Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Revelations

"Interesting lady. Can we kill her?"

Blimey. Do some Americans really think of us Brits as being like that awful Gwendolyn Post? She's a deliciously hissable pantomime villain, perfectly written and performed to be the sort of character you love to hate. But usually in Buffy the British stereotypes are knowing and ironic, and that isn't the case here. A lot of the dialogue here indicates that there's a bit of a stereotype in America of us Brits actually being stuck-up, arrogant, emotionally constipated, puritanical(!) but also intelligent, well-educated and thinking of Americans as culturally inferior. Some of those things may have been true of a certain elite back in the bad old days of Empire, but it's odd to see it in a contemporary context. I tend to see us as more-or-less typical North Europeans: easy-going, fun-loving and partial to beer and raucous laughter, and generally very likely to take the piss out of the Gwendolyn Posts of this world.

That said, she's a delicious baddie and a gloriously fun character. And that's really rather necessary, because this episode not only does a fair bit of heavy lifting in service of the season arc, but it's quite intense at times. Buffy has kept the return of Angel secret for a while now, and this is the episode where the elastic finally snaps. No one reacts well, although it's odd that no one seems to acknowledge any distinction at all between Angel and Angelus. Xander, again, sees red. Everyone gangs up on Buffy in the library, in what looks awfully like an intervention. But it's Giles' reaction, alone with Buffy afterwards and having seemingly defended her, that is the emotional heart of the episode. His quiet yet emotionally devastating words hit so very hard: "You have no respect for me, or the job I perform."

This is, of course, the beginning of a run of episodes that examines and questions the role of the Watcher. With what right do they wield their authority? What is this mysterious "Council", with its decidedly public school membership, and to whom is it accountable? We're beginning to see the start of a distancing between Giles, a sympathetic and likeable character, and the somewhat ambiguous organisation which he represents.

The attraction between Willow and Xander is continuing to fester, and is bound to explode soon. Alyson Hannigan is superb at playing the comic potential of Willow's guilt, but I suspect there won't be much more of this. As for Buffy and Angel, it seems very doubtful if the two of them can be together. There's too much awkwardness. It's still far from clear what Angel's role in this season is going to be, other than as a catalyst for conflict between the Scoobies. Everyone seems to accept his "not evil" credentials, but things between him and everyone else are, for obvious reasons, even more awkward.

Faith's story is also taking a turn into darker areas. She trusted Post, and her betrayal makes Faith even less inclined to trust anyone. The last shot in the episode is her, in a bedsit, alone.