15A) School Hard. WHAT'S IN A NAME?: "The title alludes to the [early 80s] action movie Die Hard [starring Bruce Willis], in which a group of murderous criminals invade an office building, and a lone hero is forced to use his stealth and fighting ability to defeat them."--KdS, Wed, 01/01/03 at 08:52:09
Teaser
15B) "...Sheila has never burned down a school building." CONTINUITY CHECK: This refers to the events of the last episode, Some Assembly Required, which ended with the old science building in flames (see 14WW). Of course, Snyder blames Buffy, who was also blamed for the fire at Hemery High (see 1J). Excuses such as she was fighting vamps or resurrected Frankenstein monsters just don't seem to cut it in high school!
15C) "M-mice that were smoking?" BUFFY BAD LIAR: We all know of Buffy's inability to come up with a convincing lie or excuse (see 5S). This one in particular is similar to when she bursts into Dawn's classroom in Lessons, saying "I thought you were in danger...of smoking."
15D) "Expelled." FROM THE ORIGINAL SHOOTING SCRIPT: "This registers with Buffy. Less so with Sheila."--"School Hard" by David Greenwalt, available through Pocketbooks, Inc. as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The Script Book: Season Two, Volume One
FORESHADOWY GOODNESS: "Snyder says that he will expel one of the two girls, and as it turns out he is as good as his word. Sheila dies, so Buffy will be expelled. This event doesn't actually happen till later in the season in Becoming II."--Dan the Man, Tues, 12/31/02 at 22:39:39 See 34III.
15E) "I've decided to put the two of you in charge..." MEIN COMMANDANT: Once again, Snyder doles out punishment and reasserts his authority by forcing students into extracurricular activities benefitting the school. See 14O.
15F) "She was already smoking in fifth grade." SMOKING KILLS: "Recurring lesson: tobacoo = evil or doomed." We have seen the doomed angle already with Laura, the girl who was attacked in Nightmares (see 10C), and will see the evil shortly with the arrival of Spike (see 15I). The use of cigarettes to connotate an evil character is not limited to Buffy, but can be found in many different films and television shows, perhaps the most famous being The X-Files, whose main villain was known only as The Cigarette Smoking Man or Cancer Man.--KdS, Wed, 01/01/03 at 08:47:48, with additions by Rob See 26F, 27Rx4 and 32O.
15G) "Are you crazy? What did you say that for?" JINX!: "Xander tampers with an old superstition here, and Buffy and Willow immediately call him on it. Many cultures have the superstition that speaking of a wanted thing out loud tempts the powers, the 'good people' in Celtic belief, or God or the Devil in Christian. Here, Xander jinxes their chances of having a peaceful time by speaking of that desired outcome. Spike, of course, shows up almost immediately because the powers (ME in this case) have heard him."--Vickie, Wed, 01/01/03 at 16:08:03
15H) ...crashes through the 'Welcome to Sunnydale' sign... LINKAGE: "Spike's entrance into Sunnydale, knocking down the "Welcome to..." sign, will be echoed in Lover's Walk, when he knocks the sign over again...only not quite so deliberately."--anom, Sat, 01/11/03 at 18:04:25
15I) ...lights a cigarette. WHY SPIKE CAN SMOKE: See 11DDD.
15J) "Home, sweet home." FROM THE ORIGINAL SHOOTING SCRIPT: "We see a sign proclaiming WELCOME TO SUNNYDALE. See it for a good few seconds before the black caddy roars out from behind camera, smashing the sign flat. The caddy screeches to a halt. The door opens. We see his foot first, stepping out in a shitkicker steel-toed boot. As he walks in front of the car the camera ARMS UP, revealing his punkish outfit, his long coat. As he puts a cigarette to his lips we reach his face. He looks young, his eyes sparkling with anarchy. He smiles as he lights the cigarette. And, oh yeah. He's a vampire. This is SPIKE."--"School Hard" by David Greenwalt, available through Pocketbooks, Inc. as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The Script Book: Season Two, Volume One See 42M.
Act One
15K) "Then let the soul who kills her wear his mantle." TURN OF PHRASE: "It's an interesting choice of words...[V]ampires, as a rule, don't have souls. Inadvertently, this vampire suggests that a resouled Angel might be the best candidate. Of course in season seven we learn that Spike might also fulfill the requirement."--Cactus Watcher, Tues, 12/31/02 at 22:02:07
15L) "...the night of St. Vigeous..." BUFFYVERSE MYTHOLOGY: "There are certain mystical nights in which vampires have greater than normal strength. The Harvest was one of these (see 2AA). The Anointed One rose from the ashes of the Five on the evening of the thousandth day after the Advent of Septus (sometime in April of 1997--see 5YY), The Night of St. Vigeous is another. On this night, vampires' 'power' shall be at its peak--whatever strengths and abilities they already posses will be at their best--an ideal night to feast. For three nights prior, the vampires prepare by chanting themselves into a frenzy, so that they will be at their most predatory as well. It is unclear whether the Night of St. Vigeous is a recurring event (like the Christmas holiday) or is a one-time event (like the actual birth of Christ). Giles and Jenny's mumbled conversation about calendars and calculations implies a one-time event prophesied by the powerful vampire St. Vigeous. This issue is important because if Spike just ruined a recurring vamp holiday, it is not as big an affront to the other vampires as if he ruined a one-time event."--Masquerade, "School Hard" Analysis, from http://www.atpobtvs.com
DEGRADATION MOST HOLY: Here is another prime example of vampires twisting and subverting traditional Christian religion, into a cruel, evil mockery. They adopt the title of "Saint," bestowed by the Church onto only the holiest people, for a vampire, who no doubt earned his title by the amount of destruction and deaths he caused.
15M) "If every vampire who said he was at the crucifixion..." BLOOD OF CHRIST: Interesting how, to a vampire, this would be considered a thing of honor. On one level, the vamp is of course bragging about how old he is. On the other we have the implication of the passion and blood of Christ. In fact, in Anne Rice's fifth Vampire Chronicles novel, Memnoch the Devil (see 15UUU), the vampire Lestat is taken back in time to the crucifixion and is allowed to drink from the bleeding Jesus. He describes the ecstacy and the pure joy coursing through him as he drinks the divine blood. See 7UU, 19V, 19SS, 31WW, and 33Cx5.
15N) "I was actually at Woodstock." THE NEW VAMP ORDER: This line, along with the later line, "we're gonna have a little less ritual...and a little more fun around here" (see 15Qx4) signals "a shift in the series; a de-emphasis on religious symbolism. During Season 1, the Master is trapped in an abandoned church. The rituals he uses for The Harvest (see 2AA) and his other activities are carried out with a stiff formality that seems almost liturgical. This carries over to Season 2: The Annoying One and his followers speak in a somewhat overwritten, formal way similar to what we might see in a public prayer or a sermon, certainly not a casual conversation. Their observance of St. Vigeous day only adds to the picture.
Spike and Dru, in contrast, speak in conversational English and show little interest in ritual. Spike scoffs at the head vampire's statement that he was at the crucifixion. Spike then shifts the topic of the conversation to Woodstock--an event without a shred of traditional religious or ritualistic significance, indeed, one that drew fire from many traditional religious groups in America for its atmosphere of free sex and drug use. That said, many who came of age during the late 1960s and made the pilgrimage to Woodstock still regard it as a life-changing event and have attatached a kind of quasi-religous significance to its flouting of traditional norms."--Rattletrap, Thurs, 01/02/03 at 15:01:42
POP CULTURE TIME: "Interestingly, [comic book writer] Garth Ennis’s Proinsias Cassidy [from his Preacher series], a [vampire] character whose personality and emotional trajectory notably parallels Spike, was also at Woodstock."--KdS, Wed, 01/01/03 at 08:47:48
15O) "...and I spent the next six hours watchin' my hand move." VAMP PHYSIOLOGY: This is the first indication on the show that vampires can be affected by drugs and alcohol, and, further, affected by drugs or alcohol from the blood of the person he drinks. Since vamps are immortal (unless killed!), they wouldn't be adversely affected by blood that, for example, was HIV-positive, but drugs in the blood system can affect them. In Go Fish, Angel doesn't drink from one of the swim-team boys because of the steroids in the boy's system. Vamps aren't only affected by substances in the blood. They can get drunk, such as Spike in Lover's Walk; they can be drugged such as Angel in the first season Angel episode, Eternity. In Helpless, in fact, we meet a vampire, Zachary Kralik, who is addicted to pills.--Masquerade, "Vampires in the Buffyverse: Drugs," from http://www.atpobtvs.com, paraphrased by Rob
15P) "There was this one Slayer during the Boxer Rebellion..." CONTINUITY CHECK: We will see a flashback of Spike killing this Slayer in the fifth season's brilliant Fool for Love.
15Q) ...and turns his head to look as he morphs into his human guise. NO GAME FACE: "Note specifically here that most vampires up to this point have worn their demon faces among themselves. Spike and Dru are shown to talk to each other in private wearing their human faces, a sign of the emotional susceptibility that makes them close to humanity." This will be further evidenced in Surprise, when the Judge tells Spike and Dru that they "stink of humanity." See 25TTT.--KdS, Wed, 01/01/03 at 08:47:48
"Introduction of the attractive villains. Outside of possibly Darla and the Teacher in Teacher's Pet. Most of the Btvs villains were ugly. A friend who saw Lord of the Rings with me recently asked why was evil always portrayed as dark skinned, ugly, like a black horde? Instead of pretty, attractive and in cool clothes? Well – the intro of Spike and Dru changed that. The only vamps that did not appear in vamp face prior to Spike and Dru are Darla, Angel and the Anoited One. Spike and Dru were the intro of the cool seductive villains – highlighting a season long theme of lust and taboos of sex or hormones."--Shadowkat, Wed, 01/01/03 at 15:26:30
15R) "Drusilla." FROM THE ORIGINAL SHOOTING SCRIPT: "DRUSILLA wanders in as he speaks, looking at everything with the quiet wonder of a child. Spike sees her and his whole face changes. Literally, as he resumes his human visage...He lets go of Big Ugly, goes to her. His manner becomes surprisingly gentle and solicitous with her."--"School Hard" by David Greenwalt, available through Pocketbooks, Inc. as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The Script Book: Season Two, Volume One
WHAT'S IN A NAME?: "...I have been wondering recently about Drusilla's name, which is a very unusual choice for a middle class Victorian Catholic family to give their daughter, as it is the name of several female members of the Roman Imperial family; possibly most famously Drusilla grand-daughter of Augustus, who had an incestuous affair with her brother (Emperor Caligula) and was later killed by him when she got pregnant by him (he ate the foetus in emulation of Zeus' father, thinking it would grow up to overthrow him). See Robert Graves' [book] I, Claudius for the popular, if not very historically accurate, account of this, or http://www.vroma.org/~bmcmanus/caligula.html. This seems an unlikely choice of role model for the young girl, although it is perfectly suited to Dru when she becomes a vampire - she has incestuous relations with her 'father', 'son' and 'grandmother/daughter', and is nicknamed 'Princess'. Did her name change when she became a vampire, or did the scriptwriters think it had the right blend of old-fashioned-ness and mystery?"--Kitkat, Tues, 02/18/03 at 06:21:35
THE VAMPIRIC SID AND NANCY: "Sid [Vicious] and Nancy [Spungen]- these were two punk rock icons of the band the Sex Pistols. The clothes Spike and Dru wear and their moves in the opening scenes are reminiscent of Sid and Nancy as is the car - a black DeSoto. Spike watches television. Has a Sid like accent, bleached hair. And mentions Woodstock - also indicative of the 70s rock scene. And like Sid - he gets easily bored...This comparison is later echoed in Lover's Walk in Season 3 - with Spike singing along to the Gary Oldman as Sid version of 'My Way'. (Gary Oldman played Sid Vicious in the movie Sid and Nancy which I believe came out in the late 80's and the writers clearly knew about and reference in a later episode.)"--Shadowkat, Wed, 01/01/03 at 19:53:35
To clarify, "Nancy Spungen was never a member of the Sex Pistols - she was an American friend of musicians who had a relationship with Sid Vicious and has been blamed, along with the American band the Heartbreakers, for introducing heroin to the British punk rock community, with inevitably disastrous results. After the Pistols broke up she was found stabbed to death in Sid's hotel room, and he was awaiting trial for her murder when he committed suicide. (There's still debate as to whether he actually did it or not). I'm not sure how much ME were aware of this, but reading a few biographies of the Sex Pistols (the best is Jon Savage's England's Dreaming) Sid comes across as a truly pathetic character - an immature young man desperately trying to live up to a heroically debauched ideal that no-one could survive in real life (parallels anyone?). He was brought into the Pistols largely for his looks after the original bassist Glen Matlock was chucked out. Reports have it that often when the band played live his playing wasn't even amplified. Alex Cox [the director of the Sid and Nancy film] has subsequently expressed regret for over-idealising the characters..." in his film.--KdS, Sun, 01/05/03 at 03:53:29
"Sid and Nancy's relationship was a true example of abusive relationships. Nancy wasn't in the band, she was a groupie. And addicted to heroin and in the film portrayed as loony..."--Shadowkat, Wed, 01/01/03 at 19:53:35
"[W]hat if we, Jossly, turn the gender roles of Sid & Nancy around[?]...Not only from the visual clues, i.e., Spike/Nancy = blonde, Sid/Drusilla = dark, but also from personalities. If we go from the depiction of the pair in the *movie*, Nancy is the protective, possessive one who takes care of the more naive, less competent Sid."--Dead Soul, Mon, 01/06/03 at 07:29:15
THE MADNESS OF DRU: See 19MMM.
15S) "Everything I put in the ground withers and dies." LINKAGE: "Tangential, but she puts Darla in the ground in [the second season Angel episode] Redefinition, and Darla will eventually wither and die."--KdS, Wed, 01/01/03 at 08:47:48
15T) She pricks Spike on the cheek with her fingernail... OUCH!: "Although Dru is often described as a masochist, note that the first scene in which she appears ends with her romantically slashing Spike. The cheek to cheek pose was reputedly improvised by James Masters in his original audition for the role of Spike."--KdS, Wed, 01/01/03 at 08:47:48
15U) "It's dark where she is." SYMBOLIC RANTINGS: "I think this is because Buffy died in Prophecy Girl and is no longer visible to Dru who is gifted with the ability to see everyone's fates and futures. Buffy has fallen outside the boundaries so Dru can no longer see Buffy's. She can see Spike and Angel...but Buffy's is all dark."--Shadowkat, Fri, 01/10/03 at 21:30:51
VISION GIRLS: In many instances on the show, Buffy and Drusilla are paralleled. The fact that they both have gifts of prophecy, Buffy in her dreams (see 1D) and Drusilla in her waking life. See 25G.
15V) "Kill her for me?" YOUNG LOVE: "Spike - love's bitca. Until Season 2, we weren't really sure if demons could love. It is clear watching Spike and Dru that they can. As Dru says in Crush, (Season 5, Btvs): 'Oh we can love quite well, just not always very wisely.' Everything Spike does in Season 2 has to do with Drusilla. Drusilla to Spike regarding the slayer in School Hard: 'Kill her for me, Spike. Kill her for Princess.' Also foreshadowing of the fact that he can't kill Buffy. Dru clearly sees Buffy as a major threat early on. Originally the writers probably meant for this to foreshadow Angel and Dru's relationship. But they also are able to build on it for Spike...Spike and Dru are obsessively and passionately in love, like Buffy and Angel and serve a season long counter-point to the B/A relationship. Spike is in many ways shown as Buffy's counterpoint – he'll do anything to cure Dru – he lives for his love, doesn't care what the cost. Foreshadowing for Buffy's life or death decisions later regarding Angel.--Shadowkat, Wed, 01/01/03 at 15:26:30
15W) "I have a job." HARD-KNOCK LIFE: "She does already have a mystical job, but her mundane job [in the sixth season, working at the Doublemeat Palace] won’t be a picnic either."--KdS, Wed, 01/01/03 at 08:47:48
15X) "Rupert, you have *got* to read something that was published after 1066." TECHNOLOGY SCARY?: "Giles' aversion to technology is less a comment on librarians then the series comment on the horrors of technology. Giles – a man of magic and wizardry, the Watcher, considers technology and industry a root to evil. This is foreshadowing for how he deals with Prof Walsh and The Initiative and The Mayor later. Giles is a bit like Gandalf or the old fantasy guys in this respect. Jenny – notice – betrays the gang later and is shown to be more into witch-craft and more willing to use it, her death starts Willow on her path – and Jenny is the technocrat or tech wizard."--Shadowkat, Wed, 01/01/03 at 15:26:30
15Y) "They swept through Edessa, Harran, and points east." HISTORICAL GOODNESS: "Edessa and Haran were located near each other in what is now modern Turkey. Edessa was a major site of Christian crusader activity."--Cactus Watcher, Tues, 12/31/02 at 22:02:07
15Z) "You know what happens when you, you let your life interfere with your slaying." FROM THE ORIGINAL SHOOTING SCRIPT: In the original script, this line was followed by Buffy saying, "Yes, I found that out the last time I had a date, back in the Restoration era," which was a reference to Buffy's ill-fated date with Owen in Never Kill a Boy on the First Date.--"School Hard" by David Greenwalt, available through Pocketbooks, Inc. as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The Script Book: Season Two, Volume One
15AA) "...but when it comes to battle, Buffy must fight alone." THE LONE SLAYER: "A...remark [that seems to be] straight out of the Watcher's Council handbook. It may still be true at a deeper level than he means, but almost everything else in the series is designed to question this position." In fact, there are numerous occurrences in this episode that prove being alone can be a detriment to the Slayer (see 15Px4).--KdS, Wed, 01/01/03 at 08:47:48, with some additions by Rob
15BB) Sheila comes in the door... FROM THE ORIGINAL SHOOTING SCRIPT: "SHEILA stumbles through in last night's party dress, dark glasses: Marilyn Monroe after a hard night Kennedying."--"School Hard" by David Greenwalt, available through Pocketbooks, Inc. as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The Script Book: Season Two, Volume One
15CC) "Guy's a serious rodent." SNYDER THE RAT: This is just one of the seemingly hundreds of times on the show Snyder is referred to as a rat or a rodent, undoubtably due not only to his nasty behavior, but his short stature, large ears, and big eyes. See 36AA and 36NN.
15DD) "Well, not actually one time." BUFFY THE ARSON: Buffy is referring to the previously mentioned time at Hemery, as well as at Sunnydale (see 15B). Interestingly, by the end of the third season, she will have set the entirety of Sunnydale High on fire, with dynamite, in order to kill the Mayor, in Graduation Day II.--KdS, Wed, 01/01/03 at 08:47:48, paraphrased by Rob
15EE) "A drink you can't resist / And in your head a voice you'll always miss." LYRICAL SIGNIFICANCE: These lyrics can be seen as referring to "a vampire's thirst and lack of conscience."--KdS, Wed, 01/01/03 at 08:47:48
15FF) "C'mon, one dance." LET'S FACE THE MUSIC...: This is great evidence that Willow, Xander, and Buffy's relationship is fully repaired from her behavior in When She Was Bad. Xander and Willow don't harbor any anger about the dance (see 13HH), and further, Xander wants to dance with Buffy again. This time, however, all three of them join in together, as a group, and it's quite a beautiful moment. There is nothing sexual or mean-spirited about this dance. They are just three best friends, having a great time hanging out together.
15GG) Spike walks along the edge of the dance floor... FROM THE ORIGINAL SHOOTING SCRIPT: "The figure steps out of the shadows. It's not Angel, it's Spike. He circles through the dancers, moving closer and closer, staying out of Buffy's line of sight, never taking his eyes off her. A hunter stalking his prey. Spike circles. Buffy is oblivious to the danger. He's closer and closer…and suddenly gone."--"School Hard" by David Greenwalt, available through Pocketbooks, Inc. as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The Script Book: Season Two, Volume One
FIRST MET: "The first time Spike sees Buffy, it's in the Bronze. It will also later be the site where Spike runs into Faith in Buffy's body [in Who Are You], and in Fool for Love where the meeting between Spike and Buffy begins. Interestingly when Buffy and Angel were an item [in the sixth season] they met there all the time. When Buffy and Spike were actually involved, Buffy did everything she could to push him away when they crossed paths there."--Cactus Watcher, Tues, 12/31/02 at 22:02:07
SPIKE AS LUST PERSONIFIED: "Spike from the moment he was introduced in School Hard was all about Lust. He and Drusilla were ME's view of what 'lust' looked like in the flesh. Raging hormones. Forbidden love. Passion. Fire. Lust. In season 2 Spike with or without Drusilla was Lust personified. The first time he sees Buffy at the Bronze, he is stalking her in the shadows. Watching it again last night - he reminded me of a sexual predator, a cat, circling its prey. He wanted her - that was obvious. Sort of like you might want someone you see across the room - love at first sight? No. Lust."-- Shadowkat, "Spike/Anya: Dark Love," from http://www.geocities.com/shadowkatbtvs See 15Dx4.
15HH) "One step away from spilling my guts to you." LYRICALLY SPEAKING: This whole preceding song is full of unintentional foreshadowy goodness, when taken in the context of Buffy and Spike's future relationship.--KdS, Wed, 01/01/03 at 08:47:48, paraphrased by Rob
15II) "There's some big guy out there trying to bite somebody." VAMP ETIQUETTE: "Note the usual lack of sociability among vampires – Spike casually gets another vamp killed solely so that he can see Buffy fight."--KdS, Wed, 01/01/03 at 08:47:48, paraphrased by Rob
15JJ) "And a *stake* would be *nice*!" YA GOTTA HAVE FRIENDS: "A few minutes after Giles pontificates about the Slayer fighting alone (see 15AA), a small demonstration of how useful friends are in the most routine situation."--KdS, Wed, 01/01/03 at 08:47:48, paraphrased by Rob See 15Px4.
15KK) Cut inside to the table. OOPS!: "Continuity glitch: when the gang goes to dance, the table is littered with books and notebooks. Buffy and Willow have been studying. When Xander returns to get the stake, there's nothing on the table but Buffy's purse."--Vickie, Wed, 01/01/03 at 16:08:03
15LL) He pulls out a yo-yo... CONTINUITY CHECK: "This is nice continuity from Some Assembly Required, when Buffy is playing with the yo-yo while waiting for Stephan Korshak to rise (see 14B). This sequence also recalls Xander's meeting with Buffy, when she dumped her purse in the hallway."--Vickie, Wed, 01/01/03 at 16:08:03 See 15Bx4.
15MM) "He pulls out a tampon..." FROM THE ORIGINAL SHOOTING SCRIPT: "He drops it like a hot tampon..."--"School Hard" by David Greenwalt, available through Pocketbooks, Inc. as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The Script Book: Season Two, Volume One
15NN) "Nice work, love." FORESHADOWY GOODNESS: "Interestingly, Spike refers to Buffy as 'love' in his first line of dialogue with her. This is a nice bit of unintentional foreshadowing of their future relationship."--Dan the Man, Tues, 12/31/02 at 22:39:39
Act Two
15OO) "Where are you guys?" WILLIAM THE BLOODY: "This whole scene quietly establishes just how lethal Spike is – he kills the two guys without Sheila even noticing..."--KdS, Wed, 01/01/03 at 08:47:48
15PP) "...those two losers who thought they were good enough for you?" SPIKE THE CHARMER: "Even when talking to a meal, Spike’s tendency to see women as an ideal and influence seeps through."--KdS, Wed, 01/01/03 at 08:47:48
15QQ) "Maybe he's reform." JEWISH HUMOR: This joke is a riff on two sects of Judaism, a religion which is divided into four groups: the Hassidim, the Orthodox, the Conservative and the Reform, in descending order of strictness. When Giles says that Spike is "unorthodox," he is referring to the other definition of the word, "orthodox," meaning "adhering to what is commonly accepted, customary, or traditional." Buffy's "reform" answer is a pun, saying if he's isn't an Orthodox Jew, maybe he's Reform.
15RR) "We can't run, that would be wrong." FORESHADOWY GOODNESS: "At this point, Xander is still ready to abandon Sunnydale. Willow’s reproof to him foreshadowing her decision not to take her chance to get out in Choices, and in Graduation Day he’ll be the one refusing Anya’s suggestion of escape."--KdS, Wed, 01/01/03 at 08:47:48
15SS) "You said you weren't sure if you were going." ANGEL CLUELESS: One of the many examples that, although Angel is over 200, he still has a lot to learn about women. Making his situation more difficult, a great deal of the societal norms of dating that he is used to have changed over the years.
15TT) "Why do they call it a mace?" MIS-IDENTIFICATION: "Actually they don't. The weapon on the table is a military flail. A mace is basically a club with a weighted head. A flail has a weight connected by a chain to a handle. The flail can be swung for greater force than a mace, but of course the mace takes less room to use effectively and has no chain to get tangled."--Cactus Watcher, Tues, 12/31/02 at 22:02:07
15UU) "I'm puttin' a collar with a little bell on that guy." STORYTIME: "This is a reference to Aesop's fable, Belling the Cat, in which the cat never gets his warning bell because no mouse is brave/foolhardy enough for the task."--Vickie, Wed, 01/01/03 at 16:08:03
15VV) Cut to Drusilla's room. FROM THE ORIGINAL SHOOTING SCRIPT: "The stairs lead down into their little dungeonesque suite, their furniture now moved in. The medieval feel of the room is sharply contrasted by an old black and white TV, showing nothing but snow. Lined up on an old trunk by the wall are five Victorian dolls, gags of old linen tied around their mouths, their eyes wide and innocent."--"School Hard" by David Greenwalt, available through Pocketbooks, Inc. as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The Script Book: Season Two, Volume One
In the original script, this scene is immediately preceded by one where the Anointed One leads a group of vamps in a ritual to honor St. Vigeous. He grows annoyed that Spike is not there and asks one of his men where he is. The vamp says, "Spike? He, uh, said he doesn't go for religion." This will become most apparent at the end of the episode (see 15Qx4).--"School Hard" by David Greenwalt, available through Pocketbooks, Inc. as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The Script Book: Season Two, Volume One
15WW) "You nearly died in Prague. Idiot mob." PRAGUE AND VAMPS: Prague is a place that recurs in many horror stories. For example, "the Tod Browning film, The Vampires of Prague, and...[the] online game, Death in Prague. The house where Mephistopheles finally took Faust's soul [in the famous legend] is in Prague," as well.--Luna, Thurs, 01/02/03 at 17:52:42
15XX) "...and in a few week's time..." DRU'S CURE: We will finally learn the full details of Dru's cure in What's My Line.
15YY) "A pretty fire!" FORESHADOWY GOODNESS: This (probably unintentionally) foreshadows Buffy's famous line from Graduation Day II, "Fire bad. Tree pretty." Which will be turned on its head in Flooded, when Buffy says enthusiastically, "Fire pretty!"--Cactus Watcher, Tues, 12/31/02 at 22:02:07, paraphrased by Rob
15ZZ) Drusilla roars and moves in for a quick, violent bite. WOLF IN SHEEP'S CLOTHING: Drusilla is one of the most fascinating Buffyverse creations, because her madness makes her seem very innocent, sweet, and girlish. Her rambles can make her seem quite charming. Which makes the dichotomy between that and her enormous ferocity, when in full-on vamp mode, quite disarming. Dru's game face is by far one of the most predatory and frightening of any of the vamps. In an instant, she can transform from a seemingly pitiable creature to a ferocious monster.
15AAA) "You sure don't." THE CORDY/XANDER RELATIONSHIP: The Xander/Cordy animosity continues here. We will see that Cordy's lines to Xander are often the most cutting right after he has hurt her. This is perhaps a reaction to his ignoring of her after rescuing her in the last episode, Some Assembly Required (see 14YY).
15BBB) "...I need punch!" FROM THE ORIGINAL SHOOTING SCRIPT: In the original script, Xander follows this with a quip: "The important thing in punch is the ratio of Vodka to Schnapps." When he gets no laughs, he says, "That was obviously far too sophisticated a joke for this crowd." This is an interesting line, since it unintentionally foreshadows Xander's bartending days in the fourth season.--"School Hard" by David Greenwalt, available through Pocketbooks, Inc. as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The Script Book: Season Two, Volume One
15CCC) "Cordelia, I have at least three lives to contend with, none of which really mesh." DIFFERENT LIVES: "Buffy in this episode is trying to juggle the three different parts of her life: school, slaying and family. Her solution at first is to try and keep them all separate -- she'll prepare Parent/Teacher Night to please Snyder but keep her mother away from her teachers, she'll ignore Spike until Saturday (a). This is further emphasized by her separation of her worlds into different rooms of the school. Angel and Xander outside fighting demons. Giles and Jenny in the library. Principal Snyder and Mom in a classroom. Willow and Cordy cowering in a closet. Spike and the villains in the hall trying to break into all the rooms. And Buffy wandering in the ceiling above intersecting all four, trying to keep them separate (b). She ends up of course failing on all fronts, Snyder cannot be pleased, her mother is angry, and Spike attacks. It is only by bringing the different elements of her life together that Buffy is able to succeed, she protects the school, earns her mother's respect, and with her mom's help defeats Spike (a)."--(a) ponygirl, Thurs, 01/02/03 at 11:53:42; (b) Shadowkat, Wed, 01/01/03 at 15:26:30
15DDD) "Now that is a woman that knows how to moisturize." A RARE HONOR: One of the few times Cordy ever pays a compliment to anybody on the series, it is to Buffy's mother. Funny, isn't it?
15EEE) "Cordelia, have some lemonade." PASSIVE-AGRESSIVE WILLOW: "Again, we see that Willow is not above petty vengeance when she thinks Buffy is being wronged. We first saw this kind of behavior in The Harvest, when she tricked Cordelia and Harmony into "delivering" (deleting) their computer class homework (see 2V)."--Vickie, Wed, 01/01/03 at 16:08:03
15FFF) "He's known as 'William the Bloody'." WHAT'S IN A NAME?: In Fool for Love, we learn that the "William the Bloody" moniker actually came from his former human life, when he was a struggling poet whose heart was in the right place, despite his lack of talent. He was dubbed in social circles, "William the Bloody Awful Poet!"
15GGG) "Spike has fought two Slayers in the last century, and...he's killed them both." CONTINUITY CHECK: "This dialogue on Spike's background sets the stage for Fool For Love, the classic Spike showcase episode (complete with a date mistake as Spike’s age is altered to around 120, later in the show’s run)."--Dan the Man, Tues, 12/31/02 at 22:39:39
15HHH) "What can I say? I couldn't wait." SURPRISE: Another example of Spike's refusal to play by the rules. He makes his own rules, and doesn't allow any ancient order of vamps' customs to get in his way.