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1.5 Never Kill a Boy on the First Date

Giles: "Buffy, when I said you could slay vampires and have a social life, I didn't mean at the same time."

The Anointed shall rise and five will die. (*ho hum*) An evil vampire child has been done before, and better; think Anne Rice's character Claudia.

Fortunately, this episode isn't really about the inadvertent bad seed; it's about Buffy's double life, and her unsuccessful attempts to date a regular guy. In this case, it's Owen "he can brood for forty minutes straight, I've clocked him," a rather reserved and intellectual studmuffin who has Buffy and Cordelia all hot, bothered, and competitive. Who knew that Buffy's lifestyle would end up turning him on? (Although there is a clue; Owen loves Emily Dickinson because she is so morbid.)

Giles is at first unsympathetic with Buffy's desire to do normal teenage things, but later shows more understanding of her dilemma, especially after she rescues him at the morgue. The two of them are slowly starting to relate; Buffy is becoming less Valley Girl and Giles less British Library.

Xander is consistently showing jealousy of every guy Buffy likes; he warns Owen that Buffy doesn't like to dance, or be kissed or touched. He also tells Buffy that she needs a guy who already knows her secrets, a not-so-subtle hint that Xander is the man for her.

Bits and pieces:

-- Cordelia sees Angel for the first time and says, "Hello, salty goodness." She also says, "That boy is going to need some serious oxygen." Another hint?

-- It is fun to see both Owen and Angel reject Cordelia in favor of Buffy.

-- Owen has a gold pocket watch. Xander has a Tweety-Bird wristwatch. This is a terrific visual way of comparing the two of them.

-- Although Owen loves the excitement, he doesn't pick up on the supernatural aspects of the evening. Must be that Sunnydale forgetfulness thing.

-- The sign on the funeral home says punningly, "We'll take care of the rest."

-- Giles was told at age ten that he was to be a Watcher, like his father and his grandmother before him. He wanted to be a fighter pilot, or a grocer. Unless he was kidding about the grocer part.

Inconsistencies:

-- Giles says that he does not have an instruction manual for Buffy. In season two, "What's My Line II," he tells Kendra that the Slayer Handbook wasn't appropriate for Buffy.

-- The vampire dusted in the cemetery training scene conveniently leaves a ring behind. Usually the jewelry dusts too, along with the clothes.

Quotable quotes:

Giles: "Oh, Emily Dickinson."
Buffy: "We're both fans."
Giles: "Yes, uh, she's quite a good poet, I mean, for a..."
Buffy: "A girl?"
Giles: "For an American."

Willow: "Wow. He hardly talks to anyone. He's solitary, mysterious... he can brood for forty minutes straight, I've clocked him."

Giles: "All right, I'll just jump in my time machine, go back to the twelfth century and ask the vampires to postpone their ancient prophecy for a few days while you take in dinner and a show."
Buffy: "Okay, at this point you're abusing sarcasm."

Giles: "If your identity as the Slayer is revealed, it could put you and all those around you in grave danger."
Buffy: "Well, in that case I won't wear my button that says, 'I'm the Slayer, ask me how.'"

Buffy: "Tonight? You and me?"
Owen: "Well, we could invite the chess club, but they drink and they start fights."

Buffy: "Look, I won't go far, okay? If the apocalypse comes, beep me."

Two out of four stakes,

Billie





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