The Initiative

Spike is taken in by a military group led by that spartan psychology teacher. He is kept in isolation but manages to escape (really incompetent guards). Buffy wants to get back on patrol, but the TA guy is there with the soldiers. He tries to cajole her away but she is having none of it. Meanwhile, Spike goes to Buffy's room and Willow is there. He tries to bite her, but what follow is hilarious. He is unable to bit without excessive pain and a whole bunch of stock things usually used to denote an unsuccessful sexual encounter ensues. Riley is taken with Buffy but they continue to be apart. For a leader of men in combat, he is really shy with women.

For much of this season we've seen mysterious black-clad paramilitary types; most notably when they captured Spike in the previous episode; here we learn more about them. Spike is taken to what appears to be a hi-tech prison for supernatural beings; it is run by a group known as The Initiative. Meanwhile Riley, the Teaching Assistant, is starting to show an interest in Buffy; unable to make his feelings known directly he approaches Willow for advice. Later Spike escapes from the facility and is reunited with Harmony; he tells her they will do what she wants... just as soon as he kills The Slayer. He heads to Buffy's room but only Willow is there; for some reason he can't bite her... so they end up having a somewhat awkward conversation... until The Initiative, closely followed by Buffy turn up.

This episode was rather fun; there was action, character development as well as a fair amount of humour. The highlight though is the return of Spike as a main character; he may be evil but he is also strangely likeable. James Marsters is great in the role; the scenes between him and the always excellent Alyson Hannigan, as Willow, was priceless; first scary, then funny. The way The Initiative was introduced was handled well; not too much was said about them so it is unclear whether their motives are good or evil at this point. Another hilarious highlight was a delightfully feeble fight between Nicholas Brendon's Xander and Mercedes McNab's Harmony. The plot thread involving Riley was fun enough; whether he and Buffy will become an item remains to be seen but his awkwardness around her felt real as he struggled to think what to say. Overall I really enjoyed this episode which was more about setting up future plotlines than providing resolutions.