प्लॉट

A charismatic Slayer visits Sunnydale and wins over many of Buffy's friends. Meanwhile, two powerful vampires plot an attack.

The gang enjoys being Seniors now. The Summers girls gloat the school board overruled the principal's refusal to allow Buffy back after make-up tests, but guilty nightmares about having slain her beloved Angel still plague Buffy, who remains too gloomy to accept a charming dance invitation from cute student Scott Hope, but he sweetly persists his charm offensive. Following a suspected vampire, Buffy finds the presumed victim is the new second slayer, Faith, who considers Giles hunky for a watcher. A limousine arrives in Sunnydale with upper-class vampires: the gravely mutilated Kakistos and his lieutenant, Mr. Trick. When some underlings attack the slayers in Kakistos's name, Giles warns it's Greek for 'the worst'... Buffy admits Willow's spell had cured Angel just before she slew him; somehow he reemerges from the hell-dimension her slaying sent him to.—KGF Vissers

A new slayer, Faith, arrives in town and seems like a fun-loving, wild girl who fits right in with the gang. Buffy worries that Faith may be taking her place in her friends hearts, and she then begins to correctly suspect that Faith is hiding something. At the same time, Buffy is admitted back to school, but is still cold and distant, unable to get over or talk about killing Angel or respond to Scott Hope, a transfer student, who asks her on a date. Meanwhile, a very suave vampire, named Mr. Trick, arrives in Sunnydale with his master, the disfigured Kakistos, whom are looking for Faith to settle an old score.—Alex

The episode begins with Willow babbling to Oz about how they are seniors and now allowed to go off school campus for lunch. Still, it takes Xander, Cordelia, and Oz to get her to walk to the grassy area where Buffy has set up a picnic basket. They proceed to chat about Martha Stewart, Scott Hope, and the meeting Buffy will attend with Principal Snyder later on.

That night, we are introduced to Kakistos and his colleague, Mr. Trick, as they drive up to the Happy Burger drive-through. Trick orders a medium diet soda, but gets hungry as Kakistos proceeds to talk about exactly what he'll do the Slayer. To eat, Trick pulls the drive-through attendant through the window and in to the car.

Meanwhile, Buffy has yet another dream involving Angel, this time at the Bronze. As they dance in front of their friends, Buffy's ring falls off her finger. Picking it up, Angel experiences a flash-back to Buffy killing him ("Becoming, Part Two.") He clenches the ring in his fingers until blood comes out, and blood also starts to stain his white shirt, exactly where Buffy had to impale him. He tells her to go to Hell, and his appearance changes to that of a zombie. Buffy wakes up and her mother is asking her if she's ready to face the Principal.

Principal Snyder lays out three guide-lines that she must follow to be accepted again, though it is useless. The school board has already admitted her back in, and this fact prompts Mrs. Summers to take a childish approach to express her delight.

Buffy and Willow go to the library where Giles has asked them to meet him for help on research. He wants to perform a binding spell on Acathla to make sure that the demon cannot be resurrected again. Buffy has to rush out in order to take her English make-up exam. Willow tries to persuade Giles about the magic she's been doing.

At the Bronze, Willow and Oz are kissing when Buffy comes up with drinks. She reveals that she passed her English make-up and is glad to be back in her own life. Just then, Buffy is approached by Scott. When asked to dance, however, she babbles through a few excuses and a thank-you. Scott interrupts, and tells her where he will be if she wants to dance later.

Cordelia and Xander approach, calling attention to two of the people on the dance floor, one of which is dressed and acting like he is from a much earlier decade, dancing with a young woman. Buffy speculates that he might be a vampire and follows them out, though she is distracted for a few moments by Scott. The gang follows her out as well and, right when they are ready to turn back, they hear sounds nearby. The vampire was just about ready to bite when the young woman tosses him back. When Buffy arrives, the girl introduces herself as Faith before staking the vampire and walking away.

Inside, Faith is telling a story to the gang and tells the others that her Watcher went to England. Cordelia figures out that Faith must have been called as a Slayer when Kendra was killed by Drusilla. Faith wants to hear a story from Buffy, but is quickly deviated when Xander asks for a story involving the alligators. When Buffy is asked what her toughest kill was, she flashes back to killing Angel, but says that they are all difficult. Oz asks about her position on werewolves. Faith doesn't have a problem with them, and apparently thinks that Giles has gone to England as well.

Giles confirms that a Watchers' Retreat is going on in England, but he wasn't invited. Upon meeting Giles, Faith says that she should have requested a transfer. Buffy invites her to dinner and then asks Willow for help studying. She is ignored, though, and sits in the library. She leaves later, though, when Giles begins asking her more questions about the details of Acathla's demise.

Willow and Xander are showing Faith all the places in the school where the supernatural things occurred when Faith turns to get water. Finished, she accidentally bumps into Scott and the two start talking. Buffy appears to see the two apparently flirting. Willow starts talking about how Faith and Scott might hit it off, and agrees with Faith that Buffy needs to find the fun. Buffy drags Faith away and the scene switches to Kakistos.

Meanwhile, Mr. Trick is filling Kakistos in on what they can do in Sunnydale, before informing the vampire that there is already a Slayer there, a fact which indicates that they are not after Buffy, but Faith instead. Kakistos also draws attention to the scar over his right eye, saying that "she will pay for what she did to me". Mr. Trick agrees, before going to answer the door and dragging the pizza delivery man in to eat.

Mrs. Summers and Faith are talking at the dinner table about Buffy. Mrs. Summers appears to think that Faith might be a better Slayer than Buffy, then leaves to get another drink for Faith. Buffy follows to talk, revealing that she doesn't want Faith to steal her life like she seems to be doing. Mrs. Summers says that Faith could share the slaying, though, and that they could even ask Faith to take over. Buffy accidentally tells her mom that new Slayers only come when the old one dies and her mother freaks. They finish talking, though, and both feel better.

When they're patrolling, though, Faith starts talking about Angel and asks why Buffy is being so quiet and secretive. Buffy immediate begins snapping at Faith not to ever talk about Angel nor mention his name or ask her anymore questions about her personal life. The two start a verbal war, of sorts, before vampires interrupt. Faith starts beating one into a pulp, long after he is helpless and should have been staked, as two drag Buffy down and she calls for help, mentioning Kakistos as they do so. Buffy manages to survive without the help but it was a close call. When Buffy yells at Faith, the latter merely says that she was doing her job and walks away.

The next day, Buffy tries talking to Giles about Faith's behavior, but it doesn't help. Giles begins mulling over what might be going on at the retreat before asking Buffy details to trace their lineage. Upon hearing Buffy trying to say "Kakistos", he rushes off to the library to grab a book. Giles suggests the fact that both the vampire and Faith appeared around the same time and they begin wondering if they are connected. They set out plans and separate.

On her way out of the library, Buffy runs in to Scott, who tries to ask her out on a date. Buffy accepts, but runs when Scott hands her a ring exactly like the one Angel gave her. Giles comes up and tells Buffy that he managed to place a phone call to the Watcher's Retreat in England and was informed that Faith's Watcher is dead.

Buffy goes to see Faith at her motel room and begins talking about Kakistos, surprising Faith with the fact that the vampire is in town. Faith starts packing, but Buffy brings up her Watcher and stops her at the door. Faith reveals that Kakistos is the master vampire that she encountered months earlier who she fought and disfigured and whom followed her back to Boston and murdered her Watcher in the most hideous way, the sight of which drove Faith to run away to Sunnydale to hide out from him. They are interrupted by a knock on the door and Kakistos and his group of vampires are outside with the dead motel operator.

Faith and Buffy run, eventually ending up in the exact warehouse where Kakistos has been staying. Faith begins to fall apart, right before bringing attention to the fact that they were herded there. Buffy fights the rest of the vamps while Kakistos starts beating Faith. Buffy intervenes and Mr. Trick takes the time to leave with one of the other vamps. Buffy stakes Kakistos but he's so old that a mere tiny stake isn't enough to kill him. Luckily, Faith finally recovers and picks up a thick wooden pole that she had broken earlier, using it to quickly kill Kakistos.

Back in the library, Buffy finally tells Willow and Giles that Angel was cured when she was forced to kill him. She tells them all the details, and Willow and Giles proceed to stare at her. Giles says that it will help with the spell and Willow apologizes. When Buffy leaves, Willow once again approaches Giles about the spell only to be told that the spell doesn't exist, and he was merely trying to get Buffy to open up her feelings and them them what had happened.

Buffy finally talks to Scott, and they make plans to go out later on. The scene changes to show Buffy returning to where she killed Angel and Acathla, finally able to say good-bye and leave her ring. Then, she leaves. However, the ring starts to shake, and a bright white light appears. When it fades, we see that Angel, naked and shivering, is back from Hell.