Buffy visits the mansion. Angel is calmer than the night before, encouraging Buffy to ask him if he understands her. He doesn't respond, and she slowly walks over and touches him. He freaks, snarling at her, and she runs out. Quick shot of the metal support around which the manacles are chained, looking not too sturdy at all.

Debbie and Pete are cooing at each other. Debbie says she has to meet a friend, but Pete convinces her to duck into a dark room with him. They mack until Pete notices an empty jar that has a phosphorescent green residue inside on the bottom. He's concerned whether she drank it. She denies it. He earnestly asks her what's going on.

Buffy enters Mr. Platt's office. She tells him not to say anything or to turn around. Wow, I just bet he's not dead. I mean, people are never dead on TV in this situation! This is the first part of the episode that's both contrived and hackneyed, and I don't know whether to be annoyed that the episode goes downhill from here, or to be relieved that another Marti Noxon episode is going to crash and burn. You make the call. Buffy babbles that she's in trouble and can't tell her friends. Because we all know how well keeping secrets from your friends works. In tears, she says she's "so scared. It's this guy -- he..." and she walks forward and sees Platt's arm extended limply, holding a cigarette with way too much ash at the end of it. She finishes her sentence in horror: "He's come back." The camera pans over to reveal a very dead Platt, the right side of his face mauled. Well, color me stunned -- I didn't see that coming!