2.4(?) Play It Again
12:30 am on a Thursday night, and Raveena is out patrolling. There is a strange, vibrant energy in the air. Raveena belts out a country tune, the vamps backing her up with some beautifully choreographed moves, before charging her one by one and eventually getting dusted.
[MUSIC CUE: Walkin' After Midnight]
Brushing off her very cute pants after finishing the last vamp, Raveena hears a noise behind her. Resigned, she turns around to find Harrison cheerfully approaching. Determined to ignore him, Raveena goes back to the main task at hand: finding a werewolf that's on the prowl and causing some problems. Harrison accompanies her, trying to talk her into taking a break so he can continue his quest to teach her appreciation for the world's finest beverage ? Guinness.
[MUSIC CUE: Hello Little Girl]
The howl of the wolf stops Veena and Harrison in their tracks. They are suddenly struck by a realization. Were they just ? singing? While Veena admits that it isn't completely unusual for her to sing on patrol, it's never ? like this. Harrison lays out a plan of action: they'll find and corral the werewolf, then start calling the gang to see how far this involuntary singing thing has spread. Veena agrees and they get back on the hunt.
* * *
10:30 am on Friday morning, and Geoff and Chase are both sound asleep. Chase's phone starts ringing. So does Geoff's. With a small whimper of pain, Chase answers. One by one the whole gang calls, and they descend of Geoff and Chase's place for a meeting.
[MUSIC CUE: The Telephone Hour]
At the meeting, the gang reveals that they have ALL been having this singing ? thing ? and that it has been going on for a few days. Geoff and Chase have found themselves strangely sucked into karaoke the last time they visited Cura's. Most of the gang decides to hit the books. Geoff and Chase decide that Lorne might be a good place to start, so they head to Cura's again to look for him.
* * *
At Cura's, Geoff and Chase are dancing with the best of the demon patrons to a rousing karaoke rendition of Immigrant Song.
[MUSIC CUE: Immigrant Song]
* * *
At the library, the gang is still singing. They discover a long list of things that could be causing the chaos: a variety of spells, a couple of demons (one of whom causes people to dance so much they spontaneously combust - yikes), some magic items ? nothing concrete.
[MUSIC CUE: Marion, the Librarian]
* * *
At Cura's, Geoff and Chase are arm and arm with a room full of demons singing along to Bohemian Rhapsody. [MUSIC CUE: Immigrant Song]
* * *
The gang leaves the library after a long day at the books. Rachel and Gabe have a healing spell that they have to help out with, and they head to a meeting with Cernunnos Grove. On the way, Gabe is his usual flirtatious self, and Rachel finally reaches her breaking point with him. Or rather, her singing point, as it were.
[MUSIC CUE: Sue Me]
Slightly horrified, Rachel tells Gabe she thinks she's in love with him. When he reciprocates, she punches him in the face, convinced that he is lying to her. They storm off all huffy-like.
* * *
It is a dark night, and Deaver and Stefan wander the streets, separate and alone. They both find themselves singing about those they have loved and lost, and why they continue to fight evil as a result.
[MUSIC CUE: Sound of Silence]
As their song draws to a close, they meet up in front of the Boyd-Townsend manor. Deaver quietly explains to Stefan that Nikki left the house to him. They are quiet for a moment and part ways again.
* * *
Raveena is out patrolling, once again. And as usual, Harrison shows up to keep her company. He talks about the watchers council, about what he knows about the discipline that it takes to be a slayer. She explains to him that there are now many of them, a fact he wasn't aware of. He's a little out of the loop. Raveena opens up [in song, naturally, and somewhat involuntarily] and tells him about what it has been like for her.
[MUSIC CUE: The Bus from Amarillo]
At the end of the song, she also admits to him that it hurts that he is only interested in her because of her title, Slayer, not because of who she is.
* * *
Chase gets home from work around 3:00 am and finds Geoff sitting on the front porch with a beer. She gives him a tired hello, and he pulls her down next to him. They chat for a moment. Chase admits that she isn't sure she can keep doing as much as she's doing. Since she seems to be in the mood to confess, Chase suddenly starts another singing number, revealing that she's in love with Geoff, and that this whole thing was completely unexpected. She doesn't know what to do about it.
[MUSIC CUE: Could We Start Again, Please?]
Shaken by her own confession, Chase escapes inside to regroup. Just then, Geoff's pager goes off - something is up at work. He turns off the pager - this is a bit more important just now - and follows Chase inside.
* * *
As usual, the group reconvenes at Geoff and Chase's house the next morning to discuss their findings. Geoff took that page early this morning, and he isn't home yet. Rachel is still barely speaking to Gabe. Chase tells everyone that Lorne was nowhere to be found at Cura's, which is odd, since he owns the place. The group talks about the long list of possibilities they found at the library, somewhat relieved that at least no incinerated bodies have shown up yet. Geoff overhears the remark as he opens the door, and has to ruin their morning with some bad news and another song.
[MUSIC CUE: Hard Knock Life]
Geoff tells the group that he got a page for a body that fits their description. Uh-oh. Demon. The scoobies sing their way to the realization that Cura's is probably the base of operations. Raveena announces that she and Harrison will take care of the actual fighting, and the loyal white hats are royally offended. Still, they agree to accompany them. A collective decision is made to wait until evening to make their move.
* * *
Cura's is hopping on a weekend evening. Outside, Gabe and Rachel work a spell that will at temporarily suspend the heavy magic that keeps Cura's a non-violent place. The rest of the group works on emptying the bar. Chase yells out that there's a kick line setting up around the corner, and they all needed to COME QUICK. The demons happily oblige, working up a killer conga/limbo combo on their way out the door.
Inside, the party is overseen by a poised and dramatic red demon that is casually sprawled in a chair center stage against the glittering blue curtain. He rises as the scoobies enter, his face partially shadowed by the fedora he's sporting.
[MUSIC CUE: King of Swing]
He welcomes the group and turns his attention to Raveena and Harrison, who approach the stage. Before they can get within ten feet of him, they turn to each other and start a musical squabble. Sweet laughs and watches on in amusement.
[MUSIC CUE: Let's Call the Whole Thing Off]
Seeing that Raveena and Harrison have too much baggage and are going to be at this until the singing, dancing demon is dispatched, the group decides to take him on themselves. Sweet is so absorbed in the action that he doesn't notice their approach (after all, they're hardly a threat). When they suddenly have him at sword point, he turns his full attention to them - resulting in a fancy jazz/swing choreography.
[MUSIC CUE: King of Swing, continued]
The scoobies get a grip on themselves and threaten Sweet again mid-number. He concedes defeat, but does so amusedly; he's delighted with the emotional chaos he's caused, and gleefully confirms that all the lyrics they've been dumping on each other have been the deepest truths of the heart. As he disappears, Stefan gets a lucky shot off, and the last sound they hear isn't a scrumptious bass rumble but an annoyed bark of pain.
The demon gone, Raveena and Harrison emerge from their fight. Harrison is desperately hoping that no one overheard them. He told Raveena the real reason he's here in McKennit and skipped out on the Watcher's Council: when he was murdered and demonized back in the 1920s, it was the Boyd-Townsends that did the deed. He wants revenge, and he's worked hard at getting under their radar in order to achieve his goal.
Luckily for him, it seems that the others were too busy getting rid of the demon to overhear their conversation. The gang and Raveena realize that they need each other and there is a warm fuzzy moment. Time for a song, even though it is no longer required.
[MUSIC CUE: We Can Work It Out]
At the end of the song, Rachel looks at Gabe and gives him a tentative smile. Still frustrated, Gabe storms out of the bar. Rachel follows.
Still in song, Gabe tells her off for not believing him. Chagrined that Sweet's revelation was what it took to convince her, she apologizes.
[MUSIC CUE: Sue Me Reprise]
Gabe relents and they kiss [for the first time - woo!]. The music swells.
Fade to black. King of Swing
[Instrumental. Patrons flood out of the bar, headed for the kick line around the corner. Jazz blares. The stylish demon in the fedora and zoot suit has a solo spotlight on stage. He dances like ? well ? like the Devil, his profile to the camera. He turns to face the intrepid scoobies.]
SWEET When you feel your bones a-shakin, Your temperature is risin', And the groove begins to move you, It's King of Swing.
[looks at RAVEENA] When you see those fires burnin', Your fever is a-risin', And those drums begin a-poundin', It's king of swing.
King of Swing King of Swing King of Swing
[Instrumental break. Camera sweeps to RAVEENA and HARRISON. They begin fighting. Fade out jazz.]
[MUSIC CUE: Let's Call the Whole Thing Off]
[Fade out song as they continue to fight; fade in jazz as camera pans back to SWEET. The scoobies approach SWEET as he watches RAVEENA AND HARRISON fight. He turns his attention to them as they get him at sword point.]
SWEET [spoken] Looks like your friends are a little distracted. Let's keep 'em dancing. We could use a sizzlin' number in here. [laughs]
[The scoobies and SWEET do a jazz/swing choreography onstage while RAVEENA and HARRISION fight with each other. The gang gets a grip and holds SWEET at sword point once again.]
SWEET Oooh, now you're lookin' scary I guess it's time for leavin' So you've sent Sweet a-runnin' But that ain't no thing.
Cuz truth's out in the open, Your swimmin' in confession, So can you really say now, That you won the day?
Catch you, cats, Ha-cha-cha, King of Swing ?
[Instrumental as he dances and disappears]