Overall Rating: 9.0 Matt: 9.0 Eric: 9.0 Written by: Carl Ellsworth Directed by: Bruce Seth Green Cast : Sarah Michelle Gellar as Buffy Summers, Nicholas Brendon as Xander Harris, Alyson Hannigan as Willow Rosenberg, Charisma Carpenter as Cordelia Chase, Anthony Stewart Head as Rupert Giles, and David Boreanaz as Angel. Guest stars : Seth Green as Oz, James Marsters as Spike, Robin Sachs as Ethan Rayne, Juliet Landau as Druscilla, and Armin Shimmerman as Principal Snyder. Original broadcast date: Oct. 27, 1997. It is two nights before Halloween, and at ŒPop¹s Pumpkin Patch¹ Buffy is fighting a vampire. She dusts him, unaware that another vamp is recording her efforts on tape from the shadows. Meanwhile at the Bronze, Angel waits awkwardly by himself. Cordelia comes over to flirt with him, undeterred when he says he is waiting for Buffy. It¹s meant to be their first date. Buffy walks in and sees them laughing together. She almost leaves, but Angel spots her. Cordy insults her hair, which still has straw in it from the fight. Realizing that she could never find time to look as polished as the other girl, Buffy tells Angel to forget it. She should have known better than to think they could be together. She doesn¹t have time for dates; she is not a normal girl. Buffy goes home, leaving Angel a little confused! At school the next day, Snyder is rounding up Œvolunteers¹. He needs students to take groups of small children out Trick or Treating, and makes Buffy, Willow and Xander sign up. Costumes are mandatory! This dashes Buffy¹s hopes of a quiet night. Vamps traditionally stay in on Halloween. Xander goes to get a soda from the machine, and Larry asks if Buffy is his girl. He has heard that she is Œfast¹. Xander defends her honour, and they end up in a fight. Buffy saves him, and he gets annoyed with her. "A black eye heals, but cowardice has an unlimited shelf life!" Xander storms off, and Wil asks about last night¹s date. Buffy tells her about Cordelia¹s flirtations, but Willow says that she¹s not Angel¹s type. She says it¹s too bad they can¹t sneak a look in Giles personal files to find out more about AngelŠ In the library, Buffy attracts Giles¹s attention while Willow steals a journal. Running out of ideas to distract him, she says that Miss Calendar thinks he¹s a babe! The two girls retreat to the restroom to look at the book. In the journal is an ink drawing of an elegant woman dated 1775. Angel was eighteen, and still human. Buffy envies the way the woman looks, but Wil points out that it was probably her Œjob¹ to look good. What other responsibilities would she have had? Cordelia comes in, and asks about Angel. They tell her that he is a vampire, but she doesn¹t believe it. Later, at a new fancy dress shop, Buffy is unimpressed by Willow¹s choice of a boring ghost costume. She explains that Halloween is a Œcome as you aren¹t¹ night, and that Wil should think about something a little more sexy! Xander just buys a plastic gun to go with the fatigues he has at home. Buffy falls in love with a dress like the girl in the journal was wearing. The owner makes her an offer, and she takes it. In his lair, Spike watches the tape of Buffy ­ studying the way she fights. Druscilla tells him that everything is switching Œfrom outside to inside¹. She says that Halloween will make the Slayer weak. Someone has come to change it allŠ In the back of the costume shop, the owner kneels before a shrine to the two-faced god, Janus. He swears allegiance to chaos. Halloween night, and Willow is at Buffy¹s house getting changed into her costume. Buffy has persuaded her to dress sexy instead, and she looks great! The doorbell rings, and Buffy goes to let Xander in. He compliments her on how she looks in the period dress, and Willow comes downstairs with her ghost costume on over the other clothes. She chickened out! At school, Snyder assigns them groups of children. Larry is dressed as a pirate, and tries to intimidate Xander. Cordelia has dressed as a cat, and talks to Oz about her boyfriend, Devon. As Oz walks away he bumps into Wil, but doesn¹t recognize her because of the costume. As the evening draws to a close, the shop owner completes his ritual. All around the town, people become whatever they have dressed as! Willow can¹t breathe. She falls to the floor, and rises from her body as a ghost. She runs over to Xander, who is patrolling the streets. His weapon is now real, and he doesn¹t know her. He is further freaked out when she walks right through him! Wil tries to explain that they¹ve become their costumes. She spots Buffy, and asks her what to do as monsters swarm toward them. Buffy takes one look and passes out! Xander scares the monsters away by firing his gun. Willow revives Buffy, who thinks it is 1775. Wil takes them to Buffy¹s house (fortunately Joyce is away), and someone starts banging on the door. Xander goes to open it incase it¹s a Œcivilian¹, but the arm that bursts through the door is not human! He scares it off by firing a few rounds, then runs outside to help when he hears screaming. Buffy rambles on about him deserting them, and Willow wonders why she couldn¹t have dressed as Xena! Xander rescues Cordelia, and brings her into the house. She¹s the only one who hasn¹t turned into her costume. Willow explains the situation to her, then leaves to get some help. Spike is stalking the streets, reveling in the chaosŠ At Buffy¹s house, Xander finds a photograph of him, Buff and Willow. He says that Willow must have been telling the truth, but Buffy won¹t believe it. Angel comes in, and is relieved to find them okay ­ until they ask him who he is! In the library, Giles is scared half to death when Willow walks in through the wall! Cordy explains to Angel what is going on, and just then all the lights go out. Xander takes her to check on the front door, and sends the other two to check on the back. The back door is openŠ A vamp jumps out at Buffy, but Angel pins it to the floor. He vamps out, and Buffy screams and runs from the house. Willow has updated Giles. They wonder why Cordelia didn¹t change, and then remember that she got her costume at a different shop. They decide to check out the new shopŠ Xander, Angel and Cordy go looking for Buffy. Angel says she is defenseless at the moment, and Spike overhears him. The race to find the Slayer is on! Giles and Willow enter the costume shop "Ethan¹s". It appears deserted. They find the shrine at the back of the shop, and the owner arrives. Giles seems to recognize him, and tells Willow to go. When she leaves, Ethan turns to Giles and says ŒHello Ripper!¹ Buffy is in an alleyway. She trips, and Larry the pirate grabs her! Xander arrives and attacks him, beating him senseless. It gives him an odd sense of closure. Cordy and Angel arrive, and she tells Buffy that Angel¹s okay. Willow appears and tells them to get inside ­ Spike is leading a gang of vamps and monsters their wayŠ Ethan asks Giles if he is pleased to see his old mate. He brags of how clever his spell was, and compliments Giles on his act. Giles says it¹s no act ­ this is who he is now. Ethan laughs. He says the scoobies have no idea who Giles really is, and what he¹s capable of. Ignoring him, Giles tells him to break the spell and he¹ll let him live. He savagely attacks EthanŠ The scoobies run into an old warehouse. Xander tries to block the door, but the gang breaks through. Spike corners Buffy, and is thrilled to find her terrified and helpless! The monsters restrain Angel and Xander as Spike pins her down. He leans down to biteŠ Ethan has had enough! He tells Giles to break the statue of Janus. Giles lifts it above his head, unaware that his prisoner has escaped. Xander breaks free. He grabs his gun and aims it at Spike, but it has become a plastic toy. The monsters turn back into kids, and the Slayer is her old self again. She beats the hell out of Spike, and decides that she is better off as herself. Willow wakes up on the porch where she first collapsed. She picks up the ghost costume to cover herself, but decides she doesn¹t need it. A van stops to let her cross the road. Oz is driving. As she crosses the road, full of confidence, he murmurs ŒWho is that girl?¹ Later, in Buffy¹s room, Angel asks why she thought he¹d like her better dressed that way. He says he hated the girls in that century as they were so dull! Buffy kisses him. Early the next morning, Giles returns to Ethan¹s shop. It has been cleared out. An ominous note on the counter reads ŒBe seeing you¹.