Giles (Anthony Stewart Head) brings the potential slayers to the desert so they can experience the same vision quest Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) once did (see "Intervention"). Meanwhile, Xander (Nicholas Brendon) fears Giles is The First in disguise. As the Scoobies rush to the desert to save the slayerettes -- a fruitless effort, given that Giles turns out to be very much himself -- Willow (Alyson Hannigan) grows closer to potential slayer Kennedy (Iyari Limon), who has feigned an illness to get out of the field trip. Openly lesbian, Kennedy makes the moves on Willow, who resists, expressing her continuing love for the slain Tara. When she finally does open up and allow Kennedy to kiss her, Willow suddenly transforms into Warren (Adam Busch) -- Tara's killer and the victim of Willow's own murderous vengeance. Dumbfounded, Willow turns to the Wiccan group at U.C. Sunnydale for help in transforming back to her normal self -- especially since her personality seems to be shifting to Warren's along with her appearance. Amy (Elizabeth Anne Allen), Willow's old partner in black-magical hijinks, has joined the group, but Kennedy realizes that Amy's offers of assistance are only a cover for the fact that it's her own vengeful enchantment that plagues Willow. As guilt over killing Warren and anxiety about moving on from Tara threaten to consume Willow, only Kennedy can save the day. Meanwhile, Spike (James Marsters) suffers blinding headaches from the malfunctioning chip in his head, so Buffy turns to The Initiative's covert-ops successors for help in ridding her vampire ally of his technological tether. Originally broadcast Feb. 4, 2003, on UPN, "The Killer in Me" marked episode 135 of the cult-favorite series. This episode marks the first season-seven appearance of recurring character Amy, who first appeared in season one and played a pivotal role in season six.
by Brian J. Dillard
synopsis
