Season 6 Episode 16
Written by: Rebecca Rand Kirshner
Directed by: David Solomon
Hell's Bells
Synopsis
Buffy and Willow stare at themselves in the mirror, horrified at the green bridesmaid dresses Anya had chosen. At last night's rehersal dinner, Anya had said that the demons were circus people. While the bride & groom get ready, an old man appears from a portal in the centre of town.
The geusts arrive for the big day, including: D'Hoffryn, Halfrek, Clem and Spike with a gothic girl as his date. After Dawn informs Buffy of this, she looks pained and just a bit jealous.
The old man arrives and tells Xander not to marry Anya. He tells the groom that he is Xander Harris from the future. The old man sucks Xander into an orb that reveals his future. In his vision, he is unable to sexually perform after Buffy dies. After Anya blames Buffy for their problems, Xander hits her over the head with a frying pan. He comes out of the orb, shocked at what he saw. Having second thoughts, he bails on the wedding.
Buffy stalls for time while they look for the groom. The tensions among the geusts erupts into a Harris family .V. Demons showdown. Anya finds out about the old man and tracks him down. He reveals that he is a demon. He was once human, but Anya cursed him. He assaults the bride, but Buffy rescues her. Xander returns and kills the demon. Xander decides that its not to be and calls off the wedding.
Anya: Hey. It's okay. It's all over now, he's dead, and it was just smoke and mirrors.
Xander: I know.
Anya: So ... we're ready now. Let's get married.
Xander: I...
I'm not. I'm not ready. I can't, Ahn, I'm sorry.
Anya: But it wa - it wasn't real. What he showed you, it wasn't real.
Xander: I know it wasn't real. But it could be.
Later, D'Hoffryn approaches Anya and offers her the oppertunity to become a vengeance demon again.
D'Hoffryn: Oh, Anyanka. I'm sorry. But you let him domesticate you. When you were a vengeance demon, you were powerful, at the top of your game. You crushed men like him.
It's time you got back to what you do best ... don't you think?
Anya stares at him without awnsering.
Analysis
Stewart Burns is a man that Anya cursed back in her demon days. He has planned revenge for a long time and found the perfect moment on her wedding day. His plan was to ruin her life like she ruined his. He uses an orb to show Xander a vision of his future, playing on the groom's fears of turning out like his father.
