Spike, now allied with the hybrid demon/cyborg monster Adam, gleefully separates the Scoobies from each other: Buffy and Riley have some tension when Angel briefly visits Sunnydale; Xander feels unwanted since he is not in college; Willow thinks the others are hostile toward her romantic relationship with Tara; Giles feels unneeded by the others.
Spike has killed two Slayers (Xin Rong and Nikki Wood), yet is unable to harm Buffy because of the Initiative chip in his head.
In the woods, Buffy encounters Forrest; they argue as they enter a cave and find Adam, who launches a surprise attack.
Riley is worried that Buffy has reunited with Angel, whom he thinks is evil again, or at least "all Mister Billowy Coat King of Pain.
Spike reports back to Adam, happy to have split up the Scooby Gang, and the damage becomes clear when their meeting at Giles's home turns into a fight.
While Tara and Anya hide in the bathroom, Buffy scolds Xander for telling Riley details about her and Angel's relationship and argues that she is going to take on Adam alone.
While Giles goes to sleep the alcohol off, Buffy leaves, telling her friends that she cannot use them in battle, but does have someone else she can depend on – little realizing that Riley has gone to Adam's lair.
Vox, ranking it at #96 of all 144 episodes on their "Worst to Best" list, writes, "Every so often, Buffy would be like, 'Hey, audience, do you remember that Spike is a villainous, treacherous killer?'
It's a clever title, and Spike and Adam's divide-and-conquer strategy is basic, but ingenious... Buffy breaking up the fight between Riley and Angel was funny...
It's nice, for example, that... writer Doug Petrie found time to show Willow and Tara talking about their plans for sophomore year, while playing with the cutest kitten ever born."
Yes, Adam may still be a bit pants as a villain, but it's great seeing him and Spike plan to destroy Buffy by making her friends fight.
Suddenly, all the little quirks of this season - Xander's jobs, Giles's drinking, Tara and Willow - all come together in a big, messy splat of a squabble.