Buffy Season 8 Recap - Wolves at the Gate - Part 2

The opening of the next issue reveals what Dracula was doing just before Xander arrived. He is sat looking sadly out of a window in a great mansion, his beard is long and grey and his hair is the same. “I’m so alone” he tells his servant, Dracula’s servant tells him that he has released a human in the maze for him to hunt but Dracula shows no interest in killing. It seems Dracula has lost his motivation to be the ultimate vampire, he now seems old and retired. He then notices Xander’s helicopter arriving and seems to cheer up, he tells his servant to bring him his razor, and Dracula opens the door having shaved off his beard and mystically changed his hair colour back to black.

He tells Xander that he is busy, but Xander requests that they really need his help but Dracula again refuses and tells him to return when he is less busy and suggests perhaps in a months time. After seeing Dracula complain of loneliness, then cheer up with Xander’s arrival this exchange gives the impression of a lover trying not to seem desperate for the others company. While Xander’s relationship with Dracula was born from mystical manipulation it seems that Dracula does enjoy Xander’s company. Eventually Dracula lets both Xander and Renee in, Dracula makes reference to when Xander was his manservant and Xander suggests that perhaps Renee shouldn’t join him but Renee tells him that she wont leave him alone with Dracula.

Andrew is teaching the Slayers about Dracula and begins to tell them the story of Xander and Dracula’s relationship, it began when they met in Sunnydale (Season Five) and Andrew explains that while Dracula’s mystical persuasion is meant to last a long time it seems that Xander genuinely likes Dracula. After Season Seven (and Anya’s death) Xander went to stay with Dracula for some “man time” and to recover from the death of Anya. One of the Slayers ask Andrew why Buffy allowed it and Andrew tells them that it is because while Xander seems fond of Dracula, Dracula seems to genuinely consider Xander a friend.

Buffy has found the location of the Asian vampires from the previous issue (who still have her Scythe), they are in Tokyo, and the woman who found them was a Slayer in the Tokyo Slayer branch. Her name is Aiko and Buffy asks to speak to her as soon as possible, Aiko is shown on the big screen in front of Buffy, she informs Buffy that she had to torture some Kabuki demons but she has got the location of the vampires. Buffy is shocked that she has managed to kill more than one Kabuki demon, this Slayer is clearly a great fighter. Buffy tells Aiko to wait for further instructions and they will be on their way soon. Buffy tells Satsu to prepare the rest of the Slayers as they will be travelling to Tokyo, Satsu asks Buffy how many Slayers and Buffy tells her to prepare every Slayer they have. Satsu suggests that it might be a good idea to leave a group behind to protect the castle but Buffy tells her that she must listen to orders, Buffy is the leader. Satsu looks sad as she realises that her and Buffy’s night together hasn’t changed anything and Willow looks at Satsu clearly noticing her sadness.

Xander, Dracula and Renee are drinking tea together while Xander and Dracula ‘catch up’, they exchange compliments, Dracula refers to the fact that Xander has lost weight and Xander informs Dracula that he is looking good too. As they continue you can see Renee slowly losing patience and in the final panel she has her hands over her face in frustration. Renee reminds Xander that they are here on business and Xander then explains to Dracula that they have been attacked by vampires with powers similar to Dracula’s, he tells them that it is impossible that another vampire can have powers like him then remembers a hazy drunken night where he was cheated while gambling. Dracula begins going through his weapon cabinet and Xander asks if he is to join them, Dracula stops and turns to Xander weilding a sword, he tells Xander that he is joining them but he wants to make it very clear, he does not care about Xander’s cause, he loathes Buffy Summers, he hates the whole concept of the Slayer organisation but nobody steals from Dracula.








A huge war plane flies through the sky, inside are Buffy’s troops (40+) in uniform while Buffy overlooks them. Willow sits next to Satsu and smiles, she tells Satsu that Buffy is alone, she’s vulnerable and she has the weight of the world on her shoulders, Satsu asks if Willow is trying to suggest Satsu took advantage but Willow tells her that there was possibly advantage taking from both of them. The point Willow is trying to make is that Buffy is the General, and they are her soldiers, that will never change, she also doesn’t believe that Buffy is a lesbian and perhaps took sexual company where she could, basically, Satsu shouldn’t get her hopes up that her relationship with Buffy will grow to anything more than what it is right now. Satsu understands, “good” Willow says, then she smiles and asks Satsu for the gossip “so, what’s Buffy like in bed?”.

Toru and his team mate are walking down a Tokyo street, they are discussing an upcoming kill and a spell that their witch is working on. Suddenly they stop and Toru suggests they lead the Slayer down the alley, it is revealed that Aiko is following them but more importantly, they know she is following. Buffy calls Aiko and tells her they should be landing soon and asks if Aiko will be able to keep an eye on them until they arrive, Aiko says that she should be able to and ends the phone conversation. She walks into an empty alley to find a glowing red ring, she bends down and picks it up. The witch descends and shoots a red burst of magic from the Scythe which hits the ring and showers Aiko in a red glow. Toru steps forward and hits Aiko into a wall, Aiko holds her face in pain and mumbles, Toru realises what he has done he has broken her jaw, he tells her that he is disappointed as he had hoped she would be able to tell him how it feels to be a normal human girl again. “It must be terrifying” he tells her as he sinks his teeth into her neck. Toru says that it was a successful beta-test and says that he cant wait to take the technology global as it revealed there is a huge glowing red ring on top of a building ready to turn Buffy and the Slayers into humans again once they have arrived in Tokyo.