Written & Directed by Joss Whedon
This was the absolutely best episode of Buffy so far. A cop finds Buffy by Kendra's dead body and tries to arrest her. She tries to tell the she didn't do it but he doesn't believe her so she hits him and runs away. Then at the hospital, Buffy walks in wearing dark clothes and finds Xander. They hug and Xander tells her about Willow. After talking, Buffy finds out that Giles wasn't with Cordelia and that he's missing. She heads to his apartment to find Whistler and no Giles. Whistler tries to explain what she has to do, but she doesn't listen.
Meanwhile, Angel is torturing Giles to get him to tell him what he's doing wrong with the ritual to bring Acafla to life. Giles puts up with the pain of his fingers being slowly broken to keep quiet as long as possible. At Buffy's house, the police confront her mom and tell her to send Buffy to them when she finds her. Buffy goes walking the streets when a cop finds her. As he tries to get to her, Spike comes up and beats him up. They exchange punches and harsh words and Spike explains he wants to kill Angel and save the world. Despite being a vampire, he still likes the world--it has a good food supply.
At the hospital, Xander confesses his love to a comatose Willow. She wakes up and asks for Oz. Oz shows up Xander is left in the background. Spike and Buffy walk to the Summer's house and as they arrive, Joyce drives up and asks Buffy where she's been. Buffy tries to explain herself with the help of Spike. Buffy tries to convince her mom she's in a band with Spike but it isn't bought. They head inside but a vampire jumps out at them from the porch. Spike beat it up a bit and then Buffy stakes him. Her mom watches it all and then Buffy tells her, "I'm a vampire slayer."
At the mansion, Angel continues his torture on Giles, but Giles stays strong and refuses to give up the information. Back at Buffy's house, Buffy talks to a now-awake Willow on the phone. After, she finalizes the deal with Spike. He will help her kill Angel for Buffy to let him and Dru leave the country. Buffy agrees as long as Giles stays alive; if he dies, Dru dies. Buffy and her mom get into a fight about her slaying and Buffy is told that if she leaves, she can never come back. She walks away.
Willow feels bad that she couldn't finish the spell and decides to try it again. Against Xander's protests, she orders Oz and Cordy to go get her stuff while Xander is supposed to go tell Buffy what's going on. Buffy enters the crime scene (library) to get something from Kendra's bag. Snyder walks in and tells her she's expelled. Buffy comments on how he never had a date in high school then leaves with the sword from Kendra's bag. At the mansion, Angel is finally fed up with Giles' silence and decides to use the chain saw method. Spike stops him and says that Dru can help. She puts Giles under a spell to make him see Dru as Jenny. He gives away that Angel needs to use his own blood and then Dru kisses him. Angel realizes what he should have done then he and Spike try to break Dru away from Giles. She was caught up in the moment.
The next day, Buffy heads towards the mansion. Xander jumps out and tells her that Willow said to kick Angel's ass. Angel starts the ritual and cuts his hand with a dagger. Buffy walks in and beheads a vamp then stops the ceremony for a second. Spike stands up out of his chair and starts wailing on Angel with a crowbar. While Buffy fights vamps and Xander sneaks in to find Giles, Dru tackles Spike to make him stop beating up on Angel. Xander gets Giles out and Buffy stakes another vampire. Spike and Dru fight and he ends up putting her in a chokehold to cut off her air. (Does she need air?) Angel wakes up and completes the ritual.
Buffy and Angel fight while Willow performs the ceremony from the hospital with Oz and Cordelia helping her. Willow chants and starts to fade away then she snaps her head back and comes back strong, chanting in Latin. Angel has Buffy knocked to the ground and he stabs at her with the sword. She stops it with her ands and hits him with the butt of it. They fight some more. Willow finishes the ritual just as Buffy is about to cut off Angels' head. He cries out in pain and Buffy stops just in time. They hug and kiss and then Buffy sees the vortex begin to open. She kisses him and then tells him to close his eyes. She kisses him again, then stabs the sword into his stomach. He falls into the vortex.
Back at school, Willow is in a wheelchair and Giles is back too. No one has seen Buffy and all wonder what could have happened. Buffy is standing outside the school with a suitcase. She walks away, getting on a bus leaving Sunnydale.
