| Episode No. | Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 2, Episode 6 |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Bruce Seth Green |
| Written by | Carl Ellsworth |
0:01 : The intro doesn’t feature in this episode. It actually starts to be faded out as the series becomes more serialised.
0:32 : This is the first episode to revolve around Halloween. Buffy tended to feature Halloween once every other season, a tradition which Angel continued.
1:00 : So many people ask this question, and we’re here to not answer it. How do vampires show up on video and in photographs when cameras use mirrors as part of their function? The series never answers this question, although characters themselves ask it as part of the show’s meta-humour.
3:16 : Spike shows already why he’s different to other vampires: he’s studying the Slayer, her fighting styles, her techniques and believes whole-heartedly that the only way to defeat Buffy is to know everything about her. His obsession with Buffy, whether he knows it or not, has already begun by his second episode!
3:00 : The music playing in the Bronze as Angel and Cordelia talk is “Shy” by Epperley.
3:16 : Devon and Cordelia are still dating, which started in Inca Mummy Girl.
5:32 : Snyder is being pompous and mean and throwing his authority around, but doesn’t his choice of escort for a group of children seem strange? Just two weeks before he was comparing her to a student who stabbed a teacher! Would you give someone you believed was that dangerous responsibility of a group of younger children?
6:10 : This is the series’ first mention of the fact that, somewhat ironically, the supernatural creatures tend to shun Halloween, put off by the commercialisation of the event. However, please note, whenever we see Halloween in the franchise, something supernatural happens.
6:35 : The first appearance of Larry Bagby III as Larry Blaisdell. He was famously one of the bullies caged by the Sanderson Sisters in the original Hocus Pocus. He appears once more this season, but will play a slightly bigger part in the series next season.
7:25 : Buffy gets a Diet Dr. Pepper from the soda machine. Except the machine doesn’t have a Diet Dr Pepper logo or button to select.
11:04 : The picture in the Watcher’s Diaries could be Darla, and certainly resembles her appearance in flashback from Becoming. The date of 1775 also fits Angelus and Darla’s reign of terror through Europe…
11:04 : …but Buffy says the figure in the image is unnamed – although the name ‘Sarah’ can clearly be seen.
11:09 : Willow’s facts from the diaries are incorrect, so whoever wrote it is wrong. The diary says Angel was 18 in 1775. We learn later this season he was sired when he was 26… in 1753.
12:30 : Is Cordelia really that dense and hasn’t noticed that Angel’s a vampire? How has this escaped her notice completely? What’s worse is that she sees him in The Dark Age vamped up and doesn’t react surprised. So, when was Cordelia told – and when does she believe it?
13:31 : Willow’s line “Wild on me equals spaz,’ was cut by the BBC due to the word ‘spaz’. Slang for ‘spastic’ it’s considered a slur in the United Kingdom.
14:32 : Robin Sachs is a celebrated actor, who would go on to play the character of Ethan Rayne in four episodes of Buffy and became a firm fan-favourite. He was also villain Sarris in Galaxy Quest (1999). He sadly passed away in 2013.
15:58 : Drusilla has another vision, this one telling her that a new force has come to town and will change everything.
16:44 : Janus is the ancient Roman god of beginnings, transitions, doorways, and time, often depicted with two faces looking to the past and future. He is a central figure in Roman mythology and religion.
23:05 : Does Willow technically die here? She does stop breathing before she falls. The spell used by Ethan is a bit temperamental with it’s rules. For example, Xander’s costume comes from home, but the gun from Ethan’s is enough to turn him into a soldier? Why not a game hunter or a sniper? Buffy’s hair and voice changes also and Xander’s painted tattoo becomes real – was it made with Ethan‘s bought paints?
25:46 : When Buffy first sees a car, she calls it a demon. Angel will do the same in a similar situation in Spin the Bottle.
28:26 : Cordelia is surprised when Xander passes her his jacket… and us also impressed with his chiselled arms.
31:17 : Again with the rules: How does this vampire get in the Summers’ house? We’ve already seen that what happens literally transforms you into your costume, so the normal rules should apply surely?
34:34 : Giles orders Willow to leave, which is seemingly protecting her from Ethan…
34:40 : …but it’s more about protecting himself. Ethan brings up the word ‘Ripper’ to Giles and brings up his sketchy past for the first time…
34:40 : We’ve established that Willow is intangible and can’t touch anything earlier in the episode. So who physically opens and closes the door in Ethan‘s shop when Giles orders her to leave?
37:14 : Ethan again mentions Giles’ past, even suggesting that his role as a Watcher is a lie.
37:35 : Giles hits Ethan to the floor with cold anger and precision. This is the first we see of Giles’ darkness and it’s a huge shock when it happens.
40:00 : Giles hasn’t heard Ethan leave, but after destroying the statue, he’s gone.
40:44 : Xander tells Cordelia that she won’t get in between Buffy and Angel. At this point they both give up on their respective crushes and slowly notice each other. As a result, they begin bickering way more than usual.
41:18 : The song playing as Willow walks past the Dingoes van is “How She Died” by Treble Charger.
41:39 : As soon as he sees her, Oz’s eyes go wide and he stares. He then, aloud and to himself, asks his question from Inca Mummy Girl: “Who is that girl?”
42:55 : This is Angel and Buffy’s first kiss since Angel. From this point on, the romance is doomed.
43:32 : Giles finds a card from Ethan that reads “Be seeing you…” It’s the catchphrase from cult British TV series The Prisoner, usually said in a sinister tone.
43:32 : It’s also the same thing that Jenny Calendar tells Giles in The Dark Age while possessed. It’s also where we’ll be seeing Ethan Rayne again…
The Watcher's Guide 