| Written by: | Douglas Petrie |
| Directed by: | David Grossman |
| Starring: | Sarah Michelle Gellar as Buffy Summers Nicholas Brendon as Xander Harris Alyson Hannigan as Willow Rosenberg Charisma Carpenter as Cordelia Chase David Boreanaz as Angel Seth Green as Oz Anthony Stewart Head as Rupert Giles |
| Guest Starring: | Kristine Sutherland as Joyce Summers Harry Groener as Mayor Richard Wilkiins III Alexis Denisof as Wesley Wyndam-Pryce Michael Manasseri as Horned Demon Skyler Gary Bullock as Shrouded Man Eliza Dushku as Faith |
Angel pretended that he turned evil again to determine Mayor Wilkins's agenda.
Buffy and Angel had just watched Le Banquet d'Amelia at the local movie theater. Apparently, it was a bit too erotic for their comfort. Angel had to assure her that he can keep control, even when around her. They started to kiss when Faith interrupted so she could patrol with Buffy.
In the cemetery, they were startled by a demon. However, he did not want to fight. Instead, he was trying to sell Books of the Ascension to them. Apparently, the books deal with dark stuff that Mayor Wilkins would not want them to have, or at least Wilkins would not want a slayer not working for him to have. For $5,000, they could have the books.
Mayor Wilkins was interested in the books. He decided that Faith should kill the demon and recover the books. Buffy also discussed the offer with Giles, Wesley, Willow, and Xander. Wesley came up with the idea of convincing the demon to lend the books without charge. Buffy realized that Faith was needed for that kind of "convincing."
Faith, however, was busy carrying out the Mayor's plan. She burst into the demon's apartment and asked about the books. A very intimidated demon showed them to her and wanted to negotiate. Faith, however, simply killed him.
Faith went to Angel. She claimed that she was afraid that she was turning into a cold-blooded killer. She tried to seduce him, but he was not tempted. She did give him a kiss at the end, with Buffy watching.
Faith was upset that she was not able to seduce Angel, but Mayor Wilkins was not disappointed. He said that they would just try to take away Angel's soul in a different way.
Xander bribed Willie the Snitch for the demon's address. Unfortunately, he forgot to get a receipt, so he could not be reimbursed. Buffy and Faith went to the apartment and found a dead demon, which should not have surprised Faith.
Buffy confessed to Willow that she felt jealous about seeing Faith with Angel. Willow was perfectly willing to believe that Faith would try to seduce Angel but was also confident that Angel would resist Faith. Willow suggested that Buffy go talk with Angel.
Faith visited Angel, allegedly to apologize. She tossed some red paint on Angel and then a sorcerer hired by Wilkins started a spell. Some visual effects surrounded Angel and he fell to the ground. He got up, put on his vamp face, and kissed Faith. He thanked her and then started beating on her. She fought back and eventually convinced him to quit fighting so she could introduce him to the Mayor.
Giles, Wesley, Cordelia, Xander, Oz, Willow, and Buffy met in the library. They were going nowhere with their current search methods, so Oz suggested going to the hall of records. Giles stayed behind and Xander decided to go around town instead. Cordelia was quite happy not to have Xander there.
Faith brought Angel to Mayor Wilkins. Angel was not inclined to take orders, and, in fact, he wanted to be the one to give orders. However, they both expressed a wish to give Buffy a long, slow, painful death, so they got along.
Xander ran into Faith and Angel. He tried to tell them to find Buffy, but Angel smacked him down. Faith and Angel proceeded to Buffy's house where they met her. Faith claimed to have the books at Angel's mansion. However, when they arrived, Angel started to threaten Buffy and then knocked her unconscious.
At the hall of records, Oz found a picture of Richard Wilkins I that looked identical to Richard Wilkins III. Apparently, Wilkins is over a century old. This discussion was interrupted when Xander came in and told everyone that Angel turned evil and is aligned with Faith.
Buffy awoke chained up to a wall. Faith and Angel threatened to torture her but mostly just talked. Faith said that the ascension would take place on graduation day and would involve a transformation that may or may not leave Mayor Wilkins with hands.
Angel and Buffy decided that they learned everything that Faith knew, so they revealed that they were playing her just as Xander, Oz, Willow, Cordelia, and Wesley burst in. Xander went straight for Angel while Buffy and Faith had it out. Their fight ended quickly with Buffy and Faith each holding a knife to the other's throat. Faith kissed Buffy and left. The others must have stopped and watched, because nothing seemed to have happened in the fight with Angel. Once Faith left, Willow went to comfort Buffy.
Buffy, Willow, Xander, and Wesley watched as Giles met with the sorcerer that Wilkins thought was working for him. Giles expressed his thanks for the visual effects and the sorcerer said that his debt to Giles was now repaid in full. Apparently, Giles introduced the sorcerer to his wife.
Faith was a little disappointed at her performance, but Mayor Wilkins was still supportive. He promised bad things would happen to Faith's former friends once the ascension started. He also took her out for miniature golf.
Buffy understood the reason for Angel pretending to be with Faith, but she was still upset. She wanted a break but assured Angel that she was still his.
I have said before that David Boreanaz is a better actor when playing Angel as evil than when he played Angel as good.
There were a couple of scenes that were included just to keep Giles, Angel, and Buffy's plot secret from the audience rather than from the rest of the characters.
Faith and Buffy fought a bit at the end.
Mayor Wilkins was fun.
Angel smacked Xander and probably enjoyed it.
The sorcerer's debt to Giles was rather unexpected.
Buffy was jealous of Faith.
Faith tried and failed to seduce Angel.
Cordelia's feelings for Wesley were rather obvious.
Faith kissed Buffy on the forehead.
Angel has the ability to pretend to have lost his soul.
Mayor Wilkins may have some fatherly feelings toward Faith, but not when it comes to an obsession over his daughter's virginity. In fact, he even encouraged her to try to seduce Angel.
Wesley is willing to collaborate with Giles and almost views him as a colleague.
Cordelia is still attracted to Wesley. At least it gives her something to do other than hurl insults.
Faith had an alcoholic mother and is jealous of the attention that Buffy received.
The characters now know a little about the Mayor's plans. More importantly, they know that Faith is on his side.
Angel gets the award for tricking Faith into thinking that he had lost his soul so he could learn that she was working for Mayor Wilkins and so he could learn what she knew about the ascension.
Giles appeared to have come up with the plan to trick Mayor Wilkins and Faith into thinking that Angel lost his soul. Oz gets credit for coming up with the hall of records search and for finding the old picture of Mayor Wilkins.
First, Faith failed to seduce Angel. Second, she failed to recognize the fact that Angel was only pretending that he lost his soul. Third, she gave information to her opponents. Finally, she blew her cover.
I have to give Sunnydale some credit. In the United States, it is very rare for a town that small to have a movie theater that shows foreign-language films.
Why does someone as germ phobic as Mayor Wilkins leave milk out of the refrigerator. Does he know anything about food-borne illness?
Interview with Joss Whedon also includes an interview with writer Douglas Petrie. Joss Whedon discussed Faith as the show's first human monster. Douglas Petrie talked about how the Mayor's dislike of germs comes from David Greenwalt's dislike of germs and how this episode was influenced by the television show Wiseguy. This extra also includes an interview with Whedon and Jane Espenson on "Earshot" that will be discussed in the review of "Earshot." There are spoilers through the end of season three.
"You worry too much for a girl your age. That's unnecessary stress. Luckily, I've got just the thing. [pours milk] There you go. Now, first you load up on calcium, then, find this demon, kill the heck out of him, and bring the books to me." Mayor Wilkins
"Demon after money. Whatever happened to the still-beating heart of a virgin? No one has any standards anymore." Giles
"I have a paper to write for English, and you're English, so I thought... What? Is it so wrong to be getting an insider's perspective? I study best in a good restaurant, around eightish? Think it over?" Cordelia
"There's more that one way to skin a cat, and I happen to know that's factually true." Mayor Wilkins
"The girl makes Godot look punctual." Buffy
"This demon could be anywhere. If these books are as important as he says, he had good reason to hide. Finding him's going to be extremely difficult." Wesley
"Found your demon." Xander
"Fashion tip, Wes: mouth looks better closed." Buffy
"Got the address. I beat it out of Willie the Snitch personally." Xander
"You beat up Willie?" Buffy
"Sure, well, actually let's just say I applied some pressure, or more accurately, that I asked politely, and then... OK, I bribed him" Xander
"Does the Council reimburse for that kind of stuff?" Xander
"Did you get a receipt?" Giles
"Damn." Xander
"I know this. It's down by the bus station. Not the nicest part of town." Buffy
"Again, see? No standards. Any self-respecting demon should be living in a pit of filth or a nice crypt." Giles
"You're right. Faith would never do that." Buffy
"Faith would totally do that. Faith was built to do that. She's the do that girl." Willow
"Comfort, remember? Comfort here." Buffy
"I mean, please, does Angel come up to Faith's standards for a guy? Let's see, is he breathing?" Willow
"Actually, no." Buffy
"I should've known you'd like it on top." Angel
"You wanna listen or you wanna die?" Faith
"As long as you're there, I mostly want you to wriggle." Angel
"Well, gee, sir, I thought I'd find that slayer that's giving you so much trouble and torture, maim, and kill her." Angel
"Fine. It's nice to see you're not one of those slacker types running around town today. Torture Buffy. Killing her's fine, just make it a slow one." Mayor Wilkins
"My favorite kind." Angel
"Wonderful, wonderful, we don't want a replacement slayer anytime soon. They can't all turn out like my girl Faith. Have fun." Mayor Wilkins
"You know, I never properly thanked you for sending me to hell." Angel
"No." Buffy
"Yeah, and I'm just wondering where do I start? Card? Fruit basket? Evisceration?" Angel
"No." Buffy
"Yeah, I know what you're thinking. Maybe there's still some good deep down inside of me that remembers and loves you if only you could reach me. Then again, we have reality." Angel
"You know how some people hate to say 'I told you so?' Not me, I told you so. Angel's back, in the really bad sense, and I told you so." Xander
"I'm the world's best actor." Faith
"Second best." Angel
"His debt to you is repaid? What did you do?" Willow
"I introduced him to his wife." Giles
"We have a rogue slayer on our hands. I can't think of anything more dangerous." Giles
"I feel so much better knowing that he broke my face in a good way." Xander
"What are you worried about? Chin up! You don't see me looking disappointed, do ya? Heck no. You know why? Because I know you'll always have me, Faith. I'm the best, the most important friend you'll ever have. Besides, once the ascension starts, the in crowd you're so concerned about? Whoo, they'll be lucky if there's enough of them left to fill a pothole. Promise. Still unhappy? Okeydoke, I've got two words that are gonna make all the pain go away: 'miniature golf.'" Mayor Wilkins
You still my girl?" Angel
"Always." Buffy
Highlight the space after each question to find the answer. It is strongly recommended that you do not do so if you have not seen episodes through the episode indicated.