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[Descriptions]
No:1
\HAngel's History\h
According to the show's creators, the character Angelus ("Angel") was born as an Irish gentleman in the early 1700s. Angelus was a ne'er-do-well who was more interested in drinking than in doing an honest day's work. On one such drunken binge, he encountered a vampire named Darla, who turned him into a vampire. Although he had never left his home of Galway as a human, as a vampire he traveled extensively. In England in 1860, he murdered the family of a woman named Drusilla, driving her mad before finally turning her into a vampire. In Romania in 1898, he killed the favorite daughter of a Romany tribe and was thereafter cursed by the tribe's elders; they restored his soul to him, forcing him to live in anguish over the acts he had committed as a vampire. From that point on, Angel suffered. He drifted, eventually winding up as a homeless person in a New York City alleyway in the 1990s. It was there that the demon Whistler found him and encouraged him to make something of himself. He traveled to California and decided he would help the Slayer. Initially his help came in the form of cryptic advice, but his and Buffy's growing feelings for each other led him to become closer both to her and to her circle of friends. He also revealed to her that he is a vampire. Angel became a valued ally to Buffy, Giles, and the Slayerettes, and his vampiric strength and abilities proved especially useful against the demon Eyghon, against the minions of the demon Machida, and against the various vampires that have infested Sunnydale.
Despite the lunacy of it, Angel and Buffy fell hopelessly in love with each other, eventually consummating the relationship on Buffy's 17th birthday. Unfortunately, the Romany curse was predicated on Angel remaining tortured. By experiencing joy, the curse was lifted and he reverted to his old self. He remained un-souled until Willow recast the spell - but, right after that Buffy was forced to impale him and send him to Hell to prevent the world from being destroyed.
No:2
\HExecutive Producer\h
The show's creator/executive producer is Joss Whedon, a 33-year-old New Yorker who studied film at Wesleyan in Connecticut. Both his father and grandfather were television writers. His first Hollywood job was as a staff writer for ABC's "Roseanne" show in 1989; since then he has worked as a writer on the following films:
1. Buffy the Vampire Slayer, 1992
2. Speed, 1994
3. Toy Story (Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay), 1995
4. Waterworld, 1995
5. Twister, 1996
6. Alien Resurrection, 1997
No:3
\HFirst Episode\h
The show's first episode originally aired on March 10, 1997. The director of Part One of this episode was Charles Martin Smith, who was first got famous in 1973 for playing the nerdy Terry "the Toad" in George Lucas's classic film, American Graffiti.
In the first episode of "Buffy," Buffy Summers and her mother have just moved from L.A. to the suburb of Sunnydale. During her first day at Sunnydale High, Buffy meets a new world of people who will have a profound effect on her life. Principal Bob Flutie tells her that he believes in clean slates and he won't hold the fact that she burned down her previous school's gym against her. Popular-girl Cordelia gives Buffy a test for her "coolness factor" and extends the hand of friendship - until Buffy starts to hang out with Willow, a horribly shy computer nerd, and her friends Xander and Jesse. Giles, the school librarian, not only knows that Buffy is the Slayer but has been assigned to be her Watcher.
Later that night, Buffy meets the mysterious Angel, who informs her that Sunnydale is located on the Hellmouth, a focal point of demonic activity. Buffy ignores both Giles and Angel, hoping to return to some semblance of a normal life after her experience with vampires in L.A.
In the catacombs underneath the town, the vampiric Luke awakens the Master so he will be ready for the coming Harvest. The Master, a very old, very powerful vampire, has been trapped underneath Sunnydale for sixty years, ever since his attempt to open the Hellmouth was foiled by an untimely earthquake. The time is right for the Harvest, which will give him the power to break free. Luke sends vampires out for food, and Jesse is captured. Buffy saves Willow and Xander - and she also realizes that she must fulfill her duties as Slayer, or people will die. She goes to rescue Jesse, with some unwanted help from Xander, only to find that Jesse has been turned into a vampire. They escape and then must stop Luke, who serves as the Master's vessel. With assistance from Giles, Willow, and Xander, Buffy kills Luke and several other vampires.
No:4
\HJenny's History\h
According to the show's creators, the character Jenny Calendar was born Janna, of a very old Romanian Gypsy tribe. She took the name Jennifer Calendar when she was sent to Sunnydale to keep an eye on the vampire Angelus, who had been cursed by her tribe eighty years before. Presumably, Janna was sent after the demon Whistler brought Angel from New York to Sunnydale. Jenny was hired as a computer-science teacher at Sunnydale High. It was there that she met Rupert Giles and worked with him when she initiated a project to scan several of the school library's works into the computer system; when the demon Moloch was scanned into the Internet via this project, Jenny helped Giles exorcise the demon. Jenny also saw the signs of the Master's eventual freedom from imprisonment and offered to help Giles and Buffy stop him. A very modern woman, Jenny dressed in similar fashions to her students, spoke in slang, and had an excellent rapport with her students.
Despite their differing philosophies - Giles is very much a technophobe - Jenny and Giles were attracted to each other and, after months of flirting, started dating in the fall of 1997. Their relationship stalled when Jenny was possessed by a demon. Jenny was the one who explained to Buffy and Giles the specifics of the curse on Angel - that if he achieved even a moment of happiness, the curse would end. Wanting to make up for deceiving her friends, and having no desire to see Angel continue to be evil, Jenny tried to find a way to retrieve the spell that had cursed Angel the first time; using a computer program she wrote, she translated it, but she was murdered by Angel before she had a chance to use it. Angel destroyed the hard copy and hard drive, but Jenny had backed the file up to a disk that was eventually found by Willow and Buffy. Willow was able to cast the spell, with the help of Oz and Cordelia, thus fulfilling what was, in essence, Jenny's dying wish.
No:5
\HMakeup\h
Makeup on the show is provided by makeup supervisor Todd McIntosh. Todd has four other people in his department, but sometimes (such as when there are more vampires than usual on a particular episode), union artists have to be called in. The range of jobs on the show varies widely, because there are so many different kinds of creatures on "Buffy the Vampire Slayer."
"Beauty makeup on our show takes no more than half an hour," Todd says. "The monsters, if you're doing regular vampires, take about one to two hours. If I do it, I can get it down to 45 minutes, but if new people who have never done the show do it, they all get two hours to put one on. The removal time is about half an hour to 45 minutes, whether it has been put on to last all day or put on for five minutes."
Todd notes that when an actor has to morph into a monster face only briefly, he is able to put a prosthetic on with a water-soluble glue. "It's not very stable and won't stay on for long, but we can peel it off without damaging the skin too much," he explains.
"For me, the show is like coming full circle. I'm doing a vampire show, which I've always been fascinated by, doing beauty and horror, and it's a chance to really shine in all of those fields. There have to be at least 800 makeup artists in the Hollywood local. Out of that 800, there are really not very many who do beauty makeup and special makeup in equal quantities, with equal dedication. For those of us who do that, and like to shine that way, this is the place. This is the best gig in town."
No:6
\HMusic on Buffy\h
Music plays an important part on the show. Some episodes feature a fictional band called Dingoes Ate My Baby (whose music is actually played by the real-life band Four Star Mary). And the show's soundtrack features a unique blend of up-and-coming and established artists. Here's a list of bands and songs from the first two seasons:
Act of Faith - "Bring Me On"
Alison Krauss and Union Station - "It Doesn't Matter"
Average White Band - "Got the Love"
Cibo Matto - "Sugar Water," "Spoon"
Creaming Jesus - "Reptile"
Dashboard Prophets - "Wearing Me Down," "Ballad for Dead Friends," "All You Want"
Epperley - "Shy"
Far - "Job's Eyes"
Flamingos - "I Only Have Eyes for You"
Four Star Mary - "Fate," "Shadows," "Pain"
Jonathan Brooke - "Inconsolable"
Kim Richie - "Let the Sun Fall Down"
Lotion - "Blind for Now"
Louie Says - "She"
Mindtribe - "Losing Ground"
Morcheeba - "Never an Easy Way"
Naked - "Drift Away," "Mann's Chinese"
Nero's Rome - "If You'd Listen"
Nickel - "Stupid Things," "1000 Nights"
Patsy Cline - "I Fall to Pieces"
Puccini - "La Boheme: Acte 10, Soave Fanciulla"
Rasputina - "Transylvanian Concubine"
Rubber - "Junkie Girl"
Sarah McLachlan - "Full of Grace"
Shawn Clement and Sean Murray - "Blood of a Stranger"
Sophie Zelmani - "I'll Remember You"
Splendid - "Charge"
Sprung Monkey -- "Saturated," "Believe," "Swirl," "Things Are Changing," "Right My Wrong," "Reluctant Man"
Superfine - "Already Met You," "Stoner Love"
Three Day Wheely - "Rotten Apples"
Treble Charger - "How She Died"
Velvet Chain - "Strong," "Treaon"
Willoughby - "Lois on the Brink"
No:7
\HPop Culture\h
Throughout the series Buffy and her friends display a hip awareness of pop culture. Here are some of the movies, shows, songs, and famous names that get mentioned during various episodes:
Films - The Wild Bunch, The Shining, The Wizard of Oz, Star Wars, Planet of the Apes, The Sound of Music, Thelma & Louise, Faster, Pussycat, Kill, Kill!, Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey, The Invisible Man, Jaws, The Exorcist, Godzilla, The Untouchables, Witness
TV shows - "The X-Files," "Lost in Space," "Star Trek," "Xena: Warrior Princess," "Scooby-Doo," "The A-Team," "The Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers," "Gidget"
Songs - "I Touch Myself" by The Divinyls, "Ben" by Michael Jackson, "Welcome to the Jungle" by Guns 'N' Roses, "A Summer Place" by The Percy Faith Orchestra
Superheroes - Spider-Man, Batman, Superman
Celebrities - Farrah Fawcett, John Cusack, the Captain & Tennille, Alfalfa, Al Franken, Thelonius Monk, Siskel and Ebert, Chevy Chase, Abbott and Costello, John Wayne
No:8
\HSunnydale High Principals\h
According to the show's creators, Sunnydale High has gone through two principals in the past two years. The first was Bob Flutie. Flutie was a more "touchy-feely" type of principal, concerned with how the students felt and with relating to them as people, not just faceless students under his care. He assured Buffy that she would be starting at Sunnydale High School with a "clean slate" (though he did put her burning of the Hemery High gym on her permanent record) and that she would be given every opportunity to start over (in the episode "Welcome to the Hellmouth"). When the dead body of Dr. Gregory was found in the cafeteria, Flutie insisted that everyone who saw the body attend a session with a counselor (in the episode "Teacher's Pet"). In an attempt to foster school spirit, Flutie purchased a pig to serve as a mascot for the Sunnydale High sports teams (the school nickname is "the Razorbacks"). That pig, however, was devoured by five students possessed by the spirit of a hyena. Four of those five students - notorious troublemakers even before they were possessed - were summoned to Flutie's office, wherein they proceeded to eat him alive (in the episode "The Pack"). The official story was that wild dogs ate him.
Flutie was apparently married - he wore a wedding ring - and he tried to be friendly with his students - he wanted them to call him Bob, though none of them did.
His replacement, Principal Snyder, is somewhat more authoritarian and less interested in the needs of his students. Indeed, he decried Flutie's attitude as the kind of "woolly-headed liberal thinking that leads to getting eaten." He hates children - which led Giles to question his choice of vocation (in the episode "When She Was Bad"). Snyder is also fully aware that Sunnydale sits on the Hellmouth and has twice been seen coming up with cover stories for the strange events in the town.
The one characteristic he shares with Flutie is a desire to foster school spirit. To that end, he has encouraged such events as a school talent show (in the episode "Puppet") and done what he could to boost the position of the swim team when it started winning (in the episode "Go Fish").
Snyder seems to have it in for Buffy in particular, having singled her out for discipline on more than one occasion. Not until he expelled her when she was on the run after mistakenly being accused of Kendra's murder is it made clear that he knows who Buffy really is - and either doesn't care or wants to see her fail (in the episode "Becoming, Part 2"). The full consequences of Snyder's actions and the full story behind what he and the city council and the mayor of Sunnydale know have yet to be explored.
No:9
\HNotable Quotes #1\h
"Buffy the Vampire Slayer" has generated many notable quotes; here's a sampling spoken by the show's well-to-do snob, Cordelia Chase:
1. Oh! I would kill to live in L.A. Being that close to that many shoes!
2. I don't want to interrupt your downward mobility.
3. Why do we have to devise these programs? Isn't that what nerds are for?
4. Excuse me? Who gave you permission to exist?
5. Senior boys have mystery, they have à what's the work I'm searching for? Cars.
6. Who does she think she is, a Laker Girl?
7. Ooh, these grapes are sour.
8. I'll only be here as long as I can hold my breath.
9. Look on the bright side - you know, like how even a used Mercedes still has leather seats.
10. That boy is going to need some serious oxygen after I'm through with him.
11. Please keep your extreme oafishness off my $200 shoes.
12. It's a cheesy knockoff. This is what happens when you sign these Free Trade Agreements.
13. Learning to love yourself is the greatest love of all.
14. That's adorable. You and the dummy could tour the freak show.
15. I don't understand, this can't be happening. I was just in the salon.
16. Behold the weirdness.
17. You were popular? In what alternate universe?
18. MenàI don't know why we put up with them.
19. You can dry-clean till Judgement Day, you're living with those stains.
20. I thought yearbook nerds didn't come out of hibernation till the spring.
21. Why is it that every conversation you people have has the word "corpse" in it?
22. I was so buy REALLY LISTENING to him that I didn't hear much.
23. Oh Buffy, we're just like sisters with really different hair.
24. Don't wear black, silk, chiffon, or spandex - these are my trademarks.
25. Buffy, love your hair. It just screams "street urchin."
26. He's a vampire, but the cuddly kind. Like a Care Bear with fangs.
27. You don't call it a date until the guy spends money.
28. I think you splashed on a little too much Obsession for Dorks.
29. I think I've lost the will to cheerlead.
30. It's one thing to date a lame unpopular guy, it's another thing to date the Creature from the Black Lagoon.
No:10
\HRupert's History\h
According to the show's creators, the character Rupert Giles comes from a family of Watchers - both his father and grandmother also served in that capacity - and he was told at age ten that he too would become one, which disappointed him because he had plans to be either a fighter pilot or a grocer. He attended Oxford University, where one of his friends, Carlyle Ferris, fought a She-Mantis and lost both the battle and his sanity. Giles eventually rejected the family destiny and dropped out of Oxford, choosing instead to dabble in the occult - he and five friends summoned a demon called Eyghon to the Earth. Only two of that group - Giles and Ethan Rayne - still survive, the others having been killed by the demon. Although he is no longer the practitioner he was in his youth, his skills in spellmaking have proven useful on more than one occasion.
He was the curator at a museum in England prior to being assigned by the Watchers to Buffy. He also plays the guitar, though one suspects it's been awhile since he picked the thing up; he can read five languages, he has some skill in fencing, he lists cross-referencing among his favorite hobbies.
Giles is presently the school librarian for Sunnydale High. It is presumed that he has either a master's degree in library science or the British equivalent in order to qualify for his current position. It is also presumed that Principal Flutie gave him broad discretion in choosing the contents of the library, since it includes several ancient texts that would be out of place in an ordinary school library. These books are extremely useful when he needs information to help Buffy fight a particular demon or counter the latest plot from the Master, Spike, Drusilla, or Angel.
Aside from Jenny Calendar and Dr. Gregory, his relationship with his fellow faculty members has not been extensively chronicled. He did date Jenny for some time, though Jenny's possession by Eyghon put a hitch in things. They had made steps toward a reconciliation right before Angel murdered her.
Although not a Slayer, Giles has proven quite physically resilient. He has suffered several attacks, Jenny once shot him with a crossbow bolt at frighteningly short range, and he was able to resist giving Angel information under torture. As a general rule, Giles is the picture of the stiff-upper-lip Brit: restrained, stuffy, always wears tweed, somewhat befuddled, what little humor that escapes is dry as toast. However, he also has a ferocity that tends to show through when his emotions are engaged, whether negative or positive. His time in the company of the Slayerettes, and dating the rather freewheeling Jenny, has loosened him up somewhat. His witticisms are coming more frequently, and he seems more relaxed around Buffy and the gang.
No:11
\HHair\h
Hair on "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" is provided by hair department head Jeri Baker. She says the best part of her job is having to come up with a new solution to a problem. "A lot of our work is pulled out of our imagination and has to be done quickly. Sometimes it's the best work we do, because it's done with a whole lot of energy. Without a doubt, it's a craft; it's a skill, but then after you learn a skill, you have to be able to take it further than that."
One aspect of doing hair for television that people rarely consider is the lighting. How a set is lit is something that artists must consider carefully. "People are walking in and out of lights," Jeri notes. "At one point, they may look absolutely fabulous, and the next thing they walk into the light and it's turning them a whole other hair color, and you just look at it and people are saying, 'Look how it keeps changing back and forth!' The light sources make the effect."
Because synthetic hair will change color differently, and because it almost never looks quite right, Jeri tries to use real hair whenever possible. It's even better when a desired "look" can be achieved with an actor's own hair. "Ninety percent of the time, we try to work with what we have, because of the lighting problems. Nothing looks more wonderful than someone's natural hair. If I have to do a piece, I like to try to match the person's hair or try to use the hair piece in the back of the head, with the front of their own, and try to make a great color blend. Wigs are wigs. You can spend $5000 on a wig, but it doesn't necessarily mean the audience is going to buy it. That's when you really have to talk to everyone involved and try to come up with a solution that works best. The worst thing that can happen to a hairdresser is that you get this gorgeous hairstyle going and then somebody comes along and dumps a hat on it, or they put the actor up against a dark background when they're brunette and the hair just kind of fades off into the background. We spend so much time trying to make something happen, and then all of a sudden it's gone in the light."
What Jeri really enjoys is watching the characters as she's working on them. "Sarah Michelle Gellar comes into character in the chair," she says. "I start putting in her hair pieces, and before I know it, she's moving like this, like that. It's really fun."
No:12
\HWorld's History According to Buffy\h
According to "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," the world has had a long, strange history far different from the one we know. Here's the explanation given by Giles in part two of the show's two-hour premiere:
"This world is older than any of you know, and contrary to popular mythology, it did not begin as a paradise. For untold eons, demons walked the Earth, made it their home, their Hell. In time, they lost their purchase on this reality, and the way was made for mortal animals. For Man. What remains of the Old Ones are vestiges: certain magicks, certain creatures à the books tell that the last demon to leave this reality fed off a human, mixed their blood. He was a human form possessed - infected - by the demon's soul. He bit another and another à and so they walk the Earth, feeding. Killing some, mixing their blood with others to make more of their kind. Waiting for the animals to die out and the Old Ones to return."
Later in that episode, Giles adds, "Into each generation, a Slayer is born. One girl, in all the world, a Chosen One." Buffy Summers, a 17-year-old junior at Sunnydale High School, is the current Slayer. And Sunnydale is not merely a town, it is the place once known as "Boca del Infierno," or "the Hellmouth." According to Giles, Sunnydale is "a center of mystical energy. Things gravitate toward it that you might not find elsewhere à like werewolves. Zombies. Succubi. Incubi. Everything you ever dreaded was under your bed and told yourself couldn't be by the light of day. They're all real."
No:13
\HTrivia\h
Trivia for the "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" TV show: "Buffy" made its U.S. debut on March 10, 1997. It began showing in Europe a year later. Most of the show is filmed in and around Los Angeles, most often at Torrance High School (the same school used when the "Beverly Hills 90210" kids were still students). Only one cast member from the original 1992 movie has also been on the TV show - Seth Green, who later played Dr. Evil's son in the Austin Powers movies. The show won two Emmy Awards in 1998: Outstanding Music Composition for a Series, and Outstanding Makeup for a Series, plus it was nominated for a third Emmy - Outstanding Hairstyling for a Series. Sarah Michelle Gellar won the Young Artist Award in 1999 for her acting, and the show won the Saturn Award as Best Genre Network Series in 1999 from the Academy of Science Fiction, Horror, and Fantasy Films.
No:14
\HBuffy The Vampire Slayer Movie\h
The 1992 movie Buffy the Vampire Slayer featured an impressive cast: Kristy Swanson played Buffy, Donald Sutherland was Merrick, Paul "Pee-Wee Herman" Reubens was Amilyn, Rutger Hauer was Lothos, Luke Perry was Pike, and David Arquette was Perry, with Candy Clark, Ben Affleck, Seth Green, and Ricki Lake in minor roles. Supporting-actress Natasha Wagner is the daughter of Natalie Wood. The movie was shot primarily at Marshall High School in Los Angeles, and it grossed approximately $17 million in the U.S. The advertising tagline for the movie was "Sometimes it takes more than just good looks to kill." Movie reviewer Leonard Maltin called the "cute" in his review.
No:15
\HTwelve Rules of the Game\h
Confused about her role as the Slayer, Buffy frequently asks for help: "Handbook? What handbook? How come I don't have a handbook?" Giles answers, "After meeting you, Buffy, I was quite sure the handbook would be of no use in your case." However, others have established twelve "rules of the game" for her:
1. Walk tough. Talk tough. Be tough.
2. Provide whatever assistance you can, but know your strengths and weaknesses.
3. Be properly respectful about your calling and its traditions.
4. Keep your cool. Don't let little things like homicidal boyfriends distract you.
5. Don't be fooled by a lull in slayage. Stake all you want, they'll make more.
6. Seek a proper balance in your life.
7. Be vigilant in regard to personal morale.
8. Personal appearance is important in making a good first impression.
9. When faced with the unknown, go with your instincts.
10. Wherever you can, inspire faith in your allies and loathing in your enemies.
11. Be patient.
12. Safeguard your identity as the Slayer at all times.
No:16
\HBuffy's Creatures\h
Buffy doesn't just fight creatures, in different episodes she actually becomes creatures herself. For instance, in the episode "Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered" (first aired on February 10, 1998), Buffy gets transformed into a rat by Amy, a supporting character who has decided to take on her mother's calling of witchcraft. The show's creators changed Buffy into a rat so that Sarah Michelle Gellar wouldn't have to be on the set during production, thus freeing her up to spend a week in New York hosting "Saturday Night Live." Later in "Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered," Oz goes looking for the Buffy rat, and as he searches he sings Michael Jackson's ode to rats, "Ben," from the 1972 horror movie of the same name. Amy eventually reverses the spell, with help from Giles.
No:17
\HCordelia's Love Life\h
The person on the show with the most active love life is, of course, Cordelia Chase, who prides herself on her fine taste in men. She knows what she wants: the best. She knows what she deserves: the best. Anything less would beàless. Unfortunately for the guys on the show, being her boyfriend is equivalent to being the mate of a black widow spider:
Cordelia and Mitch Fargo - Mitch is Cordelia's "hunk du jour" in the episode "Out of Mind, Out of Sight." He is to reign beside Cordelia as May King, preferably in a lot of pancake makeup after Marcie Ross, the insane invisible girl, takes a baseball bat to him.
Cordelia and Kevin - Kevin was to have escorted Cordelia to the prom, but vampires attack and kill him in the school's AV room.
Cordelia and Richard Anderson - Richard is a fraternity brother of the Delta Zeta Kappas, a cult that sacrifices beautiful young high school girls to their demon lord, the giant snake-man Machida. Initially, Richard goes after Cordelia; then, needing more girls, the cult leader, Tom, invites Buffy to the party. In the end, Buffy kills Machida and she and Cordelia are rescued by the Scooby Gang, pretty much putting the kibosh on the Cordelia/Richard romance.
Cordelia and Jonathan - In the episode "Reptile Girl," Cordelia favors Jonathan her presence, but he is neurally clamped by a Bezoar hatchling.
Cordelia and Xander - maybe the weirdest coupling on the show, considering that he was the self-proclaimed Treasurer of the "We Hate Cordelia Club." She later spurns him because her popular friends, the Cordettes, start ribbing her.
No:18
\HDo's and Don'ts\h
The producers of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" have many "do's and don'ts" for the press and public to keep in mind; here are ten:
1. Our goal is to personify girls, not objectify them.
2. Remember that the supernatural elements of the storylines are an extended metaphor of the consequences arising from the reality-based adolescent/young adult emotions, behaviors, and crises which the characters must cope with in each episode.
3. Dynamics of the relationships: Xander and Cordelia are constantly bickering; Xander still loves Buffy; Willow still loves Xander although she's dating Oz; Buffy loves Angel, but he's a vampire and they can never really be together; Giles has a dark past.
4. Dynamics of familial relationships: Buffy's mom knows about Buffy being a slayer; Willow's parents are referred to, they're Jewish, but we never see them; Buffy's dad lives in Los Angeles; Xander's mom is always ordering takeout, but we never see her; Oz has family including an aunt, uncle, and nephew, but we never see them.
5. In any photographs or illustrations, do not depict Giles or Angel with a weapon.
6. All likeness usage of Sarah Michelle Gellar and David Boreanaz must be approved by their respective publicists, unless you are using pre-approved artwork.
7. When using images of the cast (whether as themselves or as the characters they play), do not combine their images with any other actor not associated with the TV show.
8. In any text about any of the actors, please do not indicate the year of their births.
9. In any promotional layout, we would prefer the inclusion of a cast shot to honor the fact that the TV show is an ensemble show.
10. Never describe the show as "campy" or as a "cult" hit.
No:19
\HOz's History\h
According to the show's creators, the character Oz is a senior at Sunnydale High and the guitarist for the rock band Dingoes Ate My Baby, which plays regular gigs in the area. Oz is apparently quite brilliant - he was one of only two Sunnydale High students recruited by a large, unnamed computer-software company during Career Week - but he shows very little ambition, beyond mastering the E-flat, diminished ninth chord on the guitar (it's what he calls "a man's chord - you could lose a finger!"). He tends to not pay attention in class, though he does test very well.
Midway through his senior year, Oz was bitten by his cousin Jordy, who, it turns out, is a werewolf. The bite transmitted the lycanthropy to Oz, and he now changes into a werewolf on the night of the full moon as well as the nights before and after. His initial foray into werewolfdom nearly caused a panic - not to mention almost getting him killed by a hunter after his pelt - but he now knows to lock himself up three nights a month.
Oz tends to take things in stride. He was very nonchalant at the revelation that a) his cousin is a werewolf, and b) so now is he. He was equally blasΘ when he discovered that there are vampires in Sunnydale and Buffy is the Slayer. He has joined the inner circle of Slayerettes, so far providing transportation in his van and tracking down Buffy when she was turned into a rat.
Oz found himself attracted to Willow from the moment he saw her in an Eskimo outfit, and more so when he saw her in her rather revealing Halloween outfit, though they didn't actually speak until they found themselves together in the recruitment area for the software company. Oz saved Willow's life from one of the Tarakan assassins, and they started dating a short while later. His lycanthropy has not noticeably interfered with their relationship, though Oz was willing to break it off if she wanted (she didn't).
No:20
\HVampires\h
The vampires in "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" are slightly different from the classic vampires created by Bram Stoker in his landmark novel, Dracula. According to Stoker, vampires could not be seen in mirrors, they cast no shadows, they could not cross running water, they couldn't go out into sunlight, they could transform themselves into bats or wolves, they feared a crucifix or garlic, and only a stake through the heart could kill them.
The show's creator, Joss Whedon, chose what he needed from the existing vampire mythology and invented the rest himself. His greatest diversion from Stoker's formulas was a return to an interpretation of ancient myths that only scholars would remember: some legends, and Whedon's show, say that vampires are not humans at all, but instead are demons from Hell who have taken up residence inside human corpses. What's more, Whedon's vampires can't fly, nor can they transform themselves into other creatures. Like Stoker's vampires, Whedon's vampires cast no reflections in mirrors, but they do cast shadows. Stoker's and Whedon's vampires are all capable of hypnotizing victims, none of them can enter a private home without an invitation, and direct sunlight can kill them.
Whedon's vampires have created their own "families" and societies, tribes or clans that work and live together to further their chaotic impulses. The best-known vampire clan thus far in the "Buffy" mythology is the Order of Aurelius, which was led by the Master for centuries and whose Brethren, or adherents, have included Angel and Darla and, by implication, very likely Spike and Drusilla as well. Though the Master's real name and history are never revealed on-screen, Whedon wrote in his script of the pilot that the Master's real name was Heinrich Joseph Nest, he was "the most powerful of vampires," and he was approximately 600 years old.
No:21
\HWerewolves\h
Like vampires, werewolf legends are found throughout history. Unlike vampires, however, stories about lycanthropy abound in the works of the most respected ancient historians. Herodotus, Pliny, Petronius, Virgil, and Ovid discuss the transformation of men into werewolves, though in the majority of these cases the change is either permanent or it is an annual rather than a monthly event. Werewolf stories extend across cultures and across the centuries. Norse mythology and Scandinavian folklore are rife with references to wolf-men, and there are legends of man-into-beast transformations in South America, Africa, Scotland, and among Native Americans.
In the mythology of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," there seems to be no end to the variations upon the lycanthropic or shape-shifting theme. Each time the subject has been touched upon, it has been in a manner entirely different from the others, and completely in keeping with the program. Boys transformed by science into giant sea-creatures. An ancient half-human, half-insect shape-shifter. Demonic hyenas able to possess the souls and minds of human beings. And werewolves, of course.
The werewolf concept presented in the series is much closer to its traditional representation than the vampires and demons in the series are. A werewolf, in Buffy's world, is a human being who had the misfortune to have been bitten by a werewolf and survived. This person will, from that day forth, transform into a wolf for the three nights of the full moon, every month. A werewolf can be killed only with weapons made of silver - most commonly a silver bullet. One major departure for the series, however, is that the presentation of the werewolf is a sympathetic one. The werewolf is a victim of a curse and is not responsible for his or her actions while in the wolf state. Which makes things wonderfully complicated, of course.
On the show, Oz is a werewolf. He was bitten on the finger by his toddler cousin, Jordy, only to discover later on that Jordy was a werewolf. As a werewolf, Oz has yet to take a human life. In wolf-form, he is huge and quite powerful. His only known natural enemy is the werewolf hunter, Gib Cain, who was forced to leave town without the werewolf pelt he so badly wanted. Cain hunts werewolves to skin them and sell their pelts in Sri Lanka. Other shape-shifting characters on "Buffy" are the substitute teacher Natalie French (she turns into a giant praying mantis with a taste for young male virgins), and the school's swim team (which evolves into enormous fish-men).
No:22
\HNotable Quotes #2\h
"Buffy the Vampire Slayer" has generated many notable quotes; here's a sampling spoken by the show's leading character, Buffy Summers:
1. OK, can we have the heart-felt talk, with less talk from you?
2. You know what I think about? Ambush tactics. Beheading.
3. I was late due to unscheduled slayage.
4. All's well that ends with cute E.R. doctors, I always say.
5. They show up, they scare us, I beat them up, and they leave.
6. Does "rest in peace" have no sanctity to you people?
7. There are all kinds of things vampires can't do, like volunteer for the Red Cross.
8. I always say - a day without an autopsy is like a day without sunshine.
9. Not now, Giles. We'll all have ourselves a good cry after we've bagged us a werewolf.
10. Sorry, Xand. Have to say slaying is a tad more perilous than dating.
11. What happened? You went OJ on your girlfriend!
12. Meanwhile, I'm breaking my nails battling the forces of evil and my French teacher can't even remember my name.
13. If you want to make jokes then I will pull out your ribcage and wear it as a hat.
14. Mom, I'm a slayer, not a postal worker. The cops just can't handle demons. I have to do it.
15. I'm going to kill you. Will that blow the whole karma thing?
No:23
\HAnthony Stewart Head\h
Anthony Stewart Head plays "Robert Giles," Buffy's Watcher - the person whose destiny is to lead Buffy on her path. Librarian Giles is usually all business. Although he's often stern with Buffy, he really does care for her, and his guidance is tempered with kindness.
Anthony Stewart Head was born and raised in England, and he attended the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts. His long theater career includes starring roles in a number of productions, including The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Julius Caesar, The Heiress, Chess, Yonadab, and Godspell. He's also appeared on the TV shows "Highlander," "NYPD Blue," and "VR.5," though he's usually recognized by fans for his roles in the popular Tasters' Choice and Nescafe Gold Blend coffee commercials.
No:24
\HJoyce's History\h
According to the show's creators, the character Joyce Summers met Hank Summers, her future husband, at her high school prom. She didn't have a date and so went alone. She was miserable for the first hour, then she met Hank. He did have a date, but they still met and clicked and later married. By the time their daughter, Buffy, reached high school, their fighting had escalated, and they were divorced in her first year. The pair seem to be getting along well since the divorce.
Joyce works at an art gallery, where her duties include acquiring and selling pieces, a job which requires long hours and keeps her away from home sometimes. She has tried to connect with her daughter, but - despite their occasional bonding over movies and ice cream - finds understanding of her daughter elusive. She appreciates that her daughter can take care of herself, but she has grown frustrated with Buffy's inability to do what she is told for no obvious reason and for not confiding in her about anything, such as the fact that she was dating Angel. Despite having seen some evidence of the bizarre activity in Sunnydale, she remained oblivious to her daughter's secrets right up until circumstances compelled Buffy to spell it out for her. The ultimate consequences of Joyce learning that her daughter is the Chosen One have yet to be established.
No:25
\HSunnydale's History\h
According to the fictional Sunnydale Chamber of Commerce, the show's setting, Sunnydale, California, is home to many scenic attractions, including a pristine strip of Southern California beach, a world-class museum, and Crestwood College, which is a magnet for liberal-arts majors.
Colonized by the Spanish centuries ago and given the colorful name "Boca del Infierno" (Mouth of Hell), Sunnydale still reflects the Spanish influence in it architecture. The town's high school, Sunnydale High, is a Spanish-style campus that features an attractive Quad, an Olympic-sized swimming pool, and an exquisite underground grotto. The school is home to the fierce Razorbacks, and in 1977 the cheerleading squad won the tri-county championship.
There are 43 churches in Sunnydale, though some people claim there are 44, the last being a sunken church that supposedly exists across from Sunnydale High School. No such structure has ever been located, however. Within a few blocks of the school are condos that are further examples of the town's Spanish architecture.
The local hangout for teens is The Bronze, a dark, crowded, noisy club where live bands play almost every night of the week. The club also hosts the annual May Queen dance, a spooky celebration of Halloween, the World Culture fiesta, and other exciting community get-togethers. The other main bars in town are about ten blocks away and have a more rough-and-tumble environment: the Fish Tank and Willi's Alibi Room. The Sunset Club is a private Goth club that requires a password - "Lestat" - to enter. Admission is by invitation only, and rumors persist that "real vampires" have visited the club in the past.
Another town landmark is the Sunnydale Armory. Currently under the command of Colonel Newsome, the Armory is home to the legendary "Skull & Crossbones" unit. A number of interesting armaments have been recovered during excavations around town, and these objects are showcased alongside examples of the military's most up-to-date weapons systems. Nearby are Sunnydale Hospital, the police station, the Sunnydale Mall, and the town's business district, which is known for two unusual stores - the Dragon's Cove Magic Shop (for voodoo dolls, love potions, and Ouija boards) - and Party Town (Sunnydale's oldest costume shop).
One of the largest and loveliest buildings in town is the Sunnydale Natural History Museum. Boasting several impressive collections of anthropological artifacts, as well as scientific specimens, the museum also plays host to several touring exhibitions each year. Recently, the Inca Princess exhibit drew record crowds. The Douglas Perren Memorial Room displays a large collection of curios from in and around Sunnydale.
For relaxation, Sunnydale Beach is along Interstate 17 and offers plenty of free parking. The nearby docks are home to a healthy shipping industry and plenty of deep-sea fishing charters.
Sunnydale Cemetery is the last resting place for many prominent Sunnydalians. Among the citizens buried here are Sunnydale High principal Robert Flutie and all-state football star Daryl Epps. Within walking distance is the Sunnydale Funeral Home, itself an historic site that has been around for over four generations. Abutting the cemetery are the bucolic Sunnydale woods, the Crestwood College campus, and, just a few miles away, the prosperous cluster of high-tech companies that form the Sunnydale Technology Park.
No:26
\HCharisma Carpenter\h
Charisma Carpenter plays "Cordelia Chase," a well-to-do snob whose role in life is to take care of herself, which is often at the expense of others. It's Cordelia's world, and we just live in it.
Charisma Carpenter is a classically trained dancer who has held jobs as a San Diego Charger cheerleader and an aerobics instructor. She was discovered by a commercial agent while she was waiting tables in Los Angeles. A veteran of 20 TV commercials, she got her first big break when she made a guest appearance on the show "Baywatch." She then played the role of Ashley on the TV series "Malibu Shores" and co-starred in the feature film Timemaster. Theater credits include Welcome Home Soldier and No, No, Nanette.
No:27
\HCordelia's History\h
According to the show's creators, the character Cordelia Chase is the prototype of the most popular girl on campus. She's attractive, snobby, completely self-centered, fashion-conscious, a head cheerleader, the object of desire of much of the school's male population, and the center of a group of admirers who hang on her every word. Cordelia was born and raised in Sunnydale. Her mother has Epstein-Barr syndrome. Her parents gave her a car after she passed driver's ed. Her dating calendar tends to be full and varied. She used to be very fond of Daryl Epps before his tragic death, she took Mitch Fargo to the May Queen dance, and she dated Devon, the lead singer if Dingoes Ate My Baby, though she eventually dumped him because he wasn't paying sufficient attention to her. She has also made plays for both Owen Thurman and Angel, both of whom preferred Buffy to Cordelia, to the latter's disgust. She also attempted to get into a relationship with Richard Anderson, from the local college, but he was interested only in sacrificing her to the demon he worshipped. Cordelia and Xander found themselves wildly kissing after arguing while trapped in Buffy's basement by a Tarakan assassin and, against all odds, have actually managed to build a relationship despite having gone through most of their lives despising each other.
Cordelia initially made friends with Buffy, thinking that, being from Los Angeles, she had to be cool, but when Buffy a) mistakenly attaced her with a stake while searching for a vampire, and b) started hanging around with "losers" like Willow and Xander, Cordelia shunned the Slayerettes as the lamest of the lame. This changed when Cordy was threatened by an invisible attacker, and she went to Buffy for help. Cordy had the truth about vampires in Sunnydale shoved in her face when the Master was freed from his imprisonment, and she was there when Buffy slew him. She found herself hanging around with the Slayerettes more and more as time went on, becoming "official" when she was awakened early in the morning to drive Xander to Buffy's house after she'd gone missing.
When her relationship with Xander went public, she became alienated from her roving band of followers, and she initially broke up with him to appease them. However, realizing that her "friends" were just sheep who hung around her because they wanted her coolness to rub off on them, she decided she'd date anyone she wanted, "no matter how lame he is."
Cordelia once summed up her own character perfectly: "Tact is just not saying true stuff; I'll pass." Giles later described her as "Homerically insensitive." She expresses her opinion and isn't interested if she hurts anyone's feelings. This might be the reason she has found herself gravitating to the Slayerettes, who have also been completely open in their feelings for her.
No:28
\HDavid Boreanaz\h
With looks that kill, David Boreanaz plays "Angel," the hippest, suavest vampire since Lestat. Saddled by a centuries-old gypsy curse, Angel is a vampire with a conscience. He could have his pick of paramours but falls for the only Vampire Slayer of his generation, Buffy. Not exactly a match made in heaven.
A 27-year-old native of Philadelphia and a graduate of Ithaca College in New York, Boreanaz was inspired to act after seeing Yul Brynner's performance in The King and I at the age of seven. TV guest appearances include "MarriedàWith Children" and "Men Don't Lie"; his film roles include Best of the Best II and Aspen Extreme. One of his sisters, Beth, is a production coordinator for "The Rosie O'Donnell Show," while another sister, Bo, is a costume designer whose work can be seen in the films Escape from L.A. and Barton Fink.
No:29
\HBuffy's Room\h
Besides a desk drawer filled with stakes and holy water and a trunk with a false bottom loaded with communion wafers, more stakes, more holy water, and garlic, what does today's Slayer keep in her bedroom?
With a framed picture of Xander and Willow by her bedside, Buffy's room looks very much like that belonging to any other 17-year-old girl. Here are some of the objects in the Chosen One's private abode:
1. Dolls and stuffed animals, including a big Harlequin witch doll, a cow doll, a pink pig, a blue teddy bear, a black and white panda, and a green creature in a dress
2. An umbrella with Chinese characters on it and a small dressing screen with a similar design
3. A snow globe
4. A straw hat and scarves hanging on the wall
5. A black-light lamp
6. Two lamps with upside-down shades
7. A purple and black pyramid candle
8. Celestial matters: a sun-and-moon art object with a face and a green-and-yellow moon box on the second shelf of her bookcase
9. A wicker chair and a wicker shelf
10. Butterflies
No:30
\HBuffy's Weapons\h
Buffy has used all kinds of weapons during her career as the Slayer. Here are a few of them that have helped her dispatch monsters:
1. Stakes for driving through vampires (her favorite stake is called Mr. Pointy)
2. A drum cymbal (she beheads a vampire with it in the episode "Welcome to the Hellmouth"
3. A machete (she kills a She-Mantis with it in the episode "Teacher's Pet"
4. A crossbow (she shoots Darla in the stomach with a crossbow in the episode "Angel")
5. A torch (she uses one to burn Absalom to a crisp in the episode "When She Was Bad")
6. A lacrosse sticks (she uses one on the gill monsters in the episode "Go Fish")
7. A sword (for slaying demons, given to her by Kendra in the episode "Becoming, Part One")
No:31
\HNicholas Brendon\h
Nicolas Brendon plays "Alexander 'Xander' Harris," a sweet, sensitive boy with raging hormones. He's got a crush on Buffy, who views him as just a pal. Gifted with quick wit, his observations run from profound to ridiculous, but they're always pure Xander.
Brendon's first acting job was on a Clearasil commercial, and his first film role was as a bad guy in Children of the Corn III. Other TV appearances include "MarriedàWith Children," and "Dave's World," plus a TV pilot called "Secret Lives." He's also been featured in three Los Angeles theater productions: The Further Adventures of Tom Sawyer, My Own Private Hollywood, and Out of Gas on Lover's Leap. Before he landed the role of Xander, Brendon worked behind the camera as a television production assistant.
No:32
\HDemons\h
Traditionally demons have been thought of as subordinates to Satan, who was one of God's chief angels in Heaven. Once Satan was cast out of Heaven into Hell, his followers were also cast out and were called demons, evil beings who would do Satan's bidding in tempting and aggravating humans. The creator of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," Joss Whedon, uses some of the traditional traits of demons in his show, but he also draws on Eastern traditions and the works of prominent horror forefather H.P. Lovecraft. Whedon's demons have a history similar to Lovecraft's, whose fiction included references to a race of "Old Ones" or "Ancient Ones," who existed on Earth before humanity and who were constantly trying to regain control of our world. In his stories, Lovecraft's demons labored to open the gates and let the Old Ones through.
Whedon's demons come in two forms - evil and "good," although the "good" demons might better be described as "neutral." Whistler is one of these good demons, "not a bad guy," as he describes himself. "Not all demons are dedicated to the destruction of all life," he says in the series. "Someone has to maintain balance, you know. Good and evil can't exist without each other."
The evil demons in "Buffy" are Acathla (an entombed demon who is unearthed during construction in Sunnydale); Eyghon the Sleepwalker (an ancient Etruscan demon who possesses sleeping people); The Judge (a hideous blue demon who was brought forth to destroy humanity); Moloch the Corruptor (a very deadly and seductive horned demon who was trapped in an ancient book and unwittingly released into the Internet by Willow); Machida (an enormous demon snake-monster); The Kindestod (or "child death" that torments Buffy's dreams); and The Brotherhood of Seven (seven demons who could take the form of young human beings).
No:33
\HAlyson Hannigan\h
Alyson Hannigan plays "Willow Rosenberg," a shy and bookish teenager who's wise beyond her years. Willow is blessed with brains and has a knack for computer hacking. Her one true love, Xander, sees her only as one of his "best buds." The other high school boys don't appreciate that she's a babe about to happen and it's their loss.
Hannigan has been acting since the age of four, and as a young girl she appeared in national commercials for McDonalds, Six Flags Amusement Parks, and Oreo cookies. Her first big screen role was as Dan Aykroyd's daughter in My Stepmother Is an Alien. Her TV guest appearances include the shows "Roseanne," "Touched by an Angel," and "Picket Fences," plus a recurring role on the series "Almost Home" and "Free Spirit."
No:34
\HOther Monsters\h
In addition to the vampires, werewolves, and demons discussed elsewhere on this CD's "Buffy Background," there is a wide range of other monsters that plague Sunnydale. Catherine Madison, for instance is a witch. She was the homecoming queen and cheerleading star of Sunnydale High when she was a teen. But when her own daughter didn't show an interest in such things, Catherine used her witchcraft to actually switch bodies with her daughter Amy. Unfortunately for Catherine her scheme backfired when Buffy used a mirror to reflect one of Catherine's own spells back on herself, and Catherine now sits trapped inside a cheerleading trophy in the school's trophy case.
Other monsters at work on the show include a poltergeist who possesses people who pass by a certain spot in the high school whenever the Sadie Hawkins Dance approaches. Zombies also exist in Buffy's world, though the audience has never actually seen one, only heard stories about them. Like Frankenstein's monster, Daryl Epps is a reanimated corpse, brought back to life by his brother Eric in the basement through some unrevealed scientific process. In another episode, an invisible girl named Marcie Ross attacks unsuspecting students. Also on the show is a Bezoar, a prehistoric parasite that looks like the egg-creature in the Alien movies. Buffy kills one Bezoar as it emerges out of its eggshell, and later she kills the mother Bezoar in a pit below the school's boiler room.
No:35
\HAlexander's History\h
According to the show's creators, the character Alexander LaVelle Harris has lived in Sunnydale, California all his life. His best friend growing up was Willow Rosenberg - they used to play literal "doctor," with Willow using actual medical texts. Willow was also at Xander's sixth birthday party when he was menaced by a clown, and each used to regularly sleep over at the other's house. They remain best friends to this day. He was also best friends with Jesse, until he was turned into a vampire and Xander inadvertently staked him. Xander learned of Buffy's secret by overhearing her and Giles speaking in the library about it, and, along with Willow, he insisted on helping Buffy in her subsequent adventures.
Little is known about the Harris family. Xander's father supposedly once considered selling his son to some Armenians, and apparently neither parent can cook - Xander once invited Willow over for dinner by saying, "Mom's making her famous phone call to the Chinese place," prompting Willow to ask if they even had a stove in their house.
Although not unintelligent by any means, Xander has never excelled academically, relying on Willow to tutor him in many subjects, especially math. Xander's love life has not been the most successful, either. Remaining cheerfully oblivious to how Willow feels about him, he instead pursued a variety of women who were no good for him, ranging from a sexy substitute teacher who turned out to be a praying mantis out for his head, to an exchange student who turned out to be a mummy, to Buffy, for whom he has carried a torch from the moment he saw her (sadly, she hasn't shown much interest in him). Although he had often declared himself treasurer of the We Hate Cordelia Chase Fan Club, Xander and Cordelia found themselves necking when they were trapped in Buffy's basement, and they became an item. After Cordelia broke up with him, Xander conscripted Amy Madison to cast a love spell on her, which backfired rather spectacularly, causing every woman in Sunnydale except Cordelia to fall for him. His desperate gesture was enough to make Cordelia give the relationship another chance. But he still continues to pine for Buffy.
Xander's primary contribution to the Slayerettes is not really physical - Buffy, Giles, and Angel are all better suited to the hand-to-hand stuff - nor intellectual - Willow and Giles are more inclined in that direction. His most important qualities are his loyalty to Buffy and the others and his willingness to do whatever is necessary to help out, though sometimes that gets in the way of his better judgement.
No:36
\HCostume Design\h
Costume designer Cynthia Bergstrom puts just as much time and effort into Buffy's wardrobe as Buffy would herself. She buys the show's "contemporary clothes" (as opposed to historical costumes) in stores in Los Angeles. Some designers, such as Cynthia Rowley and Vivienne Tam, send her things directly. Here's a list of where Bergstrom shops for the main characters' clothes:
Buffy: Fred Siegel, Barney's, American Rag on La Brea, Cynthia Rowley
Willow: Contempo Casuals, Rampage, Macy's, chenille sweaters from Wuiff Design, Fred Siegel, Barney's
Cordelia: Neiman Marcus, Bloomingdale's, Barney's, Tommy Hilfiger on Rodeo Drive
Angel: Cashmere wool duster from Hugo Boss, Traffic in the Beverly Center, Barney's, Macy's
"I really go just about everywhere," says Bergstrom. Here's how she got started as a costume designer: "I've been doing costumes for about ten years, but I've always been involved in fashion; when I was a little girl, I was a runway model and I did some print work. I used to sit with the encyclopedia as a kid and look at the history of clothing. Look at period clothing and historical pieces and patterns to see how the clothes were constructed. I'd watch old movies. I especially loved the Dracula movies, because I just was so mystified by everything. I loved the fantasy of it."
It isn't just the look of the clothes that's important, however. A Hollywood costume designer has to worry about other things, including how the clothes sound. Cynthia puts rubber soles on the bottoms of all the actors' shoes so they don't make noise that could be distracting if picked up by the sound equipment. "I've taken fabrics and washed them in softener," she adds, "especially rayon, because it can get kind of noisy. Heat will soften the fabric as well. Everything has to be of natural fibers: wool, cotton, rayon is actually a natural fiber. But I can't use any synthetics because they'll burn. A lot of things are taken into consideration when the clothes go on these people. Buffy has multiple costumes. She is either getting dunked in water or she is fighting, whatever might be happening, she needs a change."
Cynthia loves the writing on the show, particularly when it offers her a challenge. "When I'm able to do something different, when I see an opportunity to build something, that's exciting," she says. "In the Inca Mummy Girl episode, there was a dance where we had people coming dressed as their nationality, and that was so fun. Then, of course, the Halloween episode; it wasn't just dressing people in Halloween costumes, it was doing Buffy in her dress and Cordelia in her cat suit, and I just wen to Joss and asked if I could do something a little fun. It is such a wonderful opportunity, because I know they trust me. I am given a lot of creative freedom. It's a great feeling."
No:37
\HAnimals\h
Animals are important to the denizens of Sunnydale, both on and off the set. Actor David "Angel" Boreanaz has a dog named Bertha Blue, who has "one ear that goes up and one ear that goes down." Sometimes he brings her to his trailer, but she's run away a number of times. Still, they've always found each other again.
Actor Nicholas "Xander" Brendon rescued his dog from the streets, where a kid was feeding him bubble gum. David Boreanaz says "Nick's a dog freak." In their spare time, David and Nicholas hang out together and sometimes take their dogs to the dog park together.
Actress Alyson "Willow" Hannigan keeps Alex, a Jack Russell terrier, in her trailer. When she walks him around the lot, she says to producer Gareth Davies, "This is a mythical dog," because animals are not officially allowed on the set. At home, with her roommate, she has another dog, Zippy, and five cats: Dr. Seuss, Jupiter, Tear Drop, Rain, and Lucky.
Costume Designer Cynthia Bergstrom has a beautiful Keeshond named Sammy, who spends the occasional day in the wardrobe department. And Buffy herself - Sarah Michelle Gellar - also has pets, including a white Maltese named Thor, and stuffed animals, including a pig named Mr. Gordo.
As for the animals in "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," you may remember that Sunnydale High's mascot was the late Herbert the Pig. A dog named Spritzer died at the hands and teeth of the demon Jenny Calendar, but this sequence was cut from the episode called "The Dark Age." Finally, Willow had a fish, but Angel killed it in the episode called "Passion."
No:38
\HPublic Service Announcement\h
Although "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" has dealt with many a disturbing subject, only one episode has prompted a public-service announcement. That episode was called "I Only Have Eyes for You." In it Willow uncovers a gruesome crime that occurred at Sunnydale High in 1955. On the night of the Sadie Hawkins dance in 1955, a student named James Stanley shot and killed a teacher he was in love with named Grace Newman. Though she loved him in return, she knew their affair must end and she tried to tell him so on the night of the dance. In a blind panic, he killed her and then, filled with remorse, he turned the gun on himself. In the show's present day, whenever the dance draws near, any individuals who pass through the same part of the school where James and Grace fought and died become possessed by their spirits and try to reenact the tragedy. Buffy breaks up one such fight between two quarrelling students, but not another, and the school janitor shoots and kills a teacher, Miss Frank.
Following the end of the final act, a public-service announcement ran that warned against the kind of violence just seen in the show. Sarah Michelle Gellar did a voiceover on the dangers of teen suicide, and she gave information on the American Association of Suicide Prevention.
No:39
\HBuffy's Love Relationships\h
The Buffy Summers character has had only one successful love relationship - with Angel, who unfortunately turned out to be a vampire. Before Angel, Buffy had several crushes and loves, going back to her childhood:
Billy Fordham - Buffy "loved" Billy when she was in the fifth grade, but he was a manly sixth-grader who had no time for younger women. A decade later, when "Ford" arrives in Sunnydale, he tells Buffy that his father has been transferred and that he'll be attending Sunnydale High. He's lying. Terminally ill, he doesn't even bother to register in school. Instead, he meets as soon as possible with Spike and offers him a deal: If Spike will agree to turn Ford into a Vampire, Ford will lure the Slayer to the Sunset Club, a private Goth hangout, and Spike can come to collect her. Buffy is devastated when she discovers Ford's betrayal, moved though she is by his revelation that he is dying. When he rises as a raving, mindless vampire, she stakes him without reaction; the Ford she knew and loved had already died.
Owen Thurman - Buffy did not choose to be the Slayer. By some whim of fate yet unknown to us, the universe did the choosing, and Buffy must deal with the consequences. But having a crush and getting asked out on a date, as any normal 16-year-old would love to do, are "problematic at best" (to quote Giles) for Buffy. When shy, handsome Owen finally asks her out, Buffy is delightedàuntil he becomes involved in a vampire battle at the Sunnydale Funeral Home and she discovers that he has a yen for danger. Realizing that her world is too dangerous for Owen, she breaks up with himàunable to tell him the real reason why, nor to say that she still cares for him just as much.
Cameron Walker - Initially, Buffy is interested in Cameron, a member of the Sunnydale swim team. He waxes poetic about the ocean and he's good-lookingàand he seems equally interested in her. However, the bloom is off the rose by the end of the first date; he's boring and self-absorbed. When he won't take no for an answer, she breaks his noseàand gets blamed for leading him on. And, of course, any hope Cameron might have had with Buffy is dashed when he becomes a giant fish-monster.
Tom Warner - Tom is the fraternity brother of Cordelia's love interest, Richard Anderson. The fraternity, Delta Zeta Kappa, worships Machida, a giant demon-snake, and Tom is their leader. He lures Buffy to a fraternity party for the express purpose of feeding her to Machida as a sacrifice. Naturally, this relationship was doomed from the start.
No:40
\HRomances\h
Some of the most tantalizing romances on the show have revolved around one of Buffy's best friends, Xander. His relationships have proven Willow's theory that "love makes you do the wacky":
Xander and Miss Natalie French - Miss French murders the science teacher, Dr. Gregory, and takes his place as a substitute teacher. Sexy and mesmerizing, she is actually a huge praying mantis intent upon mating with young male humans in order to fertilize her eggs. Her first two targets are Blayne Mall - who has been bragging about his many conquests to Xander - and Xander himself, who has been bragging back. Of course, once the She-Mantis is dispatched and the two boys are rescued, it comes out that the She-Mantis only selected young male virgins as her potential mates.
Xander and Ampata - Ampata is actually the name of a male South American foreign-exchange student who is to live with Buffy and her mother for two weeks. However, the millennia-old mummy of a 16-year-old Inca princess has been freed from her sleep and literally sucks the life out of Ampata when she kisses him. He becomes a shriveled corpse. As the female foreign-exchange student Ampata, the mummy falls in love with Xander. At first she finds she cannot kill him, even to perpetuate her own life, and in desperation attacks Willow. When Xander stands between Willow and Ampata, it appears that in her hunger for life, she may actually take his. But with Buffy's intervention, the once-beautiful Inca princess decays and falls to pieces before his very eyes.
Xander and Cordelia - What's up with that? Astute "Buffy" viewers of season one may have sensed that beneath the caustic remarks and rapid-fire banter, Cordelia and Xander were racking up passion points. But for the rest of us, it was quite a shock when, facing death from Mr. Pfister, the Tarakan bug-man assassin in the episode "What's My Line? Part 2," they clung to each other in a torrid embrace.
Xander and the entire female population of Sunnydale - In the episode called "Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered," Xander blackmails Amy Madison, the witchly daughter of Catherine Madison, into casting a love spell on Cordelia, who has stopped seeing Xander because of peer pressure. In an attempt to regain her hard-won popularity, Cordelia has dumped him, although it is clear to the audience that she still cares about him. Xander retaliates with the spell, but it goes awry: Instead of enchanting Cordelia, the spell works on every other female in Sunnydale, including Jenny Calendar, Buffy, Joyce, and, in a lucky misadventure that saves Xander's lifeàDrusilla. Xander discovers that it's not wonderful to be the object of mass obsession, as the women of Sunnydale literally attack him in a mob of possessive, love-crazed Xander groupies. Armed with axes, knives, and sheer need, they trap him and Cordelia in Buffy's basement. When things go back to as normal as they ever get, Cordelia takes her place in the sun once moreàon Xander's arm.
Xander and Buffy - From the first moment he sees her, Xander is attracted to Buffy. Oblivious to the fact that he's wounding Willow, who has carried a torch for him ever since they were five and he stole her Barbie, he discusses his feelings about the new girl with his best buddy on an almost constant basis. It takes the entire first season for him to ask Buffy out, with less-than-sterling results. Xander is hurt when he finds out that Buffy prefers "Dead Boy," Angel, and Xander stands alone in his continuing mistrust of this "good" vampire. Even though Buffy goes out with other boys, Xander's yen for her never diminishes. Not even his strange relationship with Cordelia lessens his love for Buffy. Cordelia repeatedly accuses him of being obsessed with the Slayer, pouting that while he would die for his beloved Buffy, he never die for her.
No:41
\HSarah Michelle Gellar\h
Sarah Michelle Gellar stars as Buffy Summers, a study in contrasts. She has all the outward signs of being a normal teenager: school problems, mom problems, boyfriend problems. But she also has Vampire problems. As "The Slayer," the one girl in the world with the strength and skill to hunt and kill vampires, she faces life-threatening struggles on a daily basis. But still she remains a kind friend, loving daughter, and an eager student.
Sarah was born in 1977 in New York City. Her show business career started when she was five, and she got her big break at six when she won the role of Jennifer Bianchi in the 1983 TV movie "Invasion of Privacy." She won a 1994 Emmy Award for her role as Kendall Hart on ABC's daytime drama, "Guiding Light." Her film roles include Funny Farm, I Know What You Did Last Summer, and Scream II. In her spare time she studies martial arts (she holds a brown belt in Tae Kwon Do) and figure skating (she was a competitive skater for three years and at one time was ranked third in the New York State regional competition). She has graced the covers of many magazines, including Entertainment Weekly, Rolling Stone, Seventeen, YM, and Cinefantastique.
No:42
\HMarcia Shulman\h
The person who cast all the actors on the show is Marcia Shulman. A former secretary at the Children's Television Workshop, she worked her way up to talent coordinator and developed a photographic memory of actors and their roles. She had been studying old movies since she was a kid. "I used to watch credits, look at TV Guide, and match the names to the actors," she says. "I call myself the Rain Man of casting." As a result of working for CTW, she knew every child actor in New York and eventually did the casting for the film A Christmas Story. From then on she did many afternoon specials, and then she went to L.A. to do television. That led to being asked by Joss Whedon to cast "Buffy the Vampire Slayer." Here are her memories of how each actor was chosen for the show:
Sarah Michelle Gellar - "I knew Sarah from New York, when she was a kid. At first we didn't think of Sarah as Buffy because we thought Sarah was too smart and too grounded and not enough of a misfit in a sense, because Buffy was this outsider. How could Sarah be an outsider? She's so lovely. So we auditioned her as Cordelia, and she was fantastic. We still kept looking for Buffy. Then when we went to the network, they knew that Sarah was a star from her previous work, and that she could be a Buffy. It was a different Buffy, but a great Buffy."
Charisma Carpenter - "I had met Charisma before, and I brought her in to audition as Cordelia, and she just nailed it. She was hysterically funnyàshe was just great and beautiful and she brought so much to it."
Alyson Hannigan - "Willow was really hard. Because when you think about it, the kind of character Willow is - a sort of shy, insecure person - is the exact opposite of what somebody has to be as an actress. So it was like working against who came in and had the nerve to audition. When Alyson came in, we all got her immediately. I had pre-read her first and then brought her to everyone else and we felt good. She just brings so much vulnerability. She makes me cry all the time and she is also funny. She is an 'everygirl.' I think Willow is the kind of character that there is someone like her in high schoolàor most of the girls in high school are like her."
Nicholas Brendon - "I read with Nicky and then I brought him to the producers and every time he came for callback, he brought more and more to the part. When we went to the network so everybody could see him, he improvised a line, which was, 'Let's go get some schwarma.' And now we have used it in the show. I think that gave him the part. We all just died and so the part was his."
Tony Head - "I had brought him in the first day and we all just completely fell in love with him. I was so happy because when you start working for somebody new, you always want the first day of casting to be good. Because you want your boss to say, 'Good,' so you can stay for the second day. When everybody responded to Tony the first day, I said, 'I'm so happy Joss is happy today.' Tony was a no-brainer."
Seth Green - "Seth and I à we get each other. When I knew Sarah Michelle Gellar and Seth in New York, you brought them in on everything. They were really star kids. And they are star adults, and no surprise."
No:43
\HJohn Ritter\h
One of the most popular guest stars on the show was John Ritter, who turned up in the second season in an episode called "Ted." In that episode, Buffy finds her mother kissing a strange man - Ritter - and when he later hits Buffy, she accidentally kills him. Later she finds out that Ritter's character was a robot with four previous wives stashed in his closet.
John Ritter is best known for his starring role on the long-running sitcom "Three's Company." He also appeared in the movies Skin Deep, Problem Child, Hero at Large, and Sling Blade. The role on "Buffy" afforded him an opportunity to play against his image, and it gave the show one of the best ratings it had received up to that point. Ritter says he was already a fan of the show, even before he was cast in it.
Says Ritter, "It was interesting because my agent said, 'Do you want to do the show,' and I had really liked the movie, but when the TV show came on, I liked it so much better because there was a quality to it that I hadn't seen on TV before. It was stylized and so funny and so hip. They were creating teenage jargon that I hadn't heard before. Very sarcastic and intelligent dialogue, as opposed to that kind of 'Beavis and Butt-Head' thing. And there was a real sexiness to it, and it was scary and action-packed. The fights were thrilling and creative. Not just exchanging punches but using the environment around the combatants. I sat down with my three kids to watch the first episode, and we were hooked. So when my agent called, I said 'Absolutely, I'd love to see the script.' I thought it was really well written and well worked out. It was a really fun turn."
"I'm really knocked out by the cast," he adds. "They're really good. There's a technique to acting for camera. A lot of people treat every line like it was handed out by your professor in college and you've got to say every word clearly or Homer, who wrote the Iliad and the Odyssey, will come out of his grave and tear you apart. There's a way of throwing away dialogue, like people will do in real life. There's a kind of nonchalance, or planned casualness, that is really appealing sometimes. This kid Nicholas Brendon and Alyson Hannigan just really knocked me out. They're all so good. Sarah is such a professional. She's just adorable, but you assume someone that young can do one or two things, but she can do it all. She's been around since she was a zygote. I think she started acting as a fetus. She was really fun to act with."
No:44
\HBuffy's Personal History\h
According to the show's creators, the character Buffy Anne Summers has the following personal history:
1. Born in 1981 to the now-divorced Hank and Joyce Summers.
2. As a child she pretended to be the superhero Power Girl.
3. Her cousin Celia died in a hospital, leading Buffy to hate hospitals.
4. Began attending Hemery High School in L.A. in '95, elected the equivalent of the May Queen in '96.
5. First learned of her role as the Chosen One in '96 from a Watcher named Merrick, who was killed.
6. Her parents divorced in '96, her mother gained custody, and the pair moved to Sunnydale, California, Buffy enrolling as a sophomore at Sunnydale High.
7. She's had only one successful relationship - with Angel - that ended when he was revealed to be a vampire living under an ancient curse.
No:45
\HNotable Quotes #3\h
"Buffy the Vampire Slayer" has generated many notable quotes; here's a sampling spoken by Xander, the sensitive teen who loves Buffy:
1. I'm gonna have to go with Dead Boy on this one.
2. Just when you think you've seen it all. Along comes a worm guy.
3. That's right, I'm talking to you, the big cootie.
4. See, we make a great team - you kill, I pun.
5. If the vampires need grooming tips, we'll give you a call.
6. He's practically got "wolf boy" stamped on his forehead. You got the dog bite, you got the aggression, not to mention the excessive back hair.
7. Those are his everyday weapons. These were his "good" weapons, the ones he only breaks out when company comes to visit.
8. My whole life just flashed before my eyes. I've got to get me a life.
9. Turning into a Creepy Crawler wasn't in my "top ten list of things to do before I turn 20."
10. Hi! For those of you who have just tuned in, everyone here is a crazy person.
No:46
\HOptic Nerve Studios\h
As the driving force behind Optic Nerve Studios, the company that supplies "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" with demons and other nasties, John Vulich is living his childhood dream. "I'm the classic kid who had the Famous Monsters magazines kind of stuck behind my textbook in class. I've always had an interest in filmmaking. I was always making 8 mm horror films, and, inevitably, I ended up doing my own effects for them. I was just a kid in Fresno, and I learned how to do effects as a by-product of being interested in being a filmmaker." In fact, he dropped out of high school his senior year to work on an installment of the Friday the 13th movie series.
"Buffy" has been a challenge for a number of reasons; among them, of course, are the eight-day shooting schedule (each episode is shot in eight days) and the tight budget. But what's the biggest challenge the Optic Nerve team had to face on the show? "I would say maybe the Hellmouth, in the first season's finale," Vulich explains. "We only had a week and a half to do this really large, elaborate creature. If we were to have done it for a feature, it could easily have cost half of 'Buffy's' per-episode budget."
Obviously, Vulich had to come up with some other options for the enormous, tentacled demon that seemed to be the embodiment of the Hellmouth itself. And he had to come up with it quickly - the producers needed a resolution in about four days. Vulich's first instinct was to go with CGI, a prospect he quickly abandoned. "Our next idea was that maybe we could do it in miniature," Vulich says, "but the creature had to interact so much with people, and a miniature copy of the set seemed prohibitive. We can't spend $500,000 to do this, and we only had a week and a half to do it."
Vulich's answer was the last thing anyone might have expected in an era so filled with technology. "The Hellmouth beast is really three guys inside these tentacles, who are holding these mechanical poles, and the tentacles are actually almost like suits. We used a different technique to make the tentacles. The standard technique is to sculpt something in clay, mold it, and then pour rubber into the molds that you make, and that's how you end up with the piece." But the technique Optic Nerve went with required them to use sheets of a certain type of foam, cut and glued to form the desired shapes. "It's a type of technique they use a lot for walk-around suits that you see at amusement parks," Vulich says. "It cuts out the sculpting and molding process, so that saved us about a week right there. It's not quite as refined a look, but you try to make up for it in a paint job. We knew it was going to be gooped up and all that, and that would help. I thought it all came together very nicely. We were basically using the same stuff they would have used in 'Lost in Space' back in the '60s, so we had to try to pull every trick we could to make it look that much better."
No:47
\HControversial Episode\h
The most controversial episode of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" never aired when it was supposed to. Originally slated for May 25, 1999, the episode unfortunately treated a subject that hit too close to a major real-life disaster that was unfolding at the time - the massacre at Columbine High School in Colorado. Here's the press release from the WB Network announcing the rescheduling of the episode:
In the episode, written and directed by executive producer Joss Whedon, Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) and her friends make plans for the fateful graduation ceremony at Sunnydale High School, where the Mayor's à impending transformation from public official to demon is expected to take place. With her beloved Angel à near death, Buffy must risk her own life and defy the orders of the Watcher's Council in order to lead a campaign to save the world from the Mayor's ascension.
"Our decision to delay the air date of this episode had to do with many issues, the foremost of which was being sensitive and respectful to the two communities and individuals devastated by recent acts of violence in their local high schools," said Jamie Kellner, CEO of the WB. "The timing of the finale also coincided with the over thirty five thousand (35,000) combined, junior high, high school and college graduations ceremonies being conducted nationally. We have received both praise and criticism for our decision. To all of the loyal fans of 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer,' please accept my sincere apology for the delay. If we erred, it was on the side of caution. We strongly believe, as do you, that 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' should win Emmys for its consistent quality, which may be unsurpassed anywhere on television."
No:48
\HVocabulary\h
Ever get confused by some of the spooky vocabulary on "Buffy the Vampire Slayer"? Here's a glossary of terms from the show's official Web site (http://www.buffy.com):
astral projection - the theory that while one sleeps one has another body -- an astral body -- that can travel through time and space.
feeding - drinking blood; "feeding" is a vampire's only means for survival.
harvest - a night once in a century when a Master Vampire can draw power from one of his minions while it feeds.
host - the person off whom the vampire feeds.
master - the most powerful of vampires, capable of destroying the earth.
minion - a follower of the Master Vampire.
slayer - a girl born once every generation with the strength and skill to hunt vampires, find them where they gather and stop the spread of their evil and the swell of their numbers.
vampire - Demonic creatures who live off the blood of humans; a vampire appears to be a normal person until the feed is upon them -- only then do they reveal their true demonic visage.
vessel - a minion, bearing a three-pointed symbol, which can give the Master Vampire power by feeding.
watcher - a person who finds the Slayer and leads her on her path; it is his destiny to guide the Slayer.
No:49
\HShow's Creator\h
The creator of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" is Joss Whedon, who is credited as being the show's writer/director/producer. He's the one who made "Buffy" more than just a show about vampires and demons, though clearly he loves those things. The show is about personal demons. It's about high school. As co-executive producer David Greenwalt once said, "If Joss Whedon had had one happy day in high school, none of us would be here."
Indeed, that has been the magic of the show from the beginning. People can relate to Buffy and company not because they face the forces of Darkness, but because they are also facing the horrors that we all face growing up. In fact, the monsters Whedon has created are often metaphors for things teens have to face as they mature.
Joss says that "Buffy" is "the most personal work I've ever done. The opportunity to mythologize my crappy high school experience makes it extremely personal, but also sort of exorcises it." And contrary to popular opinion, he adds that "my high school years were not all terrible; there was that Thursdayàno, I had a lot of good times, but all the bad high school stuff definitely went down. This lets me come to peace with that. I'm able to look at high school and say, 'There's the dumb jock who was mean to me, well, what's his perspective? He's going through something too. And there's the teacher who flunked me.' It's nice because I can go to the pain, but at the same time, I have a much more pleasant view of it, because I am seeing it from a bit of a distance."
That pain, in fact, has become almost more important to the series than the horror or the humor of the characters. "I love invoking all those old horror movies, but at the same time, the core of this series, emotionally, is a very safe place. These are people who care about one another and when their world is upset you care about it. Whatever horror is out there is not as black and terrible as what is already within and between us. A lot of my friends never watch horror, and they get scared and don't like that part. But they respond to the show."
No:50
\HJoss Whedon\h
For Joss Whedon, the creator of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," horror has and always will have a special place in his heart. His knowledge of films, comic books, and movies is encyclopedic, and his horror influences are many and varied. "I have a lot of influences," he says. "So many, in fact, that I can't even think of them all. I've sort of hodge-podged together my favorite bits of everything. I take what I need for the series. I read Tomb of Dracula, and I'm a huge Blade fan and a fan of comics artist Gene Colan. I always loved Morbius, and I loved anything that smacked of the undead and tortured souls. I just rock on that stuff, the old horror comics.
"The movies? Well, Lost Boys is in there, obviously. Their vampires change, they ugly-face when they feed. And Near Dark, because it's just so important. The Langella Dracula, which I actually saw onstage. Night of the Comet is an underrated flick. The remake of The Blob, too. I really loved that movie. I actually have a picture of Shawnee Smith with an M-16 on my desk. She was a big inspiration."
No:51
\HSpecial Visual Effects\h
Special visual effects on "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" are created by a Santa Monica company called Digital Magic. This is the team that came up with the perfect image to represent what happens to a vampire when Buffy stakes it: All the moisture is sucked out of its body, which then turns to dust and explodes. The teeth fall out as the body disintegrates.
In an effort to find just the right look for the show's many "dustings" (on average there are two per episode), Digital Magic filmed exploding bags of flour and smashed plaster models. They researched their vampire lore, watching cinematic death scenes from the old masters, including Bela Lugosi. They decided they wanted to find an "organic" look, rather than go for the super-slick hi-tech superclarity that often betrays a shot composed of computer graphics.
For its dustings, Digital Magic creates a computer-generated "dust man" double of the live character. This double is positioned frame by frame to match the live-action actor, and the two are combined into one effect - the dusting of a vampire. The integrated dust elements are designed around the scene to possess as many realistic qualities as the scene provides, as well as the dramatic impact suggested by the actors. The resulting dusting can be languid and touching, as with Angel's turn in Buffy's nightmare sequence in the episode called "Surprise," or pointed and quick, as with Xander's killer lunge in "Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered." Each shot is layered with detail: The skin turns, the teeth fall, the body crumbles.
No:52
\HFavorite Moments\h
Everyone associated with "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" has a favorite moment from the show, either on- or off-camera. Here are some selected favorites:
Nicholas Brendon (the actor who plays Xander) - "Probably the day I did my Speedo stuff in the 'Go Fish' episode. The crew was so supportive. I was so terrified of it. When we finally did my scene it was four minutes of sheer hell. Walking in, doing my dialogue, then diving into the pool. Then, coming up from the water. I heard this weird smattering, and then I emerged and the whole crew was applauding. It was really nice. Everyone was very supportive."
Charisma Carpenter (the actress who plays Cordelia) - "I have a lot of favorite moments, most with Xander. A lot of Cordy's conflict, and a lot of who she is, comes out around Xander. Because she is in love with him in spite of herself, or in spite of him. I have my best moments with Nicky (Nicholas Brendon)."
David Boreanaz (the actor who plays Angel) - "There are a couple of favorites. When I had the scene in the Factory - just after I had changed - and I was striking the match off the brick table. That was a really cool moment. That whole scene seemed to really gel. Also, I work with Sarah Michelle Gellar a lot and there is good chemistry between the two of us. We are able to grasp each other's insights pretty easily. That's really pleasant. There have been a lot of moments with her that I would walk away and say, 'Wow, that was really great.' And there are moments where you say, 'Wow, that was really bad.' But it comes out great. You can't really judge yourself. You've just got to do it. You learn from your mistakes; you grow from them."
Anthony Stewart Head (the actor who plays Giles) - "There was a moment in the episode called 'The Dark Age.' Certainly as an English actor, real emotion is consummate to be discovered and looked for - not having to create an emotion, just finding an emotion there. I have always had great technique, but it is something to really break down and cry. There was a scene with Buffy, and my line was that I didn't know how to stop the demon without killing Jenny. I just wept. Ever since then I have not had any problem with emotions at all. It was a huge breakthrough, a lovely moment. Although they used a slightly less emotional take, it was still there."
Joss Whedon (the show's creator) - "At the end of the 'I Robot, You Jane' episode, when they're all sitting there realizing how pathetic their love lives are, that was my favorite ending. That was very nice. For me, there have been a bunch of things. I think one of them was definitely when I shot the 'Innocence' episode, things came together for me. That's when everything just completely fell into place. And I thought we had created something that is more than the sum of its parts. And I'd always been proud of its parts, but that was the first time the thing really just completely talked back to me."
David Greenwalt (the show's co-executive producer) - "Probably when I directed the 'Reptile Boy' episode, where Buffy is dancing with the frat boy who turned out to be evil. I had all these fancy ideas on how to shoot this thing. Sarah came in and said, 'This is really hard to choreograph, just let us dance, just shoot it, and just let us dance and move, and watch what happens.' Sure enough, it just happened, and it was great: just watching two people relate and dance, and I didn't do anything so terribly fancy, showing off with the camera. You have these moments on the set à if you're lucky maybe you get one a day, or one every few days, where you go, 'This feels true, this feels honest, this feels really funny, it just feels right.' There's that kind of quiet that comes, that sort of hush that says this is the moment, this is the little pearl for the necklace."
Gail Berman (the show's co-executive producer) - "Well, it's a much earlier moment than anybody else will remember. There was a moment at the end of the presentation reel for the network where Buffy throws a stake at a poster of Nosferatu, and the music starts - it's not music that we ever used again, just for the presentation, and she's so satisfied with herself, and she is just sort of welcomed into the group. I thought to myself, This is the best show, and I just knew it in my heart at that moment. It was a very private moment, it's not a moment that I really shared with anybody else."
Fran Kuzui (the show's co-executive producer) - "I like the entire atmosphere of the set. Since I'm not there all the time, there are people who don't know who I am. One day, I was on the set and asked one of the Teamsters for directions, and he said, 'Hi, what do you do?' and I said, 'Believe it or not, I'm the executive producer,' and he looked at me, and he said, 'Thank you, thank you. This is one of the nicest experiences of my life. Thank you for making this.'"
No:53
\HWillow's History\h
According to the show's creators, the character Willow Rosenberg was born and raised in Sunnydale, the daughter of Ira Rosenberg and his wife in a very Jewish household. A fairly reserved and shy person, she is best friends with Xander and had established a reputation as the person to go to for tutoring help. Willow can be charmingly na∩ve at times - when she was a chile, her idea of playing "doctor" was to actually read medical texts and test them out on Xander.
Willow's computer skills are both prodigious and legendary. During Sunnydale High's Career Week, she was one of only two students (Oz was the other) selected to be interviewed by an unnamed but very prestigious computer-software company, and she was chosen to substitute for computer-science teacher Jenny Calendar after she was murdered. When an adequate replacement couldn't be found, Principal Snyder asked her to fill in for the remainder of the term, an impressive request to make of a junior. Acquiring the latest software trends, she has continually upgraded her own equipment, having gone from a desktop to a laptop. She was also involved in Jenny's project to scan several texts into the school computers.
Willow and Buffy became friends soon after they met. Unfortunately, Buffy's encouragement for her to seize the moment led to her flirting with a boy at the Bronze who turned out to be a vampire. Buffy rescue her; Willow later helped locate the Master's lair by hacking into the city records. Like Xander, Willow insisted on helping Buffy out on subsequent adventures, and her computer skills in particular have come in handy, especially given Giles's technophobia.
Willow has long carried a torch for Xander. They "dated" when they were five years old, but she broke it off when he stole her Barbie doll. In adolescence, she has waited for Xander to notice her but, aside from a fleeting moment shortly before the start of junior year, he has remained only a friend to her and nothing else. Throughout, Willow has remained a true friend, even as her heart has broken. She also carried on an on-line correspondence with a boy named Malcolm who turned out to be the demon Moloch. She me up with Oz at the Career Fair, shortly after which he saved her life, and they eventually started dating. The later revelation that Oz is a werewolf did not deter their relationship, and when Willow awakened from a coma, Oz was whom she first asked for.
