Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Enemies

"I'm the world's best actor."

"Second best…"

Back on Wednesday I was bibbling about the way there are two kinds of Buffy episodes- the funny and the heartbreaking, and how, what with Joss Whedon being evil and all, a funny episode is likely to immediately precede a direct act of violence to your heartstrings. Well, obviously, I was exaggerating a bit there. There are your ordinary monster of the week episodes too, although we haven't really had many of late, what with things being so tense lately, arc-wise. There's another distinct kind, though: the plot episode, an anchor in the season arc, full of plotty goodness. We typically get one just before the final run of episodes before the season finale, and that's just what we've got here.

And I'm impressed. This episode has to do a lot of heavy lifting, arc-wise. It has to show our Scooby friends realising that Faith is working for the Mayor. It has to lead to Buffy breaking up with Angel, at least temporarily. It has to have the Scoobies becoming aware of the Mayor's mysterious-but-ominous-sounding Ascension, and it has to establish that Ascension Day is to be D-Day. That's a lot to fit in. So it's all the more impressive that the episode is such an entertaining watch in its own right.

Obviously, a huge reason for this is the big, big twist, which is one of those "everything you thought you knew was wrong" moments. It really hits you like a punch, especially as "Angelus" is so convincing. Boreanaz, Angel, Gellar, Buffy… all four of them show themselves to be brilliant actors.

Another great thing is the developing relationship between Faith and the centenarian Mayor, conveyed mainly through some mutually great facial acting. "Miniature golf" indeed. The Mayor is such a fun character, far more so with Faith than with Mr Trick, rather appropriately allowing us to enjoy our Big Bad more in the season's closing episodes. It's also notable, once again, how powerless Wesley is: no one (except Cordelia, who seems to have rejoined the gang because of him) listens him, and it's notable how Buffy, Angel and Giles don't include him in their plans. And there's a rather sweet scene with Willow giving Buffy some sensible relationship advice, establishing that they're now back to being as close as they were before.

Interestingly, this episode gives us an early example of the "good demon" trope, much as Faith may think that "A demon's a demon." Racist! I suppose Giles is just as bad, what with "Demons after money? Whatever happened to the still-beating heart of a virgin? No one has any standards any more!" Still, I'll cut him some slack. It's a good line.

Probably the most interesting part, though, is after Faith kills the demon, and we see her bloodstained hands, in a moment that recalls Macbeth. This is her first deliberate murder, and I suspect that some of the conflicted feelings she confesses to Angel are genuine. But there's no going back now. She's literally dipped her hands in the blood.