I really love this episode. The dialogue is really clever and it is also very symbolic.
The people who sit down to thanksgiving dinner in this ep remain Buffy's core team until the end. We have lots of shots of Angel looking through windows (as we've had throughout the entire series) symbolising his status as an outsider in Buffy's world. When contrasted with the shot of spike looking longingly in at the vampire 'family' (with whom he no longer belongs because of the chip) then his seeking assylum from Buffy, it makes a lovely comment on the difference between the two vamps. One won't take a risk and so maintains the status quo while the other will take a chance and changes his life and gains entry to a 'family' he has no real right to be with, yet he gains a tenuious membership all the same. This works in beautiffully with the crossover episode, I Will Remember You as once again Angel is faced with a decision that will change his and Buffy's life, yet he won't take the risk, he restores the distance and obsticles to their relationship and ensures that things will never change.
