Buffy and Riley, walking across campus. "Wow," says Riley, with his tiny, shrunken male ego. Buffy protests that those were her best stories and that she didn't tell any of the "Buffy breaks her butt" ones. Riley is appropriately impressed though, and after a few stuttering attempts at communication can only come up with, "Wow." He almost apologizes, saying that he assumed that when she saved the world last week it was just "a big week for her, and "I suddenly find myself needing to know the plural of apocalypse." Buffy tries to talk herself down some more, saying that she has more experience and preternatural strength. Why is Buffy making excuses like that? Buffy, if Riley can't accept you, dump him and find someone who can. Riley then says that he isn't sure if he could take her, and Buffy says that depends on his meaning. I'm guessing that was supposed to be romantic or sexy or something, but I feel as if I'd just swallowed a whole bottle of cod-liver oil.

Giles knocks on Professor Walsh's door and enters, saying, "Professor Walsh, I presume." He comments on how confusing the halls are, dropping a mythological reference in a belabored effort to show Professor Walsh how smart he is, then introduces himself and says that he's looking for Buffy. Giles and Professor Walsh get off on the wrong foot almost immediately. They bicker back and forth about Buffy, and Walsh takes a final jab by opining that Buffy has suffered from a lack of a male role model. She then brusquely dismisses Giles with, "I have things to do. I'll tell Buffy her friend was looking for her." We know that Giles is unaware of Professor Hardass's secret indentity as Initiative leader, and from this scene, I'm assuming that Buffy didn't tell Professor Walsh about her professional relationship with Giles. At least I hope that's the case, because I would like to think that the Evil Bitch Monster would have treated Giles with little more respect if she knew who he was. Perhaps not. I'm crossing my fingers that they don't make Professor Walsh a Giles love-interest later because in the real world, unlike the TV cliché world, people rarely confuse hatred with passion.

I hereby by dub this the Season of Impotence. As proof, I offer you Xander living in his dingy basement, Spike unable to perform, Riley feeling overshadowed by Buffy's fighting prowness, and Giles feeling left out, ineffective, and empty-nesty.