Episode Trivia
Alpert tomb
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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.
Beastie Boys
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In 3.13 The Zeppo, Xander says to the bomb, “Hello, nasty”, a reference to the Beastie Boys album of the same name.
Binding spell
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Along with the handy ‘Locator spell’ the ‘Binding spell’ is one of the most commonly used plot devices spells in the Buffyverse. It is used in 1.08 I Robot, You Jane (on Moloch the Corrupter), 3.03 Faith, Hope And Trick (Giles pretends he needs to do one on Acathla), 3.13 The Zeppo (on the hellmouth demon) and 6.22 Grave (used on Evil Willow by Giles). The spell is seen in Buffy’s spin-off show Angel too. In 2.20 Over The Rainbow Wesley has the idea of using a binding spell on himself, Angel and Gunn to get them into another dimension, Pylea, and in 5.07 Lineage, Wesley suggests that the pattern on a cyborg could be some kind of binding spell.
Bob
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Bob was shot dead whilst trying to rob a liquor store, then raised as a zombie eight months later by Jack O’Toole. A fan of Walker, Texas Ranger, Bob was crushed by a drinks machine whilst chasing Xander in 3.13 The Zeppo.
Channon Roe
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Channon played Jack O’Toole in 3.13 The Zeppo. He can be seen with Seth Green in the movie Can’t Hardly Wait, and with Nicholas Brendon again in the 2000 movie Psycho Beach Party. He played a surfer in Boogie Nights and has been in episodes of Charmed, Diagnosis Murder, NYPD Blue, The X-Files and My So-Called Life. Channon played Cash, head of the Gangril clan of vampires in the 1996 TV series Kindred: The Embraced.
Cordelia’s surnames
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Cordelia has a habit of giving people sarcastic new surnames.
She has called Angel:
- “Mr. I Was Alive for 200 Years and Never Developed an Investment Portfolio” in 1.01 City of.
- “Mr. I can’t tail the suspect during the day because I’ll burst into flames Private Eye” in 1.15 The Prodigal.
- “Mr. ‘oh, you’re my big, fat hero!” in 3.05 Fredless.
- “Mr. Distance” in 1.17 Eternity.
- “Mr. Killing Spree” In 3.02 Dead Man’s Party.
- “Mr. ‘I’m so tortured’” in 1.11 Somnambulist.
- “Angel? Mr. Bumpy-face? Hello?” in 4.04 Slouching Toward Bethlehem.
She has called Gunn:
- “Mr. I don’t take orders - now where do I stick my axe?” in 2.11 Redefinition.
- “Mr. Rationalization” in 2.03 First Impressions.
She has called Lorne:
- “Mr. Big Mojo-guy” in 2.11 Redefinition.
- “Mr. Green-Mojo-Guy” in 2.20 Over The Rainbow.
She has called Wesley:
- “Mr. Fussy Pants” in 2.05 Dear Boy.
- “Mr. Grouchy Pants” in 1.16 The Ring.
- “Mr. Don’t Talk to Me Before I’ve Had my Flagon of Oatbran in the Morning” in 1.16 The Ring
- “Mr. Star-schmoozer” in The 2.08 Shroud Of Rahmon.
- “Mr. Too-much-cologne” in 1.14 I’ve Got You Under My Skin.
Others have also been named by Cordy:
- To Xander: “Mr. Excitement” in 3.13 The Zeppo.
- To Devon: “Mr. I’m-the-lead-singer-I’m-so-great- I-don’t-have-to-show-up- for-my-date-or- even-call” in 2.06 Halloween.
- To Xander: “Mr. Faithful” in 3.01 Anne.
- To Wesley and Gunn: “Mr. and Mrs. Bickerson” in 3.05 Fredless.
- To Pierce: “Mr. Armani” in 1.07 Bachelor Party.
- To Barney: “Mr. Emotional Radar” in 1.10 Parting Gifts.
- To Kate and Angel: “Mr. and Mrs. Spock” in 1.06 Sense And Sensitivity.
Cordelia has also thrown in a few Misses in her name calling. She has called Buffy:
- “Little Miss Likes-to-fight” in 3.22 Graduation Day (Part Two).
- “Miss Not-Over-Yourself-Yet” in 3.07 Revelations.
- “Miss Save-The-World” in 2.13 Surprise.
Cordelia has even called herself a name:
- “Miss one-foot-in-the-grave” in 5.12 You’re Welcome.
Darin Heames
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Darin Heames played the zombie Parker in 3.13 The Zeppo. He has also appeared in Without a Trace, Joan of Arcadia, NYPD Blue, Charmed, 24, Alien Nation: The Enemy Within, Party of Five and Baywatch.
Dickie
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Dickie was one of the zombies in Jack O’Toole’s gang. The first thing he wanted to do when resurrected was to bake a cake - make a bomb. Dickie was killed by the Hellmouth demon in 3.13 The Zeppo.
Espresso Pump
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The Espresso Pump is a coffee bar in Sunnydale’s main street often visited by the Scoobies. Giles sang and played guitar there in 4.18 Where The Wild Things Are. The Espresso Pump was first shown in the episode 3.02 Dead Man’s Party. Xander had a confrontation with Cordelia and, later, a bunch of zombies there in 3.13 The Zeppo.
Family reactions
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Eliza Dushku spoke about her family’s reaction to her sex scene with Xander in 3.13 The Zeppo:
“My grandmother wouldn’t return my phone calls for two weeks after the Xander romp scene in the hotel room. I remember my little cousins were all excited because I was on the show, and in the middle of the scene their father turned off the television, so they went to school the next day being the only kids who had not seen the outcome - all their friends went, ‘Your cousin had sex!’ and they were humiliated!”
Flugelhorn
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Xander reveals in 3.13 The Zeppo that he used to play the flugelhorn in 8th grade. A Flugelhorn is a trumpet-like instrument that sounds very much like a French horn.
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.”
Hebron’s Almanac
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Giles performed a binding spell on the creature which emerged from the Hellmouth in 3.13 The Zeppo. Willow says he got the spell from the magical book Hebron’s Almanac. We also hear reference to The Books of Pherion.
Hellmouth reminders
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The quotes in 3.13 The Zeppo, “The one that opened…,” “about twenty feet from where you’re standing” and “Do you remember the demon that almost got out the night I died?” are references to 1.12 Prophecy Girl in which a big ugly monster burst through the floor of the library.
Jack O’Toole
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Jack was the school bully who was killed in a drive-by shooting, but his grandfather brought him back as a zombie within ten minutes. He threatened Xander with the knife he called Katie, then made Xander drive him and his zombie buddies around for the night, before setting a bomb to blow up the school. Jack was killed by werewolf-Oz in 3.13 The Zeppo.
Lysette
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Lysette was a blond girl who was obsessed with cars. She met Xander whilst admiring his uncle’s car in 3.13 The Zeppo. The two went on a date to The Bronze, where Xander quickly realised they had nothing in common. Lysette was unfazed when Xander was threatened by Jack O’Toole, but ran away when she realised that Jack had raised zombies from the dead.
Michael Cudlitz
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Michael Cudlitz, who played the zombie Bob in 3.13 The Zeppo, has also been in Band of Brothers (as Sgt. Denver ‘Bull’ Randleman), Forces of Nature, The Negotiator, Grosse Point Blank, A River Runs Through It, Beverley Hills 90210 (as Tony Miller) and 24 (as Agent Rick Phillips).
Michael Jackson
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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.
Nicholas on The Zeppo
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Nicholas Brendon has said that he cried when he first read the script for 3.13 The Zeppo as he was so delighted with it, and it’s meaning for his character. He says it is one of his favourite episodes.
No resurrection
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Jack O’Toole’s line, “That’s it. No way am I bringing him back after I kill him” was deleted from the final cut of the episode 3.13 The Zeppo.
Parker
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Parker was killed when he was thrown off of a bridge by a gang called the Jackals and then turned into a zombie by Jack O’Toole. He was later decapitated by Xander in 3.13 The Zeppo.
Saverio Guerra
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Saverio Guerra, who played Willy the Snitch, appeared in five episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. He is best known as Bob in Becker, and has also appeared in EZ Streets (as Sammy), Mad About You, Bad Boys, and Summer of Sam. Saverio was the voice of Pontrelli in Shark Tale.
Scott Torrence
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Scott Torrence played Dickie in 3.13 The Zeppo. He has also been in Six Feet Under, Shooting LA, Rave, The Specials and 3rd Rock from the Sun.
Sisterhood of Jhe
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The Sisterhood of Jhe were an apocalyptic cult, seen in 3.13 The Zeppo. They were female demons with long dark hair who attempted to open the Hellmouth.
Snack job
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In What’s My Line? (Part One), Buffy excuses herself from research, so that she can go ice-skating with Angel:
Buffy: “Well, you have to admit, I kinda lack in the book area. I mean, you guys are the brains, I’d only be here for moral support anyway.”
Xander: “That’s untrue, Buffy. You totally contribute. You go for snacks!”
In 3.13 The Zeppo, we see that their roles have been reversed and Xander is relegated to the go-for-snacks (doughnuts, specifically) role in the Scooby gang.
Sound Stage
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‘Dodgems’ by Sound Stage can be heard in 3.13 The Zeppo as Xander is showing Buffy and Willow his new car.
Spice Williams
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Spice Williams played Patrice the demon assassin policewoman in 2.10 What’s My Line? (Part Two) and Debbie in the Angel episode 4.13 Salvage (the woman who tries to kill Faith in prison). She played a vampire in From Dusk Till Dawn. Spice is a stuntwoman who has done stunts for Spider-Man, Galaxy Quest, For the Love of the Game, Spawn, Batman and Robin, Natural Born Killers, Liar, Liar and The Lost Boys. Spice is married to Gregory Crosby, who is a screenwriter and the oldest grandson of Bing Crosby.
She was not credited for her role in Buffy as (in her words in an email to the Buffy and Angel Trivia Guide):
“I wasn’t credited for this part because I was brought into casting by the stunt coordinator, Jeff Pruitt, and not by casting. Casting wouldn’t give me credit because of this.”
Spice also appeared in the episode 3.13 The Zeppo as a member of the Sisterhood of Jhe. She says:
“I also played 3 different demons where I fought with Faith and was hit by a car driven by Xander stunt double (Mark Aaron Wagner), stabbed to death by Buffy and thrown over a bar by Angel and Faith…all in the same episode, directed by James Whitmore, I believe.”
Star Wars
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George Lucas’s Star Wars films are a cult phenomenon. They are referenced numerous times in the Buffyverse. The original trilogy included the movies Star Wars (1977), The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and Return Of The Jedi (1983) and the movies The Phantom Menace (1999), Attack of the Clones (2002) and Revenge of the Sith (2005) were made later on.
- 2.01 When She Was Bad: when Xander and Willow play Guess the Movie from the tag line:
Willow: “Use the Force, Luke.”,
Xander: “Do I even have to dignify that with a guess?” - 2.03 School Hard: Spike told Angel that, “You were my Yoda!” Yoda was the ancient Jedi master who became the mentor and teacher for both Obi-Wan Kenobi and Luke Skywalker.
- 3.13 The Zeppo: A visual reference to Star Wars is seen when Xander runs into the corridor and runs back out with the gang members chasing him. Han Solo does the same thing in Star Wars.
- 3.19 Choices: Buffy says that Faith has turned to ‘the dark side’.
- 4.01 The Freshman: Xander confuses the Star Wars Jedi code quoted by Yoda in The Phantom Menace.
“Hate leads to anger…no wait…Fear leads to hate, hate leads to the dark side.”
Also in that episode, the old frat house that the vampires are holed up in is the Psi Theta house. If you write those two greek letters together, and pronounce them together, you get Sith.
- 4.04 Fear, Itself: Xander says to Oz, “Sensing a disturbance in the Force, Master?”
- 5.08 Shadow: Buffy using the chain to choke Sobek the snake-demon is reminiscent of Princess Leia killing Jabba the Hutt in Return of the Jedi.
- 5.17 Forever: Ben calls Glory’s minions “Jawa rejects” after the small hooded and robed creatures in Star Wars.
- 6.05 Life Serial: Andrew paints a Death Star from Star Wars on the side of the gang’s van. It’s the Empire’s revised design from Return of the Jedi, which Jonathan says is flawed.
- 6.21 Two To Go: Andrew says:
“We’ve got maybe seconds before Darth Rosenberg grinds us all into to Jawa burgers and not one of you bunch has the Midichlorians to stop her.”
These are all Star Wars references: Darth is a title given to a Sith Warrior (such as Darth Vader); Jawas are the hooded creatures who live on Tatooine, and Midichlorians are micro-organisms which exist in all living things.
In that episode, Andrew says another two Star Wars quotes:“Laugh it up, Fuzzball.”
“…in a galaxy far, far away…”
- 6.06 All The Way: Tara and Willow see a couple dressed as Princess Leia and Luke Skywalker kissing in the Bronze. Willow asks:
“Do they know they’re brother and sister?”
- 6.09 Smashed: we see that the three nerds own a mint condition (though out of its packaging) 1979 Boba Fett action figure. Though Boba Fett was first introduced in The Empire Strikes Back (made in 1980), the earliest Boba Fett figure was made in 1979, before the film was released.
- 6.13 Dead Things: Jonathan and Andrew play fight with green light sabres.
- 6.18 Entropy: Warren calls Jonathan “Padawan”.
- 7.07 Conversations With Dead People: Jonathan and Warren have the following conversation, all quotes from Star Wars:
Warren: “Come on, “If you strike me down…”
Andrew: “I shall become more powerful than you could possibly imagine…That boy is our last hope.”
Warren: “No, there is another.” - 7.12 Potential: Xander says to Andrew:
“Say Skywalker, and I smack you.”
- 7.11 Showtime: Andrew says, “I’m bored. Episode I bored.” He’s referring to George Lucas’s disappointing movie Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace. He also says: “Um, deflector shields - deflector shields up!”
- 7.09 Never Leave Me: Warren/The First says, “I’m like Obi Wan”. He also says to Andrew, “We’re right in the trench, and the exhaust port’s in sight.” This is a reference to the scene in Star Wars in which the Death Star is under attack.
- 7.10 Bring On The Night: Andrew says:
“I’m like Vader in the last 5 minutes of Jedi with redemptive powers minus a redemptive struggle of epic redemption which chronicles…”
He’s referring to the last scenes of the final Star Wars movie Return of the Jedi. He also says:
“I admit I went over to the dark side, but just to pick up a few things, and now I’m back.”
- 7.16 Storyteller: there are two framed Star Wars comics on the wall in Andrew’s opening scene.
- 7.18 Dirty Girls: Andrew says:
“But like so many tragic heroes, Faith was seduced by the lure of the dark side.”
- 1.06 Sense And Sensitivity: Cordelia’s line “Jar Jar is getting his own talk show” is another reference to Star Wars.
- 1.05 Rm W/A Vu: Cordy says to her ghost, “Hey, hey - Phantom Dennis, put that back.” Jane Espenson says in her commentary fo the episode that she insisted the ghost be called Dennis to be able to pun the title of The Phantom Menace which was in cinemas at the time.
- 1.11 Somnambulist: Cordelia references Star Wars again when she calls Penn “Psycho-Wan Kenobi”.
- 2.03 First Impressions: Gunn says to Cordelia and Wesley,
“You two? I find Deevak, I’m gonna need more than C-3PO and Stick Figure Barbie backin’ me up, no offence.”
C-3PO was a droid in the Star Wars films, designed to assist with etiquette, customs, and translation so that meetings of different cultures run smoothly.
- 5.11 Damage: Andrew says (about Dana): “Driven insane by Yoda-knows-who.”
- 5.10 Soul Purpose: Spike references Star Wars, when he says “Sorry Mr Vader, but I don’t have an itch to join the evil Empire.”
- 4.15 Orpheus:
Wesley: “Sorry. I think my sense of humor’s trapped in a jar somewhere.”
Willow: “It does seem like you’ve given in to the grumpy side of the Force.”
Supergrass
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In 3.13 The Zeppo, we hear Supergrass’s ‘G-Song’ as Xander talks to Lysette in The Bronze.
Superman
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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?”
Tricky Woo
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In 3.13 The Zeppo, we hear ‘Easy’ by Tricky Woo while Xander drives Jack O’Toole and the zombies round Sunnydale.
Uncle Bob’s Magic Cabin
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In 3.13 The Zeppo, we see Willow come out of a magic shop called Uncle Bob’s Magic Cabin. During season five, Giles brought this shop and called it the Magic Box.
Uncle Rory
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Xander’s Uncle Rory, who was a “stodgy taxidermist” by day and at night it was “booze, whores and fur flying”. Mentioned in 2.08 The Dark Age, 3.13 The Zeppo (when he lent Xander his car), 4.04 Fear, Itself, 6.11 Gone and 6.15 As You Were. We finally got to meet Uncle Rory when he was a guest at Xander’s wedding in 6.16 Hell’s Bells - and he didn’t disappoint. He pretended to be electrocuted by a toaster and hit on a waitress at the wedding, pretending she was his date. He then explained the finer points of taxidermy to her.
Vaughn Armstrong
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Vaughn Armstrong, who played the cop in 3.13 The Zeppo, may be familiar to Star Trek fans. He has made 18 appearances in various Star Trek series, as 11 different characters of 8 different races. He played Admiral Maxwell Forrest in Star Trek: Enterprise. Vaughn played Harry in Days of Our Lives and has also appeared in episodes of The West Wing, ER, Beverly Hills, 90210, Frasier, Seinfeld and Cheers.
Walker, Texas Ranger
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In 3.13 The Zeppo, Jack O’Toole resurrects his friend Bob, who asks:
“Walker, Texas Ranger. You been taping ‘em?”
The TV show ran from 1993 to 2001 and starred Chuck Norris as a Texan police officer who is an expert in martial arts.
Whitney Dylan
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Whitney Dylan, who played Xander’s car-mad date Lysette in 3.13 The Zeppo, played a serving girl in the Angel episode 2.22 There’s No Place Like Plrtz Glrb. She also appeared in Coyote Ugly.
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?”
Zeppo Marx
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In 3.13 The Zeppo, Cordelia calls Xander “the Zeppo of the group”. She’s referring to Herbert “Zeppo” Marx, the youngest of the five Marx brothers who were a comedy troupe from the 1920s to the 1940s. He always seemed to be in the background, acting as a foil for Chico or Groucho. He joined the act after Milton “Gummo” Marx left during their early vaudeville days. He completed 5 movies for the brothers, but finished with the wonderful Duck Soup as he felt a) that his talents weren’t being properly utilised and b) that he was out of place as a straight man in a comedy troupe.
Zeppo misunderstanding
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Many fans hated 3.13 The Zeppo when it first aired, as they missed its point. It’s an episode through the eyes of Xander. The sub-plot about the end of the world isn’t important, it’s Xander’s view (or rather, lack of view) of it. His melodramatic view of Buffy and Angel’s relationship and Faith kicking him out are definite highlights.
Zombie influences
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In its portrayal of zombies Buffy the Vampire Slayer draws on a wealth of (predominantly) cinematic material. Essentially, the cinematic zombie falls into three categories: the Haitian zombie, Frankenstein’s monster zombie and the Romero zombie.
- The Haitian Zombie: The classic depiction. The Haitian Zombie is an individual who has either been brought back from the dead or revived from a drug-induced death-like trance by a Voodoo priest. The revived individual lacks free-will and is used by the priest as a slave. This traditional type was pretty much the standard in early cinematic depictions of zombification, and was (perhaps) best used in Val Lewton / Jacques Tourneur’s excellent I Walked with a Zombie (1943). Though the zombies of 3.13 The Zeppo (and Buffy herself) may initially seem to fit the bill (they were all revived by occult means) they are quite distinct, as they obviously have free will, a sense of self and do not have a ‘Master’. The (never seen) ‘Zombie Joyce’ from 5.17 Forever may be closer to the mark, as it was suggested that she would be a mindless shell. I guess the lumbering, subservient zombies of 3.02 Dead Man’s Party are the closest we get to Haitian lore in Buffy. They respond to their master and are clearly little more then slaves. Having said that, they owe much (at least visually) to the ‘Romero Zombie’ (see below).
- The ‘Frankenstein’s Monster’ Zombie: Obviously this type of zombie share’s little with its Haitian variant as it is a product of science/medicine and not magic. In addition, since it is a composite (made up of parts from different individuals, beings etc), its identity is necessarily a bit muddled. Depictions of such creatures therefore tend to focus on its quest for a sense of self. Adam is an obvious enough Buffyverse example, and (as is common for such creatures) was concerned with understanding himself and the world around him. The ‘bride’ that was being built for Daryl in 2.02 Some Assembly Required, is typically ‘Frankensteinian’ and is a clear nod to James Whale’s seminal Bride of Frankenstein (1935).
- The ‘Romero Zombie’: While it may be a simplification to credit George Romero with the (sole) creation of the stereotypical modern cinematic zombie, using his name is a handy way of explaining the type, and Night of the Living Dead (1968) may be the first depiction of the kind . This type gets reanimated through a variety of (often ludicrous) means and is the one we are probably most familiar as we’ve seen it everywhere from Dawn of the Dead (1978) to Michael Jackson’s Thriller. They lumber about, they wear the torn outfits they were buried in, they are often badly decomposed, they travel in packs, they eat human flesh or brains, they seem to have only rudimentary cognitive skills etc. I think the wanting Braaaaaaaiiiinnnnsss thing originated with Dan O’Bannon’s hilarious 1985 effort Return of the Living Dead, but it’s become an accepted zombie characteristic by now. In terms of the overall aesthetic of the zombies, nearly all of the Buffy examples owe a debt to this type (Forrest and Walsh, the 3.02 Dead Man’s Party gang, Jack O’Toole’s buddies etc). None wanted brains though, how disappointing.
Zombies
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Zombies have been seen several times in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The loosest explanation of a zombie is a corpse which has been reanimated in some way - mainly through magic. Examples of zombies seen on the show include those in 3.02 Dead Man’s Party (who were revived by a magical Nigerian Ovu Mobani mask); Forrest and Maggie Walsh in 4.21 Primeval (brought back to “life” by Adam); Joyce (resurrected by a spell by Dawn in 5.17 Forever); and Jack O’Toole and his pals in 3.13 The Zeppo. With the exception of 3.13 The Zeppo zombies, most zombies have no free will and are essentially automatons.
[Goof] Mail
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As the zombie Parker is decapitated by the mailbox In 3.13 The Zeppo, you can see there is a lot of mail sticking right out of it. After Xander drops the body we see that the mail is sticking out only a couple of inches.
[Goof] Reused shot
details | add a comment | suggested by Jess
The scene where Xander and Oz discuss “coolness” starts with a voiceover of Xander talking, over a shot of food being cleaned up. In the background of this shot, you can see Xander, Buffy, and Willow at a table. But the next shot (and the rest of the scene) shows just Xander and Oz sitting together. This is because that first shot was re-used footage from 2.19 I Only Have Eyes For You.
[Goof] The bomb
details | 2 comments | suggested by Jess
When Jack and Xander are facing off while the bomb timer ticks away, the timing is not correct. At one point, the timer says 00:11, but two seconds later (and the beeps are audible, so you can count the seconds easily), it says 00:12. Then, exactly when it should explode, we see that it is at 4 seconds.