Episode Trivia
Additional scenes
details | 1 comment | suggested by Angelus
Various scenes were added in to 1.02 The Harvest as the episode was too short. These include the scene where Willow and Xander talk in the halls, the scene where the Master pokes out the vampire’s eye, the scene where Cordelia talks about seniors in the Bronze and the scene where the vampires run out by Angel.
Angel in the mausoleum
details | 6 comments | suggested by stephanieisit
When Buffy goes to the mausoleum during school hours in 1.02 The Harvest, Angel appears behind her to try and stop her going into the sewers. It’s the middle of the day - how did Angel get to the mausoleum? He didn’t come from underground because Buffy’s facing the entrance to the sewers and it’s daytime so how did he get all the way through the graveyard without being burnt to a crisp?
Angel’s cross
details | 2 comments | suggested by Jess
Angel gave Buffy a cross necklace when he first met her in 1.01 Welcome To The Hellmouth. She can be seen wearing the necklace in 1.02 The Harvest and 1.12 Prophecy Girl. The cross is later seen in 2.14 Innocence, hanging on Buffy’s nightstand. She holds the cross for a moment before breaking into tears over the loss of Angel.
Blow out
details | add a comment | suggested by Jess
Willow says to Buffy at the end of 1.02 The Harvest:
“Maybe you could blow something up. They’re really strict about that.”
Buffy blew up the school in 3.22 Graduation Day (Part Two).
Boca del Infierno
details | 6 comments | suggested by Jess
Sunnydale was called “Boca del Infierno” by the first Spanish settlers there. Roughly translated, it means ‘Hellmouth’. Giles told the Scoobies this information in 1.02 The Harvest.
Brian Thompson
details | 4 comments | suggested by Jess
Brian Thompson played Luke in 1.01 Welcome To The Hellmouth and 1.02 The Harvest and The Judge in 2.13 Surprise and 2.14 Innocence. Brian has played a shape shifting character on two different shows: The X-Files and Birds of Prey. Brian has also been in Charmed (as Cronus in ‘Oh My Goddess’), Falcon Crest, Three Amigos, Star Trek: Generations, Walker, Texas Ranger, Dragonheart, Perfect Target and Knight Rider.
Cemetary
details | 1 comment | suggested by Jess
Some graveyard scenes were shot at the Angelus Rosedale cemetery (yes, really!) in Los Angeles, which can be found at 1831 W. Washington Blvd. In season two, the crew built their own fake graveyard in the parking lot of the Buffy studios, which made filming easier.
Cymbalism
details | 4 comments | suggested by Jess
Buffy used a cymbal as a Frisbee to behead a vampire in 1.02 The Harvest. This scene was edited out when first shown on the BBC.
Darla dead?
details | 2 comments | suggested by Angelus
Darla was originally supposed to be killed in the end of 1.02 The Harvest when Willow threw holy water on her, but a more interesting storyline for episode seven (1.07 Angel) was needed so they kept her in the show.
Dashboard Prophets
details | 1 comment | suggested by Jess
The band Dashboard Prophets can be heard in the Bronze in 1.02 The Harvest. We hear their tracks “Ballad For Dead Friends” (as the vampires approach the Bronze) and “Wearing Me Down” (Cordelia says she loves the song). Both songs are from their album Burning Out The Inside.
We also hear “All You Want” (from the same album) in 1.06 The Pack in the Bronze, near the beginning of the episode.
Deborah Brown
details | add a comment | suggested by Jess
Deborah Brown appeared in 1.02 The Harvest as ‘Girl’. She has also appeared in Undressed, USA High, Baywatch Nights, A Twist of the Knife and Seven Hours to Judgment. She is a casting director.
Dusting vampires
details | 4 comments | suggested by Jess
When vampires are killed (via wooden stakes, sunlight or beheading), they turn to dust. The Scoobies use the word as a verb to describe killing a vampire (i.e. “We dusted him”). The first person to use the word in this way on the show was Buffy in 1.02 The Harvest, “So, I dust anyone sporting that symbol, and no Harvest”.
‘Dusting’ a vampire using computer graphics cost $5,000 per vampire.
Harvest time
details | add a comment | suggested by Jess
1.02 The Harvest was a ritual to release The Master, and reopen Sunnydale’s Hellmouth. In the episode 1.02 The Harvest, the Master joined his power with a ‘vessel’ (the vampire Luke) who then set about feeding from humans to give sustenance to the Master. Buffy killed Luke before he succeeded in setting the Master free.
Hellmouth and Harvest
details | add a comment | suggested by Jess
1.02 The Harvest was originally aired with Welcome to the Hellmouth as one episode. It was then later split into two episodes. Some versions of 1.02 The Harvest episode have a “previously on Buffy the Vampire Slayer” re-cap of the events of Welcome to the Hellmouth at the beginning, others do not.
Holy Water
details | 1 comment | suggested by Jess
Holy Water is water that has been blessed by a member of the clergy. Like other religious symbols (such as the crucifix) it burns vampires, and can even kill them if it touches them in large amounts. Holy water has been used as a weapon occasionally in the Buffyverse:
- In 1.02 The Harvest, Willow threw holy water on Darla.
- In 2.10 What’s My Line? (Part Two), Drusilla tortured Angel by dripping holy water on him.
- Buffy tricked Zachary Kralik into drinking holy water in 3.12 Helpless.
- In 3.08 Lover’s Walk, Buffy, Angel and Spike warded off attacking vampires by throwing holy water at them.
- Buffy gave Andrew a bottle of holy water as a weapon in 7.11 Showtime. Later, when the Scoobies and the Potentials hide while Buffy distracts the Turok-Han, Buffy takes the bottle from Andrew and then uses it against the Turok-Han, smashing it in the face.
James A. Contner
details | add a comment | suggested by Jess
James A. Contner was a co-producer and regular director on Buffy. He directed 19 episodes, and also write episodes of Angel (on which he was also a co-producer) and Firefly. James has also worked on Midnight Caller, Miami Vice, Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, SeaQuest DSV, Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, American Gothic, Dark Skies, The X-Files and Charmed.
Jeffrey Steven Smith
details | add a comment | suggested by Jess
Jeffrey Steven Smith appeared in 1.02 The Harvest (in Cordelia’s computer class) and 1.06 The Pack (asking Xander about the lead guitarist of a band). In 1.02 The Harvest, Jeffrey he had a very distinct So-Cal accent but the accent was gone when he appeared in 1.06 The Pack, so he was obviously playing a different character.
Jesse
details | 2 comments | suggested by Jess
Jesse was the best friend of Willow and Xander. Jesse had a thing for Cordelia, who constantly rebuffed him. Jesse chatted up Darla in The Bronze, not realising she was a vampire. She took him to the Master, and Jesse was killed and sired by vampires to be used as bait. Jesse was staked by Xander, who never mentioned his friend again.
Jesse in the credits
details | 5 comments | suggested by Angelus
Joss Whedon said that he has always wanted to put a character in the credits the episode where he/she died, and had planned to do this in the opening credits in the first few episodes with Jesse (who was killed in 1.02 The Harvest) to show that the show had lots of surprises. He wasn’t able to make it because he didn’t have the money at the time to make another set of credits.
John T Kretchmer
details | add a comment | suggested by Jess
John T. Kretchmer directed the episodes 1.02 The Harvest and 2.03 School Hard. He was Assistant Director of Jurassic Park. He has also directed episodes of Birds of Prey (which featured Brian Thompson, who played Luke in 1.02 The Harvest), Charmed, Dark Angel, Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: Voyager and Xena: Warrior Princess.
Kerry Zook
details | add a comment | suggested by Jess
Kerry Zook played Luke’s first victim in 1.02 The Harvest. She has also appeared in The X Files and USA High and is a producer.
Luke
details | add a comment | suggested by Jess
Luke was a vampire and Arnold Schwarzenegger lookalike, seen in season one. He was an incredibly strong member of The Master’s Brethren of Aurelius who was chosen to become the vessel. Once every 100 years, the Master was able to gain power through a ritual called the Harvest. After a brief ceremony in which blood was painted on Luke’s face, the Master said, “Every soul he takes will feed me. Their souls will grant me the strength to free myself.” Luke headed to the Bronze to kill victims to give the Master strength, but he was staked by Buffy in 1.02 The Harvest.
Mark Metcalf
details | add a comment | suggested by Jess
Mark Metcalf, who played the Master, was born in Findlay, Ohio, in 1946. He has had numerous roles in TV and film, most notably in National Lampoon’s Animal House as Niedermayer and as The Maestro in Seinfeld. Mark has also been in Teen Angel, Ally McBeal, Star Trek: Voyager, Melrose Place, Party of Five and Hill Street Blues. He played the father in Twisted Sister’s “We’re Not Gonna Take It” video.
Master
details | 3 comments | suggested by Jess
The Master was an ancient vampire, who celebrated the Old Ones, a race of demons who walked the earth before humanity. These Old Ones were under the Hellmouth and it was the Master’s wish to free them and let them roam the Earth again. The Master sired Darla in the Virginia colony in 1609 and she joined his Order of Aurelius before leaving with Angel. The Master tried to open the Hellmouth in 1937, but a huge earthquake rocked the area, trapping most of the town, and the Master himself. He tried to get free several times and it wasn’t until Giles found a prophecy saying that Buffy would face the Master and die that he managed to free himself. Buffy confronted the Master, who drank her blood and threw her in a pool of water, killing her. The power the Master got from Buffy’s blood freed him and some tentacled monsters, and he headed into fresh air to cause some trouble. Luckily Buffy was given CPR by Xander and she managed to kill the Master by throwing him on some broken wood, staking him.
Phlebotnum
details | 2 comments | suggested by cardboardy
Phlebotnum, a term coined by David Greenwalt according to Joss Whedon’s commentary for 1.02 The Harvest, means any magical or mystical force or event that arises in the process of inventing the Buffy mythology/ or advancing the plot. Joss mentions phlebotnum in his commentaries for Lessons and 7.22 Chosen, and David Greenwalt discusses it in another commentary, saying, “for god’s sake, don’t touch the phlebotnum in jar C!”
It may or may not be coincidence that the prefix ‘phleb-’ mean vein, and ‘phlebotomy’ is the practice of letting blood for transfusion, diagnosis or experiment. So ‘phlebotnum’, were it a word, would probably mean ‘blood’.
Plot devices
details | add a comment | suggested by Jess
Joss Whedon admits that computers came to function as a “shameless” plot mechanism on Buffy. Willow is able to hack into just about any website or database and acquire any information the narrative might require. To sell the show to the WB, Joss came up with the idea of the Hellmouth. He admits it became a handy shortcut way of explaining the inexplicable.
Quite different
details | add a comment | suggested by Jess
In 1.02 The Harvest, Giles says that the next threat they face may be something quite different from vampires. This foreshadows the events of the very next episode, in which the Scoobies are faced with a powerful witch.
Screen shots
details | 1 comment | suggested by Jess
Watch out for the scene in 1.02 The Harvest where Luke kneels before The Master. Joss Whedon was sufficiently embarrassed about the way it was shot (making it look as though Luke was giving the Master ‘pleasure’) to apologise for it in his commentary for the season one DVD.
Sprung Monkey
details | add a comment | suggested by Jess
The first ever band to play at the Bronze was Sprung Monkey in 1.01 Welcome To The Hellmouth. They play “Things Are Changing” from their album Swirl as Buffy leaves the Bronze looking for Willow, and “Believe”, from the same album, as Buffy enters the Bronze for the first time. They also play “Swirl” in the Bronze. We hear their song “Saturated” (from the album Swirl) as Buffy is choosing an outfit.
Their song “Right My Wrong” (again from Swirl) can be heard in 1.02 The Harvest as Buffy attempts to leave the school, and “Reluctant Man” (Swirl) can be heard in 1.06 The Pack when the bullies enter The Bronze.
Teddy Lane Jnr.
details | add a comment | suggested by Jess
Teddy played the Bouncer at the Bronze in 1.01 Welcome To The Hellmouth and 1.02 The Harvest. He has also been in Bringing Down the House, Strong Medicine, V.I.P, and The One.
The earth is doomed
details | 6 comments | suggested by Jess
After listening to the Scoobies talking teenage nonsense in 1.02 The Harvest, Giles says, “The Earth is doomed.” He says almost the same thing in 7.22 Chosen - “The Earth is definitely doomed.”
The Wild Bunch
details | add a comment | suggested by Jess
The 1969 film The Wild Bunch by Sam Peckinpah is one of Joss Whedon’s favourites. It is mentioned in Buffy. In 1.02 The Harvest, Buffy advised her friends, “Don’t go wild bunch on me” before they entered the Bronze. In 6.02 Bargaining (Part Two), Xander called the demons who raided Sunnydale the “wild bunch”.
Lyle and Techtor Gorch, who appeared in 2.12 Bad Eggs, are named after characters from The Wild Bunch. In that movie, the Gorches were brothers in William Holden’s gang, played by Warren Oates and Ben Johnson. Pike from the Buffy movie was named after William Holden’s character in The Wild Bunch and Angel was another character from the film.
To the end
details | 2 comments | suggested by Jess
Angel and Spike are the only two characters to appear in the final episodes of both Buffy the Vampire Slayer (7.22 Chosen) and Angel (5.22 Not Fade Away).
Additionally, Angel and Harmony (who first appeared in 1.02 The Harvest) are the only characters to appear in the premiere of Buffy and the finale of Angel. The episodes 1.01 Welcome To The Hellmouth and 1.02 The Harvest were initially shown together as a two-hour premiere of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Watch your damn step
details | add a comment | suggested by Abby M.
In 1.02 The Harvest, Angel is outside the Bronze when Buffy stops the Harvest from occuring. Angel says, “I’ll be damned.” This is true as he is actually a damned soul. He then walks away and the door behind him reads, “Watch Your Step.” This is possibly intended to warn the viewer of the dangers of getting involved with Angel.
We’re atheists right?
details | 5 comments | suggested by pie20spike
It’s incredibly strange that crosses/holy water hurt vampires, as Giles tells the Scoobies in 1.02 The Harvest that demons roamed the Earth for centuries before Christianity even began.
Xander’s first vampire kill
details | add a comment | suggested by Jess
Xander staked his first vampire in 1.02 The Harvest - and the vampire just happened to be his best friend Jesse. It was an accident, though, as Jesse was pushed onto an out-turned stake held by Xander. Ironically, he was taunting Xander that he couldn’t kill him at the time.
[Goof] Disappearing necklace
details | add a comment | suggested by Jess
In 1.02 The Harvest, Luke is burned by the cross that Angel gave Buffy, allowing her to escape from the tomb. In the next shot, we see Buffy running away and the necklace has disappeared.
[Goof] No pouf
details | add a comment | suggested by Jess
In 1.02 The Harvest, Buffy stakes an off-screen vampire using a pool cue in the Bronze. He falls back but we don’t hear him turn to dust.
[Goof] Weekend school
details | 1 comment | suggested by Jess
In 1.02 The Harvest, Cordelia says she is going to the Bronze that Friday, the night of the Harvest. Oddly, everyone is back in school the following day.