Overall Rating: 9.7 Matt: 9.8 Eric: 9.6 Writer/Director : Joss Whedon Cast : Sarah Michelle Gellar as Buffy Summers, Nicholas Brendon as Xander Harris, Alyson Hannigan as Willow Rosenberg, Charisma Carpenter as Cordelia Chase, Seth Green as Oz, Anthony Stewart Head as Rupert Giles, David Boreanaz as Angel. Main guest stars : Eliza Dushku as Faith, Harry Groener as Mayor Richard Wilkins III, Alexis Denisof as Wesley Wyndham-Pryce, Armin Shimerman as Principal Snyder, Larry Bagby III as Larry, Danny Strong as Jonathan, Mercedes McNab as Harmony, Ethan Erickson as Percy. Original broadcast date : May 18, 1999 For a few minutes after a truck takes Faith¹s unmoving body away, Buffy just stands there on the balcony, in complete shock. Then she drops the knife to the ground and climbs down the fire escape, just in time: in the apartment, the Mayor and some vampires are inspecting the damage, searching for Faith. Wilkins shows real concern for the rogue Slayer, barking orders to his vampires to find Faith, and then repeating to himself that she¹ll be all right. While Giles, Xander and Cordelia ­ the latter indignant of the fact that Buffy fired Wesley ­ research the demon Olvikon at the library, Willow, at the mansion, looks after Angel. Sweating profusely and delirious, the vampire mistakes Willow for Buffy, and starts passionately telling her how much he needs her. After correcting him and urging him back to sleep, she steps out and tells Oz about Angel¹s worsening condition. Buffy comes in, and when Willow asks her if she got to Faith, she doesn¹t answer; instead, she asks them to leave her alone with Angel. She then steps into Angel¹s room; he tells her that he¹s ready to die, but she protests that he has to live, and takes off her jacket. Pulling her hair away from her neck, she asks him to drink her. Horrified, he refuses to kill her, and tries to stumble away from her. He suggests Faith as a solution, but she informs his that she killed Faith, and that this is the only way. Then she hits him ­ again and again ­ to provoke him into biting her. Finally, he goes into full vamp face and does bite her. As he drinks, slowly, Buffy crushes a metal jug, then kicks at a table, breaking it in two, trying to get him to stop before it¹s too late. He finally does stop ­ but Buffy is unconscious. Angel runs into the hospital, carrying Buffy, pleading with the doctors to save her. As they snap to work, Angel, out of frustration, breaks off a door handle, then goes out to a payphone to contact Giles. Right beside him, in another room, a doctor is explaining to the Mayor that although Faith¹s broken bones and damaged kidney are healing fast, the head trauma and massive blood loss has put her into a coma from with she¹s likely to never emergeŠ The camera pans in on Faith¹s bruised face; the Mayor caresses her hair, telling her that it¹s her day. A nurse comes in and tells the doctor that he¹s needed for the other girl with severe blood loss. Realizing who this must be, the Mayor crosses through a laboratory separating the two rooms, goes to Buffy¹s bed, and puts his hand over her mouth and nose, choking her. A nurse catches him in the act, though, and calls for help. Angel comes rushing in and pulls the Mayor away from Buffy; the two argue, then Angel flings him across the room. The Mayor laughs it off, tells Angel that this is not over, and leaves. Giles, Willow, Oz and Xander show up, and Angel explains to them that Faith is in a coma, and that Buffy forced him to drink from her, curing him. Willow is worried that Buffy might become a vampire, but Angel reassures her ­ Buffy didn¹t drink from him. Xander takes the opportunity to once again express his dislike of Angel, accusing him of draining the girl who loves him to save his own ass. Giles breaks it up by suggesting Angel go home, since the sun will be up soon. Buffy is dreaming that she¹s back in Faith¹s apartment, where boxes are packed and piled ­ a sign that someone is leaving. She spots a cat on the bad, and wonders who¹ll take care of him. Faith appears, saying it¹s a she. Buffy muses that there¹s something she¹s supposed to be doing; Faith answers "Oh yeah. Miles to go. Little Miss Moffett, counting down from seven-three-oh." (Note: this episode takes place 730 days before Buffy¹s death in "The Gift"Š). On the bed, the knife with which Buffy stabbed Faith appears and disappears. Faith gives Buffy a hint ­ the Mayor¹s human weakness won¹t go away. She tells Buffy to take whatever she needs from the apartment, then asks her if she¹s readyŠ Buffy wakes up in her hospital bed, gets up, and shuffles a bit unsteadily to Faith¹s room, where she softly kisses the other Slayer on the forehead. Then, fully dressed, she emerges out in the waiting room, telling the gang to get ready. Then dressed, Buffy walks out to the waiting room, telling her friends to get everyone ready. When they ask for what, she answers "war". At the library, exposes her demented plan to everyone. Cordelia exclaims that they couldn¹t come up with anything crazier, but Oz corrects her by suggesting they attack the Mayor with hummus, just to keep things in perspective. Buffy informs Xander that he¹ll be the key of the plan, with his military training. She then tells her friends that the Mayor¹s vulnerability is human weakness (his affection for Faith) and that she plans to use it. Cordelia makes a last-ditch effort to convince everyone that the plan is crazy, and suggests that they instead attack the Mayor with the Ebola virus or something similar. Xander mocks her by going back to the hummus idea, prompting Oz to say "He¹ll never see it coming" (har har). Wesley then comes in, awkwardly asking if he can help. He explains he¹s not there in Council capacity, that he just wants to do whatever he can. After angrily telling him off, Buffy grudgingly admits that the Watcher has at least made the effort. In his office, the Mayor explains another plan to a group of vampires. He tells them that when the eclipse happens, they are to come out and make the students run; he also instructs them to only kill and not feed, because he¹ll have to eat within the first few minutes in order to keep his new form. Back at the library, Buffy informs Xander and Angel that they¹ll be working together, and they immediately start bickering. Buffy breaks it up, impatiently telling them they¹re like little old ladies. She then instructs Giles to get as many weapons as he can, and leaves, saying that there¹s something she needs to pick up. Meanwhile, Xander and Willow go out to brief other students on the plans, including Harmony and Percy. Wesley and Cordelia remain at the library, packing books. In a short but comical romantic scene, they inch closer to each other, Wesley asking her if there¹s something that could keep him from going back to Britain. They kiss, then stop, then kiss again ­ and discover they¹re not meant for each other. They go back to packing books, a bit embarrassed. Larry and Jonathan are helping unload supplies from Oz¹s van. After they leave, Oz and Willow remain alone in the van, kissing, taking advantage of what little time they have left. In the library, Buffy informs Angel that Giles is out getting the weapons, and that she got what she needed. He interrupts, telling her that after all is done with, he won¹t say goodbye, he¹ll just go. After he leaves, Buffy takes out something wrapped in a handkerchief ­ the knife, still stained with Faith¹s bloodŠ Outside the school, Willow and Oz, in their gowns, make their way to their seats, just as Principal Snyder introduces Mayor Richard Wilkins III. Buffy and Willow realize with horror that the Mayor intends to go through the whole speech (evil!). But just after Willow wishes the Mayor to "ascend already", the eclipse takes place, and Wilkins jolts in pain. He tries to keep going, but finally admits to the students that although it¹s too bad he can¹t finish the speech, he doesn¹t mind the transformation coming a bit early. Grunting and moaning, he turns into a VERY big serpent, which rises high above the school and roars. At Buffy¹s signal, the students, gathered in one large group, take off their gowns, revealing the weapons hidden underneath. At Xander¹s command, a first wave armed with firethrowers and flaming arrows have a go at the demon. Then some students turn the other way to launch an attack on a group of vampires coming up from behind. The vampires are caught between two enemies, the students on one side and a group led by Angel, Wesley and Percy on the other. Meanwhile, the Mayor does some damage, eating first a student, then Principal Snyder, and killing Larry with his tail. Harmony gets drained by a vampire. Buffy orders everyone to regroup and fight the vampires, leaving her alone to fight the Mayor. She taunts him, holding up the blood-stained knife and telling him how easily it slid into Faith ­ like butter. She then asks him, "You wanna get it back from meŠ Dick?" Roaring in anger, the Mayor-demon chases her inside the school, breaking down walls on the way. Once inside the library, she plunges through a window to safety, as the Mayor-demon, startled, exclaims "Well, gosh!" Then, a large explosion rocks the school, destroying the library and the demon. Some time later, ambulances and fire trucks are surrounding the burning school; a whining and moaning Wesley is being rolled into an ambulance, and Buffy is looking for Angel. Giles joins her, and they behold the scene together. He then giver her the diploma he saved from the flames, before going to see how Wesley is doing, leaving Buffy alone with her thoughts. Then, through the smoke and the dust, she spots Angel. They look at each other from afar, and finally Angel turns his back on her and leaves. Buffy and friends gather around the smouldering ruins of Sunnydale High. Oz asks them to take a moment to realize that they survived high schoolŠ As they leave, the camera pans to a Sunnydale High yearbook, engraved with the words "The future is ours". Summary by OttsFiveByFive.