Review
Kim: "Moving on"
Okay, so this isn’t a patch on the previous episode, but there’s something cool going on in this episode. The gang - and not just Buffy - are all moving on.
The return to the burnt-out High School is a nice way of showing how much the Scoobies’ horizons have expanded since the heady days of Tenth Grade. The Hellmouth opening and impending apocalypse are just your basic run-of-the-mill bad these days - the world is saved without ruffling anyone’s feathers.
Just remember what a big deal stopping the Master’s plans was - it took a whole season! This time round, it’s just something that happens whilst Buffy sorts out her Angel-shaped relationship baggage.
For Willow, being called a nerd is as upsetting as waking up next to a mutilated corpse. And Spike’s more concerned about dapper-ness than depravity. The Scoobies certainly keep their lifestyle in perspective these days.
James: "Buffy-by-numbers"
This is a stop-gap episode. It achieves a lot of things - moves Buffy and Riley closer together, reveals more about the Initiative, and, gives Spike a new purpose.
You can practically hear the boxes being ticked as all outstanding business is tied up, exposition exposited, and things are put in place for the season to continue.
It's Buffy-by-numbers, with the episode's heart concentrated on the Buffy/Riley trauma. The Vahrall demons seem like a a flippant sideline. Considering this episode features a return to Sunnydale High, and the opening of the Hellmouth, this episode should feel much more epic than it actually does.
It is, as ever, saved by Spike. This week we worship James Marsters's shirt and the joy of hearing an American doing an English accent doing an American accent.
