At first I thought this episode was just fun, fun, fun. And granted, most of the time it was, what with all the sitar, and the mushroom tripping, the adolescence jokes, Angel’s antics, and everything else. (Liam: The English had it coming, I’m rooting for the slave.)

But at the same time, this is the first episode in which Vladimir Kulich appears on the credits (an appearence, I might add, that sent shivers down my spine), and, consequently, the first episode where we see The Beast. It’s also the episode where Gunn and Wesley’s rivalry over Fred is refueled, and where Gunn first shows signs of his inferiority problem.

An awesome episode, which is best described as bittersweet, I think.

Oh, and Alexis Denisof and Joss Whedon makes up one killer team. Funniest (and third :P ) commentary I’ve ever heard. Interesting to hear Master mention parallels to such masterstrokes as “Doppelgangerland”, “Tabula Rasa” and “Once More, With Feeling”.