The Girl's Got Bite: The Original Unauthorized Guide to Buffy's World
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Jean Speegle Howard, the actress who plays the “real” Natalie French, was the mother of actor-turned-director Ron “Opie” Howard (she died in 2000).
5. “Never Kill a Boy on the First Date”
(MARCH 31, 1997)
Director: David Semel
Teleplay: Rob Des Hotel and Dean Batali
Recurring cast: David Boreanaz (Angel); Andrew J. Ferchland (Colin, the boy in the bus); Mark Metcalf (the Master)
Guest cast: Geoff Meed (bus passenger); Robert Mont (bus driver); Christopher Wiehl (Owen);
Music: “Strong” (first song Buffy and Owen dance to) and “Treason” (next song they dance to), by Velvet Chain, from the Groovy Side, “Let the Sun Fall Down” (when Buffy tells Owen they should just be friends), by Kim Richey, from Kim Richey.
Plot: Buffy develops a crush on sensitive, poetry-loving Owen, who asks her out on her first date since moving to Sunnydale. But her night of hoped-for romance is interrupted by a new prophesy the Master is bent on seeing fulfilled in order to gain his freedom.
THIS WEEK’S PROPHECY: A great warrior vampire will “be born” and become the Master’s secret weapon against the Slayer and ultimately lead her to doom, although exactly how he’s supposed to do that remains a mystery at this point.
INTRODUCING: The Anointed One. Through this vampire, the Master plans on both killing Buffy and gaining his freedom so the “old ones” can once again rule Earth. The twist here is that instead of being one of the more violent, nastier-looking adult vampires, the Anointed One is a little boy, someone Buffy would never suspect of being an evil creature intent on seeing her dead—until it’s too late. The Anointed One’s role in this episode is limited to a surprise introduction at the end but the character becomes the focal point of the story line in the season finale, “Prophecy Girl” (Episode 12).
ANALYSIS: Buffy is going through some typical adolescent growing pains in this episode, complicated by her secret life as the Slayer. Still holding on to the hope of being able to resume a fairly normal social life, Buffy is thrilled when Sunnydale’s resident brooding, sensitive, poetry-loving hunk takes an interest in her. So what if some apocalyptic prophecy is about to be set into motion? She’d rather go on a date.
The only reason Giles is doing what is actually Buffy’s job, is his guilt over her destiny, which is more evident here than in past episodes. Rather than pull Watcher rank and insist she do her Slayerly duties, he relents because he empathizes with her longing to be free from—at least for a night—the weight of being the world’s savior—just as he once longed to live the life of a grocer, blissfully ignorant of all the evil lurking in the shadows of the Watcher’s world.
Buffy’s sense of duty finally kicks in, but her lapse in responsibility may have disastrous consequences. Although she saved Giles and the others by incinerating the vampire believed to be the Anointed One, she is too distracted to consider the possibility he wasn’t the Anointed One after all—a fact that will come back to haunt her in Episode 12, “Prophecy Girl.”
THE REAL HORROR: Responsibility and sacrifice. One of the more sobering passages into maturity—except for those suffering from permanent arrested development—is the realization we won’t always be able to follow our heart’s fondest desire. Sometimes we either have to choose responsibility over selfish indulgence, or sacrifice our personal needs and wants for the greater good. It can be a really depressing revelation, especially when it involves a potential love interest.
Just as some of life’s greatest romances are ultimately unable to overcome fundamental obstacles such as religious differences, political beliefs, or even jobs that cause long separations, Buffy is forced to acknowledge that being the Slayer puts a serious but necessary damper on your social and love life. While most teens simply incur heartbreak or angry parents when they make irresponsible choices, Buffy’s margin of error is much less and with much greater consequences. It would not only be irresponsible on Buffy’s part to knowingly put Owen at risk, but pursuing a relationship of any kind with someone outside the inner Slayer circle could put Xander, Willow, and Giles at risk as well.
Just like the overextended parent who fleetingly wonders what it would be like to have absolutely nobody to care for but themselves, or the executive who daydreams of leaving behind the stress and pressure of corporate America for a simpler, downsized way of life, Buffy learns that at the end of the day, being an adult—or being a Slayer—means having to take into consideration how our actions affect the people around us. We might be answerable only to ourselves, but we are responsible to everyone we make a part of our lives.
BLOOPERS: When the shuttle bus is first seen from far away, all of the lights inside the bus are on and brightly lit. But when the camera cuts to an interior shot of the bus and its passengers, all the lights are off.
OF SPECIAL NOTE: Because he’s under his vampire makeup, viewers may not recognize Mark Metcalf, who appeared on Seinfeld in the recurring part of “the Maestro.” But Metcalf’s signature role is still as Douglas C. Neidermeyer in National Lampoon’s Animal House.
MUSICAL NOTE: The group performing during Owen and Buffy’s date at the Bronze is Velvet Chain.
6. “The Pack”
(APRIL 7, 1997)
Director: Bruce Seth Green
Teleplay: Matt Kiene and Joe Rinkmeyer
Recurring cast: Ken Lerner (Principal Flutie)
Guest cast: David Brisbin (Mr. Anderson); Jeff Maynard (Lance); Justin Jon Ross (Joey); Jeffrey Steven Smith (Adam); James Stephens (zookeeper); Barbara Whinnery (Mrs. Anderson); Gregory White (Coach Herrold); Eion Bailey, Michael McRaine, Brian Gross, and Jennifer Sky (the Pack)
Music: “All You Want” (when Xander joins Buffy and Willow at the Bronze), by Dashboard Prophets, from Burning Out the Inside; “Reluctant Man” (as the Pack enters the Bronze), by Sprung Monkey from Swirl: “Job’s Eyes” (as the Pack prowls among the students in slow-mo), by Far, from Tin Cans and Strings for You
Plot: During a field trip to the zoo, Xander and a gang of four school bullies become possessed by the spirit of a vicious hyena. With Xander as pack leader, they start a reign of terror at Sunnydale High. Buffy and Giles need to figure out how to exorcise the evil spirit before it permanently takes over Xander’s soul.
THIS WEEK’S EVIL: Transpossession—which is when a person becomes possessed by the spirit of an animal, most often a predator of some kind. Certain tribes, including the Maasai in Africa, believe an animal spirit can inhabit the body of a human, thereby elevating the person to a higher, purer spiritual plane.
INTRODUCING: The primal side of Xander. After he’s taken over by the hyena spirit, Xander’s more “basic instinct” side emerges, where hedonistic desires flourish without any tempering codes of social conduct. Normally his love for Buffy, combined with common courtesy and manners, would prevent him from going after her like an animal in heat, but as hyena-boy, he just follows his urges.
ANALYSIS: If there was any doubt left about Willow’s feelings for Xander, or his attraction to Buffy, it’s completely dispelled in this episode. It’s also clear that the thing Willow finds most attractive about him in a romantic sense—and Buffy, on a friendship level—is Xander’s good-natured personality, because when he comes into the Bronze after the field trip and starts acting in a more “male animal” fashion, both Willow and Buffy are instinctively put off by him.
When Xander nearly rapes Buffy, his claim that he’s only being what Buffy finds attractive—dark and dangerous à la Angel—strikes at the heart of the Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus–type misunderstanding between the sexes. While Buffy does find Angel’s sexiness and attractiveness heightened by his mysterious aura, in her fantasies about him she’s not in any kind of real jeopardy because she’s the one controlling the situation. But as soon as Xander pins her against the wall, their encounter automatically becomes about power, not attraction—which is why she then hits him with a desk.
The episode takes a sharp turn to t
he dark side, first with Xander and his group eating Herbert the pig, Sunnydale’s mascot, followed by the cannibalistic murder of Principal Flutie by the other members of the Pack, minus Xander. Whether intended or not, Flutie’s death at the hands of his students can be seen as a symbolic morality play about the alarming escalation of juvenile crime that is just as much of a problem in the suburbs as in the inner city.
While the events of this episode threatened to destroy their friendship forever, in the end, after the hyena spirit is released from Xander, the bond between Buffy, Willow, and Xander is strengthened by the girls’ ability to forgive, and Xander’s pretense of forgetting what happened.
THE REAL HORROR: Predators, sexual or social. The modern extreme is gangs, but less dramatic examples can be found in every school where packs of students, both male and female, are on the prowl. In this episode, Xander and his hyena-possessed crew represent the primal behavior that teenagers can fall into when in groups. Case in point—Spring Break in Fort Lauderdale, or Palm Springs, or any place where hordes of hormonally charged teenagers and young adults gather. Xander’s overt sexual aggression toward Buffy reflects the kind of disparity there can be between male and female sexuality during the teen years, and serves as a powerful analogy for the intense drive young men experience as their hormones go into overdrive. In fact, Xander and the Pack’s behavior is so typical of many teenagers, especially boys, that Giles dismisses Buffy’s concern.
BLOOPERS: When Willow is in the library supposedly watching a clip about hyenas that is playing on the computer, the animals shown with the white fluffy tails are not hyenas, but a type of wild dog.
OF SPECIAL NOTE: The actor who plays Dr. Anderson, the father of the family in the van, played Mr. Ernst on Nickelodeon’s Hey, Dude. Eion Bailey was one of the stars of Significant Others, the short-lived Fox series by the creators of Party of Five.
7. “Angel”
(APRIL 14, 1997)
Director: Scott Brazil
Teleplay: David Greenwalt
Recurring cast: Julie Benz (Darla); David Boreanaz (Angel); Andrew J. Ferchland (Colin/the Anointed One); Mark Metcalf (the Master); Kristine Sutherland (Joyce Sutherland)
Guest cast: Charles Wesley (Lead Vampire of the Three)
Music: The song playing over the final scene between Buffy and Angel in the Bronze is “I’ll Remember You,” by Sophie Zelmani.
Plot: It’s the best of times and the worst of times for Buffy. The good news: Angel loves her. The bad news: He’s a 240-year-old vampire.
THIS WEEK’S KILLER VAMPIRES: Tired of Buffy killing off his family, the Master calls upon warrior vampires—the Three—to kill her. When they fail, Darla, the vampire who dresses like a schoolgirl, takes it upon herself to get rid of Buffy.
INTRODUCING: Angel’s history and Xander’s dancing. In the opening scene, Willow looks on lovingly as Xander jerks and gyrates his way across the dance floor. Due to the response of fans, more of Xander’s inimitable style will be seen in future episodes. More seriously, both the dark and sensitive sides of Angel are revealed as the truth about his past is uncovered.
ANALYSIS: Buffy is both surprised and thrilled to discover that Angel returns her romantic feelings. But this is a horror series and nothing will be easy, especially love. Just as it seems Buffy’s deepest desire may come true and she may experience her sensual awakening with the man she loves, Angel shows his true face and it’s not a pretty sight.
Trust is a major theme of this episode, with Buffy ultimately trusting her instinct that Angel is not a monster—even though she makes a halfhearted attempt to kill him when she is under the mistaken belief, courtesy of Darla, that he attacked her mother Joyce.
Joyce Summers’s character is also fleshed out further in this episode. For, whatever traumas caused them to leave Los Angeles, mother and daughter are shown to have a close, respectful relationship. Despite all the problems her daughter has experienced, in and out of school, Joyce is surprisingly trusting of Buffy, especially when finding Buffy at home with an obviously older man.
Angel offers proof of his love for Buffy by killing Darla, the vampire who “made” him, knowing that her death will forever brand him an outcast among his people. This sacrifice helped cement Angel as one of the contemporary television’s most romantic characters.
THE REAL HORROR: The realization that love isn’t always enough to overcome every obstacle facing a relationship—that there are circumstances beyond the couple’s control that will ultimately determine its success or failure. This never seems as true as it is for teenagers.
And the impact of unrequited, unrealized passion is magnified in youth. First loves are so intense and the emotions behind them so exposed and raw because teens haven’t yet learned to protect themselves; they haven’t formed the emotional calluses that come with age, experience, and previous loss. Buffy and Angel’s apparent hopeless, Romeo and Juliet situation represents any relationship conspired against by culture, parental disapproval, age, or circumstances.
IT’S A MYSTERY: When did Buffy call Giles and tell him about being attacked by three vampires? All we see is Buffy taking Angel home, encountering her surprised mom, then going upstairs to go to sleep.
BLOOPERS: When Buffy is walking home early in the episode, she walks past a store window lit in a greenish hue. After walking several steps, she hears a sound, stops a moment, then keeps walking—right past the exact same green-lit window.
When Buffy is training with Giles in the library, she is wearing pants and a blue T-shirt. In the very next scene, she walks into her bedroom, says hi to Angel and offers him some food while dressed in a white dress.
During Buffy’s confrontation with Angel in the Bronze, she puts down her crossbow, walks three or four steps to stand next to him, and dares him to kill her. But when Darla appears, Buffy—who is still next to Angel—is able to just flip the crossbow up into her hand because it is suddenly right next to her foot. Also, how come Darla never has to reload her guns?
OF SPECIAL NOTE: Kristine Sutherland, who plays Buffy’s mom, is married to former Mad About You co-star John Pankow.
8. “I, Robot—You, Jane”
(APRIL 28, 1997)
Director: Stephen Posey
Teleplay: Ashley Gable and Thomas A. Swyden
Recurring cast: Robia La Morte (Ms. Calendar)
Guest cast: Mark Deakins (voice of Moloch); Edith Fields (nurse); Chad Lindberg (Fritz); Pierrino Mascarino (Thelonius); Jamison Ryan (Dave)
Plot: Willow accidentally scans a demon trapped in an ancient book into the school computer. Once free to roam through the world’s computers via telecommunication lines, Moloch has some cyberfollowers build him a robot body. His plan is to first kill Willow, Buffy, and Xander then wreak havoc and destruction on the world—unless Giles and Ms. Calendar, the computer-science teacher, can find a way to stop him.
* * *
MOLOCH
There really is a record of a demon named Moloch. He was a Canaanite deity associated with human sacrifices, primarily sacrifices of children. In areas where he was worshipped, a bronze statue with the head of an ox and body of a man would be erected and infants would be placed in it to burn to death. He is usually depicted as an old man with ram’s horns, holding a scythe. For the literary-minded, Moloch is mentioned in Milton’s Paradise Lost, in book 6, line 365:
“Touch of Evil”
Touch of evil
On the faithful bestowed
Burn for Moloch
Sacrificial inferno
Submitting the offspring
Swallowed in flames
Baptismal immolation
Another soul claimed
Hell on earth
The pagan returns
To please the deity
Children shall burn
Your children are mine
Placate me with them
You worshipped before
You will kneel again
As the young are scorched
&n
bsp; We welcome the end
The lord of the altar of incense unleashed
Apocalypse begins.
* * *
THIS WEEK’S DEMON: Moloch the Corruptor, whose specialty was seducing the young and innocent into doing his evil bidding. He was only stopped after his soul was imprisoned by medieval monks in an ancient tome, where he was destined to remain until the words of the book were read aloud. Apparently, scanning served the same purpose.
INTRODUCING: Ms. Jenny Calendar, computer-science teacher and self-described technopagan. A child of the Information Age, Ms. Calendar butts heads, taunts, and openly flirts with computerphobic, bibliophilic Giles. When Giles needs help to rid the Internet of Moloch, it’s Jenny who arranges for an online circle to exorcise the demon from cyberspace. She points out to Giles that the mystical world isn’t limited to ancient texts and relics—that the divine also exists in cyberspace. Jenny’s knowledge of and belief in prophecies and other mystical events and creatures foreshadows her future inclusion in the Slayer’s inner circle.
ANALYSIS: This time it is Willow’s turn to try her hand at Hellmouth romance. But even though Willow is smitten with her wooing suitor, she’s not one to completely lose her senses. When Malcolm slips up and reveals that he’s been checking up on Buffy, Willow grows leery. She is obviously more loyal to proven friend Buffy than to an unknown would-be boyfriend. Willow might be lonely and desperate for some romantic attention, but she’s not going to lose her head—at least not figuratively.
In an evocative scene, Willow goes after Moloch, venting her hurt feelings and frustration at being lied to and manipulated, revealing just how much of an Achilles’ heel her loneliness is. After Buffy tricks Moloch into short-circuiting himself, Buffy, Willow, and Xander compare their unlucky-in-love track records, and like many teenagers who remain out of the dating loop, come to the conclusion they will never find a relationship the way other people do.