Library. Chaos. Angel and Faith are tag-teaming a Sister as Giles wades in, chopping at the Hellmouth. He yells, "Now, Buffy!" Buffy, up on the balcony, gives a very girly-looking chop. I think Willow might have been standing by the door. Who cares?

Xander and Tool continue the never-ending standoff. Xander gives the same half-smile about five times, which, of course, annoys me. Finally, Tool drops the bluff and pulls a wire out, disarming the bomb. Xander's relieved. He tells Tool not to come around school any more, and leaves. Tool says to himself that he's not going anywhere. "The first time you turn your back..." He opens a door, and Werewolf-Oz flies out and attacks him.

Willow, in a cheesy voice-over, says, "Even after the Hellmouth was closed, we could still hear it screaming." See, now they want us to take that subplot seriously again. Whatever. She's filling Oz in on the events of the prior night, as they sit outside with Giles and Buffy. Exposition that Angel will be okay, but that he was unconscious for a few minutes. Buffy: "Longest of my life." Write a recap, sweetie -- then we'll talk. Buffy, her arm in a sling, tells Giles that what he did was the bravest thing she's ever seen. Again, the serious vibe. I'm not waiting for that drink. Willow: "No one will ever know, how close [the world] came to stopping." How clever. Because they themselves don't know. I think I'm going to skip the tonic water. Xander appears, and Willow tells him he was lucky he wasn't at school the night before. Xander says he likes the quiet life. So now he's not only over his fear, but he's slingshot all the way to being so secure with himself that he doesn't even tell anyone what he did? Criminy. Xander asks if anyone wants something to eat. Oz: "No, I'm oddly full today." Heh. Xander turns to go. Cordy accosts him and gives him some more lip. He half-smiles, and walks away. Cordy: "What? What? What?" Cool ending, but I don't think it was necessary to rewrite every character to achieve it.

This episode, much like Xander, suffers from an identity crisis. It's too serious to be a parody, and too parodic to be serious. Plus, character traits that were two and a half seasons in the making are conveniently forgotten. Yes, I get that it was trying to be tongue-in-cheek. It choked on its own tongue instead.