BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER SEASON 2 EPISODE 16: BEWITCHED, BOTHERED AND BEWILDERED

Welcome to the episode of Buffy the vampire Slayer that every teenage boy who watched it remember. The episode where Xander gets every girl in town to fall hopelessly in love with him. The greatest dream he could have. Until it the greatest nightmare. Xander learns that hard way that actions have consequences and that revenge never works out the way you hope. It was written by the incredible Marti Noxon and directed by James A. Contner. 
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The episode starts off with Xander showing Buffy a neckless he bought Cordelia for Valentines day. Buffy in turn makes it clear that she thinks he could do better. She's not a fan of Cordy. Xander points out that this is his first real valentines date and he just wants it to go well. 

Their heartfelt moment is ruined when Buffy is forced to go to work and take out a newly awaken vampire. The next day at school, Cordy learns that her standing has dropped thanks to her relationship with Xander. Harmony, her number one lackey, now talks down on her. Something that crushes her. 

Meanwhile in class, while Willow is bragging about Oz being her boyfriend and being in the band to a heartbroken Buffy, who is still dealing with losing Angel, Xander catches Amy using witchcraft on the teacher to get out of turning in homework. He tries to tell the girls, but they are interrupted by Giles who wishes to speak to Buffy alone. Blowing off Jenny in the process. It's clear that neither he, nor Buffy, have forgiven her. 

On the other side of town, Angelus shows off by getting Dru a gift and making Spike feel like a loser. Being in a wheelchair isn't helping him much. He tries to get under Angelus skin, but that's not an easy thing to manage. 

Buffy is at home with her mom when a gift is left for her. Her mom is the one who finds the roses with a card. Back at the bronze Xander makes his move to give Cordy her gift, not long after Harmony and the other girls once again hurt her feelings. He gives her the gift, she loves it, even loves how he is dressed up. Alas, that's not even for a girl who is just starting to come out from her shallow world. She breaks up with him. Crushing his heart. You can tell that she doesn't want to do it, but she feels trapped. Like she has no other choice. Xander is pissed, but it comes more from hurt than real anger. He really cared about Cordy and she just tossed him aside. He tried to talk to Buffy but she blew him off and Harmony made him feel even worse about himself.

So Xander does the only thing he can do. He hunts down Amy, confronts her and blackmails her into helping him. He wants a love spell, Amy tells him that it's the hardest spell. He tells her that he doesn't want Cordy forever. He just wants her under a love spell so that he can break up with her and hurt her. Amy agrees, but she needs a personal object. 

Buffy gives the message to Giles. All it says is soon. She demands Giles tells her everything he knows. Elsewhere in school, Xander confronts Cordelia and demands the locket back. She lies and says it is in her locker, but it's not. She is wearing it. He clearly meant a lot to her as well. This part is so heartbreaking. I really like them together!

That night Amy does the spell, using the locket. No part of this is moral or even acceptable, but heartbreak and fear of being exposed makes you do crazy things. The next morning Xander walks up to Cordelia, who is back with her group of friends. She wastes no time in insulting Xander. She clearly is not over the moon in love with him. She cuts him down and he leaves heartbroken. 

In the library Giles is reading Buffy all of Angelus greatest hits on valentines day. He nailed a puppy to a wall. Great great. Giles leaves to get more books while Buffy asks Xander out on a date, even offering to give him a lap dance if he plays his cards right. She's really happy that he broke up with Cordy. After all, she is really seeing him for the first time right now. Just as they are about to kiss, Amy comes in and interrupts them. She tells Xander the spell doesn't work and that they could try it again.  He says no, so she asks him out. He starts to notice that something is wrong. Made all the more clear by more women coming and asking him out. He takes off, leaving them alone and heads home. Where he hopes to be safe. 

Doesn't really work out. Seeing as Willow is in his bed, wearing nothing but his shirt. He tries to tell her what is happening, but she isn't listening to him. She is throwing herself at him. She even starts to kiss on him, he rejects her and flees from the room in fear for his life. 

Harmony and the other girls are once again pissed at Cordelia, this time for breaking up with Xander. It seems that every girl in school is in love with him. Every girl that is, but for Cordelia. The one girl he intended to make fall in love with him. 

He makes it to the library and tells Giles everything. As he tries to explain it, Jenny shows up to make amends with Giles. The whole time she starts to hit on Xander. Giles pulls her away and tells him off. Giles orders him to stay in the library and he pulls Jenny out of the room. Leaving Xander alone. He attempts to block the door, only he doesn't do it right and in enters. . .

Buffy in a rain coat. Looking all kinds of sexy. She says all the right things. She is all but impossible to resist. But Xander does. Which only leads to her getting pissed off. A pissed off slayer is not a good thing. It never ends well. 

Before she can hurt him, Amy shows up and turns her into a rat. Giles and Jenny show up seconds later, only to find that Buffy is now a rat. Xander demands that she turns her back while Giles looks for Buffy and Jenny and Amy fight over him. 

Harmony and the other girls show up to beat the shit out of Cordy. They have to defend Xander's honor after all. In the library, Giles takes charge. Putting the girls in their place. Just as Xander is about to catch Buffy, Oz shows up and hits him. Knocking him down hard. Buffy escapes. It seems Willow was upset all night. Oz helps Xander up, who explains that Buffy is now a rat. He sends Xander away, while he tries to undo the spell with the girls and has Oz try to find Buffy. Giles is not at all happy with Xander. Can't help but feel bad for him. Or at least I do. 

As Xander leaves school he find Cordy being attacked. He jumps in and saves her. Or at least tries to. ​

Outside the school he finds Willow and a bunch of other girls ready to kill him if he won't be with them. He is saved by Harmony and the other girls who love him. The two of them take off running. They end up at Buffy's house, where Joyce lets them in. She send Cordy to get bandages.