The episode opens at The Bronze where a live band is playing. The camera pans up to the gantry above the dance floor and Buffy staring down at the crowd, obviously depressed. Her depression is interrupted by the arrival of a boy who has an obvious interest in her. It transpires that the mysterious guy was in her algebra class last year and sat one row in front and three seats along. In a roundabout way he asks her to the Sadie Hawkins Dance but Buffy turns him down, saying that she isn't dating - ever.

Buffy is about to leave when Willow comes up to her and tells her off for turning the boy down. In Willow's View Buffy is all work and no play. Buffy brushes the comment off and says that she's going to go to the Library and see if Giles has any extra work for her.

When she gets to school she finds a couple in the halls arguing, the boy brandishing a gun, Buffy manages to disarm him but the gun disappears and the boy dosn't remember what happened.

The next morning Buffy is back in Snyder's Office (Buffy's other home :)) and Snyder doesn't believe her version of events even though the caretaker and the couple corroborate her story. Snyder gets a call and tells Buffy to wait, he isn't done with her yet. While he is gone a 1955 yearbook falls off a shelf. Puzzled, Buffy replaces it.

Later on, during a particularly boring History lesson, Buffy's attention wanders and she has a vision. She is transported back to the fifties and observes a conversation between a student James and a teacher Grace Newman. The vision fades and Buffy is back in her history class and her teacher is writing on the board - "Stay away from me, Bitch." much to the amusement of the class.

Willow is teaching Jenny Calendar's computer class, and she seems to be doing really well, she even makes a nerdy joke that makes the class laugh. Giles is watching quietly, to see if Willow needs any help, she doesn't though. She tells Giles that Jenny left all the lesson plans on her computer (but it was destroyed by Angel in Passion? uh-ok) and that she's been searching the web for sites on pagans and witchcraft and has found lots of interesting stuff.

Wierdness abounds as later on Xander goes to open his locker and is attacked (in an amusing way) by a dessicated arm. It prompts Willow to ask if he lost the latest closet bout between him and Cordy.

That night, the caretaker is mopping th floors when a teacher comes out. They make small talk for a few moments then a transformation over comes them. They being to re-inact the same scene as the couple the night before, but this time it escalates and Buffy isn't there to stop them. A gun appears in the caretakers hand and they take their arugment outside.

Giles, in his office, hears the shouts and goes out to investigate. Unfortunately he is too late and watches in horror as the caretaker kills the teacher and she plumets over the balcony.

Giles manages to grab the caretaker and the gun flies out of his hand a dissapears. The caretaker doens't remember what happened.

Meanwhile elsewhere in Sunnydale . . .

Since the factory burnt down, Spike, Dru and Angel have been on the lookout for a new place to live. Angel finds the perfect place, a deserted mansion. It has a walled in garden with a fountain and night flowering jasmine. Dru thinks it's perfect. Spike doesn't agree - the big windows are great if you want to see the sunshine.

The scooby gang realise that it's a ghostly encounter that they are sufferening from. Giles reckons that it's Jenny's spirit that is trying to communicate with them. He won't listen to any other ideas so Buffy, Xander and Willow do some research of their own and they discover that a student murdered his teacher and that they were having an affair.

Then at lunchtime the food in the cafeteria was transformed into horrible hissing snakes, one of which attacked Cordy and left two teeth marks on her cheek.

Snyder is extremely angry with this turn of events and queitly argues with the Police Chief. We learn that Snyder, the Police Chief and the Mayor know about the Hellmouth and are willing to cover up this latest wierd events. Snyder got his job at the school because he was thought to be best suited to the job, and we don't think they're talking about teaching kids either.

The scooby gange regroup in Buffy's bedroom and Willow has come up with a plan. She has found a spell which should excorise James and bring a time of normality to the school.

So off the go to the school, black candles and magic bags ready and correct. Almost as soon as they walk into the school, ghostly happenings begin with all the doors being slammed closed.

We cut back to the mansion and Dru has a vision and tells Angel that the time is ripe to kill the Slayer. So off he goes on his merry way.

Back inside the school the four of them have spilt up, Willow is walking past the Library when Giles comes out and tells her that he is about to contact Jenny and not to worry about and paranormal happienings.

Buffy is walking down a corridor when she hears music comeing from the music room, when she looks through the window she sees to ghostly figures dancing. Cordelia goes into the girls toilets and Xander has to bave the snakes in the cafeteria.

Then the ghostly happening begin again. Cordelia's face goes all red and scabby and the floor tries to swallow Willow up, luckily Giles saves her. Buffy has another vision and beings the spell. Unfortunately, it goes away an unleashes a swarm of wasps which surround the school, no way in, no way out.

Another regrouping at Buffy's house. Buffy tells them that she can not feel forgiveness for James or what he has done. She goes into the kitchen and hears James and grace calling to her. She leaves for the school. When she gets there the swarm parts to let her past.

The others discover that she is gone and go down to the school. There's no way in for them. But Buffy should be safe because there is no one else in there.

Buffy is walking down a corridor when Angel appears behind her. Buffy has already been taken over byut Angel is still himself for a couple of moments. Then he is inhabited and they start the re-inact that fatal scene again. Buffy is James and Angel is Grace.

They end up on the balcony and the scene reaches the end again with Grace/Angel getting shot. He tumbles over the low wall. Outside the school the scooby gang listen in horror.

Buffy/James goes back to the music room and starts to play thier record again. Angel/Grace isn't dead (bullets don't kill vampires) and gets up to find Buffy/James.

When Grace catches up with James, Grace forgives him and they kiss. As they kiss a white ghostly light rises out of Buffy and Angel's bodies and they are returned to their senses. Buffy realises first and whispers Angel's name but he just pushes her out of the way and runs off.

Back in the Library Buffy tries to find an explantation for the night's goings on.

Back at the mansion Angel scrubs himself down, he's not at all happy about what happens. "They say you've exfoliated, when you've drawn blood" - Spike. Angel and Dru go off on the hunt and Spike watches them go.

Once they are safely gone Spike stands up out of the wheelchair and throws it across the garden.

Our View

A slightly scarey episode, but everyone loves a good ghost story. The Spike/Dru/Angel triange reaches new levels of tension as we learn of Spike's secret - exactly what is he planning? And the scenes where the two ghosts inhabit Buffy and Angel's bodies parallel's their situation very, very frighteningly. The scene where Xander is attacked by the arm has great amusment value, especially when you see the looks on the extra's faces. Classic!

Our Score - 8

The Professional View

Serious stuff, as Marti Noxon's combination of ghost story and pop-culture angst combine to produce an episode that flirts with saying something quite profound, but never quite delivers. Snyder's on top form though, which covers a multitude of sins.

Their Score - 9