Anne

These snapshots may contain SPOILERS for the entire series, so if for some reason you haven't yet seen some of the episodes and do not want to know what is going on, read no further.
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It is the end of summer vacation, and Buffy is still missing. Willow, Xander, Oz, and Cordelia are attempting to keep the Sunnydale vampire population in check during Buffy's absence... with only moderate success. They miss having the Slayer around, but more than that they miss their friend. Meanwhile, Buffy has been working as a waitress in L.A., going by her middle name, Anne, and trying to forget her old life. But of course, someone always needs the Slayer's help...
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Guard: Who are you?
Buffy: (perky) I'm Buffy, the Vampire Slayer. And you are?

Good character development, average dialogue and a good plot.

Buffy has truly run off. But she isn't your average runaway. She has a job and is supporting herself. Not in luxury, but not too shabbily. She isn't fleeing responsibility, she's fleeing her fate. She just doesn't want carry the burden of being the Slayer any more, aside from all of the emotional turmoil with getting kicked out of school and her home. Not to mention the trauma of having to kill your re-ensouled boyfriend to save the world.

But life is just never that easy. How far do you have to run to lose yourself? For Buffy it obviously wasn't far enough. When a man is about to be run over by a car, she saves him. When asked for help by Lily, she gives it. When she is in the demon dimension the demons force everyone to say they are nobody. They attempt to squash everyone's individuality. The demon guard walks down the line of workers, striking everyone who doesn't deny their identity. When he comes to Buffy and asks who she is, she says "I'm Buffy the Vampire Slayer". This is her recognizing and accepting herself, and that part of her core identity. It's the acceptance of the fact that she didn't become the Slayer, but that she always was one. Being the Slayer isn't just a matter of being strong, it's a matter of empathy and the responsibility to set things right. Like a lot of teenagers, Buffy is searching for herself, and in this climactic moment she accepts her nature, a major part of which is the Slayer heritage.

All of which sheds some light on the confrontation between Giles and Buffy's mother. She blames Giles for Buffy's runaway status. From her point of view, Giles turned her daughter into the Slayer. But that really isn't the case. Giles is merely trying to help Buffy come to grips with her identity, not force it upon her. When Buffy finally does come to grips with herself as both Buffy and Slayer, that realization enables her to defeat the demonic forces of despair and return home.

Buffy in the past has faced demons and monsters of various sorts. Here, she deals with a real world problem. Giving into despair. We know Buffy came close to doing this. And we know it happens all the time in the real world. Luckily Buffy is able to overcome her loss of self and get back to Sunnydale.

Identity really is at the core of this episode. Buffy tries to abandon her Slayer identity. She becomes Anne. But when the chips are down, she realizes that Buffy is who she really is. And Chanterelle/Lily whom she befriends, now adopts the Anne persona. Unlike Buffy, she's still searching to find herself. And I find it heartening that this is the persona she sticks with and goes on to help others on Angel the Series.


A bit of a communist side theme here, we get the great fight scene with Buffy wielding the hammer and sickle.


My views/status of characters;
Buffy - like
Willow - like
Xander - like
Giles - like
Cordelia - like
Spike - absent
Angel - neutral
Oz - like

Overall I consider this a good episode compared to the rest of the season.