The Bronze. Dingoes are performing. Man, Devon really doesn't have a good voice. He's like an off-key Gavin Rossdale. Or so I got from the five seconds I heard him singing. And camouflage pants? You can practically see the "Bad Idea" label on them. "Yeah, I'm going to sing at the Bronze, quit high school, go on the Popstars / Making The Band / American Idol tour, and sign a record deal." Bad Idea. Then again, Simon Cowell would probably sleep with him, so maybe all's not lost. The band finishes its set, and Oz hops down to join Willow, Xander, and Cordelia, who are sitting at a table. The place is very crowded, and Oz is forced to squeeze in. Willow and Xander look very uncomfortable at being pushed closer to each other, and Xander moves closer to Cordelia. She asks, "Xander, why are you giving me a lap dance?" I need to rid myself of that image. Oh good, there's Oz again. Willow and Xander nervously extol the virtues of committed relationships, and then reach for the same drink and knock it over. Cordelia asks why they're so hyper, but Willow none-too-deftly shifts the topic to Buffy, saying she's been off by herself a lot and "distracted." She's just noticing this now? Cordelia speculates that Buffy might have a new boyfriend, and Willow wonders why she wouldn't tell them. Cordy: "Excuse me? When your last steady killed half the class and then your rebound guy sends you a dump-o-gram, it makes a girl shy." Yeah, especially when she's back with the steady. And: "dump-o-gram." Hee. Xander still opines that she'd tell them, which is Buffy's cue to appear at his side and ask, "Tell you what?" Willow: "About your new boyfriend who we made up -- unless we didn't." Buffy: "This was a topic of discussion?" Oz: "Well, raised, but never discussed." Aw, they were so cute back then. And I love how Oz considers a subject to be optional in his sentences. Cordy presses the issue, and Buffy brightly allows, "I am going out with somebody. Tonight, as a matter of fact." Willow asks who, and Faith appears and puts her arm around Buffy. Hello, slashy goodness! Buffy: "Really, we're just good friends." Boy, a few more exchanges like that and I may have to start a HoYay! thread on the Buffy boards. Buffy and Faith take off.
Two vamps knock Buffy and Faith on their backs in a graveyard. They make with the fighting. Giles sits on a stone bench, watching the action somewhat idly. It's fun to watch SMG and ED fight side by side, as they have very different styles. SMG favors tight, quick moves, where ED is flashier and uses a lot of moves that take more time but impart more power. It's also fun to watch them fight each other, as we'll see later. Buffy and Faith eventually herd the vamps toward each other, and simultaneously stake them. They high-five each other on their "synchronized slaying" (hee) and ask Giles what he thought. A sharp female voice cuts through the air: "Sloppy." They turn to look at the speaker, who is a very schoolmarmish-looking Serena Scott Thomas, sister of Kristin. What should I call her? Sistin, for "sister of Kristin"? Nah. Krister, for "Kristin's sister"? Yeah, I think that'll be it. Krister continues, "You telegraph punches, leave blind sides open, and for a school-night slaying, take entirely too much time. Which one of you is Faith?" Faith: "That depends. Who the hell are you?" Krister: "Gwendolyn Post, Mrs. Your new Watcher." No, it's Krister. Learn it, live it, love it. Faith and Buffy look at each other bemusedly, and Giles stares, frozen, Styrofoam cup raised halfway to his mouth. Hee! Credits.
Commercial for the new Psycho. Boy, if only that had really happened to Anne Heche.
The Slayers and Watchers are in the library. Faith is of the opinion that she doesn't need a new Watcher. She says that authority figures in her life have the tendency to "end up kinda dead." So how the hell did we get stuck with Wesley for the last three and a half years? Krister informs her that the decision isn't hers. She then asks Giles where he keeps the rest of the books, the "actual library." He doesn't answer, and she titters to herself. He assures her that he has the finest occult reference collection -- "this side of the Atlantic, I'm sure," she finishes for him. She names a couple of selections, and he mumbles that they're on order. Man, we're five minutes in, and this woman is totally bitch-slapping Giles. After needling him a bit more, Krister announces again that she is to act as Faith's Watcher, and to "report back." Faith bristles again, but Giles stops her and says they'll cooperate. Krister twists the knife further by saying that the Council "wishes [her] to report on the entire situation here, including [Giles]." Buffy: "Academic probation's not so funny today, huh Giles?" He looks at her balefully. Krister continues, "The fact is, there is talk in the Council that you have become a bit too -- American." Giles: "Me?" Buffy: "Him?" Me: "My husband?" Oh, sorry, was that my outside voice? Krister, not giving anyone a chance to breathe, informs them that a demon named Lagos is coming to Sunnydale, and asks Giles for an illustration of Lagos. Giles fumbles about for one, and Krister snarks, "Perhaps later." Man, this woman's good. She's intellectually emasculating Giles, which seems to me to be the equivalent of making The Rock feel physically intimidated. Krister goes on to say that Lagos is seeking the Glove of Mynhegon, a weapon of untold power, and that he must be stopped. Giles asks what she proposes, and she smirks, "Well, if it's not too radical a suggestion, I thought we might kill him." Excuse me a minute. Okay, I'm back. I went back and counted the number of times Krister has bitch-slapped Giles in this episode. So far, the number is six. She says that the glove is believed to be buried in a tomb in Sunnydale, so she suggests that the Slayers search the cemetery. Giles informs her that there are twelve cemeteries within the city limits. She says they'll take them one at a time. "Anything in your books that might pinpoint the exact location of the tomb would be useful, but then, we cannot ask for miracles." Anyone got anything snarkier to say than that? Because I got nothin', except to say that the bitch-slap count is now seven. She says that they'll begin the evening, and summons Faith to go with her as she leaves. Giles, clearly still a bit shaken: "That was bracing." Buffy: "Interesting lady. Can I kill her?" Giles says no, and asks if she'd like to do some training.
Cut to Buffy and Angel at the mansion, doing T'ai Chi. He's shirtless. Again. I'm really starting to come around to Strega's viewpoint on this. I think it could be summed up like so: "Put a damn shirt on, buddy. What the hell did I ever do to you?" He puts his arms around her as part of the exercise. That was about as subtle as that trick where you're sitting on the couch with someone, pretend to stretch, and put your arm around him or her. I used to go around chopping people's arms off that did that. It's how I got my nickname. Okay, not really, but I should remember that story the time some jerk tries to hit on me. Anyway, they almost kiss, but Buffy pulls away, saying she has to go, and that she'd "better hurry before someone figures out what we're doing." Angel: "What are we doing?" Well, you're putting on a shirt, finally. But it wasn't in time to prevent this conversation from happening:
Couch Baron: Hi, Strega? I'm glad I got you. I just wanted to tell you I totally agree with you that Angel should keep his clothes on. I mean, when was the last time that guy did a sit-up?
Strega: So let me get this straight. You call me during the summer, when I could blissfully hope that Angel would stay at the bottom of the ocean, fully clothed, for all eternity, to fill my head with the image of him naked?
Couch Baron: Wow, when you put it that way, you must --
Strega: Hate you? Yeah, I do.
See the pain and misery that caused? Buffy says that they were "training...and almost kissing." She says it's a bad habit that needs to be broken. Angel: "It's hard." I'll just bet it is, buddy. And, ew. I grossed myself out again. Sometimes being so snarky is a liability. The sexual tension rises (ew!) until Angel tells Buffy to go. Buffy offhandedly mentions Lagos, which seems to ring a bell with Angel, although she doesn't notice. He distractedly tells her to be careful. She leaves.
Library. Giles agitatedly tells Willow and Xander that he can't find anything about Lagos, and commands them to help. Xander: "Hey, you're not the Watcher of me." Giles: "Then go home. But if you choose to stay, then work." He stomps off. A Giles temper tantrum! It would have been funnier if Giles had gone all Ripper and stuck a lit cigarette in Xander's eye. Or better yet, a frickin' yellow crayon.
Willow and Xander grouse to each other about being tired. They sit in the stacks, and Willow starts moaning and rubbing her temples. The Guitar Of Infidelity starts a-strumming as Xander rubs them too. She insincerely tells him to stop, then grabs him and starts with the macking. We see Giles's legs appear behind them. He calls their names, and they pull apart and get to their feet. With his back to them, he tells them that he found the probable location of the glove: the von Hauptmann family crypt. Xander says he knows where that is, in the Restfield cemetery, and Willow asks how he found the glove's location. He busts her: "I looked." His meaning plain, Willow looks chastened. Xander volunteers to check out the crypt, and I can't believe Giles lets him go alone, but he does. Willow says she'll keep researching, but Giles isn't having it: "I'd say we're done." He walks away. He so knew what they were doing, even if he didn't see it. Willow looks distraught.
Faith is telling Buffy about the guys she's dated. One was a "deadbeat," another a "klepto." The one's problem, she says contemptuously, was that he was a "drummer." Ha! That cracked me up. Probably because one of my best friends dated a drummer, and he was a complete deadbeat loser. Wouldn't have surprised me if he were a klepto, too. Sars, remember him? ["Ah yes -- Wrongo Starr. How could I forget?" -- Sars] Faith goes on that she only uses men for sex now, because "you can't trust guys." I smell a bit of ironic foreshadowing. Faith asks Buffy about her love life, saying, "You boinked the undead. What was that like?" Hee. Hee. That gives me an idea:
Couch Baron: Okay, guys. Death Is Not An Option, with people who resemble the undead. Let's all pool names. I'll start: Donald Pleasence, circa You Only Live Twice.
Sars: Ew. Just because you like Bond movies. Peter Cushing, as Grand Moff Tarkin.
Shack: Ew. You would pick a Star Wars actor. Dick Clark.
Aaron: Ew. You would pick him: American Bandstand, American Idol. Let's see...Ed Begley Jr.
Couch Baron, Sars, and Shack: That's so not right. We're never playing this game again.
Buffy says that talking about Angel is hard for her, but Faith encourages her to try. Buffy, slightly sharply, says she'd rather not, and ED does a great job of making Faith look ever-so-slightly hurt at Buffy's refusal to confide in her. Faith suggests that since they're "oh for six" on cemeteries, they pack it in. Buffy's tired, but thinks that maybe they should hit Shady Hill before they call it a night. Faith says that one is on her way home. Buffy's worried about Faith going alone, but Faith says she's already got one babysitter, and she doesn't need another. They say good night.
Faith, entering the graveyard, sees Lagos looking in a coffin, his back to her. He's got a mean-looking axe on his back, and he's butt-ugly. She attacks him, but he's super-strong, and he throws her to the ground. She comes at him again, but he sends her back to the mat with a vicious punch. He can't find the glove, and leaves in a huff as Faith watches, too hurt to get up.
Cut to the Restfield cemetery, where Xander is talking to himself. "Hey Giles, here's a nifty idea. Why don't I alleviate my guilt by going out and getting myself really, really killed?" Hey buddy, you said it, not me. Oh, lighten up, I'm kidding. Sort of. He hears a noise coming out of the von Hauptmann crypt, and takes cover. Angel emerges, holding something wrapped in cheesecloth. He walks off, with Xander following him.
Xander tiptoes down the steps to the mansion. He goes to a window, and sees Buffy and Angel making out. At least he's a non-judgmental, sympathetic friend -- oh, wait. Well, at least he likes Angel, so -- oh, wait. This isn't going to be pretty, is it?
Buffy and Angel mack some more, then pull away. She laments coming there, but Angel says that it's good she did. He unwraps the cheesecloth, which contains the glove. It's a large, metal, spiky-looking thing, with teeth around the opening. Buffy: "World's ugliest fashion accessory." I don't know, Buffy; it would have improved a few of your ensembles. She reaches for the glove, but Angel tells her that once it's on, it can never be taken off. Buffy: "So, no touching. Kinda like us." I'd prefer the kissing over a whinge-fest. I know it's a tough call. Buffy says she'll tell Giles in the morning. "At least he'll be happy. Or possibly he'll pass on one of the many bitch-slaps he's received in this episode." Yeah, well, she should have said that last part.
Giles and Krister, at his apartment. Giles is excited to find an illustration of the Glove of Mynhegon, but Krister explains that the illustration is based on "very sketchy and unreliable folk legends. The pictures are fun to look at, Mr. Giles, but one really ought to read the nice words as well." See my earlier comments about her level of snarkiness. I. Got. Nothin'. Giles, the picture of wounded dignity, goes to get the tea that's on the stove. Krister says that she knows he finds her tiresome, but "a person slips up on the little things and soon everything's gone to hell in a hand basket. For example, Buffy, your Slayer." The count is now nine. Giles assures her that Buffy is no problem, which is Xander's cue to bust in, saying, "Giles, we have a big problem. It's Buffy." Krister gives Giles a priceless look, and he agitatedly takes Xander aside. Krister sardonically offers her assistance, but Giles says it's unnecessary. Poor Giles. He just can't catch a break, can he? Maybe he could use some stress relief. Hey, Sars, where're you going?
Library. Buffy walks in, saying she found the glove, but upon seeing Giles, Willow, Oz, Xander, and Cordelia staring at her, she wonders, "What's with all the tragedy masks?" Geez, and Angel's not even there. Giles asks her to sit down, and tells her that they know Angel is alive. Willow says that no one's blaming her, but that she needs help. Buffy says it's not what they think. Xander: "Hope not. 'Cause I think you're harboring a vicious killer." Great. "Dead Man's Party" redux. Willow admonishes him to use only statements beginning with "I think" or "I feel." Cordy: "Fine! Here's one. I feel worried. About me! Last time around, Angel barely laid a hand on Buffy. He was way more interested in killing her friends!" I'll give her that. Direct, and not self-righteous. Just like when she dumps Xander. Oh wait, that's the episode. Xander keeps riding the self-righteous train until Buffy snits that she doesn't need an intervention. Giles: "Oh, don't you? You must have known it was wrong seeing Angel, or you wouldn't have hidden it from all of us." Buffy, less assuredly, says she was going to tell them, but she didn't know why he came back, and she thought it was better to wait. Xander: "For what? For Angel to go psycho again the time you give him a 'happy'?" Buffy says that she and Angel aren't a couple, but Oz points out that they were kissing. Buffy can't believe Xander spied on her, but Cordy defends him. Buffy says she's not putting them in any danger. "If I thought for a second that Angel was going to hurt anyone --" Xander butts in: "You'd stop him. Like you did last time with Miss Calendar." I take back what I said before about kidding that I wanted Xander dead. What a fucking asshole. Just because you're somewhat funny and sympathetic one minute doesn't give you the right to turn into an insufferable dickhead the minute the chips are down. And, way to have any sensitivity for Giles's feelings. That was just tacky and awful. Hope you feel better about cheating on your girlfriend now! Buffy's face reflects my rant. Willow: "Buffy, I feel that when it comes to Angel, you can't see straight. And that's why we're all gonna help you face this." Buffy tries to defend Angel again, and the situation deteriorates until Willow panickedly says, "Giles, no one's doing the 'I' statements!" Giles calls a halt to the bickering, saying that Buffy's actions, "however ill-advised, can be understood." He says that their priority is to retrieve and destroy the glove. He dismisses them, and walks into his office.
Buffy follows, and starts babbling about Angel and the glove until Giles tells her to be quiet. As he turns, regarding her with a burning intensity, he delivers the following missive: "I won't remind you that the fate of the world often lies with the Slayer; what would be the point. Nor shall I remind you that you've jeopardized the lives of all that you hold dear by harboring a known murderer. But sadly, I must remind you that Angel tortured me, for hours, for pleasure. You should have told me he was alive; you didn't. You have no respect for me, or the job I perform." He turns his back on her. Once again, I got nothin', except to say how brilliant ASH was there. His voice quavered just a little toward the end. It was masterful. Buffy sadly considers his words, looking like she feels as small as the Fear Demon in "Fear, Itself," and leaves.
Knock at Faith's door. She opens it, stake ready, but it's Krister. She points out that it's daytime. That was silly. I mean, I know Faith often is not the sharpest tool in the shed, but come on. Krister praises Faith's spartan accommodations. She says that she means to be very hard on Faith, but that she will make Faith a better Slayer. She goes off on Giles and his methods, and offhandedly refers to the "secret meetings" he holds. Faith is curious, and Krister says the one in question had to do with "Buffy and her friends." Somewhat dejectedly, Faith says, "I guess that doesn't include me." Again, that subtle expression from ED in the earlier scene lends credibility to that statement. And wow, Krister is smart. She's subtly sowing the seeds of subversion among the Slayers and Scoobies. Alliteration, whee! Sorry. Too much coffee. Krister suggests they do some training, and Faith is sold -- on Krister as well as the training, it seems.
Buffy hesitantly approaches Willow at her locker. Buffy asks how mad she is, but Willow says she's not. "You were scared, you kept a secret, you know? It's okay! I mean, secrets aren't bad, you know, they're normal. They're better than normal, they're good. Secrets are good. Must be a reason why we keep 'em, right?" That's not going in Bartlett's Quotations anytime soon. Willow asks what Buffy's going to do that night, and Buffy says she's going to try to kill Lagos as "a peace offering to Giles."
Bronze. Xander petulantly plays pool. Whee! Sorry. Faith observes that he looks pissed off. She says she knows about their secret meeting, but Xander informs her that she doesn't know jack: "Angel's still alive." He tells her that Angel has the glove, and that Buffy knew about it. Faith is outraged, and decides to take matters into her own hands and kill Angel. Xander: "Can I come?" You know, I've said it before, but I'll say it again: What a fucking asshole. I mean, no matter how angry you are with Buffy, keep it in the family. There's a reason Giles didn't include Faith in that meeting. And -- he's willing to participate in killing a re-souled Angel? There's been a lot of talk in the forums about whether Xander should have been held accountable for not telling Buffy that Willow was trying to re-curse Angel in "Becoming Part Two." To me, that issue's irrelevant, because what Xander does here is far, far worse.
Okay, rant over for now. Krister enters Giles's office. He apologizes for bestirring her, but she brushes off the comment. When he offers her some tea, however, she lets her guard down for the first time: "God, yes, please. I'm completely knackered." She explains that she was training with Faith, and Giles asks if Faith is her first Slayer. Huh? How few Watchers are there? That makes no sense. If she had Watched a Slayer before, how could he not know that? And does that mean Giles has been Watcher to a different Slayer? What a dumb question. No wonder Krister's been running circles around him. She asks whether he's questioning her qualifications, but he assures her that he's not. He then tells her where the glove is. She says they must hide it. Giles: "Or better yet, destroy it." Her confidence cracks just a bit as she repeats, "Destroy it?" He explains that using "living flame" will destroy the glove. So they're going to have Nathan Lane come around and do a comedy routine for it? He says that the ritual to create the living flame is complex, but that he has all the necessary materials. He turns to research something. Krister says, "Good show," and conks him on the head with a statue. He looks at her, stunned. "Good show indeed." Conk. Ruh-roh! And I didn't see that coming at all. Should have, but didn't. Oh, this show used to be so good.
Buffy and Willow in the Restfield cemetery. Willow wonders if Faith shouldn't be there too, but Buffy says she couldn't reach her. Buffy asks how long Willow thinks Giles will stay mad at her. Willow: "The emotional Marathon Man?" Hee. I can just picture Giles in his Ripper days, standing over a dentist's chair and asking some hapless victim, "Is it safe?" And if you've never seen that movie, you should. Buffy says she can't blame him, but she feels better now that her secret's out in the open. Willow overidentifies with that sentiment: "Keeping secrets is a lot of work -- one could hypothetically imagine." Buffy, ever-clueless to Willow's mood: "You have no idea." Willow, too breezily: "None whatsoever." Heh. Willow wonders if no one knowing about Buffy and Angel made being with him sexier. Honey, I saw Angel. Shirtless. "Sexy" didn't enter into it. Buffy says that there was too much pressure for her to enjoy it. She finally wakes up to the idea that Willow might be trying to tell her something. Willow hems and haws, saying that she generally considers herself to be a good person. I guess the "clothes kiss" sent her down a slippery slope of "magic addiction," destroying the world, and dark, dark, dark hair. She asks Buffy not to judge her, but right before she can spill her story, Lagos appears. Buffy attacks him. There's a series of hilarious Willow reaction shots to the fight. Buffy gets a shot in that causes him to double over, exposing the sheathed axe on his back. Thinking quickly, she draws the axe and decapitates him. She comes back to Willow and tells her to finish her thought, but Willow chickens out.
Faith and Xander enter the library. They procure weapons, and are about to leave when they hear a groan. They find Giles on the floor, and Faith, assuming that Angel is responsible, takes it as more incentive to kill him. Xander, dialing for an ambulance, says it doesn't look like a vampire attack, but Faith isn't hearing him, and she leaves.
Angel in the mansion, performing the ritual to create the living flame. Here's a question: If he knew so much about the glove, why didn't he retrieve it when he was evil? I've seen this episode numerous times, and this is the first time I've considered that thought. I kind of wish I hadn't. He finishes his Latin chant.
Willow and Buffy enter the library to find Giles on a stretcher, head bandaged, with a medical team around him. Giles woozily tells Buffy to use living flame to destroy the glove, and they take him away. They turn to Xander, and Buffy asks what happened. Xander: "Your boyfriend's not as cured as you thought." Argh! Dickus Maximus! Buffy asks if he just assumed it was Angel. Xander: "I didn't. Faith did." Buffy, completely shocked, asks what Xander told her. He said he told her what everyone knows. "She's a big girl. Came to her own conclusions." I can't stand what a dick he is. Xander says that Faith has a ten-minute head start. I'll ignore that, considering that what happens later is to impossible if that's true. Also, that's a quick 911 response. Buffy asks Willow to go through Giles's research to figure out how to destroy the glove. With one last reproachful look at Xander, she leaves. Xander starts to speak, but Willow points a finger in his face and cuts him off: "Shut up and help me." Great acting by all three.
Krister walks into the mansion. She tells Angel that Giles sent her to help with the ritual. He tells her that that the glove is in the trunk. He turns away, and she grabs a shovel and conks him on the head. She's good with the conkin', this one. She gloats, "That's what I love about this town. Everyone's so helpful."
Buddy Lee for Lee jeans. I never figured out how I felt about those commercials back then, and to be honest, I still have no idea.
Krister tries to open the trunk, but it's padlocked. Snarling, "Bugger!" (Hee. I love that word.), she repeatedly hits the lock with the shovel blade, finally breaking it. As she does, a vamped-out Angel gets up. With a very Angelus-like delivery, he says, "Okay. That hurt." Boy, they should really remember that. When Angel's mopey, just hit him -- it produces dramatic personality improvements. Plus, it's fun. Krister doesn't even bat an eye. This woman is good. She tells him that she intended to kill him, then breaks the shovel handle over her knee and tries to stake him with one of the pieces. I never knew shovels had so many uses. He easily disarms her, however, and throws her into the wall as she tries to escape. He leans over her, which is Faith's cue to enter. "I can't believe how much I'm gonna kill you." They fight. We see that Krister is regaining consciousness. Faith has the better will to fight Angel, and she quickly throws him to the ground. She raises a stake on high, but out of nowhere, Buffy catches her arms as they descend. Faith rasps, "What!" as Buffy pulls her aside.
Library. Willow thinks she's made the catalyst for the living flame, but wants to test it. Xander discovers what the glove does in a book, and shows it to Willow. Willow: "There's no time to test this." They run. This glove better live up to the hype. I'm just sayin'.
Buffy starts to explain to Faith what's going on, but Krister interrupts to tell Faith not to trust Buffy because "she's blinded by love." Faith looks unsure, but when Buffy drops her guard, Faith spins and kicks her in the face. The Slayers are off. What can I say? The fight scenes between these two are hands down, in my opinion, the best the series has ever offered. This one is actually my favorite from a technical standpoint, although there was a lot more at stake (hee) in the "Graduation Day Part One" fight. Faith gets Buffy in a headlock, and Buffy does the "chick fight" thing from "What's My Line Part One," digging her nails into Faith's wrist. She then pulls Faith outside through a glass door. They get up and assume classic defensive stances again. Faith looks betrayed and hurt, and not in the "You stole my Barbie!" way. They resume the fight. Willow and Xander arrive and attend to Krister. She tells them to help Faith. Xander goes outside as Willow helps Krister up. Xander tries to talk to them, but Faith tosses him aside like a rag doll, prompting Buffy to deliver an extremely vicious jumping punch to Faith's left cheek. I'll come back to that later. Krister opens the trunk and gets the glove. She mutters, "Finally!" before whapping Willow across the face with the glove, sending her to the ground. This woman sure knows how to take advantage of her opportunities.
Faith and Buffy get tangled up as Krister dons the glove. The teeth loudly close around her wrist. She holds the glove on high, under a skylight, and starts chanting in a foreign language. I can usually recognize Latin, even though I never took it, but I don't think that's what this is. Thunder starts to rumble, and the girls stop fighting. Faith asks what's going on. Krister: "Faith. A word of advice: You're an idiot." I. Got. Nothin'. Krister chants something that sounds like "Ta freem!" I have got to get closed-captioning. A bolt of lightning breaks though the glass and permeates the glove. She turns to the Slayers, who recoil in horror. "Ta freem!" She sends a bolt of lightning their way, and they dive aside, narrowly missing getting hit. There's a really cool shot of Krister bathed in shattered glass and electricity. Good effects in this scene. Oh, and I totally was not disappointed in the power of the glove. I want one of those. Angel is only now recovering from Faith's attack. That seems like it took a little too much time, but really, I'm not complaining, because this scene rocks. Willow gets to her feet, looking terrified and helpless. Krister targets her , but Angel tackles her out of the way. Buffy asks Faith if she can draw Krister's fire. Faith, obviously shaken, puts a brave face forward: "You bet I can." Faith takes off as Buffy starts looking around for a suitable weapon. Krister sees Faith go, and points the glove at the spot where she knows Faith will reappear. She takes her best guess as to when to shoot. She narrowly misses, but man, this woman is smart and collected. Put her brain in Glory's head, and we might have had a worthy Big Bad. Buffy finds a large jagged piece of glass. Krister finally makes her one mistake, allowing herself to boast out loud, "There's nothing you can do to me now. I have the glove, and with the glove comes power." Buffy: "I'm getting that." Krister turns, but Buffy has already let the glass fly, and it cuts Krister's arm off at the elbow. Ouch. A bolt of lightning crashes through, immolating a screaming Krister. In a beautifully filmed shot, the gang recovers, and, spread out in a circle, they slowly and silently close on the glove. The teeth loudly unlock from Krister's severed forearm. Cree-pee.
School. Xander and Willow are catching Oz and Cordy up. They exposit that the glove is no more, thanks to the living flame. Willow says that she likes Angel again because "he saved her from a horrible flamey death." You're an easy sell, Willow. Xander concedes that as long as Buffy and Angel don't get "pelvic," they should be fine. Buffy appears, and asks Xander if they're cool. He says yes. She looks more battered from the fight than any time I can recall in the series up to this point. Xander says he trusts her, which is a crock of shit, if you ask me. Not to get all Jonathan Kent, but actions speak louder than words. Cordy: "I don't. Just for the record." Heh. Giles pops up behind Buffy. Buffy asks about Krister. Giles explains that she was actually a Watcher, but was kicked out for "misuses of dark power. They swear there was a memo." Ha. Ha. Jerks. The CoW just sucks and blows. Buffy says she has to do "more damage control."
Knock at Faith's door. She's on the bed, watching TV and reading a magazine. She somewhat eagerly says, "Come in!" but her face falls when she sees that it's Buffy. Buffy tells her the place looks nice. Faith: "Yeah, it's real spartan." Aw. Faith is lost without her Svengali. And isn't she cute when she tries to use Kevin Williamson-esque words? Okay, now I've just thought of Dawson Leery going off on one of his SAT-word-laden diatribes, and Faith punching him. Hee. If Teddy Roosevelt were alive and watched this show, he'd probably amend his famous saying to "Speak softly, and carry a Faith." Between her and a Glove of Mynhegon, no one would ever bother me again. Whoa, stream of consciousness. Where was I? Right. The recap. Buffy advances some more pleasantries. Faith isn't feeling it. Buffy then says that Krister had everyone fooled, even Giles. Faith bitterly says, "Well, you can't trust people. I should have learned that by now." We see Faith's face for the first time this scene, and wow, she looks worse than Buffy does. The left side of her face is just a swollen mess. I have to give major props for that -- the swelling is consistent with that punch Buffy delivered that I mentioned earlier. Little things like that made this show great, back in the day. Buffy tells Faith that she can trust her, and apologizes for keeping secrets. Faith isn't having it, so Buffy turns to go. Faith agitatedly calls Buffy's name. Buffy hopefully turns around, but Faith, after a pause, says, "Nothing." Buffy leaves. She and Faith both look upset. Not "let's fight to the death" upset -- that comes later. Still, this episode kicked ass.