2.16 Bewitched, Bothered And Bewildered

In which Xander becomes irresistible to the ladies of Sunnydale.

Airdate: 10 February 1998 | Writer: Marti Noxon | Director: James A. Contner

Episode Trivia

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Alpert tomb

details | 1 comment | suggested by Jess

The Alpert tomb is a memorable tomb which can often be spotted when the Scoobies are wandering through Sunnydale’s graveyard. The tomb is named after Buffy producer Marc David Alpert. The tomb can be seen in 2.21 Becoming (Part One) (Angel comes out from behind it to fight Buffy when the other Scoobies are being ambushed), 3.07 Revelations, 3.13 The Zeppo, 2.16 Bewitched, Bothered And Bewildered, 2.18 Killed By Death, 4.09 Something Blue (when Buffy wants her wedding photos taken there), 4.17 Superstar, 5.02 Real Me, and 6.22 Grave.

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Angel the puppy

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Angel is referred to as a ‘puppy’ on a couple of occasions:

Puppies are a recurring theme in Buffy and Angel:

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Beratted

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It’s apt that it’s Oz who finds the naked Buffy in the school basement, after her spell as a rat in 2.16 Bewitched, Bothered And Bewildered. It’s a predicament he must find himself in often as he is a werewolf and often wakes in odd places. Amy Madison herself is turned into a rat in season three for a good few years.

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Bewildered

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The title of the episode 2.16 Bewitched, Bothered And Bewildered could come from the song “Bewildered” by Rodgers and Hart, made famous by Frank Sinatra, the lyrics include the lines,

“I’m wild again, beguiled again,
A whimpering, simpering child again,
Bewitched, bothered and bewildered am I.”

This song can also be heard in Woody Allen’s movie Hannah and Her Sisters.

Cody Weinberg

Cody Weinberg

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Cody Weinberg was a local college student mentioned by Harmony in 2.16 Bewitched, Bothered And Bewildered. In that episode, Harmony says that she is his third choice for the pledge dance, so it can be presumed he is in college and a fraternity. It is also stated he owns a Mercedes-Benz 350SL.

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Diana

details | 2 comments | suggested by Jess

In 2.16 Bewitched, Bothered And Bewildered, Amy calls upon Diana, goddess of love and the hunt, for her spell on Cordelia. Diana is the Roman goddess of forests, animals and hunting, but not love. Venus is the Roman goddess of love. This may be a mistake on Amy’s part and it’s probably why the spell went awry.

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Dingoes Ate My Baby

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Dingoes Ate My Baby were a rock band, fronted by Devon with vocals, and Oz, who played lead guitar. They played on various occasions at venues including the Bronze (2.04 Inca Mummy Girl, 2.16 Bewitched, Bothered And Bewildered and 3.16 Doppelgangland) and Buffy’s house (3.02 Dead Man’s Party - where they played ‘Never Mind’, ‘Sway’ and ‘Pain’). The band were mentioned in the unaired pilot, when Xander said, “They don’t know any actual chords yet, but they have really big amps”.
In 3.18 Earshot, Freddy Iverson writes a bad review of the band in the school paper (”Dingoes Ate My Baby play their instruments as if they have plump polish sausages taped to their fingers”) but Oz thought it was fair. Cordelia briefly dated Devon (2.04 Inca Mummy Girl).
The band’s name comes from a famous Australian outback incident, in which Lindy Chamberlain was accused of killing her baby, which had actually been taken by dingoes. The Dingoes’ music was provided by real-life band Four Star Mary, with whom James Marsters has occasionally performed. Four Star Mary themselves appeared in the season four finale 4.22 Restless.
The Four Star Mary song “Pain” became one of the signature tunes for Dingoes Ate My Baby. It was heard in 2.16 Bewitched, Bothered And Bewildered (performed in the Bronze), 3.02 Dead Man’s Party (performed at Buffy’s house) and 4.02 Living Conditions - on the stereo in the dorm when Willow moves in suggesting that the Dingoes had recorded a CD.

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Elvis Presley

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The following dialogue is from 4.06 Wild At Heart:

Veruca to Oz: “Number one? No. I gotta go with hound dog.”
Willow: “Me, too. That’s a great song. I mean, Elvis, what a guy.”
Veruca to Willow: “You a big Elvis fan?”
Willow: “The biggest. Well, I mean, after Dingoes, of course.”

In 5.08 Shadow, we see Willow wearing a shirt that says ‘Elvis Lives’.

Cordelia references Elvis Presley when she says to Xander in 2.16 Bewitched, Bothered And Bewildered:

“Damn it Xander what’s going on? Who died and made you Elvis?”

In 1.18 Five By Five, Cordy references the King of rock’n'roll again when she says:

Cordelia: “Oh, and we should pick up the tab for lunch. Nothing says success less than splitting the bill.”
Angel: “I didn’t bring any money with me.”
Cordelia: “Okay, Elvis, when you’re a big star, you can get away without carrying cash.”

Gunn says to Angel in 2.08 Shroud Of Rahmon:

Gunn: “Don’t give me orders, Elvis!”

In 4.03 The House Always Wins, Angel references Elvis and his wife, Priscilla:

Angel: “Oh, now I remember that room! Elvis and Priscilla’s wedding reception, 1967. Yes! Alright. It’s not like I was, you know, really invited. They just put me near the dais.”

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Four Star Mary

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The music for Oz’s band Dingoes Ate My Baby was provided by real-life band Four Star Mary. James Marsters has performed with them on stage (off screen) a few times. The band themselves appeared in the season four finale 4.22 Restless, as the band who play with Giles during the Exposition Song.

Four Star Mary songs can be heard in the following Buffy episodes:

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Gareth’s favourite episode

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Gareth Davies, a Buffy producer, said that 2.16 Bewitched, Bothered And Bewildered was his favourite episode in the October 1, 1999 issue of Entertainment Weekly. He just loved the rat.

Happy memories

Happy memories

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In season seven’s 7.06 Him, Xander has a happy flashback to being pawed at by the women of Sunnydale in 2.16 Bewitched, Bothered And Bewildered.

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Hecate

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In 2.16 Bewitched, Bothered And Bewildered, Amy calls upon Hecate, the patron goddess of witchcraft, to turn Buffy into a rat. Hecate is known in many different guises, including a young woman in a black robe holding torches, as three bodies standing back to back, and as a dark and evil ghost found haunting dark nights with terrifying hounds of hell. In 3.11 Gingerbread, Amy did a spell to turn herself into a rat, which involved invoking Hecate. Willow also called upon the goddess in 7.06 Him to turn R.J. Brooks into a woman.

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I Know What You Did Last Summer

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Sarah Michelle Gellar appeared in the movie I Know What You Did Last Summer in 1997. There are a couple of possible references to this film in Buffy. In 2.16 Bewitched, Bothered And Bewildered, Angel sends Buffy a bunch of roses with a card reading, “Soon”. This could be a reference to I Know What You Did Last Summer, in which the character played by Sarah wakes to find the same message written on her mirror in lipstick.
When Faith is running from Buffy in her dream in 4.15 This Year’s Girl, the scene is reminiscent of the scene in the movie where Sarah Michelle Gellar’s character runs from a killer.

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Jason Hall

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Jason Hall played Devon, the lead singer of Oz’s band Dingoes Ate My Baby. British fans might be interested (or appalled) to know that Jason appeared in an episode of the British TV sitcom Birds of a Feather in 1992, playing a gas man. He also appeared in an episode of the TV show Love Hurts and in Goodnight Sweetheart. Jason appeared in and co-produced Me and Will.

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Jewellery

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Xander likes to give girls he likes jewellery. In 2.16 Bewitched, Bothered And Bewildered, he gave Cordelia a necklace; in 1.03 The Witch, he gave Buffy a bracelet saying ‘Yours Always’, and he bought Anya an engagement ring in 5.22 The Gift.

Joyce and Xander

Joyce and Xander

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Joyce fell for Xander in 2.16 Bewitched, Bothered And Bewildered when Amy’s spell went wrong. In 4.22 Restless, Xander dreamt that Joyce was attracted to him again.

Kristen Winnicki

Kristen Winnicki

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Kristen Winnicki played Cordelia’s friend Gwen in 2.04 Inca Mummy Girl and 2.16 Bewitched, Bothered And Bewildered. She has also been in Lola’s Game.

Lotion

Lotion

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The band Lotion play their track “Blind For Now” from their album Nobody’s Cool when Willow and Cordelia are talking in The Bronze in 2.15 Phases. In 3.07 Revelations, we hear Lotion’s song “West of Here” (from The Telephone Album) as the Dingoes leave the stage.
There are two stickers for the band seen in 2.16 Bewitched, Bothered And Bewildered. One is on the locker behind Giles at the beginning of the episode, and the other is on the locker next to Cordelia’s.

Love spell

Love spell

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In 2.16 Bewitched, Bothered And Bewildered, Xander asked Amy Madison to put a love spell on Cordelia after she broke up with him. Amy needed something personal of Cordelia’s and lots of candles. In 3.08 Lover’s Walk, Spike returned to Sunnydale and kidnapped Willow to make her perform a love spell to get Drusilla back. She had left him for a chaos demon. Willow needed a spell book, essence of violet, cloves, a set of runic tablets and rat’s eyes for her spell. Another example of a love spell was in 7.06 Him, when a bewitched letterman jacket made women fall for it’s wearer.

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Michael Jackson

details | 2 comments | suggested by Jess

In 3.13 The Zeppo:

Jack: “You wanna be startin’ somethin’?”
Xander’s: “What? Starting something? Like that Michael Jackson song, right? That was a lot of fun. ‘Too high to get over, yeah, yeah…’ Remember that fun song?”

They’re referring to Michael Jackson’s song ‘Wanna Be Starting Something’.
Oz sings the song “Ben” by Michael Jackson in 2.16 Bewitched, Bothered And Bewildered when he’s trying to find Buffy, who has been turned into a rat. The song was used as the title song for the 1972 movie Ben about a boy who befriends a rat.

Midol

Midol

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Midol is a pharmaceutical medication prescribed for menstrual cramping in women. Cordelia name-checks Midol when she offers hers to Harmony while Harmony is under Xander and Amy’s love spell in Bewitched, Bewildered And Bothered.

Miss Beakman

Miss Beakman

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Miss Beakman was the teacher Amy Madison bewitched to believe that Amy had done her homework in 2.16 Bewitched, Bothered And Bewildered.

Naked

Naked

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We hear Naked’s “Drift Away” playing in the background when Cordelia breaks up with Xander in 2.16 Bewitched, Bothered And Bewildered. In 2.20 Go Fish, we hear Naked’s song “Manns Chinese” being played at the beach party.

Nero’s Rome

Nero’s Rome

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The song ‘Got the Love’ by Nero’s Rome plays as Xander walks through the school halls in 2.16 Bewitched, Bothered And Bewildered. In 2.20 Go Fish, we hear their song ‘If You’d Listen’ as Buffy watches Gage at The Bronze. Both songs are from the album The Average White Band.

Pogo comics

Pogo comics

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The name of the episode 2.16 Bewitched, Bothered And Bewildered may come from the Pogo comic books. The comics came out in the 1950’s and were created by Walt Kelly. Among the many characters of these comics were three bats (who wear top hats and trousers and do not resemble bats in any way) named Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered.

Rohypnol

Rohypnol

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Buffy says to Xander in 2.16 Bewitched, Bothered And Bewildered:

“She loved you before you invoked the great Roofie spirit.” R

Roofie is the street name for Rohypnol, also known as the “date rape drug,” which enhances the effect of alcohol and causes sleepiness and memory loss.
In 5.09 Harm’s Way, Tamika tells Harmony:

“So I slipped a roofie in your drink while you were busy slutting it up. Then I followed you back to your place with that guy and waited till you passed out, and then broke in, had myself a little snack.”

Saturday Night Live

Saturday Night Live

details | add a comment | suggested by Mel

Buffy was turned into a rat in 2.16 Bewitched, Bothered And Bewildered so that Sarah Michelle Gellar could film Saturday Night Live. They filmed all her scenes first, and then she headed off to New York.
Tina Fey said the following quote on Saturday Night Live:

“The producers of Buffy the Vampire Slayer are reportedly talking with Britney Spears to get the singer to do a two-part guest appearance on the show. The two parts are above her waist and below her neck.”

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Sky TV

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After the episode 2.16 Bewitched, Bothered And Bewildered aired in Britain, Sky TV dropped the show from it’s Saturday 8pm slot (why? this was one of the funniest episodes of the season!) and replaced it with Third Rock from the Sun. The series wasn’t shown for another year, and was only aired again after loads of complaints from bitter fans.

Tamara Braun

Tamara Braun

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Tamara played a vampire named Tara in 2.01 When She Was Bad and (one of the many) “Frenzied Girl” in 2.16 Bewitched, Bothered And Bewildered. Tamara played Carly in General Hospital and has been in Party of Five, 7th Heaven and Zoe, Duncan, Jack and Jane (with Azura Skye, who played Cassie in season seven).

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Valentine’s Day

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According to Buffy:

“Valentine’s Day is just a cheap gimmick to sell cards and chocolate.”

Valentine was actually a priest in Rome, who was persecuted under Claudius II. When the prefect of Rome couldn’t make him renounce his faith, he sentenced him to be beheaded. That sentence was carried out on February 14. In the Buffyverse, the only episode to be set on Valentine’s Day is 2.16 Bewitched, Bothered And Bewildered, when Xander and Amy performed a love spell on Cordelia after she broke up with Xander. In that episode, Spike bought Drusilla a necklace for Valentine’s, whilst Angel got her a fresh heart.

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Vampire invitation rule

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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:

Works in theory

Works in theory

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In 2.16 Bewitched, Bothered And Bewildered, when Xander and Cordelia are hiding in Buffy’s house, Xander says it should be safe in there. Angelus appears suddenly at the window and says “Works in theory” before pulling Xander out of the house. Angel says the same line in the Angel season three episode 3.13 Waiting In The Wings when he and Cordelia are trapped below the theatre.

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WP (Widespread Panic)

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A black and white oval sticker with the letters “WP” can often be seen in Sunnydale. The sticker is for a band called Widespread Panic. Examples of episodes in which this is seen include:

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Xander’s bedroom

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We get a decent look at Xander’s bedroom in the episode 2.16 Bewitched, Bothered And Bewildered. He has loads of Marvel posters, a Widespread Panic poster, a ‘Hazardous Waste’ sticker, a giant alarm clock, and an acoustic guitar. We see Xander playing the guitar in his dream in 1.04 Teacher’s Pet but he doesn’t seem to play as he asks Oz in 3.13 The Zeppo:

“Is it hard to play the guitar?”

You’re a sheep

You’re a sheep

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In the Buffy episode 2.16 Bewitched, Bothered And Bewildered, Cordelia calls Harmony a sheep to which Harmony replies “I’m not a sheep”.
In the Angel episode 2.04 Untouched, Cordy and Wesley have a similar conversation.

Cordelia: “At least I’m not a sheep!”
Wesley: “I am not a sheep”
Cordelia: “You’re such a sheep! You’ve never had an opinion that you didn’t read in a book.”

[Goof] Buffy’s hands

[Goof] Buffy’s hands

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As Buffy talks to Giles in the library in 2.16 Bewitched, Bothered And Bewildered, she is sitting on the chair with her right hand holding her left one. In the wider shot, Buffy’s left hand is holding the right one.

[Goof] Cordy’s nose

[Goof] Cordy’s nose

details | 3 comments | suggested by Jess

When Cordy and Xander are lying on the ground in 2.16 Bewitched, Bothered And Bewildered, fighting off all of the angry love-struck females in Buffy’s basement, Cordelia somehow finds time to stop struggling and scratch her nose.

[Goof] Extra extra

[Goof] Extra extra

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In the slow-mo sequence of Xander walking down the corridor in 2.16 Bewitched, Bothered And Bewildered, the same guy can clearly be seen twice, once behind Xander and then in front of him only seconds later.

[Goof] Extras everywhere

[Goof] Extras everywhere

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During Xander’s slo-mo walk down the hallway in 2.16 Bewitched, Bothered And Bewildered, he passes a group of girls right at the start who then appear in front of him, walking to his right. In the very next shot they can be seen stood to his left. Look for the girl with the dark curly hair wearing the long brown cardigan.

[Goof] Giles’ cravat

[Goof] Giles’ cravat

details | add a comment | suggested by B-Witched16

In 2.16 Bewitched, Bothered And Bewildered, when Giles is doing the spell with Amy to cancel Xander’s love spell, you can clearly see a string attached to Giles’ cravat, in the right side of the screen near a balcony.

[Goof] Library doors

[Goof] Library doors

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Up to this point in the series, the doors to the library have always opened inwards, and there are only handles on the inside. When Xander pulls a bookcase across the doors to barricade himself in in 2.16 Bewitched, Bothered And Bewildered, Buffy easily opens the door outwards.

[Goof] Time error

[Goof] Time error

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After Xander finds out that Amy’s spell went wrong in 2.16 Bewitched, Bothered And Bewildered, he takes Cordelia and runs out of school with her, during the day. They head to Buffy’s place, but when they get there it is night.

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