Another night at the Bronze, and Xander and Willow attempt to
draw their significant others' attention away from their increasingly
guilty behavior by bringing up Buffy's mysteriously distracted
behavior of late. Just as they convince themselves it's a new
boyfriend in Buffy's life, Buffy herself arrives, but assures
them her "date" for the night is only Faith, going
out to the graveyard to do some tag-team Slaying. Their performance
is called sloppy by an imperious British woman who emerges from
the shadows and introduces herself as Gwendolyn Post, Faith's
new Watcher.
At the
library, Mrs. Post has two more bits of distressing news: in
addition to being Faith's Watcher, the Watchers' Council also
sent her to observe and report on Giles' performance as a Watcher,
due to fears he has become "too American;" and a demon
named Lagos is coming to Sunnydale in search of a mysterious
and dangerous artifact called the Glove of Myhnegon. The next
day, Buffy learns T'ai Chi from Angel, but the
lesson threatens to get more intimate than planned. Buffy
anxiously excuses herself, telling Angel about the hunt for Lagos.
The name seems to spark some recognition in Angel. Later, a frustrated
Giles takes out his frustration on Willow and Xander, whose mutual
commiseration leads to another passionate kiss. They break apart
guiltily when Giles tells them he's found that the Glove is hidden
in the von Hauptmann family crypt. A guilty Xander offers to
go to the Restfield Cemetery, site of the von Hauptmann crypt,
to tell Buffy. Meanwhile, Faith and Buffy's Lagos hunt is unsuccessful,
and Faith suggests that Buffy go home while she makes one last
check of the nearby Shady Hill Cemetery. There Faith hits the
jackpot, finding a burly demon rooting through a sarcophagus.
She just gets tossed around like a rag-doll for her troubles,
though, and Lagos obviously doesn't find what he's looking for
and stomps off. Xander has a different kind of success, for when
he goes to the Restfield Cemetery he sees Angel emerging from
the von Hauptmann crypt carrying a wrapped object. Tailing the
vampire back to the mansion, he sees Angel and Buffy engaged
in a passionate kiss.
The two break off their kiss,
upset, but Angel stops Buffy from leaving by showing her that
he has the Glove of Myhnegon. Meanwhile, at Giles' apartment,
Mrs. Post is expressing her disdain for Giles' methods as a Watcher.
Just as he insists he's in complete control of Buffy, Xander
bursts through the door, and as Mrs. Post smugly drinks her tea,
Giles and Xander converse in secret. Buffy arrives at the library
the next day full of the good news about the Glove, but all her
friends look upset. Giles tells her they know that Angel is alive,
and a confrontation ensues. Insisting that Angel is better, she
apologizes for not telling them, but her friends are scared of
what Angel may do, and Xander is especially vehement in his arguing
with the Slayer. Finally, Giles stops the argument and sends
them all back to class. But when Buffy attempts to thank him,
he coldly reminds her of how Angel tortured him, and tells her
she has no respect for him. Meanwhile, Mrs. Post visits Faith
in her shabby motel room, and while explaining her intention
to be a hard taskmistress for Faith's own wellbeing, she lets
slip the fact of Giles' secret meeting with Xander. That night
Faith finds Xander angrily shooting pool at the Bronze. When
she confronts him about keeping Slayer-related secrets from her,
he tells her about Angel. Fearing what Angel might do with the
Glove, she resolves to kill him, and Xander asks to come along.
Back at Giles' office, Giles tells Mrs. Post about Angel having
the Glove, and says he's found that the Glove can be destroyed
by being immolated in living flame. Mrs. Post then coldly clubs
Giles into unconsciousness.
As Buffy and Willow wait
for Lagos at the von Hauptmann crypt, Buffy confides that she's
actually relieved her secret's out. Emboldened by Buffy, Willow
is about to share her own secret when Lagos arrives. While Willow
watches, Buffy fights Lagos and, grabbing the axe off the demon's
back, beheads him. The fight over, Willow backs out of sharing
her secret. The two girls head back to the library, where they
find Giles on a stretcher. Xander starts to blame Angel, but
Buffy doesn't believe it. Xander tells her Faith does believe
it and has gone to kill Angel, and an angry Buffy runs out to
catch Faith, ordering Willow and Xander to find out how to destroy
the Glove. Mrs. Post arrives at the mansion, where Angel is doing
the living flame ritual himself. Telling him that if he does
the ritual incorrectly it could make the Glove more powerful,
she convinces Angel to reveal the whereabouts of the Glove, then
knocks him out with a shovel.
She didn't count on him being
a vampire, though, and he gets right back up, in full vampire-face,
and attacks her. Just then, Faith arrives and, seeing a vampire
attacking her Watcher, draws the obvious conclusion. She attacks
Angel viciously, and is just about to stake him when Buffy arrives
and stops her. She tries to talk Faith out of it, but Mrs. Post
convinces Faith that Buffy is blinded by love, and Faith attacks
Buffy. The two Slayers go at it tooth and nail, and the fight
breaks through the doors and into the courtyard. Willow and Xander
show up with the living flame catalyst, and Xander tries to break
up the Slayer fight, only to get literally thrown aside. Willow
helps Mrs. Post get the Glove of Myhnegon, then gets knocked
out as Mrs. Post puts on the Glove. As Mrs. Post recites an incantation,
thunder peals and the two Slayers stop fighting. Faith asks her
Watcher what's going on. "Faith, a word of advice: you're
an idiot," Mrs. Post says and hurls lightning from the Glove
at the two Slayers, who barely manage to duck aside. Angel comes
to and saves a groggy Willow from another Glove blast. As Faith
draws Mrs. Post's fire, Buffy picks up a shard of broken glass
from the shattered courtyard doors, and hurls it, severing Mrs.
Post's Glove-wearing arm. Mrs. Post is consumed by lighting,
and the Glove releases the amputated arm. The next day, having
disposed of the Glove, the gang is still leery of Angel's reappearance,
but they all (except Cordelia) trust Buffy and are willing to
see what happens. Buffy goes to Faith's apartment and tries to
convince Faith that what happened wasn't her fault. "You
can trust me," says Buffy. "I'm on your side."
Faith doesn't seem to believe her, and as Buffy sadly leaves,
Faith says, "I'm on my side. That's enough."
