6.15 - As You Were

Riley's back--

***

--But he's married.

Riley comes back to town to get the help of the Buffster in tracking down some nasties that could annihilate the human race. Of course. But with him comes his new wife of 4 months. The bad part is, she's a great person and they seem perfect for each other.

You know why this episode is awesome? 2 words. Doug Petrie. He is one of my trinity of writers (Petrie, Espenson, and Noxon) who I completely trust outside of Joss. I believe this is his directorial debut, as well, and he did a fantastic job. I just love the guy. He comes from a comics background (as in loving them, not writing them, though he has done that as well) and his episodes frequently reference something that a geek like me picks up on. He also never seems to tread water with his scripts, but instead writes powerful episodes that always seem to move things forward without feeling like they are bogged down with narrative. He makes it fun.

Buffy gets the closure that she (and we) needed when Riley left suddenly last season. It's also weird, because having him back really casts a light on how dark things have gotten. And they've gotten really, really dark.

I love that Buffy dumps Spike at the end (well, I don't love that she does it, but I love how she does it) by speaking to him like a man. She calls him William, his name. He finally gets it when she says this.

Not that it matters, because we're back to the will they or won't they almost immediately. But Doug tried.

Rating: 8/10