REVELATIONS
SEASON 3 EPISODE 7
This is a weird episode in the sense that it's really big, but not really. Some big events happen, but it actually doesn't affect as much as you might think. After the absence of Faith in Band Candy, this one is largely centered around her; so if you don't like Faith, this and a few episodes coming up may displease you.
The episode starts off with the Dingos playing yet another show at the Bronze. They've got to be rolling in cash! Oz comes off stage after the song to sit with Willow, Xander and Cordy, the former two obviously still super klutzy and feeling guilty about their ongoing tryst. They soon change the topic to Buffy and wonder why she's been acting different lately; Cordy suggests that she has a secret boyfriend. Cordy's actually right, for once! As if on cue, Buffy comes up and states that she's going out with Faith tonight. Ooh la la! They go out patrolling with Giles tagging along and seem to work better as a team than previously seen. But then her new watcher, Gwendolyn Post (an even snobbier Giles, but female!) shows up to criticize them and say that she's taking over watcher duties for Faith. Whereas Giles has charm in his British-ness, Gwen only has pompousness.
Back at the library, Post offends everyone in the whole room, especially Giles. She's criticizes his book selection and for Giles, that's a capital sin. Hey, at least she gets to do the exposition for today instead of Giles; she tells about a demon named Lagos who is looking for a gauntlet called the Glove of Myneghon. She thinks the glove is in a tomb so suggests that they check the cemetery. What I find funny is that there are twelve cemeteries in Sunnydale city limits alone. Really rocking that mortality rate there. Later on, Buffy goes to Angel's to do that yoga with him and they almost share a kiss but Buffy decides against it at the last minute. Angel isn't completely back to his normal self, so he's a little weird in these episodes. Hundreds of years of hell will do that to you I suppose.
Meanwhile at the library, Giles is pissed because of Gwen, so he takes it out on Xander and Willow, who are researching. The retreat to the upper part of the library and talk before Willow kisses him and this is faaaar from innocent. Then Giles walks up and almost catches them, resulting in lots of awkwardness. Giles gets a lead on the glove while Buffy and Faith are walking around cemetery to cemetery. The girls talk about their love lives and man Faith is a huge slut! Buffy leaves and Faith goes to hit the last cemetery alone, and wouldn't you know it, this is the one where Lagos happens to be. She puts up a fight but Lagos gets away.
Xander follows up on the lead at the cemetery where the glove is supposed to be. He says he's going alone because he's feeling guilty...although honestly most of that one was Willow's fault. Not saying he's innocent in it, but still. He hears rumbling in the tomb and hides, seeing Angel with the glove and both flabbergasted and curious, he tails him. He does recon back to the mansion and finds Angel and Buffy making out. Obviously Xander is the one least equipped to think properly with this information. Angel gives Buffy the glove, which actually has a really cool design. He also mentions that once worn, it can't be taken off. I love the Glove of Myneghon; it's so bad.Meanwhile, at Giles's place, Gwen ridicules him some more. She really is designed to be the most obnoxious character in the entire world. Then Xander busts in to explain what he saw, and the next day, the gang prepares an intervention for the Buffster. And so begins a ridiculously painful sequence where everyone attacks Buffy yet again. This time I kind of side with the group though; I feel for Buffy, but nowhere near as much as I did in Dead Man's Party. I think she deserved a good ribbing for this one, even if the group may not fully understand the situation. She could have at least trusted Giles with the info, if no one else. Xander especially explodes, but I get it this time. A lot of it does stem from his hatred of Angel, but he makes some really valid points this time given his situation. Even Giles is pissed and really disappointed in her on account of the torture that Angel gave him at the end of last season. We don't often see Giles this upset, at least not with Buffy.
Later, at Faith's crappy apartment, Gwen stops by for some advice. Gwen suggests a tough love approach, and lets it slip that they had a "secret meeting". Faith feels excluded and starts to actually warm up to Post. I don't know how she could; she's awful. In the halls at school, Buffy and Willow talk about the Angel thing. Willow isn't mad at Buffy because she's levelheaded enough to realize that she's doing the same thing with Xander. Xander is...less so. He's shooting pool at the Bronze when Faith comes in, and the two irrational people decide to go kill Angel and get the glove. That night, Gwen stops by the library and talks with Giles for a bit. Giles mentions that the glove is in safe hands in the mansion, and when Gwen learns that they plan to destroy it, she flips. She cracks Giles in the head while his back's turned, and surprise! The one-off character is a bad guy? Say it ain't so. The music sting that plays when she hits him is pretty cool though; it reminds me of Psycho or The Shining, very classic horror sting.
Meanwhile, Buffy and Willow are in the graveyard waiting for Lagos. Willow does a poor job at hiding her affair, but someone dim little Buffy doesn't pick up on the huge warning signs. Eventually Willow decides to come clean, building it up a lot. But then, she's saved by the bell as Lagos shows up and Buffy has to fight it. She grabs the axe off it's back and whacks his head right off. Then Willow decides not to reveal her secret and makes up something on the fly about her SATs to cover for it. Xander and Faith get to the library and raid the stockpile of weapons before finding Giles passed out on the floor. Xander is actually thinking clearly here and knows something's up but Faith just really wants to kill Angel I guess. Or she's really stupid. She DID think that Spartans were "guys from Spart", but I guess she's kind of an idiot. She rushes off to kill Angel.
The next day, during the wrap-up, everyone pretty much recaps what happened to Oz, who has been conspicuously absent this episode. Buff and Xand finally make up, though Cordy is still pretty apprehensive. To make more amends, Buffy heads to Faith's to check on how she's doing. She says that Faith can trust her, but Faith is having none of it. She almost comes around but decides to go it alone, which starts her on a dark path that we'll see unfold further on in the season.
Overall this is a pretty average episode. It's nothing fantastic and I don't really like how over-dramatic the intervention scene is; I'm also not a fan of Gwen Post, but other than that it's a decent episode. It sort of shakes up the status quo by revealing Angel's revival to the rest of the gang, but it doesn't really affect too much for now. There's also the beginning of Faith sort of resenting the rest of the group, but that doesn't come into play until later either. All in all it's pretty harmless, but not one of the stronger entries.
**1/2
2 comments:
Really love your reviews.
Thanks! :)
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