Homecoming
With Homecoming approaching, Cordelia plans to start her campaign for the title of Homecoming queen, while the rest of the gang debates on their mode of transportation to the dance. Buffy, however, is still distracted by Angel's recent return, so she takes off for the mansion shortly after Scott asks her to the dance. At the mansion, Buffy assures Angel that nobody else knows that he's back. To Angel's dismay, Buffy also tells him that she's currently seeing another guy. Unfortunately, that statement doesn't hold true for much longer, for Scott dumps Buffy the very next morning. He explains that the down and depressed Buffy he knows now is not the same Buffy he knew before they started dating. After Scott leaves, Buffy wanders around outside of the school alone... and completely unaware of the two German men who are watching her from inside a van. Using state-of-the-art equipment, they transmit their visual to a lavish mansion, where an old man receives the signal and shows the image of Buffy to his boss: Mr. Trick.
At City Hall, Mayor Richard Wilkins III learns from his deputy mayor that two German brothers with impressive criminal records have recently been spotted in Sunnydale. Their names are Frederick and Hans Gruenshtahler, and they're the same two men who have been spying on Buffy. The Mayor isn't too worried about this. In fact, he's more concerned with cleanliness and personal hygiene, which he displays by closely inspecting his deputy mayor's hands. Meanwhile, at Sunnydale High, the senior class gets its pictures taken in the lounge for their fourth and final high school yearbook. Buffy's a no-show, so Cordelia heads to the library to tell her about the photo session. Before she can enter the library, Cordy is distracted by her Homecoming queen campaign priorities and completely forgets to inform Buffy. Inside the library, Buffy and Faith plan to attend the dance together since Scott is no longer in the picture.
The next day, Buffy asks one of her favorite teachers from the previous school year, Ms. Moran, to write her a recommendation to give to Principal Snyder. Buffy needs the recommendation to fulfill one of the conditions set by Snyder for her readmittance. However, Ms. Moran can't even remember Buffy's name, let alone anything about her to merit a written recommendation. Buffy's woes increase at lunch when she learns from Xander and the others that she missed the yearbook photo session. Upset with Cordy's irresponsibility, Buffy approaches the Homecoming queen candidate and speaks her mind. Naturally, Cordy retaliates with her own special brand of verbal abuse. This motivates Buffy to compete with Cordy and run for Homecoming queen herself. Later that night, Mr. Trick assembles a promising group of hunters at his mansion for an event called Slayerfest '98. Included in this group of hunters: Frawley, a human hunter with a rifle and a set of bear traps; Lyle and Candy Gorch, two recently-married vampires; Frederick and Hans Gruenshtahler, the German brothers who have been tracking Buffy's every move; and Kulak, a yellow-skinned demon who keeps jagged blades inside his forearms. Mr. Trick hopes this Slayerfest will see the end of both Buffy and Faith. Meanwhile, at the Rosenberg residence, Xander helps Willow pick out a dress for the dance while he tries on the tuxedo he'll be wearing. Initially, they discuss their relationships with Cordelia and Oz. However, after Willow puts on her best dress and Xander completes his attire, the only thing on their minds is each other. While Xander gives Willow a brief lesson on dancing, the two best friends lose themselves in the moment and share a kiss. That moment is quickly interrupted when they both realize what they've done, both to themselves and their significant others.
The next morning, Buffy learns that she'll be campaigning alone, since all of her friends have already committed to helping Cordy. Buffy and Cordy kick their Homecoming queen campaigns into full gear, hoping to outdo each other in the race for the title. While Buffy convinces Willow to give her a little help, Frederick and Hans listen in on their conversation. They pay particular attention to Buffy's announcement that the limo will pick up Faith first, Buffy second, and the rest of the group afterwards. Later in the day, Buffy learns that Cordy has been paying some of the students money to get their votes. This leads to another argument between the two candidates, only this one ends on a much harsher note. Distraught, Willow tells Xander that their brief tryst must be partly responsible for the current feud between Buffy and Cordelia. Eventually, Xander and Willow's conversation turns to the bigger problem at hand: what are they themselves going to do now. Later that night, the limo stops at the Summers home to pick up Buffy as planned. Buffy is surprised to find Cordy inside instead of Faith. According to a note written by the gang, Buffy and Cordy will be taking the limo to the dance alone so that they may work out their differences before the crowning of the Homecoming queen. Included with the note are a couple of corsages. The limo's destination is not the dance, however, but rather the nearby woods. Buffy and Cordy step out of the limo and notice a monitor and VCR set up on a table, along with a sign that informs them to play the tape. Buffy and Cordy watch a recording of Mr. Trick, who welcomes Buffy and Faith to Slayerfest '98. Apparently, they expected Faith to be in Cordy's place. Before Cordy can clear up the confusion, the monitor explodes, and the hunt begins. The first hunter they run into is Frawley, who Buffy immobilizes by knocking him into one of his own traps. Unable to free his leg, Frawley informs Buffy and Cordy of the rest of the hunter group. While Buffy and Cordy take refuge inside a cabin, Xander and Willow find themselves guilty and ashamed at the dance, even after Giles commends them on their effort to resolve the feud between Buffy and Cordy. In the cabin, Cordy finds a telephone which Buffy uses to call Giles at the library. Buffy explains to Cordy that she's running for Homecoming queen because she wants a high school memory that doesn't involve her job as the Slayer. Suddenly, Kulak bursts into the cabin and attacks Buffy. During their battle, Frederick and Hans approach the cabin. They are being navigated by the old man, who is tracking Buffy and Cordy with his computer system back at the mansion. The German brothers fire an explosive device into the cabin, which causes Buffy to stop her battle with Kulak and escape with Cordy. Kulak fails in his attempt to get out of the cabin, and he is killed in the explosion. Buffy and Cordy get up from the ground and head back to the library, unaware that Lyle and Candy Gorch have knocked out Giles and are waiting for them to arrive.
While Buffy and Cordy head to the library, a pair of police officers arrive at Mr. Trick's mansion and escort him away, against his will. At the library, Buffy fights with Candy Gorch before dusting her. Enraged, Lyle moves in to attack, but Cordy stops him short and launches into an impressive speech that scares Lyle into taking off. After Giles regains consciousness, he points out that he wasn't aware of the group buying corsages for Buffy and Cordy. Buffy notices small electronic devices in the corsages, which the old man must have been using to track their movements. They hear the German brothers in the hallway, so Buffy binds the bugs together with a bundle of wet toilet paper. After leading one of the brothers into a classroom, she throws the mass of toilet paper onto his back. The old man gives the other brother the coordinates, and both Frederick and Hans proceed to shoot each other dead. Meanwhile, the two police officers bring Mr. Trick to City Hall, where Mayor Wilkins introduces himself. He reveals that he's quite aware that Mr. Trick is a vampire, and he wants his help in eliminating the "rebellious element" from Sunnydale. Mr. Trick realizes that the Mayor is referring to the Slayers. At the dance, Buffy and Cordy finally arrive, only to learn that neither of them is the new Homecoming queen, for the other two candidates win the election in a tie.
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