Changes: Revelations

Latest revision as of 00:36, 10 February 2024

↳ Note: This article is about the episode. For the comic issue, see Revelations (comic).

Revelations

Season 3

episode 7

Air date

November 17, 1998

Written by

Douglas Petrie

Directed by

James A. Contner

Length

43 minutes

*Buffy the Vampire Slayer*
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"Band Candy"	"Lovers Walk"

Cast

Starring
Sarah Michelle Gellar — Buffy Nicholas Brendon — Xander Alyson Hannigan — Willow Charisma Carpenter — Cordelia David Boreanaz — Angel Seth Green — Oz Anthony Stewart Head — Giles

Guest starring
Serena Scott Thomas — Mrs. Post Eliza Dushku — Faith

Co-starring
Jason Hall — Devon Kate Rodger — Paramedic

Uncredited
Gary Kasper — Lagos

"Revelations" is the seventh episode of the third season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and the forty-first episode in the series. Written by Douglas Petrie and directed by James A. Contner, it was originally broadcast on November 17, 1998, on The WB network.

Synopsis

TOUGH LOVE — Tempers run hot when the gang learns of Angel's return and Buffy's harboring this vicious killer, but they all must band together to fight a demon who has arrived in Sunnydale in search of a highly powerful weapon. Meanwhile, Faith meets her new watcher, a brisk Englishwoman who is disdainful of Giles' haphazard operations.^[1]

Summary

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 — they feel guilty because of the kiss they'd shared. They wonder briefly if Buffy has a new boyfriend, so she tells that she is seeing someone — Faith — as they have a "patrol date" that night. The two go out to slay together, killing two vampires. Then, a new woman, who later identifies herself as Mrs. Gwendolyn Post — Faith's new Watcher — doesn't appreciate the "sloppy" synchronized slaying.

That night, in the Sunnydale High School library, 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. Faith initially balks at the idea, however Giles tells her they should cooperate if the Watchers Council feels she needs observation. Mrs. Post then states she is also supposed to report on Giles, as there is worry he has become "too American." She takes the time to not-so-subtly insult him at every turn. She tells them about a demon, Lagos, that has come in search of the Glove of Myhnegon 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 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, 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 the glove, and she gets beaten up pretty badly, but 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 crypt. Xander follows him to the Crawford Street mansion, 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 an intervention for her after finding out about Angel's return. While Willow tries to be understanding and advises caution, partly motivated by guilt about her own private romantic indiscretions with Xander, Xander and Cordelia are furious with Buffy for harboring Angel and refuse to listen to her side of the story or see Angel as anything but a threat, unable to separate him from the recent misdeeds of Angelus. As things get heated, Giles ultimately comes to Buffy's defense and sends everyone to their classes. After everyone leaves, Buffy thanks Giles; however, now that they're in private he drops the facade, reminding Buffy of the torture Angel inflicted on him and harshly chiding her for what he perceives to be a lack of respect for him, leaving her feeling very guilty.

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 — 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 secret, of confused feelings toward 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. Angel thinks that they want the glove for themselves, which is actually true for Mrs. Post. 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 Watcher's 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.

After school, Buffy goes to visit Faith at her motel room who isn't very receptive after everything that's happened. Buffy explains that Mrs. Post fooled everyone, and that Faith can trust her in future. Faith however isn't interested, telling her that the only person she trusts now is herself. Buffy exits the room, and Faith is left alone.

Continuity

Giles's comments about not receiving the memo about Post's expulsion furthers the theme of his isolation from the rest of the Watchers Council, which began with his musings about the enjoyable retreats in the Cotswolds, to which he was not invited, in "Faith, Hope & Trick."
Faith finds someone to rely on, only to find that person a liar, which compounds her distrust of others. Gwendolyn Post also reinforces Faith's feeling of distance from the rest of the gang. This will culminate in her decision to associate with Mayor Wilkins against them in "Consequences."
Faith mentions her problem with parental figures to Post, saying, "They end up kinda dead." Almost all of Faith's parental figures would die in some manner or another: her first Watcher ("Faith, Hope & Trick"), the Mayor in "Graduation Day, Part Two," and Giles in Last Gleaming, Part Five.
Angel's return ("Faith, Hope & Trick"), kept secret by Buffy since "Beauty and the Beasts," becomes known to the Scoobies at large.
Xander and Willow continue their secret relationship. It began in "Homecoming" and will end when discovered by others in the next episode, "Lovers Walk."
Giles finds an illustration of the Glove of Myhnegon in Tobin's Spirit Guide, a book to be used to identify demons in "Wrecked."
Faith's initial distrust of Angel will notably change, initially in "Consequences," then finally in "Sanctuary."
Cordelia mentions that Angel without a soul was more interested in hurting Buffy's friends rather than Buffy herself. Angel assaulted Willow in "Innocence," attacked Xander in "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered," killed Jenny in "Passion," tackled Cordelia in "Killed by Death," and tortured Giles in "Becoming, Part Two." He also attacked Buffy's classmates, siring Theresa Klusmeyer in "Phases" and biting Gage Petronzi in "Go Fish."
This is the first time that Buffy and Faith have a non-trivial fight, in which they burst through a door into a back garden; later, in "Graduation Day, Part One," they'll fight even more violently and burst through a window onto a roof.
The non-canon novel Go Ask Malice incorporates all three relationships Faith lists in this episode: "Ronnie: deadbeat. Steve: klepto. Kenny: drummer." It also establishes Ronnie as the one who made her wear a schoolgirl outfit, mentioned in "Dirty Girls."
The dubious canon novel Chosen reveals that Gwendolyn was after the Glove of Myhnegon to be able to kill one of the Jamison-Smythe sisters and prevent their apocalyptic prophecy from happening.

Appearances

Death count

Unidentified vampire, staked by Faith.
Unidentified vampire, staked by Buffy.
Lagos, beheaded by Buffy.
Gwendolyn Post, killed by a lightning after her arm is cut off by Buffy.

Behind the scenes

Production

This was the first episode written by Douglas Petrie.
This is the first appearance of Tobin's Spirit Guide, which has the same title as a book originally from the 1984 film Ghostbusters.
According to Petrie, the Glove of Myhnegon was originally supposed to be "a demonic falconer's glove." He described: "When you put it on and raised your arm, this huge, dark cloud would burst through the ceiling and take the form of a bird that spits fire." This was determined to be an unfeasable and unfilmable idea.^[2] Petrie later used this concept in the graphic novel Ring of Fire.
According to Petrie, there was a large amount of debate as to whether Gwendolyn would be human or not.^[2]

Broadcast

"Revelations" had an audience of 4.4 million households upon its original airing.^[3]

Deleted scenes

Cordelia is doubtful about Angel in this exchange, cut due to length:^[4]
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:^[4]
Faith: "The decorator just left. Cost me a pretty penny — but a motif like this don't come cheap."

Pop culture references

Faith calls Gwendolyn Post "Mary Poppins" in reference to the fictional English nanny.
Willow refers to Giles as "Marathon Man," the title of a 1974 suspense novel adapted into film in 1976.

Goofs

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 have disappeared.

Music

Four Star Mary — "Run"
Lotion — "West of Here"
Christophe Beck — "Tai Chi"
Man of the Year (Lolly) — "Silver Dollar"
Christophe Beck — original score

International titles

Armenian: "ԴԻմակազերծում"
Czech: "Odhalení" (Revelation)
Finnish: "Paljastuksia" (Revelations)
French: "Révélations" (Revelations)
German: "Der Handschuh von Myhnegon" (The Glove of Myhnegon)
Hungarian: "Felfedezések" (Discoveries)
Italian: "Rivelazioni" (Revelations)
Japanese: "黙示録" (Apocalypse)
Polish: "Nowiny" (News)
Portuguese (Brazil): "Revelações" (Revelations)
Romanian: "Revelații" (Revelations)
Russian: "Разоблачения" (Revelations)
Spanish (Latin America): "Revelaciones" (Revelations)
Spanish (Spain): "Revelaciones" (Revelations)
Swedish: "Uppenbarelser" (Revelations)

Adaptations

The book The Faith Trials includes a novelization of this episode.
The episode script was included in The Script Book: Season Three, Volume 2.

Gallery

Promotional stills

Quotes

Buffy: "How are you?"

Faith: "Five by five."

Buffy: "I'll interpret that as good."

Buffy: "How long do you think he can stay angry at me, anyway?"

Willow: "The emotional Marathon Man?"

Giles: "That was bracing."

Buffy: "Interesting lady. Can we kill her?"

Giles: "I think the Council might frown upon that."

Gwen: "The fact is, there is talk in the Council that you have become a bit too... American."

Giles: "Me?"

Buffy: "Him?"

Buffy: "I would never put you in any danger! If I thought for a second that Angel was going to hurt anyone-"

Xander: "You would stop him. Like you did last time with Miss Calendar?"

Giles: "I won't remind you that the fate of the world often lies with the Slayer. What would be the point? Nor shall I remind you that you've jeopardized the lives of all that you hold dear by harboring a known murderer. But sadly, I must remind you that Angel tortured me, for hours, for pleasure. You should have told me he was alive. You didn't. You have no respect for me, or the job I perform."

References

↑ "The Mortuary." Buffy.com. Archived from the original on February 15, 2001.
↑ ^2.0 ^2.1 Christopher Golden, Stephen R. Bissette, and Thomas E. Sniegoski. The Monster Book. Simon Spotlight Entertainment, August 2000.
↑ "Nielsen Ratings for Buffy's Third Season." Nielsen Ratings for Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, & Firefly. Archived from the original on July 5, 2008.
↑ ^4.0 ^4.1 Nancy Holder, Jeff Mariotte, and Maryelizabeth Hart. The Watcher's Guide, Volume 2. Pocket Books, October 2000.

[1] "The Mortuary." Buffy.com. Archived from the original on February 15, 2001.

[monster-2] 2.0 ^2.1 Christopher Golden, Stephen R. Bissette, and Thomas E. Sniegoski. The Monster Book. Simon Spotlight Entertainment, August 2000.

[3] "Nielsen Ratings for Buffy's Third Season." Nielsen Ratings for Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, & Firefly. Archived from the original on July 5, 2008.

[watcher-4] 4.0 ^4.1 Nancy Holder, Jeff Mariotte, and Maryelizabeth Hart. The Watcher's Guide, Volume 2. Pocket Books, October 2000.

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