Becoming: Parts 1 & 2 (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

Becoming is the two part finale of the second season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, written and directed by series creator Joss Whedon and comprising the 33rd and 34th episodes of the series overall and premiering on May 12th and May 19th, 1998.

## Plot

Learning of Jenny Calendar's plan to restore Angel's soul once more, Buffy and the Scooby-Gang set out on a desperate mission to thwart his latest plan, which would undoubtedly bring about Armageddon, but find many devastating obstacles and increasing stakes as they wonder whether or not Angel is worth saving at this point.

## Why these Episodes Rock

1. After all the buildup throughout the second half of the season, due to Angel losing his soul and becoming the Scooby-Gang's new arch nemesis, it finally comes to a head, but also lets the audience know there's a lot more to come and this isn't quite the end of the series. Though it does also provide an interesting potential conclusion.
2. We're given an even better idea of how evil Angelus is and had been, as well as his creation two-hundred years ago through flashbacks, including the first time he met Drusilla, under the guise of a priest, and the time he had his soul restored, which transformed him into Angel.
3. We're also shown how evil Angelus always will be, considering how he distracts Buffy away while they try to restore his soul, only to send vampires after the Scooby-Gang at the library, injuring Willow and Xander and kidnapping Giles.
4. Lots of things that were built up throughout the show up until this point finally happen, leading to a lot of great moments, like when Joyce finds out about Buffy's destiny as the Slayer, though she doesn't believe in Vampires, and Principal Snyder, believing Buffy assaulted Xander and Willow and caused the damage to the school, expels her and rats her out to the police. It also finally resolves some plot lines, like when Buffy finds Jenny's disk containing the information about the curse to restore Angel.
5. It also has Angelus's craftiness come to a head, especially when he frames Buffy for murder and has her whole life turned upside down quite literally.
6. This duo also has a decent amount of emotional weight as you wonder whether the ritual will work a second time (after Angelus thwarted and killed Jenny due to her attempt), and whether he even deserves it as Angelus caused even more damage this time, even if Angel was different, and even using the temporary memory loss the curse causes to remind them that he might not even remember them for a time. Though when the memories come back, they will certainly be even worse than before.
7. We also get a bit of backstory into Angel's relationship with Buffy, having lived as a vagrant out of guilt for his actions as Angelus, only to come across Whistler, who brought him to Buffy when she started slaying and made him wish to help her as penance for Angelus.
8. Lots of great fight scenes, as if there were any others in Buffy the Vampire Slayer at this point, especially the long awaited battle between Buffy and Angelus.
9. Angelus's plot is even more devious than that in the first season, not just trying to bring the rise of the Vampires, but also quite literally open a door to hell and render humanity extinct, and the tension ramps up significantly in the second part.
10. Every character gets their moments to shine, such as Kendra trying to defend the Scooby-Gang during the ritual, Spike finally defecting to their side to vanquish Angelus (as he doesn't want the Hellmouth to be opened and wants Drusilla to love him again), Giles refusing to reveal information to Angelus about the ritual, even under torture, Xander saving Giles, and Willow, Oz, and Cordelia attempting to perform the ritual together so Buffy won't have to kill Angelus.
11. Plenty of very sad scenes, especially Kendra's death at the hands of Drusilla after being hypnotized, which leads to Buffy being framed for her murder and eventually leads to Joyce learning the truth, as well as Joyce kicking Buffy out for the Slayer prophecy only to immediately regret it.
12. There's still plenty of funny parts, like when Giles believes Xander to be another pleasant hallucination conjured up by Drusilla, only for Xander to point out that he'd be the last thing he'd see if it was meant to be pleasing.
13. A very sad ending, where the Scooby-Gang successfully restore Angel, though Buffy is nonetheless forced to stab through him anyway in order to close off the Hellmouth and prevent Armageddon despite realizing she's just gotten him back, effectively sending him to hell (though not killing him).
14. The ultimate ending is also very sad, as Buffy, having sent Angel to Hell to save the world, and losing effectively everything in the process, her school and her mother's trust, leaves Sunnydale while the others mistakenly believe that she's coming to school soon, unaware that she's fled out of grief instead.
15. It sets up a lot of plot points for the next season, like the Scooby-Gang's search for Buffy and attempts to keep Sunnydale safe without her, as well as her resurgence and the fate and redemption of Angel.

## Reception

The episodes received critical acclaim from both fans and critics alike, especially the second part. Many praised virtually every aspect of the duo, notably the acting, Angelus's character development, writing, and conclusion, with many considering it an effective and emotional conclusion to the story arc of the latter half of the second season. The episodes received 9.0 and 9.5 out of 10 stars on IMDb, respectively.