"Tough Love" is episode 19 of season 5 of the television series '' Buffy the Vampire Slayer''. The episode aired on

The WB The WB Television Network (for Warner Bros., or the "Frog Network", for its former mascot, Michigan J. Frog) was an American television network launched on terrestrial television, broadcast television on January 11, 1995, as a joint venture be ...

on May 1, 2001. Buffy withdraws from school in order to better look after

Dawn Dawn is the time that marks the beginning of twilight before sunrise. It is recognized by the appearance of indirect sunlight being scattered in Earth's atmosphere, when the centre of the Sun's disc has reached 18° below the observer's hori ...

, who has been skipping school and shirking her responsibilities since her mother's death. Buffy assumes a new role as head of household.

Willow Willows, also called sallows and osiers, from the genus ''Salix'', comprise around 400 speciesMabberley, D.J. 1997. The Plant Book, Cambridge University Press #2: Cambridge. of typically deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist so ...

and Tara quarrel, and while they are separated Glory "feeds" on Tara's mind, rendering her mentally unstable. In a vengeful rage, Willow storms after Glory, but fails to defeat her. The premise of ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' is that an adolescent girl,

Buffy Summers Buffy Anne Summers is the title character of the ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' franchise. She first appeared in the 1992 film ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' before going on to appear in The WB/UPN 1997–2003 television series and subsequent 1998� ...

, is chosen by mystical forces and given superhuman powers to kill vampires, demons, and other evil creatures in the fictional town of

Sunnydale Sunnydale is the fictional setting for the U.S. television drama ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' (1997–2003). Series creator Joss Whedon conceived the town as a representation of a generic California city, as well as a narrative parody of the al ...

. She is supported by a close circle of family and friends, nicknamed the Scooby Gang.

Plot

Buffy notifies her poetry professor that she is dropping out of college so that she may take care of

. Dawn and Buffy are called into Dawn's principal's office where Buffy is informed that Dawn has been skipping school. Buffy seeks Giles's advice about being Dawn's mother figure and then takes her sister home, warning Dawn that her behavior in school needs to improve or Buffy could possibly lose guardianship of her.

Ben Ben is frequently used as a shortened version of the given names Benjamin, Benedict, Bennett or Benson, and is also a given name in its own right. Ben (in he, בֶּן, ''son of'') forms part of Hebrew surnames, e.g. Abraham ben Abraham ( he, ...

is fired from his job at the hospital, as Glory has been monopolizing the human form they share and he has not shown up for work in two weeks. Glory takes a bath while she demands that her blindfolded minions tell her everything they know about the Key. Glory's minions provide her with enough information to conclude who the Key is and Glory leads the way to gather it. Meanwhile, Tara and

discuss their relationship and Willow's powers as a witch, but the discussion ends up angering Willow when Tara expresses her concerns about Willow's "frightening" powers. Depressed over her first major fight with Willow, Tara goes to a cultural fair, but finds herself sitting next to Glory on a park bench. Giles finds one of Glory's minions at the shop and questions him about Glory's plans. Willow goes after Tara who is in Glory's grasp, but cannot reach her in time. Glory discovers that Tara is not the Key, and offers to let her go if she reveals the key's identity. Protecting Dawn, Tara refuses, and Glory drains Tara's mind of sanity. At the hospital, doctors look after Tara while Willow plans her vengeance against Glory. Buffy arranges for Dawn to be kept safe by

Spike Spike, spikes, or spiking may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Books * ''The Spike'' (novel), a novel by Arnaud de Borchgrave * ''The Spike'' (book), a nonfiction book by Damien Broderick * ''The Spike'', a starship in Peter F. Hamilto ...

in some caves while she takes care of the issues involving Tara. Blaming herself for all of the harm that Glory has caused the people of Sunnydale, particularly Spike and Tara, Dawn tearfully expresses a belief that she is evil and a "lightning rod for pain", while Spike comforts her and tries to convince her otherwise. Willow rages, going to the magic shop to gather dangerous magic supplies in preparation for her attack on Glory. Buffy thinks she has talked Willow out of any attempts to go after Glory, but Spike convinces her that one cannot be talked out of something like that. At Glory's place, Willow makes an unexpected, but grand appearance, casting spells wildly, all in attempts to attack and destroy Glory. Although she manages to use a lightning strike to cause Glory some pain (something no one else, not even Buffy, was able to do), subsequent assaults have no effect; the goddess is far more powerful than the witch, and Willow is almost seriously wounded once her strength fades. Luckily, Buffy shows up in time to stop her from getting hurt. Buffy and Glory battle ferociously, until one of Willow's force fields allows Willow and Buffy to escape. The next day, Willow, Tara, Buffy, and Dawn sit down to eat. Willow spoon-feeds applesauce to Tara, who is still unstable after Glory's attack, while discussing the responsibilities she has to undertake in order to take care of Tara. When all seems peaceful, Glory makes a surprise appearance, tearing out an entire wall. Tara, distressed, describes Dawn as having "pure" energy, revealing that Dawn is the key.

References

External links

*
"Tough Love"
at BuffyGuide.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Tough Love (Buffy The Vampire Slayer) Buffy the Vampire Slayer (season 5) episodes 2001 American television episodes Television episodes about revenge