The Harvest (Buffy episode)
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| "The Harvest" (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) | |
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| Season 1, Episode 2 | |
| Air Date (US): | March 10 1997 |
| Production No.: | 4V02 |
| Written by: | Joss Whedon |
| Directed by: | John T. Kretchmer |
| Guest Star(s): | Mark Metcalf (The Master) David Boreanaz (Angel) Ken Lerner (Principal Flutie) Kristine Sutherland (Joyce Summers) Julie Benz (Darla) |
| Previous: Welcome to the Hellmouth | Next: The Witch |
"The Harvest" is the continuation of the first episode of the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
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Plot Outline
Episode 2 of season 1, "The Harvest", starts where the first episode "Welcome to the Hellmouth" left off: Buffy is in a stone coffin with the vampire Luke bent over her, about to kill her. But when he brushes the cross around her neck that Angel gave her, the pain drives him away.
Buffy runs out of the crypt and saves Xander and Willow from the vampires in the grave yard. Darla, however, has already taken Jesse away. She and Luke inform The Master that there is probably a Slayer in town. The Master correctly assumes that the Slayer will come to them and try to save Jesse, who is to be used as bait.
Giles and Buffy give Xander and Willow a brief introduction to the world of vampires, demons, and slayers, and Willow shows them her computer skills by accessing the city council's plans for Sunnydale's tunnel system. In a flashback, Buffy realizes that there must be an access to it in the crypt where she fought Luke. Xander is hurt that Buffy doesn't want him to help her, and when she leaves the school despite Principal Flutie's scolding to save Jesse, he follows her.
Just before she is about to descend into the tunnel system through the crypt, Buffy meets the dark stranger again, and learns his name: Angel. He tells her that he won't go down with her because he is very simply afraid, but does give her directions to The Master's lair. Only after she is out of earshot does he wish her luck.
Xander catches up with Buffy, and they both meet Jesse, who is a vampire himself by now and leads them into a trap. They barely escape, with Xander possibly saving Buffy's life when he pulls her out of a manhole. Back underground, The Master is unhappy about their escape, and punishes the vampire Collin by poking his eye out. Later he lets Luke drink from his blood, making him the "Vessel" — every soul Luke takes will give the Master more power to flee.
Giles figures out when and what the Harvest is. Buffy and Xander return after their unsuccessful rescue attempt. Giles explains the Master has been here for 60 years, that he wanted to open the "Hellmouth", a portal to a different dimension, but got stuck and is now hoping to escape with the help of the Vessel. To prevent the Master from escaping and opening the Hellmouth, they will have to kill Luke. Xander suggests that the vampires will be going to The Bronze.
On here way there, Buffy swings by her house to get weapons, and is promptly grounded by her mother, who has already been called by the Principal about Buffy skipping classes. Buffy grabs her weapons from a secret compartment of a chest and climbs out of the window the moment her mother has left the room.
In the Bronze, Luke and the other Master's henchmen burst in and start killing guests on stage, giving the Master more and more power with every death. Buffy arrives just when Cordelia is about to be next. In the fight, Xander holds the spike that Jesse is impaled on when a panicked guest bumps into him. Willow pours holy water on Darla just when she is about to bite Giles. Buffy finally stakes Luke after using his stupidity against him, confining the Master for another century. The other vampires flee. Outside the Bronze, Angel sees the vampires run and concludes that Buffy has actually managed to defeat them — "I'll be damned" is his comment.
The next morning, Cordelia tries to tell the story, but nobody can really remember too clearly what has happened, except that it somehow involved Buffy. Giles warns the others that they will be called upon again to save the Earth, which they accept more lightheartedly than he would like.
Importance
(This has been covered in the first part, "Welcome to the Hellmouth")
Writing and Acting
"The Harvest" fleshes out the characters that were left rather stereotype in the first part. We are shown how Buffy, for all her talk about not wanting to get kicked out of school and determination to have a normal life, defies both the principal and her mother, skips classes to help even "potential" friends like Jesse and stop evil. This core character trait will surface again and again, even when she has lost her memory as in "Tabula Rasa" or is reduced to Neandertal intelligence in "Beer Bad".
Buffy shows a tendency to give gory details about slaying in this episode while later she tends to be very reluctant to burden her friends with any aspect of her calling.
Willow and Xander are shown rising to the challenge of helping the Slayer: Xander goes with Buffy to try to save Jesse, Willow sticks up for Buffy against none other than her tormentress Cordelia in computer class, and both fight the vampires to the best of their abilities. Giles remains the most stereotyped character after the first two episodes and will stay that way until his history as "Ripper" is fully revealed in "The Dark Age".
Quotes and Trivia
"The Slayer hunts vampires. Buffy is a Slayer. Don't tell anyone." — Giles giving Xander and Willow the Scooby crash course.
"Besides, it's this or chem class" — Xander giving a reason for hunting vampires most teens can relate to.
"My soul is your soul." — The Master to Luke, either speaking metaphorically or committing a continuity error.
"The Earth is doomed" — Giles comment about the Scoobies' attitude. He will make a similar statement before the final battle in the last episode "Chosen".
In a fine show of nerd revenge, Willow convinces Cordelia in computer class that the DEL ("delete") key is actually to "deliver" the program to her teacher.
This is the first episode where the "Hellmouth" is actually mentioned, though the first episode carried the word in its name and Angel spoke of a "mouth of hell".
Cast and Crew
- David Boreanaz as Angel
- Nicholas Brendon as Xander Harris
- Sarah Michelle Gellar as Buffy Summers
- Alyson Hannigan as Willow Rosenberg
- Anthony Stewart Head as Rupert Giles
- Kristine Sutherland as Joyce Summers
- Written by: Joss Whedon
- Director: John Kretchmer
Other Languages
German title: "Die Zeit der Ernte" ("The Time of Harvest")
External Links
- BBC episode guide to The Harvest (http://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/buffy/indetail/harvest/)