There have been admirably few Buffy� episodes where one of the gang is held to ransom by the bad guys; a dramatic device that�s served countless movies and TV episodes faithfully since images were first recorded on film. It�s a tired idea, inevitably leading to foiled escape attempts and the heroes arriving in the nick of time to rescue their comrade. Sadly David Fury�s script adds little to the formula, merely the unbelievable notion that Willow would hang around in the Mayor�s office reading the Books of Ascension rather than flee.

There is some nice character interaction in this episode that makes up for the dire plotting: Willow standing up to Faith; Faith�s unsettling relationship with the Mayor; the gang teaming up against Wesley; and more signs that the romance between Buffy and Angel is flagging. It�s tempting to echo Wes�s observation that by the end of the episode, 'we� re right back where we started', but it�s not true. This episode is the first to really make full use of the Mayor, and finally brings the season�s chief villain face to face with the Slayer, (after a series of frustrating near-misses).

Choices is a good episode for Willow, giving Alyson Hannigan a few choice scenes that she illuminates beautifully. There�s also plenty of time allocated to laying the groundwork for the next season, which will see a couple of characters departing, and a whole new setting for those that remain�