Episode Trivia
Bill Norton
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Bill Norton directed the Buffy episode 6.21 Two To Go, and the Angel episodes 2.13 Happy Anniversary, 3.02 That Vision Thing, 3.12 Provider, 4.05 Supersymmetry, 4.12 Calvary and 5.05 Life Of The Party.
He has also directed episodes of John Doe, Hack, The Fugitive, Roswell, Them and The Invisible Man.
Billy Blim
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Billy was the nephew of Congressman Nathan Blim, with powerful people supporting him. He had the ability to draw male’s misogynistic feelings out through his touch or his blood. Billy took great pleasure in watching women get hurt. He was locked away in a hell dimension until Angel freed him in a deal with Lilah. He caused Wesley and Gunn to nearly kill Fred and unsuccessfully attempted to control Angel. After being hurt by his power, Lilah shot Billy at the airport as he tried to board a plane to Santa Monica in 3.06 Billy.
Billy’s release
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The man Angel frees from the fiery prison in 3.02 That Vision Thing is Billy Blim, who features in the episode Billy.
Charisma’s vision thing
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Charisma Carpenter (Cordelia) said the following to the BBC Cult website about acting her visions:
“The visions aren’t really too hard to play but I have to say I wouldn’t include in that statement the last episode I did (3.02 That Vision Thing). That’s episode two of the third season.
That that one was really tough because [there] is this stigmata effect where the visions start manifesting physically upon me. That was a little bit more challenging than I had anticipated. It wasn’t your basic ordinary vision.
They’re not that hard to play. I don’t know. if they’re believable, great, if they’re not then they’re really hard. “
Daniel Dae Kim
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Daniel Dae Kim played W&H lawyer Gavin Park in Angel. Born in Pusan, Korea, his family immigrated to the US when he was two years old, and he grew up in Pennsylvania. Daniel earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Haverford College in Theatre & Political Science, and spent a semester studying at the National Theatre Institute at the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center in Waterford, Connecticut. In 1993, Daniel started the MFA acting program at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, and graduated with a Masters in Acting in 1996. While in New York, he performed in original comedies that he co-wrote and performed in while part of an improv group.
After moving to Los Angeles in 1997, he has appeared in Lost, Crash, Spider-Man 2, 24, ER, Enterprise, Miss Match, Hulk, Cradle 2 the Grave, CSI, Charmed, Star Trek: Voyager, For Love of the Game, Party of Five, Seinfeld, The Jackal, Beverly Hills, 90210, Addicted to Love and Law & Order.
Daniel is married and has one son.
David Denman
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David Denman played Skip in Angel. He appeared in an episode of David Boreanaz’s show Bones as Phil Garfield, and played Roy in the US version of The Office. David has also appeared in When a Stranger Calls, Night Stalker, Big Fish, The Singing Detective, Out Cold, The X Files, Chicago Hope and ER.
Fez Boy
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In 3.02 That Vision Thing, Lilah hired a false-vision-creating, Fez-wearing demon to terrorize Cordelia. He gave Cordelia physically harming visions by exposing brain. After he freed Cordelia from her painful visions, Angel threw a re-bar through his brain, killing him.
Gavin Park
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Gavin Park was transferred from the Real Estate Division of Wolfram & Hart to the Special Projects Division, much to the surprise of Lilah Morgan. Parks decided to fight Angel his own way - by burying him in bureaucratic red tape, and building code violations. In the guise of showing interest in buying the Hyperion Hotel once its lease was up, he had the hotel checked for termites - and bugged. When Linwood was executed by his rival Lilah, Gavin began to grudgingly work for her. Gavin was turned into a zombie when The Beast rose from the ground and slaughtered all in Wolfram & Hart. He was killed by Gunn.
Gucci
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In 3.02 That Vision Thing, Cordelia refers to designer Gucci when she says of Gavin Parks:
“I’m sorry I didn’t hear you sneak up on us. Must be those tastefully expensive Gucci Loafers. Totally our fault.”
He Got Game
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Forrest, played by Leonard Roberts, tells Riley in 4.11 Doomed that he “don’t got game,” which is an in-joke because Leonard was in the 1998 movie He Got Game.
In 3.02 That Vision Thing, Gunn says:
“Damn. Grandma and grandpa got game.”
Justin Shilton
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Justin played the cop named Munroe in 7.19 Empty Places, and appeared in the Angel episodes 3.02 That Vision Thing and 3.06 Billy as Billy Blim. He has also been in The Aviator, Paper Cut, 60 Seconds and Don’t Let Go.
Kal Penn
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Kal Penn, who played Hunt in 4.05 Beer Bad, also played “Fez Boy” in the Angel episode 3.02 That Vision Thing. He can also be seen in Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle, The Arrangement, Cosmopolitan, Superman Returns, Love Don’t Cost a Thing, All About the Andersons and ER.
Lassie
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In 3.02 That Vision Thing, Fred and Cordelia say:
Fred: “Has - has anyone ever told you you’re exactly like Lassie? Yeah. You’re like Angel’s Lassie. Sure, he does most of the saving but it’s your visions that tell him that Timmy is trapped in the well, or the robbers are hiding in the barn. He really needs and depends on you.”
Cordy: “Well, thanks. I’d be flattered except for the Lassie being a dog part.”
They are referring to famous rough collie Lassie, who has starred in many TV and radio shows, movies and books, from 1938 to the present.
Lindsay’s sacrifice
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In 3.02 That Vision Thing, Lilah mentions her old colleague Lindsay McDonald, when she says,
“I have this office because I earned it. As did Lindsey. He sacrificed his flesh and blood for this company, literally had his hand cut off - fighting against Angel.”
Lindsay’s hand was cut off by Angel in To Shanshu in L.A.
Right as rain
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Buffy and Fred both make comments about being puzzled by the phrase, “Right as rain”. In 3.20 The Prom:
Buffy: “Right as rain, whatever that means.”
ans in 3.02 That Vision Thing:
Fred: “I-I never understood that saying ‘right as rain.’ How is rain right? Or wrong, for that matter. Okay, I suppose if there’s a flood it’s wrong.”
Skip
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Skip was a metal-clad unclassified demon who worked for the Powers That Be, by overlooking Billy’s torture in an unknown hell dimension in 3.02 That Vision Thing. His will kept Billy locked in the cage of flames while robbing him of his ability to scream. He fought Angel, who freed Billy to help Cordelia. Skip later appeared as Cordelia’s demon guide when her visions made her slip into a coma in 3.11 Birthday. He was responsible for showing her how her life could be without Angel, and making her part-demon when she refused to turn her back on her friend.
He assisted Cordelia to ascend and become a higher being, and later tried to further Jasmine’s coming by telling Angel to kill Cordelia in order to save the world. He was eventually shot and killed by Wesley.
Skip Schoolnik
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The recurring demon Skip got his name from Angel producer Skip Schoolnik. Skip (whose real name is Stuart) has also directed the movie Hide and Go Shriek and episodes of Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction. Skip has also edited several movies such as Halloween II, and TV shows including Knight Rider 2010, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
The Sound of Music
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After being possessed by Eyghon, Jenny says to Giles in 2.08 The Dark Age:
“I mean, I’m not running around, wind in my hair, ‘The hills are alive with the sound of music’ fine, but… I’m coping.”
This is a quote from the title song of the musical The Sound of Music (1959) written by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein. It was made into a movie starring Julie Andrews in 1965.
Buffy also mentions the song in 3.04 Beauty And The Beasts when she says:
“Three-dimensional, Sensurround, The Hills Are Alive…”
In 3.02 That Vision Thing, Lorne says:
“You’re Julie Andrews in The Sound of Music.”
The X Files
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The X Files was an influential TV show (1993-2002) following two FBI agents, Fox Mulder and Dana Scully, who investigate the unexplained. It has been mentioned in the Buffyverse on several occasions:
- In 1.06 The Pack, Buffy accuses Giles of trying to “Scully” her (Scully was sceptical about Mulder’s supernatural beliefs).
- In 4.02 Living Conditions, Buffy says about Kathy, “You’re right. Ooh! She’s even affecting my work, now. She’s the Titanic. She’s a crawling black cancer… She’s… other really bad things.” The “crawling black cancer” line is likely a reference to The X-Files. In the show, it’s an alien liquid organism which looks like oil. When someone is first infected by the black substance, it crawls up the body like bugs under the skin.
- In 6.05 Life Serial, the trio of nerds test Buffy using different methods, one of which being a time loop. Warren mentions a similar plot in an X Files episode “where the bank kept exploding”. The episode was called ‘Monday’ and was during season six of the show.
- In 6.11 Gone, Buffy says, “Xander and Anya are working on it. Mulder-ing out what happened.”
- The events of the episode 6.16 Hell’s Bells are similar to The X Files episode ‘Synchrony’, in which an elderly man travels back in time to try and stop his younger self (and others) from committing an act which will affect his future self. Perhaps Stewart Burns got his inspiration for his revenge on Anya from that episode? In addition, the actor who played the elderly man in ‘Synchrony’ was Michael Fairman, who also played Adelai Niska in Joss Whedon’s show Firefly.
- In the Angel episode 3.02 That Vision Thing, writer Jeffery Bell included a reference to a creature he created for The X Files episode “Alpha” called a Wanshang Dhole. Wesley says, “I think we might be looking either at a Wan Shan Dhole or a Cantonese Fook-beast”.
- In 1.19 Sanctuary, the following conversation takes place:
Kendrick: “Come on Kate. Everyone knows you’ve gone all Scully. Anytime one of these weird cases crosses anyone’s desk, you’re always there. We used to be friends - what’s going on with you?”
Kate: “Scully’s the sceptic”.
Kendrick: “Huh?”
Kate: “Mulder’s the believer, Scully’s the sceptic.”
Kendrick scratches his head: “…Scully’s the chick, right?” - The X Files returned the favour in it’s season nine episode ‘Daemonicus’ by referencing Buffy with the following dialogue:
Scully: “For the past eight years I was part of a unit known as the X-Files. Some of you may have heard of it.”
Cadet: “Ever slay a vampire?”
Scully: “Sorry to disappoint you, but this is a course in forensic pathology. Hard science. An X-File is a case that has been deemed unsolvable by the Bureau, because such a case cannot be solved it may beg other explanations… a vampire, perhaps.” - Buffy was referenced in the video game The X Files: Resist or Serve in the following conversation between Mulder and Scully:
Dana Scully: “Just because these girls have a high school fascination with witchcraft it doesn’t mean they’re raising the dead”.
Fox Mulder: “Saw them do it on Buffy“.
William Shatner
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In 3.02 That Vision Thing, Lorne says:
“Way outside my area of expertise, I should caution. But hey, who knew William Shatner could sing?”
William Shatner is a Canadian actor who gained fame for his starring role as Captain James T. Kirk in the TV show Star Trek. His musical career includes the 1968 album The Transformed Man and his 2004 second album Has Been. Shatner also provided vocals for “In Love” by Ben Folds on his Fear of Pop album.
In 6.22 Grave, after the Magic Box has been destroyed, a William Shatner book can be seen on the floor.