Revelations

Written by: Douglas Petrie Directed by: James A. Contner

Cast : Sarah Michelle Gellar as Buffy Summers, Nicholas Brendon as Xander Harris, Alyson Hannigan as Willow Rosenberg, Charisma Carpenter as Cordelia Chase, Seth Green as Oz, Anthony Stewart Head as Rupert Giles, David Boreanez as Angel.

Main guest stars : Eliza Dushku as Faith, Serena Scott Thomas as Gwendolyn Post, Jason Hall as Devon.

Original broadcast date : November 17, 1998

At The Bronze, Willow and Xander, still feeling guilty about their secret tryst, try to deflect Oz and Cordelia¹s attention to Buffy¹s love life. As they speculate about a possible new boyfriend of hers, she arrives and jokingly tells them that her date for the evening is Faith, for slay-duty.

In the cemetery, the two Slayers are actually having fun doing what they call “synchronized slaying”, as Giles watches on appreciatively. However, another voice with a British accent calls the Slayers¹ performance “sloppy”. She introduces herself as Gwendolyn PostŠ Faith¹s new Watcher.

At the library, Gwen informs the threesome that she was also sent by the Council to report back on Giles¹ activities, as well as to enlist both Slayers¹ help to kill a Lagos, a demon who¹s in town looking for the Glove of Myhnegon ­ a dangerous artefact which gives tremendous power to its wearer.

The next day, Buffy is practicing Tai Chi practicing with Angel at the mansion. The moves get more and more sensual and tender, untilŠ they get very close to a kiss. Buffy quickly draws back, conscious that they can¹t go that far again. Instead, she fills him in on the whole Lagos deal, then leaves.

Meanwhile, Gwen Post has been seriously getting under Giles¹ skin, and he takes his anger out on Willow and Xander as they do research. As the two of them go back once more into the bookshelves and slink to the ground to relax a bit, they kiss againŠ and are almost caught by an unsuspecting Giles. As the Watcher tells them that the Glove of Myhnegon is hidden in the Von Hauptmann family crypt, Xander quickly offers to go to Restfield cemetery to tell Buffy.

Buffy and Faith are coming back from an unsuccessful talk for Lagos, and chatting talk about guys. Faith prods Buffy for information about her relationship with Angel, but Buffy declines the offer to talk about it. As Buffy, claiming to be tired, goes home, Faith goes back to the cemetery for a last round, and runs into the demon, rummaging through a sarcophagus for loot. Not believing her luck, she happily tackles itŠ and gets beat up like crap. As she looks on disbelievingly, Lagos takes off, not having found what he was looking for.

Looking for Buffy in the cemetery, Xander spies Angel coming out of the Hauptmann Crypt, carrying something wrapped up in cloth. After following him, Xander sees Buffy and Angel passionately kissing in the mansion. As they realize what they are doing, they break apart, embarrassed. Then Angel shows Buffy his prize, the Glove of Myhnegon, which he promises to keep safe.

Xander goes to see Giles, who¹s having tea with Gwen Post, and tells him about what he saw. The next day Buffy finds her friends congregated in the library, grim-faced. They start telling her how they feel about her being back with Angel and having lied to them, Xander being, as usual, by far the harshest. As Buffy tries to defend herself, Giles breaks it up, saying it¹s enough, and everyone leaves. Buffy tries once again to justify her actions, but Giles coldly cuts her off, reminding her of the fact Angel that tortured him, and accusing her of having no respect for him.

Meanwhile, Gwen visits Faith at her motel apartment and drives the first wedge between her and Buffy, telling the younger Slayer about the secret meetings Giles, Buffy and friends routinely have.

That night, Giles meets with Gwen Post at the library and tells her that a friend of Buffy¹s is holding the Glove until they can destroy it. Having learned where Angel¹s mansion is, Gwen knocks Giles unconscious with a statue.

At the cemetery, Buffy is on slaying duty with Willow, the only one who doesn¹t seem to be angry at her. Willow is working up the courage to tell Buffy about her secret relationship with Xander, when Lagos interrupts. After Buffy kills the demon, Willow, for some reason, chickens out of sharing her secret.

Still disgruntled from learning of Angel¹s return, Xander is playing pool at the Bronze when Faith shows up and asks him what¹s wrong. When she learns about Angel, they work each other angry enough to go dust him. They go to the library to get weapons, but just as they’re leaving, Xander discovers Giles knocked unconscious in his office. Faith automatically concludes that Angel has gone bad again, and as Xander calls an ambulance, she leaves for the mansion.

A few minutes later, Buffy and Willow arrive and find paramedics wheeling Giles away. The Watcher whispers to them that they have to destroy the Glove with the living flame, then falls back into unconsciousness. Xander tells Buffy that Faith has gone after Angel to stake him, and he doesn¹t look one bit sorry. Buffy angrily orders Willow and Xander to prepare the living flame while she goes after Faith, and Willow takes her side by coldly telling Xander to just shut up and help her.

At the mansion, as she feigns helping Angel prepare the living flame, Gwen Post sneaks up on Angel and clobbers him over the head, hoping to knock him unconscious like Giles. Little does she knowŠ He rises, in full vamp face, and fights with her. Conveniently, Faith arrives just as Angel seems to be beating the stuffing out of the Watcher, and does more assuming. She angrily launches herself at Angel, but Buffy arrives just in time to stop Faith from staking him.

Of course, at this point Faith is way to angry to be reasoned with. For the first time, the two Slayers come to blows, crash through a set of French doors, and continue fighting outside. Xander arrives and tries ­ at his own risk - to break it up, while Willow helps Gwen back up. But the Watcher just whacks her across the room, picks up the Glove, and puts it on. As the Glove¹s power courses through her, Buffy and Faith stop fighting, astounded. After telling Faith what an idiot she is, Gwen selects Willow as her first victim, sending the Glove¹s energy crackling in her direction, but Angel pushes her out of the way. Buffy asks Faith to distract Gwen long enough for her to find a way out of this. As Gwen tries to fry Faith to death, Buffy finds a broken piece of glass and cuts off the Watcher¹s arm. Gwen Post disintegrates, and the Glove falls off, idle.

At school the next day, Buffy makes up with all her friends, especially Xander. She also goes to Faith¹s place to try and make up with her. She tries to convince Faith to trust her, but the younger Slayer, embittered by the experience, tells Buffy that she only trusts herself.

Summary by OttsFiveByFive.

Episode Ratings

Mac -

“The work by Sarah and Nick is spectacular. Pretty cool storyline as well.”

DJ Angelus -

“Solid ep with the revelation the Angel is back from hell.”

Quotes

Key: B=Buffy, G=Giles, X=Xander, W=Willow, C=Cordelia, O=Oz, A=Angel, J=Joyce, PS=Principal Snyder, T=Mr. Trick

W: Oz! Hey! Have a seat… except, we don’t have any seats. O: It’s okay, I’ll just scrunch in.

W: And that’s very beautiful. I think it’s great when two people like two people and want to be close to them instead of anyone else. X: Hear, hear!

C: Xander, why are you giving me a lap dance? X: What? I just like you.

C: Why are you guys so hyper? W: Hey, speaking of people and things they do that aren’t like usual… anyone notice Buffy acting sort of different? X: Let’s see – Killing zombies… torching sewer monsters… and, no, that’s pretty much the same old Buffster.

W: A boyfriend? Why wouldn’t she tell us? C: Excuse me? When your last steady killed half the class, and then your rebound guy sends you a dump-o-gram? It makes a girl shy. X: But we’re the best of Buffy’s bestest buds. She’d tell us. B: Tell you what? W: About your new boyfriend, who we made up… unless we didn’t? B: This was a topic of discussion? O: Well, raised, but never discussed.

B: I wouldn’t use the word “dating”, but I am going out with somebody - tonight, as a matter of fact. W: Really? Who? F: Yo, what’s up? Hey, time to motivate. B: Really, we’re just good friends.

B: Synchronized slaying. F: New Olympic category?

B: What do you think? P: Sloppy. You telegraph punches, leave blind sides open, and for a school night slaying, take entirely too much time.

F: No offense, lady, I just have this problem with authority figures. They end up kind of dead.

P: Do you have Hume’s “Paranormal Encyclopedia”? The Labyrinth maps of Malta? G: It’s on order.

F: Excuse me, Mary Poppins, but you don’t seem to be listening.

P: The Council wishes me to report on the entire situation here - including you. B: Hmm, academic probation’s not so funny today, huh, Giles? P: The fact is, there is talk in the Council that you have become a bit too… American. G: Me? B: Him??

G: What do you propose? P: Well, if it’s not too radical a suggestion, I thought we might kill him.

P: Lagos will be headed for the cemetery. G: There is more than one in Sunnydale. P: I see. How many? G: Twelve within the city limits.

G: That was bracing. B: Interesting lady. Can we kill her? G: I think the Council might frown upon that.

B: Big night for us Slayer types. People to see, demons to kill.

B: It’s just… old habit. Bad, bad habit - to be broken. A: It’s hard. B: It’s not hard. Cold turkey. That’s the key to quitting. You think they make a patch for this?

B: I’m going to try and vent a little hormonal angst by going out there and killing a Lagos, whatever that is. A: Lagos? B: Some demon looking for some all-powerful thingamabob, and I got to stop him before he unleashes unholy havoc, and it’s another Tuesday night in Sunnydale.

X: Hey, you’re not the Watcher of me.

W: What does he want from us, anyway? X: The number of a qualified surgeon to remove the British flag from his butt?

W: Oh, stop. X: Right. Stop means no, and no means no, so, um, stop. W: How’d you find it? G: I looked.

F: Ronnie, deadbeat. Steve, klepto. Kenny… drummer. Eventually I just had to face up to my destiny as a loser magnet. Now it’s strictly get some, get gone. You can’t trust guys. B: You can trust some guys. Really, I’ve read about them.

F: I’ve had my share of losers, but you… you boinked the undead.

X: Hey, Giles, here’s a nifty idea. Why don’t I alleviate my guilt by going out and getting myself really, really killed?

B: What am I doing? What are you doing? A: I don’t know. B: Shame on you!

A: I think I have what you’re looking for. B: Great, just, wherever this was gift-wrapped, remind me not to shop there. A: The Glove of Myhnegon. B: The world’s ugliest fashion accessory.

P: The pictures are fun to look at, Mr. Giles, but one really ought to read the nice words as well.

G: I am in complete control of my Slayer. X: Giles! We have a big problem - it’s Buffy.

B: What’s with all the tragedy masks?

B: It’s not what you think. X: Hope not. Because I think you’re harboring a vicious killer.

W: This isn’t about attacking Buffy. Remember, “I” statements only - “I feel angry.” “I feel worried.” C: Fine. Here’s one: I feel worried… about me!

B: What is this, Demons Anonymous? I don’t need an intervention here.

B: I just wanted to wait… X: For what? For Angel to go psycho again the next time you give him a happy?

C: What gives you the right to suck face with your demon lover again? B: It was an accident! X: What, you just tripped and fell on his lips?

X: I don’t need an excuse. I think lots of dead people actually constitutes a reason.

C: Hello? Miss Not-over-yourself-yet?

G: I won’t remind you that the fate of the world often lies with the Slayer. What would be the point? Nor shall I remind you that you’ve jeopardized the lives of all that you hold dear by harboring a known murderer. But sadly, I must remind you that Angel tortured me… for hours… for pleasure. You should have told me he was alive. You didn’t. You have no respect for me, or the job I perform.

P: A word of advice? Vampires rarely knock.

P: Do you know who the Spartans were? F: Wild stab - a bunch of guys from Spart?

P: You will probably hate me a great deal of the time. F: You think?

B: So, on a scale of one to a million, how much are you hating me right now? W: Zero.

F: I say I deal with this problem right now. I say I slay. X: Can I come?

B: Look, if you’re feeling any demon-o-phobia, please… splitting is totally an option.

B: How long do you think he can stay angry at me, anyway? W: The emotional marathon man?

W: Keeping secrets is a lot of work. One could hypothetically imagine. B: You have no idea. W: None whatsoever! But…

W: You know, I always consider myself a good person - floss, do my homework, never cheat. But lately, and please don’t judge me on this, but I want you to be the first to know, that, that… there’s a demon behind you.

B: Sorry about that. So, what were you saying? W: Oh, I… I opened my SAT test booklet five minutes early. Just doesn’t seem important now, does it?

X: Good old Sunnydale library. Fully equipped with reference books, file cards… and weapons. F: Beauty. X: I call crossbow.

F: Yeah, I’m thinking. Thinking Buffy’s ex-meat did this!

F: How much more proof do you need? X: Bite marks would be nice.

X: Wait! F: For what? For you to grow a pair?

P: That’s what I love about this town. Everyone’s so helpful.

A: Okay. That hurt.

F: I can’t believe how much I’m gonna kill you.

F: You’re confused, twinkie. Let me clear you up. Vampire. Slayer. Dead vampire.

P: Faith, a word of advice. You’re an idiot.

C: So there’s no more glove-thingy? X: Nah, a little living fire, a little mesquite - gone for good. O: Sounds like we missed a lot of fun. X: Then we’re telling it wrong.

W: Well, he saved me from a horrible flamey death. That sort of makes me like him again.

X: Well, as long as she and Angel don’t get pelvic, we’ll be okay, I guess.

B: What are you guys talking about? O: Oddly enough, your boyfriend. Again.

B: Are we cool? X: Yeah. Just seeing the two of you kissing after everything that happened, I leaned toward the postal. But I trust you. C: I don’t, just for the record.

G: She was kicked out by the Council a couple of years ago for misuses of dark power. They swear there was a memo.

B: How are you? F: 5 by 5. B: I’ll interpret that as good.

Credit: The Sunnydale Slayers