At the Magic Box, Riley comes in, looking for Buffy. Riley is perturbed when Xander tells him that Buffy went off to fight big evil all by her lonesome. Xander, bless him, reads Riley the riot act. Which I will repeat fully here as I could not have said it better myself: "Yeah. Crazy. Going off alone. Half cocked. Instead of waiting for much-needed backup. Charging in with a big old hand grenade. Oh. Wait." Riley shuffles and mutters that this situation is "different." "Yeah, it is," agrees Xander, "Buffy needs something she can fight. Something she can solve. I don't know what kinda action you're looking for. Do you?" Xander tries to soften his words a bit and asks if Riley is "okay"; Riley replies that he's "just a little crazed" and takes off. Buh-bye Riley. Try not to let the door hit your insecurities and double standards on the way out.

Okay. So Fake the Snake slithers through a Sunnydale church. Good luck. When was the last time we saw any of the Summers clan just whiling away the afternoon at church?

The phone at the Magic Box rings. It's Buffy calling from the hospital, which they now identify as "Sunnydale Memorial" just to show me up. Buffy tells Giles that she got her ass kicked but good, and to be on the lookout for a gargantuan novelty snake. She also remarks that Dawn will be coming to the Magic Box soon after school. Even though she mentions that it's already 4:30, and Sunnydale can't possibly be so big that it would take ninety minutes to walk downtown, nobody seems worried that Dawn isn't already there. Plus, if you know that your little sister is being sought by some unspeakable evil that has kicked your super-power-having ass on two consecutive occasions, would do you really let said little sister walk around Sunnydale alone? You know, Sunnydale. Home to vampires, zombies, and demons, oh my!