Spoiler Slayer

After taking her to task over 'Wrecked', I have to give Marti Noxon props for writing what is likely one of the best Buffy episodes of the season (if not one of the best overall). Although disturbing at points, it is a very strong episode which starts to tie together the various story arcs of the season. I also like the way the episode tied in with several episodes from past seasons (for example, the dark magic books from 'Tough Love', or the 'Bored Now' comment from 'Doppelgangland' - once again we see that the Vampire-Willow might not have been so different from Willow)

It was good to see Warren being put in his place by just about everyone. Not that he realized it himself until the final few moments of his life. Which I feel is part of the point of this season; the Troika should have never been an issue in the first place. In the same way their antics were attempts to avoid adult responsibility, they also failed to get the noteriety or attention that they expected. In the end, none of his clever plots or tricks was able to save him from Willow's wrath.

I know there are a lot of questions about Willow and what she did to exact her revenge. I really don't feel there is much to discuss in terms of what she did, it's obvious why she chose this route. The bigger picture should be one of her emotions (or lack thereof) throughout this episode. She only has one goal in mind, killing those who took Tara from her, and nothing is going to stand in her way. But it's completely cold-blooded. There is no rage, anger, hatred in her actions, nor does she seem to receive any pleasure or even satisfaction in killing Warren. It's just one of the tasks she needs to take care of before she can move on. She doesn't intend to come back from this, so it makes sense that her entire performance seems to be so matter-of-fact.

This is in stark contrast to Buffy, who perhaps the first time this season seems to be the Buffy that we know and love. It seems like dying a third time did the trick. Though she now faces her toughest task, stopping her best friend. It's familiar ground, but at least when she had to fight Angel, he was truly evil at the time. Willow is in a much different place and for much different reasons. We, much like Xander and Dawn, understand and might even encourage Willow's actions. However, Buffy is correct, just because you are wronged does not give a person a license to kill.

While Buffy seems to have found herself once again by staying in Sunnydale, Spike has traveled halfway around the world to do the same. Although his screentime was brief, it was very telling. As expected, everything about his conversation with the demon could be read in many ways. Spike is upset with Buffy and the writers are once again making it seem that he wants to get back to his 'Big Bad' ways. The demon worded this as a return to his 'former self', which in demon-speak could mean anything from chipless to human. Luckily, we should know in a week exactly what 'former self' Spike is going to become.

As for Dawn, she's finding herself drawn once again to wanting to be a part of the action. While she reluctantly agrees to Buffy's reasoning, I don't doubt that there are big things in store for her. One thing to consider is the fact that Buffy did die, which could open that loophole the writers could use to elevate Dawn to Slayer status. Although the writers have stated several times that the Slayer Line lies through Faith (and I've always defended that statement), I can't rule out that we may have been misled (much like the constant reminder that Spike is 'evil', maybe the writers are protesting a bit too much). One thing to consider is the difference between Mystical and Natural death, that could be why another Slayer wasn't called when Buffy died last season. It's something that was stressed in this episode, and with the conjunction of the spoilers of Dawn actually doing some fighting in the finale and an 'unlikely hero', I wonder if maybe the big surprise will be Dawn (remember, it's in her blood). Though in the end, I have to admit that it's more my preference than anything we've seen in the show.