Act Three

16LLL) "Buffy, I do not have any lipstick. WHITHER LIPSTICK?: This is a possible continuity problem, although not a definite one. What does that mean? Earlier, we saw Ampata touching up her lipstick in the school bathroom, before being approached by the bodyguard. so it may be a bit of an error that here she asks Buffy for lipstick. Unless the implication was that she had dropped her lipstick in the bathroom and forgot to retrieve it after freeze-drying the guard. One might also question where Ampata had gotten the lipstick in the first place, but, again, since the implication was that she did spend some time with Buffy out-of-school, it's possible that Buffy took her to a place to buy some. Either way, the lipstick is definitely "plot-device lipstick," since it serves as little more than an excuse for Ampata to go through Buffy's drawers.--Thanks to Vickie for the inspiration of the post, and anom for the "plot-device lipstick" quote!

16MMM) "The station sent the rest of your stuff." TO CLARIFY: This is a point in the episode over which there seemed to be a little confusion, why Ampata would have the real Ampata stuffed in her trunk in Buffy's room in the first place. The reason is "Ampata didn't know the trunk would be following her to her next destination when she shoved it in there. She probably just stashed it there for convenience, then heard Buffy calling for 'Ampata' and decided to answer, thereby accidentally taking on the role of exchange student." And now, unfortunately for her, her bags have caught up with her. Assumably, she would dump the body at an opportune time, if she had the chance.--Flo, Fri, 01/17/03 at 06:02:23, with additions by Rob

16NNN) "That only she could defend her people from the nether world." THE CHOSEN TWO: Here is where Buffy truly starts to empathize with Ampata, or, since she doesn't yet know Ampata is speaking of herself, with the girl in this story whom she will later learn has been her roommate for the past few days! This sentence links the two closer than any other, because Buffy and Ampata's lives were both, in a manner of speaking, sacrificed to protect their people from the netherworld. "It can be said that Inca Mummy Girl is an encapsulation of Buffy's plot arc for the first five seasons. With obvious differences in plot elements but a lot of the same basic plot structure. Again, the writers driving home their similarities. Perhaps a bit too much."--ZachsMind, Tues, 01/21/03 at 18:33:22

"Buffy really doesn't have as much in common with Ampata as she thinks - unlike Ampata - Buffy fights the monsters, she is no one's sacrificial object. Maybe the difference in the ancient's view of female empowerment and our modern one?"--shadowkat, Tues, 01/21/03 at 11:42:47

"Ah, the ups and downs of being the Chosen One. A major difference between the Chosen One status for Ampata and Buffy is that Buffy must go a series of choices as she makes sacrifices – Ampata had no choice when she was asked/forced to sacrifice her life. Buffy's ability to and insistence on making choices with her slayerhood is what makes her exceptional both as a slayer and, in some ways, as a teenage girl."--submitted by Flo See See 16NN, 16III, and 16JJJ.

The parallels between Ampata and the Slayer will become even more clear in the seventh season's Get It Done, where we learn that the First Slayer was a girl from an ancient civilization, like Ampata, who was chosen as a sacrifice-of-sorts, to be "chained to the Earth," by imbuing her with the power and heart of a demon. The Slayer was not killed as Ampata was, but she was forced, against her will, to "defend her people from the nether world."

HISTORICAL GOODNESS: "The Inca empire actually did have a concept of 'the chosen one.' Actually, they chose several. Every year an important nobleman from the Inca capital would travel the empire collecting women as tribute from the cultures they ruled over. The girls were usually ten to twelve years old, and their fate was decided by the status of their parents. The higher her social rank, the better 'convent' she would be assigned to, and the greater responsibilities she would have. The highest ranking woman in the empire, therefore, would be the Inca's sister. She would be head of the Sun Temple in Cuzco (the greatest position in the greatest temple to the greatest diety in the greatest place). Below her in this temple would be other girls of the highest rank in whatever town they were born. It is also thought, but not proven, that these girls would be sanctified in Cuzco and ceremonially marched back through the town that had supplied them, and ritually sacrificed. This is one theory about the mummified girls, described in the National Geographic article, to which Sophist attributes the episode's inspiration (see 16O).

Therefore, Ampata was probably a princess to a society conquered by the Inca, who then took her to Cuzco as
an 'aclla,' a chosen woman (and a sign of hegemony). She was again chosen years later to be sacrificed under the pretense of appeasing angry gods in her city of origin. This accounts for her being a princess, chosen and defender from the 'netherworld.' Also, as an aclla, her chastity would have been of utter importance (with the sole exception of the Inca himself), assuring consistency with her lament of never finding love."--submitted by @ustin

16OOO) Buffy quickly pushes the drawer closed. HIDDEN LIVES: "Funny how many parallels. Here, both girls' 'baggage' is a metaphor for her secret life. Buffy hides her slayer stuff (see 2FF), Ampata keeps her (Ampata's) luggage closed. Or tries to."--Vickie, Fri, 01/17/03 at 07:29:24

16PPP) Buffy hops down and opens the door. WHEN IS A DOOR NOT A DOOR?: "It seems that in the early seasons, the Summers house door opens hinged on the right (from the interior). Later, it's hinged on the left. Of course, as often as that door's been broken down, we shouldn't quibble."--Vickie, Fri, 01/17/03 at 07:29:24

16QQQ) Xander comes in dressed as Clint Eastwood in a spaghetti western. ...AND WE ALL PLAY OUR PARTS: "Xander's costume looks like Clint Eastwood's Man with No Name from the trilogy of films Fistful of Dollars (1964), For a Few Dollars More (1965), and The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (1966). Xander's costume choice foreshadows Halloween where costumes change people into the symbol they choose for themselves...[Here,] Xander wears the hat, poncho, and cigarillo of the stranger, a symbol of ultimate cool that has a subtext of violence and emotional detachment. In Halloween, Xander dresses as a soldier, and in Fear, Itself [the fourth season Halloween episode,] he dresses as James Bond."--pr10n, Tues, 01/21/03 at 10:17:26

These are all Xander's "attempt[s] to shed his 'loser' image and project a more manly and heroic exterior."--cjl, Fri, 01/17/03 at 22:09:40

16RRR) "I'm from the country of Leone. It's in Italy pretending to be Montana." POP CULTURE TIME: "A reference to Italian 'spaghetti' Western director Sergio Leone (actually, the Leone Westerns were shot in the scrub of central Spain)."--KdS, Fri, 01/17/03 at 04:56:28

16SSS) "Well, I'm glad someone else sees that." LINKAGE: Interestingly, Joyce's actions in this scene, encouraging Buffy to be more like Ampata, are very similar to how she first reacts upon first meeting Faith, another Chosen One, in Faith, Hope, & Trick. In both cases, she isn't really helping Buffy, but means well, especially since neither of those two are the best role models for her daughter.

16TTT) "You look good." AWWWW, HOW SWEET!: "Is Buffy finally looking to Xander with an eye of favor? Not likely. Her last minute compliment appears to be more of an encouragement for Xander to go for it with Ampata and not let his traditional insecurity trip him up. It may also be her way of letting him go with her blessing, so to speak. Buffy approves and that means a lot to Xander."--xanthe, Tues, 01/21/03 at 11:34:20

16UUU) Dingoes Ate My Baby. WHAT'S IN A NAME?: "The first appearance of Dingoes. The band's name comes from the infamous Chamberlain murder case:

'The whole thing began on the evening of August 17, 1980, while Lindy and Michael Chamberlain and their three children were camped at Ayers Rock, a massive rock formation in the central Australian outback. Lindy began shouting that a dingo had carried off her youngest child, nine-week-old Azaria. Other campers also saw a dingo near the Chamberlain tent. Aborigine trackers found signs that a large dingo had carried a heavy object away from the campsite. There were bloodstains in and on the tent, and several tattered items of the child's clothing were discovered later some distance from the camp. But the body was never found.' (http://www.straightdope.com/columns/000922.html).

Meryl Streep portrayed Lindy in [the film] A Cry in the Dark (1988)."--Vickie, Fri, 01/17/03 at 07:29:24

16VVV) Cordelia comes in behind them. ...AND WE ALL PLAY OUR PARTS: "Cordelia - is well Ms. Rodeo Drive...Ms. Beverly Hills. Cordy is the opposite of Willow. What you see is what you get. She doesn't appear to hide, which is ironic because of the two characters Cordy is not only the weaker but the more frightened and insecure. What Cordy is not insecure about is her physical attractiveness - everyone tells her how great she looks. What scares her - is being rejected for who she really is. So while Willow hides her body (see )- only revealing her face and personality, but flees from the raging hormones. Cordelia dresses as sexually as possible, goes on the prowl for boys, and flaunts it, hiding the true personality beneath. You assume with Cordy that what you see is what you get - but this isn't really true, Cordy is hiding behind the Cordettes, popularity and her Hawaiin Rodeo Drive costume. She can't deal with Sven because Sven doesn't fit the image she's worked so hard to build up. Hawaiian - tropical paradise, Rodeo Drive - money fame, popularity, stardom - which is revisited in Angel with Cordy's attempts to be an actress. We don't really realize who Cordy is at her core until her costumes are stripped from her, the money, the car, etc...then we see actually a scared girl who does want to help people."--shadowkat, Wed, 01/22/03 at 09:48:23

16WWW) "I've been feeling I'm / Dead again..." LYRICAL SIGNIFICANCE: It's very interesting how well chosen the songs played at the Bronze are, in relation to the overall theme of each episode.--KdS, Fri, 01/17/03 at 04:56:28, paraphrased by Rob

16XXX) Cordelia finds her friend Dawn. WHAT A COINCIDENCE!: "Interesting choice of name." The start of the fifth season marks the appearance of Buffy's younger sister...Dawn.--Tchaikovsky, Fri, 01/17/03 at 06:10:18

16YYY) "Where's Sven?" ...AND WE ALL PLAY OUR PARTS: Interestingly, Sven is dressed up in a costume equivalent to how Cordy perceives him: a "Viking...a big, dumb...[brute] who will do her bidding."--shadowkat, Wed, 01/22/03 at 09:48:23

16ZZZ) Buffy tears open the lock on the trunk and lifts the lid. OOPS!: "Discontinuity alert: this time, the mummified "Ampata's" head is on the left side when formerly it was on the right."--Vickie, Fri, 01/17/03 at 07:29:24

16Ax4) "And doesn't even pack a lipstick?" KEEN FASHION SENSE: Reminiscent of how Buffy recognized a "vampire in the first episode [Welcome to the Hellmouth] by has (lack of) dress sense.'"--Tchaikovsky, Fri, 01/17/03 at 06:10:18 See 1RR.

16Bx4) "No, not her. The Eskimo!" FROM THE ORIGINAL SHOOTING SCRIPT: "We FOLLOW HIS GAZE to Willow, who is swaying (or, more accurately, weeble-ing) to the music."--"Inca Mummy Girl" by Matt Kiene and Joe Reinkemeyer, available through Pocketbooks, Inc. as Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Script Book, Season Two, Volume One

LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT: "It needs to be pointed out that this is the very first time Oz has ever seen Willow. There's a similar scene later in this season, with the episode Halloween. Oz sees Willow dressed to the nines and his eyes practically pop out of his head (see 18Mx4). Also interesting to note, the only thing visible about Willow in this outfit is her face. The rest of her is completely covered. Willow's choice of costume reveals her insecurities. When Oz notices her here, it's doubly adorable because it's not just physicality that appeals to him, but something more intangibly substantial. Willow's outfit is also very furry, but this is before Oz gets bitten by a werewolf, so we can't completely assume he's attracted to her because of lycanthropic tendencies."--ZachsMind, Tues, 01/21/03 at 18:33:22

FROM THE MOUTH OF THE ALMIGHTY JOSS: "Oz...is based on an actual guy I knew in college. Somebody just so cool that he would just see how cool Willow was, even if she was wearing a big Eskimo outfit, in fact because she was wearing a big Eskimo outfit."--Joss Whedon, "Innocence" DVD Commentary

...AND WE ALL PLAY OUR PARTS: "Willow wants to hide. This is a theme throughout the series. Xander wants to run. Willow wants to hide. The Eskimo Girl costume covers everything but Willow's face - the only part of her that she isn't uncomfortable with. She's uncomfortable with her feminity and being a girl and being unattractive. Buffy and Xander sort of comment on it. Also note that Ampata is in a very revealing outfit with Xander, while Will is barely recognizable except for her face. This interests Oz who likes mystery - which is foreshadowing for the inner beast that [will] lie...hidden within him (see 27Qx4). Both Willow and Oz hide inside them monstrous power. Oz's the werewolf [although, not yet], Willow - the witch. This power can be metaphorically linked to puberty and raging hormones and how these hormones can consume you. In Halloween, just two...episodes later - the idea of Willow wanting to hide is revisited. Except she can't hide, her costume turns her into a ghost and her insides are now outside - the girl in the skimpy uniform with the monstrous hormones comes out to play and isn't embarrassed, but is intangible. Later in The Wish/Dopplegangland - we visit the metaphor again - with Vamp Willow and the revealing sexy clothes. To Willow - clothes are a type of armor - notice in Fear, Itself - she wears Joan Of Arc armor to go into the haunted house. In this episode - all the other girls wear revealing costumes - Willow picks armor, the one costume that will protect her the most."--shadowkat, Wed, 01/22/03 at 09:48:23

16Cx4) "One of these days you're gonna have to get a grownup car." WHEEL MAN: "He does in Season Five's Real Me. Spike, trying to sum up Giles in Tabula Rasa, says: 'I bet Dad's got some classic mid-life crisis transport. You know: red, shiny, shaped like a penis?’ This does more or less sum up the car he gets to replace his Citroen."--Tchaikovsky, Fri, 01/17/03 at 06:10:18

16Dx4) She sees Jonathan sitting alone on the stairs. CONTINUITY CHECK: This is our first introduction to Jonathan Levenson, the lovable loser who will recur throughout the span of the series. He is the classic never-gets-the-girl and never-gets-noticed Charlie Brown-esque comic/tragic character. And little did we know when we first saw this brief appearance that Jonathan would eventually be highlighted in one of the most unusual character story arcs in the Buffyverse, and have two full episodes focused on him: Earshot and Superstar. He becomes most prevalent in the sixth season as part of the "Evil" Geek Troika, and eventually meets his untimely end in the seventh season's brilliant Conversations with Dead People. See 17XXX, 22TT, 24WW, 32M, 36VVV, 39SSS, and 43Y.

...AND WE ALL PLAY OUR PARTS: "Jonathan is dressed as an Australian outbacker."--Vickie, Fri, 01/17/03 at 07:29:24

16Ex4) "Before he gets smoochy with Mummy Dearest." POP CULTURE PUN TIME: See 3T.

16Fx4) "I shrugged." VISUAL HUMOR: "The physical humor is lost a bit in the transcription. Willow's eskimo costume is so restrictive that when she moves her shoulders it's visually imperceptive. Very precise comic timing on the part of both actors to make this joke work."--ZachsMind, Tues, 01/21/03 at 18:33:22

16Gx4) "Is Cordelia even from this country?" DON'T JUDGE A BOOK: "Regarding Cordelia's exchange student whose English rapidly improves the more distance he puts between them, a similiar plot is found in the cheesy, but fun John Cusack movie Better Off Dead in which an attractive French exchange student feigns incomprehension as a defense against the horrid American family she finds herself living with. If you found yourself in a foreign land with only Cordelia, wouldn't you pretend not to speak English?"--xanthe, Tues, 01/21/03 at 11:34:20

Act Four

16Hx4) "Incan Cosmology unites the bird head with its paler twin." INCAN COSMOLOGY: This reference may have been made up by the writers. "Incan cosmology includes images of the hummingbird and the condor, but I haven't found any twin or paler twin references."--Vickie, Fri, 01/17/03 at 07:29:24

16Ix4) "Cut to Willow." I AM THE CHEESE MAN: "When Buffy finds her, Willow is building a castle out of cheese. For all those tracking the cheese references. (Editor's Note: This is a reference to Restless, the fourth season finale, which was an hour of dreams, full of strange symbolism, foreshadowing, and links to other episodes. The only element that Joss swears had no meaning whatsoever was the Cheese Man, who appears in every one of the characters' dreams. But there are many fans who are determined to find meaning in him as well. So, in the interest of a full cheese exploration ;o) , here is perhaps the first reference to cheese on the show.--Rob)--Vickie, Fri, 01/17/03 at 07:29:24

16Jx4) "Oh. Good. Xander!" WILLOW--CUTE & PROTECTIVE: This line couldn't go by without a mention, for how perfectly Alyson Hannigan plays both the comedy and the drama of the situation. She goes from a (can ya blame her?) happy moment when she realizes that Xander's new fling is, in fact, evil, to an almost instant realization of the danger Xander is in now. She goes right from self-centered satisfaction to protective over Xander in a moment. This is reminiscent of her worrying over Xander in examples such as her lines in The Harvest (see 2R) and Teacher's Pet (see 4DD).

16Kx4) ...and diverts her into the coffin. REST IN PEACE?: "Buffy's been in a lot of coffins. Welcome to the Hellmouth (see fight with Luke), Nightmares (see 10FFF), Some Assembly Required (see 14G), and this episode makes four so far. Later, there will be The Gift/Bargaining [among other times]. So far, she's always climbed back out."--Vickie, Fri, 01/17/03 at 07:29:24

16Lx4) "That's never gonna happen." XANDER & WILLOW: "When it comes down to it, Xander protects Willow at all costs. Despite their doomed romantic history, he proves his devotion to her time and again, most notably at the end of Grave, when he saves the world with his love..."--cjl, Fri, 01/17/03 at 22:09:40

In Grave, "Willow is both the damsel to save AND the villian to defeat. Metaphorically, Willow becomes Ampata. Thinking what she's doing is the right thing, but betraying all lifekind in the process."--ZachsMind, Tues, 01/21/03 at 09:48:53

16Mx4) "You want life? You're gonna have to take mine." XANDER THE BRAVE: "A foreshadowing of his line in Grave, 'You want to end the world? Start with me.' Xander's great talent (though it can also be a real pain) is to find the personal in a big situation. Rather than a grand debate about the issues he brings it down to someone's willingness to kill one person, him. Unfortunately in this case Ampata is willing to take that step. Still it shows that Xander's first impulse is towards the non-violent and the self-sacrificial solution."--ponygirl, Fri, 01/17/03 at 12:30:51

LINKAGE: "Is this an equivalent situation to Buffy's hesitancy in killing Angelus? While Xander's affection for Ampata does not come close to Buffy's love for Angel, the Ampata Xander loved was a killer, while Angelus the killer was not the Angel Buffy loved."--Masquerade, "Inca Mummy Girl" Analysis from http://www.atpobtvs.com

BLUFF?: "The first example of Xander’s trademark bluff of challenging people with his willingness to die in a good cause. See also The Zeppo, [Triangle] and Grave."--KdS, Fri, 01/17/03 at 04:56:28

"One should also examine the moment near the beginning of season five's The Replacement where Xander sees Toth shoot at Buffy, and instinctively puts himself between Buffy and the beam. I don't think Xander's been bluffing. In all...situations mentioned, Xander assesses the situation, and in that fraction of a second he's the only shield between life and death. When the chips are down, Xander plays the cards he's dealt, never knowing whether he has two pair or a flush. He just does it. It's why he's called The Loyal...[Sometimes, he may come off as foolish], but he's also brave and dependable."--ZachsMind, Tues, 01/21/03 at 18:33:22

16Nx4) "...I have the worst taste in women of anyone in the world, ever." WOMEN!: "Ampata’s the only woman we’ve seen Xander interested in who was, at least on the surface, the demure submissive type. He seems to have come to the conclusion that it’s better to go after women who wear their aggression on their sleeve."--KdS, Fri, 01/17/03 at 04:56:28

16Ox4) "Ampata wasn't evil. At least not to begin with..." BUFFY'S CODE: Note that Buffy continues her standards for judging a villain here. Although Ampata did do evil things, Buffy realizes that Ampata didn't want to harm people. She does not forgive her for making that final step over to the dark side, but understands where she came from.

16Px4) "Yeah, but I think that whole sucking the life out of people thing would have been a strain on the relationship." XANDER & WOMEN: "This somewhat prefigures Xander's relationship with Anya. However, this strain results from a current and ongoing demonic behavior. In Anya's case, it's a former behavior (and current awkwardness). But Xander never manages to come to terms with Anya's demonic life."--Vickie, 01/17/03 at 07:29:24

"Xander wonders sporadically through the series if he is nothing more than a demon magnet, what is it about demonic women that draws him? Perhaps he believes they will survive his inner monster?"--shadowkat, Tues, 01/21/03 at 11:42:47

16Qx4) "She was gypped." BUFFY PERCEPTIVE: Important to note is how Buffy is able to see things from Ampata's perspective, having identified with her, and yet Xander never admits to understanding Ampata's side. This will translate into his inability to deal with Anya's demon past in the future, as well as his current inability to see Angel as anything but evil.

16Rx4) "Yeah, but you did. You gave up your life." SLAVE OF DUTY?: "There's no denying that Ampata's fate was pretty horrible. Since she seems to have been somewhat aware of her surroundings, enough so that she was able to learn English by overhearing museum visitors, it seems she was condemned to eternal life trapped in a mummified body. It begs the question of when doing one's duty requires too great a sacrifice. However escaping destiny at the expense of others seems to be where the line is drawn in the Buffyverse."--ponygirl, Fri, 01/17/03 at 12:30:51

16Sx4) "I had you to bring me back." CONTINUITY CHECK: "Xander finally gets the affirmation from Buffy he'd been waiting for since Prophecy Girl."--cjl, Fri, 01/17/03 at 22:09:40 See 13II.

Also "a marvelously deft and understated end to the episode, emphasizing Buffy and Xander's growing friendship, which is just starting to develop from Xander's initial crush."--Tchaikovsky, Fri, 01/17/03 at 06:10:18

"[T]hey exchange a look that begins with his longing for her romantic love and ends with each of them looking down in acknowledgement that their friendship is what is most real. Xander had lost a potential lover by not saving her life, but was reminded that the life he had already saved was Buffy's – he chose friendship."--submitted by Flo

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