Becoming, pt1

Buffy Episode Review

In which Angel is very very bad... and it's so good.

What Happened

The demon Acathla is found in Sunnydale, frozen in stone. Knowing that Acathla can suck the world into Hell, Angel tries to awaken him, but fails.

Kendra arrives in town, warning that a great evil is rising. When Willow finds the disk containing Jenny Calendar's spell to restore Angel's soul, everyone argues about whether they should make use of it.

Realizing that he needs someone to explain Acathla to him, Angel distracts Buffy, while Drusilla makes a fatal raid on the library, interrupting the ritual, kidnapping Giles and killing Kendra.

The Good

• Hey, Darla. Nice to see you, even if it is just a flashback to Angel becoming a vampire... Hey, gratuitous Jam His Face in Your Chest shot. That's nice, too, I guess.
• "Even a devil child like you." Angel torturing pre-vamped Drusilla.
• Giles: "Restoring Angel's soul seems to have been Jenny's last wish."
  Xander: "Well, Jenny's dead." Ouch. Xander. Tell us how you really feel.
• Lollipop-sucking Buffy meeting her first Watcher Merrick. Of course, nothing can truly top Kristy Swanson asking, "Does Elvis talk to you?"
• "And you fall for it every time." Angel's plan: Willow, crunched. Xander, snapped. Giles, kidnapped. Poor Kendra, dead.

The Bad

• Why is Martin Mull now playing Merrick? He's not the least bit creepy?

The Cliche

• Giles suggests they wait to open the artifact. This is TV, you don't wait to open things. How is anything supposed to jump out and possess you if you wait to open things?
• Mournful flute music, transition to ominous strings. Time for a fake-out. No. It's not Angel in the bush; it's Kendra.

Best Lines

Snyder: "Are we having a chair shortage?"
Willow, climbing off Oz's lap: "I didn't read anything about ... oh."

Spike: "It's a big rock. Can't wait to tell my friends. They don't have a rock this big."

Willow: "I won't be able to help you study for your final."
Buffy: "I'll wing it. Of course, if we're in hell, maybe I won't have to take it. Or maybe, I'll be taking it forever."

What Did I Think?

This is the sort of cliffhanger that has you screaming at the TV in a good way.