Season 3, Episode 7 | Aired: 17 November 1998 | Written by: Douglas Petrie | Directed by: James A. Contner
Faith gets a new Watcher — Gwendolyn Post (Serena Scott Thomas), prim and critical and secretly corrupt. The episode is really about secrets: Buffy is still hiding Angel’s return, and this episode is where the Scoobies find out. The confrontation is handled honestly, and Xander in particular is not forgiving about it. Meanwhile, Post is manipulating Faith to get her hands on an ancient gauntlet and is prepared to kill anyone in her way.
What Happens
Gwendolyn Post arrives as Faith’s new Watcher, claiming to have been sent from the Council. She is dismissive of Giles, critical of everyone, and systematically undermining Faith’s trust in the Scoobies. She wants the Glove of Myhnegon — a demonic weapon that channels lightning. When she gets it, she uses it on Faith and Angel both and nearly kills Buffy. Giles severs her arm with a wire. The lightning destroys what’s left of her.
The Scoobies discover Angel is back and are furious — at Buffy for hiding him, at Angel for existing. Xander is the loudest. The fight is real. The rift it creates between Buffy and the group will take time to heal.
Key Moments
Post’s exposure — the moment Faith realises she has been used, that the person she trusted was corrupt from the start. Dushku plays it as a wound, not a lesson. Faith doesn’t learn to trust more carefully; she learns not to trust at all.
Monster / Villain
Gwendolyn Post — the episode’s lesson about how Watchers can be just as dangerous as the things they’re supposed to be fighting against.
Notable Quote
“The Watchers Council’s review of your methods has been, shall we say, less than glowing.” — Post, establishing her cover and inadvertently telling a truth about herself.
Where It Fits
Revelations is the episode where Faith’s arc turns — the moment that sets her on the path toward isolation. She needed a Watcher who was trustworthy, and she got one who was rotten. The show doesn’t forget this.