Episode Trivia
‘A’ foreign exchange student
details | add a comment | suggested by Meghann
The following is from 1.07 Angel:
Buffy: “And ‘A’ doesn’t even stand for ‘Angel’ for that matter, it stands for… ‘Achmed’, a charming foreign exchange student, so that whole fantasy part has nothing to even do with you at all…”
In 2.04 Inca Mummy Girl, Buffy is assigned a foreign exchange student named Ampata Gutierrez.
Angel drinks with a soul
details | 13 comments | suggested by Meghann
There have been a few occasions where Angel has fed from a human while he has had a soul:
- 3.21 Graduation Day (Part One) - Buffy
- 2.08 Shroud Of Rahmon - Kate
- 4.01 Deep Down - Wesley
- 4.15 Orpheus - The cashier of the diner
- 5.13 Why We Fight - He sires Lawson.
- Although Angel bit Rebecca Lowell in 1.17 Eternity, he did not drink from her.
- In 2.07 Darla, we learn that Angel has been selective in his feeding habits:
Angel: “Look I’ve killed men. You’ve seen it!”
Darla: “Rapists and murderers, thieves and scoundrels. Did you think I wouldn’t notice? - Only evildoers, that’s all you hunt now. You swore to me. You said, if I took you back you’d prove yourself.” - As well, he unknowingly drinks Connor’s blood. A sample is stolen from the doctor’s office in 3.15 Loyalty. In 3.16 Sleep Tight, Angel realizes that Wolfram & Hart has spiked his pig’s blood.
In the Buffy episode 1.07 Angel, Angel tells Buffy that he hasn’t fed off a human since he was cursed:
“You have no idea what it’s like to have done the things I’ve done… and to care. I haven’t fed on a living human being since that day.”
Yeah, right.
Angel’s restoration
details | 1 comment | suggested by Jess
In the episode 1.07 Angel, it appeared to be established that the restoration of Angel’s soul took place sixty years ago, or sometime in the 1920s. However, in 2.21 Becoming (Part One) it’s revealed to have taken place in 1898.
Angel’s siring
details | add a comment | suggested by Jess
The scene where Darla sires Angel was first alluded to in the episode 1.07 Angel. We see the scene in a flashback for the first time in 2.21 Becoming (Part One). Angel was sired in 1753 in Galway, Ireland.
Angelic faces
details | 4 comments | suggested by Abby M.
In the episode 1.07 Angel, Giles reads from a book that Angel is the “one with the angelic face.” In 7.16 Storyteller, as Andrew is introducing Spike, Buffy, and Anya in their sexy poses, he describes Buffy as having an “angelic face”.
Breath off
details | 4 comments | suggested by Mel
In an (undefined) interview about the episode 1.07 Angel, Joss Whedon said that Sarah and David had what he called a “breath off”, where they both ate as many horrible things as possible before the kissing scene.
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.
Close your eyes
details | 5 comments | suggested by Jess
Angel should really learn not to trust women when they tell him to close his eyes. When he first met Darla (in the episode 1.07 Angel), she told him to close his eyes and she then sired him as a vampire. In 2.21 Becoming (Part One), Buffy told him the same thing and then stabbed him, sending him to hell.
Crossbow girl
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Buffy used a crossbow for the first time in the episode 1.07 Angel, when she went to hunt Angel after dicovering he was a vampire.
Darla’s prophecy
details | 4 comments | suggested by cjreidy
In the episode 1.07 Angel, Darla asks Angel if he thought Buffy would see his face, his true face, and would give it a kiss. In other words, she highly doubted that Buffy would ever be able to accept Angel to the extent that she could kiss his demonic vampire-face, the person he truly was. However, this snickering and doubtful comment of Darla happens to come true in 2.09 What’s My Line? (Part One). After the assassin attacks Buffy and Angel at the ice skate rink, Buffy kisses Angel, who is wearing his demonic face, proving Darla’s thought to come true.
Daylight guest
details | 5 comments | suggested by Jess
In 1.07 Angel, why did Buffy let Angel stay at her house for a whole day instead of making him leave the next morning? She didn’t yet know he was a vampire and so couldn’t go out in sunlight and there was no danger that The Three (all vampires) could pursue Angel in daylight. Surely she must have thought it strange that he want to stay the whole day, considering the danger was over.
Gatorade
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Gatorade is an American sports drink, referenced on Buffy three times: In 1.07 Angel, Xander says,
“Duh! I mean, guys’ll do anything to impress a girl. I once drank an entire gallon of Gatorade without taking a breath.”
In 3.13 The Zeppo, Buffy says,
“‘Sisterhood of Jhe. Race of female demons, fierce warriors…’ Eww. ‘…celebrate victory in battle by eating their foes.’ They couldn’t just pour Gatorade on each other?”
In 6.09 Smashed, Buffy says to Amy:
“Oh - Gatorade has a new flavour. Blue.”
Hurting Darla
details | 1 comment | suggested by Mel
In the Buffy episode 1.07 Angel, Angel grabs Darla and she says:
“That’s good. You’re hurting me. That’s good, too.”
When Angel grabs her in the Angel episode 2.05 Dear Boy, she says:
“You’re hurting me. I like it.”
Julie Benz
details | 7 comments | suggested by Angelus
Julie Benz’s first speaking movie part was in 1990 in a small role in the Dario Argento/George Romero co-directed horror movie, Due occhi diabolici playing alongside Harvey Kietel. Julie had a role playing a receptionist in the movie As Good As It Gets. She auditioned for a role in Eyes Wide Shut but decided against it when she was going to have to do the scene topless. Julie also played Kate Topolsky in Roswell. Julie auditioned for the role of Kendall Hart on All My Children, and for the role of Buffy. Both roles were taken by Sarah Michelle Gellar. Julie can also be seen in Steven Spielberg’s Taken, and Shriek If You Know What I Did Last Friday The Thirteenth - alongside Danny Strong, who played Jonathan. Julie Benz and Ethan Erickson who played Percy West in Buffy both starred in the movie Jawbreaker.
Julie’s mother was an ice skater. Julie started ice skating when she was three. She competed in the 1988 U.S. Championships in junior ice dancing with her partner David Schilling, and came 13th. Her older brother and sister, Jeffrey and Jennifer, were the 1987 U.S. Junior Champions in ice dancing and competed internationally. When Julie was 14, she had a bad stress fracture and had to take time off.
Julie plays Rita Bennett on Dexter, for which she won the 2006 Satellite Award for ‘Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television’.
Just say no
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In 1.07 Angel, Darla says:
“Come on, Angel. Just say yes.”
She’s paraphrasing the famous anti-drug message from the 1980s: “Just Say No”. It was first coined by Nancy Reagan, though British viewers may remember the kids from Grange Hill singing their version of the message.
In 1.12 Prophecy Girl, there is a ‘Just Say No’ poster behind Buffy when she talks to Xander after Buffy turned him down.
Kimono
details | 5 comments | suggested by Jess
In the episode 1.07 Angel, Angel says to Darla,
“What’s with the Catholic schoolgirl look? Last time I saw you it was kimonos.”
This line was followed up four years later in the Angel episode 2.07 Darla. In a flashback to the Chinese Boxer Rebellion, Darla wears a kimono.
Mark Metcalf
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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.
Non-reflective clothes?
details | 3 comments | suggested by Jess
We see Angel’s lack of reflection for the first time in 1.07 Angel. I understand why vampires themselves don’t have reflections but what about their clothes? Vampires change clothes all the time so it makes no sense that their clothes aren’t seen in the mirror.
Revello Drive
details | add a comment | suggested by Jess
Scenes at Buffy’s house were originally shot on location, but later the interior was re-built on a soundstage. The location used for the exterior of Buffy’s home was 1313 Cota Drive in Torrance. It can be found just 3 blocks away from Torrance High School (used for the location of Sunnydale High). Bear in mind that people live there and most likely don’t want to be disturbed, so don’t go gawking at the house!
Buffy’s fictional address is 1630 Revello Drive. This is discovered in the episode 1.07 Angel when Buffy rang the paramedics after her mother was bitten by Darla. The address was also mentioned again in 5.16 The Body (again when Buffy rings for an ambulance) and in 7.18 Dirty Girls, when Shannon asks Caleb to take her to Revello Drive.
Robin Hood
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In 1.07 Angel, Buffy says about Giles’s training quarterstaff:
“I’m not gonna be fighting Friar Tuck.”
Friar Tuck is the well-known ‘holy’ man in the legend of Robin Hood.
Scott Brazil
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Scott Brazil directed the episode 1.07 Angel. Scott has also directed Nip/Tuck, CSI: Miami, L.A. Doctors, Nash Bridges, JAG, Baywatch and Hill Street Blues. He was the co-executive producer on many shows including Gideon’s Crossing and Cracker. Scott won two Emmys for ‘outstanding drama series’ in the early 1980s as part of the team of producers responsible for NBC’s “Blues.”
He sadly died from respiratory failure on 17th April 2006, aged just 50.
Sophie Zelmani
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Sophie Zelmani’s “I’ll Remember You” plays when Buffy and Angel kiss goodbye in the episode 1.07 Angel.
Spider-Man
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Spider-Man is a popular Marvel comic starring Peter Parker, who leads a double life as superhero Spider-Man. Made into two successful movies starring Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst. There are many similarities between Peter and Buffy, as she too is trying to lead a normal life, and (occasionally) make a living, whilst saving the world. Spider-Man has been mentioned in numerous Buffy and Angel episodes, including:
- 1.07 Angel - The Master says, “With power comes responsibility”, which is the motto of the Spider-Man comics and movie.
- 1.08 I Robot, You Jane - Buffy says, “My spider-sense is tingling”.
- 4.12 A New Man - Riley says to Buffy, “You’re strong. Like Spider-Man strong”.
- 5.05 No Place Like Home - Ben suggests Buffy’s strength comes from a “Radioactive spider bite”.
- 6.04 Flooded - Anya and Dawn argue over if Spider-Man charges for helping people - Xander reminds them that “Action is his reward”.
- 6.21 Two To Go - Andrew says, “Lex Luthor had a false epidermis escape kit in Superman Versus the Amazing Spider-Man Treasury edition”
- 7.05 Selfless - Xander says, “This isn’t springy high-flying fun!”
- 7.10 Bring On The Night - Andrew says “My spider-sense is tingling”.
- 4.17 Inside Out - Cordy says “That’s it? I get away with bringing the world down around you and two eensy words tingle your spider sense?”
- Additionally, Buffy stuntman Erik Betts was director Sam Raimi’s choice for doubling actor Tobey Maquire for the movie Spider-Man, but was told by the costume designer that his shoulders were too large. Nicholas Brendon auditioned for the role of Spider-Man in the movie.
The Bible
details | 3 comments | suggested by Jess
The Bible is referenced a few times in the Buffyverse.
In the episode 1.07 Angel, the Master says, “out of the mouths of babes”, which is from Psalms 8:2.
Absalom, the religious vampire in 2.01 When She Was Bad, was named after a character in the Bible. Absalom was the third son of King David. He turned against his father and challenged him for the kingdom of Israel. The story is told in the second book of Samuel (2 Samuel 13:20 - 19:10).
The title of the episode 3.03 Faith, Hope And Trick is from the Bible verse 1 Corinthians 13:13:
“And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”
In 4.10 Hush, as Buffy and Willow are first walking through town after their voices have been stolen, they walk past a group of Christians reading from the bible. The verse they’re reading is Revelations 15:1:
“Then I saw another portent in heaven, great and wonderful: seven angels with seven plagues, which are the last, for in them the wrath of God is ended.”
In 7.09 Never Leave Me, Quentin Travers quotes Proverbs 24:6: and Proverbs 24:6.
“O, by wise council, you shall make your war.”
In 7.18 Dirty Girls, Caleb says to Faith,
“Well you’re the other one. The Cain to her Abel. No offence to Cain, of course.”
In the Bible, Cain and Abel were the sons of Adam and Eve. Cain murdered Abel out of jealousy.
The Three
details | add a comment | suggested by Jess
The Three were a group of fierce vampire warriors set on Buffy by the Master. They wore armour and nearly killed Buffy and Angel. When they failed to do this they offered their lives to the Master as penance, and he got Darla to stake them in the episode 1.07 Angel.
Todd Oldham
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In the episode 1.07 Angel, Cordelia spots another student wearing the same dress as her. She says:
“Where did you get that dress? This is a one-of-a-kind Todd Oldham. Do you know how much this dress cost? Is this a knockoff?”
Todd Oldham is a couture fashion designer, and is also involved in film, photography, furniture design and graphic art. He was a commentator on MTV�s House of Style, and he redesigned teenagers’ homes in MTV’s Crib Crashers. Todd designed Sarah Michelle Gellar’s costumes in her 1999 movie Simply Irresistible.
Vamped up
details | add a comment | suggested by Jess
It takes between an hour and ninety minutes to do David Boreanaz’s vampire make-up. His favourite part of the costume is the yellow contact lenses he gets to wear (though after putting them in for eight years I’m sure his opinion of them has changed!).
Vampire invitation rule
details | 18 comments | suggested by Jess
In vampire mythology (and the Whedonverse), a vampire cannot enter a person’s home unless it has been invited. This is first seen in the Buffy episode 1.07 Angel:
Angel: “It’s all right. A vampire can’t come in unless it’s invited.”
There has been some debate as to whether Buffy actually invited Angel into her home in that episode, but she does quickly say to him, “Get in! C’mon!” as they’re being chased by vampires. When Angel first became a vampire he returned home to kill his family. From 1.15 The Prodigal:
Father: “Be gone, unclean thing! A demon can not enter a home where it’s not welcome. He must be invited!”
Angel: “That’s true. - But I was invited.”
Angel looks to the doorway. His father turns and sees Angel’s sister slumped against the wall.
Dad: “Och!”
Angel: “She thought I returned to her – an angel.”
A vampire can enter a public place such as a school or hospital (this is seen in 2.17 Passion and 2.18 Killed By Death). In 2.17 Passion Angel says the sign outside the school says ‘Romatia transicara edicatorum’ which translates to ‘Enter all ye who seek knowledge’. Vampires can also enter hotel rooms, which are considered public. In 2.09 The Trial, Angel says to Gunn after he has entered a motel room:
Angel: “Oh, Motel, public accommodation. She didn’t live here.”
Another vampire invitation rule is clarified in 5.02 Real Me: only someone who lives in a residence can invite a vampire in:
Xander: “Yeah, actually, she– Harmony– kind of happened to sort of get an invite.”
Buffy: “You guys can’t invite her in. I mean, only someone who lives here can…
If the owner of a house is dead, a vampire can enter. This is seen in 3.21 Graduation Day (Part One) when Angel enters the home of the dead Professor. It is also seen explicitly in 1.15 The Prodigal (Angel can only enter the home of Kate’s father after he has been killed) and in 2.04 Untouched (Angel enters when a victim on life support dies). In the latter example we see a visible barrier ripple when Angel tries to enter.
When a vampire is invited into a home once, it can enter again at any point, unless a reversal spell is done. The spell was first seen in 2.17 Passion, after Angel lost his soul and started stalking Buffy. The last words of the incantation (read by Willow at Buffy’s house) are “Hicce verbis consensus rescissus est,” which translates into English roughly as “By these words permission is rescinded.” Buffy uninvited Spike from her home in 5.14 Crush, Harmony was uninvited in 5.02 Real Me, and Dracula was uninvited in 5.01 Buffy Vs Dracula.
There have been several goofs/continuity errors concerning vampires and invitations in the Whedonverse:
- When Angel and Buffy are running from the Three in 1.07 Angel, they take refuge in Buffy’s house. As they close the door, one of the Three gets his arm through the door before Buffy forces him back out. But he was a vampire and also uninvited, so how did he get his arm in?
- A similar event occurs in 2.16 Bewitched, Bothered And Bewildered - when Drusilla pushes Buffy’s door down, her hands go into the house - but Drusilla was never invited in.
- Angel says that he needs an invitation to enter Buffy’s dorm room in 4.20 The Yoko Factor, but Sunday and her gang didn’t need one in 4.01 The Freshman. This doesn’t count only for Buffy - the vamps are able to access Eddie’s room as well, and presumably they can get into the rooms of the other students they killed. How do they do that?
- In 1.17 Eternity, how can Angel jump through the window into Rebecca’s apartment to save her from the intruder? He was never invited in, and Rebecca only said to him to “Stop by”. Is this enough of an invitation?
- In 1.18 Five By Five, Faith is torturing Wesley in the apartment of the man she injured previously in the episode. When Angel finds them, he walks straight into the apartment… no invite needed. If Faith had killed the man, Angel would not have required an invitation. However, in 1.19 Sanctuary, the following dialogue is heard between Kate and a fellow officer:
Kate: “So do we think she is the one who threw the party here?”
Kendrick: “The guy who lives here identifies her as the woman who mugged him. Put him in the hospital, stole his keys, his wallet. We’re lifting prints now. My bet is - we get a match.”It’s apparent he is alive, therefore Angel should not have been able to enter his apartment. (It’s possible that Angel called the victim to ask permission to enter but this would be a very strange conversation indeed!)
- There is some confusion over who invited Spike back into the home he shared with his mother in 7.17 Lies My Parents Told Me, but this could have been a servant who lived there.
- In 5.15 A Hole In The World, Angel and Spike enter Lindsey and Eve’s residence without an invitation.
Vampire mythology
details | add a comment | suggested by Jess
We discover a lot about vampires in the first season episode 1.07 Angel. Only direct sunlight seems to kill vampires in the Buffyverse as both Darla and Angel are able to stand in filtered sunlight. We also discover in that episode that bullets can’t kill vampires.
The belief that a vampire cannot enter one’s home unless invited dates back to the middle ages, when this was believed in eastern European. Joyce invites Darla into her home in 1.07 Angel.
On the vampire itself, Giles says:
“A vampire isn’t a person at all. It may have the movements, the memories, and even the personality of the person that it took over, but it’s still a demon at the core.”
Angel says:
“When you become a vampire, the demon takes your body. But it doesn’t get your soul. That’s gone. No conscience, no remorse…it’s an easy way to live. You have no idea what it’s like to have done the things I’ve done, and to care.”
[Goof] Darla’s reflection
details | add a comment | suggested by Jess
While Willow is trying to tutor Buffy in the library in 1.07 Angel, Darla watches in the background. Her reflection can be seen in the side of one of the bookcases.
[Goof] Good timing?
details | 4 comments | suggested by Jess
In 1.07 Angel, how did Darla know that Angel would arrive at Buffy’s house, just in time to be found with Joyce?
[Goof] Joyce’s scream
details | add a comment | suggested by Jess
Joyce screams when Darla bites her in 1.07 Angel. The scream is exactly the same as Buffy’s, used earlier in the episode.
[Goof] Letting Angel in
details | 12 comments | suggested by Mel
In the episode 1.07 Angel, Buffy says to Giles at the hospital,
“I invited him into my home. Even after I knew who he was, what he was, and I didn’t do anything about it… ’cause I had feelings for him, because I cared about him.”
The problem with this is that Buffy only ever invited Angel into her house before she knew he was a vampire.