I love this episode. I wasn't that big a fan the first time I saw it, but I just rewatched it and it is damn good. One of the things I love is something that Joss does very well (as evidenced in OMWF) is character development. He takes an episode full of action, that couldve probably been stretched out into 2 or 3, and manages to bring up something new in almost every character. Aside from Angelus being unleashed, important things happen to everyone. In fact, I think I'll make a list:
- Angel: Turns into Angelus. 'Nuff said. Actually, not enough said. Probably my favorite character to ever show up in the buffyverse. I don't know why, but writers seem to be at their finest when writing for Angelus, whether in buffy s2 or angel s3, he's just excellent.
- Buffy: I think the title of the episode says it all. This is the moment in which Buffy truly begins to lose her innocence. She reached a pivotal moment in her life in the last episode (read: had sex), and now is facing the consequences of that action. Also, great acting from SMG, I don't think she topped this episode until The Body.
- Giles: Two very important scenes involving Giles. The first is in his office, when he tells Jenny to go away, which really shows what he feels about her betrayal. The second, and probably one of the best Giles scenes in the show, is in the car with buffy. I think this is the point when Giles stops being the annoying, hardass teacher and becomes a true father figure to buffy.
- Willow: There are two important things that happen with Willow this episode. First, she catches Xander and Cordy kissing in the library. She then has a really good dialogue with Xander, expressing what she feels for him. This is a pivotal moment in their relationship, because it shows how much Willow cares about him. She then resorts to vengeance of sorts, which I'll get to in a second.
- Oz: Second's over. I think Oz/Willow was one of the best relationships on the show, and Seth Green is just awesome. He has a really important line this episode, which is later mirrored in Amends (season 3). Willow tries to rush their relationship to prove a point, and Oz, who really cares about Willow, expresses his feelings by abstaining. I think both in this episode and Amends Oz's actions show the strength of his character, and his conviction to making things really work with Willow. This isn't just a fling for him, he's in it for the long-term.
- Xander: Something that I hadn't noticed the first time I saw the episode, but actually turns out to be really important: Xander has a plan! That's right ladies and gentlemen, the Zeppo, the one who usually sits around watching and cracking bad jokes, has a plan that defeats a monster that had the potential to be s2's big bad. I think this is an extremely important turning point for his character. He has an idea, makes a plan, makes it work, and in the end, they beat the bad guy because of him. This rarely happens, and I think the fact that it did here is pivotal in Xander's character development from this point on.
- Spike: I was going to cut it off at 6, but I realized blondie-bear needs some recognition too. This is the first episode (though definitely not the last) in which we see Spike being jealous of Angel. That's right, here's where it all began.
Alright, I think I've made my point. I could also have gone into Jenny, Cordy and even Joyce's development, but I think it might have been overkill. Also, let's not forget, aside from all this character, there is also this little thing I like to call plot, which is pretty awesome in this episode too. All I'm saying is, maybe Joss wasn't so wrong to say this was his favorite episode...
