Faith is staying with Angel, much to the distress of Cordelia and Wesley. Can he help her get past her violent nature, and what will happen when Buffy arrives?
This is a perfect example of how to put together a story. Start off with two characters from with opposing perspectives, then throw in another player. Then another, and another… It seems everyone is interested in Faith: Buffy, Angel, the police, the Watchers Council, and, of course, Wolfram & Hart. When you’ve got so many elements, you see that Faith is trapped somewhere she may not be able to get out from. With people after her in every direction, there’s only one way the story can go; either she leaves and remains forever on the run, or she turns herself over to one of the groups who want her.
It’s a superb character study with the most wonderful acting seen yet in the series from David Boreanaz, Sarah Michelle Gellar, and particularly Alexis Denisof, who shows what he’s made of as he attempts to find the courage to forgive Faith for what she did to him. It finally seems that Angel has found its own identity as the more grown-up version of Buffy, dealing with more adult themes as Buffy and her friends do their growing up in their own show. It’s in the Angel/Buffy confrontation that Angel finally shows that he is older and wiser and isn’t content to just kill evil if it can be redeemed. It’s powerful to see him tell her to go home, which is exactly what Buffy needs.
Meanwhile, Eliza Dushku is also putting in some great work as a young woman who has lost everything and needs a reason to push through what she’s done and the pain she’s caused and make amends. The flashes of violence that she has are a terrifying insight into a young and fragile mind pushed to breaking point.
Taking Cordelia out of the action for the episode is a great idea, as it means everyone left has a stake in Faith’s future. Returning to Wesley, it adds great depth to his character that he admits to trusting Angel’s judgement, at least over that of a group of gun-toting Watcher’s Council members. It’s good to see him playing them brilliantly, outwardly agreeing to help them in exchange for being brought back into the Council, while inwardly knowing just how empty their promises are, not to mention that his current job is far more important to him. Once again the writers play on everyone’s expectations that Wesley is a bumbling idiot and show that there’s far more to him than we’ve seen so far.
The ending is a strong one, and it thankfully leaves the possibility of Faith’s return at a future point. In what state, though, is anyone’s guess. Thus ends an episode packed with superb characterization but still providing the requisite action and thrills we’ve all come to expect from this series. Proof that there’s room for two vampire-based series in the world.
*****
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