BLOOD TIES; Dawnie learns the truth

[Saturn 5]

BLOOD TIES
The Good;
Dawn's ep first and foremost and she really comes into her own here. Very touching scenes, especially with the Summers girls and Dawn's memories, precious to her but she knows they were created. The battle with Glory is also great and I defy anyone to say they knew Ben was Glory?
The Bad;
?
Best line;
Buffy; "Summer's blood', how important that will be!
Women good/men bad;
Jeez!;
Glory killing the security guard
Kinky dinky;
Anya tells the gang about her and Xander playing dress up, I get Xander being a fireman but a shepherd? Spike thinks the only way monks can justify giving up girls is if they're protecting something. Anya says that Xander 'Needs help with his thing'. More Glory-Buffy-Dawn subtext with Dawn saying that Glory is prettier than Buffy. Glory thinks that knights have a 'fear of intimacy'. Buffy likes her presents 'more frilly, less killy' with a girly dress. Giles apparently has 'one just like it'. Spike refers to Dawn as a 'hormone bomb' and Glory as a 'skank'.
Captain Subtext;
Dawn self-harms, once again Buffy using a magical metaphor for a very real and serious social problem. Anya thinks Dawn is very pretty. The little look that Buffy and Joyce share when she hugs Dawn at the party is priceless. Buffy intends to start a new tradition of 'birthdays without boyfriends' which Tara and Willow approve off. Spike paints his nails. When looking for Dawn Buffy and Spike patrol together for the first time.
More Glory-Buffy-Dawn; Glory changes in front of Dawn. She wonders if Ben is being 'naughty' with Dawn? (Yeesh! But she is a hellgod so we shouldn't be suprised). She strokes Dawn's hair (in the same way Joyce and Buffy do) but then spanks her breasts and hauls her away. She also refers to Dawn as a 'fox' and 'sugar and spice' and asks if Ben was giving her a look at 'Glory's unmentionables'? She likes Buffy's shoes. She refers to Spike as Buffy's boyfriend which she's almost too quick to deny.
Guantanamo Bay;
Glory tortures the Knight
Scoobies to the ER;
Buffy get's stabbed with the crowbar but seem ok.
Missing scenes;
Apocalypses; 5,
Wheldon Cliches (with kind permission from Boo)

Scoobies in bondage:
Buffy: 8
Giles: 4
Cordy: 5
Will: 3
Jenny: 1
Angel: 4
Oz: 1
Faith: 3
Joyce: 1
Wes: 1
Xander; 1
Dawn; 1

Scoobies knocked out:
Buffy: 16
Giles: 10
Cordy: 6
Xander: 8
Will: 5
Jenny: 2
Angel: 6
Oz: 3
Faith: 1
Joyce: 3
Wes: 1
Anya;1
Kills:
Buffy: 94 vamps, 32 demons, 6 monsters, 3 humans, 1 werewolf, 1 spirit warrior & a robot
Giles: 5 vamps, 1 demon
Cordy: 3 vamps, ½ a demon
Will: 6 vamps
Angel: 3 vamps, 1 demon, 1 human
Oz: 3 vamps, 1 zombie
Faith: 16 vamps, 5 demons, 3 humans
Xander: 5 vamps, 2 zombies, ½ a demon, ½ a demon
Anya: ½ a demon
Riley; 18 vamps + 7 demons

Scoobies go evil:
Giles: 1
Cordy: 1
Will: 2
Jenny: 1
Angel: 1
Oz: 1
Joyce: 1
Xander: 3

Alternate scoobies:
Buffy: 6
Giles: 3
Cordy: 1
Will: 2
Jenny: 2
Angel: 3
Oz: 2
Joyce: 2
Xander: 3

Recurring characters killed: 9
Jesse, Flutie, Jenny, Kendra, Larry, Snyder, Professor Walsh, Forrest, McNamara

Sunnydale deaths; the poor security guard, they're Buffy's equivalent of Star Treks redshirts
90;

Total number of scoobies: 6
Giles, Xander, Willow, Buffy, Anya, Tara,

Xander demon magnet: 5(6?)
Preying Mantis Lady, Inca Mummy Girl, Drusilla, VampWillow, Anya (arguably Buffy & Faith with their demon essences?), Dracula?

Scoobies shot:
Giles: 2
Angel: 3
Oz: 4
Riley; 1

Notches on Scooby bedpost:
Giles: 2; Joyce & Olivia, possibly Jenny and 3xDraccy babes?
Cordy: 1?
Buffy: 3 confirmed; Angel, Parker,Riley, 1 possible, Dracula(?)
Angel: 1;Buffy
Joyce: 1;Giles, 2 possible, Ted and Dracula(?)
Oz: 3; Groupie, Willow & Verucca
Faith:2 ;Xander, Riley
Xander: 2; Faith, Anya
Willow: 2;Oz and Tara
Riley; 3; Buffy, Sandy and unnamed vampwhore
Questions and observations;
Another disasterous Buffy birthday, if I was her I'd just stay in bed all day when it comes around. Also the beginning of the Spike/Dawn relationship. The Scoobs finally learn the truth about Dawn. So who are the other Hellgods from Glory's dimension? WR&H? Why not just pack Dawn off to Europe so that Glory can't find her? Or will Glory's minions/The Knights track her mystically?
The Knights can easily beat Glory's minions but are not match for herself. Dawn has a photo from her and Buffy's holiday with their dad, the monks really do a full service job. The chocs Spike brings Buffy are the same ones he bashed the mannequin over the head with, cheap and stalkery! Dawn's burglary of the Magic Shop foretells her shoplifting. Dawn has been around for 6 months, suggesting she was also about for Buffy vs Dracula etc? The 'Urn of Ishtar', wasn't that a Dustin Hoffman movie? Introduction of Dawn's catchphrase, 'Get out'. The scene with little Buffy and little Dawnie on the swing is especially moving. Giles warns Willow of the dangers of magic.
Marks out of 10; 7/10 the Key storyline really getting going.

[Tea - Total]

I love this episode,
Very sad about the birthday present.Very good, epsiode.
Ben is glory , glory is ben lol..
8/10

[Randi Giles]

I actually really like this episode. Mostly in part two Spike and Dawn hangin out. It's nice to watch. I felt so bad for Dawn when she found out the truth. I also felt bad for Buffy and Spike when she confronted him on how Dawn found out. That was a intense scene. Plus Ben and Glory is one in the same. My overall rating is the same. 7/10

[Saturn 5]

Yeah poor Dawnie, finding out she's more of less adopted and possibly not human into the question. I like the Spike/Dawn and Spike/Joyce relationship, you wonder if Spike can't have Buffy does he hang out with them as the next best thing? Although we later find out why he might be especially fond of Joyce?