Welcome to Rewatching Buffy, the part of the blog where I rewatch Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Each Tuesday evening, you’re invited to join me as I attempt to rediscover what made me love this show 21 years ago.

New Moon Rising

• Oz is back!
• This probably won’t end well for Oz…
• We open on Willow and Tara walking on campus. Tara wants to get a cat.
• Seems like a big step for a burgeoning relationship, getting a co-pet.
• Especially when one’s ex is about to re-enter the picture.
• At Giles’ flat, the gang is discussing an odd lack of vampiric activity of late. Probably because of Adam.
• But Riley notes that the Initiative has never been busier. They’re bagging hostile sub-t’s every day.
• I sense an Adam plot afoot. But that could just be because I’ve seen all this before.
• And then Oz just shows up.
• Um, excuse me… we don’t knock when entering British guys’ apartments?
• He asks if he can meet up with Willow that night and then takes off.
• Tara then takes off. Clearly, she’s uncomfortable.
• See why this is gonna end poorly for Oz? Willow is clearly into the ladies now.
• Well… one lady, anyway.
• On patrol, Buffy and Riley discuss Willow and Oz’s break-up. She reveals that Oz is a werewolf, which comes as a complete shock to Riley.
• He didn’t think Willow would be that irresponsible. He tries to backpedal and say that he meant he didn’t think she would date dangerous guys like that.
• Buffy takes it as a personal attack, seeing as how she used to date a vampire and all.
• Of course, Riley doesn’t know that yet, either.
• Oz takes Willow for a moonlight stroll. A full moonlight stroll.
• And he’s not a wolf.
• How?!
• He says he talked to Xander, who let him know that Willow doesn’t have a guy. She concurs, but doesn’t exactly clarify.
• Oz is ready to come back and be the boyfriend that he didn’t think he could be before.
• A squad from the Initiative are attacked by what really looks like a werewolf.
• One of the soldiers is killed.
• But it can’t be Oz, right? I mean, we just saw that he’s basically cured. Or, he can, at least, control the beast within.
• Also, he’s been up talking with Willow all night, so it’s definitely not him on the loose.
• Tara stops by the room while Willow is out. Oz is super polite and friendly, but Tara freaks and kinda runs away.
• Buffy gets home and wants the scoop on Oz. Willow explains it’s complicated because Tara.
• Willow just low-key came out of the closet to her best friend. And Buffy’s not sure how to handle it at first.
• But then it’s cool. And Willow explains that she just wasn’t able to tell Oz yet. She doesn’t know how to tell him.
• Adam arrives in Spike’s crypt. He wants to recruit him. He lures him with promises of removing his brain chip.
• Willow goes to Tara, unsure of what to do about Oz. She tells her to do what makes her happy.
• Which basically means that Tara loves her enough to let her go.
• Oz is re-enrolling at UC Sunnydale and runs into Tara. And he smells Willow all over her.
• The green-eyed monster of jealousy rears it’s ugly, werewolfy head.
• Oz loses his cool and begins to transform. But not before he has the presence of mind to tell Tara to run.
• Were-Oz chases Tara into a classroom.
• He really does look like the thing that attacked those Initiative guys.
• Riley and some other Initiative guys take him down. Tara tries to explain that it’s not a demon, it’s a person. But they’re not so much into listening as looking for revenge against the thing that killed one of their men.
• Adam reveals his plan to Spike. He doesn’t want to annihilate humanity. But he does want heavy casualties on both sides of this war his setting up. And he needs the Slayer to be the leader for the humans.
• Somehow, he wants Spike to manipulate Buffy into being that leader.
• Tara lets the gang know that the Initiative has Oz. Riley isn’t answering his pages from Buffy.
• Meanwhile, just as Riley is about to put a bullet in Oz’s head, he reverts back into human form.
• As the Scoobie Gang make their plan for breaking Oz out, Spike shows up and offers to show them the back door.
• Riley attempts to sneak Oz out, but they’re stopped by pretty much the rest of the Initiative.
• I don’t see Riley coming back from this one.
• I don’t mean they’re gonna kill him. I just mean something along the lines of a dishonorable discharge.
• Riley’s new commanding officer lets him know in no uncertain terms that he is to help the Initiative take down Buffy and her band of “freaks.”
• If he doesn’t, he’ll be labeled a traitor.
• Thanks to Adam, Spike is able to get the good guys into the Initiative base.
• Buffy manages to break out Riley and Oz.
• Riley embraces his role as an anarchist among the Scoobie Gang. And Buffy helps him hide out at the old, burned out high school.
• He apologizes about jumping to conclusions regarding Oz. The conversation leads to Buffy telling him about Angel.
• Before Oz leaves again, he and Willow have another chat. He realizes that Willow is what brings the wolf out in him.
• Willow and Tara confirm, for themselves and for the audience, that they are in a romantic relationship.
• Body count: Humans – 1