Revelations

"Revelations" is the seventh episode of the third season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and is the forty-first episode altogether.

The Scoobies find out about Angel's return and a new watcher shows up.

Synopsis
The Bronze is packed and Oz and the Dingoes are playing on stage. After a song wraps, Oz goes to stand by his friends and Willow and Xander act jumpy&mdash;they feel guilty because of the kiss they'd shared, and they try to not touch each other. They wonder briefly if Buffy has a new boyfriend, and Buffy jokes that she is seeing someone&mdash;Faith&mdash;but just as friends. The two go out to slay together, finally killing two vampires. Then, a new woman, who later identifies herself as Mrs. Gwendolyn Post&mdash;Faith's new watcher&mdash;doesn't appreciate the "sloppy" synchronized slaying.

That night, Post tells the Slayers and Giles that she was sent down to take over as Faith's watcher and report back on the entire situation in Sunnydale, including Giles, who she claims has become too American. She takes the time to not-so-subtly insult him at every turn. She tells them about a demon that has come in search of a glove&mdash;Lagos&mdash;and that she wants both Slayers at full strength to kill it. Buffy then goes to the mansion with Angel where they're practicing Tai Chi. One thing leads to another and they end up very close to a kiss. Buffy mentions Lagos, then leaves, knowing she can't let them get so close again.

At the library, Giles frantically searches for information on the demon, and takes his frustration caused by Mrs. Post out on Xander and Willow. The two are both very tired but go back to researching. Willow has a headache and Xander rubs her temples to help her relax. This leads to passionate kissing, and they are almost caught by Giles, but stop before he sees anything. Feeling guilty, Xander offers to go check out the tomb where this demon would most likely go.

Walking on the streets, Buffy and Faith talk about guys and Faith tries to get info about Buffy's relationship with Angel (who she thinks is dead), but Buffy is still too confused about it all and doesn't want to talk. Faith offers to take a final sweep through one of the cemeteries while Buffy claims to go home, tired. Faith runs into the demon, who is frantically searching for an important weapon, a glove, and she gets beaten up pretty badly, but fortunately the demon leaves and doesn't finish her off because he's too preoccupied. While looking through the cemetery, Xander sees Angel coming out of the mansion and going over to the garden (The mansion happens to be next to the cemetery.) Xander follows, and finds Buffy and Angel in a passionate kiss, but Buffy then breaks it off because it is taboo. Angel shows her that he has the glove that Lagos wants.

Giles and Mrs. Post continue their research at Giles' home. Just as Giles starts to pour some tea, Xander runs to Giles and tells him about what he saw. The next day at school, Buffy's friends hold a sort of intervention for her after finding out about Angel's return. Everyone is furious and criticizes Buffy, especially Xander, who wants Angel dead. Buffy does her best to defend her case. After everyone leaves, Giles reminds her of the torture Angelus inflicted on him and harshly chides her for what he perceives to be a lack of respect for him.

Gwendolyn Post visits Faith at her motel room and delivers a lecture. She mentions the meeting that Giles arranged for "Buffy and her friends." Faith remarks, "I guess that doesn't include me," the first overt sign we have that Faith is feeling alienated from the Scoobies. Faith trains under Post's direction.

Buffy confronts Willow about her situation, but finds that she's not mad at all&mdash;which has a lot to do with Willow and her own secret. Later that night at the library, Giles calls Mrs. Post to come in and he tells her that a friend of Buffy's is holding the glove until they can get there and destroy it. He tells her where the mansion is and then when he's not looking, she hits him over the head with a statue, knocking him out. Buffy asks Willow to accompany her on a night of slaying since no one else could be reached. They talk and Willow is just about to tell Buffy about her relationship with Xander when Lagos shows up. Buffy fights him, and kills him with his own weapon.

Meanwhile, an angry Xander is playing pool at the Bronze when Faith shows up. She thinks they're hiding from her some information they have about the glove, because they don't trust her. But Xander bitterly says no, it's something that really matters. He tells her about Angel's return and they talk about how much of a danger Angel is, both getting angrier and angrier. Faith decides that she should kill Angel before he has a chance to use the glove, and Xander wants to come with. They arrive at the library and get weapons, but just as they're leaving, Xander discovers Giles knocked out in his office. He calls 911 as Faith jumps to the conclusion that Angel did it, though Xander doesn't think it was Angel, as "it's not his style". He wants her to stay and help with Giles and tells her that Giles might die without their help, but she leaves in order to go kill Angel. At the mansion, Angel has performed the spell for the living flame needed to destroy the glove, and at that point Post arrives, claiming to be a friend of Giles' wanting to help with the spell. Angel goes to get the glove, and she hits him over the head with a shovel.

Buffy and Willow get back to the library to find the paramedics there, and as they leave Giles tells her she has to destroy the glove with the living flame. Xander angrily tells Buffy that "your boyfriend isn't as cured as we all thought." Xander tells Buffy that Faith knows everything and she came to the conclusion that it was Angel that hurt Giles. He tells her that Faith is off to kill Angel. Buffy rushes off to the mansion, asking Willow to find out how to destroy the glove. Back at the mansion, Post hits Angel with a shovel, temporarily knocking him out. But he quickly gets up, revealing that he is a vampire, and fights with Mrs. Post. Angel easily defeats her. Faith arrives to see Angel beating on her Watcher and attacks him, with Angel thinking that he wants the glove, as she does, to use it herself. Before Faith can stake Angel, Buffy stops her and tries to reason with her, to no avail. Listening to the now conscious Post's manipulation that Buffy's feelings are clouding her judgment, Faith attacks her and a vicious fight erupts. Willow and Xander arrive, with Xander unsuccessfully trying to break up the fight between the Slayers while Willow attempts to help Gwen. But Gwen retrieves the glove, hits Willow with it, then puts the glove on.

Everyone stops fighting in time to realize that Post is wearing the glove. "Faith, a word of advice: you're an idiot!" she says to Faith. Finally revealing herself as the real villain of this story all along, she begins using the glove and the bolts of lighting that flow through it. She tries to kill Willow, who is pushed out of harm's way by Angel. At Buffy's suggestion, Faith distracts Mrs. Post, drawing her fire. Buffy then throws a large piece of broken glass and cuts off Gwen's arm, causing the now uncontrolled power of the glove to incinerate her.

At school the next day, Oz and Cordy are filled in on the details of the fight. Giles arrives and informs them that Post had been expelled from the Watchers Council for abuses of dark power several years ago, but they had neglected to inform him. With all that transpired with Post, everyone is OK with Buffy now and they all trust her (except Cordelia), and while they are all still wary and scared of Angel, he has nonetheless won back some good faith and acceptance for saving Willow. Buffy goes to Faith at her motel room and tries to apologize and win back her trust, but Faith has given up on trusting anyone but herself and brushes her off.

Continuity

 * When Buffy and Faith burst through the glass doors while fighting in Angel's mansion, they land in a pile of broken glass and wood. Next, when they go to get up, the glass and wood has disappeared.


 * Giles' comments about the memo he didn't receive (about Post's expulsion from the ranks of the watchers) furthers the background theme of his isolation from the rest of the Watchers' Council which begins in his musings about the enjoyable Watchers' retreats in the Cotswolds, to which he was not invited this year, in Faith, Hope & Trick.


 * Faith finds someone to depend on, only to find that person a liar. This compounds her distrust of others. Gwendolyn Post also reinforced Faith's feeling of distance from the rest of the gang.


 * Angel's resurrection becomes known to the Scoobies at large.


 * Xander and Willow continue their secret relationship, actually engaging in a lengthy kiss.


 * Faith's initial distrust of Angel changes by "Sanctuary", when he goes on to save her life to the extent of defying Buffy, with Faith later stating that Angel is the only person who has never given up on her.
 * The Twilight Compendium was a book on the occult written by Sir Robert Kane. It was the only one of several books cited by Gwendolyn Post that Giles had on hand in his library. This was probably the source of Giles' information concerning Buffy and Angel's affair and the rise of Twilight.

Production

 * The lightning that shoots from the Glove of Myneghon in this episode was drawn frame by frame by an artist per Joss's request.

Deleted Scenes

 * Cordelia is doubtful about Angel in this exchange cut due to length:
 * Cordelia: "Okay, but when there's a big massacre, who gets the I-told-you-so?"
 * Xander: "You get the I-told-you-so."
 * Cordelia: "Just so we're clear..."


 * Faith's comment on the interior design of the hotel room was also cut:
 * Faith: "The decorator just left. Cost me a pretty penny - but a motif like this don't come cheap."

Music

 * Four Star Mary - "Run" (Played by Dingoes Ate My Baby at The Bronze at the start of the episode.)
 * Lotion - "West of Here" (Plays at The Bronze as the band leaves the stage.)
 * Man of the Year (Lolly) - "Silver Dollar" (Plays at the end of the episode.)
 * Christophe Beck - original score

Other

 * The Glove was included in DST's Weapons Accessory Pack for its range of Buffy action figures. It's solid rather than hollow so figures cannot actually wear it.


 * This episode is Faith-centric.