Ethan Rayne returns to Sunnydale, and Giles soon wakes up to discover he is a demon. As Buffy tries to track him down and kill him, Giles gets Spike's help to find Ethan and get himself returned to normal.
It's way past time there was a Giles episode, and Anthony Stewart Head makes a fantastic demon. The way he inadvertantly tears apart his own house so that it looks as though he's been attacked is a clever way of clueing Buffy in and wanting payback. He also finally learns of The Initiative and meets up with Maggie Walsh. The friction between the pair and Giles' view of her afterwards should make for great fun down the line, and it's also good to see Buffy and Riley working as a team, with both contributing something the other can't: Riley an official military presence and back-up and Buffy with her advanced fighting skills and demon knowledge.
Once again, there's a little too much talking from this particular quarter, as the pair try to work out whether their relationship can work or not, but everything finishes well in the end. Robin Sachs does some more great work with Ethan, in an episode in which he's much more centre stage than usual. His scenes with Giles show the anger between them, but also hint at their common pasts, something it would be good to see explored. He also has the best lines. Stepping out of the shadows early on, he's surprised by Giles coming back into the room. "Bugger, I thought you'd gone," he says. Continuing this playing on traditional ideas being reversed, he also points out that he needs to leave Sunnydale sooner, and that it's the standing around gloating that keeps getting him caught. Good to see him get his comeuppance at last in the end too.
And let's not forget Spike. From finding a new home and doing some redecorating to helping Giles by driving his clapped out car in a low-speed chase, he's got all the best lines again, especially now he has a purpose and is keen to pummel any demon that crosses his path, because that's the only option he has left. Of the various permutations there have been to the main cast over the last four years, I have to say I like this line-up the most, with Marc Blucas more charismatic than David Boreanaz, and his chemistry with Sarah Michelle Gellar is wonderful and makes them seem a perfect match. I can't wait for more.
****
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