Buffy is having a difficult time coping with Riley’s departure...

Going so far as to speak to a nun about how tough it would to be live without men (read: sex). Buffy is having a difficult time coping with Riley’s departure, going so far as to speak to a nun about how tough it would to be live without men (read: sex). Meanwhile, Giles sets off for England to see if the Council might have any information on Glory. While he’s gone, he leaves the magic shop in Anya and Willow’s hands, which results in some major conflict between the two of them. That conflict continues to escalate until it’s revealed that what they’re really fighting about is their respective relationships with Xander.

Between all of this, the duo inadvertently releases a troll (who’d ended up this way after betraying Anya). In the end, they have to recapture the creature and work out their differences? particularly after the Troll forces Xander to choose which of his “two women” will die. At episode’s end, the Troll (after battling with Buffy) is sent back to a Troll dimension, and Giles returns to announce that the Council was little help in offering information on Glory, though in accidentally overhearing the conversation, Dawn is clued in to the fact that there is something “different” about her.

Review:
Buffy-lite as the show’s creative team goes for a more humorous take on the usually darker material. Although Riley’s departure pervades Buffy’s every scene, it does not overwhelm the episode. In fact, Sarah Michelle Gellar manages to get laughs when she claims to be fine one moment, and then burst into tears when she hears that Xander and Anya are fighting.

There are a lot of pluses to the episode. Notably, there’s Spike’s growing obsession over Buffy, which at times seems fairly psychotic. Where this one-sided love affair is going is anyone’s guess, but so far it’s being handled masterfully. Once again, James Marsters is given a chance to shine. Guest star Abraham Benrubi is a delight as the Troll, managing to fill this hulking creature with a teddy bear quality? even when he announces he’s in the mood to snack on some babies. Giles’ trip to England doesn’t provide much on Glory, unfortunately, and once again we’re reminded of the fact that that particular storyline needs to start moving forward.

The main problem with the episode is the conflict between Anya and Willow. While it’s completely believable that such a conflict over Xander could arise, up to this point there’s been absolutely no set-up for it. As a result, it seems to have come out of nowhere and, as such, lacks a bit of validity.

Best line: In the above-noted scene, Spike actually tries to make a wounded woman comfortable. When Buffy approaches he says, “I’m not sampling. Look at all these lovely blood-covered people, but not a taste for Spike. Not a lick. I knew you wouldn’t like that.”
Buffy: “You want credit for not feeding off of wounded disaster victims?”
Spike: ”Well...yeah.”
Buffy: “You’re disgusting.”
As she walks away he rolls his eyes. “What does it take?”

Bloopers: Well, we don't know. E-mail us with your suggestions.

Trivia: Look for a scene in a bar when the Troll attacks some patrons. At one point Spike is thrown to the ground and, seconds later, Buffy is thrown on top of him. Spike/Marsters clings on to the Buffster as long as he can and even manages a free feel.