We begin with establishing shots of UC Sunnydale at night. Dramatic music kicks in and we see a blonde girl being chased across campus by a vampire. Wait. A blonde girl being chased by a vampire? I bet that's going to end in a world of hurt. As the blonde girl comes to a sudden stop, we see that it's Buffy. She turns to her prey and thanks him "for the relocate. I perform better without an audience." "Perform better"? Oh my. They engage, and Buffy taunts her victim, "You know very well you eat this late," stakes him, and continues, "You're going to get heartburn." Very punny, Buffy. The vampire explodes into dust much more slowly than usual, perhaps to give him a chance to laugh at Buffy's joke, but he doesn't, and she says, "That's it? That's all I get? One lame-ass vamp with no appreciation for my painstakingly ["Geddit?"-- Sep] thought-out puns?" Buffy looks towards the sky and continues her tirade with, "I don't think the forces of darkness are even trying." What religion is Buffy that she would look up to address the forces of darkness? Well, anyway, I'm glad that mopey Buffy seems to have been banished. Buffy, still muttering, wanders off into the night.
The camera pulls back to show Spike lurking nearby. He admonishes the retreating Buffy that she should "know better than to tempt the fates." Word, Spike. Hasn't Buffy ever read any Greek tragedy? Oh. Probably not. Spike starts talking tough-talk about how the "Big Bad is back." It seems to me that maybe the "Big Bad" is a Big Coward, since he passed up a perfect opportunity to attack a preoccupied Buffy in a deserted location. Less talk, more action, Spike! Either way, it's a moot point, because "Big Bad" suddenly demonstrates his Emperor Palpatine impression for us as blue lightening dances over his body, rendering him easy pickins for the mysterious masked commandos.
The Bronze. The gang sits at a table discussing why they still hang out at the Bronze even though they are now in college. Interesting that they addressed that, because Sep and I were speculating about it just last week. Willow explains that The Bronze is like a "big comfy blankie." Oz interjects that he was under the impression that he was her big comfy blankie. Willow reassures him that The Bronze is her "place blankie" but that he is her "person blankie." I'm not going to cry. Yet. Right in the middle of Willow's speech about how everything at the Bronze is familiar and unchanging, Giles approaches their table and offers to buy the gang lattés, much to their amazement. He pulls up a chair and sits so close to Xander that he has to turn sideways so their shoulders don't touch. Giles is getting into the spirit of things, saying that "it's been ages since I've been to a gig." The gang tease him about his age, but Oz weighs in to defend Giles and his record collection. Giles, looking mildly perturbed, tells the gang that they've made him feel right at home. Xander bluntly says, "Isn't home that empty place you're trying to escape?" Shut up, Xander. Like you're one to talk. Poor Giles -- they really need to find something to do with his character soon. Can't he get some sort of visiting professorship at UC Sunnydale? Giles is saved from responding to Xander's comment by the appearance on-stage of Shy. As Veruca approaches the microphone, Oz half-smiles and I snarl at my television. Buffy notes Willow's distress and tries to draw Oz into a conversation about his band, Dingoes. Oz gives one of his characteristic terse replies as Willow becomes more upset. Yay for Buffy, noticing the plight of others. Buffy tries to placate Willow by dismissing Shy with a "color me bored." Giles disagrees with Buffy's assessment, saying that Veruca is "rather remarkable" and has "such presence." Well, yeah, if presence is defined by shiny red lip-gloss, scary eye-shadow, and performing acts of pseudo-fellatio on electrical equipment.
Establishing shot of a very SoCal house. Inside, Oz and Willow are sleeping in bed. I've been waiting all season to see this scene, folks. Willow is talking in her sleep, which awakens Oz, who smiles and snuggles closer to her. "It's a dream. Come back to me," he murmurs, and under the covers he slips his arm around her waist. Willow mumbles and then says, with a sly grin, "All Geminis to the raspberry hats." Oz accuses her of faking being asleep and she admits it, rolling over to face him and looking cute as a button. She strokes his chest as they exchange morning greetings. He asks her if she was having a bad dream and she says she was, "but the waking up part makes up for it." Oz touches her forehead and says, "It's always so busy in there," and Will responds salaciously that a few things do shut her mind up. Oz gives her sleepy bedroom eyes and asks if he can help, but Willow checks the clock and realizes she has to run to class. Stay with your honey and skip class, Willow! I know from experience that you can still get a pretty good GPA that way. She says she'll take him up on his offer later, but he reminds her that it's the night before the full moon and he'll be wolfed out. Willow looks disappointed and then remembers that she has to attend an orientation for a campus Wicca group. Oh, the strange pillow talk of Buffy! She apologizes and asks if he can lock himself up. He assures he can, strokes her face and says, "The only thing I mind is being away from you for three nights." She wiggles close and they kiss.
Buffy is collecting her paper after Psych class (apparently, the only class she and Willow have this semester) when Professor Hardass stops her to commend her on her work and to tell her that she'd like Buffy to lead a discussion group class. Buffy is sporting an ugly bandanna look that I saw last on my mother when she was cleaning house in 1978. Willow approaches wearing one of her trademarked hiddy shirts, and I have to admit that I often don't even notice Willow's clothing anymore because it's always so uniformly bad. Willow expresses jealousy because Buffy scored better on her Psych paper than Willow did. After the shock of being academically jealous of Buffy wears off, Willow gives her a congratulatory hug. Willow sure is a good friend. Buffy tells Willow that she was asked to lead a discussion group, and there is a second minor jealous flare-up from Willow. Buffy realizes that leading a discussion group just means more work, and she suggests that Professor Hardass needs a better reward system. Cookies, for instance. What is the deal with Buffy and cookies? Just eat one, for God's sack. Willow mentions that she's meeting Oz at the cafe and entices Buffy to come along with the promise of a cookie.
Outdoor cafe. We see Veruca sitting alone at a large table, eating a hamburger and fries. Oz wanders by looking for an empty table and Veruca invites him to sit. I love Oz's vast collection of t-shirts, so I'll mention that he is wearing a red t-shirt with a silkscreen of Ziggy Stardust. Oz mentions offhandedly that Veruca has a big lunch and she somewhat snappishly replies, "I like to eat. I hate chicks that are like, 'Does that have dressing on it?'" ["I know that line was intended to make Veruca sympathetic to the rest of us 'chicks,' but it didn't work." -- Sars] Oz agrees and they settle in to talk music. Willow approaches and sees Oz and Veruca talking. She looks upset, but gathers herself together and approaches their table. After she sits down, there is an uncomfortable silence until Oz and Veruca start discussing amps again. Willow mistakenly believes that they are discussing Elvis songs and enthusiastically gives her opinion. During this scene, Veruca alternately ignores and mocks Willow. Man, I'm feeling really sorry for Willow right now. I know what it's like to inadvertently make a fool of yourself in front of your boyfriend and the girl who has set her sights on him. Oz abruptly announces that he has to leave and stands up. Gosh, couldn't he have said "we" need to get going? Oz is usually pretty perceptive, and I wouldn't expect him to need a diagram, or even a blurry watercolor, to realize that Willow probably doesn't want to sit and make small talk with Veruca. After a moment Veruca heads out too, with a parting shot of "good shirt" to Willow. Shut up, Veruca. Only Sep and I are allowed to poke fashion fun in these parts. Buffy arrives as everyone else is departing and wonders if she caused them to leave. Aaah, there's that self-centeredness that we've been missing this episode. I knew you wouldn't let me down completely, Buffy. Willow tells Buffy that it is her own fault because she doesn't speak "musician-ese" and she asks Buffy why she didn't tell her that her shirt looks "like a crazy birthday cake." Heh. Thanks for making my job easier, Willow. Buffy says that she thought Willow's look was intentional. Perhaps Buffy kept mum about Willow's shirt to get back at Willow for not telling her how awful that head-rag looks. Willow discusses her concerns about Oz with Buffy, and Buffy reassures her that in a few days it will all blow over. Unfortunately we know that's not true because Buffy uses the word "absolutely" and we've learned in earlier episodes that particular word has an alternate, opposite meaning in the Buffyverse.
It's near sunset, and Oz enters a crypt, locks himself in a cage, and takes off his shirt. Now if it were Angel disrobing, I would decry the gratuitous nudity, but since it's Oz, he's probably just concerned it will rip. We see a shot of a full moon and switch back to Were-Oz throwing himself against the door with all his might. This cage doesn't look as sturdy as the old one in the Sunnydale High library, and apparently it isn't. The door crashes open and Astro runs free into the night.
Professor Hardass is heading home for the night. As she is walking down the sidewalk she hears a rustle from the bushes. "Hello?" she queries, but gets no response. Suddenly Were-Oz leaps out at her. She screams and runs. Were-Oz gives chase. Professor Hardass engages in the tried-and-true but essentially useless ploy of throwing an inconsequential object at the monster -- in this case, her briefcase. She rounds a corner and stops short at the sight of another werewolf. This one has long hair, helpfully letting us know in the absence of other gender clues that it's a girl. Professor Hardass barely gets out of the way as the two werewolves throw themselves at each other in a snarling fight.
It's a peaceful morning with a clear blue sky as the camera comes to rest on a naked Oz. It must suck to wake up naked in an unfamiliar place with no recollection of the night before -- ummm, not that I would know how that feels. There is a stirring by Oz's shoulder and we see Veruca, who says, "Morning." I think I'm going to be sick now.
A very scratched-up Oz and Veruca wake up. Together. Naked. Leave me alone. I don't want to talk about it.
Oz and Veruca in a laundry room, committing petty theft. If this is a dorm laundry room, I do recall that students in my dorm thought nothing of leaving their clothes in the dryer all night, then complained when people stole their expensive designer underwear. Boo-hoo, cry me a river. Back to the action at hand: Veruca is kitted out in a black bra and tap pants and is displaying far more of herself then I ever wanted to see. Although, to be fair, all I ever wanted to see was her ass high-tailing it out of Sunnydale. Normally I'd be happy to see a girl on television who isn't a stick, so I hate to say this, but Veruca's body is very oddly shaped. She has no waist. I don't mean that she doesn't have a middle, because she does; it's just that it's as straight as a two-by-four. She also has a pale, flabby stomach. I know, I know, I'm one to talk, but you don't see me parading around half-naked on prime-time TV, do you? Just to be nice, I won't mention anything about her chunky thighs. Oops, did I say that out loud? As Veruca folds some striped orange-and-green shorts which appear to have been stolen from the set of In Living Color, she laments that the dorm residents "need Fashion 101 in a big way." I agree. Let's start with you, honey. She snits about Oz's outfit but he blows her off, saying that he just wants to go home and "figure out how we got out of our cages." Veruca scoffs at Oz for having a cage and says, "Man, somebody has domesticated the hell out of you." Oz corrects her that it is his choice. "Maybe," sniffs Veruca, "you just want to pretend that you're a regular guy." Oz reminds her that he is a regular guy, since he's only a wolf three nights a month. ["I disagree. I mean, if Oz is a regular guy, where's mine?" -- Sep] Veruca tells him that he is "the wolf all the time and [his] human face is just its disguise." Hey, V, mirrors show different things depending on who is looking in them. Oz attempts to leave, but not before Veruca's mandatory seduction attempt. Man, I am going to be sick. Seriously, I think I need to lie down. I'm gratified to see that Oz looks as disgusted as I feel. Oz turns her down flat, telling her that it's never going to happen again. Veruca starts to blather on about accepting his inner monkey-suit, er, werewolf and tells him that soon he will start to pity normal humans because they aren't as "alive" as werewolves. Isn't that remarkably similar to a serial killer's usual line of reasoning? Blah blah. Oz holds his moral ground. Veruca reveals more psychotic tendencies. I realize that I've only ever seen this actress play stalkers. Hmmm, typecasting maybe?
Buffy overtakes Professor Hardass and Riley as they walk down the hall. The Professor tells Buffy to be careful at night because she was attacked by two giant wild dogs. How anyone could mistake those crappy werewolf suits for dogs is beyond me, but whatever. Buffy realizes that Oz must have gotten free. Buffy says that she was just saying hello and runs off to find Giles.
Oz is sitting on his bed perusing the paper to see if he and Veruca killed anyone important last night. I think it's a little early to be looking in the paper, Oz. Willow walks in wearing a low-cut purple blouse, and I guess she's been rummaging around in the stuff Faith left behind because she's also wearing green leather pants. They comment on each other's new looks and Oz explains that "laundry day came and went." Willow hugs Oz and says that she has come to apologize for acting oddly. Oz feigns ignorance to hide his guilt. Willow informs Oz that she's been thinking too much and asks him to help her stop (wink, wink). She kisses him and starts to remove his shirt but he seems reluctant. Oz, presumably to hide his scratches and avoid questioning, declines friskiness because he was up all night and he's tired. I'm sure a lot of the guys (and probably some of the girls) in the viewing audience think that turning down a leather-clad Willow is a big mistake. Willow gets flustered and upset at the sexual rejection and says that she has to go. It sucks when your boyfriend rejects you sexually because he's been sleeping with other women. Ahem, not that I know personally or anything. Oz tries to persuade Willow to stay but she says that she doesn't have much time. What are you saying, Willow? You knew how much time you had when you came over. Is that some sort of slam on Oz's staying power?
Cut to Giles, who is reading, watching TV, and calling the contestant on Jeopardy a moron. Heh. After listening to the question, I have to agree. I guess Giles does watch more than just PBS. Buffy knocks and Giles answers the door. Hey, Buffy, do you love your dress? I really love it. Did you get it at Ross? Giles hopes that Buffy is here on business, and she snaps, "Lucky for you, people may be in danger." Buffy explains the dual werewolf situation and says that she's going to speak to Oz . Giles reminds her to report back to him. Poor Giles. Maybe he can become a Jeopardy contestant. That would give him something to do for a while.
Cut to Willow descending Xander's stairs. Xander, making his cameo appearance this episode, is involved in a "landlord and tenant dispute" with his mother, who won't let him put a lock on the door. Xander says, "So I know why I'm sitting in a dank sunless little room," but questions why Willow is there. Willow says that she has come to talk to Xander about her problems with Oz because she needs a translator "from the Y [chromosome] side of things." Willow wants to know what would cause Oz to turn her down. Xander reassures her that she probably just caught Oz in one of the "annual seven minutes" when he is legitimately preoccupied with other things. Xander suggests that she should talk to Oz, but Willow doesn't want Oz to think she is jealous and worried. Xander points out that she is, in fact, jealous and worried and Oz is probably picking up on her tension. Wow, Xander just gave the best advice out of anyone this episode. Who would've thunk it?
In the crypt, Oz is welding new hinges onto the door of his cage. Buffy enters, eyes the cage speculatively, and says, "Got out, huh?" Oz nods and asks if she's heard of any attacks, and she says no, but she does tell him about Dr. Walsh being chased by two wild dogs. "Two? Really?" queries Oz, and Buffy asks him if he remembers that incident, or another wolf. He replies that when the change comes he's totally blacked out. "Well, if I find werewolf number two out on patrol tonight, you might have a roomie in there," says Buffy, and she turns to leave while Oz looks pensive and sad. Buffy turns back and asks him if he's okay, because he "seem[s] more monosyllabic than usual." Oz reassures her that he's fine and stares after her as she leaves the crypt. On the Oz t-shirt watch, this one is yellow and appears to have a wild beast graphic.
We begin tonight's musical montage portion of the show, which much to my aural distress features the music of Veruca's band, Shy. I try to choke down my rising gorge as I realize I'll have watch Veruca Streetchild (tm xixax) sway and throatily intone for yet another scene. Shy is practicing in the Bronze, Veruca's lip-synching is even worse than ever, and she's wearing the unsightly ensemble of a gray tank top, camel-toe flares that accentuate her fat thighs, and high-heeled sandals. I hate high heels worn with flares. I hate Veruca. Gah. As Veruca sings, we see Oz sitting pensively in his room and Willow looking distracted and sad in some sort of study group. We see Oz reaching for the phone and then a shot of the setting sun while Veruca croaks, "You have become something I need to destroy."
In the crypt, Oz is standing in his cage, looking anguished. Veruca, still in her camel-toe pants, comes down the stairs and sheds her jacket. "So this why you called me here? To see your Habitrail?" she inquires in a baiting tone. As she walks across the crypt floor, she engages in some bizarre body language -- first swinging her legs around and then throwing her arms and torso backwards while drawing a deep breath. It is so very, very easy to hate Veruca; I know I'm supposed to and all, and oh, I do. Veruca groans and says, "Right before sunset I get a little buzzed, you know?" and I run to the kitchen to fetch a trash can to use as a barf bucket, just in case. Oz is still standing in the doorway of his cage; he fixes her with an intense look and rasps, "C'mere." If I were faced with Oz saying that to me in that tone, I'd be in his arms lickety-split, but of course Veruca has to prolong my pain. She tells him she's not getting in his cage with him, and that she and Oz belong outside. Oz is obviously in great distress as he tells her that she can't "run loose" tonight, both because she might hurt someone and because Oz knows people will be hunting for them. Veruca approaches him with a mincing step and starts her singularly ungainly "sexy" posture -- shoulders hunched forward and rounded, head tipped back. She looks like she's about to go into convulsions. Not coincidentally, so am I. I grab the barf bucket and put in on my lap, just in case. Oz says Veruca will be safe in the cage, and she murmurs, "Not from you. Isn't that the point of this cozy little arrangement?" She approaches the door of the cage and begins to breathe deeply. I do as well, in an attempt to calm the gorge rising in my throat. Veruca says the change is coming and begins to launch into the pathetic and needy act that so distinguished her brief career on . I know she's going for sexy here, but I've seen traffic cones that had more sex appeal. She tells Oz she sensed him and wanted him before she ever saw him, and demands to know if he felt the same. He just stares at her intensely and then with a great combination of reluctance and lust, he grabs her by the hair and pulls her into the cage. As they move into a clinch, Veruca pulls the cage door shut behind her. They kiss passionately and fall to the floor. We see just their hands, clasping, as their nails grow and they change into werewolves.
I pause the tape here to spend a full ten minutes breathing deeply into a brown paper bag, and then I gobble a handful of Dramamine.
A nighttime shot of the graveyard fades into daylight and we see Willow bounding down the crypt stairs, carrying a thermos and a paper sack. Oh god, what a nightmare. The upcoming scene is going to be unbearable, and was my greatest fear when dating my straying musician. I used to walk around corners at parties with great trepidation, because around every turn and behind every closed door I expected to see him in the arms of someone else. Willow's happy face slowly falls as she sees Oz and Veruca sleeping, naked and entwined together. She drops the food she brought and stares in horror.
I'll tell you kids, I've lived this scene. Not in the details, but at the basic emotional level, I've been there. And to watch and re-watch it in order to transcribe it will be difficult. Well, please ignore my sniveling as I get back to the recapping. Willow continues to stare in disbelief and horror as Oz and Veruca stir. Oz spots Willow and says her name and then pulls on his pants. Willow moans, "Oh my God . . . oh my God," as Oz unlocks the cage and says, "I know what you saw. It wasn't -- I had to. I had to lock her in here with me." Liar. He approaches Willow desperately and behind him Veruca also exits the cage, still naked. Put some clothes on, bitch! Oz tells Willow that Veruca is a wolf too, and as Willow bitterly says, "Well, I knew you two had a lot in common," he reaches out to take her hand. "Don't touch me," she explodes and backs away. Alyson Hannigan has the perfect expression here, the distressed/anguished/queasy look of a woman betrayed. Oz claims that Veruca was a danger and he "didn't have a choice." Big fat liar! Willow contradicts him -- he could have shared the information with someone. Instead, his solution was to lock the two of them together in a cage? Good point, Will. "Girl's got a point," says Veruca, putting on her leather jacket, and I yell at her to shut up, because I already said that. Oz tells Veruca to leave and then shouts, "Now!" Seth Green looks like he's been working out and is quite delicious with his bare chest and cargo pants. He tells Willow he's sorry and she says, "I knew. I knew, you jerk. And you sat there and you told me everything was fine?" That could be a direct quote from one of my many post-break-up fights with my cheating ex. This scene is pulling my heart out. "I know how it feels. I remember," says Oz, and Willow quite rightly gets angry. She tells him she thought the incident with Xander was in the past and that anyway, it doesn't compare to what Oz has done with Veruca. Oz tells Willow that he doesn't know what Veruca and he have done, that the wolf took over. "But before this, when you were regular Oz," cries Willow, "you had feelings for her, didn't you?" Oz disagrees, but Willow pushes on, asking if he wanted Veruca in an "animal way. More than you wanted me?" Those are not questions to ask, sister. Oz just stares at her in great pain and after a long pause she runs out of the crypt and stumbles off through the graveyard.
I pause the tape while I get another big box of tissues.
We see Willow walking down Sunnydale's main drag, crying and wiping her nose on her sleeve. She bumps into a few passersby and then walks right out into oncoming traffic. Buffy spots her and shouts, "Willow!" but she's too far away. We see someone else grab Willow out of the street just as a car speeds past. Buffy comes running up and thanks the lank-haired Riley, who has saved Willow. Riley asks Willow if she's okay and Buffy strokes Willow's face as she asks her what's wrong. Willow, with her arms clutched tightly around her torso, just shakes her head. Riley suggests that Buffy should take Willow home and that whatever's wrong, "it's not worth hurting yourself over." Buffy and Willow begin to leave and Riley looks constipated -- or concerned. One or the other.
Back at The World's Largest Dorm Room, Buffy rises from the bed where Willow is sitting and hugging a pillow. I guess we missed out on seeing the big cathartic scene where Willow broke down into hysterics and attempted to explain to Buffy what she had been through, but Willow is obviously suffering the after-effects of a scene like that, an exhausted, deadened calm that I know all too well. Buffy says she's going to find Veruca before the sun sets and that when she does, "This thing stops. She's bad news." She asks if Willow needs anything but Willow demurs. Buffy promises to return as soon as she's done with Veruca and tells Willow, "Riley was right. The main thing is to put the blame where it belongs. Don't hurt yourself." Willow looks tired and zoned as she replies, "Okay." Buffy turns to leave but turns back to say, "I love you." That's so freaking sweet. I love this show's portrayal of a loving female friendship. Sniff. Buffy leaves the room and Willow repeats, "Put the blame where it belongs," and then gets off the bed and opens a chest full of magic accouterments. The things Buffy and Will have in their dorm room! The naughtiest stuff I ever had was condoms and a sad little potted plant.
Oz is in his room, talking on the phone and trying to locate Veruca. He's wearing a green t-shirt with a picture of T. Rex (that's my best guess, and Ash concurs). The door to his room opens and Buffy enters. She gives him severe-face as she asks, "Where is she?" Oz responds that he's not sure but he knows the "areas we're drawn to. I'm pretty sure I can follow her scent." Buffy says they'll try that and starts to leave. With his eyes downcast, Oz begins, "Look, Buffy, you should know that --" but Buffy interrupts and says, "Oz, now might be a good time for your trademark stoicism." Oz looks like he's about to cry (in a manly way, of course) and follows her out the door.
Insistent Music Of Impending Action plays as we see Willow preparing a spell in a science lab. I'm not going to quote the spell, because it's a wicked one, all full of Satan and black forces and stuff, and I don't need anymore bad mojo in my life. Suffice it to say that it's not the nice type of Wicca spell Willow usually practices. "Let Oz and Veruca's deceitful hearts be broken," chants Willow and tosses something into a bowl, which causes flames to shoot up. We cut to Oz and Buffy running through the woods. Buffy is carrying a tranquilizer gun. Oz stops to smell the air and takes off running. Back at the science lab, Willow continues with her naughty spell. Beakers on the counter top begin to levitate. In the woods, Oz says he can smell Veruca close by, but he and Buffy only find a pile of clothes. Buffy suggests that Veruca wanted to throw Oz off the scent, and Oz gasps, "Willow!" and begins to run in another direction. Buffy follows him but runs directly into one of the masked commando guys, who is also carrying a gun. In the lab, Willow is saying, "Let this image seal his fate," as she prepares to throw a picture of Oz into the burning bowl. "Not to love, only hate," she forces out bitterly, but her face softens as she stares at the picture. She can't follow through with the spell and drops the picture of Oz onto the countertop. At that moment, the levitating beakers drop and break, and the fire goes out. I can relate to the blind rage Willow was feeling, but I'm really glad she didn't go through with her hex. "Wow," says Veruca as she enters the lab and locks the door, "for a minute there, I thought you might actually play rough." She gives Willow that head-hunched-down, eyes-rolled-up look that is supposed to be vampy or something but just makes her look like she's suffering gastrointestinal distress. Veruca approaches Willow, talking about having to kill to keep what's yours, and then notes that the sun is almost down.
Back in the woods, Buffy is tussling with the masked commando guy. He attempts to grab her tranq gun, but she blocks him, scoops it up, and takes off running. Guess we aren't going to find out yet who the commandos are or what they're up to. Veruca boob-walks towards Willow back in the lab, rolling her head like a convulsive and lisping that Willow didn't "have the teeth" to go through with her spell. Willow protests that Veruca doesn't know a thing about her, and Veruca responds that she knows what Willow loves, and that she "[has] his scent on me right now." Gross! She spent the whole night making hairy werewolf-love in a deserted crypt and she hasn't taken a shower yet? Get out of here, dirty girl! Willow tries to run, but Veruca smacks her in the face and knocks her down. Oz breaks down the door and tells Veruca not to touch Willow again. "Come stop me. I like it rough, remember?" husks Veruca while rolling her head and eyes simultaneously. Is she supposed to be a werewolf or some kind of possessed Linda Blair creature? Oz looks as revolted as I feel and tells Veruca to leave Willow out of it. Veruca protests that she can't, because Willow is to blame for Oz living in cages and denying his wolfiness. She says, "When she's gone, you'll be able to admit what you are," and while saying "are," she goes in for the mother of all head rolls. I've become sickly fascinated by Paige Moss's peculiar body language. She's like a whole midway freak-show all rolled up into one little body. Veruca approaches Oz and there's a bad blue-screen scene as they both begin to morph into werewolves while discussing their animal natures. "Animals kill," says Veruca, and Oz responds, "You're right. We kill," and attacks her. Finally. Willow cringes in fear as the two fight and transform into wolves. Basically, the fight ends with Were-Oz ripping out Were-Veruca's throat. I know I've been going on and on about how much I hate Veruca, but I'm also a little disappointed that she was such a blatantly "evil" character. In many viewers' eyes, Oz will likely be relieved of responsibility for his actions because Veruca was such an instigator. Oz, however, is the one who had a relationship with Willow, and Oz was the one who made active choices to betray that relationship. Were-Oz growls and approaches Willow, who tentatively reaches out to him -- which is a surprising gesture, considering that she just saw him make a quick snack out of the Other Woman's throat. He begins to attack her and is stopped by Buffy grabbing one of his rear legs and yanking him backwards. They fight, and Buffy shoots Oz with the tranq gun, then throws the gun aside and runs to Willow, who collapses sobbing into her lap. Buffy strokes Will's hair.
Early the morning, Buffy and Giles sit in his apartment, discussing the night's events. He says he doesn't understand, and I honestly don't understand what he doesn't understand. Buffy says she just thought he should he should know, and they discuss the masked commando in the woods. Buffy recalls the similar men she saw on Halloween night and says she wants to know what's going on with these guys, because they're getting in her way. She starts to say that she wasn't in time to save Veruca, and Giles tells her she saved Willow. Buffy responds, "Right now she wishes I hadn't. Giles, I've never seen her like this. It's like it hurts too much to form words." Giles attempts to make Buffy feel better by pointing out that she herself has felt that way and survived. Buffy says, "Yeah, and I ran away and went to hell and then got through it. I'm kinda hoping she doesn't use me as a model." Buffy and Giles sit quietly, looking concerned, and Buff wonders how Oz and Willow will deal with what happened.
Willow enters Oz's room and sees that he's packing his clothes into a duffel bag. They stare sadly at each other, and she asks what he's doing. Oz explains that he's leaving, and stuffs more clothes into the bag. "That's your solution?" asks Willow with a measure of disgust. "Don't I get any say in this?" Oz says no. I think he was going to leave without telling her, and now he's acting cold to her, and I think he's being a big jerk. Ummm, you're the one who fucked up, Oz. Throw Willow a bone! He turns to her and explains that "the wolf is inside me all the time," and that he needs to not be around anyone until he can figure out where the line is between him and the wolf. "Well, that could be a problem, 'cause people -- kind of a planetary epidemic," says Willow, choking up. Oz explains that he'll find someplace deserted and that he's not sure how long he'll be gone. Willow is in obvious anguish as she begins to cry, asking, "Oz, don't you love me?" I begin to cry here as well, kids. He finally looks directly at her as he says, "My whole life, I've never loved anything else." How romantic. Kinda twisted, but still romantic. He comes to Willow and presses his forehead against hers as they both cry. Then he kisses her gently, grabs his bag, and leaves the house. Willow cries. Oz strides stoically to his van, tosses the bag in, and puts the key in the ignition. He then pauses and looks as if the act of leaving Willow is causing him physical pain. He looks back towards the house, then turns the key and drives the van away. I sob and my nose runs.