Buffy Logo 'Homecoming'
Story Code '3ABB05'

by David Greenwalt
Buffy

While Cordelia plans her campaign to win the crown of Homecoming Queen at the upcoming ‘Homecoming Dance’, Buffy visits Angel, who is recovering from his ordeal in Hell; she tells him about her relationship with Scott. However, later that day Scott breaks up with Buffy, complaining that she always seems to be distracted; Faith offers to go to the dance with Buffy instead. At City Hall, the arrival of some strangers in town is brought to the attention of the Mayor; these visitors are the guests of Mr. Trick, who has assembled a team of specialists, including Lyle Gorch and his new wife Candy, to take part in what he calls ‘Slayerfest 1998’ - a plan to rid himself of Buffy and Faith. Buffy is furious that she missed the yearbook photo session because of Cordelia’s thoughtlessness, and decides to run against her for the title of Queen, which puts Willow, Oz and Xander in a very awkward position. Later, when Willow and Xander try on their outfits for the dance, they end up kissing passionately. Buffy tries to enlist the aid of her friends in the planning of her campaign, but is upset when they tell her that Cordelia asked for their help first; Xander and Willow are consumed with guilt over their illicit kiss. That night, Buffy gets into the limousine she has ordered to take her to the Dance, but instead of Faith, she finds Cordelia sitting in the back. It seems that their friends have set the situation up as a way to get the two of them to talk, and have also left them corsages. But then the limo stops in the middle of nowhere, and Mr. Trick appears on an inbuilt television screen and tells them that this evening they are to be the prey. Buffy is concerned for Cordelia’s’ life, as Trick was expecting Faith, not her. The two girls take cover in a cabin, where they manage to make a phone call to the school library, leaving a message for Giles before being cut off. Taking advantage of the respite, Buffy tells Cordelia that she only wanted to be Queen so she could feel like she was something other than the Slayer. Suddenly they are attacked by a demon named Kulak and two German assassins, more participants in the ‘Slayerfest’. The girls manage to escape and head for the school library, but unknown to Buffy and Cordelia, Lyle and Candy Gorch have already knocked Giles unconscious and are lying in wait for them. Buffy manages to kill Candy, while an annoyed Cordelia is able to scare Lyle away. Meanwhile, the police take Trick away. Buffy and Cordelia realise that it was the German assassins who left the corsages, which conceal tracking devices; she and Cordelia turn the tables on the villains, using the corsages to trick them into shooting each other. At City Hall, Mr. Trick is brought before the Mayor, who informs him that children are important to him, but that the "rebellious element" must be controlled; he congratulates Trick on ‘Slayerfest’, and declares that the two of them are going to get along just fine. Back at Sunnydale High, a dishevelled-looking Cordelia and Buffy finally make it to the Homecoming Dance, just as the Queen is announced; unfortunately, it is a tie between two other candidates. Indignantly, Buffy and Cordelia walk out together.

Sarah Michelle Gellar (Buffy Summers), Nicholas Brendon (Xander Harris), Alyson Hannigan (Willow Rosenberg), Charisma Carpenter (Cordelia Chase), David Boreanaz (Angel), Seth Green (Oz), Anthony Stewart Head (Rupert Giles), K. Todd Freeman (Mr. Trick), Fab Filippo (Scott Hope), Harry Groener (Mayor Richard Wilkins III), Eliza Dushku (Faith), Jeremy Ratchford (Lyle Gorch), Ian Abercrombie (Germans' boss), Danny Strong (Jonathan), Jason Hall (Devon), Jack Plotnick (Deputy mayor), Billy Maddox (Frawley ), Joseph Daube (Hans), Jermyn Daube (Frederick), Lee Everett (Candy Gorch), Tori McPetrie (Michelle), Chad Stahelski (Kulak)
Directed by David Greenwalt

TX (US): 3rd November 1998
TX (UK - Sky One): 17th September 1999
TX (UK - BBC): 11th May 2000

Notes:
*Featuring Buffy, Xander, Willow, Giles, Oz, Cordelia, Faith and Angel