Episode Trivia
Accented
details | 10 comments | suggested by Jem
In 5.10 Into The Woods when Riley comes and stakes Spike with the plastic woodgrain stake, as he turns to leave and Spike begins laughing, when he says “Oh, man”, his American accent slips through and you can distinctly tell. Then he’s back into his English accent again.
Ain’t love grand?
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In 5.10 Into The Woods, Spike says “Ain’t love grand?” which he also says to Dawn in 6.19 Seeing Red.
Anya’s apartment
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We see Anya’s very old-fashioned apartment for the first time in 5.03 The Replacement, and see it again in 5.10 Into The Woods.
Bye, Graham
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Bailey Chase played military-man Graham Miller for the final time in the episode 5.10 Into The Woods.
Chekhov
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In 5.10 Into The Woods, Xander mentions Russian dramatist Anton Chekhov (1860-1904):
“The chimp playing hockey? Is that based on the Chekov?”
Chekhov’s plays include The Cherry Orchard, Three Sisters and The Seagull.
Chicken feet
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Chicken feet are a staple ingredient in witchcraft. They’re mentioned a few times in Buffy. In 3.16 Doppelgangland, Willow says angrily to Anya:
“I believe these chicken feet are mine.”
In 5.17 Forever, Anya says to Dawn:
“We have some very amusing chicken feet you can play with.”
In 5.10 Into The Woods there’s the following scene:
Anya: “Oh. Who ordered more chickens’ feet? The ones we have aren’t moving at all.”
Xander: “That’s generally what happens when you cut them off the chicken.”
Anya: “I’m serious. Maybe we could do a… holiday promotion. One free with every purchase!”
Giles: “Oh, yes. Dear holiday memories. Merry tykes by the fire, enjoying their new Christmas chicken feet.”
Willow: “Holding them tight as they fall asleep. Painting their little toenails.”
D. C. Gustafson
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When Faith looks through a shop window in 4.15 This Year’s Girl, she sees an ad for ‘Gustafson Blades’. D. C. Gustafson was a Leadman who worked on Buffy during the first two seasons. He sadly died in November 2000 at age 41 after fighting cancer and AIDS. The episode 5.10 Into The Woods was dedicated in his memory
Even the score
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In 5.10 Into The Woods, Riley says to Buffy,
“I wanted to even the score after you let Dracula bite you.”
This occurred in the episode 5.01 Buffy Vs Dracula.
Game of Life
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In 5.02 Real Me, Xander and Anya look after Dawn for Buffy. Anya brings a few board games with her including the Game of Life. Later, when they’re playing the game, they have the following conversation:
Anya: “Oh, crap. Look at this! Now I’m burdened with a husband and several tiny pink children, more cash than I can reasonably manage…”
Xander: “That means you’re winning.”
Anya: “Really?”
Xander: “Yes. Cash equals good.”
Anya: “Oh! I’m so pleased. Can I trade in the children for more cash?”
She suggests they play again in 5.10 Into The Woods but Dawn in reluctant as Anya won last time.
Hard hugs
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In 5.10 Into The Woods, Buffy, momentarily forgetting her Slayer strength, hugs the Doctor who successfully performed Joyce’s surgery a little too hard. This also occurred in 6.04 Flooded, when Buffy hugged Giles, nearly squeezing him to death.
Holiday season
details | 4 comments | suggested by Jess
In 5.10 Into The Woods, Giles hangs a sign in the Magic Box which says:
“Don’t forget, Winter Solstice, Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa and Gurnechnar’s Ascendance are coming!”
Major Ellis
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Major Ellis was an army man in charge of the special ops unit that tried to track the Queller demon in 5.09 Listening To Fear. He recruited Riley to go to Belize on a demon-hunting mission, on the recommendation of Graham in 5.10 Into The Woods.
Marc post-Buffy
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Marc Blucas left Buffy the Vampire Slayer in the episode 5.10 Into The Woods, but appeared again in season six’s 6.15 As You Were for one episode. Since leaving the show, Marc has appeared in We Were Soldiers, A View from the Top, Sunshine State, I Capture the Castle, The Alamo, First Daughter and Summer Catch.
Marti Noxon
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Marti Noxon, a native Californian, has been writing for Buffy since season two. She was made a co-producer for season three, and later a co- executive producer. She was also a consulting producer on the spin-off Angel. Marti became known for her ability to write emotional and sad scenes: she wrote the pivotal episode 2.13 Surprise where Buffy and Angel slept together, as well as 5.10 Into The Woods, the episode in which Riley left Buffy. Marti was an executive producer and writer on Point Pleasant.
Marti on Buffy and Riley
details | 3 comments | suggested by Jess
Marti Noxon, who wrote and directed the episode 5.10 Into The Woods, in which Riley leaves Buffy, said about Riley’s departure:
“Sunnydale romance just rarely goes well. Buffy with a boyfriend is not as interesting as Buffy in some kind of romantic strife. Riley, by his nature, was such a good and constant character that we were at risk of things getting a little dull.”
Military madness
details | 3 comments | suggested by Jess
The military guys show a real feat of stamina in 5.10 Into The Woods. When Riley gets home, they’re waiting in his apartment - in the dark - just standing in a row. How long have they been there? How long would they have stayed, just standing there in the dark, waiting? What if they needed to pee and Riley came home at the wrong moment? That would have spoiled the effect. And what if Riley stayed at Buffy’s house that night? They sure could have been waiting for a long time! Major Ellis stresses how important it is they get to Belize to destroy the demons there as soon as possible, but he still makes the decision to have his men stand round in Riley’s place for a great deal of the night instead.
More military madness
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The Initiative was closed down completely in Primeval, but in 5.10 Into The Woods, we discover that there’s still a branch of the army that hunts and kills demons, but doesn’t study them. Surely this was the problem in the first place? The Initiative were upsetting the natural balance by killing demons before, which Ethan Rayne rightly said in 4.12 A New Man was all wrong.
MVP
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In 5.10 Into The Woods, Anya is excited about seeing a film featuring a hockey-playing chimp (and who wouldn’t be?). The movie is actually genuine, it’s called MVP (Most Valuable Primate) and was released in October 2000. It starred Kevin Zegers as a teen hockey player who plays on a team that includes a chimp.
Nick Chinlund
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Nick Chinlund, who played Major Ellis in 5.09 Listening To Fear and 5.10 Into The Woods, has appeared in Tears of the Sun, Once in the Life, Mr. Magoo, Con Air, Eraser and Lethal Weapon 3. He played Donald Addie Pfaster in The X Files.
Penthouse
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Xander mentions the pornographic magazine Penthouse in 5.10 Into The Woods:
Xander: “Anya, play nice.”
Anya: “You know, fine. Take her side instead of mine even though I’m the one who sleeps with you and feeds you, bathes you…”
Willow: “She bathes you?”
Xander: “Only in an erotic, Penthouse-y way. Not in a sponge-bath-y geriatric sort of–”
In 5.19 Time Bomb:
Illyria: “When the world met me, it shuddered, groaned. It knelt at my feet.”
Spike: “Dear Penthouse, I don’t normally write letters like this, but…”
Rambo
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In 5.10 Into The Woods, Xander says Buffy, “got all Rambo and torched the place.” He’s referring, of course, to Sylvester Stallone’s famous Vietnam War veteran character Rambo who appeared in three movies.
Riley’s signal
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In the graveyard scene in 5.10 Into The Woods, Riley makes a hand gesture which looks like he’s driving a train. This generates conversation among Xander, Willow and Anya as they have no idea what the signal means and they take a few guesses (i.e. follow him or wait here for him). Both guesses are incorrect. The gesture is an actual military hand signal meaning “increase speed”.
Ripper days
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In 5.10 Into The Woods, Giles talks about his “Ripper days”, seen first in season two’s 2.08 The Dark Age.
State Farm
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In 5.10 Into The Woods, Xander says to Buffy about Riley,
“Dependable? What is he? State Farm?”
State Farm is an American insurance company.
The Graduate
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Joyce’s seduction of Xander in 4.22 Restless is similar to the events of 1967 film The Graduate, starring Dustin Hoffman and Anne Bancroft. Buffy’s line in Into the Woods, “Are you planning to seduce me, Mr. Finn?” is a paraphrase of the famous line from The Graduate, “Are you trying to seduce me, Mrs. Robinson?”
In Angel’s 4.02 Ground State, Lilah says:
“Looks like Connor’s gonna need someone who cares - like a big sister….or hey, Mrs Robinson, if that’s what he’s into.”
Vampire brothels
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We learn in 5.10 Into The Woods that vampire brothels have been in existence for centuries, in which humans pay vampires to suck some of their blood because they find it arousing and like the thrill. It’s a good deal for the vampires too. They get free blood and don’t arouse suspicion which could lead to them getting hunted.
[Goof] Buffy’s hand
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When Buffy is angrily punching the bag in 5.10 Into The Woods, the tape around her right hand disappears when Riley walks in.
[Goof] Leaving
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In 5.10 Into The Woods, Riley didn’t tell Buffy what time he’d be leaving (he just said “tonight”), yet she tells Xander he’s leaving at midnight. She also knew where he was leaving from, though Riley never gave her this information.
[Goof] Riley’s neck
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We saw Riley getting bitten by a vampire on his neck in 5.08 Shadow, but he has no mark there in 5.10 Into The Woods. Buffy would have seen this when they were making love in this episode.
[Goof] Spike’s hand
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After Riley ’stakes’ Spike in 5.10 Into The Woods, the vampire holds the wound with his hand. In some shots, it’s his left hand and in other shots he uses his right hand.
[Goof] Spike’s t-shirt
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After Spike is ’staked’ by Riley in 5.10 Into The Woods, we can see that there’s no hole in his shirt.