3.22 Graduation Day (Part Two)

In which the students of Sunnydale prove themselves and Angel leaves Sunnydale.

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Episode Trivia

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Ascension

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An Ascension is when a mortal or part-demon becomes pure demon, resulting in massive destruction. In 3.21 Graduation Day (Part One) Anya revealed she was the only living person to witness an Ascension, and it took a volcano to destroy the resulting demon (Lohesh, a four winged soul killer). In 3.22 Graduation Day (Part Two), The Mayor of Sunnydale ascended to become a giant snake-like demon. He was eventually blown up, along with the rest of the school.

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Bang!

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The explosion scene in 3.22 Graduation Day (Part Two) was filmed at 5am in Torrance, California (where the show had been filmed for outdoor scenes the past three years). The sound and vibrations from the exploding set woke up many residents and set off car alarms, causing locals to ban any future Buffy filming in Torrance. Producer Gareth Davies said in an interview with the BBC:

“Unfortunately, when we warned [the residents of Torrance] we were going to blow it up, we neglected to say when, and when it went up at five a.m. in the morning … Torrance is still upset with us actually, we’re back there next Friday and I’ve already heard of one phone call from some irate lady saying ‘You should be punished for what you did three years ago.’”

Best day ever

Best day ever

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Xander’s excitement over the explosion at Sunnydale High in 3.22 Graduation Day (Part Two) was deleted from the episode:

“Guys, we blew up the school! It’s the best day ever!”

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Big snake

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In 3.22 Graduation Day (Part Two), the Mayor turned into a giant snake-demon. His Ascension is referenced in several future episodes. In 4.03 The Harsh Light Of Day, Harmony and Willow discuss the “big snake” that threatened Sunnydale High in 3.22 Graduation Day (Part Two). It was during the confusion at the end of this episode that Harmony was bitten and turned into a vampire.
In 5.08 Shadow, Buffy says the snake is “big, but not Mayor-big”.
In 4.21 Primeval, Xander says,

“Does anyone miss the Mayor? ‘I just wanna be a big snake?’”

In 6.09 Smashed, Amy mentions a “giant snake thing” and “Snyder got eaten by a snake”.

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Bitten

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Several main characters have been bitten by vampires and survived:

Blow out

Blow out

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Willow says to Buffy at the end of 1.02 The Harvest:

“Maybe you could blow something up. They’re really strict about that.”

Buffy blew up the school in 3.22 Graduation Day (Part Two).

Buffy’s scars

Buffy’s scars

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In 3.22 Graduation Day (Part Two), Buffy allows Angel to feed from her, so that he can live (or rather, continue to be undead). The scars from this encounter can be seen in future episodes. It’s not the first nor last time that she allows a vampire to drink from her. Dracula (in 5.01 Buffy Vs Dracula) and The Master (in 1.12 Prophecy Girl) have also bitten our Slayer.

Changes To ‘Grr…Argh’

Changes To ‘Grr…Argh’

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In numerous episodes of Buffy, the Mutant Enemy logo (the little monster seen at the end of each episode) changes in some way:

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Columbine

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The episodes 3.18 Earshot and 3.22 Graduation Day (Part Two) were delayed by the network because of the events at Columbine High School, in which two students shot and killed several of their fellow students. It was felt that the events of the Buffy episodes (which contained violence at school) might have upset some viewers so close to the tragedy. Some Buffy fans were mad at the decision, as they felt the show held a good message for unpopular kids, but the decision was mostly supported by the Buffy crew.

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Comatose and lovin’ It

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Comas might very well be a running (if depressing) theme in the Buffyverse. First, we had Billy in 1.10 Nightmares who was in a coma. Then in 2.22 Becoming (Part Two), Willow was in a coma for a short time after being attacked by vampires. In 3.22 Graduation Day (Part Two) and 4.15 This Year’s Girl we see Faith in her long-running coma. In Angel, Cordelia was in a mystical coma until she died, and Faith and Angel lay in mystical comas in the episode 4.15 Orpheus.

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Cordelia’s final episode

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Cordelia Chase’s final episode in Buffy the Vampire Slayer was 3.22 Graduation Day (Part Two). She then moved to L.A. on a mission to become an actress but instead met with Angel, making her life take an unexpected turn in the spin-off show, Angel. Cordelia never returned to Sunnydale.

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Cordelia’s surnames

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Cordelia has a habit of giving people sarcastic new surnames.
She has called Angel:

She has called Gunn:

She has called Lorne:

She has called Wesley:

Others have also been named by Cordy:

Cordelia has also thrown in a few Misses in her name calling. She has called Buffy:

Cordelia has even called herself a name:

Cordy’s first stake

Cordy’s first stake

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Cordelia stakes a vampire for the first time in 3.22 Graduation Day (Part Two).

David leaves Sunnydale

David leaves Sunnydale

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After 3.22 Graduation Day (Part Two), David Boreanaz quietly left Buffy for his own show Angel, which aired in the autumn of 1999. He returned to Sunnydale a few times, in the Buffy episodes 4.08 Pangs, 4.20 The Yoko Factor, 5.17 Forever, 7.21 End Of Days and 7.22 Chosen.

Ebola

Ebola

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The following dialogue is from The Price:

Second smoothie server: “Look out! The dude’s got Ebola or something.”
Groo: “Is Ebola a weapon forged in magic?”
Lorne: “No, forged in monkey poo.”

In 3.22 Graduation Day (Part Two), Cordelia suggests using fake Ebola as a weapon against Mayor Wilkins:

Cordelia: “No! No, we’ll get a box with the Ebola virus and… and…. Or it doesn’t even have to be real, we can just get a box that says Ebola on it and… uhm chase him… with the box…”

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Faith’s knife

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The Mayor gave Faith an intricate knife as a present in 3.19 Choices. She used it to kill one of the Gavrok spiders and Buffy then took it away. Buffy stabbed Faith with the knife to try and cure Angel in 3.21 Graduation Day (Part One), then taunted the Mayor-snake with it in 3.22 Graduation Day (Part Two). In 4.15 This Year’s Girl, Faith dreamt that Buffy killed the Mayor with the same knife, and also that she still had the knife in her when talking to Buffy whilst making a bed.

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Faith: good or bad girl?

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Faith, by most people’s perspectives, during her time in season three appearances would be considered a ‘bad girl’ because of her rampant immorality, violence, murder, and lack of respect for any rules or legal system. This is embodied in the episode 3.14 Bad Girls where she accidentally kills the Deputy Mayor yet refuses to accept responsibility, which causes her turn to evil. However, her evil boss, Mayor Wilkins, says in 3.22 Graduation Day (Part Two), “Faith’s a good girl.” It all depends on your perspective.

Fire bad

Fire bad

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In 6.04 Flooded, Buffy suggests she burn her house down for the insurance. She says:

“Plus fire? Pretty.”

In 3.22 Graduation Day (Part Two), Buffy said to Giles:

“Fire bad, tree pretty.”

She also said the line, “fire bad!” in 4.05 Beer Bad.

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Foreshadowing the Dawn arc

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There are two significant references to the character of Dawn before she first appeared in 5.01 Buffy Vs Dracula.
In 4.15 This Year’s Girl, Buffy and Faith are making a bed in Faith’s dream. They have the following conversation:

Buffy: “I wish I could stay, but…”
Faith: “Oh, you have to go.”
Buffy: “That’s just what…”
Faith: “Little sis coming. I know.”
Buffy: “So much to do before she gets here.”

As well as referencing Dawn verbally, the two Slayers are making the bed in Dawn’s future room.
The second reference occurs in the episode 4.22 Restless. Tara says to Buffy:

“Be back before Dawn”.

There is also a couple more, slightly cryptic, references. In 3.21 Graduation Day (Part One), Buffy walks into Faith’s apartment and Faith says:

“Look at you, all dressed up in big sister’s clothes.”

In 4.22 Restless. In Giles’ dream, Olivia is pregnant, which may signify the coming of Dawn as Giles became a father figure to her after Joyce died.
In 3.22 Graduation Day (Part Two), Buffy dreams that she and Faith are making a bed together (again!). Faith says:

“Miles to go. Little Miss Muffet counting down from 7-3-0″.

Faith’s riddle is explained later in the series. “730″ is a forshadowing of Buffy’s own death (Buffy dies to save Dawn). It means 365 multiplied by 2, meaning in two year’s time. This date coincides with the episode 5.22 The Gift where Buffy dies. The number crops up again in season four’s finale 4.22 Restless, where Buffy sees a clock saying 7:30 and Tara tells her the clock is wrong. It is: there are no longer 730 days before Buffy’s death, there are 365.

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Forgettable kiss?

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In the Angel episode 3.11 Birthday, when Cordy is in the alternate world where she is famous, she meets Gunn and Wesley and the have this conversation:

Gunn: “Hey, is it true that you and Wes were, you know, that you had a little…?”
Cordelia: “Humiliating kiss where he drooled all over my chin? Yeah, but I’ve worked really hard to repress it.”
Wesley: “Right. Well, as much as I’m enjoying this forced death march down memory lane.”

This is a reference to the kiss that Wes and Cordy had in the Buffy episode 3.22 Graduation Day (Part Two).

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Graduation casualties

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In 3.22 Graduation Day (Part Two), Larry and Principal Snyder are killed by the Mayor. Harmony is bitten by a vampire. She returns in season four as a fabulous vampire. I’m not sure how she was turned as when she was bitten there was a massive amount of confusion, so the vampire would have had to be really focused to bite Harmony and then ensure she drank his blood to turn.

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Harry Groener

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Harry Groener played the Mayor of Sunnydale - Richard Wilkins III. He was born in Germany in 1951. Harry has three Tony nominations for his stage work in Oklahoma, Cats and Crazy for You. He has also been in Dear John, The West Wing, Roswell, Malcolm in the Middle, The Drew Carey Show, Boston Public, Judging Amy, Charmed, Family Law, Just Shoot Me, Mad About You, Home Improvement, Star Trek: Voyager, Law & Order, Quantum Leap, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Enterprise and Remington Steele. His final Buffy episode was 7.20 Touched.

Joss’s favourite villain

Joss’s favourite villain

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Joss Whedon’s favourite villain in Buffy the Vampire Slayer was the Mayor. He said of him at the Wizard World Convention in Chicago (August 2004):

Harry Groener was a gentleman and a delight to work with. And that’s another time when an actor came up to me, and he said ‘Do I care about Faith? Really? Or am I just using her for my evil scheme?’ And their father-daughter kind of relationship I thought was one of the most beautiful things in the show. And it came from just that conversation.”

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Larry Bagby III

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Larry played Sunnydale High bully turned gay activist Larry Blaisdale. Larry is a Mormon, but this didn’t stand in his way of playing a gay character (Mormons do not condone homosexuality). Larry was in an episode of Mr. Belvedere with Seth Green when the two were about 12 years old. The two also worked together on Airborne. Larry played another bully in Hocus Pocus, starring Sarah Jessica Parker and Bette Midler.

Little Miss Muffet

Little Miss Muffet

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In 3.22 Graduation Day (Part Two), Faith says (as a foreshadowing of the arrival of Buffy’s sister Dawn):

“Little Miss Muffet counting down from 7-3-0″

In the season five episode 5.02 Real Me, Dawn is approached by a mad man who calls her “curds and whey”. This is a line from the popular children’s nursery rhyme Little Miss Muffet.
In 5.05 No Place Like Home, Glory says:

“I’m just going to sit on this tuffet…”

This is apt as she’s looking for the Key, which is in the shape of Dawn.

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Mayor Richard Wilkins

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Richard Wilkins III founded the town of Sunnydale 100 years ago over the Hellmouth and made himself Mayor. We didn’t meet him until season three, but his sinister presence was alluded to prior to this, especially by Principal Snyder. The Mayor was an affable, mild-mannered man, who was strict about hygiene and manners. He was also extremely dangerous and planned his Ascension in which he would become a giant demon. He needed the Slayers Buffy and Faith out of the way, lest they should ruin his plan. Instead, Faith showed up at his office offering to work for him (3.15 Consequences). The two became close, and he became the father she never had. He would order her to kill his enemies and then admonish her for not drinking enough milk. When Buffy stabbed Faith and put her in a coma, the Mayor was distraught (3.21 Graduation Day (Part One)). After the Mayor’s Ascension, he turned into a giant snake-demon. It was actually his feelings for Faith which led to his downfall. Buffy taunted him with Faith’s knife before making him chase her through the school where she blew him up (3.22 Graduation Day (Part Two)). The Mayor returned briefly to Faith via video when she awoke from her coma in (4.15 This Year’s Girl). He sent her a contraption which would enable her to swap bodies with Buffy, as he realised she would be a wanted woman when she awoke.

Mayor’s tape

Mayor’s tape

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The Mayor made a tape sometime between Faith’s stabbing in 3.21 Graduation Day (Part One) and his Ascension in 3.22 Graduation Day (Part Two). She saw the tape, and received his body-switching contraption in season four’s 4.15 This Year’s Girl.

Paternal love

Paternal love

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The father-daughter relationship between Giles and Buffy was mirrored by that of the Mayor and Faith. This is never more evident than his distress over Faith’s coma in 3.22 Graduation Day (Part Two), when he tried to suffocate the one who hurt her - Buffy.

Popeye

Popeye

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In 3.22 Graduation Day (Part Two), the Mayor says of Angel:

“Looks like someone has been eating his spinach.”

This is a reference to Popeye, who got his amazing strength from eating spinach.
In 5.13 Why We Fight, Spike says to Lawson:

Lawson: You don’t win a war by doing whatever it takes. You win by doing what’s right.
Spike: Yeah? Let me know how that works out for you, Popeye.

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Robert Frost

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In 3.20 The Prom, Buffy says:

“Miles to go before we sleep.”

She is referring to Robert Frost’s poem Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening. The poem is quoted again in the dream sequence between Faith and Buffy in 3.22 Graduation Day (Part Two), when Faith says:

“Miles to go.”

Rogue Wesley

Rogue Wesley

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After battling the Mayor, Wesley headed off to become a rogue demon hunter which led him to L.A. There he met Angel and Cordelia and joined their private investigation work (in the spin-off show Angel). He became steadily cooler, stubblier and hoarser over the years was unrecognisable from the stuffy old Wes.

Sarah on Buffy’s death

Sarah on Buffy’s death

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Sarah Michelle Gellar told the BBC about when she found out that her character would die (in 5.22 The Gift):

“I’ve actually known the [plot of the] entire last season for about three years. There was a dream sequence that Buffy had - I think it was year three - with Faith. Faith had a riddle, and it was something like “Little Miss Muffet, sitting on her tuffet, counting down from whatever the numbers were,” and I went to Joss to ask what it meant. That’s when he explained to me that I was going to have a sister, that Dawn, the character of Dawn, would be coming on the show. I think that’s exactly when I became aware also of what the future plans were, for the big surprise that we’re not mentioning. So I think that was when I found out.”

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Slayage alternatives

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Buffy shows some ingenious ways of killing demons, and the gang have some great suggestions too. Here’s a list of alternative ways of killing, seen or mentioned on the show:

Hummus and Ebola: In 3.22 Graduation Day (Part Two), Oz suggests:

“We attack the Mayor with hummus.”

Cordelia later suggests:

“No, we’ll get a box with the Ebola virus and… or it doesn’t even have to be real. We can just get a box that says Ebola on it and… chase him! … With the box!”

Licking: In 4.09 Something Blue, When Spike’s in the bath-tub at Giles’ apartment:

Spike: “Passions is on! Timmy’s down the bloody well, and if you make me miss it, I’ll…”
Giles: “You’ll do what? Lick me to death?”

Nuzzling: In 5.01 Buffy Vs Dracula, Riley says to Giles about his being found with Dracula’s ladies:

“You were gonna nuzzle ‘em to death?”

Puppets: In 7.15 Get It Done, Xander says:

“Puppets! That’s it. The First hates puppets. Now if we can just airlift Kermit, Fozzy the Bear and Miss Piggy into town, The First will be a-runnin’.”

Slayer kisses

Slayer kisses

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In 3.17 Enemies, Angel kisses Buffy on her forehead in her bedroom and Faith kisses Buffy in the same place before running away after they fight. Buffy returns Faith’s forehead kiss in 3.22 Graduation Day (Part Two), after putting the Slayer in a coma.

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Soldier Boy

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A large part of the episodes 2.14 Innocence and 3.22 Graduation Day (Part Two) rely on Xander’s recollection of the events of 2.06 Halloween, when he became a soldier for a short time. In 2.14 Innocence he says he still has all his memories of being a soldier, including:

“Procedure, ordnance, access codes, everything.”

Xander’s military knowledge was a great plot device help to Buffy writers when they needed lots of gun power easily. We discover in the episode 4.03 The Harsh Light Of Day that Xander has lost his power when he has a girly scrap with Harmony, though in 4.13 The I In Team, he says:

“My pseudo-soldier memory bank tells me that’s a tracer.”

In 4.14 Goodbye Iowa, Anya says:

“It’s not like he was in the ‘Nam. He was G.I. Joe for one night.”

In 7.09 Never Leave Me, Xander realises that Spike has a “trigger”, to which Willow replies,

“Is this left over from your days in the Army?”

He admits that knowledge comes from Army movies.
In 7.12 Potential, Dawn says to Xander:

“Well, you had that sexy Army training for a while.”

Suffocation: The in way to kill?

Suffocation: The in way to kill?

details | 28 comments | suggested by emersoneells

In 3.22 Graduation Day (Part Two), Mayor Wilkins attempts to suffocate Buffy using his hand in the Sunnydale hospital after he learns that Buffy nearly killed Faith putting her into a coma; however Angel stops him. After Buffy defeats Glory, Giles suffocates Ben (Glory’s human side) in 5.22 The Gift in the same manner that the Mayor used.

Sunnydale memories

Sunnydale memories

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There are a few references to Cordelia’s time in Sunnydale in 1.05 Rm W/A Vu. When confronting the ghost, Cordelia says:

“I’m not a sniveling whiny little Cry-Buffy. I’m the nastiest girl in Sunnydale history. I take crap from no one.”

Later, Doyle notices her burnt up High School graduation diploma to which Cordelia replies, “rough ceremony” - referring to 3.22 Graduation Day (Part Two).
Cordelia also mentions the mansion that Angel lived in in Sunnydale in the following dialogue:

Cordy: “Like I’m still getting punished.”
Angel: “Punished. For what?”
Cordy: “I don’t know. For what I was? For everything I said in High School just because I could get away with it? - And then it all ended, and I had to pay. - Oh, but this apartment – I could be me again. Punishment over – welcome back to your life! Like, like I couldn’t be that awful if I get to have a place like that? - It’s just like you!”
Angel nods: “Working for redemption.”
Cordy frowns confused: “I – I meant because you used to have that mansion.”

Cordelia also speaks to Aura, one of her Cordette’s from Sunnydale, seen in 1.01 Welcome To The Hellmouth.

The monster graduates

The monster graduates

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The Mutant Enemy monster is sporting a graduation cap at the end of the episode 3.22 Graduation Day (Part Two).

Wes and Cordy

Wes and Cordy

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Wesley and Cordelia are instantly attracted to each other when they first meet in 3.15 Consequences. Their relationship turns into a solid friendship in the spin-off series Angel, but not before they share an uncomfortable kiss in 3.22 Graduation Day (Part Two).

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You’ll drink her

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The First as Jenny Calendar tells Angel in 3.10 Amends, “Sooner or later, you will drink her”, meaning Buffy. He does: in 3.22 Graduation Day (Part Two).

[Goof] Angel’s reflection

[Goof] Angel’s reflection

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When Angel uses the phone in 3.22 Graduation Day (Part Two), you can see the reflection of his fingers and his shirt in the chrome plating of the phone.

[Goof] Angel’s reflection

[Goof] Angel’s reflection

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As Angel pulls the Mayor off Buffy in the hospital in 3.22 Graduation Day (Part Two), you can briefly see his reflection in the glass of the room’s door.

[Goof] Angel’s stunt double

[Goof] Angel’s stunt double

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Angel’s stunt double can be seen clearly after Xander orders the kids to fight “hand to hand” in 3.22 Graduation Day (Part Two).

[Goof] Extras

[Goof] Extras

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At the end of 3.22 Graduation Day (Part Two), when the gang are discussing the battle, there is a couple walking down the pavement, away from the group. The camera does a few close-ups and when it cuts back to the far-away shot, the couple is still walking close to the group.

[Goof] Graduation

[Goof] Graduation

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The graduating kids’ parents didn’t exactly get a good view of the ceremony in 3.22 Graduation Day (Part Two). Their seats were behind the tiered stand where their children were sitting!

[Goof] Security Guard

[Goof] Security Guard

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In 3.22 Graduation Day (Part Two), when the camera moves into Faith’s hospital room (which is next to Buffy’s room), there’s a guard stationed in the hallway outside. When the Mayor tries to smother Buffy, the nurse yells to “call security”, but no one appears. Angel alone ends up saving Buffy from the Mayor’s grasp. Where’d the guard go so fast in under 2 minutes?!

[Goof] Sunnydale’s centennial

[Goof] Sunnydale’s centennial

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During the Mayor’s speech to the class of 1999 in 3.22 Graduation Day (Part Two), he comments on Sunnydale’s centennial:

“The one hundredth anniversary of the founding of Sunnydale.”

That would mean Sunnydale was founded in 1899. But in 2.03 School Hard and 3.08 Lover’s Walk, when Spike smashes into the ‘Welcome to Sunnydale’ sign, it says Sunnydale was founded in 1909.

[Goof] Unconscious Buffy

[Goof] Unconscious Buffy

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As Angel carries Buffy through the hospital in 3.22 Graduation Day (Part Two), we can see that Sarah Michelle Gellar is hanging on to his neck before realising she’s supposed to be unconscious and lets go.

[Goof] Wandering hands

[Goof] Wandering hands

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In 3.22 Graduation Day (Part Two), when Wesley and Cordelia kiss, Cordelia’s hands keep changing position depending on the camera view. When the view is behind Wesley, Cordy’s hands are on Wesley’s waist, but when the view is behind Cordy, they are by Wesley’s neck. In the shot where they start kissing for the second time, Cordy’s hands are back on Wesley’s waist.

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