Episode Trivia
Andrew J. Ferchland
details | add a comment | suggested by Jess
Andrew played The Anointed One in the episodes 1.05 Never Kill A Boy On The First Date, 1.07 Angel, 1.10 Nightmares, 1.12 Prophecy Girl, 2.01 When She Was Bad and 2.03 School Hard. Andrew’s character was rumoured to be killed off in season two because he began to go through puberty and was growing fast. (The undead don’t go through puberty). Andrew has also had roles in Mad About You, ER and Chicago Hope. He played Sam in Manhood (2003).
Andrew Vorba
details | add a comment | suggested by Jess
Andrew Vorba was a religious nut who was turned into a vampire. He attacked Buffy and Owen in Sunnydale’s morgue. Buffy mistakenly thought he was the Anointed One and killed him by throwing him into an incinerator in 1.05 Never Kill A Boy On The First Date.
Anointed One
details | 4 comments | suggested by Jess
The Anointed One was a small boy named Colin who became a member of the Master’s Order of Aurelius. Buffy believed she had killed The Anointed One in 1.05 Never Kill A Boy On The First Date but she got the wrong vampire. The Anointed One led Buffy to the Master in 1.12 Prophecy Girl, and took over as leader when the Master was killed. Spike killed him by putting him in a cage and hoisting him up into sunlight in 2.03 School Hard. The Anointed was the first vampire to be killed by sunlight in the show.
Biblical king
details | 1 comment | suggested by apocplypse
‘The Anoited’ is actually a great judish biblical king title, which only very great and powerful man such as Moses could earn.
Changes afoot at the house
details | 2 comments | suggested by Jess
Buffy’s house was orignally shot on location, but was later built on a soundstage to make filming easier. Changes can be seen in the original and rebuilt house:
In 1.03 The Witch, when Buffy walks into the kitchen, we can see that the regular dining room is not through the door. Instead, there is a hall with peach-coloured wallpaper.
In 1.05 Never Kill A Boy On The First Date, in the scene where Giles finds Owen at Buffy’s house, it looks like there is no entrance to the dining room to the right of the front door.
In 1.07 Angel, when Angel bursts through the back door in the kitchen after Darla has bitten Joyce, we can see that the back door is different. The exterior side is green not white, and it’s window only has 4 panes, whereas the on-set house has 9 panes. The white door with nine panes can be seen in 2.13 Surprise.
In 1.07 Angel, just after Buffy and Angel run into the house to escape The Three, Angel looks through the window at one of the vampires. At that point, the window is small and divided into four panes. It also has a white and yellow checkered curtain over it’s bottom half. In 5.16 The Body, it can be seen as a longer, thinner, frosted window on either side of the door.
Christopher Wiehl
details | add a comment | suggested by Jess
Christopher played Owen in 1.05 Never Kill A Boy On The First Date. Owen starred in the Wall Street drama series Bull, working alongside Elisabeth Rohm (who played Kate in Angel) and Elizabeth Anne Allen (Amy Madison). Stephen Cragg, a Buffy director, also directed a few episodes of Bull. Owen has also appeared in Can’t Hardly Wait, which featured Seth Green (Oz) and Amber Benson (Tara).
David Semel
details | add a comment | suggested by Jess
David Semel directed 3.08 Lover’s Walk, 2.20 Go Fish, 2.10 What’s My Line? (Part Two) and 1.05 Never Kill A Boy On The First Date, and the Angel episodes 1.12 Expecting and 2.02 Are You Now Or Have You Ever Been. He has also worked on Lone Star State of Mind, Boston Public, Roswell, Dawson’s Creek, Ally McBeal, 7th Heaven, Malibu Shores, Chicago Hope, Party of Five and Beverly Hills, 90210.
Dead children
details | 8 comments | suggested by Blondie-Bear
Unlike Angel, children in Buffy the Vampire Slayer don’t die very often. The first child to be vamped was The Anointed One (by the Master in 1.05 Never Kill A Boy On The First Date). He was killed by Spike in 2.03 School Hard, after being exposed to sunlight.
The first child actually to be killed on Buffy was in 2.18 Killed By Death, in which a child was killed by Der Kindestod in the hospital. We also saw a flashback to Buffy’s cousin Celia’s death in that episode. The only other kid killed on the show was in season four’s 4.14 Goodbye Iowa, in which a small boy was killed by Adam, using his Polgara skewer.
We saw two ‘dead’ children in 3.11 Gingerbread but it was later revealed that they were not actually children, but a demon disguised as kids.
Dean Batali
details | add a comment | suggested by Jess
Dean was a Buffy writer who wrote five episodes with Rob Des Hotel: 1.05 Never Kill A Boy On The First Date, 1.09 The Puppet Show, 2.08 The Dark Age, 2.15 Phases and 2.18 Killed By Death. The two have also both written for Fantasy Island, Hope & Gloria, Duckman and The Adventures of Pete & Pete (which starred Michelle Trachtenberg as Nona). Rob and Dean are both co-executive producers on That ’70s Show.
Dodgy mythology
details | add a comment | suggested by Jess
A discrepancy (and not the last!) in vampire mythology is shown at the beginning of 1.05 Never Kill A Boy On The First Date. When Buffy stakes a vampire, he leaves a ring behind, but in all other cases when a vamp is staked everything turns to dust including clothing and jewellery.
Emily Dickinson
details | 2 comments | suggested by Jess
In 1.05 Never Kill A Boy On The First Date, Owen Thurman revealed to Buffy that he is a fan of the American poet Emily Dickinson (1830-1886).
Owen: “I lost my Emily Dickinson. It’s dumb, but I like her around. Kind of a security blanket.”
Buffy: “I have something like that. Well, it’s an actual blanket. And I don’t really carry it around anymore… So, Emily Dickens, huh? She’s great!”
Owen: “Dickinson.”
Buffy: “She’s good also.”
First box-sets
details | add a comment | suggested by Jess
1.03 The Witch and 1.05 Never Kill A Boy On The First Date were released together on 15th September 1998 as the first Buffy the Vampire Slayer home video box-sets.
Geoff Meed
details | 2 comments | suggested by Jess
Geoff played Andrew Vorba in 1.05 Never Kill A Boy On The First Date and Mag, one of the biker-demons in season six’s 6.01 Bargaining (Part One) and 6.02 Bargaining (Part Two). Born in Texas, Geoff began as a stuntman working in the Universal Studios Hollywood Tour. From there he began work as an actor, and performed all his own stunts. His TV and film credits are extensive, having worked on Port Charles (as Bruno), Enterprise, ER, Judging Amy, Charmed and Babylon 5. He also played ‘Hitman’ and ‘Seedy Guy’ in Spike’s favourite soap, Passions. Geoff played Kowalski in the movie as lame as it’s title: Leprechaun 4: In Space (1996). He has had five original plays produced in Los Angeles. He directed four of them, and starred in all five.
Hello, salty goodness
details | add a comment | suggested by Bakatulip
When everyone reverts to being teenagers in 4.06 Spin The Bottle, Cordelia’s reaction to seeing Angel was the same as when she saw him in 1.05 Never Kill A Boy On The First Date: by saying:
“Hello, salty goodness”.
Kim Richey
details | 2 comments | suggested by Jess
In the episode 1.05 Never Kill A Boy On The First Date, when Buffy breaks up with Owen, we hear ‘Let the Sun Fall Down’ by Kim Richey.
Knocked out
details | 11 comments | suggested by Jess
In 5.01 Buffy Vs Dracula, Giles falls into Dracula’s basement, where he is surrounded by the sisters. After he falls he says, “Good show, Giles. At least you didn’t get knocked out for a change.” In 4.12 A New Man, Giles says he has a “tendency to get knocked on the head”. He’s not kidding. Giles has been knocked unconscious in the episodes:
- 1.03 The Witch (by vampires who want to raise the Master again)
- 1.05 Never Kill A Boy On The First Date (by Andrew Borba in the crematorium)
- 1.12 Prophecy Girl (by Buffy, to stop him from trying to help her)
- 2.01 When She Was Bad (by the vampires attempting to raise the Master)
- 2.17 Passion (by Angelus, after Giles attacks him for killing Jenny)
- 2.21 Becoming (Part One) (by a group of vampires who take him to Angelus)
- 3.04 Beauty And The Beasts (shot with a tranquillizer gun)
- 3.05 Homecoming (by Lyle Gorch and Candy).
- 3.07 Revelations (by Gwendolyn Post, in his office)
- 3.11 Gingerbread (by the MOO mob as they come to take Buffy away. When Cordy wakes him up she says, “I came over here to tell Buffy to stop this craziness and found you all unconscious… again. How many times have you been knocked out, anyway? I swear, one of these times, you’re going to wake up in a coma.”)
- 3.18 Earshot (he doesn’t get knocked out in this episode - but he does walk into a tree in a very amusing manner)
- 6.04 Flooded (by the Mfashnik demon as it breaks ino Buffy’s house. Giles later says, “Well, I know I’m back in America now. I’ve been knocked unconscious”).
Locker check
details | add a comment | suggested by Jess
In the scene in 1.05 Never Kill A Boy On The First Date when Buffy and Giles are checking in the morgue lockers for vampires, the items in the background change (light, scale, vent, etc.) but the angle of the wall in the background doesn’t. They obviously kept the camera in the same place for each shot.
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.
Order of Aurelius
details | add a comment | suggested by Jess
The Order or Aurelius is a sect of vampires who believe in the prophecies of Aurelius, a twelfth century prophet. His prophecies included the coming of the Anointed One to help the order defeat the Slayer (1.12 Prophecy Girl). The sect is led by the Master and includes Darla and Luke (who was killed in 1.02 The Harvest). Angelus was offered a role in the sect because of his relationship with Darla, but he turned it down. The symbol for the Order of Aurelius is a sun and three stars, inside a rune depicting fidelity. This symbol was worn on a ring to enable members to identify each other. Buffy staked a vamp and recovered one of these rings in 1.05 Never Kill A Boy On The First Date.
Owen Thurman
details | 3 comments | suggested by Jess
Owen was a shy and good-looking boy in Buffy’s class. Cordelia chased him but he asked Buffy on a date. Buffy was forced to leave the date early to go on a Slayer-related mission but Owen followed her. They were attacked by a vampire. Owen discovered he loved being in danger and Buffy broke up with him when she realised she didn’t want to have to protect him in 1.05 Never Kill A Boy On The First Date.
Reused shot
details | 1 comment | suggested by Jess
At the very beginning of 2.01 When She Was Bad, we see a courtyard shot of students. It is reused footage from season one’s 1.05 Never Kill A Boy On The First Date. The guy walking away in the lilac shirt is Owen from that episode.
Rob des Hotel
details | add a comment | suggested by Jess
Rob was a Buffy writer who wrote five episodes with Dean Batali: 1.05 Never Kill A Boy On The First Date, 1.09 The Puppet Show, 2.08 The Dark Age, 2.15 Phases and 2.18 Killed By Death. The two have also both written for Fantasy Island, Hope & Gloria, Duckman and The Adventures of Pete & Pete (which starred Michelle Trachtenberg as Nona). Rob and Dean are both co-executive producers on That ’70s Show.
Rubber
details | add a comment | suggested by Jess
In the episode 1.05 Never Kill A Boy On The First Date, when Angel enters the Bronze, we hear “Junkie Girl” by Rubber.
Security blankets
details | add a comment | suggested by Meghann
Owen, Eddie, and Buffy all admit what objects they view as their security blankets.
1.05 Never Kill A Boy On The First Date:
Owen: “I lost my Emily. Dickinson. It’s dumb, but I like her around. Kind of a security blanket.”
Buffy: “I have something like that. Well, it’s an actual blanket. Uh, and I don’t really carry it around anym-more… So! Emily Dickens, huh? She’s great!”
Eddie: “I think it’s supposed to get easier.”
Buffy: “I still feel like carrying around a security blanket.”
Eddie: “Of Human Bondage. Have you ever read it?”
Buffy: “Oh, I’m not really into porn… I mean I’m just… I’m trying to cut way back.”
Eddie: “No, there’s no actual bondage, it’s just a novel. I’ve read it, like, ten times. I always keep it by my bed… security blanket.”
Buffy: “I don’t really have a security blanket… unless you count Mr. Pointy.”
Eddie: “Mr. Pointy?”
Slayer Handbook
details | 1 comment | suggested by Jess
The Slayer Handbook was a rule book for Slayers, which also suggested study material. Giles decided not to bother with one for Buffy as soon as he met her (which explains why he told Buffy he had no “rule book” for her in 1.05 Never Kill A Boy On The First Date), as he realised it would be useless in her case. He told this to Buffy in 2.10 What’s My Line? (Part Two).
In 4.15 This Year’s Girl, Buffy said to Giles:
“Why? Because ray guns aren’t in the Slayer handbook?”
Soylent Green
details | add a comment | suggested by Jess
When Buffy and Cordelia collide and spill the contents Buffy’s tray in 1.05 Never Kill A Boy On The First Date, Owen says:
“at least you won’t have to eat your Soylent Green…”
This is a reference to the Charlton Heston movie, Soylent Green, in which Soylent Green is actually human remains processed into food.
The movie is also referenced in the episode 6.12 Doublemeat Palace, when Buffy runs into the customer area of the restaurant yelling:
“It’s people!”
Heston’s character tries the same thing in Soylent Green.
In 3.04 Carpe Noctem, Angel says:
“Charlton Heston. Double feature! At the Nu-art. Soylent Green and The Omega Man.
Sunnydale Press
details | 3 comments | suggested by Jess
Sunnydale’s local newspaper was called the Sunnydale Press. It can be seen in the episodes 1.05 Never Kill A Boy On The First Date, 2.05 Reptile Boy, 2.21 Becoming (Part One), 3.14 Bad Girls, 3.15 Consequences, 3.21 Graduation Day (Part One), 4.10 Hush and 6.07 Once More, With Feeling.
Superman
details | 6 comments | suggested by Jess
Comicbook hero Superman has been epitomised in many comics (by DC Comics), movies, TV shows (eg. Lois and Clarke, Smallville - in which James Marsters played Brainiac), cartoons (eg. The Adventures of Superman) and even a musical. He and the world he lives in have been referenced many times in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel:
- 1.05 Never Kill A Boy On The First Date: Buffy says, “even Clark Kent has a job”, alluding to Superman’s alter-ego.
- 2.05 Reptile Boy: Xander’s chances of ever belonging to a fraternity of rich and powerful men are rubbished by Cordy as likely only “in the Bizarro world.” The Bizarro world is a weird, back-to-front version of the real world in Superman.
- 2.11 Ted: Cordelia says of Buffy, “But she’s like this Superman.”
- 3.09 The Wish: Cordelia says to vamps Willow and Xander:
“No. No! No way! I wish us into Bizarro Land, and you guys are still together?! I cannot win!”
- 3.12 Helpless: Oz and Xander discuss which colour Kryptonite hurts Superman. Writer David Fury said in his DVD commentary for the episode that he wasn’t sure which Kryptonite was which so wrote this scene as such.
- 3.13 The Zeppo: there are a few references to Superman: Xander’s line, which he acknowledges as a “Jimmy Olsen joke”:
“But, gee, Mr White, if Clark and Lois get all the good stories I’ll never be a good reporter”
He also name-checks the Daily Planet’s editor Perry White, Superman’s alter ego Clark Kent, and his colleague Lois Lane. Cordelia’s jibe “You must feel like Jimmy Olsen” is another reference to the Daily Planet’s youngest photographer.
- 4.11 Doomed: Forrest says to Riley,
“Granted they’re a little rarer than the one’s you grew up with on that little farm in Smallville.”
Smallville, Kansas, was the small town where Clark Kent (Superman) grew up.
- In 4.17 Superstar, Xander mentions Kryptonite again.
- 5.02 Real Me: Xander says, “She can turn this place into the fortress of solitude again”. Superman built the Fortress of Solitude in the North Pole as a place where he could relax and keep his souvenirs.
- 6.11 Gone: Andrew mentions Superman’s nemesis Lex Luthor. Buffy also mentions Bizarro World again.
- 6.21 Two To Go: Andrew says:
“Lex Luthor had a false epidermis escape kit in Superman Versus the Amazing Spider-Man Treasury edition”.
- 7.10 Bring On The Night: Andrew says, “An evil name should be something like Lex” He’s referring to Superman’s nemesis Lex Luthor.
- 1.19 Sanctuary: While Faith flips through the channels, we briefly see a Superman cartoon.
- 1.21 Blind Date:
Wesley: “The human eye is only capable of registering a small portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. But if Brewer were somehow equipped to see outside that range…”
Cordelia: “She’d be Superman.” - 4.02 Ground State: Gwen says “what are you, Lex Luthor?” to Elliott when she finds out he’s double-crossed her.
- 5.10 Soul Purpose: Lindsay references Superman when he’s talking about Spike:
“I mean, he hasn’t sewn a big red S on his chest yet, but he’s getting there.”
- 5.12 You’re Welcome: Cordelia ends her seeming obsession with the Bizarro world when she says:
“What Bizarro-world did I wake up in?”
The Untouchables
details | 3 comments | suggested by Jess
When she kills the Turok-Han in 7.11 Showtime, Buffy says:
“Here endeth the lesson.”
This has been said before in the series: by the Master in season one’s 1.05 Never Kill A Boy On The First Date and by Spike in 5.07 Fool For Love. The line is taken from the movie The Untouchables - Sean Connery’s character says this to Kevin Costner’s Elliot Ness while lecturing him on how to bring down Al Capone.
Three Day Wheely
details | add a comment | suggested by Jess
In the episode 1.05 Never Kill A Boy On The First Date, we hear the music ‘Rotten Apple’ by Three Day Wheely (from the album ‘Rubber Halo’) as Cordelia and Owen dance.
Tweety Pie
details | 1 comment | suggested by Jess
Xander has a Tweety Pie wristwatch, seen in 1.05 Never Kill A Boy On The First Date. Tweety Pie (also known as Tweety Bird) is a fictional character in the Warner Bros. Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of animated cartoons.
Velvet Chain
details | add a comment | suggested by Jess
The band Velvet Chain appeared on stage in the Bronze in the episode 1.05 Never Kill A Boy On The First Date, performing the tracks ‘Strong’ and ‘Treason’. The band’s singer, Erika Amato, became a huge fan of the show and used to write to fans on the official Buffy website’s posting board. Velvet Chain wrote their own theme song to the show, called ‘Buffy’. They then released The Buffy E.P. (1999, Freak Records - Velvet Chain’s own label). The album became so popular that it was distributed nationally in America, as the original album had only previously been available on Velvet Chain’s website. While writing the lyrics to the song ‘Buffy’ Jeff Stacy (the band’s composer) logged on to the Buffy Posting Board and asked fans for their ideas about what a Buffy song should say. He received over 100 e-mails from Buffy fans within three days. Seth Green (Oz) contributed guitar tracks on the song ‘Buffy’ on The Buffy E.P. and appears in the album credits. Seth has also performed with the band on stage. Nicholas Brendon (Xander) appeared in a photograph on inside sleeve of the E.P., with his twin brother Kelly.
Velvet Chain also performed at the show’s production wrap party in 1998, held at the El Rey Theater in Los Angeles. They have also performed at the Buffy Posting Board Parties held in 1999 and 2000.
The Buffy the Vampire Slayer Soundtrack (1999) includes the Velvet Chain song ‘Strong’.
In 2.15 Phases, we see that Buffy’s locker has a Velvet Chain sticker on it.
Watcher boy
details | add a comment | suggested by Jess
Giles revealed in 1.05 Never Kill A Boy On The First Date that he was ten when his father told him that he was destined to be a Watcher. Giles wanted to be a fighter pilot, or a greengrocer. At least two of Giles’ relations had been Watchers: his father and grandmother.
Wrong guy
details | add a comment | suggested by Jess
In 1.12 Prophecy Girl, Giles finally realises that the vampire Buffy killed in 1.05 Never Kill A Boy On The First Date wasn’t the Anointed One. Oops.
[Goof] Buffy’s pager
details | add a comment | suggested by Jess
When Buffy reaches out to grab her pager in 1.05 Never Kill A Boy On The First Date, there is nowhere she could have picked it up from. Was it floating in mid-air? Buffy also never uses the pager after this episode.
[Goof] Bus lights
details | add a comment | suggested by Jess
The inside bus lights are turned on at the first shot of the bus in 1.05 Never Kill A Boy On The First Date. When the scene cuts to the inside of the bus, the lights are off.
[Goof] Checked extra
details | add a comment | suggested by Jess
At the end of the episode 1.05 Never Kill A Boy On The First Date, when Buffy and Owen are talking, you can see a woman in a red and black checked jacket carrying a red bag standing behind Buffy several times. She can also be seen behind Owen, and walking up the stairs a couple of times.