Buffy - S4E13

The I in Team
First Aired: Tuesday February 8, 2000

Buffy finally joins up fully with the Initiative, to Willows dismay. Still, something isn't right as Professor Walsh has to deal with Buffy's abrasive approach to slaying.

The episode begins with Xander, Anya, and Willow musing about the Initiative and how it might not be a good thing for Buffy to be a part of them. Buffy is missing from the gang because she is out working and fighting with the Initiative. The next day, Willow reminds Buffy they are to meet at the Bronze to all hang out, but when Buffy gets the grand tour of the Initiative, along with being given a pager, Buffy brings along Riley and some of the guys. Not long after arriving, though, they leave as their pagers beep. Buffy asks too many questions at the monster briefing, which seems to perturb Walsh much. Two scenes are interlaced then; one where Riley and Buffy face the creature and a jump to their sex scene afterward. Walsh monitors this in the base and begins to despise Buffy. She decides it might be best to dispose of her. Sending Riley after a now tagged Hostile-17 (Spike), she sends Buffy alone under false pretenses. Buffy ends up facing two very tough demons that she had seen contained in the Initiative. The rest of the Scoobies are able to remove the tracker from Spike before Riley and his guys could get to Giles place. Upon returning, Walsh tells Riley that Buffy is dead. However, Buffy shows up on the communication monitor to threaten Walsh because she knows it was a set-up. Riley, seeing the truth, stoically walks away as Walsh calls after him. Buffy joins the Scoobies and Spile to tell them that it isn't safe for any of them. The episode ends after Walsh makes a monologue about how she can still fix things, but she is killed by a newly awakened Adam, the experiment housed in room 314.

This was a good episode. The humor with Spike, as well as with Buffy and the Initiative, were spot on. Filming of the fight/sex scene between Riley and Buffy was also very well done. We also begin to see the relationship between Willow and Tara begin to take form. Finally, I am glad to see Walsh go, because she was a very deceptive and deceitful person.

Score: 8 / 10