"Buffy the Vampire Slayer" Revelations (1998)

User Rating:

8.1/10   

Director:

James A. Contner

Writers:

Joss Whedon (creator)
Douglas Petrie (written by)

TV Series:

"Buffy the Vampire Slayer" (1997)

Original Air Date:

17 November 1998 (Season 3, Episode 7)

Genre:

Action | Drama | Fantasy

Plot:

Gwendolyn Post, an uptight, by-the-book English Watcher, arrives in Sunnydale claiming that the Watchers Council sent her as Faith's new one...

Plot Keywords:

Library | Heroine | Female Protagonist | Demon | High School

Cast

Sarah Michelle Gellar	...	Buffy Summers
Nicholas Brendon	...	Xander Harris
Alyson Hannigan	...	Willow Rosenberg
Charisma Carpenter	...	Cordelia Chase
David Boreanaz	...	Angel
Seth Green	...	Oz
Anthony Head	...	Rupert Giles (as Anthony Stewart Head)
Serena Scott Thomas	...	Gwendolyn Post
Eliza Dushku	...	Faith
Jason Hall	...	Devon MacLeish
Kate Rodger	...	Paramedic

Runtime:

45 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Irish Gaelic

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

USA:TV-PG

Company:

Mutant Enemy

Goofs:

Boom mic visible: At 36:14, as Buffy says, "Faith, we can figure this out," you can see the tip of the boom microphone dipping into the top of the frame.

Quotes:

Gwendolyn Post: The fact is, there is talk in the Council that you have become a bit too... American.
Giles: Me?
Buffy: Him?

Movie Connections:

References Mary Poppins (1964)

Soundtrack:

Run

The Scoobies learn that Angel's back and wackiness ensues

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

This episode marks the first scene between Angel and Faith. It's interesting to go back and watch "Revelations" after you've seen the development of the relationship over on "Angel." In this episode, Buffy is trying to protect Angel from from Faith. Next season on "Angel," ("Sancuary") it's Angel protecting Faith from Buffy. In this episode Faith's trying to kill Angel. By season four of "Angel," ("Orpheus") she willing to die to keep him safe. Honestly, I think Faith only truly loves two people: the Mayor and Angel. She can't seduce them, they accept her, she identifies with their hidden darkness and she trusts them. "Revelations" is the start of Angel and Faith's very complicated and entertaining friendship... Even if neither of them know it, yet.

This is the episode where the Scoobies learn that Angel's back. Faith's new watcher, Gwendolyn Post, comes to town with a mission. She wants to find some all-powerful glove that's been hidden in a Sunnydale cemetery. Gwendolyn makes Giles seem downright "American." She lectures Faith, criticizes Giles and generally tries to take over. Faith's last watcher was killed and, against her better judgment, she finds herself starting to bond with Gwendolyn... At least, a little bit. Unfortunately, Gwendolyn Post is up to no good. She wants the glove for herself and she nearly kills Giles, Willow and Angel to get it.

Meanwhile, Xander inadvertently sees Angel and Buffy kissing. Furious that Angel is alive, (well, alive-ish, I guess, since he is still a vampire) Xander rushes to tell Giles and the rest of the Scoobies. The next morning, they hold an intervention to air their grievances to Buffy. (This episode is cited again in season five's "Intervention," when the Scoobies contemplate a second Buffy intervention, this time about Spike.) Giles and Xander are both enraged that Buffy lied to them, Willow tries to keep everyone clam, Buffy feels defensive and betrayed... The meeting ends in anger and hurt feelings. Xander is especially bitter. He meets up with Faith and the two of them decide to kill Angel once and for all.

Angel meanwhile has the magical glove and is trying to destroy it. Gwendolyn Post attacks Giles, then heads to out to steal the glove for herself. Faith arrives at Angel's mansion just in time to see Angel and Gwendolyn fighting. She immediately tries to kill Angel, thinking that he's turned again. Buffy rushes in and saves Angel from being staked. As she and Faith fight, Gwendolyn puts on the glove and suddenly she can control killer bolts of lightning...

There's a lot of interesting stuff going on in this episode. It gives us a deeper understanding of Faith's character and reintroduces Angelus's crimes to the group. Jenny's death is still festering beneath the surface of the Scoobie ranks. I like that Giles is still mourning her and that her name still brings conversations to a halt. Her death changed all of them. I also like Willow and Buffy's conversation in the grave yard. Willow is feeling guilty about her growing closeness to Xander and is willing to at least Buffy's side of things. And I just have to laugh when Gwendolyn, drunk on her own power, laughs, "Faith, a word of advice, you're an idiot."

On the downside, I don't think Xander's ever more annoying than he is in this episode. Yes, Angel could be a threat and Buffy should have said something about his return. But, who the heck is Xander to lecture her? He's been kissing Willow behind everyone's back and he's yet to tell the truth about Willow's re-ensouling spell back in "Becomming Part Two." (We have to wait for season seven's "Selfless" for that reveal.") And how could he tell Faith, of all people, that Angel might be dangerous? What does he think Buffy's going to do if he and Faith kill her ("he's not my") boyfriend? I don't think that he really considered the fall-out of that plan.

Also, there's always some supernatural whatz-it sealed in a Sunnydale crypt. Who puts all those magical objects in the tombs, anyway? You'd think that whoever was in charge of hiding them in the graves, would've just kept them for themselves. And really, how great can the magical stuff be if the last person who owned it wound up dead and buried in Sunnydale?

My favorite part of the episode: Giles contacting the Watcher's Council after Gwendolyn Post tried to kill them and learning that she'd been fired for her evil-leanings. "They swear there was a memo."