A new Watcher arrives in Sunnydale to restart Faith's training after the death of her previous mentor. She brings Giles news that a demon is about to make his presence felt in the vicinity, as he hopes to get his claws on a glove that will make him even more powerful. Meanwhile, Buffy's secret is discovered by Xander, who tells the others that Angel is back, to a varied response...
It seems that the only revelation not in this episode is the one relating to Willow and Xander, who continue to try and avoid their feelings. There is a lot going on here once again, but this time events are not explained as well as they could be. Faith's new Watcher is an interesting character, but once again I was beginning to think Faith's actions would end up getting her killed. Luckily, I was wrong again.
The characterizations are on slightly shaky ground again here, with almost everyone lining up to kill Angel. The performances are at least believable this time though, as most of the regulars do have grounds for this action: Angel held a knife to Willow's neck, threatened Xander, nearly killed Cordelia and tortured Giles, not to mention poor Miss Calendar. The scene with Giles and Buffy is particularly poignant, with Buffy's assertion that Angel is 'better' again not holding much water. He may not remember his actions, but the vampire is still responsible for them, and he's not going to get in people's good books anytime soon. Plus, as Xander points out, what will happen if Buffy gives Angel another 'happy'? Will he revert again?
The story's conclusion is a bit messy, but very well set up, so that each of the main characters has a piece of the puzzle, and no-one knows the real truth about what is going on. Not bad for most series, but slightly disappointing for Buffy.
***
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