This is a great season opener! When I saw this episode for the first time I wasn't nearly as enthused about it for some reason. I remember being really bored of the Anointed One and the couple things that bugged me really stuck out. The music in the training session really grated on me along with Buffy being a little too bitchy to her friends. Aside from these complaints, though, there's really nothing else in this episode that I don't like, which makes my original impression of this episode drastically unfounded.

At the very beginning I noticed a really sweet "previously on Buffy..." sequence that recaps most of the big events in S1. This is fantastic and I wish they'd included one of these at the beginning of every season (or maybe they just left them out on the DVD sets). I've been introducing a lot of people to 'Buffy' lately and I usually start them off with "School Hard" (2x03); that seems to be working perfectly. I think I'm going to play this recap first, though. It gives a lot of backstory really quickly, which is good, because explaining all the stuff that happened can be confusing and annoying to a 'Buffy' virign. Anyway...

Pretty much everyone is a little different at the beginning of this episode. Everyone's personalities are where we last left them, but many of the relationships have flourished during the summer. First off is an emotionally distant Buffy, who we discover was away in Los Angeles with her dad (a.k.a. Mr. MIA Jerk who runs to Spain with chicks and abandons his daughter in future seasons). More on our not-so-lovely Buffy later. Next we've got Willow and Xander who's relationship has gotten a bit more intimate since we left them. Willow obviously still has the hots for Xander, but this is the first time we see romantic interest in Willow from Xander. They have a cute scene involving ice cream on Willow's nose which gets interrupted by a lousy vampire. Also on the slate of change is Giles and Jenny. They have really progressed their relationship and have turned into two flirting adults who are obviously about to go out on a date (and they do in the next episode). Cordelia, on the other hand, is pretty much the same where we last saw her, thankfully still being more friendly to the group yet not losing the snide remarks.

Now we get back to Buffy, who's in all-out angst mode. We find out very early on that the root of her problem is how traumatized she is from being killed (drowned) by the Master in "Prophecy Girl" (1x12). She hasn't told anyone about how scared and shaken up she is all summer long. I'm glad that event was not forgotten. I'm particularly impressed by Sarah Michelle Gellar here when she visually shows, by subtly shaking when walking up the Master's grave after it's dug out as an example, just how frightened she is of the thought of him coming back. All of this emotion being bottled up for that long is going to make you into a meaner individual, which is exactly what happens to Buffy here.

While I think the writers took her angst too far, most of it was believable and spot-on. The way this is dealt with is with a satisfying scene at the end where Buffy smashes the bones of the Master into pieces with a sledgehammer, then breaks down and weeps in Angel's arms. Her tears here serve as a means to wash away her ordeal with The Master for good. The moral of the story is that keeping your emotions bottled up for long periods of time is not healthy and will only lead to hurtful comments to your friends and loved ones. Instead, one should confide with those same friends as they will always be there to help you through times of need, as is displayed at the end when Willow and Xander save Buffy a seat in class.

The main plot was on the mediocre side but it got the job done. Due to the wonderful character interaction and drama, this is the perfect foundation and launching point for this season's maelstrom of emotion. I have come to really appreciate this episode.