We fade up on a pumpkin stand. The camera pans down to reveal a sign informing us that Halloween is two days away, and a jack-o'-lantern. Buffy comes flying into the picture and lands on her derriere, crushing the jack-o'-lantern. I wish that had been the plot of "Smashed." She looks up and sees a young vamp coming at her. She reaches for something. We see the vamp get beaned with a gourd, and then with a whole pumpkin. Heh. Buffy flips up to her feet and chucks a stake at the vamp. He blocks it with a scarecrow that has a pumpkin head. Buffy and the vamp fight at close range. We see them through a camera lens, and then learn that another vamp is videotaping the action on a hand-held camera. I guess Spike wanted an edgy feel for his filmmaking debut. The melee continues. This vamp is quite a talented fighter, but Buffy eventually grabs the sign out of the ground, sweeps the vamp's feet with it, and stakes him with the pointy end. Buffy leaves, and Video Vamp withdraws. Credits.

Bronze. Angel twiddles his thumbs at a table. Cordy joins him with a friendly word about how "not happening" the Bronze is. It's completely packed, and we learn from later statements that it's a weeknight, so I'd try a different approach, Cordy. Try asking Angel his favorite brand of hair gel -- best to stick to what he knows. Angel says he's waiting for Buffy, and Cordy reveals that she's supposed to be meeting Devon, but he seems to have flaked. Against all odds, Angel seems to be glad of Cordy's company. Buffy enters, and quickly spies them together. Cordy is actually making Angel laugh. Buffy turns to leave, probably to warn Giles that a sign of the apocalypse has just occurred, but Angel sees her and rushes over. She explains that she had a "rough day at the office." Angel pulls a piece of straw out of her hair. "So I see." Heh. Buffy gamely tries to pass it off as a "seasonal" look, but when Cordy comes over and tells her that her hair "screams street urchin," she's had enough. Angel tells her she looks fine, and that he wants to have their date, but Buffy isn't feeling like a natural woman, and points out that other girls have time to think about beauty and grooming. "You know what I think about? Ambush tactics. Beheading. Not exactly the stuff dreams are made of." Maybe not, but you might find them awfully useful in a breakup. She leaves. Cordy comes back and sunnily offers Angel a cappuccino. He looks blank. All's right with the world again.

School hallway. Snyder, holding a clipboard, grabs a random girl and informs her that she's "volunteering." For what, you ask? Willow, walking with Buffy and Xander, has the answer: The "Volunteer Safety Program," wherein teenagers take groups of little kids trick-or-treating. Xander notes that Snyder's using a loose definition of the word "volunteer," and wouldn't that be their cue to bolt now, if they had any brains? They do remember "The Puppet Show," right? Seconds later, it's too late, as Snyder puts his hand on Buffy's shoulder. After some quality snark in which he calls Buffy "missy," he leads her to the "volunteer" table. Buffy lamely tries to tell him that her carpal tunnel syndrome prevents her from holding a flashlight. Snyder, of course, doesn't even acknowledge her, telling her the hours are four to six PM. Willow looks glum and Xander amused as Snyder hands Buffy a pen to sign up, but then both look horrified when Snyder hands them each a pen of their own. Hee. Very soon after, the three teens are lamenting their fate, and exposit that costumes are mandatory. Buffy complains that she's missing out on a night off, as, according to Giles, Halloween is the one night where demons don't come out and play. I'd probably complain too in their shoes, but since I'm not, I'd point out that it's only two hours, and being done at six doesn't exactly kill the evening.