Angel's back! Angel's back! (Insert my squeal of delight here.) It's so nice have Angel in Sunnydale again and out of that hell dimension. Really, Buffy finding Angel is the high point of the episode. It's the only thing that will resonate into the rest of the season. (Well, unless you count Oz's continued worry that he'll harm Willow as a werewolf. That has been and will trouble him right into season four.) Mainly, though the episode is average monster-of-the-week dealing with the dangers of date/spousal abuse. A Sunydale student, Debbie, is being beaten by her Mr. Hyde-like boyfriend. Plus, there are dead bodies popping up around school. So, the Scoobies start investigating, with fairly typical results. You really can't skip this episode if you're watching the season on DVD. Angel's return is too important to miss, even if the rest of the episode is sort of lackluster in places.
The episode, like so many others, revolves around some mysterious killings at Sunnydale High. Someone's been mauling students and faculty and it looks like it could be Oz. While in werewolf-form, and under Xander's not-so-vigilant attention, Oz may have escaped from is cage and killed a boy. The Scoobies, especially Oz and Willow, are horrified. Buffy heads out to look for other werewolf suspects in the woods, but instead she finds Angel. It seems Angel is back from hell and feral. After a hundred or so years of torture, he's running around with no idea where he is or what he's doing. Buffy drags him back to the mansion and locks him up. Scared to tell Giles or the Scoobies of his return, she starts investigating whether Angel could be the real killer.
Another murder, this time in broad day light, cheers the Scoobies immensely. With Oz and Angel both of the hook, they begin looking in new directions. Specifically, the look at Oz's friend Debbie and her possessive boyfriend. It seems the guy is something of a chemistry wiz and has cooked up a Mr. Hyde like formula. After drinking it he goes all super-powerful and kills anyone else who is close to Debbie. After awhile, in fact, he doesn't even need the formula to change. Seeing Oz and Debbie's friendship, he decides to make Oz his next victim. Little does he know that it's one of the nights of the full moon and he's in for a fight.
The episode has some fun parts. I like the end, where Oz, Angel and the Mr. Hyde guy are all on the loose in Sunnydale High. Giles gets trank-darted, Willow and Faith go chasing after Oz, and Buffy meets up with Debbie's boyfriend. Suddenly, Angel bursts in, conveniently killing the creep. (Buffy's really not suppose to slay humans, but Angel has a bit more lee-way.) Then, Angel's face morphs back from vampire form, he whispers Buffy's name and falls to his knees in front of her. He's so much bigger than Buffy, plus he just snapped some guy's neck like a twig, but he still clings to Buffy like she's his salvation. It's a beautiful scene. I'm so glad Angel's back in the land of the (sort of) living.
I also like Oz and Willow. She's so determined to clear his name that she even heads out to the morgue to gather evidence. Oz, meanwhile, is scared that he'll hurt Willow or that she might see him differently if he's a killer. They always worry about each other. And having Willow read to him while he's in wolf-from is just so sweet. "Call of the Wild," minus the aggravating rabbit parts, helps to sooth him. They have such a cute relationship.
On the downside, are Willow and Buffy kidding when they lecture Debbie about the stupidity of dating a dangerous guy? Is it suppose to strike the audience as ironic or are they just in complete denial? I love Oz and Angel, but either one of them could've been the killer. Catch them at a bad moment and their both pretty dangerous guys. Debbie excuses her boyfriend's behavior by saying that he's not himself when he's violent. Buffy and Willow do the exact same thing with Werewolf Oz and Angelus. All three women are in similar relationships and unwilling to see it.
Also, did Buffy really think that little wall-sconce and Spike and Dru's old chains would keep Angel locked up for long? Of course, he's gonna escape! Personally, I think it was risky of her to leave him tied up and alone like that, anyway. What if there had been a fire or if he needed help? What if someone came wandering inside and Angel ate them? It's been established that someone needs to watch over Oz when he's all wolf-y, just in case he escapes or something. Logically, Buffy should have come up with a way to watch Angel for the same reasons. Granted, I'm not sure HOW, but then I'M not the Slayer.
On a slightly, more nit-picky note, why does Giles yell at Xander for falling asleep on Oz-watch, but just sort of smiles when Buffy does? She really is watcher's pet. Also, since when is there a window in the book cage and how does it lead outside from that angle? Arcitecturally, wouldn't it lead into the school hallway?
My favorite part of the episode: Willow's "Scoobie-Doo" lunch box at the morgue.
The episode, like so many others, revolves around some mysterious killings at Sunnydale High. Someone's been mauling students and faculty and it looks like it could be Oz. While in werewolf-form, and under Xander's not-so-vigilant attention, Oz may have escaped from is cage and killed a boy. The Scoobies, especially Oz and Willow, are horrified. Buffy heads out to look for other werewolf suspects in the woods, but instead she finds Angel. It seems Angel is back from hell and feral. After a hundred or so years of torture, he's running around with no idea where he is or what he's doing. Buffy drags him back to the mansion and locks him up. Scared to tell Giles or the Scoobies of his return, she starts investigating whether Angel could be the real killer.
Another murder, this time in broad day light, cheers the Scoobies immensely. With Oz and Angel both of the hook, they begin looking in new directions. Specifically, the look at Oz's friend Debbie and her possessive boyfriend. It seems the guy is something of a chemistry wiz and has cooked up a Mr. Hyde like formula. After drinking it he goes all super-powerful and kills anyone else who is close to Debbie. After awhile, in fact, he doesn't even need the formula to change. Seeing Oz and Debbie's friendship, he decides to make Oz his next victim. Little does he know that it's one of the nights of the full moon and he's in for a fight.
The episode has some fun parts. I like the end, where Oz, Angel and the Mr. Hyde guy are all on the loose in Sunnydale High. Giles gets trank-darted, Willow and Faith go chasing after Oz, and Buffy meets up with Debbie's boyfriend. Suddenly, Angel bursts in, conveniently killing the creep. (Buffy's really not suppose to slay humans, but Angel has a bit more lee-way.) Then, Angel's face morphs back from vampire form, he whispers Buffy's name and falls to his knees in front of her. He's so much bigger than Buffy, plus he just snapped some guy's neck like a twig, but he still clings to Buffy like she's his salvation. It's a beautiful scene. I'm so glad Angel's back in the land of the (sort of) living.
I also like Oz and Willow. She's so determined to clear his name that she even heads out to the morgue to gather evidence. Oz, meanwhile, is scared that he'll hurt Willow or that she might see him differently if he's a killer. They always worry about each other. And having Willow read to him while he's in wolf-from is just so sweet. "Call of the Wild," minus the aggravating rabbit parts, helps to sooth him. They have such a cute relationship.
On the downside, are Willow and Buffy kidding when they lecture Debbie about the stupidity of dating a dangerous guy? Is it suppose to strike the audience as ironic or are they just in complete denial? I love Oz and Angel, but either one of them could've been the killer. Catch them at a bad moment and their both pretty dangerous guys. Debbie excuses her boyfriend's behavior by saying that he's not himself when he's violent. Buffy and Willow do the exact same thing with Werewolf Oz and Angelus. All three women are in similar relationships and unwilling to see it.
Also, did Buffy really think that little wall-sconce and Spike and Dru's old chains would keep Angel locked up for long? Of course, he's gonna escape! Personally, I think it was risky of her to leave him tied up and alone like that, anyway. What if there had been a fire or if he needed help? What if someone came wandering inside and Angel ate them? It's been established that someone needs to watch over Oz when he's all wolf-y, just in case he escapes or something. Logically, Buffy should have come up with a way to watch Angel for the same reasons. Granted, I'm not sure HOW, but then I'M not the Slayer.
On a slightly, more nit-picky note, why does Giles yell at Xander for falling asleep on Oz-watch, but just sort of smiles when Buffy does? She really is watcher's pet. Also, since when is there a window in the book cage and how does it lead outside from that angle? Arcitecturally, wouldn't it lead into the school hallway?
My favorite part of the episode: Willow's "Scoobie-Doo" lunch box at the morgue.
