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If the previous episode was awful, which it was, this is where the creative team went above and beyond scraping the bottom of the barrel. Or is that below?

I know the way series 5 unfolds, and I know who / what Dawn is. But to make her this annoying and obnoxious right out of the gate? She was introduced for Buffy to protect her and keep her safe. Every time she is on screen increases the viewer's instinct to throw her to the vampires and make them feed on her. Joss, was this your intention to make her instantly unlikeable? Or is this the scope of Michelle's acting ability that you do not want her to survive the episode?

Harmony siring her own gang of vampires is the only thing worth watching here. So far, 2 x 45 minute episodes can be distilled down to about 12 minutes of watchable television.

This is where it's time to switch the series off. The introduction of Mark, Dyson's estranged son, marks the death knell. I guess having Kenzi leave meant that someone young had to be brought in to replace the streetwise, living by their wits, orphan, street hustler. Where Kenzi had charm, style, wit and personality, Mark has none of those qualities. In fact, Mark has no qualities whatsoever. He is just a moody, self-absorbed young man who blames everyone and everything else for his own failings. It is such a struggle to watch the last few episodes of this once good show.

It is getting to the stage where half the episodes can be skipped because they feature some slapstick storyline. They aren't funny, and they are so tiresome to sit through.

Poor heiress in need of funds to save the family chateau kidnaps a rich arrogant and obnoxious American. That's Richie's cue to enter the story. He's drugged, handcuffed and held prisoner. When it's discovered that he's just pretending, there's lots of angry indignation. She even tells Richie "how could you do this to me, I trusted you". Did she forget that she conspired with a family friend to hunt, lure, and demand money from him?

Ridiculous plot, ridiculous characters. It's no wonder this was a shortened series and series 6 was half it's normal length before being cancelled.

This wasn't Highlander. At least it didn't have canned laughter and the characters breaking the fourth wall by gurning at the camera. It's even more jarring that it followed the moral quandary posed by the previous two episodes. Bad, just bad.