The Girl's Got Bite: The Original Unauthorized Guide to Buffy's World

by Kathleen Tracy

  BLOOPERS: When the girl in the mall is playing pinball in the closed arcade, her handbag moves up and down her arm from shot to shot.

  OF SPECIAL NOTE: The names of the characters Tector and Lyle Gorch were taken from characters in Sam Peckinpah’s film, The Wild Bunch.

  25. “Surprise”

  (JANUARY 19, 1998)

  Director: Michael Lange

  Teleplay: Marti Noxon

  Recurring cast: Seth Green (Oz); Robia La Morte (Jenny); Kristine Sutherland (Joyce Summers)

  Guest cast: Juliet Landau (Drusilla); James Marsters (Spike); Eric Saiet (Dalton); Vincent Schiavelli (Gypsy uncle); Brian Thompson (the Judge)

  Music: “Anything” by Cari Howe; “Transylvanian Concubine,” by Rasputina

  Plot: It’s Buffy’s birthday and everyone seems to have a surprise for her. Angel professes his love, the gang throws her a surprise party, and Drusilla is back with a vengeance—and an itch to annihilate the world.

  THIS WEEK’S HORROR: A revitalized Drusilla. In honor of her reacquired health, Dru is planning a coming-out party that will wreak horror and destruction on the world.

  INTRODUCING: Jenny Calendar’s true identity. She is Jana, a member of the Gypsy tribe who put the curse on Angel that restored his soul, after he killed their most beloved daughter.

  ANALYSIS: The series takes a giant dark turn beginning with this episode. Up until this point in the season, the overall tenor of Buffy has been relatively light, once Buffy was able to put her trauma over the Master to rest. But her suddenly disturbing dreams, in which she sees Drusilla killing Angel, are portents of an end to the relative calm that had been hovering over Sunnydale.

  In a surprising revelation, Jenny Calendar turns out to be much more than she seems, and is not in Sunnydale by accident. Originally sent to keep an eye on Angel, Jenny now finds herself torn between what her people expect of her, and what in her heart she knows to be true. Her Gypsy uncle is unmoved by Jenny’s pleas on Angel’s behalf—he objects that to honor the girl Angel killed, even one moment of happiness for him is too much.

  That moment happens after Buffy and Angel narrowly escape being charbroiled. Their brush with death emboldens Buffy, and she and Angel make love. The final scene, where Buffy is sleeping in pure contentment while Angel is propelled out into the street in searing agony, sets the stage for the next phase of their relationship.

  THE REAL HORROR: Juggling fear of loss with sexual responsibility. Now that Buffy has found the person she believes to be her true love, she lives in terror of losing Angel because, like any teenager experiencing their first true romantic love, she can’t imagine ever feeling this way again about someone. In Buffy’s case, there’s the added element that the future, and whether she’ll even have one, is a huge unknown. Although she doesn’t want to be careless or irresponsible, she also knows that as the Slayer, she truly might not live to see another day.

  In her dreams she sees Angel killed, and so the fear uppermost in her mind is his loss of existence. It doesn’t occur to her that Angel could be lost to her in another way: that the person she has fallen in love with—the soul she has fallen in love with—could change.

  IT’S A MYSTERY: Since when is Sunnydale a port city with cargo ships sailing in and out?

  What exactly does “one moment of true happiness” mean? This has been hotly debated, but the initial assumption that the phrase was euphemistic for “orgasm” was dispelled by David Greenwalt in an interview, who explained that Angel could have sex, but it was only by making love with his true love and soul mate—Buffy—that Angel would to lose his soul. Which is why Angel could sleep with Darla on Angel and retain his soul.

  BLOOPERS: In the dream sequence, the monkey switches directions as the scenes cut back and forth between Willow and Buffy.

  OF SPECIAL NOTE: Although Mercedes McNab, who plays Cordelia’s snotty friend Harmony, is listed in the opening credits, she doesn’t appear in this episode because her scene was cut. According to Joss Whedon, “Mercedes was in a scene where Cordy and Xander try to broach the idea of dating to their friends. Cordy mentions him to Harmony, who looks and sees him dancing like a fool for Willow. We were running long, it’s gone, but Mercedes is back soon.”

  Joss Whedon’s name is now “above the title” during on-air promotions: Joss Whedon’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

  26. “Innocence”

  (JANUARY 20, 1998)

  Director: Joss Whedon

  Teleplay: Joss Whedon

  Recurring cast: Seth Green (Oz); Robia La Morte (Jenny Calendar); Kristine Sutherland (Joyce Summers)

  Guest cast: Ryan Francis (soldier); Juliet Landau (Drusilla); James Lurie (teacher); Carla Madden (woman); James Marsters (Spike); Vincent Schiavelli (Gypsy uncle); Parry Shen (student); Brian Thompson (the Judge)

  Plot: Angel and Buffy consummate their relationship, but the joy Angel experiences has disastrous consequences. Willow discovers the truth about Xander’s relationship with Cordelia. Jenny and Giles become estranged after he learns her true identity.

  THIS WEEK’S NEMESIS: The Judge, an ancient demon who had been conjured “to rid the earth of the plague of humanity,” as the vampires like to say. The Judge was so powerful, he could not be killed. An army eventually subdued him and dismembered him, burying his different parts in various far reaches of the world.

  INTRODUCING: Angelus—you’ve heard about him! Now meet the vampire evil enough to have sat at the right hand of the Master, who makes even Spike look like a good-natured evil being. Also, Oz joins the inner circle.

  ANALYSIS: When things go bad in Sunnydale, they really go bad. First, Angel has reverted to Angelus after experiencing a “moment of true happiness” while making love to Buffy. Then Willow discovers Xander and Cordelia’s clandestine romance, which brings unexpressed feelings to the surface and marks an irrevocable change in their friendship.

  Most of the episode deals with Buffy’s confusion over Angel’s sudden disappearance after their night of passion. As confident as she is about her Slayer skills, she wears her insecurities about her sexual inexperience on her sleeve. She needs to be reassured by Angel, and when she can’t find him, she becomes increasingly vulnerable emotionally. When she finally tracks down Angel at his apartment, she finds him cool and aloof—and cruel. The encounter leaves Buffy the lowest she’s ever been, more demoralized even than when she was targeted by the Master.

  Buffy’s realization that she is the one responsible for “killing” Angel—and her inability to really kill him when she has the chance—will have painful consequences in episodes to come. When, later, her mother brings out a cupcake with a birthday candle on it, all Buffy can do is watch it burn down: all her wishes now gone the way of Angel’s soul.

  THE REAL HORROR: Loss of your first true love. In real life this happens whenever what was thought to be eternal love, turns out not to be—maybe because the couple grows apart, or one person loses interest and wants to move on. Few things are more demoralizing for teenage girls than to have their first sexual experience, only to find out the boy she gave her heart and body to, didn’t really love her the way she thought he did. But in Buffy’s world, Angel hasn’t changed simply because he’s looking for more wild oats to sow, but because he’s lost his soul.

  Now Buffy has to deal with two painful truths: the man she loves has literally been extinguished, and she’s in part responsible for the transformation.

  IT’S A MYSTERY: Does Oz have his van painted regularly or does he own a fleet of them? In the “Halloween” episode, his van was black-and-white-striped but now it’s a solid color.

  Just how big is Sunnydale? Not only is it a port city, as revealed in the previous episode, but it’s also the home of a fully equipped army base.

  BLOOPERS: The final shot of the previous episode had Angel kneeling in pouring rain calling for Buffy in a Streetcar Named Desire sort of way (reminiscent of Marlon Brando’s character standing at the window screaming, “Stellaaaa!”) However, at the
beginning of this episode, which picks right up where the previous episode, “Surprise,” left off, there’s no rain to be seen. Even Angel looks dry.

  Possibly the most notable blooper of the entire series takes place in this episode, the result of a major continuity gaffe. The sequence occurs this way:

  After Buffy runs out of the library in despair, Xander tells the group he has a plan that requires Cordelia’s help. They agree to meet at Willow’s house in a half hour, where they will hook up with Oz and his van.

  Cut to Buffy’s bedroom. She lies on her bed and cries herself to sleep, where she dreams about seeing Angel and Jenny at a funeral and Angel saying, “You can’t see what you don’t know.”

  Next scene shows Buffy storming into Ms. Calendar’s room and throttling her, demanding Jenny tell her what she knows. Buffy learns about the curse.

  Then, immediately after this, comes the scene where Xander and Cordelia are at the army base stealing a missile launcher—an event supposed to have occurred the night before.

  When asked about the error, Whedon owned up: “I was watching the final mix before air when I caught that huge mistake. No one else caught it but since I caused it, I get only tiny shriveled kudos. So my theory now is that he was having her come over to [Willow’s house] to practice being a trashy army girlfriend. We’ll just run with that, okay?”

  OF SPECIAL NOTE: Brian Thompson, who plays the Judge, appeared in the series pilot, “Welcome to the Hellmouth,” as Luke, the Master’s right-hand vamp who Buffy reduced to dust during the final fight scene in the Bronze.

  In a bit of synergy and advance promotion, one of the movie theaters at the mall is playing Quest for Camelot, which happens to be the name of an animated feature from Warner Bros. not due for release until May 1998.

  The movie Buffy is watching at the end of the episode is Stowaway, starring Shirley Temple.

  27. “Phases”

  (JANUARY 27, 1998)

  Director: Bruce Seth Green

  Teleplay: Rob Des Hotel and Dean Batali

  Recurring cast: Seth Green (Oz)

  Guest cast: Larry Bagby III (Larry); Keith Campbell (werewolf); Jack Conley (Cain); Camilla Griggs (gym teacher); Megahn Perry (Theresa Klusmeyer)

  Music: “Blind For Now,” by Lotion

  Plot: A werewolf is prowling Sunnydale and Buffy needs to capture the creature and find out who it is, before the bounty hunter in town who is out gunning for it. Xander unwittingly learns a fellow student’s secret. Willow is growing impatient with Oz, who’s being a bit too gentlemanly for her tastes.

  THIS WEEK’S NEMESIS: A werewolf. According to Giles’s research, a person inflicted with the curse transforms three nights a month—the night before the full moon, the night of the full moon, and the night after the full moon.

  INTRODUCING: Willow’s and Cordelia’s acceptance of each other. After weeks of tension caused by Willow’s discovery of Cordelia and Xander’s romance, Willow has accepted the relationship enough to where she feels comfortable talking to Cordelia about her frustration with Oz’s apparent reluctance to get physical.

  ANALYSIS: This episode has several story-line threads running through it. In a nice change of pace, the primary focus is on Willow and Oz, instead of Buffy’s trauma over the loss of Angel’s soul and his transformation back into Angelus, alleviating some of the intensity of the two previous episodes.

  This installment makes clear how much Willow’s character has grown since the series’ inception. She takes the initiative to confront Oz about why he’s hesitating with her. A year earlier, Willow never would have dreamed of being so bold, but her association with the Slayer has given her self-confidence. Ironically, though Oz turns out to be a werewolf, it appears Willow is going to be the more assertive partner in their relationship.

  THE REAL HORROR: Teenage mood swings. It’s not too far a stretch to see Oz’s transformation to a werewolf as being symbolic of the emotional ups and downs experienced by practically all teenagers as their bodies and psyches go through throes of growth that will eventually lead to adulthood. Oz, in fact, has no more control over the change in his appearance and character than does the teenager who one moment is a silly school kid and the next, an angst-filled pre-adult.

  Just as Oz can do nothing about his transformation except recognize the problem and learn to cope with it, teenagers can only ride the hormonal wave until it settles back down to a more manageable level.

  IT’S A MYSTERY: Why Oz waited until after his second transformation to call his aunt to see if Jordy was a werewolf. Didn’t he realize something was up the morning before, when he woke up somewhere outside, naked?

  BLOOPERS: While trapped in Cain’s net, Buffy’s flashlight goes on and off throughout the scene. After Willow falls in the woods, her clothes have visible dirt stains. But when she comes into the library in the very next scene, her clothes are completely clean. Giles’ glasses appear, then disappear, throughout the scene when he’s preparing the tranquilizer gun.

  OF SPECIAL NOTE: According to Alyson Hannigan, a scene was shot for this episode—which was later cut—where Cordelia and Willow get into a verbal catfight before turning their mutual aggression onto Xander, at which point they both hit him and knock him down. By the scene’s end, Cordelia and Willow have become more bonded, which explains why Willow and Cordelia are seen commiserating in the Bronze about their respective men.

  28. “Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered”

  (FEBRUARY 10, 1998)

  Director: James A. Contner

  Teleplay: Marti Noxon

  Recurring cast: Elizabeth Anne Allen (Amy); Seth Green (Oz); Robia La Morte (Jenny Calendar); Juliet Landau (Drusilla); James Marsters (Spike); Mercedes McNab (Harmony); Kristine Sutherland (Joyce Summers)

  Guest cast: Tamara Braun (student); Jennie Chester (Kate); Jason Hall (Devon); Scott Hamm (student); Kristen Winnicki (Cordette)

  Music: “Pain,” by Four Star Mary; “Drift Away,” by Naked; “Got the Love,” by the Average White Band

  Plot: After being rejected by Cordelia on Valentine’s Day, Xander plots revenge. He turns to witchcraft, but his plan to make Cordelia pine after him backfires, with potentially deadly consequences.

  THIS WEEK’S PREDICAMENT: Love potions—as explained by Giles, they are the most unpredictable of spells because when someone under the spell is rejected, their hurt can turn violent.

  INTRODUCING: Cordelia and Xander as an official couple, and Amy (first seen in Episode 2, “The Witch”) as a practicing witch.

  ANALYSIS: In this episode Xander and Cordelia finally must come to grips with their feelings for each other. After dumping him to remain cool in their friends’ estimation, Cordelia realizes that she’s become a follower, a sheep—and being a sheep is not cool. Even though Cordelia retains some of her superficiality, she also has shown enough growth to where she is more comfortable being her own person regardless of what others think. And Xander’s willingness to take on Cordelia’s image-conscious baggage shows his growth, to be able to follow his heart as well.

  THE REAL HORROR: Being the unwanted object of someone’s desire. Although not as poignant as unrequited love, unwanted crushes can be just as difficult to deal with. How does one make it clear in a nice way that someone’s romantic desire is not returned? Especially, as in the case of Xander and Willow, when the person happens to be a friend?

  The case of Buffy and Angel is a darker example of unrequited obsession, with Angel in essence stalking Buffy, determined to kill her so he can have her with him forever, in the same way a jilted lover turns violent when rejected. It’s hard enough for adults to deal rationally with rejected desire, but it’s especially difficult for teenagers, whose emotions are heightened to begin with. Recent real-life events in which spurned students have gone on shooting rampages at their schools reflects the depth and intensity youthful obsession can reach. The love potion Xander has Amy cast is symbolic of this occasionally out-of-control hormonal state that afflicts nearly all high s
choolers.

  BLOOPERS: The board Xander nails onto the basement doorjamb appears to move from one shot to the next.

  29. “Passion”

  (FEBRUARY 24, 1998)

  Director: Michael E. Gershman

  Teleplay: Ty King

  Recurring cast: Juliet Landau (Drusilla); Robia La Morte (Ms. Calendar); James Marsters (Spike); Kristine Sutherland (Joyce Summers)

  Guest cast: Richard Assad (shop owner); Richard Hoyt Miller (policeman); Danny Strong (Jonathan)

  Music: “Never an Easy Way,” by Morcheeba

  Plot: Angel’s obsession with Buffy takes a dark and deadly turn, putting everyone around her at risk.

  THIS WEEK’S ANGUISH: Regret.

  INTRODUCING: The darkest side of Angel.

  ANALYSIS: Of all the episodes, “Passion” is probably the most viscerally disturbing, because of the unexpected death of Jenny Calendar. Even though by now everyone knows that creator Joss Whedon has no qualms about killing off recurring characters, never before has such a regularly recurring character died. And seldom has a death been as upsetting, because of the prolonged chase, with Jenny running for her life from Angel.

  Viewers have gotten used to seeing Buffy, Willow, Giles, Xander, and Cordelia in life-threatening situations, only to be saved at the last minute. But there will be no last-second reprieve for Jenny this time. And what makes her demise all the more poignant is that she has just begun to mend bridges with Buffy and Giles. The scene in which Giles comes home in anticipation of a romantic evening with Jenny, to find her dead body in his bed, is especially disturbing.

  The shot of Angel peeking through the window, smiling at the pain he’s caused, reinforces his title as “television’s most evil villain.”

  THE REAL HORROR: Realization of mortality. Even though Buffy and her friends have seen more death than any big-city homicide detective, for the most part they were all able to maintain enough emotional distance to keep it from paralyzing them. But Jenny’s death is extremely personal, especially for Buffy, who must live with the knowledge that Jenny would be alive if Buffy had followed her duty and killed Angel when she had the chance.