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!”
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!
Buffy is sweating Parent / Teacher conference night, and the best way to keep her mother away from Snyder. Little does she know, she has much bigger things to worry about when Spike and Drusilla hit town! (literally!)
Directed by: John T. Kretchmer Original Air Date: September 29, 1997
Guest Stars:
James Marsters (Spike)
Juliet Landau (Drusilla)
Trivia:
It is hinted that Principal Snyder knows more about Sunnydale and its foolishness than he is letting on…
Though Spike refers to Angel as his sire, this is not technically correct. It was eventually shown (in Season Five’s “Fool For Love”) that it was actually Drusilla who sired Spike. For many of us, this was no surprise — Joss has been saying for ages that Dru was actually Spike’s sire. For example, on January 2, 1998 (about 3 months after “School Hard” aired), he said, “Angel was Dru’s sire — he made her — and she made Spike. But SIRE doesn’t just mean [the] guy who made you, it means you come from their line. Angel is like a grandfather to Spike.” Whether the line was originally intended with that interpretation, or whether it was a boo-boo that slipped through and Joss justifies that way, Joss has always maintained that in his mind (which is the only place the characters really live), Dru was Spike’s sire. - from BuffyGuide.com
Quotes: Xander: “Does anybody else remember when Saturday night meant date night?” Cordillia: “You don’t.”
Chris and Eric, two students at Sunnydale High, have an exciting new Science Fair project: they’ve brought back Chris’s brother, Daryl, from the dead. The project complete they start on a new venture - making Daryl a perfect girlfriend from old body parts. They have their eye on Cordelia’s head as the perfect finishing touch.
Directed by: Bruce Seth Green Original Air Date: 22 September 1997
Guest Stars: Angelo Spizzirri (Chris Epps) Michael Bacall (Eric Gittleson) Ingo Neuhaus (Daryl Epps)
Trivia:
Fondren High is revealed to be a rival school
Cordy is almost a member of the Scoobies by this episode
Quotes:
Giles: “Grave robbing? That’s new. Interesting.”
Buffy: “I know you meant to say ‘gross and disturbing’.”
Giles: “Yes, yes, yes of course. Uh, terrible thing. Must, must put a stop to it. Damn it.”
Willow: “Love makes you do the wacky.”
Key Events:
Xander saves Cordy from a burning building
Giles asks out Ms. Calendar
Rating:
Jason:
Kathleen:
Troy:
Video Clips
Cordi and Angel:
In Other News:
Trying something new on this episode, see if you can tell what it is.
