We start this episode with Buffy slaying another run-of-the-mill vamp. Giles is none too pleased with how she lingers over a kill. He says it should be very business-like, plunge and move on. Perhaps Buffy is a bit of a masochist, eh? But uh-oh, it appears this wasn't just any vamp as Giles find DUN Dun dun! A ring. Yeah, that is remarkable, seeing as vamp's clothes usually conveniently also turn to dust when you stake them. Why on earth would a ring stay behind? Now, it COULD be silver, but in older lore vamps naturally have an aversion to silver. Can't stand the stuff, hence the specifically SILVER cross. Back when vamps were thought to be real I suspect that this was another way of separating peasants and nobility. Nobles can afford silver crosses, peasants have to make do with garlic.
Moving on, we listen to the Master quote prophecy for all his little minions about "The Anointed One" and how the slayer shall not know him. Kay, so the Anointed One is likely a little kid. Oh look, he is! Whenever there's something about not knowing in Hollywood prophecy, the least-likely candidate is the answer. The Master ends his little recitation with a "So shall it be". C'mon! I get that this is the equivalent of prayer for you, and that's the gist of the ending on any prayer, but still. It would be more amusing if you said 'Amen' so you could get points for perversion of Christianity. Ah well.
We suffer through some of Buffy being a teenager and shamelessly flirting with a guy that she really doesn't share that much in common with. He loves Emily Dickinson, she's never even heard of Emily Dickinson, etc. But she makes a date with him that night regardless though Giles insists she needs to take care of this new vampire threat (ominous ring, y'know). Buffy gets very whiny but gets forced to postpone her date for patrolling. When there's a no-show with the vamps she happily heads off to the Bronze to try to score with her boy-crush Owen. We get a shot of a bus with passengers and look! There's a little boy. We have our Anointed One.
Buffy arrives at the Bronze to find Owen in the arms of Cordelia, so she leaves. Meanwhile the bus runs over a vampire and gets in an accident, while the vampire gets back up for dinnertime.
The next morning Owen makes good with Buffy and they're on again for that night. She pretty much tells Giles that she's not patrolling tonight and we see Giles being left slack-jawed by exuberant teenage girl. Not in pedophile way but a straight-laced brit way. Buffy is all ready for her date and opens the door for Owen to discover Giles barging in about a bus crash. There's some awkwardness with Owen showing up and Buffy wanting to go on her date. Giles reluctantly allows it and decides to go to the funeral home himself.
This is where we get the first signs of Giles developing a fatherly love for Buffy. He doesn't want her to be upset by missing her date and so tries to do her job for her. Unfortunately this almost gets him killed, but the sentiment is very sweet.
Buffy's date is a bit of a drag because ALL Owen will talk about is Emily Dickinson, and he's rather awkward dancing. Still, he refuses to go with Cordelia when she shows up and Buffy is enjoying herself.
Giles on the other hand isn't faring so well. He gets himself cornered when Xander and Willow show up. He sends them to get Buffy. We get a nice little comedy of errors as Xander and Willow try to get Buffy away from her date. Buffy's in full on boy-mode though, and it takes a lot to get through her skull without coming out and saying it. Angel's even there, and even though his presence in the early series generally indicates something's wrong, Buffy remains oblivious. It takes Xander and Willow proposing a double-date to the FUNERAL HOME to get Buffy to clue in. Owen unfortunately is all for the idea, so he tags along.
Buffy does initially manage to ditch him, and we get a GREAT shot with profiles of Buffy and Owen talking, with Angel watching on in the background between them. Really, do we need any more clues that Angel and Buffy are going to hook up? Its right there in the shot. Buffy leaves and Angel comes up to stand beside Owen. Owen can only say as an aside "She's the strangest girl!" Angel says nothing, but blinks a lot and licks his lips. Rofl!!!
Buffy gets to the room where Giles was holed up to find it ransacked. Fortunately Giles is intelligent and hid with a corpse. He's rather flabbergasted that Buffy brought her date. Buffy hides her friends in the manager's office and searches the morgue with Giles for the Anointed One. Unfortunately the manager's office has a side room with our most likely Anointed candidate in it--some hick hellfire and brimstone bible-thumper from the bus, newly vamped. This guy is a certified whacko. He's singing about pork and beans as he's chasing our protagonists. Seriously?
Owen feels the need to be all heroic and save Buffy and gets himself thoroughly thrashed in the process. Buffy gets pissed, thoroughly beats the bible-thumper and throws him into the Crematorium, screaming "You killed my Date!" the whole time. Owen returns to consciousness and disconcertedly walks home.
Buffy is certain she's blown it when out of the blue Owen asks her out again the next day. She discovers that he just wants the action and adventure, he wants to be 'dangerman'. Buffy does the mature thing and breaks up with him so he doesn't get himself killed. Buffy and Giles talk and determine that Buffy easily took out the Anointed One. Of course we see that's not the case as the Master is talking to the Anointed one at that very moment--and of course its the little boy. What did I say?
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