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Episode 3.03: Faith, Hope, and Trick | Episode 3.05: Homecoming
Characters:
| Buffy | Angel | Xander |
| Willow | Giles | Cordelia |
| Oz |
Overall (4/10)
Buffy:
Poor Buffy. She's finally getting her life back together and moving on from the events of last year, and then Angel drops back in and throws a wrench in the works.
This episode is basically a retread of the "man as beast" concept that was introduced in S2's Phases. Unfortunately, it doesn't handle the theme nearly as well. It attempts to do so by giving us three guys who have to deal with the beasts within so we can compare them, along with their respective female partners.
However, the three storylines going on just don't mesh together very well. The theme feels somewhat forced. And the domestic abuse PSA is a little too in-your-face for my taste.
Buffy is finally moving on. She visits the counselor, Mr. Platt, and has a very good session. Let me say how disappointed I was that Mr. Platt turned out to be a one-shot character. Just from the one scene he had, I adored him so much, and I wish that he'd stayed on to lend Buffy a supportive hand. Unfortunately, that's just not to be.
We see in that session, though, that Buffy, while trying to move forward, is still holding on to the memory of Angel. That's something that should just fade in time. Well, it would if Angel hadn't actually come back.
She runs across a feral Angel while on patrol. She quickly goes into research mode to find out what she can about where he was and the state he's in now. She has an interesting discussion with Giles about a couple possible theories. None of these theories are really important, though, because we all know Angel's gonna be better in a couple episodes.
At the end, he goes into protective mode and rescues Buffy. Unfortunately, it would probably be better for Buffy if he hadn't returned. Now with Angel back and a chance that he may recover, she's torn between the life she was trying to live and her former lover.
Angel:
Even in his feral state, Angel has some modesty as he goes out and gets himself some cargo pants to wear. Okay, I know that the network couldn't have a naked guy running around through the entire episode. But it's still amusing to think about.
Anyway, at first we're left with the question as to if Angel can recover from his centuries in hell. At the end, though, we're given a bit of hope as he protects Buffy and then says her name. Obviously, he remembered one thing through all his years in hell. Of course, that one thing would have to be Buffy, his almost-salvation from last year.
In the end, though, Buffy still has to keep him chained up. We don't get much explanation as to how he comes back (and that's something that I don't feel ever gets adequately explained).
Xander:
Giles has a tendency to get snappy with Xander. I'll go ahead and wag my finger at Xander for the Oz-watch nap. He didn't even make an attempt to stay awake, so no cookie for him.
However, later on, we see Buffy back in the stacks asleep during her Oz-watch, and no harsh word is delivered to her. And she does this after it's suspected that Oz got out.
So I feel a little sympathy for Xander on that one.
Willow is firmly in supportive girlfriend mode. The last thing she wants to think about is Oz having killed someone. And she's, of course, ecstatic when he's cleared.
Unfortunately, besides that, she doesn't get a whole lot to do in this episode.
Before I go into the character, let me just say how very much I loved Giles getting shot with the tranquilizer dart. It amused me greatly.
Moving on, Giles gets peeved at Xander. Then he has a touching moment where he discusses Angel with Buffy. Naturally, Buffy doesn't tell him about Angel's reappearance, and I was actually surprised that Giles didn't catch on as to what happened by his conversation with her. As it is, he believes she's speaking theoretically and tells her somewhat what to expect.
Cordelia has very little to do. This seems to be par for the course for her so far this season. Fortunately, the next episode will feature her a lot more.
And we come to another one of the "beasts". Oz is normally a cool, unflappable guy, but when it comes to his wolfiness, he's very sensitive. He doesn't like to think of himself as an animal, and he panics when he thinks he might have killed someone.
However, Oz responsibly handles his wolf-like tendencies. He willingly locks himself in a cage so as not to hurt anybody.
I also found his conversation with Debbie to be very nice. He knows that somebody (Pete, most likely) hit her, and he offers to listen if she needs someone. It looks like his social miss of Dead Man's Party was a strange fluke, as he does seem to be rather in tune with the needs of people.
The plot is all over the place. I guess you could think of it as a monster Whodunit?
Pete. He's an abusive bastard, see.
And, finally, we're through dealing with post-S2 stress disorder. Of course, the effects of S2 will be felt long past this, but this episode is the last that directly deals with the fallout.<
I don't like this episode. The plot is scattered. The Debbie/Pete story is largely uninteresting. The theme is not very well-done. I usually find myself yawning my way through it.
Special perfomance award goes to Eliza Dushku for her snazzy dance during her Oz-watch. Plus, Eliza's damn hot.
4 out of 10. The important point of Angel's return bumps it up a point for me.
The scene where Angel says Buffy's name. The look on Buffy's face says it all. She's shocked, confused, and scared.
This wallpaper has lots of grids cause of the cage. I tried to use it to my advantage. I don't know if it worked. Anyway, Willow on one side, Oz on the other. I deliberately made Willow brighter while Oz is cloaked in darkness. It's kinda a lame attempt at symbolism.
Credits:
Caps: Screencap Paradise
Textures: Ugly Business
Fonts: Goudy Old Style
Brushes: None
*Some resources were used that I can't identify. All resources are generally linked to on the links page, but if you recognize an uncredited resource let me know so I can note it with the actual wallpaper.
Episode 3.03: Faith, Hope, and Trick | Episode 3.05: Homecoming
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