Anya returns from her self-imposed exile with her vengeance demon powers returned. However, she is unable to curse Xander and must force someone else to make a wish in order to punish him.

I thought I knew where things were going, but after this episode, in some areas I'm not so sure anymore. For one, it seems I'm not the only one who's noticed Jonathan's wavering enthusiasm about being evil, as Warren and Andrew are concerned about him and have plans to bump him off should he show signs of turning them in. It's not clear whether Andrew really has the guts to see this through, but Warren certainly does. It's good to see their big final plan start to take shape as well, with a big robbery seeming like a fitting end to their careers.

Meanwhile, the bulk of the episode is dealing with the fallout from Xander and Anya. In the beginning, Anya's problem with wish fulfilment is dealt with from a comic perspective, but thankfully this is dropped early on rather than her spending the entire episode trying to make people wish for things, which would have been a little dull. Admittedly it causes a few continuity issues (surely Anya needs her destroyed amulet back to have her full powers, and why can't she ask her fellow vengeance demon to make the wish for her) but watching people come close to a wish (I was really hoping Spike would wish for his chip to be gone, for one) is tantalizing.

Aside from some cute little scenes between Gellar and Trachtenberg as the sisters finally bond, Brendon and Caulfield make an extremely good showing here as both wounded parties try to explain how they feel to the other with no real success, demonstrating how they had different ideas about how to go about things. But it's Caulfield who gets the best material when her vulnerability lands her in the arms of Spike. The scenes they share together are pure poetry, with a great passion between the two wronged parties and the way they are caught tying things neatly together, bringing out the one remaining secret of the season in the shape of Buffy's affair with Spike and giving the Trio a spot of fun. By the end of the episode, it doesn't look as though things will ever be the same again. Xander's reaction suggests that there's just no fixing it this time.

Oh, and a quick mention for Amber Benson and Alyson Hannigan, who have a simply beautiful romantic scene at the end of the episode that really makes you feel for the pair and all they've been through. And congratulations to the producers for really going all-out with the sexuality of the couple, as the passionate kiss really makes the scene and certainly doesn't come across as gratuitous.

****

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