Faith, Hope, & Trick

Willow, Xander, Cordelia, Oz travel off campus to have lunch with Buffy; where she sees Scott Hope and starts to thinking. She is meeting with Snyd-man the next day to get back into school.

Two new vampires comes into town; one a talky showy kind, and the other a vampire so old his hands and feet are cloven. They stop for a snack at a fast food restaurant and discuss plans to majorly maim the slayer.

Buffy dreams of Angel once more. They're a the Bronze and the Scooby Gang watches on as they dance. Buffy drops her ring and Angel picks it up. There is a flash of Buffy remembering killing him. He takes the ring in his hand and squeezes it until blood begins to drip. He tells her he loved her and his heart begins to bleed. She reaches for him, but he yells, "Go to hell! I did." And so she wakes up and takes the ring off her night stand. Her mother walks in and announces that it's time to visit the evil troll.

Snyder tells Buffy that she has to take all the makeup tests from last year and get letters of recommendation from teachers other than Giles. She jumps back into the school life with Willow. They head to the library and Giles inquires after Acathla. He needs to know about Buffy killing Angel. But, she skips around the questions. But, Buffy is saved from questions because she has to take a makeup exam.

That night at the Bronze, Buffy has an encounter with Scott. Buffy sees a young girl head outside with some guy Buffy suspects is a vampire. She heads outside to save her, but the girl introduces herself as Faith, takes the stake from Buffy kills the vamp. Back inside, Faith tells many stories about her slaying wonders, with Xander drooling on. Faith basically shows Buffy up in every way. Buffy obviously doesn't like that.

Buffy takes Faith to meet Giles. Faith announces that she finds Giles "cute." Giles expresses concern for some recent deaths in the area. Buffy invites Faith to dinner at her house. Willow, Xander, and Faith run off together while Buffy stays behind due to another makeup test. Once more, Giles attempts to get the truth about Angel out of Buffy. But, to no avail; she runs off.

After her exam, Buffy joins Willow, Xander, and Cordy watching Faith flirt with Scott in a major way. This no make Buffy happy... (incorrect English intended!) So, Faith and Buffy head off to her house.

Mr. Trick and the cloven guy talk about why the cloven guy is super pissed at Faith. They plan to go out that evening, when the girls are patrolling.

At Buffy's house, they all eat dinner. She tells how she loves the slaying and Buffy's mom loves her enthusiasm for it. Buffy and her mom head into the kitchen and her mom says Faith could replace Buffy. Buffy finally informs her mother that she actually died before. So, they go out patrolling; where they start to argue. Faith brings up the big Angel subject. Major cat fight practically breaks out. But, before they can, a groups of vamps run up. They start a battle where Faith begins to really wail on this one vamp. The vamp giving Buffy problems tells her he lives and dies for Cacistos. Buffy finally pulls Faith off of the vampire she's pummeling and asks her what's wrong. She walks off.

Buffy expresses her concern to Giles, and says he'll contact her watcher. She mentions the vamp talking about 'kissing toast'. Giles realizes what this means and jumps into research mode. Buffy infers that it is possible that Faith brought it with her. She is heading off to talk to Faith and meets Scott in the hall. He goes on and on and eventually manages to ask her on a date. He offers her a friendship ring, which turns out to be exactly like the one Angel gave her. She freaks out and Giles sees. She starts crying and he tells her that Faith's watcher is dead.

At Faith's apartment, her landlord guy haggles her. Buffy comes in and inquires after Faith's knowledge of Cacistos. Faith commences packing. There's a knock at the door and it's Cacistos. Buffy and Faith run off and they finally catch them and lock them up. They realize that they're food and run through the hideout. They battle miscellaneous vamps until they at last come up against Cacistos. He wails on Faith and Buffy comes to her rescue. But, her stake is too small to kill him. Faith grabs a big long stake thingy and rams it through his heart. So, he is defeated.

Giles announces that Faith is to stay in Sunnydale until her new watcher can be arranged. Out of nowhere, Buffy comes clean about killing Angel. She tells about him being cured and her last moments with him leading up to killing him. She leaves the library and Willow asks if she can help with the binding spell. Giles informs her, "there is no spell".

Buffy meets Scott in the hall and, having worked through her Angel issues, asks if he would still like to date. He agrees and she tells him that she has one thing to do that night, and then she's free. So, she goes to the mansion where she killed Angel; walks over to the exact spot, and lays her ring down. She has let go of him and walks out of the room. Moments later, the ring does a channeling thing and Angel falls from the sky; having returned from a hundred years in hell.

Ah, the introduction of Faith. I have to admit, I did not like this episode. Probably because I didn't like Faith. But, that can be attributed in part to the fact that many parts of Faith's character resembles one of my own. But, they haven't explored the parts I'm talking about, so I'm okay. Of course, I spent this episode not loving Scott Hope either, so basically a not happy episode. Once again, this is a lead in to All Men Are Beasts and Homecoming. Speaking of which: this episode marks the return of Angel from hell.

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