Previously on Buffy the Vampire Slayer: same old, same old which merges into the currently on BtVS where Giles is recounting to Buffy, Kennedy, Amanda and the new girl Choa An how he survived the Big Axe Attack in England. Spike tackles him thereby proving that Giles isn't the First and Spike isn't chipped. Bantering followed by credits and commercial.
Next day Giles doubts Buffy's sanity regarding the chip removal and implies (nay, flatout states) that she's not thinking with her head. She then goes off to work and do some snooping in Principal Wood's office. He walks in and invites her out to dinner. She agrees and, after she leaves the office, he stashes a bloody (literally, not British slang) dagger in a hidden display case.
Meanwhile, Xander meets a chick at a hardware store, they bond over rope and make a date for coffee.
At the Summer residence Willow gets to try to be both supportive and teasing of Buffy and Xander's dates while avoiding any teasing about Kennedy. Buffy gets Willow to Google Principal Wood but Xander elects to take his chances. Anya helps Buffy get ready for her date with Principal Wood while complaining about Xander's date that she considers merely a feeble-yet-successful attempt to make her jealous. Buffy flees to find a wearable shirt and bumps into Spike who is all noble and doesn't look (much) at the lacey camisole and tells Buffy that he heard she was going on a date and that he was okay with it.
Meanwhile, BB as Jonathan appears to try to seduce Andrew back to the dark side. The First tells Jonathan that all he has to do is find Willow's gun and shoot all the Teen Slayers. Across town Xander meets his date at the coffee shop. They make small talk that eventually morphs into relationship talk with Xander explaining in general terms what a jerk he was to Anya.
Willow, with Kennedy supervising every keystroke, does fruitless computer searches on Principal Wood until Anya appears to show them the flashcards that Giles is using to try to bridge the language gap between English and Cantonese. They convince him that he may want to rethink his study aids. Giles then finds out that Buffy and Xander are both out on dates and has a chance to reuse his old speeches from Season One about dating on an Apocalypse night.
Speaking of Buffy's date - she's somewhat suspicious when he takes her down a dark alley on the lame excuse that there's a restaurant hidden away. Suspicions grow when they're jumped by a group of vamps. Confusion takes over when she sees Principal Wood dust two of them. They go into the restaurant where Principal Wood tells her that he is the son of a Slayer who was raised by his mom's Watcher after her inevitable death. He did the whole avenging son thing and arranged to be principal 15 feet over the Hellmouth to fight the good fight.
Meanwhile, BB as Jonathan drops by to get a status check from Andrew. Andrew has got the gun and shows it to The First and then casually tries to find out if the First has any weaknesses, allergies, pet peeves and why not just get Spike to do it. The First figures out that Andrew is wearing a wire and scares the bejesus out of him, Willow, Kennedy, Dawn and Amanda. And, across town, Xander proves that the only women interested in him are demons as his date suspends him over the pentacle in the high school basement.
At the Summer residence Giles debriefs those not involved in Datefest 2003 about why they thought wiring Andrew and taping the First was a viable idea. Giles suggests that Willow recalls Buffy but Xander calls on Willow's cell with the demon-date-help code. Giles suggests that Willow really recalls Buffy but they find that she left her cellphone behind. Spike volunteers to get Buffy.
Spike finds Buffy and Principal Wood and the three head to the high school which is where Willow's locator spell ummm, located Xander. They bust in to find Xander bleeding all over the seal and much fighting ensues. Xander's Demon Date (tm) dies, Spike vamps out, Wood sees this and a Buffy/Spike moment.
Once everyone is back at home they have a goofy, bantering release of tension before Giles whips out the flashcards and terrifies everyone. Off they go to bed except for Buffy and Spike. Spike offers to leave but Buffy tells him she wants him to stay, despite of what may or may not be happening between her and Principal Wood.
Who is getting ready for bed. BB as his Mom shows up but he doesn't buy into her for a second. He rejects her, ignores her and walks through her. Until she offers up who killed her. Then everything changes and we...
Fade to black.
RANDOM THOUGHTS
Chip. Gone. Non-surprise of the season.
See how Kennedy was always close to Willow? Not overtly touching or anything. Just. Always. Close.
Ya think Buffy knows that Spike killed Wood's mom? I mean, Spike told her the story and she should be able to do the math. Plus, she's lived in the Joss-Universe of coincidence for seven years now. Plus there was the look on her face that could have been "ah that's sad" but could also have been "damn, hope they don't figure it out."
Willow's laugh that Buffy was so good at her job that she might be getting a promotion was almost exactly the same as Principal Wood's laugh that he hired Buffy for her counseling skills.
Apparently the pizza stained shirt was the one Dawn was wearing during Conversations with Dead People. Which was also where the microwave bit the dust.
Andrew seems pretty out to the group. Xander seems to turn to him for advice.
I like Spike's nicknames. So disparaging for Xander and Andrew to be "The Boy" and "The Little Boy". Wonder what he calls Kennedy.
RANDOM QUOTES
Willow: "I think they're going to end up making out. Oh, Principal Wood, she'll gasp, I love your lack of wicked energy."
Buffy: "Watch it. Or I'm going to make you talk about your new girlfriend who you hold hands with under the dinner table and think we don't notice."
Willow: [desperately changing the subject] "How 'bout your's, Xander. She evil?"
Xander: "Well, she's interested in me so there's a good chance but I'm hoping for the best."
Anya: "Are you nuts? Of course it's working. Observe my bitter ranting. Hear the shrill edge of hysteria in my voice."
Dawn: [looking at the flashcards] "Holy crap!"
Giles: "Perhaps I'll rethink the approach."
Anya: "Didn't you hear? Everyone has a date. Buffy has a date. Willow is completely making out with this girl. Xander is out with some hardware store whore. It's Datefest 2003."
Andrew: "I found it in Buffy's underwear drawer. She has nice things."
BB as Jonathan: "Show me."
Andrew: "Well, I didn't take them but there were thongs and regular underpants and..."
BB as Jonathan: "Show me the gun."
Jonathan: "Stop looking like Jonathan. You're not him. You're the First and you're trying to get me to shoot innocent girls. I'm good now and when the fight is over I'm going to pay for killing Jonathan."
BB as Jonathan: "So many dead girls. There'll be so many."
Xander: "I'm going gay. I've decided I'm turning gay. Willow, gay me up. Come on. Let's gay."
Willow: "What?"
Xander: "You heard me, just tell me what to do. I'm mentally undressing Scott Bakula now. [to Andrew] That's a start, isn't it?"
Andrew: [to himself] "mmm, Captain Archer."
Xander: "Come on, let's get this gay show on the gay road. Help me out here."
Buffy: "Wouldn't you just start attracting male demons?"
Dawn: "Clem always liked you."
Giles: "Children!"
BB as Mommy: "Now. What do you say?"
Principal Wood: "Thank you.