Date: December 1999
Price: £2.75
Page Count: 52
Editor: Darryl Curtis
Stake Out
The tagline on the cover, ‘High School Hell’ may be a bit insensitive considering the main talking point in Stake Out this month.
The news page has a lengthy article about the delay of two episodes of Buffy season three after the tragedy of Columbine High School. The WB, fearing the episode Earshot was too close to the reality of the school shootings, had been delayed, which had a mixed reaction from fans. Then, the WB, less than 24 hours before the airing, yanked the series finale. The result was divided to say the least, and perhaps, sadly, the reality of life was largely unspoken about.
At the very least, the delay of the episodes ‘Earshot‘ and ‘Graduation Day (Part 2)‘ this past spring left no one with middling opinions on the WB’s decisions. They either agreed wholeheartedly with the move, or felt it a violation of an of television’s acclaimed shows.
“I thought it should have been pulled,” says actor Danny Strong of ‘Earshot‘. Strong portrays Jonathan, a recurring Buffy bit player who played a central role in the episode’s plot. “I was disappointed, just because I would have liked to have seen it. but my disappointment was heavily outweighed by the fact that I agreed it shouldn’t have aired right away.”
There was little controversy surrounding the delay of ‘Earshot‘, which seemed to suggest that fans understood the circumstances surrounding both the episode and its delay. This past summer, the WB announced that Earshot would finally air two weeks before the season four premiere of Buffy in the US.
After ‘Graduation Day (Part 2)‘ was delayed – even though the first part of the finale had aired the week before and left fans with an unexpected cliffhanger – a small group of Buffy supporters decided to put the WB on the defensive. Calling themselves ‘Stand Up for Buffy‘, the coalition of fans sought to raise funds for an ad to run in Daily Variety expressing their dissatisfaction with the way the WB had handled the delay of the season finale. It earned them coverage in a number of major entertainment news outlets and more importantly, a letter of thanks from the show’s creators.
Speaking of letters, reader’s mail begins to pour in starting this issue. The page is called ‘Fang Mail,’ and there’s also a competition to win a complete set of Buffy trading cards.
Cross Reference by Michael Stokes
An interview conducted after the majority of season three had been filmed, here Anthony Stewart Head reveals the secret to being Giles.
“The bottom line is that I think almost anyone can act, and I’m very lucky to get paid what I get paid to do what I like doing,” he says. “I don’t think actors are particularly special. I suppose not everybody has the bottle to get up and do what we do – but at the same time, I think it’s a very short distance between actors and someone who, say, puts on a ‘brave face’ to get through some life crisis.”
He also thrives on the feeling of excitement that he gets from performing.
“Someone said to me last night, don’t I get nervous?” he says. “Yeah, there are times when I get nervous, but that’s cool. That’s the buzz. That’s part of the adrenaline thing. You go, ‘Whoa – this is a funky feeling. I’ve never felt this before. Let’s do this again.’”
Now many years later, Head finds himself well into the third season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, where he is finding the adrenaline rush on a weekly basis – probably more than he bargained for. While Giles began as more of a bookish bystander, the Watcher has gradually become a Do-er.
“In the first season they were forever knocking me out – I got knocked out in virtually every episode,” he says with a laugh. “‘What can we do with Giles? Oh, let’s knock him out.’ Gradually, as he’s become more acquainted with the reality of his job, he’s a little more comfortable with hitting people and being hit.”
Sarah Michelle Gellar, perhaps more than anyone, may have helped him get used to being hit when she, as Buffy, would use him as a punching bag when practising her fighting form.
“I’ve come out with a few bruises,” Head admits. “She hits quite hard, actually. It’s the arms that get most of it. But that’s fun, because then you don’t have to act. It’s real.”
High School Hell by Matt Springer
A selection of anecdotes from the cast and crew of Buffy, detailing their high school experiences.
Nicholas Brendon
I was really shy, and I didn’t date at all.
Seth Green
On the day of my graduation, walking up to get my diploma… I shake the vice principal’s hand and grab his face and kiss him squarely on the mouth. He got all flustered and muttered ‘Always the actor’.
Charisma Carpenter
At my ninth grade homecoming, I was in a high chiffon party dress when I fell down the stairs and made quite an entrance.
Anthony Head
I was not particularly athletic. Thank God it was an artistic school.
Sarah Michelle Gellar
Kids were hard on me, I was always excluded from everything because I was different.
Eliza Dushku
To prom, I wore this fake Gucci dress that my brother had bought for me on a street corner in New York, this beautiful tube dress – it was a blast!
Writer, Dan Vebber
I strongly identified with Jane Lane on MTV’S Daria, despite the fact that I was neither a cartoon nor a girl.
Writer, Marti Noxon
I’d say I was most like Willow in high school.
We’ll give the final word to Buffy producer and Angel co-creator, David Greenwalt. He said “If Joss Whedon had had one good day in high school, we wouldn’t be here.”
Truer words were never spoken.
Thoroughly Modern Magic by Genevieve Williams
An article taking a look at paganism and Wicca, the rise of which at the time was attributed to youngsters becoming interested in the religious side of the concept after watching shows such as Buffy, Charmed and movies like 1998’s The Craft.
It covers a brief history of the religion and its place in society throughout time, beginning with its origins in England in the 1950s, following the repeal of a law that prohibited witch craft.
As serious as the article appears to be, it’s all tongue in cheek.
After all, “that’s what makes Buffy fun to watch; it’s more interesting to see Willow use her powers to battle the forces of darkness, as opposed to the trials and tribulations of high school. Floating pencils is all well and good, but if you can’t use it to stake a vamp once in a while, what’s the use?”
Comic
Reprinting Hey Good Lookin’ (Part 1) from Buffy the Vampire Slayer #9.
Poster
A publicity shot of David Boreanaz as Angel, which for some reason, has been reversed.
The Watcher's Guide 