Rob

What a relief. Just as Buffy seemed destined to disappear up it's own soap opera, Jane Espenson and Doug Petrie seem to have found the real plot again. It's such a pity that some of the great ideas here weren't used to beef up last week's filler episode.

Espenson - Anya and Andrew's spiritual mother - treats her babies to some beautiful character moments, although Faith gets to lie on her back a little more than you'd expect from her champion, Petrie. Or maybe not.

Finally, hooray for Angel. Although we see plenty of him in his own show, I always get a little warm glow when David Boreanaz returns to Sunnydale. That old Buffy/Angel chemistry still has the ability to charm.

Daniel

Events in this penultimate episode all seem a tad rushed, but at least there's no time to get bored.

Bits I liked: Jaffa Cakes, Buffy taking charge, Anja's bedside manner, the guardian's reaction to Buffy's name, Dawn knocking out Xander and the return of Angel.

Bits I didn't: The potentials' lack of, erm potential, the fact that we didn't have a whole episode devoted to Spike and Angel vying for Buffy's affections, and the guardian's choosing to 'hide' in a pagan temple in Sunnydale - how come Buffy hasn't found it before?

James

The best programme on TV is back. After two weeks of cheap fakes, suddenly they've found some Real Buffy - and it's brilliant.

Not a word is wasted, not a character is out of place, and everything is back on track. Our villains are scary, our heroes are interesting, and our fight scenes are worth watching.

Like all good Buffy, this looks effortless - it's breezy, chilling, and casually intelligent - you can so tell it's written by Jane Espenson, who approaches the exercise like a doting aunt spoiling her favourite children. She seizes a last chance to write for Anya, indulges Andrew, and scores a few last shots off Angel.

Oh, we're going to miss Jane Espenson.

Ann

You can hear the sound of all cylinders firing as this episode of Buffy continues to pick up speed from last week's drab nonsense. It's all action, twists and turns, lightened with sweet character pieces like Andrew and Anya's wheelchair fight.

In fact, this episode plays with the audience in a way that conceeds that season seven has had more than it's fair share of crap in it. It knowingly teeters on the edge of mawkishness, repeatedly sliding into sentimentality only to pull itself out with another self-aware crack. Then there's Angel's reappearance, after so long away. A rather fatter and jowlier Angel, but hey, we can forgive that.

I've got one carp though. Was the knowledge the woman in the tomb gave Buffy not the most useless bit of advice ever? She's waited there, what, four thousand years or so just to be all evasive and vague? These priestesses really need to learn straight talking.