Writer: Joss Whedon
Director: Joss Whedon
Regular Cast: Sarah Michelle Gellar (Buffy Summers); Nicholas Brendon (Xander Harris); Alyson Hannigan (Willow Rosenberg); Charisma Carpenter (Cordelia Chase); David Boreanaz (Angel); Anthony Stewart Head (Rupert Giles).
Guest stars: Kristine Sutherland (Joyce Summers); Robia La Morte (Ms. Calendar); Andrew J. Ferchland (The Anointed One); Dean Butler (Hank Summers); Armin Shimerman (Principal Snyder).
We start off the day before 'Back to School' where Willow and Xander are walking right beside a cemetary and playing a game of 'Guess the Movie'. Just when Willow and Xander get a little comfortable with each other a vampire jumps into the picture and ruines Willow's chance of bliss with Xander - only to be saved by Buffy who attacks the vampire and kills him within seconds. It's Back to School.
After spending the summer with her father back in L.A., Buffy returns to Sunnydale as a stranger. She isn't the same Buffy as Joyce knows, more distant. Its looks like her prom night episode with the vampire and the Master has left a deep mark in her, especially when she died and came back to life...it frightens her more that she could be more like the vampire than human.
And to make matters worse, know one is giving her a break and getting off her case about it. She gets visions and dreams of the Master coming to her, only not knowing that his minions and the Annoited One are the very minute digging up his grave and planning to bring the Master back to life. There is only one catch to it, it can only be done if the people who were there with him in the same room that he was killed - Willow, Xander, Cordelia, Ms. Calendar, and Giles. Angel comes to Buffy and warn her that the Annoited One is stronger than he seems and that he is planning something big so she best be prepared, she ignores him. Not only that, she even ignores Willow, Xander and Cordelia. To make matters worse, knowing that Angel is in the Bronze, she dances sudectively with Xander to make Angel jealous.
Besides being rude to Angel and saying nasty comments to Cordelia, she is colder than her usual self with Xander and Willow. Even Giles detects something wrong when she is more eager than ever for her training and beats up her practice dummy.
After her little scene with Xander she leaves the Bronze with Xander just standing there all high strung and Cordelia follows her outside and suggests her to just get over Angel. Buffy ignores her and walks on, and we see that Cordelia gets kidnapped by two vampires.
Buffy goes off to the cemetary to rest her soul that the Master is dead, only to find out that he is no longer in the grave. She gets jumpy about this and goes and gets Giles. Giles finds out that in order to bring back the vampire, they need people who were close to him. They all think physically close so Buffy decides well she will go and get Cordelia and they should read up more on how to stop the Master being brought to life, not knowing that the trap is more for Giles, Willow and Ms. Calendar. She goes off to the Bronze and Angel stops her saying that she should be careful, and that he is there to make sure nothing happens to her. Again being rude to him she goes off into the Bronze, meanwhile the Vampire's kidnap Giles, Willow and Ms.Calendar as as Giles uncovers that the trap is meant for them.
Buffy doesn't realize this until she finds out that why they would only send one vampire to block her way. She goes back to the library with Angel and the vampire, only to find Xander fumming and upset at Buffy and telling her off that he was beaten by the vampire and they were starting to assemble the foursome they need to bring the master to life. Buffy finds the warehouse they are hiding in by threatening the vampire with a cross down her throat and saves Willow, Cordelia, Giles, and Ms.Calendar, who were hung upside down about to be killed. In order to finish off the Master and make sure no attempts are made to re-surrect him, she crushes his bone. After this, Buffy finally lets herself breakdown and sobs out her fears and anger on the Master as Angel comes out behind her and holds her.
The next day in class after talking her problems out, she apologizes to Giles for her rude and misconceated behavour, and is feels bad for being so rotten to her freinds. But once she enters in her class room, she finds out that she is easily forgiven by Willow and Xander. The Slayer and 'slayerets' are back a team.
