Sanctuary

Season 1, Episode 19, Aired
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Episode Summary

Buffy comes to Los Angeles seeking vengeance under the guise of protecting Angel from Faith's violent nature, but Buffy is shocked and hurt to discover her former love siding with her nemesis as he attempts to shelter her.''''Meanwhile, Wesley is faced with a crisis of loyalties when the Watcher's Council offers a chance at reinstatement if he gives up Faith.moreless
9.4
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Fan Episode Reviews (16)

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  • Just stunning

    10
    "Perfect"
    By joxerlives, Jan 18, 2012 Report Abuse
    SANCTUARY

    The Good;
    Just when you think it can't get any better, Buffy arrives and all is good with the world.

    The Bad;
    All still fantastic

    Best line:
    NEARLY-Detective (to Kate) Everyone knows you've gone all Scully
    Kate; Mulder's the believer, Scully's the skeptic
    Detective; Scully's the chick, right?
    but the winner, one of my favourites which I use all the time is;
    Buffy; "A cry for help is when you shout 'Help, help!' in a loud voice"

    Jeez, how did they get away with that?
    For all those afraid of needles avoid the syringe scene. Faith's daydream about killing Angel
    Apocalypses: 4
    Angel Cliches
    Damsel in distress; 15,

    Inverting the Hollywood cliche; the popcorn scene. Plus Wes calling Angel on his decision to protect Faith.

    In disguise; 3

    DB get's his shirt off; yep, in the shower again 6

    Cordy's tattoo;3

    Cheap Angel;
    3

    Fang Gang in bondage: Angel in cuffs and possibly Faith too
    Cordy: 5
    Angel: 8
    Wes: 2

    Fang gang knocked out:
    Cordy: 9
    Angel: 10
    Wes: 4
    Doyle; 1

    Kills:
    Cordy: 3 vamps, 1 demons
    Angel: 3 demons so 11 vamps, 9 and 1/2 demons, 2 humans.
    Doyle; 1 vamp
    Wes; 1/2 a demon
    Kate; 3 vamps
    According to Boo's stats Faith has killed 16 vamps, 5 demons, 3 humans. Add another demon to the list here.

    Fang Gang go evil:
    Cordy: 2
    Angel: 2

    Alternate Fang Gang:
    Cordy: 2
    Angel: 6

    Characters killed:
    25

    Recurring characters killed;
    2;

    Total number of Angel Investigations:
    3, Angel and Cordy and Wes

    Angel Investigations shot:
    Angel: 8,

    Packing heat;
    Wes; 2
    Doyle; 1
    Angel; 1

    Notches on Fang Gang bedpost:
    Cordy: 2 ?+Wilson/Hacksaw Beast
    Angel: 1;Buffy

    Kinky dinky:
    Faith let's slip that she's bedded Buffy's new beau, Riley Finn. Which is news to Angel! Does Cordy not keep touch with things in Sunnydale or did she just not want to tell him?

    Captain Subtext;
    Buffy refers to Faith's 'pouty lips and heaving bosom', interesting she thinks of her in that way? The rooftop scene feels riven with hidden passions. Buffy refers to Riley saying she trusts him. Heading for a fall again. The Watcher's Council refer to the insult 'ponce' again.

    Know the face, different character; 2

    Parking garages;
    4,

    Guantanamo Bay;
    Kate plans to throw Angel into a cell exposed to the rising sun.

    Buffy characters on Angel; 11
    Wetherby, Collins and Smith. Angel, Cordy, Oz, Spike, Buffy, Wes, Faith, Darla

    Questions and observations;
    What exactly does Angel do with the Watcher's team? Surely Kate must lock them up for turning the streets of LA into a bulletfest? Nice to see that Wes and Buffy are now on good terms, unfortunately this probably marks the nadir of the Buffy/Angel romance and the Kate/Angel relationship. Jelly doughnut's again, someone in the writing staff must have a thing for them. Buffy has the worst timing ever when walking in on Faith and Angel. How does Giles find out about Faith? Sources in the Watcher's council or do Wes or Cordy phone Sunnydale. Good acting by Wes, you really think he might have sided with the Watchers for a moment. How can Wes and Buffy just walk into the police station?
    Marks out of 10; 10/10 just great, stunning
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  • Alternate title: How Angel got his balls back.

    9.0
    "Superb"
    By tuworkzz, Sep 14, 2011 Report Abuse
    Now this episode was good. Everything from Faith's inner turmoil to Wesley's interaction with the council to the Buffy/Angel fight was great. This is a personal favorite of mine because Angel finally stood up to Buffy for what he knew was right and didn't hesitate to pop Buffy one in the mouth (which was way less than what the venomous B*tch deserved IMHO) to prove it.

    This episode would have gotten a perfect 10 from me if it had been the official cutoff point between both shows for good, but then they had to turn Angel into a complete wuss and run to Sunnydale to apologize for something when he had nothing to apologize for, so it loses a point for that. I wish Cordy wasn't cut out of the episode so quickly, it would have been sweet to see her tear a strip out of Buffy for the way she acted, because I gaurentee you she would have chopped Buffy down to size if given the chance.moreless

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  • Buffy:The Evil Bitch Monster from Hell

    6.0
    "Fair"
    By blueyeblacktear, Sep 14, 2011 Report Abuse
    I love Buffy. The show, and the character. Most of the time, at least. But Sanctuary is one of the few ep\'s that makes me HATE her. I\'m all for the B/A relationship. They\'re soulmates, yada yada yada. Those two have sacrificed so much to be together, and to be honest, I liked her the best when she was with him. Riley was annoying and whiny, and the thing is, she didn\'t love him. Spike...they had chemistry, that was for sure, but once again, she didn\'t love him, not like she did Angel. Angel is the only for her, and vice versa.
    But she is a total and utter BITCH, and deserved FAR WORSE from Angel in this ep.
    I guess I can see it from her point of view, but it doesn\'t give her ANY excuse to use Riley as a weapon:
    \"I have someone in my life now. That I love. It\'s not what you and I had. It\'s very new.You know what makes it new? I trust him. I know him.\"

    Just writing those words makes my lip curl. I\'d like nothing more than to reach through the tv and smack her, wail on her for being such an EVIL BITCH!!!!!
    Ok, I\'m done. You always hurt the ones you love.moreless

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    8 2

  • 'This is getting ridiculous. The first assassin kills the second assassin, who was sent to kill the first assassin, who didn't assassinate anyone, until we hired the second assassin to assassinate her.'moreless

    9.2
    "Superb"
    By SleepTight, Sep 14, 2011 Report Abuse
    'Sanctuary' is the second part of the Faith episode. But not as good as the first part, mainly due B!tchy the vampire slayer.

    The episode brings Faith in the house, Wes isn't happy with the fact that the woman who tortured him is now eating pastries and Cordy isn't going to wait and find out what Faith is going to do next so she goes on vacation.

    I love the X-files reference that was done with Kate, she's a great character and I think she had a lot of chemistry with Lindsey. Once again I loved the three lawyers, they are so much fun together trying to get rid of Angel and failing, then trying to get rid of faith and failing again. All three have their qualities but I prefer Lindsey the most.

    Through the episode, Angel tries to help Faith and they have fantastic scenes together which makes this episode so good. The scene where Angel takes away Faiths knife, and the one where he explains her about pain and what she is going to have to go through while she just wanted him to explain how the microwave worked.

    The episode is brilliant until annoying blond shows up, Buffy was a big pain in the ass through the entire episode, everything she said sounded like whine noises and especially when she used Riley to hurt Angel and when she hit Angel only because he was protecting Faith,

    Another very irritating part were those three amazingly annoying council guys who managed to piss me off plenty of times, I couldn't enjoy their scenes with Wesley even though I did enjoy watching them being hit, kicked and squashed.

    When Angel is caught by the police by not telling where Faith is, she is the one that gives herself in and makes the confession. She really came through and went into jail to find her own peace.

    This episode was a great example of a good storyline but a bit hard to watch because of some very irritating buzzes. Faith was a big blast and every scene with her was classic, Buffy in the other hand deserved more than being tortured, maimed and murdered. She was a big pain in the ass just like the council guys and I'm glad that neither ever came back.

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  • Overall, this episode was a difficult test of Angel’s resolve to find redemption through helping others and how that must necessarily change his relationship with others.

    8.0
    "Great"
    By entil2001, Sep 14, 2011 Report Abuse
    The second part of this story is remarkably different from the first, and feels more like the conclusion to the "Buffy" episode "Who Are You" than a direct follow-up to "Five by Five". As crossover events go, this is far more integrated than the whole "I Will Remember You" episode, based entirely on the consequences. This is really where Buffy and Angel complete the process that began at the end of the third season of "Buffy", which of course, was also prompted by Faith.

    It would have been easy for Angel to have all the answers, but the writers use this situation to establish where Angel is in terms of his own personal search for redemption. This is effectively an opportunity for Angel to reflect on the past year in Los Angeles and figure out where he's going. The answer is simple: he really doesn't know, but he's quite certain that it can't be on anyone else's terms.

    The episode is chaotic enough to make the character dynamics a bit difficult to grasp. It all seems jumbled, especially when Buffy arrives and the main thrust of the story is revealed. Angel takes most of the episode trying to convince Faith that she wants to find her own solution, but since he's largely doing everything to stop her from running away and avoiding that process, it doesn't translate very well.

    But once Buffy comes along, the question of Faith is given scope. Is it about justice or revenge, which imposes an external judgment upon a person and actually can help them avoid any process of self-reflection, or is it about taking responsibility? Buffy and Kate want to impose judgment, which allows Faith to become a victim again.

    Angel recognizes the danger in that. Faith's issue is that she has great power, but no sense of responsibility for its application. Any moment of obligation is met with a snarl, offense as defense mechanism. That's been Faith in a nutshell. When Buffy tried to give Faith what she really needed, Faith became threatened. And when Faith is threatened, she reacts as the primal instincts of the Slayer demand she react: with violence.

    This is why Faith wanted Angel to kill her when she recognized that everything she hated was in herself. It's the only way she's ever known. Taking responsibility and feeling the pain of remorse and regret are new concepts. It's about convincing her to see that path as the correct one. Buffy cannot do that, and certainly the Watchers wouldn't recognize her needs. Angel sees that very clearly, based on his own experience, but he really doesn't know how to communicate that to others.

    Ironically, Buffy was the one that set Angel on this path, back in the "Buffy" episode "Amends". But Buffy is also dealing with her own questions of self-identity, and soon after this, she seeks to discover the source of her own Slayer legacy. Buffy, in essence, doesn't deal in rehabilitation. She doesn't care whether or not a vampire or other demonic entity can be reformed at this point, even if she knows that demons are not necessarily evil. It's just not in her nature to assume that something dangerous, especially someone like Faith, can change and just needs help. (Ironically, everything that Faith says about how it feels to lose control is exactly what happens to Buffy in the sixth season of her series.)

    Angel has to believe in that possibility of change and redemption, because it's all he has to keep going. It's at the heart of his being. So when Buffy and Angel come at odds throughout the episode, it's not as simple as the history of those three characters. It's about dueling philosophies and which one should apply to Faith in her moment of weakness. Angel wins the day when Faith takes responsibility and makes the choice herself. It becomes the transformative moment that takes Faith on her redemptive journey back to the light, which culminates in the fourth season of "Angel" and the final season of "Buffy".

    Wesley's action actually fit within the context of dueling philosophies, because in this instance, Buffy and the Watchers are on the same side. Wesley is offered the tempting chance to abandon the idea of redemption and go for the immediate gratification of vengeance. He's even offered a reward for turning his back on the concept of redemption. Seen in that respect, it's easy to recognize that his insistence on keeping Angel out of harm's way is a direct indication of his true design.

    This is why Wesley tells Angel that he didn't decide to help Faith, but rather, he betrayed the Watchers for Angel. He was referring to the philosophy that Angel champions, which is the way he has adopted. Wesley is at his darkest when he has reason to doubt that philosophy, as seen in later seasons, but at this point, Angel is putting his existence on the line for an enemy, all in the name of reclaiming a soul from the darkness. Is it any wonder that Wesley betrayed the Watchers?

    Speaking of the Watchers, the idea of a black ops division of the Watchers is not the most credible one. It works a little better in this context, however, because of the thematic role they play in Angel's world. On "Buffy", they were simply a roadblock, which little or no thematic relevance. The idea of secret Watcher assassins is still rather amusing, but at least their menace fits "Angel" well.

    Wolfram and Hart serve a dual purpose. Part of the season arc, however modified it might have been, was always for Angel to become more and more their enemy. As the scope of the series and its future became more clear to Joss and his writing staff, they recognized that Angel had to do something extraordinary to force the firm's hand. This episode provides much of the motivation for the events at the end of the season.

    But Wolfram and Hart also provides another source of pressure on Faith. It's not enough to have Buffy and the Watchers trying to gain vengeance. Faith also has to know that the forces of darkness are just as willing to put her down. In this case, it's a question of survival. It would be easy for Faith to let Wolfram and Hart's assassin kill her and be done with it all. The assassin and her reaction to it affirms her desire to live through the process and make things right.

    Inevitably, this episode is strongly disliked because of what it does to the Buffy/Angel relationship. It doesn't seem to matter that these same issues were introduced much earlier in the third season of "Buffy". What it does do, at least from an overall perspective, is establish how the changes in the fourth season of "Buffy" and Buffy's isolating relationship with Riley, as well as the progress of Angel's redemption, combine to set them at odds. Faith's arrival in Los Angeles is the catalyst for Buffy and Angel to have a painful yet necessary face-off under the worst of conditions, and this episode serves that purpose well.
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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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  • Trivia

    ADD TRIVIA
    • In a wideshot of Faith after she kills the demon, the knife she used is bent and bloodless. Edit
    • The cut on Buffy's lip (from Angel's punch) disappears in one scene, only to reappear in later ones. Then, by the time Buffy gets to the roof, the cut is completely gone with no signs of blood remaining. Even if Buffy heals quickly, the blood should still be there (unless she stopped to wipe it off and reapply her lipstick while running up the stairs to get Faith). Edit
    • Faith's bruises alter substantially from shot to shot: sometimes they're very clear and raw, sometimes they're almost invisible. Edit

  • Notes

    ADD NOTES
    • This episode continues the events of Buffy The Vampire Slayer episode "Who Are You?" (4x16). Sarah Michelle Gellar, Eliza Dusku, Kevin Owers, Alastair Duncan and Jeff Ricketts appear in both episodes. Edit
    • This episode scored a rating of 5.3/8 in the overnight Nielsen ratings, ranking number 1 out of 15 WB shows airing for that week. Edit
    • This episode marks Sarah Michelle Gellar's final appearance on the show. She would be seen again during "Just Rewards" in season five but only in archived footage. Edit

  • Quotes

    ADD QUOTES
    • Angel: (re: Faith) What do want to do, Wesley? Let her starve?
      Wesley: Certainly not. There are far more humane ways to deal with a rabid animal.
      Edit
    • (Angel pops out of the shower) Angel: Everything okay in there? Faith: It was touch-and-go for those four minutes you left me alone but somehow I got through it. Edit
    • Faith: I mean, am I your prisoner here? Angel: No, you're not my prisoner. Faith: So I'm free? Angel: Don't know about that... but the door's open. Edit

  • Allusions

    ADD ALLUSIONS
    • Smith: All those alchemists on the Board of Directors and they still make us fly coach. Alchemists are supposed be able to turn base metals into gold. Edit
    • Wesley: One-eighty. When Wesley throws and hits one of the watchers in the neck with a syringe, he whispers "180". 180 is the highest score you can get in darts aka "throwing the arrows" (a game very popular in England) in a single turn: (3 darts * triple 20 = 180). Edit
    • Faith: (watching tv) The first thing we glimpse on TV when Faith is channel-surfing is the preachy 1945 film noir classic The Lost Weekend. A nice fit with the twelve-steppy theme of the episode, and maybe some ironic reflection on it. Edit

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