This really is the game changer episode, isn’t it? Everything until now is good and charming and clever but this is the moment when the show really figures out it’s style of play.

At this point, everything is turned on its ear. The good guy becomes the bad guy. But it’s not just a switcheroo because nobody totally trusted him in the first place. Oh, except for the person responsible for him becoming a bad guy. There’s this sense that they manage to maintain throughout the show - anything can happen at any time and it will make sense. There are Rules. You just don’t know them.

Willow and then Giles realizing how Angel lost his soul have to be paired as some of the best moments in the series. So subtly done and not at all played for laughs. Giles request for Jenny to leave a show of support to Buffy and then Buffy and Giles in the car - it’s amazing how many amazing moments were in this one episode.

And they’re calling back Xander’s military knowledge from a few episode before which starts that pattern of never knowing what’s going to be important.

I know that I wasn’t on board for Oz’s speech in the van the first time around, but watching it this time I got chills. Just seeing them in the van together gave me chills.

I really, really want to visit the alternate reality in which Juliet Landau is available for Lover’s Walk and Spike and Drusilla are never separated. He’s just better when she’s his primary motivation. And they’re both just better with one another to play off of. Even the flashbacks in later episodes don’t capture that early magic quite as well.

It’s really astounding that with a giant blue monster doing things like walking into a mall and burning people, Sunnydale managed to keep their demon-happenings under wraps.