Overall Rating: 9.4 Matt: 9.8 Eric: 9.0 Written and Directed by: Joss Whedon Cast : Sarah Michelle Gellar as Buffy Summers, Nicholas Brendon as Xander Harris, Alyson Hannigan as Willow Rosenberg, Charisma Carpenter as Cordelia Chase, David Boreanaz as Angel, Anthony Stewart Head as Rupert Giles. Main guest stars : Kristine Sutherland as Joyce Summers, Seth Green as Oz, Armin Shimerman as Principal Snyder, James Marsters as Spike, Juliet Landau as Drusilla, Julie Benz as Darla, Bianca Lawson as Kendra, Max Perlich as Whistler, Jack McGee as Doug Perren, Richard Rielhe as Merrick (BuffyÕs first Watcher). Original broadcast date : May 12, 1998 My one-line description: Angelus wants to use Alfalfa from Little Rascals to suck the world into the rural 1930Õs Over an image of a cobblestone street, a voice Ð that of Whistler Ð says: ÒHereÕs the thing. There are moments in life that make you. That set the course of who youÕre gonna be. Sometimes, theyÕre little, subtle moments. SometimesÉ theyÕre not. IÕll show you what I meanÉÓ The scene is from Galway, Ireland, 1753. A human Angel and a friend exit a tavern, completely drunk. The friend passes out in the middle of the street, and Angel moves off without him. He spots a noble lady wearing a gorgeous dress, standing alone in an alley; he goes to her, and asks what a lady of her station is doing alone here. Darla turns around, and he offers to be her escort; he asks her where sheÕs from. ÒAroundÉ everywhereÉÓ she replies. She offers to show him the world, and he agrees. She tells him to close his eyesÉ and she bites him. As he falls to his knees, she cuts a slit in her chest, and makes him drink from herÉ In the present, Angelus is watching Buffy fighting two vampires. She stakes one of them, and gives the other a message for Angel Ð sheÕs done waiting, sheÕs taking the fight to him. The vampire attacks, and Buffy stakes him, deciding sheÕll tell Angelus herself. She helps a dazed Xander up. He asks her if sheÕs that eager to go up against Angel, and she replies that she wants it over. Giles arrives at a museum, where the curator, Doug Perren, is dusting off a big slab of stone with some workersÕ help. Perren tells Giles constructions workers dug the big artefact out; he adds that he wasnÕt able to decipher the writing on the thing. Giles takes a look, and asks the curator if heÕs tried to open the thing. Perren is amazed Ð he thought the block was solid; heÕs eager to open the object, but Giles asks him to refrain from doing so until his next visit. At the cafeteria, Xander uses a toothpick and some fish sticks to re-enact, for the gangÕs benefit, how Buffy slew vampires the previous night. Willow, sitting on OzÕs lap, asks Buffy if she really thinks sheÕs ready to go up against Angelus, and Buffy says she does. Willow promises to help the Slayer through with her finals. Xander and Cordelia begin teasing each other in love banter, prompting Principal Snyder to come over and tell them to stop it. While heÕs at it, he orders Willow to get off OzÕs lap. Buffy makes a wisecrack, and Snyder asks her just to give her a reason to throw her out of the school. London, 1860. A young woman enters a church and heads for the confessional Ð itÕs Drusilla, still alive and sane. As she begins her confession, Angelus, holding the body of the priest, starts a bit, but regroups and takes the holy manÕs place. She tells him about her precognitive abilities, which allowed her to foresee two menÕs death. Angelus tells her the Lord has plans for all Ð even a devil child like her. As she listens, horrified, he encourages her to do GodÕs will and be evil. Back in the present, insane and evil Drusilla comes back from her walk. Spike Ð once again in his wheelchair Ð greets her, and she tells him the moon whispered to her that something terrible was coming. Angelus appears and asks for details; she tells him about a museum, with a tomb insideÉ Angelus is amazed that she could see all that in her head, but Spike replies impatiently that she read it in the morning paper. He hands the paper to him, featuring the article on the artefactÉ With WillowÕs help, Buffy is trying to make sense out of chemistry, but not having much luck. As they chat, BuffyÕs pencil rolls over the edge of the desk and onto the floor. She bends over to pick it up, not seeing JennyÕs lost computer diskÉ Willow resumes the chemistry explanation, and suddenly, Buffy interrupts her. She puts the pencil back on the book, where it rolls once again over the edgeÉ Buffy bends over again, and this time, she finds the disk. Willow pops it into her laptop, and the girls stare in disbelief as the Restoration spell appearsÉ Romania, 1898. As some Gypsy women mourn over the body of a young girl, an old woman performs a ritual, using an Orb of Thesulah. Elsewhere, Angelus runs through the woods in panic. He stumbles to the ground near a campfire. The old woman finishes her spell, and a flash emerges from AngelusÕ eyes. An old man approaches and promises that in a moment, Angel will remember the faces of all the people he killedÉ including the manÕs daughter. Suddenly, it hits Angel, and he begins sobbing and screamingÉ In the library, Buffy and Willow show Giles the printout of the Restoration spell. Buffy wants to curse Angel again, but Giles counters that itÕs not that simple Ð it requires a very advanced knowledge of the black arts. Willow volunteers to do it; Giles is concerned about the danger, but Xander thinks they should just kill Angel. Buffy tries to convince him itÕs not that simple, but Xander argues that Angel is a killer, and he should die. Giles mentions that Jenny wanted Angel cured, but he and Xander almost come to blows when Xander comments that Jenny is dead. Buffy stops them, and Willow asks her what she wants to do. Buffy isnÕt sure, and Xander, not helping at all, tells her that the way he sees it, she wants to forget about JennyÕs murder so she can have her boyfriend back. Buffy turns and leaves; Willow and Xander glare at each other. Working late at the museum, Doug Perren hears a noise, a whisperÉ seemingly coming from the artefact. He approaches it, touches itÉ and Drusilla appears behind him in vamp face. As she bites him, Angelus appears with vampire minions, who take possession of the artefact. That evening on the phone, Buffy discusses the issue of Angel and the curse with Willow. While they talk, Buffy rummages through her drawers, and inadvertently comes up on the Claddagh ring Angel gave herÉ A few minutes later, she goes downstairs, announcing to her mother that sheÕs going to WillowÕs to study. As she walks down the street, Buffy hears a noise and goes into Slayer mode. Someone bursts from the hedgesÉ itÕs Kendra. Buffy muses that KendraÕs Watcher probably sent her here because something dark was brewing, and the other Slayer confirms this. Buffy asks her what this dark power might be. At the mansion, Angelus tells Spike about Acathla the demon, which came forth to suck the world into Hell; he was killed by a virtuous knight who pierced his heart. Acathla turned to stone, and was buried where no one would look for him. Two vampires step forth with crowbars and pry open the artefact; they reveal a great stone demon, with a sword wedged in his chest. Angelus supplies that someone worthy must remove the sword, awakening Acathla and bringing forth the end of the worldÉ At the library, Giles emerges from his office, having just finished a phone call, and informs the gang Ð plus Kendra Ð that the museum curator has been killed and the artefact is missing. He recapitulates for WillowÕs benefit the description Ð helpfully supplied by KendraÕs Watcher Ð of how Acathla will suck the world into Hell. Buffy decides Willow should try the curse to bring Angel back, but Kendra thinks Angelus should be killed. Buffy assures sheÕll kill him if she has to Ð she just wants to have an option if she doesnÕt find him in time. Kendra retrieves a sword from her weapons bag, saying it was blessed by the knight who slew Acathla; if all else fails, this might stop him. Giles asks Willow how close she is to being ready for the ritual; she replies that she needs a dayÉ and an Orb of Thesulah, which he supplies. Buffy tells Willow sheÕll just wing it for the finals. At the mansion, Drusilla and a reluctant Spike watch as Angelus drains a young man, hoping itÕll make him worthy to pull the sword out of Acathla. Manhattan, 1996. Angel, a grimy, homeless wreck, shuffles in an alley, tracking a rat Ð dinner. He lunges after the beast, but misses and crashes into some cans. Another guy Ð a short man in an ugly suit Ð approaches and exclaims at how disgusting Angel looks and smells. It seems the guy knows Angel is a vampire with a soul; he asks Angel to walk with him. Buying a hot dog from a street vendor, the guy introduces himself as Whistler Ð heÕs a good demon. He thinks Angel is at a crossroads Ð he could become even more useless, or he could be somebody. Angel replies defensively that he wants to be left alone, but Whistler invites him to see something before deciding what he wants to do. Los Angeles. Hemery High School. 1996. An old car with blackened windows pulls up as a group of girls emerges from the building. Fifteen-year-old Buffy Summers gossips with her friends; as they leave, she asks them to call her. A few moments later, an older man comes up to her and tells her to come with him Ð her destiny awaits. HeÕs Merrick, BuffyÕs first Watcher. He tells her she alone can stop them. Who? The vampires. ÒHuh?Ó a disbelieving Buffy reacts. That night in 1996, Buffy is in the graveyard, getting tackled by a vampire. She manages to throw it off; terrified, she looks for a stake, and plunges it into the vampireÉ missing the heart. She tries again, and this time is a winner. BuffyÕs eyes go wide as the vampire erupts into dust. Merrick steps into view, asking her if she now sees her power. Later, Buffy goes home, and Angel through the window as Joyce berates Buffy for coming back late and not calling. Joyce steps out of BuffyÕs room, slamming the door, and we hear her and Hank Summers argue in the living room as Buffy looks at herself in the mirror, on the verge of tears. Outside, Whistler comments that Buffy will have it tough as a Slayer. Angel decides he wants to help her, and tells Whistler he wants to learn from him. At the mansion, Angelus, his hands smeared with the kidÕs blood, steps towards Acathla, stating that everything he has done has led him here. He grabs the sword with both hands and pulls; a crackling energy envelops himÉ and is thrown back. Spike gloats that Angelus wasnÕt worthy, and Angelus, frustrated that the ritual didnÕt work, decides they will turn to an old friendÉ The next day, as Buffy sits in class writing her final, a lady vampire wearing a cloak enters the classroom and tells her to meet Angelus that evening in the graveyard, or more will die. She then allows the sunlight to burn her to dust. In the library, Buffy advises Kendra to stay here while she goes to fight Angelus. Willow asks Buffy to give her half an hour once the ritual starts; Giles adds that it means Buffy only needs to hold off Angelus long enough for them to succeed. Before Buffy leaves, Kendra hands her own stake to her Ð Mister Pointy. Buffy meets Angelus in the graveyard, and he stalls for a few minutes before finally deciding to fight her. Meanwhile, in the library, Willow, Cordelia and Giles begin the ritual while Xander guards the balcony and Kendra guards the door. Suddenly, vampires burst into the place, interrupting the ritual. Xander and Kendra try to hold them off as Willow and Cordelia escape to the book stacks, but one vampire manages to topple a bookshelf onto Willow, knocking her unconscious. Cordelia escapes, and moments later Drusilla arrives on the scene. At the cemetery, Buffy and Angelus are still fighting. She pulls out Mister Pointy, eager to finish it; bursting out in laughter, he tells her this isnÕt about her Ð it was never about her. Buffy realizes in horror what he means, and starts runningÉ At the library, Kendra and Drusilla fight for a bit Ð until Dru grabs her by the throat and hypnotizes her. After ensuring that Kendra is subdued, the vampire slashes her across the throat with her sharp fingernails. The Slayer drops to the floor, and Drusilla and her minions leave with what they came for. As Buffy bursts into the school, running, the camera goes into slow motion. ÒBottom line is, even if you see them coming, youÕre not ready for the big momentsÓ, Whistler comments in voice-over. ÒNo one asks for their life to change, not really. But it does.Ó Buffy arrives at the library, sees Kendra lying on the floor, and goes to her. Kendra dies in BuffyÕs arms. ÒSo what, are we helpless? Puppets?Ó Whistler continues. ÒNo. The big moments are gonna come, canÕt help that. ItÕs what you do afterwards that counts. ThatÕs when you find out who you are.Ó As Buffy cradles KendraÕs lifeless body, two police officers appear and point a gun at her. ÒFreeze!Ó Summary by OttsFiveByFive.