Overall Rating: 7.55 Matt: 7.5 Eric: 7.6 Writer: Marti Noxon Director: James A. Contner Cast : Sarah Michelle Gellar as Buffy Summers, Nicholas Brendon as Xander Harris, Alyson Hannigan as Willow Rosenberg, Marc Blucas as Riley Finn, James Marsters as Spike, Anthony Stewart Head as Rupert Giles. Main guest stars : Seth Green as Oz, Bailey Chase as Graham Miller, Leonard Roberts as Forrest Gates, Amber Benson as Tara, Emma Caulfield as Anya, Connor O’Farrell as Colonel McNamara, George Hertzberg as Adam. Original broadcast date : May 2, 2000 My one-line description: Buddhism, werewolves and the Initiative. A match made in… Hellmouth. Willow and Tara make their way to a Scooby meeting, discussing Tara’s intention to get a cat. She wants to make sure Willow isn’t allergic, and wants her room to be Willow-friendly. At the meeting, Buffy reports that not much has been going on, but Riley contributes that the Initiative has "demons coming out their ears"; Giles suspects Adam is behind this. The meeting ends, and Anya complains that it was boring. Giles, now quite fed up, starts to give her a tongue-lashing… when the front door opens, revealing Oz. "Hey", he says, as they all stare at him. After some uncomfortable silence, Willow manages to find her voice and ask Oz when he got back. "Pretty much now", he says. They agree to meet later at her place to talk. After he has left, a discomfited Tara also makes for the exit. That night at the cemetery, Buffy explains to Riley what happened with Willow and Oz. Riley is quite shocked to hear that Oz is a werewolf; he never would have thought Willow would be the type to date "dangerous guys". A slightly pissed Buffy calls him a bigot. Oz arrives at Willow’s place and takes her outside, asking her to look up – it’s the full moon and he’s not wolfing out. Willow is happy that Oz has found a cure, but less happy when he tells he that he wants to be with her again. She doesn’t tell him about Tara, but merely confirms that there is no new guy in her life. In the woods, Graham’s commando team is attacked by two fur-covered demons. Graham is knocked out, but manages to get a view of the attacker before he loses consciousness. The sun rises as Willow and Oz finish a full night of talking in her room. He’s told her about the places he’s been – especially Tibet, where he learned the meditation techniques and ways to repress the wolf inside. Willow suggests they get breakfast, but Oz ventures that they could sleep in instead. Willow prefers a "less confusing breakfast", and steps out to the washroom to freshen up. As Oz waits alone in her room, Tara shows up; he invites her in, but she declines and leaves. When Willow returns, Oz tells her that her friend stopped by; Willow looks a bit distraught as Oz turns his back to put his coat on. As he and Buffy wake up in his room, Riley tries to make amends for his comments about Oz, explaining that he just doesn’t want to see Willow get hurt. Buffy comments that there are some creatures who aren’t evil, but Riley challenges her to name one. Forrest walks in and tells Riley that Beta Team was attacked, and that they have a casualty. Buffy asks if they know what kind of demon it was; "Does it matter?" snaps Riley as he leaves with Forrest. A depressed Buffy returns to her own dorm room, where Willow fills her in on how Oz found a cure for the wolfiness. Buffy is happy for him, but notes that Willow doesn’t look that happy. The redhead confirms that Tara’s presence complicates things. Buffy asks if Tara has a crush on Oz… then realizes what the actual picture is. Masking her unease, she says she’s glad Willow told her. Willow answers that she’d planned to tell Oz about Tara the previous evening, but that she doesn’t want to hurt anyone. Buffy tells her that no matter what happens, someone will get hurt. Spike gets a visit in his crypt… Feeling that it’s a demon, the vampire starts by reaching out for him to kiss his ass – until he realizes that it’s Adam. And Adam isn’t there to fight – he wants to help Spike with his problem. Meanwhile, Willow goes to Tara’s room to tell her that Oz and Willow only talked the previous night. Tara promises Willow she’ll be there for her, because she knows what Oz meant to her. But Willow is still confused between what Oz used to mean to her then, and what Tara means to her now; she doesn’t know what to do. Tara tells her to do what makes her happy. In a hallway on campus, Oz is going through some fliers when he smells Willow’s scent; however, it’s just Tara passing by. Tara realizes he’s planning on coming back to college, and she tells him it would be good for him and Willow. But he’s just interested in knowing why she has Willow’s scent all over her; he grabs her arm and asks her if she’s involved with her. Tara tries to leave, but a hurt and angry Oz grabs her again and asks if Willow is in love with her. To Tara’s horror, he starts to wolf out, and tells her to run. In wolf form, Oz chases Tara in a corridor, and finally traps her in a classroom. As he advances on her, Riley bursts in and hits him with a tranquilizer dart, after which Forrest and other commandos load him in a body bag. They think Oz might be one of the demons who attacked Beta Team. Tara tries to tell them the wolf is a person, but they think she’s in shock and don’t listen to her. In Spike’s crypt, Adam explains his plan – he predicts Buffy will be a leader in the upcoming fight, and he wants Spike to be on her side (as a spy and a saboteur, one might say). The vampire asks Adam to promise that in return, the chip will come out. Adam, having been (at least parts of him) a boy scout, swears to it. At the Initiative, Oz is in a cage, still in wolf form, as doctors await the results of DNA testing to determine whether he was one of the demons who attacked Graham’s team. An angry Riley wants to shoot the wolf anyway – but then Oz reverts to his small human form. The doctors strap him to an operating table and start doing tests on him. Riley is very concerned, but the doctors order him away from the Pit. Then they shock Oz with electricity, making him wolf out again. At Giles’ place, Buffy worries about Riley not having come back yet. Her and Xander decide not to wait any longer and plan an forced entry into the Initiative. Willow insists on going with them, and they try to figure out how they’re going to get in. Spike, suddenly standing in the doorway, suggests they use the back door. He tells them he can help them get in without tripping any alarms – he’s in if there’s monetary incentive. Oz is lying in his cell, in human form and naked, when Riley comes in with some clothes and breaks him out. However, they don’t get far – suddenly, Forrest, Graham and other soldiers surround them, guns pointed. At bit later, Colonel McNamara visits Riley, who is now in a cell, and tells him he should be facing a court-martial. However, if Riley wants to save his military career, he can help the Initiative take down the Slayer and her band of "anarchists". Spike leads Buffy and the gang to an access door in the woods. Adam, watching on a monitor in his cave, unlocks the door for Spike via computer, while spying on Anya and Giles, who are trying to hack into the city power grid. Suddenly, the grid shuts down, blacking out Sunnydale. The Scoobies enter the Colonel’s bedroom, where they learn that Riley tried to free Oz and is now imprisoned. Buffy frees Riley, and the gang makes its way to Oz’s cell, holding the Colonel as a hostage. A team of commandos arrives, but Buffy threatens to kill McNamara if they don’t free Oz. The Colonel nods, and the soldiers obey. Willow tries to help Oz, but he warns her that he’s wolfing out again. Concentrating, he fights it back, and Riley helps him walk. As they make their way to the elevator leading to Lowell House, McNamara tells Riley he’s a dead man. "No sir, I’m an anarchist", answers Riley before punching him out. Buffy and Riley find refuge in the ruined Sunnydale High; the rest of the Scoobies have split up so the Initiative will have a harder time finding them. Riley admits to Buffy that he was being a bigot about Oz. She tells him that he wasn’t, and he accepts it; but he comments that it was easier when it was just humans against demons. Buffy decides it’s time to tell him about some things in her past; she warns him that he won’t like some things. He answers that she can tell him anything, and she agrees. In his parked van, Oz tells Willow that he shouldn’t have come back thinking he had changed. He concludes that Willow is the one person who can bring the wolf out in him. Willow blames herself for upsetting him, but he asks her if she’s happy. She answers that she is. He says that it was stupid of him to think she’d be waiting for him, but she says that part of her will always be waiting for him. They agree that now is not the time; they hug one last time, and Oz leaves. The power is still out in town, so Tara has lit a candle. Willow shows up at her door with another, "extra flamy" candle, and explains what happened with Oz. Tara tells her she should be with the one she loves, and Willow answers that she is. She offers to make it up to her starting right now… Tara blows out the candle. Summary by OttsFiveByFive.