A series of grisly murders of really stuffy British people lead straight to Giles, who gets drunk and pissy in response. Buffy and the gang rush to his rescue anyway, and Jenny Calendar becomes possessed by Eyghon, an ancient demon that Giles and his friends used to summon when they were younger to get high. (Man, and my parents said sniffing glue was dangerous!)

Directed by: Bruce Seth Green
Original Air Date: November, 10 1997

Guest Stars:
Stuart McLean (Philip Henry)
Wendy Way (Dierdre)
Michael Earl Reid (Custodian - EDDIE!!!)
Trivia:

• In the game at the beginning of this episode, “Anywhere But Here”, Buffy wishes for a foot massage from Gavin Rossdale, who is the lead singer of the band “Bush”. Plus, he’s married to Gwen Stefani, which makes me hate him a little, due to extreme jealousy. Amy Yip, with whom Xander wants to visit a waterpark, is a sexy Hong Kong actress who is famous for having very large breasts. And everyone knows who John Cusack is…
• The photo of Giles holding the bass guitar that Xander finds in Giles’ office was created by the Buffy staff by photohoping his head onto a picture of Sid Vicious.

Quotes:

Xander: “That’s it! Twelve years of you and I’m snappin’! I don’t care if you’re a girl or not, I’m throwin’ down!”
Cordelia: “I’ve seen you fight. And don’t think I can’t take you!”

Xander: “Giles lived for school. He’s actually still bitter that there are only twelve grades.”
Buffy: “He probably sat in math class thinking, ‘There should be more math. This could be mathier.’”

Key Events:

• We learn Giles has a tattoo!
• We get a good look at Giles’ less-tweed-y past.

Rating:

Jason:

Kathleen:

Troy:

 

 Standard Podcast [33:57m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (1010)

Buffy is pleasantly surprised when a friend from her old high school shows up in Sunnydale. Then, she’s unpleasantly surprised when Ford catches her staking a vampire. Then she’s pleasantly surprised again when he tells her that he already knows she is The Slayer. Then she’s unpleasantly surprised when he tries to kill her by trapping her for Spike. Also, Willow sneaks Angel into her room and Giles goes to a Monster Truck Rally.

Directed by: Joss Whedon
Original Air Date: November 3, 1997

Guest Stars:
Julia Lee (Chanterelle)
Jason Behr (Billy ‘Ford’ Fordham)

Trivia:

• Jason Behr (who played Ford) reunited with SMG in 2004’s The Grudge
• The fake vampire who greets Buffy when she visits the Sunset Club is actually Todd McIntosh, the show’s make-up supervisor.

Quotes:

Buffy: “It was terrible. I moped over you for months. Sitting in my room listening to that Divinyls song ‘I Touch Myself’…Of course, I had no idea what it was about.”
(minutes later…)
Willow: (realizes) “Oh, that’s what that song is about?!”

Buffy: “Does it ever get easy?”
Giles: “You mean life?”
Buffy: “Yeah. Does it get easy?”
Giles: “What do you want me to say?”
Buffy: “Lie to me.”
Giles: “Yes, it’s terribly simple. The good guys are always stalwart and true, the bad guys are easily distinguished by their pointy horns or black hats, and, uh, we always defeat them and save the day. No one ever dies, and everybody lives happily ever after.”
Buffy: “Liar.”

Key Events:

• Buffy tells Angel she loves him for the first time in this episode.

Rating:

Jason:

Kathleen:

Troy:

 

 Standard Podcast [58:14m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (1324)

Buffy and the Scoobies are volunteered by Snyder to show kids around for Halloween. Luckily, Halloween is the one night a year that evil lays low in the Buffyverse. Unluckily, Ethan Raine, a shady character from Giles past, never got the memo, and casts a spell that causes everyone that bought a costume in his shop to transform into whatever they are wearing. Buffy turns all powerless and weepy. Xander, luckily, turns into a hardnosed soldier. Willow turns into a scantily clad ghost (nice!) and everyone else turns into monsters. Oh yeah, and Spike shows up. Neat!

Directed by: Bruce Seth Green
Original Air Date: October 27, 1997

Guest Stars:
Robin Sachs (Ethan Rayne)
Larry Bagby (Larry Blaisdell)

Trivia:

• Xander’s transformation into a soldier in this episode is the excuse used in numerous upcoming episodes when military knowledge is needed.
• This is the first episode where we hear Giles referred to as “Ripper”.
• Writer Carl Ellsworth was fired by Joss Whedon immediately after completing the script for this episode. (via IMDB) … (this was just a bit too interesting, so I had to look a little deeper. Found some more information here)

Quotes:

Spike: “This is just…neat!”

Willow: “She couldn’t have dressed up as Xena!?”

Drusilla: “Do you love my insides? The parts you can’t see?”
Spike: “Eyeballs to entrails, my sweet!”

Key Events:

• First appearance of Ethan Rayne

Rating:

Jason:

Kathleen:

Troy:

Pete:

Jodi:

Video Clips:
Continue reading “Halloween”

 

 Halloween [48:43m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (1124)

Xander’s luck in women looks like it’s turning around as he falls for the beautiful foreign exchange student Ampata, who is staying at Buffy’s place. But wasn’t Buffy’s exchange student supposed to be a guy? And what about that mummy that seems to have escaped from the local museum? And is that an actual Incan warrior running around Sunnydale?

Directed by: Ellen S. Pressman
Original Air Date: October 6, 1997

Guest Stars:
Ara Celi (Ampata Gutierrez)
Seth Green (Daniel ‘Oz’ Osbourne)
Danny Strong (Jonathan Levinson)

Trivia:

• Xandar and Ampata had to eat up to ten twinkies each for each take of the scene in which they are eating lunch. Life is truly cruel on the hellmouth. (ugh!)

Quotes:
Willow “Well, you know, I have a choice. I can spend my life waiting for Xander to go out with every other girl in the world until he notices me, or I can just get on with my life.”
Buffy “Good for you.”
Willow “Well, I didn’t choose yet.”

Giles “You can’t go to the dance, you have responsibilities that other girls do not.”
Buffy “Oh! I know this one! Slaying entails certain sacrifices, blah, blah, bitty blah, I’m so stuffy, gimme a scone.”

Key Events:

• Oz makes his first appearance!
• Jonathan makes his first (very short…no pun intended, Jonathan!) appearance!

Rating:
Jason:
Kathleen:
Troy:

In Other News: Come join us in our newly updated and snazzy forums!

Video Clips
Continue reading “Inca Mummy Girl”

 

 Standard Podcast [19:13m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (1084)