Just watched this, so I thought I'd post some thoughts.

So, the one where Riley returns. And, against all expectations, I was actually quite glad to see him.

The big shock - Riley's married! Due to a rather stupid contrivance, Riley neglects to tell Buffy this until they came across his wife, but anyway, it was a good idea. There actually seems to be more of a spark between them than there ever was while they were together, but with no danger of anything actually happening between them. His wife, Sam, is rather lovely, despite Willows best attempts to hate her on Buffys behalf (for Buffy to do it would be petty). She helps Xander out with the wedding stuff (which is all he and Anya do these days), cheers Willow up about her magic addiction, keeps going on about how great Buffy is, and generally gets along with the gang pretty well.

So, they're hunting a big nasty demon that they've tracked from South America, Riley enlists Buffys help, but in another stupid contrivance doesn't tell her that they're not trying to kill it, and of course she does. They're actually trying to track down where it's laid its eggs, so they can destroy those before they end up with 10 demons. Somebody calling themselves 'The Doctor' is apparently planning to sell them to foreign governments.

So they head off to interrogate the local sources, and Buffy goes to, ahem, pump Spike for information. Then, quite predictably, Riley walks in and finds them in bed together. Less predictably, he doesn't seem in the least bit bothered by that, but is more concerned that Spike is 'The Doctor'. Buffy refuses to believe him, having managed to make herself forget that Spike is evil, but then he finds the eggs, Buffy hits Spike, and with the assistance of machine guns and a handy grenade, they kill all the hatchlings, destroying most of Spikes crypt in the process.

So Riley and Buffy have a heart-to-heart outside the 'Magic Box', she does her best to convince him that she's a pathetic loser, but he won't have any of it. The crappy job, the unfortunate choice of sexual partner, none of it can touch her because she's strong and special. Or something. It's actually rather touching, and most importantly, he seems to succeed in dragging her up somewhat. Sam comes out of the shop with the others, hugs are exchanged, Dawn even getting one off Riley after her many comments about the nature of his departure last time. Then, in a wonderfully cheesy scene, they get pulled up by rope into a helicopter which is hovering over Sunnydale high street.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, Buffy goes to see Spike, and she ends it. She says she was using him, and to make sure it really hurts, she calls him William. Hurrah for that!

(Edited by In a State of Dan 05/03/2002 22:48)