17A) Reptile Boy. WHAT'S IN A NAME?: "The title - Reptile Boy is both Buffy's personal insult to Machida, and an appropriate metaphorical insult for a cold-blooded and predatory person like the frat boys."--KdS, Tues, 01/28/03 at 07:45:56
POP CULTURE TIME: "The title also echoes the titles of bad horror movies such as Cambodia's The Snake Man (1972), The Snake Woman (aka Terror of the Snake Woman) (1961), The Reptile (which bears the tagline--'What strange power made her half woman - half snake?') (1966), Brittle Glory (also known, unbelievably, as The Continued Adventures of Reptile Man and His Faithful Sidekick Tadpole) (1997), and so on. Reptilian monsters have been in the movies for a long time, it seems. (drawn from www.imdb.com) Very likely, though, the ME writers were just poking a little fun at the monster before their critics could do so."--submitted by Rhys
Teaser
17B) "Is she dying?" FROM THE ORIGINAL SHOOTING SCRIPT: "BUFFY AND WILLOW Flank him [Xander] on the couch. Slumped down in high teen boredom, sodas and junk food pilfered from Buffy’s kitchen scattered about, watching T.V."--"Reptile Boy" by David Greenwalt, available through Pocketbooks, Inc. as Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Script Book, Season One, Volume 1
17C) "Why is she singing?" SOMETHING TO SING ABOUT: "Willow, Xander and Buffy are, rather unusually, watching an Indian film. These popular movies, made in Bombay, and hence christened Bollywood, are usually extremely long, and have bizarre and dareisay contrived plots, (hence the water buffalo). They also have a habit of breaking inexplicably into long musical numbers- a trait that the Scooby Gang would themselves experience much later in Once More, With Feeling."--Tchaikovsky, Mon, 01/27/03 at 08:58:36
17D) "There's a kinda hush all over Sunnydale." MUSICALLY SPEAKING: This is a reference to the song A Kind of Hush that was performed by Herman's Hermits in the 60s, and later, even more successfully, The Carpenters in the 70s.--Information taken from posts from Mon, 01/27/03 by KdS, at 10:34:58, Sophist, at 10:50:19, and Dochawk, at 17:30:18.
17E) Cut to the lawn in front of the Delta Zeta Kappa fraternity house. GREEK TO ME: "“…[T]his is the first of many fraternity houses [on Buffy] where weird things happen…The next one comes in Season 4, Fear, Itself, where a fraternity boy accidentally summons a demon by painting a symbol on the floor for a Halloween party…[and then Where the Wild Things Are, where sex in a frat house literally becomes deadly.] Fraternity Houses continue to be a source of horrible events right through Season 7's Selfless where it's the horrible prank of a fraternity that causes Anya to cast a vengeance spell that finally puts her over the edge."--Tyreseus, Mon, 01/27/03 at 23:58:47
17F) Five brothers, all wearing robes, come streaming out of the house after her. LINKAGE: Similar scenes of hooded figures chasing young women will be a major theme of the seventh season of Buffy, which includes many scenes of the hooded Bringers, serving the First Evil, attacking (and usually killing) potential Slayers.
17G) ...and drops down the other side into the cemetary. DADDY DEAREST: "When Callie crawls over the cemetery wall in her escape attempt there is large headstone marked 'Mother.' Next to it is a much smaller one marked 'Dad.' Perhaps an unintentional reflection of problems with fathers frequently seen in the story lines in all ME's series."--Cactus Watcher, Mon, 01/27/03 at 08:34:49
Act One
17H) "...and you laugh at everything he says." LINKAGE: "Buffy tries to follow this advice with Ben in season 5."--Brian, Mon, 01/27/03 at 08:50:30
17I) "...but you could ask him for coffee some night. It's the non-relationship drink of choice." CUPPA JOE: "Later, even Angel, recently stink guy though he is, understands that going for coffee doesn't mean date date, as in lips and dangerous territory…Of course, Willow later rebukes him for not making enough time to go for coffee, and by the end of the episode he does invite Buffy for coffee ‘sometime.’ Coffee as the safe date alternative continues throughout the series. In Buffy vs. Dracula, Joyce invites Dracula in for coffee, thinking he's just a nice man. Late in season 6, Willow and Tara go for safe date coffee in the early stages of rebuilding their relationship."--Vickie, Mon, 01/27/03 at 10:01:57
"It might be more accurate to say that as a convention, it's the 'hopefully a relationship soon' drink of choice.'"--Tchaikovsky, Mon, 01/27/03 at 08:58:36
17J) "...but I happen to be dating a Delta Zeta Kappa." IT'S ABOUT POWER: "Buffy and Cordelia are linked in this episode. Both are chasing after older men and feeling uncertain. Buffy has just said that she's not really in a relationship. Cordy may say she's dating this guy but it's more like she wants to date him. The power dynamic for both relationships lies with the men at this point."--ponygirl, Tues, 01/28/03 at 07:36:23
17K) "I just know your pizza delivery career will take you so many exciting places." STICKS AND STONES: It is very important to note that Xander, always ready with a quick zinger, has no comeback for Cordy after she sends this very hurtful insult his way. Throughout the early years of the series, Xander struggles with his place in the world. Besides treating him like dirt, his family aren't inspiring on any level. He himself is not particularly good at school, and college does not seem in the cards for him, probably both because of his lack of academic enthusiasm and his parents' lack of wealth. The idea of Xander feeling intimidated by rich, successful people is touched on a great deal in this episode (see 17III), and he is really very sensitive about this topic. Cordy's remark hurts him so much, because it hits very close to the truth. He really has no idea what future he will have and isn't too optimistic about it. This doesn't even factor in his fears, expressed in Restless and Hell's Bells, that he will turn into his drunken, loutish, abusive father. In the fourth season, Xander tries out a variety of jobs, including, as Cordy so cruelly predicted, pizza delivery boy in Doomed. It is his fear of being stuck in a dead-end job like this all his life, dramatized in his Restless dream that will ultimately give him a swift kick in his pants to get his life in gear, and eventually become a successful construction worker.--"Doomed" information from post by Rattletrap, Mon, 01/27/03 at 15:07:35
17L) "Or what it's like to have to stake vampires while you're having fuzzy feelings towards one?" THE GREYING OF THE BUFFYVERSE: Those who thought that the black-and-white rules of good and evil in the Buffyverse didn't begin to grey until the fourth season should take note of this very important line. Buffy rarely phrases her difficulties with Angel this way. To begin with, the difficulty in loving Angel was that he was a vamp. Now, Buffy says that it can be hard to kill other vamps when she loves one! That's a subtle, but important, difference, and will lead to Buffy's being perhaps the most liberal Slayer ever. She doesn't mindlessly hunt down and kill every demon and vamp. Even to this day, when we see her nonchalantly enter the demon bar in Potential, she will not attack a demon who does not pose an immediate threat. She even remains friendly with the nicest demon in the Buffyverse, Clem (despite his controversial possible-kitten-eatage ;o) ).
17M) "...y-y-you have a commitment in life. Now how many people your age can say that?" GILES & BUFFY: "The continual struggle between Slayerdom and being a teenager continues for Buffy. In some ways, it is arguable that her sense of purpose really is a good thing. It certainly seems to give her a drive and maturity which few of her fellow students, (and certainly not Willow, Xander or Cordelia) exhibit. But Buffy's negative reaction to Giles' thoughts shows how, despite committing to her role during Prophecy Girl, Buffy is still uncomfortable with her destiny. It is a fact that only really disappears for good when she is worried about losing her identity, when Faith shows up and appears to steal her life in Faith, Hope and Trick, although she seems a little jealous of Kendra's application to her tasks in What's My Line II before she realizes how Kendra's life has been so radically altered by her upbringing."--Tchaikovsky, Mon, 01/27/03 at 08:58:36
LECTURE TIME: "By season 7's Potential, Buffy will be giving a souped-up less stuttery version of this speechs to the potential Slayers. She sells it as a good thing to be special, set apart, but in Reptile Boy, she is still chasing normalcy, trying to fit in to her own rigid notions of what a teenage girl should be and do."--ponygirl, Tues, 01/28/03 at 07:36:23
17N)Tom in the passenger's seat... FROM THE ORIGINAL SHOOTING SCRIPT: "In the passenger seat is TOM, also 20, but dressed casually. Tom is rich, too, but he’s not a prick, he’s a low key, decent guy."--"Reptile Boy" by David Greenwalt, available through Pocketbooks, Inc. as Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Script Book, Season One, Volume 1
17O) "So, who's your friend?" GRR AARGH!: Once again, Cordy finds herself in a position where all the guys are interested in Buffy, and not her. See this scene of Never Kill a Boy on the First Date.
17P) "She's more like a sister, really!" SHADOW SELVES: "Possible metanarration on Cordelia’s S1-3 role as a representation of Buffy’s shallow pre-Slayer persona (see 1N)."--KdS, Mon, 01/27/03 at 10:34:58
17Q) "I'm Tom Warner." DAVID GREENWALT SPEAKS: "[Tom] was a very important piece of casting, because you have to like this guy, you had to think he was decent and nice. You didn’t want to fall madly in love with him and long for Buffy to be with him forever, but you had to feel that he was different from his slick and rich frat brothers..."--David Greenwalt, DVD Commentary
17R) "...Crestwood College..." SUNNYDALE SCHOOL SYSTEM: "This episode adds to the Sunnydale list of high schools. We previously had Sunnydale High and Fondren (Some Assembly Required). This ep also lists Kent Preparatory, St. Michael's, and Grant. (And the frat boys apparently attend Crestwood College, to add to UCD.)" All of these are most likely private schools.--Vickie, Mon, 01/27/03 at 19:19:49
17S) "...here I stand in all my doltishness." FACADE: "Buffy should install an alarm that goes off whenever boys hit on her using the self-deprecation angle. Scott Hope does it, Parker does it, Ben -- and it never works out well. In terms of power dynamics, Tom makes Buffy feel comfortable by admitting his own shortcomings, he undercuts his own status as a college senior, fraternity member, guy with rich friends, in an attempt to lure Buffy in."--ponygirl, Tues, 01/28/03 at 07:36:23
17T)"History stumps me." CONTINUITY CHECK: This is perfect continuity with the episode, Angel, when Joyce asks Giles how well Buffy does in History class, and he replies, "She lives very much in the 'now', um, and, uh, history, of course, is, is very much about the, uh... the 'then.' See 7LL.
17U)"I only joined the fraternity because my father and grandpa were in it before me." TRADITION: "Like Season One's The Witch, this is another example of inherited pastimes not being such a good idea. Except of course that Tom is not being strictly truthful, as we see from his idolatry of the snake monster later in the episode. Following parents' leads instead of developing individuality generally has bad consequences in Buffy. Tara is seen as making the right decision in leaving her unreasonable, intolerant 'blood kin' in Family. In fact, it would be fair to say that few parents are portrayed in a positive light. Xander and Willow's parents are by turns frighteningly aggressive and liberal but inhumanly distant. Joyce, (and by surrogacy Giles) are possibly the only really positive parents shown on the show."--Tchaikovsky, Mon, 01/27/03 at 08:58:36
17V) "Okay, boots, start a-walking." MUSICALLY SPEAKING: "This is a reference to the mid 1960's hit song, These Boots Were Made for Walking, the original recording by Nancy Sinatra daughter of Frank Sinatra. This song glorified one of the fashion items of the moment ugly, shiny, pastel-colored, plastic 'go-go boots.' The song is about a young woman, who wants to prove like queen-bees of Cordelia's sort that she is in complete control of her current relationship. She threatens to 'walk all over' her boyfriend. While the tone is of female empowerment, reading between the lines, however, it's clear the boyfriend is not behaving as she wishes, she is the one being hurt, and the song may just be 'all talk.'"--Cactus Watcher, Mon, 01/27/03 at 08:34:49
17W) "I hate these guys. Whatever they want just falls into their laps." POOR XANDER: See 17III.
17X) "I'm two hundred and forty-one." MATH SUCKAGE: "Who knows how old Angel really is? In The Prodigal, he is shown as being vamped at the age of 20 in 1753, which would make him 265 at this point. Other episodes give other ages. Joss admits that 'he sucks at math', so I think it covers all bases to say that he is older than your average frat boy."--Tchaikovsky, Mon, 01/27/03 at 08:58:36 (Editor's Note: Guessing Angel's age becomes even more impossible after the time he spends in a hell dimension during the summer between seasons two and three. Although we are told he was there for 100 years, it's highly unlikely that an accurate number could ever really be given. This may account, by the way, for the confusion as to Connor's age.--Rob)
17Y) "I'm just tryin' to protect you. This could get outta control." IT'S ABOUT POWER: "It is pretty clear here that Angel is in control of the relationship at this point. He is defining its limits, reminding Buffy of his greater age and experience, seeking to shield her from things he feels she might not be ready for. The big subtext here is sex, Buffy feels desire but isn't confident enough to articulate it."--ponygirl, Tues, 01/28/03 at 07:36:23
17Z) "Isn't that the way it's supposed to be?" PASSION: "Buffy making the argument for passion over security, something she questions again in her conversation with Willow in Something Blue."--ponygirl, Tues, 01/28/03 at 07:36:23
17AA)"When I kiss you, you don't wake up from a deep sleep and live happily ever after." ONCE UPON A DREAM: "Referencing Sleeping Beauty obviously, but Angel is taking the conversation beyond sex and talking about his vampire nature. Suggesting that for the Buffy one of the risks she is taking is not only with her heart but her life."--ponygirl, Tues, 01/28/03 at 07:36:23
17BB) "No. When you kiss me I wanna die." BEAUTY AND THE BEAST: "One of the most powerful lines of the season. Oddly enough, in a sense, this is a fairy tale, inasmuch as Angel and Buffy's love, despite its obstacles is idealized. But they don't live happily ever after, and in this sense, the Buffyverse does not encourage happy endings. Of course, contentment in characters leads to a lack of drama. Meanwhile, Buffy's line sums up the difficulty of a romantic love. Buffy wants Angel but feels she cannot have him, and so the forbidden aspect of his love makes it alluring and yet deeply painful."--Tchaikovsky, Mon, 01/27/03 at 08:58:36
"Rather a controversial line. Does she mean that she wants to die feeling good rather than suffer whatever pain life has for her in the future? Is this standard adolescent morbidity or the first signs of something darker well before it became overt?"--KdS, Mon, 01/27/03 at 10:34:58
17CC) "Alright, I respect you too much to be dishonest." THE HONESTY OF CORDELIA: Classic Cordy--an insult within a compliment! See 11UU.
17DD) "...but I was so busy really listening that I didn't hear much." THAT'S OUR CORDY!: "Cordelia in a nutshell – so preoccupied with doing the right thing on the surface that she largely misses out on the deeper things in life."--KdS, Mon, 01/27/03 at 10:34:58
17EE) "...and to Machida whom we serve." WHAT'S IN A NAME?: "...[T]he name Machida, according to the DVD commentary [by David Greenwalt], was subconsciously inspired by the brand of drills the gaffers carry on the ME stages (a) from the Asian firm, Makita (b)"--(a) Vickie, Mon, 01/27/03 at 10:01:57; (b) Cactus Watcher, Mon, 01/27/03 at 10:50:33
"Sure...nothing to do w/the word macho in an episode in which the frat boys worship a giant phallic symbol (see )! Macho is Spanish for 'male'; in English it has connotations of aggressive masculinity & sexism. Its use in English dates back to 1928 (says m-w.com) but became much more common in the 1970s w/the rise of the feminist movement, as a label for the attitudes that movement opposed. Of course, a drill can also be seen as a phallic symbol. Tricky, that subconscious, hmm?"--anom, Mon, 01/27/03 at 16:54:53
"The word drill here refers to the electric device that holds and turns the drill 'bits'. Drill bits (which are also often called simply drills) might well be called phallic from both shape and use. The drill tool is not necessarily phallic at all, although some are the correct shape."--Cactus Watcher, Tues, 01/28/03 at 07:33:02
"Machida is also the name of a city in the province of Tokyo, Japan, which matches up nicely with Xander's Godzilla game later on (see 17AAA)."--submitted by Rhys
17FF) "Brewski time!" STRANGE JUXTAPOSITIONS: This is a great moment to sum up the dichotomy between the mythic and the mundane that occurs every week on Buffy. The fantastical nature of the scene is contrasted with the almost nonchalant way the frat boys immediately get out the beer and start partying, right after, of course, praying to a giant snake demon! This humor is similar to that of the Angel episode, The Bachelor Party, when the seemingly normal Straley family goes directly from a calm, peaceful conversation about wedding plans to nonchalantly mentioning the ritual eating-of-the-fiancee's-first-husband's-brains, and then right back into the pleasant conversation.
Act Two
17GG) "Did I sound a little jealous just then, 'cause I'm not really..." HIGH SCHOOL CLASS STRUCTURE: A great line, in how it demonstrates what it's like to be an unpopular kid in high school. Although the unpopular kid hates the cool ones, there's always a lingering wish that he or she could be accepted by them. Even though Willow, for the most part, loathes Cordelia, a small part of her does want to be a Cordette. And who wouldn't?
17HH)"Frying pan, fire? You know what I'm sayin'." CLICHE TIME: Xander's riffing on the classic saying, "Out of the frying pan, and into the fire," basically meaning that Buffy's going from one bad situation to an even worse one.
17II) "Will you be ready if a vampire's behind you?" FUN & GAMES: "It’s ironic and possibly deliberate that in this episode with Giles at his most authoritarian we also see him doing something completely ridiculous for fun for probably the first time."--KdS, Mon, 01/27/03 at 10:34:58
17JJ) "Angel showed up. He could smell it." CONTINUITY CHECK: "Later in Same Time, Same Place, Buffy, Dawn and Xander use Spike, a vampire, as a bloodhound to lead them to a skin-eating demon Gnarl. However, the ability to find blood olfactorily is not vampires alone. Oz can smell Willow in Lovers' Walk," with his residual werewolf senses.--Tchaikovsky, Mon, 01/27/03 at 08:58:36
17KK) "She's standing right here? And she's not available." DRAWING UP A SCHEDULE: Buffy's anger at having how she spends her time planned out for her will be explored again in Band Candy, when Buffy is driven crazy by Giles and Joyce each trying to completely dominate her extracurricular life.
17LL) "I've got a mountain of homework to do, and, um... my mom's not really feeling well..." BUFFY LIAR: "A lie. Buffy despite various apparent epiphanies [!], never seems to give up the habit of keeping secrets from close friends. It may come from the harsh responsibility of shouldering her Slayerness alone, along with the fact that, at this point at least, the supernatural world is hidden from almost everyone, including her own Mother. Buffy cites ulterior reasons to get out of slaying again in Band Candy, in order to see Angel."--Tchaikovsky, Mon, 01/27/03 at 08:58:36
This is actually one of the rare times on the show where Buffy does come up with a convincing lie more or less on the spot (see 5S), perhaps because, instead of being on the defensive, in other words, lying in order to answer an uncomfortable question some asks her (such as when Anya wants to know what is taking so long in Hell's Bells and she comes up with the ridiculous priest-also-being-an-obstetrician lie), she is on the offensive. She does not feel the same pressure as she would otherwise. The only other lies Buffy becomes quite good at are the previously mentioned lies of omission and the ones she plans out in advance, usually also connected to keeping a secret.
FORESHADOWY NOT-SO GOODNESS: "Buffy's excuse about having a mountain of homework and Joyce not really feeling well will come true in the fourth and fifth season when non-academic Buffy struggles with college classes and Joyce Summers develops a brain tumor and later dies of an aneurysm."--submitted by Rhys
17MM) The three of them come out of the library. DRINKING KILLS: "[T]he posters on the school wall say: 'Not everyone who drives drunk dies' and 'Alcohol Kills.' Nice backup to the theme of the episode: drink one drink, almost get eaten by a giant snake."--Vickie, Mon, 01/27/03 at 10:01:57
17NN) "This isn't about fun. This is about duty, your duty to help me achieve permanent prosperity." THE CHOSEN ONE: "A marvellous joke, subverting the whole idea of Buffy's ambition to get out of her duty in favour of fun. Cordelia imagines it the other way round."--Tchaikovsky, Mon, 01/27/03 at 08:58:36
CONTINUITY CHECK: Cordy seems hell-bent on securing her economic future. "Is it possible that the 'small mistake on his taxes' is already starting to trouble the Chase family finances, as we will discover towards the end of season 3?"--Vickie, Mon, 01/27/03 at 19:19:49
17OO) "...don't wear black..." THE RULES: Buffy breaks this rule. She wears black to the party.--Vickie, Mon, 01/27/03 at 19:19:49, paraphrased by Rob
17PP) "You could belong to a fraternity of rich and powerful men. In the Bizarro world." POP CULTURE TIME: "Reference to the comic book publisher DC’s Superman. 'Bizarro' is the twisted world where yes means no, and ugly means beauty."--Brian, Mon, 01/27/03 at 08:50:30
A riff on this idea appeared in a classic Seinfeld episode, when exact doubles of each of the main characters appear who--gasp!--actually care about other people and aren't self-absorbed and cruel! It is also important to note that, once again, Xander has no comeback (see 17K). Again, Cordy really hurt him.
17QQ) "I can't believe she lied to Giles. My world is all askew." WILLOW IN A NUTSHELL: Willow is so distressed by Buffy's lie, because, according to David Greenwalt, "[s]he loves order in the world and thinks she can depend on it." The very idea of Buffy lying to Giles (and convincingly, too!) disturbs her entire universe. In fact, Willow's need for order is what prescribes almost all of her character's actions throughout the years and will explain her uses, and particularly, abuses of magic in the coming years. Her problems with magic become most apparent when she uses it to make everything better. Forgot to buy party decorations? Wham! You have party decorations. Tara got in a fight with you? Wham! No more memory of the fight!--quote from David Greenwalt, DVD Commentary, all additions by Rob
17RR) "You wanna protect her?" XANDER THE HERO: A very sweet sentiment. Although Buffy is the Slayer and can take care of herself, she is still a close friend of Xander's and he wants to do what he can to protect her. In the end, of course, she's fully capable of taking care of herself (see 17SSS). But Xander's looking out for Buffy, again, is very sweet, and similar to Willow's looking out for Xander (see 16Jx4).
17SS) Cut inside the fraternity house. FROM THE ORIGINAL SHOOTING SCRIPT: "This ain’t Animal House. This is a well furnished, wealthy home. But still being partied in by a gaggle of rich young snobs. The men wear coats and ties. The women are sexy but not cheap. WAITERS (actually pathetic guys, some in their underwear, some with fruit hats, all with a big sign PLEDGE hung around their necks) serve drinks and hors d’oeuvres."--"Reptile Boy" by David Greenwalt, available through Pocketbooks, Inc. as Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Script Book, Season One, Volume 1
17TT) "Beaucoup babes!" PARDON MY FRENCH: Beaucoup is "French for many – hint of snobbish[ness] of frat boys perhaps?"--Brian, Mon, 01/27/03 at 08:50:30
17UU) "When I was your age I wasn't into grownup things either." OUCH: Obviously an incredibly condescending and hurtful statement, this boy would never dream in a million years just how much more adult and responsible than him Buffy actually is.
POP CULTURE TIME: "The condescending attitude shown by Richard is also typical of males in bad horror flicks (such as United International pictures). Women in horror movies are, traditionally, either bad girls who are punished by being mutilated and killed, or good and innocent girls who need protection if they don't want to wind up as the next victims. Buffy, in this episode, turns every stereotype of women-as-victims in horror on its head."--submitted by Rhys
17VV) They go off and leave Buffy standing there. FROM THE ORIGINAL SHOOTING SCRIPT: "BUFFY Watches them go. Looks around for a friendly face. Doesn’t find one."--"Reptile Boy" by David Greenwalt, available through Pocketbooks, Inc. as Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Script Book, Season One, Volume 1
17WW) Xander pokes his head in... FROM THE ORIGINAL SHOOTING SCRIPT: In the original script, Xander did not sneak in a window, but came in the front door, by sneaking by the guy with the list. He is stopped a few moments later but manages to read the list upside down and give the guy a name.--"Reptile Boy" by David Greenwalt, available through Pocketbooks, Inc. as Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Script Book, Season One, Volume 1
17XX) "Wolves", by Shawn K. Clement and Sean W. Murray, plays on the stereo. MUSICALLY SPEAKING: "Nice irony. The frat boys think they’re wolves but actually they invited the wolf (Buffy) that will destroy them to the party. Buffy really does ‘run with the wolves, the predators.’"--Brian, Mon, 01/27/03 at 08:50:30
17*1) "Her name is Alexandra..." GIRLY MAN: "Once again, Xander (whose full name, after all, is Alexander) is being linked (this time by a song) to being 'one of the girls.'"--submitted by Rhys
17YY)"You're big on responsibility. I like that. But there's such a thing as being too mature." RULES OF ATTRACTION: "The exact fear that Buffy has in this episode- that her duty is making her forget that she is young and should be having fun. This makes Tom all the more attractive."--Tchaikovsky, Mon, 01/27/03 at 08:58:36
17ZZ) "Anyway, the, uh, the Hulk is gone..." POP CULTURE TIME: "Another comic book reference. This time The [Incredible] Hulk from the Marvel Universe. The Hulk is an out of control beast half the time, and the other half a scientist trying to cure his rage persona." A spin on Robert Louis Stevenson's classic Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.--Brian, Mon, 01/27/03 at 08:50:30
17AAA) "Godzilla's attacking downtown Tokyo!" POP CULTURE TIME: Of course, a reference to the famous Japanese series of films, which started being produced in the mid-fifties, about a giant lizard (Gojira in Japanese), a genetic mutation created by the atomic fallout of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, who stomps, crushes, and destroys all of Tokyo. The films spawned tons of sequels, including a very poorly received Americanized remake in 1998, starring Matthew Broderick.
"Poor Xander gives himself away to the frat boys. Also it is a foreshadowing of the reptile demon they worship, and it’s a sly reference to Buffy about to stomp and destroy their world forever."--Brian, Mon, 01/27/03 at 08:50:30
17*2) "I'm tired of being mature." DEFINITIONS: "This is interesting--each of them is using maturity in a different sense. Richard is talking about his bonds coming due and being able to pay him some money. Tom is referring to matters ripening and developing naturally at the party. Buffy is tired of being careful, cautious and responsible in thought, action and intentions. The primary meaning of maturity--'the state of adulthood, having fully developed powers of body and mind' is never mentioned."--submitted by Rhys
17BBB) They've put a skirt and a huge bra on him. DEGRADATION: "Seems like a traditional hazing type ritual. Except these are frat boys who have a girl chained in the basement. For these guys being dressed as a woman is humiliating, it is seen as a step down in status. Xander in putting on women's clothes becomes an object to be ridiculed, scorned, his status as an outsider is emphasized. The whole thing about a fraternity is its exclusionary nature, unlike high school society which is a bit more fluid, the rules of who and who can't belong to the fraternity are set down in writing. Maybe that's why fraternities seem to be the targets of such scorn in this episode."--ponygirl, Tues, 01/28/03 at 07:36:23
17CCC) "Just need to stop spinning for at least..." BLACKOUT: "When Buffy had one drink and blacked out, it was most likely a reference to Rohypnol (or "roofies") a date rape drug that had gained media attention in 1996 for its appearance at frat parties. Although Buffy's reactions to the drug are not consistent with a real dose of Rohypnol, the comparison is there.
'Rohypnol is a brand name for flunitrazepam (a benzodiazepine), a very potent tranquilizer similar in nature to valium (diazepam), but many times stronger. The drug produces a sedative effect, amnesia, muscle relaxation, and a slowing of psychomotor responses. Sedation occurs 20-30 minutes after administration and lasts for several hours...According to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) more than 1,000 cases of illegal Rohypnol possession have been reported recently, in thirteen states... In fact, Rohypnol is now being reported as being one of the 'in' drugs on high school and college campuses and particularly in college fraternities ('Roofies: The New 'Date Rape' Drug of Choice' By Clark Staten, ERRI Executive Director, January 6, 1996--http://www.emergency.com/roofies.htm).'"--Tyreseus, Mon, 01/27/03 at 23:58:47
CONTINUITY CHECK: "The first of only three occasions we see Buffy drunk on the show. Both of the other times [Beer Bad, Life Serial] something bad happens as well."--KdS, Mon, 01/27/03 at 10:34:58
17DDD) "She's here for the pleasure of the one we serve." TWISTAGE: "A classic ME twist for the end of the second act [according to David Greenwalt]. The apparently trustworthy frat boy is actually the most fanatical worshipper."--Tchaikovsky, Mon, 01/27/03 at 08:58:36
FROM THE ORIGINAL SHOOTING SCRIPT: "Off Tom’s eyes, the eyes of the zealot and true believer."--"Reptile Boy" by David Greenwalt, available through Pocketbooks, Inc. as Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Script Book, Season One, Volume 1