Buffy: Phases

Giles: "It acts on pure instinct. No conscience. Predatory and aggressive."
Buffy: "In other words, your typical male."
Xander: "On behalf of my gender, hey."
Giles: "Yes, let's not jump to any conclusions."
Buffy: "I didn't jump. I took a tiny step and there conclusions were."

Werewolves usually represent uncontrolled sexuality. But I couldn't help but notice that there was a lot of opposite-sex bashing in this episode.

We have Cordelia and Willow at the Bronze commiserating about guy-related idiocy ("they grow body hair and they lose all ability to say what they really want"); and we have "mein furrier" insulting women right and left and saying how Buffy can't catch a werewolf because she's a girl. And we have gender-role bashing, too: gay Larry pretending to be a wolf (the other kind of wolf) and functioning as a perfect werewolf decoy, and Buffy throwing him in gym class, even though she's supposed to be pretending that she's a girly-girl.

And we have Oz. I like Oz; he's a cool character, he has the good sense to appreciate Willow, and of course being a werewolf gives him another character dimension. I thought the scene where he woke up naked in the woods, looked around, and said "hunh" was very Oz-like. Good casting, good acting; Seth Green is wonderful here. Funny and cool.

Giles has a lot of fun researching werewolves. He and Buffy searching for werewolves in Lovers Lane has its comical aspects, especially when Cain makes fun of them both, and Giles jumps to Buffy's defense, not his own.

Bits and pieces:

-- Xander wins twice in the "good move" department: by (1) keeping Larry's secret, and (2) by saving Buffy from Theresa.

-- When you think about it, since werewolves are people, Cain is a serial killer.

-- Angel has a small but disturbing part, as he picks up, kills, and vamps one of Buffy's schoolmates.

-- Xander goes to pummel a confession out of Larry, and that's just what he gets: Larry comes out to Xander. And it's certainly a change for the better as far as Larry's behavior is concerned.

-- I enjoyed the way they worked the cheerleading trophy from season one's "Witch" in there. There was also a reference to "The Pack," when Xander referred to his being possessed by a hyena.

-- Buffy again counsels Willow to take a chance and seize the day with Oz, and again, Willow almost gets killed.

-- There are definitely some romantic vibes between Buffy and Xander after he saves her life by staking Theresa.

-- The medieval manacles that many of the cast end up in at one time or another finally show up here, although Oz doesn't manage to get them on himself in time.

-- Just for future reference, Jack Conley, who played Cain, also had a continuing role as the demon Sahjhan in the spinoff series "Angel."

-- Obligatory dog reference: There are several dog references, not surprising in an episode about werewolves. We're back with the "wild dogs" again. Larry was bitten by a wild, stray dog. Kane calls the werewolf a "doggie" at least twice.

Quotable quotes:

Larry: "I would love to get me some of that Buffy and Willow action, if you know what I mean."
Oz: "That's great, Larry. You've really mastered the single entendre."

Buffy: "Have you dropped any hints?"
Willow: "I've dropped anvils."
Buffy: "Ah, he'll come around. What guy could resist your wily Willow charms?"
Willow: "At last count, all of them. Maybe more."

Xander: "I thought I heard something."
Cordelia: "Is Willow sending out some sort of distress signal that only you can hear?"

Buffy: "Welcome to the mystery that is men. I think it goes something like, they grow body hair, they lose all ability to tell you what they really want."
Willow: "It doesn't seem like a fair trade."

Oz: "I spoke to Giles. He said I'll be okay. I just have to lock myself up around the full moon. Only he used more words than that. And a globe."

Willow: "I mean, three days of the month I'm not much fun to be around, either."

I'd go with three out of four stakes here. Maybe three and a half,

Billie