We open where we ended last episode. Buffy still can't believe what she's done, she hates that she's done it. Still looking and feeling all that, she leaves the roof just as the Mayor looks out onto it.

"Drink", Buffy tells Angel and, of course, he refuses. "Faith," he says. "I tried that. I killed her," tiredly, wearily. Then Angel drinks her blood and they go off to hospital, where Faith is in the next room, not dead after all. What a surprise, not, seeing as I saw it a year and a half after it aired in the US. But she doesn't look great. The Mayor's with her, "grieving. Seriously crazed, and not just in a homicidal I-wanna-be-a-demon way." He tries to kill Buffy, but Angel stops him, Angel talks to the gang ("Man, I'm gonna miss him when he leaves town") and then Buffy's walking through Faith's apartment. There's lots of cardboard boxes around, and a cat on the bed.

Buffy: Who's gonna look after him?

Faith: It's a she. And aren't these things supposed to look after themselves?

Buffy: A higher power guiding us?

Faith: I'm pretty sure that's not what I meant.

Buffy: There's something I'm supposed to be doing.

Faith: Oh, yeah. Miles to go, Little Miss Muffet counting down from 730.

Buffy: Great. Riddles.

Faith: Sorry, it's my head, Lotta new stuff. They're never gonna fix this, are they?

Meanwhile the cat flashes into a girl lying on the bed in white. Probably Faith.

Buffy (concerned): What about you?

Faith: Scar tissue. It fades, it all fades. You want to know the deal? Human weakness, it never goes away. Even his.

Buffy: Is this your mind or mine?

Faith: (Laughs) Beats me. (They smile at each other. Faith walks back towards Buffy) Gettin' towards that time.

Buffy: How are you going to fit all this stuff?

Faith: Not gonna. It's yours.

Buffy: I can't use all of this.

Faith: Take what you want. You ready? (Faith reaches out to touch Buffy's face and Buffy wakes up)

I'm not even gonna try and work out the meaning of that dream. Actually I think it's all just put there to confuse us and none of it means anything. Except the Little Miss Muffet bit, which, spoilers tell me, refers to the upcoming character Dawn in Season 5. But there is the obvious. Buffy's mind touches Faith's. Buffy isn't dreaming about Angel or anyone else, it's Faith. And Faith wants to help Buffy - she doesn't hate her. What's with the weird dialogue, though. Generally you're supposed to talk about the same thing instead of moving on to something else completely different. The cat-and-higher-power bit for example. But the it's all just part of the confusion. Psycho. Oh well, it's a dream sequence, and a very good one too. Back to real life and the hospital, where Buffy goes over to Faith and kisses her on the forehead. If you're not convinced now, you never will be. This is a sign of forgiveness and a sign that she still loves Faith. Would've been nice to have a kiss on the lips, but personally I wouldn't think that she would kiss someone in a coma on the lips. (I don't know - I've never known anyone in a coma. If I'm offending someone please e-mail me and tell me.)

There was a scene later on of the Graduation preparations, and I just wanted to say that it was done very well, what with the suspense music and making Snyder look small, etc. Meanwhile Angel says that Faith is the Mayor's human weakness, and Buffy goes off to prepare for that, and the rest of them prepare for the Ascension.

When the Mayor is making his Graduation speech, he says, "There's been grief. There's been loss. There are people who should be here today but aren't." As he speaks he looks at Buffy, sharing in his grief and loss. Then he turns into a big snake and Buffy taunts him with Faith's knife, he goes into the library and then gets blown up. ALong with the school. Did this make anyone else sad? Just think, Giles' library gone... it's very upsetting. Even more the end of an era, although I guess they couldn't have had the UC Sunnydale people coming to visit Giles in Sunnydale High School. Oh well.

Subtext:****
Overall:****

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