32A) Go Fish. WHAT'S IN A NAME?: "The title has several meanings. First of all, 'Go Fish' could be interpreted as 'going fishing.' The coach is 'fishing' for a formula that will make his swim team more like fish so that Sunnydale High will not have to 'fish' for victories. Secondly, in keeping with this concept, 'Go Fish' could also be heard as the coach cheering on the transmorgifying swim team: 'Go, fish!' Thirdly, 'Go Fish' is a card game.

From http://thehouseofcards.com/kids/gofish.html: 'A game for 2-5 players, using a standard 52-card deck. Each player gets seven cards (or five, if more than three players). The object is to make "books" – four cards of the same value (e.g. four 2's or four Queens). Each player asks for cards to complete their books, and if the cards are not available the player has to "go fish" (draw a card from the stock). The game ends when all thirteen books have been completed. Go fish may be played with standard playing cards, or one of the special Go Fish decks that feature amusing and interesting objects and themes.'

This game is particularly in keeping with the theme of the episode because of the randomness factor. When a person is told to 'go fish,' he must draw and keep a card from the stack whether it will help him win the game or not. Thanks to the coach, the athletes are involuntarily 'fishing' for 'cards'--or qualities--that will prove to be difficult to discard (and after transmorgification, impossible) regardless of whether the 'cards' help them or harm them.

A 'fish' is also a colloquialism for a person who is remarkable in an unfavorable way, such as an 'odd fish' or a 'cold fish.' Likewise, 'fish' is a term used to describe young or inexperienced prisoners, particularly those who are ripe for exploitation by others. The swim team is certainly in the process of becoming remarkable in an unfavorable way--they are rapidly losing their humanity, thanks to the exploitative actions of their coach. More obscurely, 'fish' has two nautical definitions--a torpedo or submarine (which echoes the tremendous skill that the transformed swim team has at swimming and breathing underwater) and a piece of wood, convex and concave, that is used to strengthen a mast. If we interpret 'mast' as a phallic symbol of masculinity, the boys are unquestionably being used to strengthen the coach's image of himself, his team and his school as ultra-masculine winners. Finally, a 'fish' is a piece used as a counter or pawn in certain games; this is an ironic commentary on the swim team as players of a game who are also pawns in someone else's game."--Rhys, Tues, 05/13/03 at 02:30:09

"One more: you could say the swimmers 'go fish'--like expatriates who 'go native.'"--anom, Wed, 05/14/03 at 01:07:47

POP CULTURE TIME: "...[T]he title is [also] shared with an early-1990s lesbian comedy film."--KdS, Tues, 05/13/03 at 04:30:04

Teaser

32B) Sunnydale State Beach at night. There is a large party going on with about fifty students in attendance. FROM THE ORIGINAL SHOOTING SCRIPT: "EXT. BEACH - NIGHT The scene looks almost primitive, hedonistic as students dance around a BONFIRE to MUSIC emanating from a boombox."--"Go Fish" by David Fury & Elin Hampton, available through Pocketbooks, Inc. as Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Script Book, Season Two, Volume 4

SUNNYDALE: "Regarding the beach, from http://www.restlessbtvs.com/episodes/season2/20gofish/index.html:
'Could this town get any bigger? In this episode we discover that Sunnydale has a beach, as well as docks.'"--Rhys, Tues, 05/13/03 at 02:30:09

PARTY TIME: "First, it needs to be said: Why are Buffy and the Scoobies at the Swim Team Party anyway? They are never shown doing the whole school function thing. While there are a lot of people on the beach, it is obvious that only some students are there – not the whole school. Also, why is Jonathan there??"--Vesica, Tues, 05/13/03 at 08:30:33

It isn't too hard to figure out an answer to that question. In most likelihood, Cordy, who, as cheerleader would be expected to be at such meets, invited them. Or more likely, Cordy dragged Xander there, who in turn begged Buffy and Will to come. Jonathan may have been invited by some of the guys on the swim team themselves, in order to be cruel and set up their attack on him.

32C) "I think it's festive. A party with nature." WITCHY WILLOW: "And how appropriate that the future Wiccan would enjoy a party that allows her to get close to nature, despite any discomfort."--Rhys, Tues, 05/13/03 at 02:30:09

Interestingly, this is "the same beach where we'll see 'party w/nature' Willow boost a barbeque fire & (maybe) cause a thunderstorm in another opening scene [although it's heavily implied that Dracula caused that], in Buffy vs. Dracula."--anom, Wed, 05/14/03 at 01:07:47

32D) "The Yankees." POP CULTURE TIME: The Yankees are a New York baseball team. Significantly, "in 1997, the Yankees lost the American League Division to the Cleveland Indians, shocking most baseball fans. The Indians went on to play the Florida Marlins for the World Series, which the Marlins won (a)." So, basically, "the team named for fish beat the Yankees! (b)."--(a) Rhys, Tues, 05/13/03 at 02:30:09; (b) anom, Wed, 05/14/03 at 01:07:47

32E) "Abbot and Costello." POP CULTURE TIME: "Bud Abbott and Lou Costello were a comedy team of the straight man/clown variety. During their careers, they went from the burlesque stage, to radio, to Broadway, to movies, and finally to television. Their most famous routine, 'Who's On First?,' concerns baseball, which is probably why Xander thought of them right after he mentioned the Yankees. You can find the 'Who's On First?' routine--both text and audio--at http://baseball-almanac.com/humor4.shtml. Strangely, Abbott and Costello appeared in four movies with Universal's monsters--Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948), Abbott and Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff (1949), Abbott and Costello Meet the Invisible Man (1951) and Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy (1955)."--Rhys, Tues, 05/13/03 at 02:30:09

32F) "The 'A'." POP CULTURE TIME: "The 'A' is, of course, a reference to the NBC hit, The A-Team, which ran from January 23, 1983 to June 14, 1987. The premise of the show was that a team of super-soldiers had been caught while on a mission and were unable to prove that who had given them their orders. Imprisoned by the government, they escaped and were relentlessly pursued by the Javert-like Col. Lynch (and, later, Col. Decker). The team wandered the world as soldiers of fortune, righting wrongs wherever they could (mostly through con artistry and demolition) and having a great time doing it."--Rhys, Tues, 05/13/03 at 02:30:09

32G) "No. Y-yes, but 'no' more than 'yes'." XANDER JEALOUS: See 17III.

32H) "Last month he's the freak with Jicama breath who waxes his back." DECONSTRUCTING DODD: "'Jicama' is another name for the yam bean, Mexican potato or Mexican turnip. According to http://www.foodreference.com/html/fjicama.html, it tastes like a cross between an apple and a water chestnut. 'Jicama may be used raw in salads (they make an excellent cole slaw), or may be baked, boiled, mashed, or fried like potatoes. Eat only the tuberous root, as other parts of the plant may be poisonous.' If Dodd was having his back waxed, then he most likely had a lot of back hair--something that is a turn-off to many girls and women."--Rhys, Tues, 05/13/03 at 02:30:09

Or "Xander was...referring to the fact that body shaving and other forms of hair removal, such as back waxing, are very common among competitive swimmers. Theoretically, it decreases a swimmer's frictional drag in the water and give them a competitive advantage. Even though it's common among swimmers, it's not really a 'cool' thing for men to be shaving their legs, backs, etc. The cool gene reference could also be referring to the fact that in most schools if you're on the swim team, you're a 'B-list' athlete at best. Unless you're going for the state championship. Then you'd get a lot of bandwagon fans. Football and basketball would be 'A-list' sports."--tomfool, Thurs, 05/15/03 at 12:35:25

32I) ...Buffy sitting by herself behind a pile of sand and staring out over the ocean with a tuned-out look on her face. BUFFY IN A NUTSHELL: Buffy is in one of her classic poses here, separated from her friends because she is the Slayer, bearing the weight of the world on her shoulders. This will come to a head in the seventh season, where in the last episode, Chosen, this will finally be resolved.

32J) "Eternal. A true mother, giving birth to new life and devouring old. Always adaptable and nurturing...yet...constant...and merciless." CAMERON SINCERE?: "...[Is] Cameron...handing Buffy a line here (the phraseology seems somewhat forced and Parkeresque) or if the ongoing transformation is making Cameron feel this way?"--Rhys, Tues, 05/13/03 at 02:30:09

32K) "Funny. That's how I feel most of the time." BUFFY IN A NUTSHELL: "It's understandable that Buffy would feel that she's swimming against the current; she's constantly battling against vampires (a species that never seems to be in decline), she's trying to lead a semi-normal life, and now her boyfriend has turned against her and her friends in a horrific way. No wonder she feels like she is constantly struggling but making no headway."--Rhys, Tues, 05/13/03 at 02:30:09

32L) "So, Cameron Walker, you just won the state semifinals. What are you going to do next?" I'M GOING TO DISNEYLAND!: See 22MM.

32M) "Somebody help me!" JONATHAN THE VICTIM: "Once again, Jonathan Levinson--later of the Nerd Troika--is being victimized."--Rhys, Tues, 05/13/03 at 02:30:09 See 16Dx4, 17XXX, 22TT, 24WW, 36VVV, 39SSS, and 43Y.

32N) "Come on, Jonny, you gotta hold your breath longer than that if you ever wanna make the team!" ASTHMATIC JONATHAN: "As he will later mention, Jonathan failed to make the team because he is asthmatic, so Dodd's harassment of Jonathan is not only bullying and unpleasant, but potentially lethal."--Rhys, Tues, 05/13/03 at 02:30:09

TESTOSTERONEY: "The guys get particularly aggressive just before they they lose it completely and flip to fish mode. Although we do not know they are transforming, even at this point they do not seem like entirely innocent victims. Dodd is here seen tormenting Jonathan, Cameron threatens to molest Buffy, even Gage, who seems more reasonable, spends his time in Willow's computer class playing solitaire with naked lady cards on the PC (see 32U). Although it turns out to be their steroid abuse that is making their behaviour more extreme (and helping them win trophies), it is also a comment on teenage male behaviour generally."--MsGiles, Wed, 05/14/03 at 05:06:47

32O) He has a tattoo of a mean-faced shark smoking a cigar on his upper arm. DO YOU TATTOO TOO?: "Of course, the tattoo exists so that Dodd's skin can be identified later. Also, as so often on this show, we have the association of smoking with villainy (see 15F, 26F, and 27Rx4). This is the second time that we will see a tattoo forming a link with someone in trouble and/or capable of causing trouble...[Another] time was with the Mark of Eyghon in The Dark Age (see 20W)."--Rhys, Tues, 05/13/03 at 02:30:09 See 5Q and 35R.

32P) "Nice tat. What, they ran out of Tweety bird?" I TAWT I TAW A PUTTY TAT: "The shark tattoo is symbolic of the boys’ self-perception and coming into their transformation. Tweety Bird is symbolic both of how empty macho thinking is and of the real power in town, Buffy herself, who will soon have the bully sprawling on the ground."--Cactus Watcher, Tues, 05/13/03 at 07:24:31 See 5X.

32Q) "No. Why don't you mind your own business? I can handle this without your help." THE VICTIM STRIKES BACK: "Poor Jonathan. Not only was he half-drowned by a bully exploiting Jonathan's asthmatic condition, but then a petite girl beat up the bully for him. He undoubtedly feels more than a little humiliated by both these events."--Rhys, Tues, 05/13/03 at 02:30:09

CONTINUITY CHECK: "Reminiscent of Larry's menacing of Xander & Buffy's unwelcome rescue at the cafeteria soft drink machine in Halloween (see 18V)."--anom, Wed, 05/14/03 at 01:07:47

32R) He smells something and stops in his tracks. He takes another sniff of the rank-smelling air. SMELLS LIKE TEEN SKIN: "Bad smell = something to worry about. A nose for trouble. Causing a bad odour. Smelling a rat. As opposed to: coming out of something smelling like roses. The sweet smell of success. Snyder uses the metaphor in When She Was Bad...[when he tells Giles that he smells 'trouble...expulsion, and just the faintest aroma of jail' on Buffy. Fittingly,] while Snyder is present in the sequence [from that episode], Willow & Co. pretend they've been talking about trout."--MsGiles, Wed, 05/14/03 at 05:06:47 See 13RR.

32S) It's just a pile of ripped-up clothes and torn and bloody skin steaming in the cold night air. The camera stops on his shark tattoo for a moment, then pans up to a large storm drain coming out of the hillside. A hunched-over creature walks into it. DECEIVING APPEARANCES: "The implication is that the hunched creature has eaten Dodd. In a sense it has - but it also *is* Dodd. He has been taken over by his animal side, in a way paralleling Oz's transformation into a werewolf."--MsGiles, Wed, 05/14/03 at 05:06:47

POP CULTURE TIME: "The fish monsters of this episode bear a strong resemblance to the humanoid amphibious fish-monster from the 1954 release, Creature From the Black Lagoon."--Rhys, Tues, 05/13/03 at 02:30:09 See 32RR and 32Ax4.

"Another...link, connecting the Black Lagoon monster to Dodd's shark tattoo: '...[Steven Spielberg, director of the classic film,] Jaws [a film about a great white shark terrorizing the inhabitants of a beachside resort community] based...[the film's] infamous opening sequence [in which a nude female swimmer is devoured by the shark], on the ballet-like scene in which the [Black Lagoon] Creature shadows Julie Adams while she is swimming. Even the musical accompaniment is similar (from '50s and 60s Horror Movies' on http://www.mshepley.btinternet.co.uk/cr50.htm).'"--MsGiles, Wed, 05/14/03 at 05:06:47 See 32KK.

Act One

32T) "Okay! Good pie charts, everyone." FROM THE ORIGINAL SHOOTING SCRIPT: "To the CLICKETY-CLICKING of several computer keyboards being typed upon, Willow walks among the desks of students working at their terminals. Peering over their shoulders, she's very into her nurturing teacher role."--"Go Fish" by David Fury & Elin Hampton, available through Pocketbooks, Inc. as Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Script Book, Season Two, Volume 4

This scene is another great example of how much this substitute teaching gig is helping Willow in the confidence and growing-up department (see 31O).

32U) "Gage. Your pie chart is looking a lot like solitaire..." WHAT'S IN A NAME?: "Gage's name, which is from Old French, means a 'pledge' or a 'pawn.'"--Rhys, Tues, 05/13/03 at 02:30:09

ALL BY MYSELF: Gage is playing Solitaire, the standard demo game found on just about every computer.

32V) "What's your point?" SWIM TEAM ON TOP: "This is the second piece of arrogance and rudeness that we have seen from a member of the swim team (the first, of course, being Dodd's bullying of Jonathan). We will see a third example of such behavior shortly."--Rhys, Tues, 05/13/03 at 02:30:09

32W) "We've been having trouble finding a competent teacher this late in the term. Do you think you could continue subbing through finals?" SUNNYDALE SCHOOL BOARD: "Snyder's having trouble finding a competent computer science teacher in Southern California in 1998?? It seems highly unlikely. I suspect that Snyder either isn't willing to pay enough or the teachers aren't willing to come to a town with such a high fatality rate--probably the former, as he seems more than willing to have Willow teach Ms. Calendar's classes for free."--Rhys, Tues, 05/13/03 at 02:30:09

"I dunno...considering that major software companies are shown to be recruiting genius high-school students in What's My Line (see 21DDD), potential CS teachers could probably get paid a lot more working for high-tech or dot-com co's....for a few more years."--anom, Wed, 05/14/03 at 01:07:47

32X) "You're a team player, and I like that. A team player wants everyone on the team to succeed. Wants everyone to pass." CONTINUITY CHECK: The attitude with which Snyder addresses Willow in this scene foreshadows Doppelgangland, in which he pressures her into tutoring (read "doing the homework of...") another dumb jock.

32Y) "Gage is a champion. He's under more pressure than the other students. And I think we need to cut him some slack." THE UGLY SIDE OF SCHOOL SPORTS: "Unfortunately, pressure is in fact sometimes put on teachers to pass students for reasons that have nothing to do with their academic achievements. It's also true that the same academically dishonest people who'd suggest changing a grade of star athelete, wouldn't necessarily lift a finger to help a lesser athlete on the same team. All this special treatment can lead to a false sense of superiority in the 'star,' which can have a bad effect on families (Some Assembly Required--see 14MM) or that can come crashing down to earth when the accolades are over (as with the older brother in Him)."--Cactus Watcher, Tues, 05/13/03 at 07:24:31

SNYDER THE NAZI: "Snyder echoes Cordelia's neo-fascist philosophy--stated later in the episode--that 'certain people are entitled to special privileges. They're called winners (see 32AA).'"--Rhys, Tues, 05/13/03 at 02:30:09

32Z) "All I'm suggesting is... that you recheck your figures, and I think we'll find a grade more fitting to an athlete of Gage's stature. Perhaps something in a 'D'." CONSPIRACY: "In 1998, according to the American Association of School Administrators, high schools across the country ranged from demanding minimum grade levels of anywhere from 1.5 (approximately a D+) to a 2.5 (roughly a C+). Many schools had no academic minimums at all for athletes. Sunnydale's actions toward the swim team may be a riff on a 1997 scandal, widely reported (at least in California) regarding the California Interscholastic Federation charges against Berkeley High's athletic program--which had forty-five infractions against athletic eligibility, most of them egregious ones. 'Among the violations was a 20-year-old junior college student enrolled at Berkeley High to play on the varsity football team; three athletes on the water polo team who actually were enrolled in a private school in nearby Oakland; and a teen-age tennis player from Germany with a 100 mile-per-hour serve who spoke no English, never enrolled in the school and spent his summer on the professional tennis circuit (http://www.aasa.org/publications/sa/1998_11/Reeves.htm).'"--Rhys, Tues, 05/13/03 at 02:30:09

32AA) "...certain people are entitled to special privileges. They're called winners." DEMOCRACY VS. NEO-FASCISM (OR, XANDER AND CORDELIA DEBATE STUDENT ATHLETE PERKS: "Xander and Cordelia have an interesting exchange in Go Fish that illustrates the on-going tension between Xander's unrefined democratic-ness and Cordelia's haughty neo-fascism. When Willow reports that Principal Snyder asked her to change Gage's grade, Xander comes down clearly against it. In his mind, grades are a matter of merit, they must be earned through academic achievement.

Cordelia responds that 'certain people are entitled to special privileges. They're called winners.' This neo-fascist principle implies a distribution of grades not simply according to academic achievement, but as rewards passed out based on other standards (like athletic achievement) which are irrelevant to academic ability. Her reason? 'That's the way the world works.' This is a classic example of the naturalistic fallacy--that what is implies what ought to be. This is a fallacy because one cannot move deductively from a factual statement about how the world is to a statement about what rules we should have.

Xander responds with the quintessential statement of the principle of democracy in the United States: 'And what about that nutty "all men are created equal" thing?'

Cordelia objects that those who are 'not winners' invoke this principle, not because it is a correct principle, but only because it gives them the power that on her non-democratic standards they do not deserve. On her standards, they are 'ugly' (by which she means more than lack of looks, but lack of athletic ability, etc, e.g., Lincoln) and therefore 'less deserving.'

When Willow chimes in that Jefferson coined the principle of democracy Xander invoked, Cordelia responds with another fallacious argument (either Ad Hominem Circumstantial or Tuquoque)--since Jefferson kept slaves, whatever he says about equality and justice must be false. This may make Jefferson a hypocrite, but it does not make his statements false."--Masquerade, "Go Fish" Analysis, from http://www.atpobtvs.com

"While it's never exactly stated, most of us assume that lingering vestiges of this attitude of superiority lured Cordy into fulfilling her part in bringing Jasmine into being in seasons 3 and 4 of Angel."--Cactus Watcher, Tues, 05/13/03 at 07:24:31 See 32Y.

32BB) "You ever hear of a woman named Gertrude Ederle?" SWIMMING HISTORY: "From http://www.msu.edu/~grawbur1/iahweb.html: 'Before Ederle, then 19, set out to tackle swimming's Everest, only five men had successfully completed the Channel swim. On August 6, 1926, nearly one year after she was dragged from the same icy, gray waters during a previous attempt, Ederle plunged into the water at Cape Gris-Nez in France at 7:08 a.m. By mid-afternoon she was being pelted by wind, rain and heavy swells. The weather would force her to swim the equivalent of 35 miles to cover the 21-mile distance. She reached Kingsdown on the English coast at 9:04 p.m for a time of 14 hours, 31 minutes, shattering the existing record by more than two hours.

When Gertrude Ederle returned to her native New York City following her historic swim across the English Channel, Mayor James J. Walker likened her feat to Moses parting the Red Sea, Caesar crossing the Rubicon and Washington crossing the Delaware. The parade in which she was feted nearly equaled the Mayor's pronouncement in grandeur: two million people lined lower Broadway to shower America's newest sporting hero with ticker tape.

From 1921 to 1925, Ederle set 29 United States and world records for swimming races ranging from the 50-yard to the half-mile race. In the 1924 Summer Olympic Games, she won a gold medal as a member of the championship U.S. 400-meter freestyle relay team. She also won bronze medals for finishing third in the 100-meter and 400-meter freestyle races.

Ederle was among the first real sports heroines to prove that women were not physically inferior or incapable of strenuous activity. Her record-breaking times, beginning with the twenty-one mile race from the Battery to Sandy Hook and ending with her Channel swim, clearly proved that women were not physically inferior to men. With determination and hard work, she illustrated the potential for women who practiced hard and maintained their dedication.'

Though Cameron is mentioning his love of the ocean and Gertrude Ederle to help seduce Buffy, parallels can be drawn between the Slayer and Ederle, for both are very strong women whose accomplishments when young overturned stereotypes about female weakness and incompetence."--Rhys, Tues, 05/13/03 at 02:30:09

32CC) "I mean, tell me you haven't been thinking about this ever since last night." CAMERON THE PIG: "Note Cameron's assumption that because he wants to sleep with Buffy and because he is a member of the swim team, she will naturally want to have sex with him as well. In fact, he assumes that sex has been on her mind, as on his, from the previous evening--even though he really has no reason to believe this."--Rhys, Tues, 05/13/03 at 02:30:09

32DD) "Oh, it's not me I'm worried about." SLAYER POWER: Isn't it sweet how Buffy worries about Cameron here? Unlike other girls, Buffy has no fear whatsoever here of being raped because of her strength, which could easily overpower him. That is a very empowering feeling, and one of the aspects of being a Slayer with which Buffy has no complaints. The fact that Buffy can fight back both demonic and human monsters is one of the reasons she is so iconic. On a sidenote, this is what makes the attempted rape scene in Seeing Red all the more powerful and disturbing, since we are not used to seeing Buffy be attacked at a time when she is so physically and emotionally weary.

CONTINUITY CHECK: Buffy was almost raped before...by Xander, of all people, in The Pack (see 6EE).

32EE) "You like it rough!" ROUGHAGE: "At its extreme, this attitude resulted in the 'rough sex' defense in the Robert Chambers 'preppie murder' trial--that he panicked & strangled Jennifer Levin when she insisted on getting rough during sex w/him in Central Park. He pled guilty to manslaughter, served 15 years, & was released early in 2003. As for the idea that [this line is ironic, since Buffy had a lot of rough sex with Spike in the sixth season and] liked it that way, I thought she just wanted sex that she could lose herself in, that would break through her depression. That's not the same as liking it."--anom, Wed, 05/14/03 at 01:07:47

32FF) "Oh, you broke my nose!" WHAT'S IN A NAME?: "Appropriately enough, Cameron is from the Scottish Gaelic 'Cam-shron,' meaning 'wry or crooked nose.'"--Rhys, Tues, 05/13/03 at 02:30:09

32GG) "I mean, look at the way she dresses." CAMERON THE PIG: "It's an old stereotype [that] men can be induced to commit rape because of what women wear," implying that when a woman wears sexually provocative clothing, she is practically asking to be raped. There is obviously rabid egotism in this sentiment, that the woman wore these clothes just to tantalize that particular man, and misogyny, that a girl who dresses in a particular way is a slut and deserves what she gets. "Television Without Pity's Couch Baron brings up another good point at http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/story.cgi?show=12&story=4944&page=3&sort=&limit=all: 'I'll point out not only that Buffy's skirt is longer than most of her Season One choices, but also that it is southern California. In spring.'"--Rhys, Tues, 05/13/03 at 02:30:09, with additions by Rob

32HH) The door opens, and the swim team coach, Carl Marin, comes in. WHAT'S IN A NAME?: "'Carl' is a form of 'Charles'. 'Charles' is derived either from the Old German 'Karl' or the Latin 'Carolus' and means 'strong and manly.' 'Marin,' according to http://www.behindthename.com/cgi-bin/search.cgi?terms=marinus, is a French and Romanian name derived from 'Marinus.' 'Marinus' is a name of an ancient Roman family. The name of the family derived in one of two ways. The first possibility is that it came from the name 'Marius' (which came either from Mars, the Roman god of war or from the Latin root 'mas, maris,' meaning male). The second possibility is that Marinus, and, by extension, Marin, derived from the Latin word, 'marinus,' meaning 'of the sea'. How appropriate that a hyper-masculine, hyper-competitive swim coach would have a name so strongly associated with masculinity, war and the sea."--Rhys, Tues, 05/13/03 at 02:30:09

32II) "Take care of my boy, Ruthie." WHAT'S IN A NAME?: "'Ruth' is likewise an apropos name for the nurse who will later plead with Coach Marin to have pity on the swim team--'Ruth' means 'compassion, mercy, pity.'"--Rhys, Tues, 05/13/03 at 02:30:09

32JJ) "And I don't have a scratch on me..." SLAYER STRENGTH: "Again, as in Ted, Slayer super-durability and super-healing powers, as well as Buffy's normal procliviy toward violence, hurts her case."--Rhys, Tues, 05/13/03 at 02:30:09 See 8FF, 23HHH, and 35LL.

32KK) "In other words, this was no boating accident." POP CULTURE TIME: "Xander is riffing on a quote from Jaws (see 32S), in which Hooper, played by Richard Dreyfus says about a shark attack, 'This was no boat accident!'"--Rhys, Tues, 05/13/03 at 02:30:09

32LL) "Like an Oreo Cookie. Well, except for, you know, without the chocolatey *cookie* goodness." "C" IS FOR COOKIE: "Willow is referring to the fact that most children eat Oreo cookies--opening up the cookie, eating the white creme filling and, after that is gone, eating the two chocolate halves of the cookie."--Rhys, Tues, 05/13/03 at 02:30:09

32MM) "Yeah. The skin's the best part." UNDER MY SKIN: Xander is riffing on the idea that the skin of the chicken is the tastiest part, a line which many parents tell their children who want the skin taken off. Of course, now the skin is proven to be high in cholesterol, which Buffy jokes about.

32NN) "Any demons with high cholesterol?" PAGING DR. ATKINS: "People trying to lose weight are often told to remove skin from poultry, because it absorbs a high proportion of fat during cooking."--KdS, Tues, 05/13/03 at 04:30:04

"It's not so much that the skin absorbs the fat it's cooked in as that a lot of fat is stored in & just under the skin (same thing happens in humans, esp. if they eat chicken w/the skin on!) & comes off when the skin is removed."--anom, Thurs, 05/15/03 at 10:26:01

32OO) On the adjacent lockers a shadow can be seen approaching the door. POP CULTURE TIME: "This sequence is reminiscent of the sequence in [the film] Cat People (1942), where the menace, in a public swimming bath, is implied by shadows."--MsGiles, Wed, 05/14/03 at 05:06:47

32PP) "Oh, forgive me, your Swim Teamliness." SWIMMY ROYALTY: "As in 'your Royal Highness,' variant of formula used to address royalty. In England, this format was introduced in the time of Henry VIII. It's not currently used to the monarch (who is 'Your Majesty') but to the royal children and close relatives. Children of emperors would be called 'Your Imperial Highness'."--MsGiles, Wed, 05/14/03 at 05:06:47

32QQ) "Man, I love it when you guys mess with her." XANDER THE BRAVE: Xander's confidence here in bravely talking back to an enemy is similar to his lack of fear in facing Angelus. See 26FF and 30RR.

32RR) Standing there blocking his way is a dark green humanoid sea monster with catfish whiskers, sharp teeth and three scaly ridges across the top of its head, roaring loudly. FROM THE ORIGINAL SHOOTING SCRIPT: "He turns and finds himself face to face with A NIGHTMARE The thing has a spiny head, like a fish; palpitating gills at the side of its neck; large cold black bulging eyes that never close. Its gaping piranha-toothed jaw widens and lets out a PRIMAL CROAKING SCREECH. So does Xander."--"Go Fish" by David Fury & Elin Hampton, available through Pocketbooks, Inc. as Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Script Book, Season Two, Volume 4

THE LOVECRAFT CONNECTION: The fish monsters also seem to have been inspired by the stories of the famous horror writer, H. P. Lovecraft. "From The Cthulhu Lexicon (http://www.netherreal.de/library/lexicon/lexfram.htm):

DEEP ONES, THE. A race of immortal amphibians who live in cities dotting the floor of the earth’s oceans. The Deep Ones are described as being predominantly green-gray with white bellies. Their skin is shiny and slippery, with a scaly ridge down their back. Their forms vaguely suggest anthropoids with the head of a fish with prodigious, bulging eyes that never close. Palpating gills line the sides of their necks, and their long paws are webbed. The Deep Ones hop irregularly when on dry land, sometimes on two legs and sometimes on four. They are able to use very articulate speech with their croaking, baying voices. Their voices are used to convey expressions and emotions that their faces cannot.

The Deep Ones tend to shy away from the human race, not from fear, but from wishing not to get entangled in the paltry doing of humans. Still, the Deep Ones have been spotted from time to time, some attribute the legends of so-called mermaid to sightings of Deep Ones. As stated earlier, the Deep Ones are immortal, the only thing that can kill them being acts of violence. The Deep Ones will not approach anyone or anything that is marked with the sign of the Old Ones, described as resembling a swastika. [Note: Lovecraft wrote this before the advent of Hitler. The swastika was originally a symbol of peace and harmony.]

The first recorded encounter by modern man between humans and the Deep Ones dates back to just after the War of 1812, though it can be assumed that such encounters have been occurring since the beginning of mankind. A group of islanders from the South Seas discovered by Captain Obed Marsh worshipped and sacrificed t the creatures on a small volcanic islet near their home. After a time, the Deep Ones began to interbreed with the islanders. All this was done by the islanders in exchange for a limitless supply of fish and strange jewelry made of gold.

Such interbreeding offered the humans immortality, though they quickly acquired what was later to be called 'the Innsmouth look.' Further on in life, the humans would acquire all the looks and traits of the Deep Ones. The Deep Ones worship Father Dagon and Mother Hydra, and there is some inference that they worship the Great Old One Cthulhu, as well.

Two cities are currently identified belonging to the Deep Ones, though only one is known by name. The unnamed city is in the South Seas, and the second, Y’ha-nthlei, is off the Innsmouth Harbour at the base of Devil’s Reef. It was Captain Marsh who made contact with this second city during the 1840s. Up until February 1928, the human population maintained close ties with the city, conducting sacrifices and interbreeding with the Deep Ones there.

The Deep Ones seem especially fond of trinkets such as glass beads and common metals found in abundance on the earth’s surface. Such trinkets and metal are considered common during the sacrifices made to them. What happens to the humans sacrificed to the Deep Ones is not known.

Once a sacrifice cycle has begun, the Deep Ones look very darkly on those who break it. In 1846, Captain Marsh and thirty-two others were arrested while conducting sacrifices from Devil’s Reef and were held for a couple of weeks. The Deep Ones attacked Innsmouth because of the lack of sacrifices, killing or carrying off over half its population.

Deep Ones are able to communicate with humans. Those who do tell that there are enough Deep Ones below the surface of earth’s oceans to completely wipe out humanity, if they had a mind to. The Deep Ones are content at this time to coexist in secrecy with mankind, as long as mankind keeps its distance.

INNSMOUTH LOOK, THE. A phrase coined to describe those who interbreed with the Deep Ones of the ocean. This look includes large, staring, unblinking eyes; queer, narrow heads; flat noses; and skin which isn’t quite right. As the afflicted progress in age, the skin gets rough and scabby, the sides of their necks shrivel, giving the impression of gills, and they go bald. The fingers are disproportionate to their hands and they have abnormally large feet. As time progresses, those afflicted with the look assume all characteristics of the Deep Ones, including the ability to live under water and immortality.'

The description of the Deep Ones matches the description of the fish-beings in Go Fish fairly well. There also seems to be a parallel between the swim team, which is gradually transforming into fish-creatures, and those hybrids of human and Deep One ancestry who are afflicted with the Innsmouth Look and who are doomed to transform into the fish-like Deep Ones."--Rhys, Thurs, 05/15/03 at 15:31:26

POP CULTURE TIME: More on the Black Lagoon creature: "'The Creature was initially designed from a suggestion by Arnold who thought if gills and a fish head were added to the Film Academy’s 'Oscar' it would become an interesting monster (from '50s and 60s Horror Movies' on http://www.mshepley.btinternet.co.uk/cr50.htm).' The film took a relatively sympathetic stance towards the creature. The two main guys quarrel about whether to hunt it or bring it back alive, while the girl rather fancies it, although it eventually tries to kidnap her. Part of its scariness was its implied sexual threat, as so often in monster movies, up to and including the Alien series. This threat is present in Cameron's pre-monster behaviour, and at the end of the ep. There is sympathy for the fishboys here also, though, they are victims of both their coach's unscrupulousness and their normal male hormones."--MsGiles, Wed, 05/14/03 at 05:06:47 See 32S and 32Ax4.

Act Two

32SS) Xander is standing behind Cordelia sitting at the table and watches her sketch the monster he saw. ARTISTIC CORDY: "This is the first indication we have that Cordy has artistic talent."--Rhys, Tues, 05/13/03 at 02:30:09

32TT) "Say it. You ran like a woman." POINT: "Cordelia is using the same stereotype as Coach Marin and the swim team--that women are weak, incompetent and cowardly, and that to behave like a woman is necessarily bad. Somehow, it's twice as bad when Cordy unthinkingly uses the same phraseology, simply because she is a woman and should know that the stereotype is 100% not true."--Rhys, Tues, 05/13/03 at 02:30:09

COUNTERPOINT: "Like Buffy's similarly controversial lines to Wes in Season 3, this doesn't have to be interpreted as succumbing to sexism. Rather, since both Xander and Wes have somewhat unreconstructed tendencies at times, one can see it as mocking their failure to live up to their own prejudices."--KdS, Tues, 05/13/03 at 04:30:04

"Plus like it or not, feminism not withstanding it is considered more socially acceptable, for a woman to attack a man's masculinity, than it is for anyone to point out distinctive features of women's behavior in a disparaging manner. Cordelia's jibes aren't intended to be a slur on women, but rather to tease Xander with being less like a male than most women would want."--Cactus Watcher, Tues, 05/13/03 at 07:24:31

32UU) "Hey, if you saw this thing, you'd run like a woman, too." COME-BACK: And now Xander gets his own little dig in here, implying that Cordy isn't a woman, either.

32VV) "God, this is so sad. We're never gonna win the state championship." THAT'S OUR CORDY!: This nicely fits in with Cordy's earlier egotistical sentiments, such as in Teacher's Pet when she found that the not being able to eat out of sadness over Dr. Gregory's death was good for her diet.

32WW) "'From whence it came'? I'm spending *way* too much time around you." WITHER WHENCE?: "Whence--Achaic usage from the Middle English 'whennes'. 'Whence' means 'from where' so technically should be used as just 'whence', not 'from whence'. But 'from whence' is used in lots of reputable sources e.g. King James Bible ('from whence cometh my help'), so Buffy's excused. 'Whence' is generally used nowadays to give language an archaic resonance e.g. in fantasy film/lit."--MsGiles, Wed, 05/14/03 at 05:06:47

32XX) "I'll crack him like an egg." NON-FORESHADOWY GOODNESS: "Self-mocking, insincere and unconvincing menace from Willow of a totally non-foreshadowy variety. She’s about as frightening as a kitten with a toy gun, that is apparently good enough for Jonathan however."--Celebaelin, Tues, 05/13/03 at 14:53:49

32YY) "Well, you could go out to the parking lot and practice running like a man." SEXIST CORDY: "And not content with the sexual stereotyping, Cordy now informs Xander that he is both cowardly and less than a man. Nice way to behave toward the guy that you're dating--and, presumably, like."--Rhys, Tues, 05/13/03 at 02:30:09

32ZZ) Jonathan is sitting in a chair at the front of the room. Willow aims a reading lamp at him. POP CULTURE TIME: "The direct light is a parody of one of the most cliched techniques of aggressive interviews in thrillers and resistance films. Willow's lines and movements are also straight from this tradition."--KdS, Tues, 05/13/03 at 04:30:04

32AAA) "So, Jonathan. You tried out for the swim team twice and never made it?" FORESHADOWY GOODNESS: This scene foreshadows Earshot, where Willow will interrogate Jonathan again about a supposed crime. Interestingly, both times he will be guilty of something (in this episode, of peeing in the pool; in Earshot, of planning to kill himself), but not of what Willow expects.

32BBB) "So... You delved into the black arts and conjured up a hellbeast from the ocean's depths to wreak your vengeance." GOOD IDEA...: "Willow may have inadvertently given Jonathan an idea here, for he will delve into the black arts and conjure up a hellbeast as a result of an augmentation spell in Superstar, and, with Warren and Andrew, will summon a M'fashnik demon in Flooded, and a Glarghk Guhl Kashma'nik demon in Normal Again."--Rhys, Tues, 05/13/03 at 02:30:09

32CCC) "I don't know two finer boys than Cameron and... that other one." SNYDER THE NAZI: "Note that Snyder cares so little about the boys as individuals that he can't even remember Dodd's name--despite his protests about how much he cares about the swim team."--Rhys, Tues, 05/13/03 at 02:30:09

32DDD) "This me-and-my-shadow act? It's getting old." MUSICALLY SPEAKING: "Me and My Shadow is a 20th-century pop standard by Al Jolson, Dave Dreyer and Billy Rose, famously recorded by Jolson and countless others."--KdS, Tues, 05/13/03 at 04:30:04

Interestingly, "in the song, the lonely singer has no company but his or her own shadow ('All alone & feeling blue'). But when Buffy is 'shadowing' Gage, her company is unwelcome."--anom, Thurs, 05/15/03 at 10:26:01

"Just as Buffy is shadowing Gage, so is Angelus shadowing Buffy. Also, it's interesting to see Angelus and Gage together, for their situations parallel: despite the initial appearance of both, neither one is human--Angelus is a vampire, and Gage is in the process of transforming into a fish-creature. Also vampires, as they age, gradually devolve, taking on animal characteristics--for example, the Master looked like a bat, and Kakistos was so old that he had cloven hooves for hands. As with the transformation of Gage (and his fellow unfortunates, Dodd, Cameron and Sean), the devolution of vampires is strictly one-way--it just takes a bit longer."--Rhys, Thurs, 05/15/03 at 15:04:19

32EEE) "You see, I'm a swim groupie." WHAT'S A GROUPIE?: See 28X.

BUFFY BAD LIAR: "Could Buffy come up with a less convincing lie? Swim groupies do not normally shove their idols or break their noses, as she did to Dodd and Cameron, respectively. Small wonder Gage doesn't believe her."--Rhys, Tues, 05/13/03 at 02:30:09 See 5S.

32FFF) "You're one twisted sister, you know that?" POP CULTURE TIME: "Twisted Sister were a struggling Glam Rock band (make-up, sparkly androgynous costumes etc.) until 1981 when they went very metal and started on the road to true fame releasing their first album in 1982 only to acknowledge their glam origins later on in an apologetic ‘but we do rock’ kind of way. They were, incidentally, a laudable live act, Snider was a compelling front man with a genuine talent for working a difficult crowd...The band were moderately successful [through 1987]...but were ultimately, in rock terms, a capable band in search of a ‘big gun’ lead guitar. They became a hit for a few years in the eighties, then, as they became less of a novelty, lost most of their audience."--Celebaelin, Tues, 05/13/03 at 14:53:49

32GGG) "She's a real head-tripper." FLOWER POWER: "'Head-tripper', from 60's drug culture jargon. Taking a head-trip = being under the influence of a mind-altering drug (like LSD), i.e. taking a mental journey. Shortened to trip, tripping. Loosely used to mean detached from reality, living a fantasy. Buffy's sanity is coming under sustained attack at the start of this episode, a theme pursued in much greater depth in Normal Again."--MsGiles, Wed, 05/14/03 at 05:06:47

32HHH) He drops Gage and begins to spit out his blood. He wipes his mouth and spits some more. BLOODY AWFUL: Although Buffy will later assume that Angel didn't like the taste of the steroids (see 32MMM), this doesn't gel well with the fourth season Angel episode, Release, in which Angel drinks Faith's spiked blood and doesn't notice anything wrong with the taste, unless vampires can only taste certain drugs in the bloodstream. Perhaps she is partly wrong and the fact that "the composition of Gage's blood...[was] changed radically by the 'treatments' he's been getting" is what truly causes Angel to spit out the blood in disgust. This is still, of course, an effect of the steroids.--anom, Wed, 05/14/03 at 01:07:47, with some additions by Rob

32III) She pulls out the stick holding her hair up and holds it ready to stake him as her hair falls down around her face. POP CULTURE TIME: "...Peter O'Donnell's [spy comic strip,] Modesty Blaise--a Buffy-like character in many ways, although the monsters she fights are all human--used a 'kongo' (short, handheld wooden weapon, just not pointy), which she sometimes disguised as a hair ornament."--anom, Wed, 05/14/03 at 01:07:47

32JJJ) "Why, Miss Summers! You're beautiful!" POP CULTURE TIME: "Angelus is riffing on a scene which has appeared in a thousand old movies--that of a homely career woman removing her glasses and letting her hair down and suddenly becoming ultra-beautiful." This cliche is also called the "pretty, ugly girl".--Rhys, Tues, 05/13/03 at 02:54:26, with additions by Rob

32LLL) "Walk me home?" GENDER TWISTAGE: "Here we have the reversal of the stereotype of a frightened young girl and her tall, muscular, protective male companion walking her home to keep her safe."--Rhys, Tues, 05/13/03 at 02:54:26

32MMM) "Or maybe there was something in Gage's blood that Angel didn't like. Say, for example, steroids." HELLMOUTH PHARMACY: "'Anabolic-androgenic steroids are man-made substances related to male sex hormones. 'Anabolic' refers to muscle-building, and 'androgenic' refers to increased masculine characteristics. 'Steroids' refers to the class of drugs. These drugs are available legally only by prescription, to treat conditions that occur when the body produces abnormally low amounts of testosterone, such as delayed puberty and some types of impotence. They are also used to treat body wasting in patients with AIDS and other diseases that result in loss of lean muscle mass. Abuse of anabolic steroids, however, can lead to serious health problems, some irreversible...Scientific research also shows that aggression and other psychiatric side effects may result from abuse of anabolic steroids. Many users report feeling good about themselves while on anabolic steroids, but researchers report that extreme mood swings also can occur, including manic-like symptoms leading to violence. Depression often is seen when the drugs are stopped and may contribute to dependence on anabolic steroids. Researchers report also that users may suffer from paranoid jealousy, extreme irritability, delusions, and impaired judgment stemming from feelings of invincibility (from http://www.nida.nih.gov/Infofax/steroids.html).'"--MsGiles, Wed, 05/14/03 at 08:16:46

GENDER TWISTAGE: "Interestingly, in view of the masculine/feminine stereotypes and inversions of stereotypes explored in this episode, anabolic-androgenic steroids have an odd physical impact. From http://www.nida.nih.gov/ResearchReports/Steroids/AnabolicSteroids.html: 'Anabolic steroid abuse can also cause undesirable body changes. These include breast development and genital shrinking in men, masculinization of the body in women, and acne and hair loss in both sexes.' Ironically, normal steroids would cause health problems and might well cause changes to secondary sex characteristics. The steroids taken by the members of the swim team are permitting them to retain their maleness, but are robbing them of their minds and their humanity."--Rhys, Tues, 05/13/03 at 02:54:26

32NNN) "Not that Chicken Little's much of a witness, but..." THE SKY IS FALLING!: "Chicken Little - originally Henny Penny, the antihero of the traditional Scottish children's story: 'A hen was picking at a stack of pea-straw when a pea fell on her head, and she thought the sky was falling. And she thought she would go and tell the king about it. And she went, and went, and went, and she met a cock. And he said, 'Where are you going this day, Henny-Penny?' And she says, 'I'm going to tell the king the sky is falling.' etc etc - she starts a major animal panic, and they all run off and get eaten by a fox who offers them his hole to hide in. [Editor's Note: In most American versions of the tale, Henny Penny is not one and the same as Chicken Little, but is the first creature Chicken Little encounters after being hit in the head with, not a pea, but an acorn.] 'Chicken' also means 'cowardly'. Cordy is making a big deal about Xander not being manly enough for her. She's about to change her tune. He doesn't have to change his behaviour, just show her his body."--MsGiles, Wed, 05/14/03 at 08:16:46

32OOO) "Xander?" FROM THE ORIGINAL SHOOTING SCRIPT: "Willow lowers her eyes, but keeps sneaking peeks."--"Go Fish" by David Fury & Elin Hampton, available through Pocketbooks, Inc. as Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Script Book, Season Two, Volume 4 ADD ABOUT XANDER DOING THIS ON HIS OWN INITIATIVE

32PPP) "Really?" FROM THE ORIGINAL SHOOTING SCRIPT: "Cordelia smiles. He's gone up nine levels of cool."--"Go Fish" by David Fury & Elin Hampton, available through Pocketbooks, Inc. as Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Script Book, Season Two, Volume 4

XANDER UNDERCOVER: This is one of those defining moments for Xander. In Innocence, we saw the first time Xander came up with a battle plan by himself (see 26II), and in this episode, we see him, of his own initative, going undercover to combat the current evil, without even informing the others of his plans first. This perfectly demonstrates how Xander has transferred his love of Buffy to that of her mission (see 30RR). His taking-matters-into-his-own-hands approach sets up his lie to Buffy in Becoming II.

32QQQ) "He was right behind me, putting his sneakers on. But it's not the Velcro kind, so give him a couple of extra minutes." SHOELACE-TYING: "Velcro sneakers and shoes are often used nowadays for small children who have not yet mastered the art of shoelace-tying. Xander is saying that Gage is too stupid (and possibly too immature) to focus on something so complex as tying one's shoelaces."--Rhys, Tues, 05/13/03 at 02:54:26

Part Two