What are you doing here.”
Angel: “It’s a dangerous time. You know, with Faith.”
Buffy: “Yeah...Faith. She...well, what can you say about her.”
Angel: “I just want to make sure you're OK, safe?”
Buffy: “And the fact you're right here...does that mean Faith’s around? Are
you keeping
me safe by tracking me, or are you tracking her?”
Angel: “I’m tracking you. Something's bothering you.”
Buffy (softening from her somewhat sarcastic tone): “A lot of things. The
most recent
being this demon. Actually two. I touched one of them and now I'm gonna get
a case of
the bumpies, or a tail, or something.”
Angel: “An aspect of the demon.”
Buffy: “You know the drill.”
Angel: “By rumor. That doesn't mean anything. I mean, sometimes demons
exaggerate
their power.”
Buffy: “Demon hype. Maybe not. I spend all my time in the dark here
anyway.
It’s not
like I would be at a game with all my friends where anyone could see and my
new
monster
part.”
Angel (comfortingly): “Hey, I wont let anything happen to you if I can help
it. No matter
what, I’ll always be with you. Hey I’ll love you even if you’re covered in
slime.”
Buffy: “I liked everything until that part.”
Cut to the next morning at school. Willow, Oz and Xander are excitedly
entering the
lounge area of school (ok, Oz is not excited).
Willow: “Could you believe it? Right at the buzzer, three points for the
win!”
Oz: “It was intense.”
Xander: “Yeah for a minute I thought you were gonna make an expression.”
Oz: “I felt one coming on, I won’t lie.”
Willow: “I’ve never see anyone jump like Hogan Martin. They should call him
‘The
Jumper.’”
Xander: “Or a name that isn’t an article of woman’s clothing. Hey, remember
when...
Willow: “shhhsh”
Buffy approaches the gang.
Buffy: “Hmmm quietness. We either lost or we won and you don’t want me to
feel bad.”
Willow: “Um, yeah...it, it wasn’t really a good game.”
Xander: “Yeah, tall hoops, with thin, tall guys. What's the point?”
Oz: “Pretty dull.”
Cordelia (who just happens to be passing by): “Are you guys crazy. It was
an
incredible
game. I’ve never cheered so hard in my life. I still have knee marks on my
back.
The gang gives Cordy a collective “huh” look.
Cordelia (rolling her eyes): “From the pyramid.”
Willow: “Yeah, well, I still bet patrolling is way better because, wow,
important.”
Buffy: “Well, I thought I saw a four-legged demon, but it was just a dog.”
Oz: “A weredog?”
Buffy: “Regular.”
Xander: “Tough luck.”
{{For thoughts that Buffy is hearing, I will offset with \\. Remember, only
Buffy can hear
them.}}
Xander: \\I wonder if she and Wesley have kissed.\\
Buffy: “It really bugs you huh?”
Xander: “What?”
Buffy: “Cordelia and Wesley, smooching.”
Xander: “Man, you read my mind.”
Cut to Buffy walking down the school hallway, in her own world. She bumps
into
a
teacher.
Mr. Begella: “Whoa there. You watch where you’re going now.”
Buffy: “I’m sorry Mr. Begella.”
Mr. Begella: \\Students! If we could just get rid of all the students.\\
As Buffy walks down the hall, she hears numerous thoughts...
Geeky Male student: \\Wait til I’m a sophomore jillionaire and you're all
flipping burgers.
Whose the loser then...\\
Female student: \\‘Maybe I’ll take French, I said. How hard can it be, French
babies learn
it.’ IDIOT!’\\
Male student with baggy pants hanging off him: \\I swear someday my pants are
gonna fall
right off...\\
Another male student: \\Buffy is so beautiful. I mean, look at that body.
(Buffy smirks, and
pauses in front of him) God, I would love to shove her against that locker
right now, and
oooh..... (Buffy quickly scampers away.\\
Cut to Buffy talking to Giles in the library
Buffy: “Is this the thing? The aspect thing? Because I have to say if it
is, it is way better
than a tail. I mean, I have a hard enough time finding jeans that fit right..”
Giles: “Buffy, slow down. I’m not even convinced that this is genuine mind
reading.
Your, your most likely projecting your...”
Buffy (interrupting): “When I walked in a few minutes ago, you thought ‘Look
at her
shoes. If a fashion magazine told her to, she’d wear cats strapped to her
feet.”
Giles: “I, umm..” \\The demons are telepathetic. I should have known
that’s
why they
didn’t need mouths. Of course, the demons are telepathic!\\
Buffy: “I know you just told me. That’s why they don’t need mouths. And you
should’ve known.”
Giles: “This is astounding.”
Buffy: “It was happening out in the hallway. Principal Snyder has Walk Like
an Egyptian
stuck in his head. And the boys of this school are seriously disturbed. It’s
weird, but
Giles, think about, think what I could do.”
Giles: “It could be very useful. You could anticipate your opponents every
move. You
could turn its plans against him.”
Buffy: “Oh, way better than!”
Cut to Buffy in a Literature class. Willow is seated to her right, with
Xander
behind her.
Nancy, an annoying know-it-all, is to Buffy’s left.
Buffy: “Jealousy!”
Ms Murray (the teacher): “Buffy. Right, Very good.”
Nancy (condascendingly): \\I knew that.\\
Ms. Murray: “Jealousy’s merely the tool that yago uses to undo Othello.. But
what is his
motivation? What reason does Iago give for destroying his superior officer?”
Nancy: \\Cassio has my place. Twix my sheets, he’s done my office.\\
Buffy (reading Nancy’s thoughts): “Well, he was passed over for promotion.
Cassio was
picked instead, and people were saying that Othello slept with his wife.”
Willow: \\Buffy did the reading? Buffy understood the reading?\\ (getting
glance from
Buffy)
Xander: \\When did she study? Was I supposed to study? Ms. Murray’s kinda
hot!\\
Nancy: \\I was gonna say Cassio. I hate her.\\
Ms. Murray: “Any other reason?”
Nancy (quickly, to beat Buffy): “Race!”
Ms. Murray: “Umm, good Nancy. Can’t overlook that.”
Boy sitting to Willow’s right, Freddy Iverson: \\Look at them, scrambling
for
the teacher’s
praise like pigeons thrown bread crusts.\\
Buffy: “Will, whose that guy?”
Willow: “That’s Freddy Iverson. He writes those editorials for the school
newspaper.
He’s sorta tonic(?I couldn’t understand what she said?)”
Freddy: \\Bread crusts. That’s deep. I should write that down.\\
Ms. Murray: “Is there something else at work here?”
Buffy: “Well, he, umm, he sorta admits himself that his motives
are.....spurious? He,
umm, he, uh, does things because he, uh, enjoys them. It’s like he’s not a
person. He’s
like, he’s the dark half of Othello himself.”
At which the entire class simultaneously gives a blank stare to Buffy.
Ms. Murray: “Buffy! Really very astute. I said something quite like that
in
my
dissertation.”
Buffy: “I know. I mean, I agree, with that.”
Ms. Murray: “Yes, and doesn’t that also explain Othello’s readiness to
believe Iago.
Within seconds, he turns on Desdemona. He believes she’s been unfaithful.
Were all like
that. We all have our little internal Iago’s that tell us our husbands, or
girlfriends, or
whatever, don’t really love us. But you never really see what’s in someone’s
heart...”
Fade to Buffy entering Angel’s mansion. As she enters, a ray of sunlight
almost hits
Angel.
Buffy: “Oooh, sorry. Sorry for the day-time. I just ducked out of school
and that’s
when they have it. Umm ....you look good. I mean, I, I know I saw you last
night, but
sometimes things can change really quick, I mean really quick. Listen to me..
I’m talking
like Faith....not that she was bad to have around....you know, before the
evil.
You know I
think she was hurting alot. And some people, protective type people, might be
drawn to
that, I guess. Well, the thing about Faith...”
Angel (interrupting): “You can’t get into my mind.”
Buffy: “How did you....Why not?”
Angel: “It’s like the mirror. The thoughts are there, but they cast no
reflection in you.
You got your aspect of the demon.”
Buffy: “Yeah, Giles doesn’t know how long it’s gonna last. Its OK, a little
headachy,
but..”
Angel (interrupting): “You don’t have to play games with me Buffy, ever..”
Buffy: “Well, you’re not exactly “Joe-Here’s-What-I’m-Thinking.’”
Angel: “So, ask me.”
Buffy: “Oh, but that would’a made sense.”
Angel: “What do you want to know about? Faith? How I felt kissing her,
pretending to
have no soul? Watching you suffer?”
Buffy: “Well, since you bring it up...”
Angel: “I hated hurting you, more than I could stand.”
Buffy: “Look the thing about Faith, I’d understand. She has, you know,
that
whole bad
girl thing working for her.”
Angel: “Kissing her meant nothing. I don’t want a bad girl I’ve done that
before. I’ve
lived a long time Buffy, and I’m past that. I’ve been with dozens of girls
like her. More.”
Buffy: “Ohh, this honesty stuff is funnn.”
Angel: “I mean, there’s no comparison. In 243 years, I’ve loved exactly one
person.”
Buffy: “Ohhh....it is me right?
Angel: “Next time, just ask.”
Buffy: “OK”
Angle: “And Buffy, be careful with this gift. A lot of things that seem
strong and good
and powerful, they can be painful.”
Buffy: “Like, say, immortality?”
Angel: “Yeah, I’m dying to get rid of that.”
Buffy: “Funny”
Angel: “I’m a funny guy.”
Cut to liabary where Willow, Oz, Xander, Giles, Cordelia, Buffy and Wesley are
gathered
around the table.
Xander: “She can read our minds? Our every impulse and fantasy?”
Buffy: “Every one.”
Xander: \\Oh god\\
Cordelia: \\I don’t see what this has to do with me.\\ “I don’t see what
this
has to do with
me.”
Willow: “Well, I think its great. Right? I mean you enjoy your other
slayer powers.”
Buffy: “Yeah, it will be fun, and did you see Nancy Doyle’s face in english
class today?!”
Willow: “Yeah..” \\She’s hardly even human anymore. How can I be her
friend
now?
She doesn’t need me...\\
Buffy: “No, I do need you!”
Cordelia: “OK. What are you talking about? Because you are soooo creepy
right now.”
Giles: “Ummm, I think there must be some precedent for occurrences such as
this.
Wesley, can you give me a hand?”
Wesley: “Of course. Where do you think we should start?”
Oz: \\I am my thoughts. If they exist in her, Buffy contains everything
that
is me and she
becomes me and I cease to exist.\\ “Hmm.”
Xander: \\What am I gonna do? I think about sex all the time. Sex! Help! 4
times 5 is 30.
5 times 6 is 32. Naked girls! Naked woman! Naked Buffy! Oh, stop me!\\
Buffy: “God Xander! Is that all you think about?!”
Xander: “Actually.....bye!”
Xander runs from the library.
Wesley: “Xander has just illustrated something. Chances are you will all be
thinking
what you least want Buffy to hear. It’s a question, of course, of mental
discipline.”
Giles: “He’s right.”
Wesley: \\Look at Cordelia. No don’t look at Cordelia! She’s a student.
Oh, I’m a bad
man. I’m a bad, bad man!\\ “Excuse me.”
Wesley exits into Giles’ office.
Willow: “What’s it like Buffy?”
Buffy: “I don’t know. Its’ a little weird. But, look, please don’t for a
second think that I
don’t need you, because I do. I want to share this with you. It’s like all
these doors are
opening to all these little worlds, and I can just walk right inside...”
Oz: \\No one else exists either. Buffy is all of us. We think therefore she
exists.\\
Willow: \\She knows so much. She knows what Oz is thinking! I never know
that!
Before long, she’ll know him better than I do!\\
Buffy: “No, don’t think that.”
Willow: “I can’t help it Buffy. I’m sorry I just can’t.”
Willow exits library.
Oz: “If you don’t need me, I’m gonna follow the red-head.”
Oz exits the library.
Buffy (to Giles and Cordelia): “Guess I won’t be writing that book, ‘Gaining
Friends
Through Telethapy’.”
Cordelia: \\Whatever. I wonder when I can go.\\
Cordelia: “Whatever. Can I go ?”
Wesley (who is sticking his head around the corner): “Excuse me. Can you
hear me
thinking in here? I can go out into the hall...”
Buffy: “You know what, you stay. I’m getting a headache.”
Buffy exits. Fade to Buffy walking down the crowded hallway. She hears
numerous
thoughts that start to all run together:
\\She is soo hot!
I hate my body.
No one is ever gonna love me.