Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Season 1

Unaired Pilot

1. This pilot was directed by Joss Whedon and financed out of his own pocket to sell the show to the networks. The plot is fairly similar to "Welcome to the Hellmouth", though Angel, Jesse and the Master don't appear. Also, it's only half an hour long. The main differences from the show as aired are the sets and casting. While most of the principals are in place, Riff Regan plays Willow and Stephen Tobolowsky plays Principal Flutie. They were replaced by Alyson Hannigan and Ken Lerner, respectively in the actual show. The library that appears is not the set from the show, rather it is the actual library from Torrance High School where much of the Sunnydale High material was filmed.
2. It featured many characters and hints to future story lines like Jonathan appearing being mocked, Harmony, by popular girls and a poster for "Dingoes ate my baby" on the bronze wall. Darla is killed off.
3. Principal Flutie mistakenly refers to Buffy as "Bunny." Willow's mother Sheila Rosenberg would later do the same thing in Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Gingerbread (1999).

Welcome to the Hellmouth

1. Up until the third season, the school set had only one hallway and the Bronze was actually just an old warehouse.
2. The Master has a name which goes unused on the show but was mentioned in the script: Heinrich Joseph Nest.
3. Joss Whedon had originally planned for viewers to never see Buffy's parents. However, he realized this could get complicated and therefore wrote in Buffy's mother Joyce, who would become an important character for the rest of the series.
4. The scene where Buffy confronts Giles about her fate was shot twice because the first one was rejected by Joss Whedon, arguing Buffy was too emotional. Whedon wasn't on set the day director Charles Martin Smith shot the moment, although Sarah Michelle Gellar told Smith she thought Whedon would prefer less emotion. When Whedon saw the scene he didn't like it and waited until he directed the series finale to re-shoot it.
5. This is the only episode in which Xander rides a skateboard. He is seen holding it in other episodes, but he never actually rides it again.
6. The scene with Buffy and Giles at the Bronze was Anthony Head's audition scene.
7. "Mutant Enemy", Joss Whedon's production company, was the name he gave to his first typewriter when he was 15. The logo was created in 20 minutes when he was told he had to have one
8. The high school used for external and some internal scenes in the series is Torrance High, the same school used for Beverly Hills, 90210 (1990).
9. Charisma Carpenter is 26 years old in the pilot.
10. The Master was originally supposed to rise from a pool of blood and be covered with the blood for the entire episode; this was abandoned after being discovered to be too difficult to create.
11. On the original airing of this episode, the WB provided a teaser briefing the history of past Slayers. It revealed horrific events in towns that were halted when a particular woman arrived. This teaser, however, does not appear in syndication or on DVD.
12. The scene where Angel warns Buffy about the Harvest was David Boreanaz's audition scene. According to Boreanaz, it was shot at two in the morning in "some god awful street".
13. The Master's look originally featured a beard and long hair before Mark Metcalf suggested the bald look as a homage to Count Orlok (Max Schreck) in Nosferatu (1922).
14. The scene where Jesse asks Cordelia to dance is actually from Joss Whedon's school experience. However, in answer to the girl's reaction "With you?," he said nothing and left, unlike Jesse.
15. Sarah Michelle Gellar (Buffy) originally auditioned for the part of Cordelia Chase and Charisma Carpenter (Cordelia), auditioned for the part of Buffy. Julie Benz also tried for the part of Buffy but eventually landed the role of Darla. Mercedes McNab (Harmony, one of Cordelia's group), auditioned for the part of Buffy as well.
16. Some of the clips used in Buffy's dream at the start of the episode are from future episodes such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Harvest (1997), Buffy the Vampire Slayer: I, Robot... You, Jane (1997), Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Puppet Show (1997) and Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Prophecy Girl (1997).
17. Brian Thompson (Luke) later plays unrelated character "the Judge" in season two.
18. Other actresses considered for the lead role as Buffy also included Katie Holmes and Selma Blair.
19. The following exchange was cut for time: Mr. Flutie: - "Oh! Buffy! Uh, what do you want?" Buffy: - "Um, is there a guy in there that's dead?" Mr. Flutie: - "Where did you hear that? Okay. Yes. But he's not a student! Not currently." Buffy: - "Do you know how he died?" Mr. Flutie: - "What?" Buffy: - "I mean - how could this have happened?" Mr. Flutie: - "Well, that's for the police to determine when they get here. But this structure is safe, we have inspectors, and I think there's no grounds for a lawsuit." Buffy: - "Was there a lot of blood? Was there any blood?" Mr. Flutie: - "I would think you wouldn't want to involve yourself in this kind of thing." Buffy: - "I don't. Could I just take a peek?" Mr. Flutie: - "Unless you already are involved..." Buffy: - "Never mind." Mr. Flutie: - "Buffy, I understand this is confusing. You're probably feeling a lot right now. You should share those feelings. With someone else.
20. Rupert Giles visits the Bronze, a rare occurrence in the series.
21. There was an Unaired Pilot of the show which was shot in 1996 it follows mostly the same plot except Willow was played by Riff Regan and Principal Flutie was played by Stephen Tobolowsky.
22. When Buffy is in her room deciding what to wear to the Bronze, the Sprung Monkey's "Saturated" is played in the background. Incidentally, Sprung Monkey appears on stage at the Bronze. They first perform "Believe," followed by "Swirl" and "Things Are Changing." The original score is written by Walter Murphy.
23. Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Welcome to the Hellmouth (1997) and Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Harvest (1997) were originally aired as a feature length on BBC2 in the United Kingdom.
24. There is a scene in which Willow asks about Mr. Chomsky for history class. This is a reference to Noam Chomsky the noted historian and Librarian of Congress.
25. Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Welcome to the Hellmouth (1997) is considered a continuation from the 1992 movie starring Kristy Swanson in the title role.
26. James Spader is mentioned by Cordelia. Joss Whedon later cast him in his movie Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015).
27. Joss Whedon has said that originally he wanted to include Eric Balfour (Jesse) in the opening credits for this episode, to trick viewers into thinking that he is a regular character, only to shock them by having him killed. This idea was eventually deemed too time-consuming (having to develop alternative opening credits for use with just this one episode) and was dropped.
28. Cordelia says she could kill to live in LA. Later, in Angel (1999), she does live in LA and performs some killings.
29. Angel speaks to Buffy as though he had never met her, but in the two-part episode, "Becoming" reveals that he has fallen in love with Buffy from afar when her first Watcher reveals her destiny as a vampire slayer. Later, in Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Helpless (1999), Angel confessed that he has been in love with her before they are acquainted in this episode and followed her from Los Angeles since.

The Harvest

1. Joss Whedon noted in the commentary for this episode that he felt horrible for giving Eric Balfour so many lines with "s" in them, which he had to recite while in "Vamp-face". He had such a difficult time getting the lines out around the prosthetics that new ones were designed for vampire characters required to speak frequently; the older style ones were given to vampire lackeys with few or no lines in future episodes.
2. The scene where Buffy decapitates a vampire with drum cymbals was cut by the BBC when the episode was shown in England.
3. Sixteen-year-old Mercedes McNab and nineteen-year-old Sarah Michelle Gellar were the only two cast members to be actual teenagers at the time this episode was filmed in 1996.
4. The Scooby Gang is formed in this episode.
5. Although it is never revealed in the series, the Master's real name as listed in the script of this episode is Heinrich Joseph Nest
6. This was the first appearance of Harmony Kendall.
7. The Master's line "You're all weak" is a reference to Mark Metcalf's famous line in National Lampoon's Animal House (1978).
8. In the commentary, Joss Whedon commented on Buffy flipping onto the Bronze stage, noting that she never did that again as she could've just walked or ran. Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992), on the other hand, featured Buffy flipping towards small distances numerous times.
9. The actor playing the vampire Colin ( Christopher Doyle ) starred in Scream 2 (1997) along with Buffy actress Sarah Michelle Gellar.
10. The joke where Buffy breaks a window and tricks Luke about sunlight with the flood light in the alley outside when it's actually three in the morning was written by Joss Whedon for his original Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992) screenplay.
11. During the credits, Giles describes the origins of vampires to Buffy, Xander, and Willow. He states, "...waiting for their animals to die out, and the old ones to return." In Season Seven, the old ones, the primordial vampires, return.
12. The end scene in which Giles says that 'The Earth is doomed' while walking away from the group reflects the season 7 finale where he says 'the earth is definitely doomed' while walking away from the group for the final battle.
13. Joss Whedon hoped to include Eric Balfour in the title credits to shock viewers when his character dies. Unfortunately, the show could not afford the extra set of title credits at the time.
14. Jesse's death and transformation would cause Xander to develop resentment towards vampires, which leading him to openly discriminate against Buffy's subsequent vampire love interests Angel and Spike, and favors Riley Finn, Buffy's first human love interest.
15. When Buffy is in the tunnels, elements of classic films including bits of sound or music reminiscent of Alien (1979) ( in the Nostromo) and The Time Machine (1960) (in the Morlocks' tunnels) are used. There is even a scene where glowing Morlocks-like eyes are following Buffy, Xander and Jesse. What all the 'homages' have in common is dark, shadowy confined spaces with hidden corners and high 'BOO' potential similar to the films they emulate.

Witch

1. Introduction of Elizabeth Anne Allen as Amy Madison, who played a major role in the sixth season.
2. This is the first instance of the "black eyes" when strong magic was being used.
3. Charisma Carpenter had cheerleading experience from cheering for the San Diego Chargers in 1991.
4. Giles is briefly knocked out, for the first of many times to come.
5. The following was cut from the episode: Xander's take,"Hey, we've fought vampires. Anything else'll be a walk in the park." Insight from Giles,"If I had the power of the black mass, I'd set my sights a little higher than making the pep squad." An exchange between Xander and WillowXander: "Wow, you've got a killer streak I've never seen before. Hope I never cross you." Willow: "I do, too. Then I'd have to carve you up into little pieces." An oldie but a goodie from Giles,"Yes, the ducking stool! We throw her in the pond. If she floats, she's a witch; if she drowns, she's innocent...[then off their looks]...some of my texts are a bit outdated."
6. This was the first time Joss Whedon was not the writer.
7. Despite failing and quitting with cheerleading, Buffy is sometimes still mentioned as so. Darla references her as "that cheerleader" in Angel: Dear Boy (2000), and Twilight calls her "that goofy little cheerleader" in the comic "Last Gleaming".
8. Cordelia mentions another Cheerleader-wannabe, Amber, in the episode. Amy comments that Amber was trained by Benson. Amber Benson will later star in the show as Tara.
9. During the scene where Buffy performs a cheerleading routine, she is shown wearing black runners as opposed to the white runners wore by all other girls. As a way to show she is "different" then the others and doesn't fit in.
10. When Buffy wakes up in bed, she is wearing a t-shirt with a black cat on the front, an animal frequently associated with witchcraft.
11. Xander's attraction to Buffy was made clear when he gave her a bracelet. However, it was also implied that Buffy did not share the same feelings for him as she claimed that Xander was not like other boys, but rather like one of the girls which is how much she was comfortable with him.
12. Buffy asks her mother if she would like to be sixteen again, and her mother is horrified at the thought; Joyce would, in fact, regress to her teenage years again in Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Band Candy (1998).
13. The notion of the parent who seeks to live through the child is used. As such, it establishes the tendency of the series to use plot elements as metaphors for deeper social issues.
14. The first appearance of Kokopelli, the Native American fertility statue. It will make its final appearance in season 6, when the house is being purged of magical objects.
15. Joss Whedon planned some future stories in advance and there is a possible allusion to Spike. Xander says "drive it through my head like a railroad spike" which is how Spike killed the people who mocked his poetry.
16. This was the first use of witchcraft, pyrokinesis, telekinesis, and body switching.
17. When Buffy discovers that Amy (actually Catherine) is a witch she says "she's our Sabrina", referring to Sabrina the Teenage Witch (1996). The actress who plays Catherine Madison played another witch in the first season of that show. Sarah Michelle Gellar was friends with Melissa Joan Hart, who portrayed Sabrina in the series. Gellar was an early choice to play Sabrina for the pilot movie; there were also rumors of her playing the part in a possible reboot after the original series ended.
18. Trying to prevent Amy from entering into the science lab, Willow use stereotypical terms against the witch. Ironically, Willow later becomes a witch, criticizing the same stereotypes.

Teacher's Pet

1. The praying mantis puppet is actually a re-use of the Na'Grath prop from the first season of Babylon 5 (1993), which used the same make-up company. Musetta Vander, who plays the She-Mantis, also guest-starred in Babylon 5.
2. The real Mrs. French was played by Jean Speegle Howard, Ron Howard's mother. Her husband, Rance Howard, appeared on Angel (1999).
3. Angel gives Buffy his leather jacket. She will be seen wearing if off-and-on from here on out.
4. The tease at the end shows one of the Mantis Monster eggs, hidden away in the science lab, beginning to hatch. This could be interpreted the monster having survived in some form, regardless of intent for a sequel. In continuity-based television, however, such a tease is almost always indicative of a follow-up sometime later in the series. In this case, the fate of the creature's offspring is never addressed.
5. It is revealed that Xander's middle name is LaVelle (which he apparently hates, as he told Miss French to "guard that secret with her life").
6. This story is centered on Xander and is the first of several to focus on someone other than Buffy.
7. Dr. Gregory (a recurring character who also features in The Witch) is the first member of the Sunnydale High faculty to die, but by no means the last.
8. This scene was cut because of length:[2] Buffy: "Dr. Gregory didn't chew me out or anything. He was really cool. But Flutie showed him my permanent record. Apparently, I fall somewhere between Charles Manson and a really bad person." Willow: "And you can't tell Dr. Gregory what really happened at your old school?" Buffy: "I was fighting vampires? I'm thinking he might not believe me." Willow: "Yeah, he probably gets that excuse all the time." Cordelia: (just arriving) "Here lies a problem. What used to be my table occupied by pitiful losers. Of course, we'll have to burn it." Buffy: "Sad, you have so many memories here. You and Lawrence, you and Mark, you and John. You spent the better part of your 'J' through 'M' here."
9. In the library, Willow's comment, "Inquiring minds want to know," is a reference to the slogan used by the tabloid newspaper The National Enquirer.
10. Willow says a quote 'Inquiring minds want to know' this is also used in the vampire film The Lost Boys (1987) spoken by Sam Emerson ( Corey Haim ) to his brother Michael Emerson ( Jason Patric ).
11. Xander visits Miss French and makes a Schwarma reference. Joss Whedon would later reference Schwarma in The Avengers (2012).
12. During the dream sequence at the beginning, Xander is playing a guitar, the significance being that this happens to be a "Warlock" model guitar made by B.C. Rich guitars.
13. This is the first of two times where a member of faculty (except for Giles), has a positive effect on Buffy, only to end up dying at the hands of the antagonist. The second time will be in Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Beauty and the Beasts (1998) with Stephen Platt.
14. Xander begins a habit of entering into relationships with literally monstrous women in the series, the exception being Cordelia (who, ironically, later became a half-demon on Angel (1999)).
15. Xander is a virgin, and will continue to be one until he sleeps with Faith in Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Zeppo (1999).
16. This is the first time that Xander inadvertently reveals his jealousy over Angel ("What kind of a girly name is Angel, anyway?"), and he also lets it slip that he is angry that Buffy doesn't see him as a romantic interest. Xander's antagonistic feelings toward Angel also foreshadows the similar dynamic he will have with Spike later on.

Never Kill a Boy on the First Date

1. Giles' assertion that he doesn't have an instruction manual is not strictly true. Apparently, there is a Slayer Handbook but Giles just decided not to use it with Buffy.
2. Cordelia's line when she sees Angel, "Hello, salty goodness!", is repeated when she reverts back to her teenage persona and first sees Angel in Angel: Spin the Bottle (2002).
3. After throwing a minion across the room, the Master says "Here endeth the lesson", which is later spoken by Spike in Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Fool for Love (2000) and Buffy in Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Showtime (2003).
4. The only time Angel breaks character on screen in the entire series is at 28m26s in this episode as he meets Owen.
5. This was the 104th most watched television show out of all 115 prime time shows of its time; fifth out of the eleven shows from The WB.
6. First appearance of The Anointed One.
7. The Master opens his book in a way similar to the Crypt Keeper from Tales from the Crypt (1989).
8. Buffy has a habit of fighting vampires in a graveyard at the beginning. This is the first of that type of opening sequence.
9. After Buffy learns that she is needed to fight evil at the Sunnydale Funeral Home, she says "Bite Me" in annoyance while glancing at Angel, foreshadowing the fact that Angel is a vampire.
10. If you count the origin, Buffy has a type shown in Owen for men that are tall, dark, handsome and mature with a bad boy streak.
11. When Cordelia sees Angel, she says "That boy is gonna need some serious oxygen after I'm through with him." However, since Angel is a vampire, he doesn't require oxygen.

The Pack

1. Joss Whedon listed this as one of his favorites.
2. Joss Whedon said that he and the writers realized with the Xander plot that the audience got more involved if one of the main characters was in danger. They will frequently repeat this strategy.
3. During the dodgeball game, the pack defeats the opposing team easily, leaving Buffy as the last one standing. But, instead of attacking her, they turn on Lance, their own teammate, showing how hyenas will generally avoid confronting powerful animals and prey on the weak instead.
4. In the library, Giles consults the Malleus Maleficarum, an actual historical text on Witchcraft. Written in the late 15th century it was essentially a how to manual on how to identify, capture and kill witches, demons and other foul creatures. Even for those times it was considered extreme and vile and was banned by the pope in the early 16th century. Unfortunately, it was written the same time that the printing press was taking off in Europe and it became the 2nd most popular book in Europe for decades. It is credited with being one of the major causes of the witch hunts that swept Europe. It is also the source of many of the stereotypes of redheads, which were described in the book as Vampire demons which had no souls and could not walk in the daylight. The book was so prevalent that mothers were known to drown newborn babies if they had red hair, and some towns even purged all redheads, often by burning at the stake.
5. The picture used in the book to show the consequences of primals is an illustration from Dante's Inferno by French artist Gustave Doré.
6. This is the first time someone is locked in the library cage and the first where Buffy is sexually assaulted when Xander attempts to force himself upon her. It is also the first story where one of the Scooby gang goes evil.
7. Buffy says that "Apparently Noah didn't want Hyenas on the ark because he thought they were an evil, impure mixture of dogs and cats." Hyenas are cats or at least, they're feliform, rather than caniform. They're related to cats, weasels, ferrets, and mongooses. Their doggy shape and pack behavior is convergent evolution.
8. When it comes to hyenas, it is actually the female that is the leader.
9. The hyena lore featured is possibly based on the crocotta of Ethiopian legend. It's a wolf-like creature whose name was used for the scientific name of the spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta). It is said to imitate human voices and call out to people, like the hyenas call Willow's name.
10. When Buffy states her surprise at Giles "trying to Scully" her she is referring to Dana Scully from The X-Files (1993). Scully was the logical one who would often try to debunk Fox Mulder's conspiracy theories.
11. The majority of the hyena documentary footage shown is actually about African Wild Dogs, not hyenas.
12. This is the second time where no vampires appear. (Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Witch (1997) being the first)
13. This is the first time that possession appears in the Buffyverse.
14. This marks the second time Giles is knocked out, the first being Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Witch (1997), something which will become a running joke as the series continues.
15. Despite being credited as a series regular, Charisma Carpenter is absent from this episode.
16. Buffy is wearing the leather jacket Angel gave her.
17. A scene cut that had Xander saying, "Welcome to the jungle".
18. Anthony Head and Eion Bailey would later appear in And Starring Pancho Villa as Himself (2003).
19. Sarah Michelle Gellar told an on-set story when she appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (1992). She was going to pull down Nicholas Brendon's pants one day, as he was acting dumbly. At the last moment, she chickened out, so Alyson Hannigan said she'd do it instead. She got a little "overzealous" as Sarah put it and pulled down his underwear as well.
20. Principal Flutie is killed and eaten. He is later mentioned in Season Seven's Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Beneath You (2002) by Buffy when she asked Robin Wood if he heard about what happened to Mr. Flutie. He is the second member of the Sunnydale High faculty to die in the series.
21. Final appearance of Mr. Flutie.
22. Xander's feigned amnesia about his activities while he was possessed is later uncovered in Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Phases (1998).
23. Xander being locked in a cage during the time of his possession will be the first time a Scooby Gang member would be imprisoned due to their animalistic tendencies, continuing with Oz in seasons 3 and 4 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997) and Angel (due to becoming Angelus again) in season 4 of Angel (1999).
24. Xander assaults Buffy and says to her "you like your men dangerous and mean" referring to Angel, but using the plural "men". This foreshadows a pattern that will be explored throughout the series about Buffy's romantic life, as in season 4 with Parker but most prominently in her relationship with well-known vampire Spike.

Angel

1. Originally broadcast on Sarah Michelle Gellar's 20th birthday.
2. Joyce meets Giles, Angel, and Darla for the first time. It's also her first interaction with Xander and Willow.
3. Reveals two consistent aspects of Buffyverse vampires. They need an invitation to enter private residences and their lack of a soul.
4. Xander's line "fish gotta swim, birds gotta fly" is a line from the song "Can't help lovin' dat man" from the 1929 musical, Show Boat.
5. One dialogue exchange was cut: Xander: "Love sucks. Ever since I was in grammar school, it's the same old dance...you dig someone, they dig someone else. And then that someone else digs someone else." Willow: "That's the dance." Xander: "I mean, I'm right for her. I'm the guy. I know it. She's so stupid! She's not stupid. But...it's too much. We're such good buds, I'm this close to her, and she doesn't have a clue how I feel. And wouldn't care if she did. It's killing me." [He exits and Willow stands alone for a moment] Willow: "Gee, what's that like?"
6. Angel's Hugo Boss duster is worth over $1,000
7. The Three is a biblical reference to the Gibborim from The Book of Samuel. Also known as 'David's Mighty Warriors', The Three is the name of a group of the greatest warriors of their time. For example, the leader is said to have killed over 800 men in a single encounter.
8. Buffy first uses the crossbow: a weapon she continues to use throughout the series, and even favors in Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Fear Itself (1999).
9. First time a title is named after a Buffy character.
10. The Master says to Collin The Anointed One that "With great power comes great responsibility" shortly before ordering Darla kill The Three. The phrase is a quote taken from the origin story of Spider-Man, and was said by Peter Parker's Uncle Ben shortly before his death.
11. The Master says "out of the mouths of babes" after a comment made by the Anointed One and in Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Two to Go (2002), Xander repeats the line after a comment by Dawn, both of which relate to murder.
12. It is demonstrated that Buffy is not a good History student. Joyce talks with Giles on this fact. However, into Season Five, Buffy will be more studious on this disciplinary.
13. During production, it took the makeup department 60 to 90 minutes to apply the vampire prosthetic on David Boreanaz.
14. Joyce becomes the first major character to be bitten by a vampire.
15. Angel told Darla, "the last time I saw you, it was kimonos." The last time he saw her was in China, during The Boxer Rebellion.
16. Darla asks Angel if his slayer would ever kiss his true face. In Buffy the Vampire Slayer: What's My Line?: Part 1 (1997), Buffy does kiss his vampire face.
17. Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Beneath You (2002) parallels this one. After Buffy finds out Angel is a vampire with a soul, they kiss and the cross Angel gave her searing his chest. In Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Beneath You (2002), after Buffy realizes Spike has a soul, he drapes his body on a large cross as it burns him. Angel tells her: "I wanted to kill you" and Spike uses the words "I dreamt of killing you."
18. Buffy invites Angel into her house, an invitation she will later revoke in Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Passion (1998).
19. The first time Darla dies by being staked.
20. This is the first time Angel reveals he was cursed with a soul by gypsies.
21. In the library, Willow talks to Buffy about what would happen if Angel and her had children, while Darla is listening in the dark. Actually, although it looks impossible (with Darla killed by Angel and the simple fact that vampires can't procreate), it is Darla who will have a child with Angel.
22. The first half contains heavy foreshadowing of Angel's true nature including Buffy not wanting to "get Angel dead" despite him already being so, references to Angel's age and Buffy giving Angel food.
23. The gypsies cursing Angel with his soul is seen in Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Becoming: Part 1 (1998).
24. This is the first of three time in which it is stated that Buffy keeps a diary. The second is in Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Ted (1997), in which Ted searches her bedroom and reads her diary. The third time is in Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Freshman (1999), where Buffy watches the vampire Sunday and her "gang" going through her things including her diary. Presumably, after that, she ceases to maintain it.
25. Producer and writer Marti Noxon has stated this changed her negative impression on the series (before she was hired), which was based on the original film. Particularly, the scene Buffy offers her neck to Angel, .
26. It is revealed that Darla was once romantically involved with Angel and she made him a vampire ('sired' him).
27. It took all of his self-control for Angel not to show Buffy his vampire face during the first fight with the Three, considering usually a slap in the face is all it takes.
28. Angel was originally only a mysterious stranger with ties to the supernatural involving the death of his family. Here, he reveals he was a vampire and killed his entire family.
29. Giles stated that Angel had been a vampire "two hundred and forty years or so." His facts were fairly accurate since he was turned two hundred and forty-four years beforehand.

I, Robot... You, Jane

1. Jenny Calendar was originally going to be named Nicki, but it was later changed in order to avoid on-set confusion with Nicholas Brendon who was called Nicky.
2. The name of the demon, Moloch (a traditional Hebrew name for demons), was picked as an Easter egg reference to computer programmers. In C-based languages there is a function named malloc (short for 'Memory Allocate'). Since there are many references to computers and the internet, the name is a fitting call-out.
3. Series creator Joss Whedon provides the (uncredited) voice of the newscaster, his only on-air appearance in the seven year run of the show. He did make one on-screen appearance in the spin-off, Angel (1999).
4. The title refers to Isaac Asimov's science fiction classic 'I, Robot'.
5. First appearance of Jenny Calendar.
6. The first time Buffy slays a demon rather than a vampire.
7. The Scooby Gang encounters the interactions between technology and the supernatural, a recurring theme, especially in the fourth season.
8. In the beginning, Buffy is seen first wearing a shirt with a cat on it, then one with a rabbit, and lastly one with a dragon. The computer research lab that she later follows Dave to is called CRD. An acronym for each of the animals on her shirts.
9. This is the first time where someone is killed by neck snapping and also includes the first flashback scene.
10. This is the first time we see the inside of Willow's house and her bedroom.
11. This is the third time no vampires appear. (Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Witch (1997) and Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Pack (1997) being the first two).
12. This is the first time a flashback sequence is used in the Buffyverse in order to make sense of the story, a prominent plot device in both Buffy and Angel (1999). While in Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Harvest (1997), a flashback of part one is used, this is the first time a flashback of a past event was filmed specifically for the story.
13. Xander mentions his uncle Rory for the first time.
14. The flashback scene takes place in Cortona, Italy in 1418.
15. Buffy and Xander opine about Malcolm potentially being an axe murderer. In Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered (1998), it was Willow who was potentially committing axe murders.
16. Chad Lindberg, who plays Dave, goes on to play returning character Ash in Supernatural (2005). Both characters have a genius way with computers.
17. Charisma Carpenter is credited but does not make an appearance.
18. Moloch's voice is very similar to the Hal 9000's in 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968). Both menacing and murderous. One a computer and the other a demonic entity.
19. The plot of this episode is similar to that of the movie Avengers: Age of Ultron, whose screenplay was written by Buffy showrunner Joss Whedon. Both have an entity (the former a demon named Moloch and the latter a robotic supervilain named Ultron) taking over the Internet. Actor James Spader, who went on to voice Ultron, was referenced in the pilot episode when Cordelia quizzes Buffy about cultural references to assess her coolness.
20. David's and Fritz's last names are probably references to Jerry Siegel (co-creator of Superman) and Jack Kirby (co-creator of Captain America, Thor, X-Men etc.).
21. The Circle of Kayless mentioned in the binding spell might be a reference to Kahless, the ancient warrior revered by Klingons in the Star Trek universe
22. At the start of the series, Buffy's birthday was celebrated on or near 19 January each year. Here, Malcolm brings up Buffy's school records on his computer. In the first view, Buffy was born on 24 October 1980, and that she is a sophomore. The second time, her birthday is 6 May 1979, and she is a senior. Joss Whedon finally decreed Buffy's birthday to be 19 January 1981.
23. Moloch is the first robot to appear in the series which becomes a common theme in Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Ted (1997), Buffy the Vampire Slayer: I Was Made to Love You (2001) and Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Intervention (2001).

The Puppet Show

1. Sarah Michelle Gellar admitted having nightmares about puppets after filming.
2. During a panel discussion that was a DVD extra for the Season 7 DVDs, Joss Whedon said that after finished filming, they got a note from the network asking for the talent-show scene from Oedipus to be removed. The note said: "We realize that it's Shakespeare, but does he have to talk about sleeping with his mother?" The ancient Greek play Oedipus Rex was actually written by the Athenian playwright Sophocles about two thousand years before Shakespeare was born.
3. Numerous ad-libs were included in the final cut. Such unscripted bits are when Willow runs off the stage terrified and when Xander cries "Redrum! Redrum!"
4. First appearance of Principal Snyder.
5. The ending credits roll alongside Buffy, Willow and Xander's act. This is the only time in the Buffyverse that a scene is played as the credits roll. This is also the only time in the show where the ending credits are not in Slayer font.
6. Some fears of the Scooby Gang are revealed, which will be featured Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Nightmares (1997): Buffy Summers is afraid of dummies, Xander Harris is frightened by a mime with clown makeup, and Willow Rosenberg is afraid to introduce herself in front of an audience.
7. While discussing potential options they have for the talent show, Buffy mentions that Willow could play the piano and her and Xander "could attempt to sing". While filming Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Once More, with Feeling (2001), Alyson Hannigan was more hesitant to sing than either Sarah Michelle Gellar or Nicholas Brendon.
8. This is the lowest-rating of the entire series, pulling in an audience of 1.7 million households.
9. On the original airing, the closing credit sequence was split-screened with a scene in which Buffy, Willow, and Xander perform a scene from the play Oedipus Rex. This scene was excluded in repeat airings until the series left The WB Network. It is included in the DVD Collections, and in present television reruns.
10. An exchange from the original script was cut due to length: Buffy - "And I don't think we'll be featuring Xander's special gift ..."Xander - "Okay, some people are jealous that they can't burp the alphabet."Buffy - "... so we're back to drama. We'll just do it quickly. Get in, get out. Nobody gets hurt."Another exchange from the original script was cut due to length: Buffy - "Pretty good. I never heard 'Flight of the Bumblebee' on the tuba before."Lisa - "Most people aren't up to it."
11. The book with the picture of the Brotherhood of Seven demon will reappear in Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Killed by Death (1998) where it also contains an entry about Der Kindestod.
12. Xander plays Oedipus, Buffy plays Jocasta, and Willow plays the priest of Zeus.
13. Principal Snyder claims that Sunnydale High has a reputation for "Suicide, missing persons, spontaneous cheerleader combustion...", referencing the events of Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Witch (1997) and Buffy the Vampire Slayer: I, Robot... You, Jane (1997).
14. Buffy displays a brighter shade of blonde that is more prominent than the honey blonde color she has sported for most of the season up until this point. Sarah Michelle Gellar was getting started on filming "I Know What You Did Last Summer" when this episode was filmed, and she wore extensions in the movie as her natural hair was much shorter at the time.
15. This is the fourth time without any vampires. (Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Witch (1997) Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Pack (1997) and Buffy the Vampire Slayer: I, Robot... You, Jane (1997) are the first three).
16. The pen that Willow used in History class, where Morgan gets Sid taken away from him, is the same pen that Buffy drops when she needs to steal hair from Amy in Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Witch (1997).
17. Principal Snyder claims that Principal Flutie's "woolly-headed, liberal thinking, led him to get eaten". Despite Snyder's more disciplined approach to education, he eventually gets eaten as well.
18. Sid the dummy thought the demon he was hunting was Buffy. In Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Get It Done (2003) it is revealed that the way the first slayer was created was by putting the essence of a demon in a girl. This is the source of every slayer's power. So Sid wasn't too far off.
19. The idea of a demon slayer being turned into a live puppet is later repeated in Angel: Smile Time (2004).
20. In the non-canon video game Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Chaos Bleeds (2003), it is revealed that Sid did not go on to his final rest after his curse broke but was instead trapped in a duplicate dummy body in the First's hell dimension by the First Evil as he "royally pissed him off" while human. Sid appears as an ally and playable character during the game and is finally set free when Buffy defeats the First with Hope's Dagger.
21. There are similarities between this episode and goosebumps where slappy the dummy is at a talent show and speaks on his own without his owner moving his lips

Nightmares

1. Willow has a "Nerf Herder" poster in her locker. The Buffy theme is by "Nerf Herder", and it was Alyson Hannigan, who plays Willow, that turned Joss Whedon onto using them for the theme.
2. This and the season six musical Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Once More, with Feeling (2001) contain specific references to each other. When the group is trying to figure out what magical issue they have to overcome, Xander says, "our dreams are coming true," and Giles responds, "Dreams? That would be the musical comedy version of this," which is basically a description of "Once More With Feeling". In "Once More With Feeling,", Willow sings "I've got a theory: some kid is dreaming, and we're all stuck inside his wacky Broadway nightmare," which is close to the plot of "Nightmares."
3. Although they were only dreams, this is the first time The Master and Buffy actually meet face to face.
4. This marks the first occurrence of Astral Projection.
5. When Willow is talking about her fear of spiders she says, "what do they need all those legs for anyway?!" In Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Once More, with Feeling (2001), Anya sings about her fear of bunnies saying, "what do they need such good eyesight for anyway?!"
6. A line of Xander's was cut from the original script due to length: "Okay, despite the rat-like chill that just crawled up my spine, I'm going to say this very calmly: Helllppp ..." An exchange between Giles and Buffy was also cut from the original script due to length: Giles - Are you all right? You look a bit piqued.-Buffy - Hospital lighting. It does nothing for my fabulous complexion.Giles - Are you... sleeping all right?Buffy - I'll sleep better when we find this guy. Nothing like kicking the crap out of a bad guy to perk up my day.
7. This is the first time we see one of the Scoobies transformed into a vampire if counting Angel yet (or ever) as a member of the gang.
8. When Xander finds a trail of "Hurricane Chocolates", it is a reference to Hansel and Gretel.
9. When they discuss Wendell's spiders, Xander says, "I'm unruffled by spiders. Now, if a bunch of Nazis crawled all over my face..." Later, when he enters a schoolroom where his clown nightmare will take place, swastikas are spray-painted on the wall behind him.
10. The Master, freed due to Buffy's nightmares, buries her alive, fulfilling one of her major fears. This comes true in Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Bargaining: Part 1 (2001), when Willow drags Buffy back to the living and she regains consciousness six feet under.
11. Sarah Michelle Gellar has revealed in interviews that she shares the same phobia as her character, fear of being buried alive, and that it made filming in graveyards and mausoleums especially difficult during her time on Buffy.
12. Xander is the only one of the Scooby gang to confront his fear head on when he knocks out the knife-wielding clown.
13. This is the only occasion where we see Buffy depicted as a vampire although she still retains her humanity. It is unclear whether this is due to the mystic circumstances of her transformation or whether a Slayer who is sired will still be the Slayer even as a vampire
14. It is established here that Willow is scared of spiders and frogs. By the season 7 Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Selfless (2002), she has at least overcome the former, fighting off a giant spider using her magic.
15. First of only five appearances of Dean Butler as Hank Summers
16. Fears confirmed in Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Puppet Show (1997): Willow Rosenberg afraid of the audience and Xander Harris' fear of clowns. However, no reference is made to the fear of Buffy Summers with dummies. On the other hand, Buffy has other fears, such as the fear of not seeing her father more, having been responsible for her parents' separation, the fear of not being able to solve a proof, fear of being buried alive, being weaker than the demon she faces, and being transformed into a vampire.
17. Giles' fear was revealed to be Buffy dying, causing him to consequently fail in his duty of being a Watcher. Giles would later be forced to deal with this fear when Buffy died more permanently in Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Gift (2001).
18. When Willow is asked to sing in her nightmare, the opera is Madam Butterfly by Puccini. It tells the story of a young geisha who marries an American soldier, hence Willow's outfit.
19. Just like her character Buffy, Sarah Michelle Gellar has revealed that she suffers from a fear of being buried alive. She was very reluctant to let herself get locked in a buried coffin where The Master buries Buffy alive. Sarah begged series creator Joss Whedon to let her out of it by changing the scene, but he refused, saying that he believed the scene to be too important. Buffy's tears and panic were, therefore, not just acting, as Sarah really was that upset and scared in real life. Sarah has also revealed that after filming this scene, she cried in her car all the way home.
20. Willow's eventual fate of becoming a witch is alluded to during her nightmare; the aria that is sung to her can be read in English as "Child, from whose eyes the witchery is shining."
21. Before burying Buffy alive, the Master quotes Cinderella (1950) by saying "a dream is a wish your heart makes."
22. Billy's line when he wakes up that "I had the strangest dream. You were there, and you were there..." is a quote from Wizard of Oz. It's Dorothy's first line after returning from Oz and waking up in Kansas

Out of Mind, Out of Sight

1. The passage being read in class is from Act 3, Scene 1 of William Shakespeare's 'The Merchant of Venice'.
2. The scene in which Marcie watches her hand fade away was inspired by a vivid dream that Joss Whedon had as a child and also matches a similar scene in Back to the Future (1985).
3. The final scene is of Marcy reading a textbook chapter titled "Assassination and Infiltration" with a subtitle referring to targeting the leader of a cult as an example. However, the actual text begins with the date August 2, 19XX and this is followed by the lyrics of The Beatles song, "Happiness is a Warm Gun" only they are written as prose, with the line "Happiness is a warm gun" changed to "Joy is a hot revolver".
4. When in class discussing Shylock, Cordelia says "That is such a Twinkie defense." She is referring to a derisive label for an improbable legal defense. It was a term coined by reporters during their coverage of the trial of defendant Dan White for the murders of San Francisco City Supervisor Harvey Milk and Mayor George Moscone. White's defense was that he suffered diminished capacity as a result of his depression. His change in diet from healthy food to Twinkies and other sugary food was said to be a symptom of depression. The consumption was symptomatic of his underlying depression and led to his actions resulting in the murder of Milk. White was convicted of voluntary manslaughter. The story of this murder was portrayed in Milk (2008), an American biographical film based on the life of gay rights activist and politician Harvey Milk.
5. Giles and Angel meet for the first time.
6. Mercedes McNab returns as Cordelia's blonde friend from Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Welcome to the Hellmouth (1997)/Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Harvest (1997) and for the first time is called by name: Harmony Kendall.
7. Guest-star Clea DuVall says, "It was pretty early in my career. I'm almost positive we shot it before it had aired. Or maybe I just didn't know they were doing that show, and when my agent told me I had an audition for it, I was like, 'They're making a TV show of Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992)? That's insane.' Then I went on to also become obsessed with the show, because it's so good. But I was pretty new, and I was really young. I think I was maybe 18 or 19 when we shot it. I was nervous and very shy, but really related to that character so much because I am a shy person. I am an introvert. I was so taken with the sensitivity and the emotion in that role. When I first heard the idea they were making a show about Buffy The Vampire Slayer, I thought it was insane and then read that script and was impressed, and it's something I'm happy I was a part of."
8. All the flashback scenes in this episode are in sepia tone. This is the only time in the Buffyverse where this effect is used.
9. Every Scooby is knocked out, with the notable exception of Giles, whose propensity for being knocked out would later become a running gag in the series. Buffy and Cordelia are also tied up for the first time.
10. Willow wears a Scooby-Doo t-shirt. Sarah Michelle Gellar (Buffy) goes on to portray Daphne in Scooby-Doo (2002) and Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed (2004). There are also numerous references throughout the series to Buffy and the gang being called the Scoobies.
11. Cordelia again is used as a bait in Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Anne (1998) when the Scoobies try to chase vampires on their own after Buffy had run off.
12. Title is a twist on the phrase "Out of Sight, Out of Mind", which usually presents itself as someone leaving and being forgotten about. The fact that Marcie is ignored while she is there causes her to turn invisible.
13. This is the last time in the first season to feature the opening prologue.
14. Cordelia jokes about Buffy being popular in an alternate universe; Cordelia herself would be part of two alternate universes - first in Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Wish (1998) and then in Angel: Birthday (2002).
15. Title also known as "Invisible Girl" in some areas.
16. When Willow speculates that there might be a witch, she remarks "'Cause we can fight a witch," referencing Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Witch (1997).
17. Marcie writes LISTEN on the wall; in Angel: Heartthrob (2001), Fred writes LISTEN, LISTEN, LISTEN on a wall, both women experiencing mental breakdowns.
18. The conversation between Buffy and Giles where he suggests she learn to listen to people wasn't in the original script and was added during post-production.
19. Sarah Michelle Gellar and Clea DuVall would later appear in The Grudge (2004).
20. Cordelia begins to have a rapport with Buffy and the Scoobies beyond simply ridiculing them. Additionally, she admits to Buffy, privately, that she feels lonely, despite being so popular. This foreshadows her eventual disconnection from the Sunnydale High popular clique and her change in life direction to help the helpless.
21. First time in which the Government shows knowledge of supernatural forces: FBI agents arrive and capture the mystically invisible Marcie Ross. Marcie and other invisible people are then trained to be assassins and spies. Later on, in season 4, this will be a more developed theme, when The Initiative (a government-sponsored special operations team which both researches and combats the demons which roam Sunnydale) is presented.
22. Angel gives Giles the Pergamum Codex, which allows him to accurately predict Buffy's death.

Prophecy Girl

1. Originally, another sign of the impending apocalypse was going to be stones raining down on Sunnydale High. It was cut out due to budget costs.
2. Alyson Hannigan claimed that two versions were filmed of the scene where she and Cordelia discover the room full of bodies: a tamer version for American audiences and a bloodier one to be shown in Europe.
3. The exchange between Buffy and Angel where he starts to tell her that he likes her dress but she cuts him off saying "Yeah, yeah. It was a big hit with everyone." was added in production and not in the original script.
4. Joss Whedon named this as his tenth favorite.
5. While Joss Whedon had written other scripts for the show before, this was his first turn as writer/director.
6. A "Just Say NO" poster was hung in the room where Xander was wallowing in his misery, where Willow rejects his rebound attempt to get a date to the dance. This is coincidental because both Willow and Buffy "just said no" to Xander.
7. At 43:25 marks the beginning of many "Hero Walks" for both the Buffyverse and the Angelverse. This one has Buffy in the lead, of course, followed by Xander and Angel.
8. The prophecy says that Buffy would not know the anointed one. Yet, when she goes after the Master, she sees the anointed one out on the field and knows that he is the anointed one thus proving that the prophecy is either wrong, or can be changed.
9. First of three times that Buffy is bitten by a vampire. The only one truly hostile. The other ones, by Angel and Dracula, are "loving" bites, not meaning to harm her and even less to kill her.
10. On Buffy, the primary bad guy for each season is always referred to as The Big Bad. This term first pops up in dialogue in Season 2. But the term is first alluded to here. Vampires sent by The Master (Season 1's Big Bad) kill a room full of high school kids watching TV. When Willow finds them there is a cartoon playing in the TV they were watching. It's The Three Little Pigs. The volume is off but the scene playing is where the pigs are dancing to the song, "Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?"
11. The massive demon coming out of the Hellmouth at the end had to be frightening, but the budget didn't allow for computer-generated images. The masterminds at Optic Nerve ended up making tentacle "costumes". Each of the tentacles has a human being inside, manipulating from within.
12. This episode partially inaugurates Buffy's serious nature, which only strengthens as the seasons go on. She had been relatively lighthearted in the first season but after learning she is supposed to die and decides to meet that fate anyway, she becomes more serious and world weary.
13. Other than the prophecies, the fact the Master was surprised Buffy was revived may be because of him being imprisoned for 60 years while CPR was introduced to the general public in the 70s.