As geeky hostage Andrew (Tom Lenk) annoys Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) and her army of acolytes with the cheesy documentary he's trying to film about the Slayer's adventures, Buffy learns of serious disturbances at Sunnydale High School. She explains to Principal Wood (D.B. Woodside) that the new school, like the old one, sits atop the Hellmouth, whose demonic energy sometimes seeps out, causing pent-up teenage feelings to take horrifying shape. The Scoobies hypothesize that such enchantments are on the upswing thanks to the blood sacrifices that were recently used to unleash the Turok-Han through the mystical Seal of Danzalthar hidden beneath the school. Because Andrew helped open the seal by murdering best friend Jonathan (Danny Strong) at The First's behest, Buffy decides he'll be the one to help close it. As Wood and Spike (James Marsters) stave off the ensorcelled hooligans who are rioting in the halls, the Slayer and her would-be biographer make their way into the bowels of the building. There, Buffy forces Andrew to come face-to-face with the horrible acts he committed -- and the made-up stories he's been telling himself to assuage his guilt. Terrified that the Slayer plans to close the seal with his blood, a tearful Andrew admits his sins. In doing so, he finds the real way to shut the portal down, thereby returning Sunnydale High to about as normal a state as it ever achieves. Originally broadcast February 25, 2003, on UPN, "Storyteller" marked episode 138 of the cult-favorite series. In addition to providing humorous flashbacks and references to numerous earlier episodes, this installment also offers a sort of unified field theory about the creature-of-the-week episodes that characterized Buffy's first season. Flashbacks and Andrew's stories once again allow Adam Busch and Danny Strong to appear as the other now-deceased members of season six's nerdy supervillain triumvirate.
by Brian J. Dillard
synopsis
