Season 1, Episode 11
Teleplay by Joss Whedon
Story by Ashley Gable and Thomas A. Swyden
Directed by Reza Badiyi
Original Airdate: 19 May 1997
“If I’m not crowned tonight then, then Marcie’s won! And that would be bad. She’s evil, okay? Way eviler than me.”
Cordelia Chase
REGULAR CAST
- Sarah Michelle Gellar as Buffy Summers
- Nicholas Brendon as Xander Harris
- Alyson Hannigan as Willow Rosenberg
- Charisma Carpenter as Cordelia Chase
- Anthony Stewart Head as Rupert Giles
GUEST CAST
- David Boreanaz as Angel
- Clea DuVall as Marcie Ross
- Armin Shimerman as Principal R. Snyder
CO-STARRING
- Ryan Bittle as Mitch Fargo
- Denise Dowse as Ms. Miller
- John Knight as Bud #1
- Mercedes McNab as Harmony Kendall
- Mark Phelan as Agent Doyle
- Skip Stellrecht as Agent Manetti
- Julie Fulton as FBI Teacher
SYNOPSIS
Cordelia is campaigning to be crowned May Queen at Sunnydale High’s next dance. Mitch, her prospective date for the dance, is clubbed in the locker room with a bat. The bat, however, seemed to move on its own, as if operated by some invisible person. Later, Cordelia’s friend Harmony falls down the stairs, as if she tripped over her own feet. Harmony insists she was pushed, but no one saw anyone do it.
Everything points to an invisible person and Buffy finds out that someone has been living in the ceiling of Sunnydale High. The person is Marcie Ross, whom nobody remembers, not even Willow or Xander. But Marcie did go to Sunnydale High and she had a yearbook signed by most of the school. Even Willow and Xander signed it, with the phrase “Have a nice summer!” like everyone else.
Marcie had been turned invisible because everyone perceived her that way. Having been treated the worst by Cordelia and her friends, Marcie decides to take her revenge out on her. She has devised a plan to kidnap Cordelia on The May Queen dance night in an attempt to “give her a face that no one will ever forget.”
Buffy manages to stop Marcie before she destroys Cordelia’s face – though not before she slashes Cordelia’s cheek. Marcie also tries to kill Xander, Willow, and Giles by locking them in a room full of gas. Angel however saves them just in time.
While Buffy is untying Cordelia, two FBI men come in and take Marcie away. They take her to a special school with other people just like her. When Marcie is escorted into a room she receives a book. She opens to Chapter 11: Assassination and Infiltration. “Cool!” says an excited Marcie.
TRIVIA
The sequence where Marcie watches as her hand disappears in class was inspired by a vivid dream Buffy creator Joss Whedon had as a child. He used to think nobody loved him and that he was invisible to those around him.
Marcie Ross is mentioned several times in future episodes, even as late as season seven. Marcie plays the flute and goes to band camp. Alyson Hannigan played a similar role in the American Pie films…
Despite the official title of this episode being ‘Out of Mind, Out of Sight,’ this episode is also commonly referred to as ‘Invisible Girl.’
CONTINUITY
Angel mentions that he can get Giles a copy of the Pergamum Codex, which is said to contain the most important prophecies about the Slayer. In Prophecy Girl, Giles discovers that one such prophecy involves Buffy’s death, which also happens in the same episode. Fred also mentions the book in Orpheus.
GOOFS
The implication is that Marcie became invisible because of the combination of people ignoring her and the influence of the Hellmouth. But at the end there are invisible students from other schools. Did those schools have a Hellmouth too, or were they just wrong in figuring what made Marcie invisible?
The Bronze has a sign saying ‘Closed for fumigation’, but the post fumigation party had been seen in Angel.
In the class of invisible students, how does Marcie know the chair she picks to sit in is unoccupied?
When Buffy goes to save Cordelia and falls through the floor she lands on her back and rolls over on her side but in the next shot she’s still on her back.
As Buffy is knocked down by Marcie, the rope around Cordelia’s left hand becomes untied. For the rest of the scene, the rope is tightly tied around Cordelia’s hand once again.
As Cordelia gives her speech of thanks, Snyder changes positions behind her in several different shots.
Watch the hands of the characters while they are eating. Xander’s crisps turn into a sandwich and back, while Buffy’s crisps turn into a drink.
WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?
The Watcher's Guide 