Episode Trivia
Celine Dion
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When Buffy first met her college room-mate Kathy in 4.01 The Freshman, Kathy put a Celine Dion poster on her wall. This sent shivers down Buffy’s spine as she realised immediately that they were not going to get on. Celine Dion is a French Canadian singer, with hit singles including “I’m your Angel” and “My Heart Will Go On” (the theme to James Cameron’s epic movie Titanic, and many a shameless karaoker). Dion currently performs Lorne-style nightly in her show, A New Day…Live in Las Vegas, at Caesars Palace, Las Vegas.
Class Protector Award
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During 3.20 The Prom, the students of Sunnydale High gave Buffy a special award, The Class Protector Award, to acknowledge the many times she had saved their lives. It was presented to her by Jonathan Levinson, who Buffy had saved from suicide in 3.18 Earshot. The award was a gold and pink parasol with tinsel and glitter on it (so not that special, really - but it’s the thought that counts). Jonathan gave the following speech:
“We’re not good friends. Most of us never found the time to get to know you, but that doesn’t mean we haven’t noticed you. We don’t talk about it much, but it’s no secret that Sunnydale High isn’t really like other high schools. A lot of weird stuff happens here. But, whenever there was a problem or something creepy happened, you seemed to show up and stop it. Most of the people here have been saved by you, or helped by you at one time or another. We’re proud to say that the Class of ‘99 has the lowest mortality rate of any graduating class in Sunnydale history. And we know at least part of that is because of you. So the senior class, offers its thanks, and gives you this. It’s from all of us, and it has written here, ‘Buffy Summers, Class Protector.’”
Buffy’s award was broken by the vampire Sunday in 4.01 The Freshman.
Dadaism
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In 6.01 Bargaining (Part One), the Buffybot says a bizarre selection of words, to which Spike says:
“What’s with the Dadaism, Red?”
In 4.01 The Freshman, Buffy says to Xander:
“Thanks for the Dadaist pep talk, I feel much more abstract now.”
Dadaism was the nihilistic artistic movement in the early twentieth century. The movement was based on irrationality, anarchy, cynicism and the rejection of laws of beauty. It was based mainly in France, Switzerland and Germany as a protest over World War I, but it was also in America, where it occurred mainly in New York at Alfred Stieglitz’s gallery ‘291′. After 1922, many Dadaists abandoned the movement as they turned to surrealism.
Dagney Kerr
details | 3 comments | suggested by Colette
Dagney Kerr played Buffy’s college room mate Kathy Newman in 4.01 The Freshman and 4.02 Living Conditions. She has also been in Two Weeks Later, One Man’s Trash, Six Feet Under and George Lopez. Her real name is Michelle Kear. Dagney is an instructor in the Windor Pilates videos.
David and Sarah’s cameos
details | 3 comments | suggested by Jess
David Boreanaz and Sarah Michelle Gellar had cameo parts in each others’ season première episodes. In 4.01 The Freshman, Buffy notices someone who looks like Angel in the Bronze (we see David for a split second). In the Angel episode 1.01 City of, a lonely Angel calls Buffy’s house. She answers the phone (seen in 4.01 The Freshman when she goes home to her mother) but he rings off. We briefly hear Sarah’s voice on the phone in City Of.
David Bowie
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Giles is listening to David Bowie’s “Memory Of A Free Festival” (from the album Space Oddity) at his apartment when Buffy goes to see him in 4.01 The Freshman.
Eddie
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Eddie was a freshman at UC Sunnydale who met Buffy when they were both lost on campus. He always kept a copy of Of Human Bondage by W. Somerset Maugham with him as a comfort blanket. Eddie was turned into a vampire by Sunday’s gang and staked by Buffy in 4.01 The Freshman.
Fabulous Ladies Nightclub
details | 2 comments | suggested by Jess
Xander’s summer road trip (first proposed in 3.19 Choices) after he graduated from Sunnydale High ended shortly after the engine fell out of his car in Oxnard, California. He ended up doing the washing up at the Fabulous Ladies Nightclub, where he had to fill in for a male stripper who had called in sick. Xander related this story to Buffy in 4.01 The Freshman.
Funny aneurysm
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In 4.01 The Freshman, Buffy says “I hope it’s a funny aneurysm” referring to how her mother will react about the cost of her books. This is a foreshadowing of Joyce’s actual death in season five - she died of an aneurysm.
Gutenberg
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In 4.02 Living Conditions, Giles said he had an original demonography printed by Gutenberg. Johannes Gutenberg invented moveable type, which revolutionized the mass publication and circulation of the printed word. The first book to be printed on Gutenberg’s press was the Bible in 1455.
Heath Castor
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Heath Castor played various characters in the episodes 3.02 Dead Man’s Party, 2.19 I Only Have Eyes For You, 4.01 The Freshman, 4.02 Living Conditions and 4.05 Beer Bad. He was in the Angel episode 2.04 Untouched.
Hugh Hefner
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After discovering Giles’s girlfriend Olivia in Giles’ apartment in 4.01 The Freshman, Buffy said to him,
“OK, remember before you became Hugh Hefner when you used to be a Watcher?”
Hugh Hefner is the founder of Playboy magazine. His decadent lifestyle at the Playboy mansions is well known. Charisma Carpenter (Cordelia) appeared in Playboy magazine in April 2004.
In the script…
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The following are script directions for the episode 4.01 The Freshman:
UC Sunnydale library is described as “unbelievably gigantoid”.
Riley Finn is described as “a junior, tall and good-looking, with an open, honest face”.
When Buffy makes an idiot of herself when she and Willow first meet Riley:
“Riley smiles politely at this lamest of comments. Buffy trails behind the other two, awed by her own ineptitude.”
Katharine Towne
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Katharine played the vampire Sunday in 4.01 The Freshman. She has also been in Easy Six, Scream at the Sound of the Beep, The Anarchist Cookbook, Evolution, Mulholland Drive, Go, What Lies Beneath, But I’m a Cheerleader and The In Crowd. Katharine had a cameo in She’s All That, as did Sarah Michelle Gellar. Katharine was married to Charlie Hunnam. They met on the set of Undeclared and married 3 weeks later. Charlie is best known as Nathan in the British Queer as Folk and he was in Nicholas Nickleby. The two divorced in 2002.
Lindsay Crouse
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Lindsay played the tough Professor Maggie Walsh in season four. She was nominated for a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for Places in the Heart in 1984. Lindsay’s full name - Lindsay Ann Crouse - is a pun: her father, Russel Crouse, was one half of the successful Broadway writing/producing team of (Howard) Lindsay and Crouse. Lindsay has also appeared in House of Games, All the President’s Men, The Verdict, Daniel and Desperate Hours. She carries on the weird Buffy tradition of having connections with Little House on the Prairie - she starred as Caroline Ingalls in Beyond the Prairie: The True Story of Laura Ingalls Wilder. Lindsay appeared in the 1995 movie Bye Bye, Love with Eliza Dushku and Amber Benson. Her TV work includes parts in Alias, Dragnet, Frasier, Providence, NYPD Blue, Millennium, ER and Batman: The Animated Series.
Lindsey as Riley?
details | 2 comments | suggested by Jess
Christian Kane, who played Wolfram and Hart lawyer Lindsey McDonald on Angel, originally auditioned for the role of Buffy’s Riley Finn. He told EW.com:
“I auditioned for Buffy, for the role that Marc Blucas has”.
Looking up ol’ Ripper
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Olivia calls Giles “Ripper” in 4.01 The Freshman, which suggests she has known him since college. This was his nickname when he was a badass demon-raiser. We first learnt of this in 2.08 The Dark Age.
Marc and Riley comparisons
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Marc Blucas has spoken about his character Riley, and how they compare:
“I think we’re alike in a lot of ways. While we definitely have our differences, we’re both very dedicated and disciplined people, very intense people, and we always know what we wanted. … You’re going to ask me now how we’re different. I don’t wear camouflage much [laughs]. … Riley is a little socially uncomfortable and unconfident, whereas I can talk to a lampshade; I don’t have much of a problem in that department. And Riley said, “I can’t dance,” and I would like to stake a claim that I can.”
Marc’s second chance
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Marc Blucas mentioned in an interview about how he got the part of Riley:
“They had narrowed it down to five or six guys and we all went in to read with Sarah. The night before, I was playing basketball and I got undercut. I landed on my back, so I got hurt. That had never happened before. I couldn’t walk. I couldn’t put on my socks and shoes. I was really messed up. And I went in to read with Sarah in a pair of shorts, a T-shirt and flip flops. The whole scene I did leaning up against a bookcase. I just couldn’t physically move. And at that point, I had already read for Joss and the other producers, and it was my first time reading with Sarah. It was a very intimate scene. They wanted to see the guy who wasn’t intimidated by her.
They wanted to obviously try to see some chemistry between the actors, but someone that could go up and physically approach her and hold their own against Sarah as a presence, as an entity. You know, she holds the screen. She’s a star. And I didn’t have an opportunity to do that.
I walked out saying, “Sorry for wasting your time, thanks for having me. Good luck.” Because I was horrible. The acting was bad, everything that the scene was intended to do, I couldn’t do.
And so the next day, Joss called me at home. He said, “I’ve seen you do this. I know you’re my guy. When are you going to be ready.” And I said, “Joss, this has never happened to me before. I don’t know. I might need two weeks. I can’t put on my socks right now.” And he said, “All right, well, I think Sarah’s going out of town for about two weeks, and so when she comes back…” he more or less bought me time. And I went in two weeks later when I was fine and read with her and he said, “That’s it.” Then I got the job that way. Second chances don’t come a lot in this town because there’s just too much money at stake. They usually just don’t happen. So I will be forever grateful to Joss Whedon for giving me the second chance.”
Mean Professor
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Joss said the following at the Posting Board about the scene in 4.01 The Freshman when Buffy’s kicked out of class:
“As to the Prof in Buffy ep 1, I freely confess that he’s based on an old prof of mine, Joe Reed, who kicked my friend David out of the class day one in front of 200 kids. Joe is cool.”
Mom photo
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In 4.01 The Freshman, we see that Buffy keeps a photo of Joyce on the desk in her dorm room.
Monet and Klimt
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We see in 4.01 The Freshman that Sunday’s vampires have a collection of Monet and Klimt posters stolen from their student victims. There are 18 Monet Water Lillies posters, and 12 Klimt The Kiss posters.
Mr. Gordo
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Buffy owns a cuddly toy pig called Mr. Gordo. He was first seen in the episode 2.09 What’s My Line? (Part One):
Buffy: “Just dropping by for some quality time with Mr. Gordo?”
Angel: (confused) “Excuse me?”
Buffy: “The pig.”
The pig was mentioned by Willow in 4.07 The Initiative:
“She has a stuffed piggy named Mr. Gordo, loves Ice Capades without the irony and she’s dragging me to this party tonight at Lowell House.”
Sunday and her gang of vampires stole Buffy’s belongings in 4.01 The Freshman and she saw them throwing Mr. Gordo around:
“I don’t see my weapons trunk down there. It was right by my bed. Mr. Gordo? (to Xander: cold, hard) Go to my room. If it’s not there, try Willow’s.”
Gordo means “fat” in Spanish.
Buffy seems to have a thing with pigs, as she manages to capture the school’s mascot - a piglet - in 1.06 The Pack.
Mr. Gordo in The Freshman
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In 4.01 The Freshman, the vampire Sunday and gang are messing with Buffy’s stuff as the Slayer watches from a skylight above. Buffy says, “Mr. Gordo!” suggesting the vampire gang is tossing around her stuffed pig seen in previous episodes. When they cut to the gang though, they are obviously tossing around a stuffed cow - you can see it’s black spots.
Mr. Pointy
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In 2.21 Becoming (Part One), Kendra gave Buffy Mr. Pointy, her favourite stake. Mr Pointy was mentioned in several other episodes: In 3.12 Helpless, Buffy said:
“Or what if I just become pathetic? Hanging out at the old Slayer’s home, talking people’s ears off about my glory days, showing them Mr. Pointy, the stake I had bronzed.”
Buffy used Mr. Pointy to interrogate the vampire in the limo in 3.19 Choices. In 4.01 The Freshman, Buffy mentioned that Mr. Pointy was her “security blanket”.
Nazis
details | 4 comments | suggested by Nuke67
Nazis have been referenced a few times in Buffy:
- In 1.03 The Witch, Buffy says Amy’s mother is, “Nazi-like”.
- In 1.08 I Robot, You Jane, a student’s essay has been changed by Moloch the Corrupter, “This isn’t my report! Nazi Germany was a model of a well ordered society’? I didn’t write that! Who’s been in my files?”
- In 1.10 Nightmares, Xander says, “I’m sorry, I’m unruffled by spiders. Now, if a bunch of Nazis crawled all over my face…” He laster walks past swastika graffitis, just before he sees the evil clown.
- In 2.21 Becoming (Part One), Cordelia says of Principal Snyder, “How about because you’re a tiny impotent Nazi with a bug up his butt the size of an emu?”
- In 3.11 Gingerbread, Xander says, “Aw, man it’s Nazi Germany and I’ve got Playboys in my locker!”
- In 4.01 The Freshman, Buffy mentions the Nuremberg rallies, where the Nazi’s held their anti-Semitic rallies from the early 1920s to 1938.
- In the episode 4.07 The Initiative, Spike is in his containment cell talking to another vampire about who could have captured him, Spike says, “And they are? The government? Nazis? A major cosmetics company?”
- In the Angel episode 5.13 Why We Fight, we see in a flashback that Spike was captured by Nazis in 1943, who were experimenting on vampires as a means of controlling them for their war effort.
No Watcher
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In 4.01 The Freshman, Giles tells Buffy she has no official Watcher, as she quit the Council in 3.22 Graduation Day (Part Two).
Nuremberg Rallies
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When Buffy and Willow first saw the huge UC Sunnydale library in 4.01 The Freshman, Buffy said, “Yeah, this is great, you know, if we ever need a place for the Nuremberg rallies.” Nuremberg, in the south of Germany, was the place where the Nazi’s held their anti-Semitic rallies from the early 1920s to 1938.
Oakpark Street
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Giles’s address, we discover in 4.01 The Freshman, is 523 Oakpark Street, Apartment B, Sunnydale, CA 90211.
Of Human Bondage
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Of Human Bondage is a thinly veiled autobiography written by W. Somerset Maugham, published in 1915. In 4.01 The Freshman, Eddie tells Buffy the book is his comfort blanket.
Olivia
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Olivia was an English woman who had a casual relationship with Giles. She flew over from England to stay with him on two known occassions (4.01 The Freshman and 4.10 Hush). Olivia encountered the Gentlemen and sketched them for Buffy to know what she was facing. Decided to end her relationship with Giles after the Gentlemen incident, as she felt his world was too scary for her. Olivia appeared once more in Giles’s dream in 4.22 Restless.
Paul Riordan
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Paul Riordan’s song “Freaky Soul” (from the albim Alternative Vol 1) plays in 4.01 The Freshman as Buffy walks through the dorm.
Pedro Balmaceda
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Pedro Balmaceda played Eddie, the student in 4.01 The Freshman who was lost with Buffy before being turned into a vampire. Pedro played Greg in Undressed, and has been in Hermanas and NYPD Blue.
Phina Oruche
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Phina played Giles’s on-off girlfriend Olivia in season four. Phina and Anthony Stewart Head were in acting class together in the past and he suggested her for the role in Buffy. Phina has also appeared in The Forsaken, How Stella Got Her Groove Back and Sabrina, as well as episodes of Charmed and Diagnosis Murder.
Planet of the Apes
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During their game of Guess the Movie in 2.01 When She Was Bad, Xander says to Willow:
“It’s a mad house! A mad…”
Oz repeated this line (from the movie Planet of the Apes) in the fourth season premiere, 4.01 The Freshman.
Professor Maggie Walsh
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Maggie Walsh was a bossy psychology Professor at UC Sunnydale. Walsh was also joint head of the secret government organization the Initiative, which trapped and tested demons. Riley worked for Maggie at the Initiative, and posed as her TA. She designed, and was in charge of secret Project 314 - a hybrid monster called Adam. Walsh invited Buffy to join the Initiative, but tried to have her killed when she felt the Slayer was a liability to her secret project. Maggie was skewered through the heart by Adam in 4.13 The I In Team, who later reanimated her body to work in his secret laboratory, seen in 4.21 Primeval.
Run away gal
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In 4.01 The Freshman, Willow mentions the time Buffy ran away to L.A., seen in Becoming, Part Two:
“Buffy wouldn’t just take off. That’s just not in her nature… Except for that one time she disappeared for several months and changed her name, but there were circumstances then. There’s no circumstances.”
Scarface
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In 4.01 The Freshman, Xander says to Buffy, “Hold on, no, ‘First you get the women, then you get the money, then you…’ Okay, can we forget that?” This could be a reference to the speech made by Tony Montana (played by Al Pacino) in the film Scarface: “In this country, you gotta make the money first. Then when you get the money, you get the power. Then when you get the power, then you get the woman.”
In 5.20 Spiral, Spike refers to General Gregor as ‘Scarface’: “You sure Scarface here can habla the English?”
Scarface is a 1983 film directed by Brian DePalma and written by Oliver Stone.
Scooby courses
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In 4.01 The Freshman, we find out that Buffy, Willow and Oz are taking Introduction to Psychology with Professor Maggie Walsh. Willow is also taking Ethnomusicology.
Security blankets
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Owen, Eddie, and Buffy all admit what objects they view as their security blankets.
1.05 Never Kill A Boy On The First Date:
Owen: “I lost my Emily. Dickinson. It’s dumb, but I like her around. Kind of a security blanket.”
Buffy: “I have something like that. Well, it’s an actual blanket. Uh, and I don’t really carry it around anym-more… So! Emily Dickens, huh? She’s great!”
Eddie: “I think it’s supposed to get easier.”
Buffy: “I still feel like carrying around a security blanket.”
Eddie: “Of Human Bondage. Have you ever read it?”
Buffy: “Oh, I’m not really into porn… I mean I’m just… I’m trying to cut way back.”
Eddie: “No, there’s no actual bondage, it’s just a novel. I’ve read it, like, ten times. I always keep it by my bed… security blanket.”
Buffy: “I don’t really have a security blanket… unless you count Mr. Pointy.”
Eddie: “Mr. Pointy?”
Slayer blood
details | 1 comment | suggested by Jess
In 5.07 Fool For Love, Spike says to Drusilla:
“You ever hear them saying the blood of a Slayer is a powerful aphrodisiac?”
There seems to be a common consensus between vampires that Slayer blood is more powerful and delicious than normal human blood.
In 4.01 The Freshman, one of Sunday’s lackeys says:
“Okay, but you gotta share the eatin’. ‘Cause I’m thinkin’ Slayer’s blood’s gotta be– whoa!– like Thai Stick.”
Splendid
details | 2 comments | suggested by Jess
Splendid play their track “Charge” in the Bronze in 2.19 I Only Have Eyes For You. In 4.01 The Freshman Splendid perform “You and Me” in the Bronze. Their unreleased song “Tomorrow We’ll Awake” plays during Xander and Anya’s bedroom scene in 5.17 Forever.
Angie Hart, the lead singer of Splendid, co-wrote the song “Blue” with Joss Whedon. This song played at the beginning of the episode Conversations with Dead People.
Angie’s ex-husband Jesse Tobias, who was also in Splendid, helped Joss and Christophe Beck to arrange Joss’s songs for the musical episode 6.07 Once More, With Feeling.
Star Wars
details | 15 comments | suggested by Jess
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.”
Stretch Princess
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“Universe” by Stretch Princess plays in 4.01 The Freshman, as Buffy walks around the UC Sunnydale campus.
Sunday
details | 17 comments | suggested by Jess
Sunday was a blonde, goth, bossy vampire whose group ruled over UC Sunnydale, killing and siring new students and pretending they had left college due to stress. Sunday’s gang stole the student’s belongings and had a competition of student posters: Monet vs Klimt. Sunday fought and beat Buffy when she was still shaky about starting college, but Xander gave Buffy new confidence and the Slayer staked Sunday in 4.01 The Freshman.
The distance to UC Sunnydale
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The following dialogue is from 3.19 Choices:
Buffy: “It’s gonna be fun. Will and I are going to go on Saturday to check out the campus. I’m hoping Mom will let me live there. It’s too far to come home every night.”
In 4.01 The Freshman, we learn that the college is five miles away:
Buffy: “Well I’ve been busy! It’s been a very slay-heavy summer. I just haven’t had a whole lot of time to think about life at UC Sunnydale.”
Willow: “It’s exciting, though, isn’t it?”
Buffy: “Yeah! It’s gonna be an adjustment.”
Willow: “Yeah, it’s like, five miles away. It’s uncharted territory.”
The Muffs
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We hear “I Wish That I Could Be You” by The Muffs as Sunday and her gang talk about Buffy in 4.01 The Freshman. The song is from the album Alert Today Alive Tomorrow.
UC Sunnydale
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Exterior shots of UC Sunnydale (where Buffy, Willow, Tara and Oz went to college) were shot at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in Westwood. After season four, the outdoor scenes were shot at the CF Braun Business Park, 1000 S. Fremont Avenue, in Alhambra. The move was made as UCLA was getting too crowded and it was difficult to film there.
In 4.01 The Freshman, Buffy and Willow go to UC Sunnydale’s library, which is actually the Powell Library on the UCLA campus.
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 uniform
details | 1 comment | suggested by Jess
The vampire that tells Buffy she smells in 6.15 As You Were is wearing the same t-shirt that Sunday’s vampire lackey Tom wore in 4.01 The Freshman, before he was hit by the Initiative Soldiers.
Very most of geek
details | add a comment | suggested by Jess
The following line was deleted from the episode 4.01 The Freshman:
Sunday (about Buffy’s Class Protector award): “What better way to say, ‘I am the very most of geek.’”
Walt Borchert
details | add a comment | suggested by Jess
Walt Borchert, who played the newly-turned vampire in 4.01 The Freshman, also played a demon in 4.02 Living Conditions. He appeared as Jeff in the Buffy episode 5.14 Crush.
World renowned
details | add a comment | suggested by Meghann
In 4.01 The Freshman, Buffy questions the process of becoming world renowned:
Willow: “Anyway, Professor Walsh is supposed to be great. She’s like, world-renowned.”
Buffy: “How do you get to be renowned? I mean, like, do you have to be ‘nowned’ first?”
Willow: “Yes, first there’s the painful ‘nowning’ process…”
Next season in 5.01 Buffy Vs Dracula, Buffy finds out that she is world renowned:
Buffy: “You’re heard of me?”
Dracula: “Naturally. You’re known throughout the world.”
Buffy: “Naw. Really?”
Dracula: “Why else would I come here? For the sun? I came to meet the renowned … killer.”
Xander goes to Oxnard
details | add a comment | suggested by cardboardy
In 3.19 Choices, when the Scoobies are discussing college options, Xander asks if Cordelia had heard about Willow getting into Oxnard. Willow quickly corrects Xander’s misfire of the name of the esteemed Oxford University. It is worth noting that Xander headed out on the road after this, and ended up in Oxnard himself (mentioned to Buffy in 4.01 The Freshman).
[Goof] Buffy’s covers
details | add a comment | suggested by Jess
In the scene in which Buffy tries to sleep while Kathy snores in 4.01 The Freshman, Buffy’s bedcovers are high up her body during close-ups but quite a few inches lower in the longer shots.
[Goof] No heart
details | add a comment | suggested by Jess
In 4.01 The Freshman, Xander stakes a vampire in the stomach, yet the vamp still dies.
[Goof] Quick move
details | add a comment | suggested by Jess
The stoner vamp is packing Eddie’s stuff by the sink in 4.01 The Freshman. After a quick cut to the stereo that the other vamp is stealing, the stoner vamp is shown sitting at a desk, just finishing the goodbye note.
[Goof] Skylight
details | 1 comment | suggested by Jess
In 4.01 The Freshman, why are Sunday’s vampire gang living in a house with a giant skylight?
[Goof] Vamp reflection
details | add a comment | suggested by Jess
When the vampires clean out Eddie’s room in 4.01 The Freshman, you can see them reflected in the mirror above the sink.