Nightmares

Transcript

Speaker: Previously on Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Speaker: And then we're in the middle of what we find out is the talent show, or the talentless show.

Speaker: as Buffy calls it, and Cordelia.

Speaker: She's going through a song.

Speaker: Singing is sort of the loose term for what she's doing.

Speaker: Xander walks over, gets a book, blocks the view of Sid, steps back and Sid's gone.

Speaker: And the reaction when he's like, Sid's gone, he's gone.

Speaker: Giles looks like he's preparing for an earthquake.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: Hello and welcome back to previously on Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Speaker: We are on episode 10 of season one Nightmares.

Speaker: Now this is a real deviation from the previous episode and previous episodes actually.

Speaker: What do you think to this one Sarah?

Speaker: I really, really like this one.

Speaker: There's so much going on.

Speaker: I mean, I found when I was rewatching it again, I was like frantically typing up notes because I was like, it just there is so much.

Speaker: It's really action packed.

Speaker: I wouldn't even say any one character is like the main focus of this episode, because obviously we've had episodes that are focused on Xander mainly.

Speaker: And Buffy to an extent as well.

Speaker: And just, but everybody, all the main characters are equally affected by what's going on in this episode.

Speaker: So I think it's really interesting to see how that differs for all of them.

Speaker: Yes.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: Well, you know, I've not hidden this.

Speaker: This is one of my favorite episodes.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: Definitely of season one, but I think it's one of the most powerful episodes of the entire series.

Speaker: So, yeah, I've been really looking forward to talking through this one with you.

Speaker: And I think I won't go into too much detail until we're going through the episode bit by bit, but...

Speaker: The overall theme, I think, for this episode is not just facing your fear and your worst nightmare.

Speaker: What does that look like when it comes true?

Speaker: And as you said, it's different for every single character and how that all interlaces with each character as well.

Speaker: But the episode itself for the series, for the overall show, is one of foreshadowing.

Speaker: And to think that they did this in season one,

Speaker: before they even got to the end of that season.

Speaker: There's so much that goes through.

Speaker: So we'll run through that at the end.

Speaker: It will be completely jam-packed with spoilers.

Speaker: So we'll leave it at the end.

Speaker: But yeah, it's definitely one of foreshadowing.

Speaker: And yeah, it's one of, I think it's one of the most powerful ones.

Speaker: It was written by Joss Whedon and David Greenwald.

Speaker: Hmm.

Speaker: And it was directed by Bruce Seth Green.

Speaker: I love his name.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: Because, of course, Seth Green does star as one of the other Scoobies, the additional Scoobies later on in the series.

Speaker: So, yeah.

Speaker: So we open up.

Speaker: in the layer the master's layer and buffy's in there yeah straight into it with her steak yeah and just sets up the tension straight away it does and you know that she's she's not on the hunt i don't know there's just something about it where she's found herself here you know she's not

Speaker: gone there.

Speaker: She's discovered the lair.

Speaker: And we get this really old style stalking of, you know, sort of being hiding behind pillars and

Speaker: The Master's presence is very... I say, again, it's foreshadowing, isn't it?

Speaker: And we get the first meet of Buffy and the Master in this episode.

Speaker: But overall, I think, as well, this is the first time you see the two characters together.

Speaker: The lighting's amazing.

Speaker: You know, you get sort of the shadow, which is presumably from, I guess, some stained glass.

Speaker: And the master, with his most horrific manicure, goes in for the kill and Buffy screams, no, no, no, no.

Speaker: And then we're back to the other nightmare, which is Buffy's pillow.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: She needs to stop sleeping on these pillowcases.

Speaker: That's what's causing all these horrible dreams.

Speaker: Yeah, I mean, that's obviously what No No No was all about.

Speaker: You know, don't imprint that thing on my face.

Speaker: But Joyce has disturbed her nightmare and she's woken up off to school.

Speaker: Joyce is quite surprised by Buffy's enthusiasm to go to school.

Speaker: And we get the first mention of Buffy's plans for the weekend, which is her dad is coming.

Speaker: And it's the first time that we hear about him.

Speaker: Yeah, I mean, she kind of had alluded to the fact that her parents weren't together anymore in, I think it was Witch, when she was talking to Amy.

Speaker: Yes.

Speaker: About parental relationships and stuff, but we get more detail on it now.

Speaker: Yes.

Speaker: And it seems like she kind of, she really looks forward to these weekends with her dad when they can spend time together because it doesn't, you know, it doesn't sound like she sees enough of him as it is.

Speaker: Yeah, I mean, she, I mean, the scene continues into school when she's chatting to Willow and Willow's being really, she's doing what Buffy does very well, you know, where she's actively listening, which of course follows up in the next scene.

Speaker: And she's not being intrusive, but she's just saying to Buffy, you know, what happened there and

Speaker: Do you want to talk about it?

Speaker: And it's taken this long for Buffy to talk to Willow about this.

Speaker: So this is well into their relationship, their friendship.

Speaker: And Buffy does allude to the fact that sometimes...

Speaker: just sometimes her dad turns up for the weekend and it's, it's an occasional thing.

Speaker: And, you know, she, she alludes to that again with Joyce later on where, you know, that there's a bit of a worry there that, you know, he may not necessarily turn up.

Speaker: And yeah, so we, we get a little more insight into Buffy's parents, you know, their relationship broke down.

Speaker: They then divorced later on.

Speaker: Buffy,

Speaker: immediately says, you know, I didn't help because of the slaying and all of the issues going through all of her high school as well and becoming the slayer and fighting vampires, et cetera, and of course keeping that a secret.

Speaker: But I love Willow's little insight into her parents as well.

Speaker: She's like, they just glare.

Speaker: They don't even bicker, which worries me even more.

Speaker: It says a lot.

Speaker: Yeah, it says a lot by not saying a lot.

Speaker: And yeah, it's, well, they sort of play on that later on, but it sort of confirms that Willow's parents are just not there.

Speaker: They're just not present, not even with each other.

Speaker: And we get the, presumably the first lesson of the day, Cordelia's making sure that she looks utterly beautiful as usual.

Speaker: Priorities.

Speaker: Priorities.

Speaker: And this guy stands in her light when she's looking in her mirror.

Speaker: And it's Wendell.

Speaker: So we know that this guy's going to feature because they name him.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: They give him a few lines about standing in Cordelia's light.

Speaker: He actually knows Xander and Buffy and Willow.

Speaker: And they sort of go, you know, oh, Wendell, you should know better.

Speaker: You know, you shouldn't stand in Cordelia's light.

Speaker: It's very sort of.

Speaker: bit of banter i love cordelia's line when she's like why didn't you revolve yourselves out of my light it's it's like oh cordelia so she's on she's on it this episode they really up the ante with cordelia's it's not sass i think it's just pure meanness yeah i'm not a big fan of cordelia in this episode but of course it's to prove a point isn't it it's

Speaker: They then mention the active listening, which Xander does not remember.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: Ironically, he wasn't paying attention because he was too busy looking at the teacher's sweater.

Speaker: So yeah, the midnight blue angora.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: So.

Speaker: I mean, he's got his attention to detail is, you know, spot on.

Speaker: If he would just apply it in other areas of his life.

Speaker: He knows, isn't it, where?

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: So.

Speaker: And the lesson starts and it is about active listening.

Speaker: So this is one of the clues for the episode where, you know, we've got the idea of being heard.

Speaker: And it's actually a fear.

Speaker: One of the most vital aspects of being alive, being a human, it's food, shelter, and then being heard.

Speaker: So actually having a voice.

Speaker: So while that lesson's taking place, Buffy immediately becomes very bored.

Speaker: She starts playing around with her pencil, drops it, and then she looks up and spots this really young kid.

Speaker: I think he's 12.

Speaker: Mm-hmm.

Speaker: With the most 90s hair that you could possibly have.

Speaker: Just in case you forgot what era you were watching this.

Speaker: It's great.

Speaker: And I can't comment on this next scene, I'm afraid.

Speaker: Yes, it was me last episode with the puppets, the entriloquist dummies.

Speaker: Now it's your turn.

Speaker: I genuinely cannot look at this.

Speaker: I can't even comment on what happens because I have to look away.

Speaker: So, yeah, I couldn't even tell you what happens.

Speaker: I just know that he says sorry about that.

Speaker: And then I know I can look back.

Speaker: We have some very, very scary spiders, tarantulas even, monstrous things, crawling all over Wendell's desk and he screams.

Speaker: So obviously he feels exactly the same way that you do about these things.

Speaker: I can't even, yeah.

Speaker: Just the thought of seeing them makes my skin crawl.

Speaker: Yeah, I cannot...

Speaker: I cannot cope with it.

Speaker: So, yeah, so I have no idea what happens in that scene.

Speaker: Yeah, everybody else starts freaking out as well.

Speaker: I mean, who can blame them?

Speaker: And then, as you said, the little boy says, sorry about that, which obviously tells us straight away.

Speaker: I mean, first of all, you're like, what's he doing here?

Speaker: Something's going on.

Speaker: And secondly, it's like he's got something to do with this.

Speaker: So, yeah, but nobody seems to see him except for Buffy.

Speaker: Except for Buffy.

Speaker: So second clue.

Speaker: And then we're, well, we're in the intro and then we're back into the Master's Lair.

Speaker: I love, I genuinely, I love this play.

Speaker: It's a really fantastic set.

Speaker: It is.

Speaker: I think it's actually, it is genuinely on par with the library set.

Speaker: Yeah, it's very, very good.

Speaker: It's really fun.

Speaker: I would fancy hanging out in the library over the lair any day.

Speaker: Oh gosh, yeah.

Speaker: For obvious reasons.

Speaker: It's good to admire it from the safety of behind the screen.

Speaker: Yeah, it is.

Speaker: And we have young Colin, the anointed one.

Speaker: And I know this must have been a very deliberate wardrobe decision to make him stick out.

Speaker: But

Speaker: Could he not have had like a Dr. Evil mini me outfit?

Speaker: Could they not have dressed him the same as the master?

Speaker: Yeah, that would have been really creepy.

Speaker: Shaved his head, you know, like on full bore.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: Just to, just once, just to see it.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: I think they should have, I don't know, at least dressed him in some darker clothes.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: But I mean, I know, you know, the idea is that he looks like an innocent boy and, and all the rest of it.

Speaker: So.

Speaker: But yeah, I mean, this is, I get the third clue.

Speaker: The master is talking about fear and the importance of controlling that and facing your fear.

Speaker: And he does that with the cross.

Speaker: And he says, it's all in the mind as is pain.

Speaker: It's all in the mind.

Speaker: So we know the master's actually faced his fear already.

Speaker: He does this very, very early on.

Speaker: Now, I don't know if this is the beginning of... Well, it is, isn't it?

Speaker: The beginning has already happened with Wendell's spider attack.

Speaker: But we know the Master has faced his fear and he overcomes that.

Speaker: So once he faces his fear...

Speaker: the master then mentions that he can feel something upstairs is happening, as in upstairs being Sunnydale, the actual, you know, and that there's something, did he say like an astral change or something like that?

Speaker: And that very, it's really slow, actually, the slow ascent from the layer up through the shrubbery to the

Speaker: to Sunnydale High, it's almost like a reverse of how we first saw and how we first descended into the Master's Layer.

Speaker: But it's really slow.

Speaker: And I think, I don't know about you, but this whole scene from now, from that, where it's very slow, it's almost a little too slow.

Speaker: It just feels a little unnatural.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: I mean, it's, he's talking about, you can feel a change and I suppose they were trying to reflect that.

Speaker: Um, but yeah, it, it does feel a bit, a little bit off.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: And it's very, each scene is very sort of just inserted in.

Speaker: It doesn't feel very natural.

Speaker: It doesn't really flow very well.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: And we have Joyce pulling up in her Jeep with Buffy, dropping her off at school.

Speaker: She said, oh, you're very quiet.

Speaker: She said, yeah, I didn't sleep well.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: Do you know what you're dreaming about?

Speaker: She said, no, not really.

Speaker: She goes, well, you're screaming.

Speaker: I had to come in twice and you were screaming again.

Speaker: So we know Buffy's having quite a few nightmares.

Speaker: yeah um and then Buffy mentions that she's in a panic she's forgotten her bag for the weekend because of course her dad is coming and I love this it it's a very it's a silent interaction it's not much is said but um I don't know if anyone else caught on this or not but it's like oh Buffy was like oh I forgot my bag and and then mum's like it's okay you can come by the house

Speaker: And to me, that's my parents were divorced.

Speaker: So, but to me as a kid from a divorced family,

Speaker: where my parents did not get on at all, you did not put them in the same room as each other or even the same vicinity as each other.

Speaker: So to me, it was like Buffy's trying to avoid that from happening.

Speaker: So that also gives another hint of potentially what her parents' relationship was like at the end.

Speaker: And Joyce catches on.

Speaker: She actually says, are you worried that your dad's not going to show?

Speaker: And Buffy's like, no, no, no, that isn't.

Speaker: you know, it's not a worry and you think it is a worry.

Speaker: It is a concern.

Speaker: I can relate to this so, so much.

Speaker: I know, you know, we've spoken about things and how we relate to aspects of the show.

Speaker: This for me is very real.

Speaker: I understand what Buffy's feeling and, you know, because there was a lot of the times where, you know, there would be an agreed meetup and stuff and my dad would not show.

Speaker: So I really get,

Speaker: I really do get Buffy's fear with this, but it's not something that Buffy sort of voices openly, but you've heard it every single time that she talks about her dad.

Speaker: It's like, well, you know, when I see him sometimes, maybe, no, I'm not worried.

Speaker: perhaps you know she's very very uncertain by it and um and it's just a horrible position to be in because it's not something you can control but yeah so we move into school and Buffy heads off I love Buffy's jacket in this scene and for this school day so and this is her outfit for the whole episode yeah and

Speaker: But Willow and Xander, when they join her in the in the hall, this to me are their iconic outfits.

Speaker: I'm not saying they're the best outfits because Xander's shirt is really, really loud, but it's really Xander.

Speaker: And Willow is just prime Willow.

Speaker: They've really sort of mastered.

Speaker: They've settled on Willow at this point, which is a relief because she was all over the place.

Speaker: You know, the headband.

Speaker: It's just so them and it's so iconic.

Speaker: I've got my first tidbit, actually.

Speaker: Buffy's outfit in this episode is the one that they used for the action figure.

Speaker: And the Funko Pop.

Speaker: Ah, yes.

Speaker: So it is really iconic.

Speaker: And I love the fact that it's from this episode.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: So, yeah.

Speaker: So that is the...

Speaker: the Buffy outfit.

Speaker: But the other two, and of course, you know, Giles, unfortunately, just looks the same all the time.

Speaker: But yeah, I think, you know, the whole, the balance, how they look, this was, you know, and I think as well,

Speaker: that shirt for Xander that was actually used in a lot of the promotional shots that they did for the season as well.

Speaker: So it is sort of prime time.

Speaker: So presumably at some point during this filming, while they were on set, while they were in costume, there would have been someone turning up, taking photographs of the guys all in costume, and they would have gone away and then created those

Speaker: those characters, you know, the action figures and stuff.

Speaker: So there you go.

Speaker: And Willow's chatting, bless her, she's like, did you talk to Giles about the spiders?

Speaker: Yeah, and when they go into the library, then we see that Giles has actually been having quite a difficult time with that.

Speaker: He seems, he's kind of

Speaker: flustered there's just something about him um that's just little off and he tells them that he couldn't find anything about spiders he's not his usual excited bookish self he's kind of it's like he wants to sort of get off the subject as quickly as possible and i mean who can blame him he obviously has arachnophobia and

Speaker: Yeah, as does Willow.

Speaker: Just going back actually to that last scene where Willow, what she says, she's like, you know, what do they have eight legs for?

Speaker: I tell you why, for crawling all over your face at night.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: And that is something that is that line I have used so many times because it's like I completely get Willow.

Speaker: I completely get it.

Speaker: I would not have been able to sleep.

Speaker: I would not have been able to.

Speaker: I'd have been really nervous about going back into school.

Speaker: genuinely say, yeah, I completely get Willow's concern and her insistence that Buffy chat to Giles because that's not right.

Speaker: That should not have happened.

Speaker: All these spiders coming out of Wendell's book, that is not right.

Speaker: And Xander's really not bothered.

Speaker: He's like, no, I've seen worse.

Speaker: And he does actually say...

Speaker: about Nazis crawling over his face.

Speaker: He's like, now that would freak me out.

Speaker: So just put that to one side for a second because we will see that or something similar to that happen.

Speaker: But yeah, so I do, I love that little interaction.

Speaker: And as you say, they go into the library to catch up with Giles.

Speaker: Yeah, because he's so confused, isn't he?

Speaker: He's like, I got lost.

Speaker: Yeah, and you can kind of see

Speaker: Buffy the way she's looking at him she knows he's acting weird but she doesn't make anything of it but you can't it's it's a little hint that it'll be explored further yeah she she's her intuition peaks there doesn't it and you know she sort of says well she doesn't say anything she's like that's odd yeah the weird guy is acting weirder yeah

Speaker: Which is saying something.

Speaker: The expert on weird, as they said.

Speaker: Yes.

Speaker: But I do not appreciate Xander's teasing of Willow, where he's like crawling all over a shoulder.

Speaker: I hate that.

Speaker: When people do that to you, it's just like, please don't, because I will literally punch you.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: Don't go there.

Speaker: It's just, it's so cruel when people do that.

Speaker: But yeah.

Speaker: Yeah, so they head off to speak to Wendell.

Speaker: Yeah, which Giles suggests quite quickly.

Speaker: So it's like he's definitely trying to get them out of the library here for whatever reason.

Speaker: But again, just to point out again, the scenes seem really short.

Speaker: They're really short.

Speaker: They're very to the point.

Speaker: I mean, they're moving everything along, but they just seem like, well, to me, they seem like our dream.

Speaker: behaves you know where they it's all of us you define them in a different location very quickly and it's it doesn't flow is like the usual show flows and we have the the very quick conversation again very really quick to the point conversation with Wendell

Speaker: where they're very sympathetic towards them.

Speaker: They say, how are you?

Speaker: Are you okay?

Speaker: Because it must have been a really horrible experience.

Speaker: Obviously, Willow's just transferring all of her fear onto Wendell's experience and says, oh my God, you must hate spiders more than I do.

Speaker: And Wendell sort of is like, no, I don't.

Speaker: I love them.

Speaker: And he corrects them that they're not insects.

Speaker: They're arachnids.

Speaker: They've got eight legs, which we know.

Speaker: We know Wendell.

Speaker: We know what they're there for.

Speaker: And he explains that, well, he's very guilty.

Speaker: He'd lost all of his spiders collection.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: Because, well, he then says, oh, my brother left all the light on or something.

Speaker: The heat lamp, yeah.

Speaker: And do you know what?

Speaker: There's nothing worse.

Speaker: Well, there's one thing worse than an actual spider, and that's a dead spider.

Speaker: You know, when it's all like legs are, oh, it really, oh, I need to put my feet up on the chair just in case.

Speaker: And it reminds me, we went to, I don't know which zoo we went to.

Speaker: I think it was...

Speaker: Twycross Zoo which is near our school like Sunnydale Zoo and they brought out a tarantula but it was dead and it was inside this box and I oh my fuck it just and I am I was sick I actually threw up and they had to take me away and

Speaker: I think I was about 10.

Speaker: So, yeah.

Speaker: Wendell isn't like that.

Speaker: He said, all my spiders died.

Speaker: And he then started having nightmares.

Speaker: What's interesting is he says, I love them.

Speaker: They hate me.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: You think, interesting.

Speaker: Okay.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: And then we're back to this really jarring moment.

Speaker: But I think we need to make honorable mention of Buffy's lollipop here.

Speaker: Yes.

Speaker: So because this is, I think, one of the most popular GIFs.

Speaker: If you type in Buffy into the GIF section in any platform, you see this scene where Buffy makes that quizzical look with the lollipop.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: So, but yeah, again, we're back to the very, the jarring scene.

Speaker: It doesn't flow.

Speaker: It seems very unnatural where Cordelia arrives and says, there's a history test, Buffy.

Speaker: I hope you've revised, you know, and she doesn't, she seems a bit off as well.

Speaker: She's doesn't seem like Cordelia or like the Cordelia that we've, that we've seen previously thus far.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: where she's actively speaking to Buffy, saying, you should have revised, etc.

Speaker: Buffy runs off and leaves the task of understanding a little more about Wendell's upset and his nightmare.

Speaker: to Willow and Xander and Wendell then explains what happened to his spiders and the thought of them dying.

Speaker: Oh, God, just imagine this glass cage and they're all fucking on their backs with their legs.

Speaker: It's horrible.

Speaker: Oh, God, really?

Speaker: Okay, move on.

Speaker: But Willow, this triggers for Willow.

Speaker: Willow's like nightmares.

Speaker: So his nightmare actually came true.

Speaker: Yeah, because he says he thought he was having a nightmare in class until everybody else started screaming as well.

Speaker: And he realised everybody could see them.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: And what a horrible experience, though.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: I mean, well, he obviously doesn't care, but he doesn't know because he was screaming his head off.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: So it's like, Wendell, I think you're lying about your love for spiders.

Speaker: Yeah, that's the thing.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: Buffy heads in such a, almost like a comatose state towards the classroom.

Speaker: And again, it's just so, you know, Cordelia's like, it's here.

Speaker: You're in here.

Speaker: It genuinely feels like a dream.

Speaker: And it turns out that this is actually what is playing out.

Speaker: This is, you know, Buffy has dreamt of this, failing her test.

Speaker: I say it's quite light and easy to begin with.

Speaker: And she looks at the clock.

Speaker: It seems to be time is running away from her.

Speaker: Her pencil breaks.

Speaker: She has no concept of what the test is about.

Speaker: It's history, but that's it.

Speaker: Everybody else needs to know what they're doing.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: She can't write anything.

Speaker: Yeah, she has no concept.

Speaker: The teacher in this is scary.

Speaker: Yes.

Speaker: And he reminds me of the bug man who comes up in season two.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: It's his brother or something.

Speaker: Yeah, has to be.

Speaker: They're both on the creepy guy level.

Speaker: And his jacket is awful.

Speaker: I'm not... That is the worst jacket by far.

Speaker: It's revolting.

Speaker: It's got like a suede front panels and everything else is tweed.

Speaker: It's fucking disgusting.

Speaker: It's awful.

Speaker: I mean, he's certainly not a vision in tweed.

Speaker: He is absolutely not.

Speaker: He's grotesque.

Speaker: So sorry, actor who was playing him.

Speaker: It was, of course, not your choice to put you in that jacket.

Speaker: It's fucking horrible.

Speaker: I feel sorry for you.

Speaker: Having been there, you know, when you do like the extra stuff and you turn up and then they decide to put you in something, you think, I really don't see that.

Speaker: Please don't put me in that.

Speaker: And of course, you can't really say anything.

Speaker: You just have to hope that they...

Speaker: take the photograph and then they look at the photograph later and someone above them who has dressed you goes why have you put them in that let's change what they what they're wearing um so that actually happened to me last year they put me in this monstrosity of a costume and I was like oh god it actually makes you think I don't want to turn up which happens a lot and yeah unfortunately I turned of course I turned up and

Speaker: They went, oh, yeah, we changed our mind.

Speaker: We're going to put you in this.

Speaker: I was like, yes, thank God.

Speaker: So anyway, I digress.

Speaker: So while Buffy is panicking about having no concept of what's going on, we see Billy, the young boy.

Speaker: His name's Billy.

Speaker: And Billy's walking around.

Speaker: the high school and no one can see him presumably and we see I think her name's Laura yeah with her friend chatting about something and she's like I'm going to take a break what I found interesting with this scene is Disney and all of the presumably all the other online versions of this scene they actually cut the

Speaker: when the girl sort of imitates a drag on the cigarette yeah so she imitates she does like this you know ghost imitation of a smoke and they actually cut that so she just says oh I'm going to go for a break

Speaker: And you're meant to see that she's going down for a smoke, but they actually, they cut that because it's, you know, it's far too sensitive, apparently, for people to see.

Speaker: And she heads down into the basement.

Speaker: The boy says, I wouldn't go down there or something like that.

Speaker: You think, oh, God, he knows.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: He knows where we are.

Speaker: We're on the hell mouth.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: She heads down, she lights up and of course this is one of the main themes in the show is smoking is bad, smoking will kill you, really hurt you and that's exactly what happens.

Speaker: This monster of a Hulk man turns up

Speaker: And beats the shit out of this girl.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: And he says, lucky 19.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: And I love how the camera focuses on the smoking kill sign.

Speaker: In case it wasn't obvious.

Speaker: I warned you.

Speaker: Disney would have loved that.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: They cut the first bit, but it's like, we're leaving this bit in.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: That's it.

Speaker: But I really like her outfit.

Speaker: I think she's got a really nice yellow cardigan, green top.

Speaker: It looks, yeah, it really suits her.

Speaker: And we cut back then.

Speaker: So this would have been an advert, of course.

Speaker: And we cut to a really poor, probably stock footage of a huge hospital with an ambulance outside because, of course, you know, it needs to be told.

Speaker: And we have Buffy and Giles heading through the hospital ward on their way.

Speaker: With flowers.

Speaker: With flowers, with yellow flowers.

Speaker: They're making a habit of turning up in hospitals now to visit people.

Speaker: I know.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: I mean, I sort of get it because, you know, you would have...

Speaker: presumably someone from faculty maybe I don't know it just I mean it's it's a very I thought this was quite odd again yeah it's very them it's typical of of what well you know they've got to investigate they've got to find out what what's happened and they jump to the conclusion that um you know something supernatural has happened or have that you know they're not sure they just they need to know so they head over and they pay their respects and

Speaker: to poor Laura, who is black and blue.

Speaker: And she struggles to describe what she saw.

Speaker: And they're trying to encourage her to open up to them.

Speaker: But as they go to leave, she then tells them that this horrible monster said Lucky 19.

Speaker: So that catches their attention.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: And they don't know what it means, but they're like, okay, fine.

Speaker: But she struggles as well.

Speaker: Laura really struggles to describe him, you know, what happened.

Speaker: I love Buffy's realisation.

Speaker: She sort of said, hey, it's OK, you don't need to.

Speaker: But if you know anything else, just let us know.

Speaker: It's just very, very, again, very supportive of Buffy.

Speaker: You know, she's very, very, very careful around Buffy.

Speaker: around people that haven't come across this before you know so I'm considering as well she's she's very aware of the monsters and the ghouls but she's very aware of the fact that people shouldn't know you know they shouldn't have to deal with that and when they are

Speaker: confronted with that they can struggle with it and she's very very sympathetic um towards them as as is giles as well and we get this amazing scene where they're just chatting openly about about this girl's private personal details you

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: So there's a doctor.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: It's, you'd be like the doctor be like, who, who are you people?

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: You know, well, he does ask.

Speaker: Well, yeah.

Speaker: And he's like, Oh, we're friends.

Speaker: And he's like, Oh, okay.

Speaker: That's fine.

Speaker: Really?

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: I mean, like I could barely get through hospital security to visit a relative recently who had a baby.

Speaker: And it's just like the school librarian and this random girl who hangs out with them.

Speaker: They don't even introduce themselves.

Speaker: Oh, well, we're friends.

Speaker: It's fine.

Speaker: It's okay, Dr. Mann.

Speaker: And Dr. Man, he has a very, very, I think, 40s, an original 40s tie.

Speaker: It's a silk tie, and that would have been hand-painted looking at it.

Speaker: It really clashes with his entire shirt outfit thing.

Speaker: And then he proceeds to say, well, you know, she's not as bad as the other one.

Speaker: Yeah, she got off lightly compared to the first one and they're like, oh, this.

Speaker: Tell us more.

Speaker: He's like, okay.

Speaker: This happened to somebody else.

Speaker: And he just so casually says like that this person's in a coma and it happened a week ago.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: walks him over walks him over here he is yeah call my boy so and uh yeah and he's like oh you know somebody needs to stop this guy uh this is the second victim well she's the second victim and and i i love buffy's like somebody will

Speaker: And it's like, yes, we know who that's going to be.

Speaker: And then we're back at high school.

Speaker: So it's the same day.

Speaker: And we've got these teddy boys.

Speaker: I don't know what they like.

Speaker: It's like someone from Greece.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: With all the leather jackets and they're having a conflap and he's like, I'm going to kill him and all of the rest of it.

Speaker: So he's just like the male Cordelia.

Speaker: And we see Xander and Willow in the same amazing outfits.

Speaker: You know, this is so, it really is so them.

Speaker: We get a full head-to-toe shot.

Speaker: Willow's tights are just amazing.

Speaker: I mean, it's not something I would wear, but it's fabulous.

Speaker: It's fabulous, darling.

Speaker: They're still talking about Wendell's dream.

Speaker: And, you know, the exact same thing happening in real life.

Speaker: But then they're trying to figure it out.

Speaker: So these guys are on their own investigation.

Speaker: They're trying to say, well, how does that tie in with Laura and the attack?

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: Is it possible that she might have dreamt about her attack happening?

Speaker: Yes.

Speaker: They're getting very good at working things out now.

Speaker: They are, yeah.

Speaker: Now, this is maybe one of my favourite little details that they go into when Willow opens her locker.

Speaker: And you've got to pause when she opens her locker and she puts her book in.

Speaker: And you've got...

Speaker: Nerve Herder.

Speaker: Yes.

Speaker: A little banner, which I love the font.

Speaker: Their logo is really cool.

Speaker: It's very sort of Star Wars-esque.

Speaker: And, of course, Nerve Herder did the theme tune for Buffy.

Speaker: I love that little drop.

Speaker: But a little lower down, there's this really cute photo of

Speaker: of Willow and Giles in the library.

Speaker: Have you seen it?

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: It's so cute.

Speaker: And I love the fact that you think, oh, Willow has put a photo of her and Giles in her locker.

Speaker: Yeah, I mean, she's got a definite crush.

Speaker: She has a huge crush.

Speaker: Yes.

Speaker: On Giles.

Speaker: So we think we're all Willow.

Speaker: This is everyone's locker, guys.

Speaker: But OK, here's a question for you.

Speaker: Do you know which episode that that photograph is from?

Speaker: Oh, no, I'd have to go back and...

Speaker: It is from the pack.

Speaker: Ah.

Speaker: So, because you've got willow stripes that you loved so much.

Speaker: Yes.

Speaker: So, yeah.

Speaker: So there we go.

Speaker: And this whole, that lovely little moment, the discussion about, you know, is it related to Laura?

Speaker: You know, how does this all tie together?

Speaker: It's interrupted.

Speaker: by the grease guy, by John Travolta's character, his mum arriving.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: And she's like, how's my little pookie?

Speaker: Running up to him, giving him a kiss, embarrassing him in front of his friends.

Speaker: And he's obviously trying to be a hard guy and all the rest of it.

Speaker: But again, if you pause, there is a guy in the background and it is the one

Speaker: most amazing costume and this is the point I wanted to make earlier you know when you think why have they put me in this yeah this guy would have been thinking this he has like anything and everything no concept of color nothing um he has green played trousers green and white and

Speaker: blue plaid trousers, a bright orange yellow polo shirt, and then a sleeveless vest, which has a round neck

Speaker: a low crew round neck and that's red striped or checked.

Speaker: It's awful.

Speaker: It's horrific.

Speaker: And it just completely steals the show.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: So it's, it's vile.

Speaker: And it's like, what were you thinking to the fitters?

Speaker: Shame on you fitters, but for doing that to that one poor guy.

Speaker: And, and, uh,

Speaker: You know, it's there now forevermore for people to see.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: A nightmare of an outfit.

Speaker: It is a nightmare of an outfit.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: Things are literally going to shit now.

Speaker: So while Pookie is being fussed over by mum, Xander's sort of saying, well, I just think it's a coincidence.

Speaker: You know, Wendell's spiders.

Speaker: Annie dreamt about spiders.

Speaker: I mean, it's not being connected.

Speaker: And they walk into class and everyone is sat waiting for the class to start.

Speaker: And they all gasp.

Speaker: They all start laughing.

Speaker: And Willow turns around thinking at first she's like, why are they...

Speaker: doing that she turns around and Xander is in his underwear yeah I would say pants but Americans call pants well trousers pants yeah he's in his boxers very nice boxers

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: Quite like those.

Speaker: But obviously not the, not most people's choice of outfit to wear to school.

Speaker: No, no.

Speaker: So he's completely bereft of his clothing.

Speaker: And he's horrified.

Speaker: It's like, it's like a dream that most of us have had.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: Really?

Speaker: At some point.

Speaker: Well, I mean, the closest thing I can think of, it seems like a lot of people have had this nightmare is when you're in a public toilet, a toilet cubicle, and there's no door or things just keep disappearing and people can see it.

Speaker: Oh, okay.

Speaker: Or the door keeps opening of its own accord and you can't close it.

Speaker: Oh, gosh.

Speaker: Okay.

Speaker: Okay.

Speaker: And I actually had, as a side note, that was a nightmare that actually came true for me.

Speaker: Oh, really?

Speaker: Oh, my God bless you.

Speaker: I was on a train to Belfast.

Speaker: I was with a friend and I was like, I'm just going to go and use the toilet.

Speaker: And it was one of those doors where you had to press a button to open and close it.

Speaker: Oh, no.

Speaker: So it kept opening.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: And people looked, turned and looked.

Speaker: And I was like, pressing the button, like, oh, my God, this cannot be happening.

Speaker: Oh, no.

Speaker: And then I had to do the walk of shame.

Speaker: And your name was over your seat.

Speaker: So I swapped seats with my friend.

Speaker: So I had her name.

Speaker: Not that I'd ever see these people again.

Speaker: But I've not used a train toilet since.

Speaker: That's really.

Speaker: I shouldn't laugh.

Speaker: Oh, it is funny.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: If you don't laugh, you cry, right?

Speaker: Yeah, exactly.

Speaker: I was not laughing at the time, but yeah, I can laugh now.

Speaker: Oh, bless you.

Speaker: Buffy heads into the library.

Speaker: And again, I mean, this is, I've mentioned about this being the iconic episode for costume.

Speaker: I do think this is just typical Giles costume as well.

Speaker: It really suits him.

Speaker: And it doesn't, there's not much that clashes for him in this episode either.

Speaker: You know, occasionally we've had too many stripes and,

Speaker: But yeah, he's having a problem.

Speaker: Yeah, we're going back to his oddness from earlier.

Speaker: And he finally tells Buffy that he is unable to read.

Speaker: He's looking at the words and they're just complete gibberish to him.

Speaker: Yeah, they don't make sense.

Speaker: And I love this.

Speaker: Buffy's like, what do you mean you can speak like three languages?

Speaker: And he's like, five actually.

Speaker: It's like, oh, okay.

Speaker: It just makes him even more attractive.

Speaker: A man with a language.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: But Buffy picks up the paper, recognises Billy Palmer, who is 12, in a coma.

Speaker: And it's the boy...

Speaker: She keeps seeing in doorways.

Speaker: And the picture of him in his cute little baseball outfit.

Speaker: He's got his number on his shirt and it is number 19.

Speaker: Buffy notices this, but she also says, look, I've been seeing him.

Speaker: This is last week.

Speaker: There's a glitch in the Matrix because he's in a coma now.

Speaker: And Giles is like, yeah, there's definitely, you can't be seeing this Neo character.

Speaker: He's in bed in a coma and you can't have seen him walking around.

Speaker: Buffy's like, I can and I have.

Speaker: Yeah, I mean, he does this sometimes where you just want to say, come on.

Speaker: She's been right all the other times.

Speaker: Yes.

Speaker: Just listen, maybe.

Speaker: And, you know, you can't read right now.

Speaker: So you need all the...

Speaker: the insights you can get that's it and Buffy you know she says Wendell and the spiders then I didn't know my history thing I saw this kid around I thought it was weird I forgot about it and Giles is saying but how is this possible it's like Giles come on and I love that she's like well I'm knowledge girl now come on you use your knowledge you're the you're the knowledge guy

Speaker: explanations your terrain.

Speaker: And I look, you know, how she's like, no, come on, kickstart into this.

Speaker: And Giles uses his noggin and says, well, there's a theory that while one sleeps, one has another body.

Speaker: An astral body.

Speaker: Astral projection.

Speaker: Yes.

Speaker: And you often can, you know, I say you can see this, but there's potential that you can maybe see this.

Speaker: Buffy's like, well, Billy's in a coma.

Speaker: That's like a sleep.

Speaker: And George is like, well, you know, one doesn't always wake from a coma.

Speaker: And I love Buffy saying, yeah, but I could be seeing Billy's asteroid body.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: Giles, one of his first corrections of Buffy's.

Speaker: I love this.

Speaker: First of many, yeah.

Speaker: I love these little interactions and he's like, it's how he looks and he goes, astral body.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: I actually saw a post about that on Tumblr the other day.

Speaker: It's just all the times when he corrects her.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: It's brilliant.

Speaker: I love that little, well, it's a recurring thing that they do.

Speaker: So I think this is the first one, but yeah, Buffy's like, his asteroid body.

Speaker: He's like, astral.

Speaker: So Giles is like, right, okay, well, I've got,

Speaker: not a lot of information to work on and, you know, I'll try my best, that sort of thing.

Speaker: And then they're interrupted.

Speaker: Yes.

Speaker: In walks a man who asks to speak to Buffy alone and it's her dad.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: But this scene, when they turn, they genuinely look really guilty.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: They're like, nothing.

Speaker: Nothing's happening.

Speaker: Nothing is absolutely fine.

Speaker: It's all fine.

Speaker: And yeah, this is Hank Summers and Buffy introduces her dad to Giles.

Speaker: And it's very brief.

Speaker: I think it is the only time that Giles meets Buffy's dad.

Speaker: And Hank is there to speak to Buffy.

Speaker: What do you think to this guy?

Speaker: Yeah, it's all very odd.

Speaker: You're trying to work out what he's all about and there's just something about it that doesn't ring true from the beginning.

Speaker: I mean, like a lot of things in this episode.

Speaker: Yeah, again, it just seems jarring, doesn't it?

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: It pulls you out of, because you think, oh yeah, we're getting through to the exposition now.

Speaker: We're on our way to figuring it out.

Speaker: And then it's interrupted by this guy we don't know.

Speaker: okay, we've had Buffy's dad mention, we knew that this was happening, you know, he was coming this weekend, that sort of thing.

Speaker: And then all of a sudden, you know, they leave.

Speaker: We think, oh, we're going to stay with Giles now, who's frowning at, we've all been there.

Speaker: You know, you're thinking, God, this text is really small.

Speaker: And then all of a sudden we're in this park.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: I mean, it is actually, I think it is Sunnydale High still, the grounds.

Speaker: But we've never seen this part of it before.

Speaker: It looks lovely.

Speaker: It's really nice.

Speaker: And Jan is, he's like, you know, let's come and sit down.

Speaker: I need to talk to you.

Speaker: It's time for us to speak frankly.

Speaker: And you're old enough now to know the truth.

Speaker: Hmm.

Speaker: And I will say as well that this is my favorite scene from the episode.

Speaker: Not because, you know, I mean, what happens in it is awful, but it's Sarah Michelle Gellar's performance in this scene that really just does it for me.

Speaker: It's so powerful.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: She's exceptional in this.

Speaker: Her heart breaks.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: And you can see this.

Speaker: And I know she has this inane talent of crying on cue.

Speaker: She can just turn on the tapworks.

Speaker: But there's actually, it's interesting, Martin Landau, who for Buffy fans will know his daughter, Juliet Landau, who plays Drusilla, and we will meet her next season.

Speaker: He was a director, producer, writer, actor.

Speaker: And there's a lovely interview that he gave many years before.

Speaker: And he actually says, you know, good actors do not show expression.

Speaker: You know, you hide it as much as you can.

Speaker: Because, you know, we don't always cry.

Speaker: It's what children do.

Speaker: They react by crying or screaming or whatever, because people don't do that.

Speaker: They hide their emotion.

Speaker: And this, I think, Sarah Michelle Gellar does this very well.

Speaker: And when she does cry, when that lone tear runs down, you know that she's hiding that.

Speaker: She doesn't want that to happen.

Speaker: And yeah, it is.

Speaker: It's a beautiful scene.

Speaker: It's heartbreaking.

Speaker: It's actually, I think Anthony Head said something very similar in an interview about crying.

Speaker: He said, people don't try to cry.

Speaker: They try not to cry.

Speaker: So that's how you play that.

Speaker: You're trying to fight it back.

Speaker: Yeah, you hide that.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: So that's exactly what she does here.

Speaker: That's it.

Speaker: That's very real.

Speaker: That's very human is to hide your emotions.

Speaker: And this is, you know, Sarah Michelle Gellar does this multiple times, but definitely in this scene.

Speaker: And Hank's like, my job's done.

Speaker: I've completely destroyed my daughter.

Speaker: I've told her that I don't want to see her again.

Speaker: The things he says, he says she was the reason that he and Joyce separated and she's been in trouble so much that it embarrasses them.

Speaker: And just watching her face through all this, she's almost, she does not want to believe what he's saying.

Speaker: She's thinking this can't be true.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: Bless her.

Speaker: And it just gets worse.

Speaker: And then obviously he says, you know, they, they should stop seeing each other at weekends.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: Cause he just can't be bothered.

Speaker: And yeah.

Speaker: So Buffy then, well, she's in a daze.

Speaker: She's upset.

Speaker: She's again, try not to cry.

Speaker: Try not to show her upset.

Speaker: And she glances up and she sees Billy, the boy, again.

Speaker: But she doesn't respond this way.

Speaker: Her pain is too intense for her.

Speaker: And they cut it just before, but you can just see her breaking down.

Speaker: So we know that Buffy's probably in tears at this point.

Speaker: You know, she's really, really upset.

Speaker: And then we head back to the library.

Speaker: Willow and Xander are heading through the door.

Speaker: Xander is just getting dressed into Sunnydale gym outfits.

Speaker: Tell Giles about the underwear incident.

Speaker: Yes.

Speaker: Giles is very aware that Xander's not wearing his usual clothes.

Speaker: And he's like, you know, where are they?

Speaker: And he's like, oh, don't I wish I had the answer to that question.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: And I like the phrasing he uses.

Speaker: He says, it's a total nightmare.

Speaker: Yes.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: Xander found himself in front of everyone, not wearing anything.

Speaker: Well, much of anything except his underwear.

Speaker: Willow was like, yeah, it was awful.

Speaker: And it was a bad, bad thing.

Speaker: And yeah, it was a complete nightmare.

Speaker: Willow says, hang on a minute.

Speaker: It is your nightmare.

Speaker: Wendell also had...

Speaker: His nightmare.

Speaker: Giles then says... Has his aha moment.

Speaker: Oh my gosh, I got lost in the stacks.

Speaker: I've dreamt of that.

Speaker: And now I can't read.

Speaker: And it's actually all happening.

Speaker: So this scene...

Speaker: is I think maybe I can't decide on what my favorite scene is for this episode.

Speaker: But this is a, you know, I mentioned about foreshadowing.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: So this is another scene and I will bring this up later.

Speaker: But this particular scene, I won't say exactly what it is.

Speaker: But Xander actually says, oh, our dreams are coming true.

Speaker: And Giles says, dreams?

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: That would be a musical comedy version of this.

Speaker: He says, no, these are nightmares.

Speaker: Our nightmares are coming true.

Speaker: And they're like, well, why is this happening?

Speaker: And Jive says, Billy.

Speaker: And Xander is like, well, that was an explanation shorter than usual.

Speaker: Who's Billy?

Speaker: Who's Billy?

Speaker: It's Billy.

Speaker: Who's Billy?

Speaker: And Giles brings them up to speed.

Speaker: He's a boy in hospital.

Speaker: He's in a coma.

Speaker: He must have crossed over from the nightmare world that he's trapped in and he's brought the nightmares with him.

Speaker: Thanks a bunch, Billy, says Zander.

Speaker: It's a real, I think it's just a really good scene.

Speaker: It's potentially one of my favourite scenes, I think, in this episode.

Speaker: It's that classic scene when everything starts to come together.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: And there's just so much banter and back and forth.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: It's great.

Speaker: Everyone's just themselves.

Speaker: They're full on.

Speaker: You know, each character is...

Speaker: Well and truly, they're well oiled by this point.

Speaker: And it's like, well, how has this happened?

Speaker: How is this nightmare world?

Speaker: And Giles, things like that are easier when you live on a hell mouth.

Speaker: And this is just the writers going, we don't have to explain this anymore.

Speaker: We're moving on.

Speaker: We need to get this sorted.

Speaker: We've got to get this sorted soon because the world is going to descend into everyone's worst nightmare.

Speaker: And they actually, you know, say this is this can be potentially the end of the world.

Speaker: And that's what we see there.

Speaker: She's having her worst nightmare.

Speaker: She's having a bad hair day.

Speaker: Bless her.

Speaker: It does make me laugh.

Speaker: Cordelia's moments in this.

Speaker: But I can't help but think that she... Karma has sort of caught up with her a little.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: On this episode.

Speaker: And she doesn't learn her lesson, though, because next episode she's just... She's well on form.

Speaker: But, yeah, it's pretty horrific for Cordelia.

Speaker: Buffy is, meanwhile...

Speaker: having a walk you know she's walking things off she's caught up you know she's had her cry she's recovered and and then she spots Billy again walking around the school and he heads into I think it's the gym yeah and Buffy follows him and she says you know are you Billy you played baseball what is it mini league kiddie league

Speaker: Yeah, something like that.

Speaker: Little League, is that it?

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: Or is that something else?

Speaker: The Little League.

Speaker: And yeah, he's just sat there very, very quietly and calmly with his 90s hair.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: Yeah, she asks him if something bad happened to him after his baseball game, but he says he doesn't remember.

Speaker: Yeah, and you can see he's getting a bit stressed out by that.

Speaker: Yeah, but he refers to the ugly man who wants to kill me, which if a child said that to you, you'd be like...

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: Okay.

Speaker: Tell me more.

Speaker: That is not good.

Speaker: Buffy is clearly getting to the bottom of this.

Speaker: And she said, are you lucky 19?

Speaker: Mm-hmm.

Speaker: And he said, oh, that's what he calls me.

Speaker: And she's like, who?

Speaker: Who calls you that?

Speaker: The ugly man.

Speaker: As you said, he wants to kill me.

Speaker: And he had that girl.

Speaker: He's like, well, why does he want to kill you?

Speaker: And he's like, he's, she's like, no, no, it's okay.

Speaker: Just tell me.

Speaker: And he's like, he's here.

Speaker: We get this horrible view of ugly man with his arm, which is like, funny enough, it's like a baseball bat.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: Hmm.

Speaker: And he literally kicks the shit out of Buffy and she can't fight him.

Speaker: And this is also one of Buffy's nightmares coming true where she can't beat her foe.

Speaker: And she actually runs off.

Speaker: She hobbles off.

Speaker: She's actually hurt her leg and runs away.

Speaker: And we then get back to, so we're back to the back and forth now.

Speaker: So here we go.

Speaker: This is the point of the episode where things start to speed up.

Speaker: You know, the pace is quickened.

Speaker: And the guys are in the library, so Xander, Willow, Giles, and they say, we have to catch up with Buffy.

Speaker: Wow.

Speaker: She doesn't know what's happening.

Speaker: Yeah, she doesn't know.

Speaker: And Giles points out really, I think it's a really interesting point.

Speaker: And it sort of indicates the Slayer-Watcher dynamic again.

Speaker: And he said, well, given the sort of thing that she tends to dream about, we need to get to her.

Speaker: We need to find her and tell her that it's all nightmares.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: And they were like, yeah, let's separate.

Speaker: It will be quicker if we can find Buffy.

Speaker: And it's Willow's line, faster but not really safer.

Speaker: You think, yeah, Willow, you understand.

Speaker: It's not a good idea to do this.

Speaker: And then Buffy is, well, she's locked Ugly Man in with a hockey stick through the bars of the door.

Speaker: And she says, you know,

Speaker: who is that guy Billy you know he's too strong I can't fight him um you know I need my friends we need to find my friends they can hopefully help and Billy says oh we have to hide she's like no no we have to find we have to find the gang he's like no that's how it happens I hide and then he comes um

Speaker: So they get out as quickly as possible and they run off.

Speaker: And, you know, I pointed out the guy with the most horrific costume.

Speaker: Well, he's back.

Speaker: He's perfect.

Speaker: And he is, and there is, I know you're thinking, oh, that was just a random costume.

Speaker: No, it wasn't.

Speaker: He was meant to be a geek in the chess club.

Speaker: His worst nightmare.

Speaker: And it is Cordy's worst nightmare.

Speaker: that she's been enrolled, forcibly enrolled, to join the chess club.

Speaker: And she's being dragged.

Speaker: She's wearing non-Cordy clothing.

Speaker: And she's being dragged by the guy with the worst costume into the chess club room with a little poster.

Speaker: that Willow sees this and she just smiles.

Speaker: She's so amused by what's happening to her.

Speaker: Yeah, she's like, oh, karma.

Speaker: And you think, come on, Willow, you're being wise.

Speaker: You've been wise up to now.

Speaker: You've been straight on it.

Speaker: You've been switched on.

Speaker: But then she hears a whisper,

Speaker: You're thinking, come on, we remember what happened last time your name was whispered.

Speaker: So here's this whisper, and she's like, oh, it's coming from the basement where I know the girl got beaten up.

Speaker: I'm going to go down there.

Speaker: And she heads down into the basement, and it descends.

Speaker: And again, it's one of those...

Speaker: Very strange scenes where it just feels like a dream again.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: You know.

Speaker: And she walks into the basement, the store area, and she gets grabbed.

Speaker: We don't see by who, but she gets grabbed.

Speaker: And you think, oh, for fuck's sake.

Speaker: What are you doing?

Speaker: You knew that was going to happen.

Speaker: And we see Xander looking around too.

Speaker: And again, his priorities are a little off.

Speaker: He finds a chocolate bar on the floor.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: And obviously thinks, well, this is my lucky day.

Speaker: So he starts eating it.

Speaker: And then he finds more chocolate bars scattered around.

Speaker: Did you see the swastika on the wall?

Speaker: Yes.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: So...

Speaker: See, from earlier, him say all Nazis.

Speaker: Nazis, yeah.

Speaker: And this looks a bit nightmarish, a bit hellish.

Speaker: But yeah, as you say, he doesn't care.

Speaker: He's just chomping down.

Speaker: One of the chocolate bars is a Hershey's bar, but for copyright reasons, they blocked out, I think it's the H's.

Speaker: So it looks like Urses.

Speaker: And yeah, he's just following the trail, which is not like a horror story in any way, is it?

Speaker: And he's walking through this corridor, heads off, and Buffy and Billy...

Speaker: come through this other door and Buffy's like, I'm sure this took us to the library.

Speaker: So this is where reality is starting to break down a little now.

Speaker: Things aren't making sense.

Speaker: And Billy's distracted.

Speaker: He sees two guys playing baseball in a nearby field and

Speaker: And he then says to Buffy, well, when you lose, it's bad.

Speaker: And we lost the other day and it was all my fault.

Speaker: I missed.

Speaker: I should have caught this ball and I missed it.

Speaker: And Buffy says, well, how is it your fault?

Speaker: You know, how is the whole game your fault just from missing one ball?

Speaker: You know, there are, is it nine other players?

Speaker: Oh, no, it was eight, isn't it?

Speaker: Eight.

Speaker: Yeah, because it's nine in a team.

Speaker: And she's like, who said it was your fault?

Speaker: And so she's getting to the bottom of it.

Speaker: He's still unable to face that fear and the truth of who did that and who said that to him.

Speaker: And yeah, so he's like, can we just get to your friends another way?

Speaker: She's like, yeah, we'll head through the cafeteria.

Speaker: And that's when they see the ugly man who's beaten up someone else.

Speaker: Mm-hmm.

Speaker: And they then take a shortcut.

Speaker: I love this.

Speaker: I love this transition.

Speaker: They find themselves in one of the cemeteries at night.

Speaker: It's pitch black.

Speaker: And Belly says, is this where your friends are?

Speaker: She's like, no, no, it's really, really not.

Speaker: So we go back to Willow and find out what has happened to her after being grabbed.

Speaker: She is suddenly...

Speaker: pushed into singing on stage with an opera singer and she hasn't learned the words.

Speaker: So she's freaking out and she has this amazing costume on, actually.

Speaker: I really like it.

Speaker: Yes.

Speaker: She looks very glamorous.

Speaker: Yeah, it's from Madame Butterfly.

Speaker: So the context of that is that she was a geisha and she married a European guy.

Speaker: A man in the military.

Speaker: Yeah, so hence the costume.

Speaker: But yeah, she does look stunning in this.

Speaker: I wouldn't say it's like my favourite costume, but yeah, I mean, it's so... I say they use it again, actually, which again, a foreshadowing.

Speaker: So I'll just drop that in there.

Speaker: But yeah, so Willow is now becoming...

Speaker: completely confused about where she is, what's happening, what is going on.

Speaker: And you can hear an announcer in the background saying, all the way from Forenz in Italy is Aldo Giamani or whatever his name is.

Speaker: He's the finest soprano.

Speaker: No, she's the finest soprano.

Speaker: All the way from Sunnydale, Winona Rosenberg.

Speaker: And she's like, I didn't learn the words.

Speaker: He just pushes her out.

Speaker: So this guy that she bumps into is an actual singer.

Speaker: The auditorium is the exact one from the puppet show.

Speaker: So this is clearly somewhere close by where they either did this later on or at the same time.

Speaker: And yeah, he begins his piece.

Speaker: As I said, the song is from Madden Butterfly.

Speaker: Willow has no idea that it's from Madden Butterfly.

Speaker: No concept of the words.

Speaker: And she just stands there, listens.

Speaker: He carries on, you know, show must go on and all and goes back to her and he's like, it's your turn.

Speaker: She's like, my turn?

Speaker: He's like, mm-hmm.

Speaker: And she speaks.

Speaker: This is so relatable.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: She tries to sing, but all that comes out is a squeak and it's like, oh God.

Speaker: Another foreshadowing moment as well, interestingly.

Speaker: But yeah, it's brilliant.

Speaker: And then we're back to Xander's experience, Xander's nightmare.

Speaker: He's full of chocolate.

Speaker: He picks up a

Speaker: particular chocolate bar that he hasn't had since his and then the realisation his sixth birthday and the evil clown I know you're not a big fan no I'm not no they're really just bombarding us here with all these things yeah and clown spiders so but Xander is confronted by this psychotic clown with a fucking knife and

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: That goes after him.

Speaker: Laughing hysterically.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: It's the laugh, isn't it?

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: It's just horrible.

Speaker: And then we're back in the cemetery at night.

Speaker: Buffy is looking at the hedge that she's just come from.

Speaker: And Billy is there with her and she's like, I don't see the ugly man.

Speaker: I also don't know where the sun and the rest of the world went.

Speaker: So you could tell her hackles are up.

Speaker: She knows something is seriously wrong.

Speaker: And Billy has discovered an open grave and it also has an empty casket.

Speaker: inside and he said, oh, it looks like they're about to bury someone.

Speaker: Someone died.

Speaker: And the angle that we get, and I love this because obviously his really badly manicured hand, which we saw earlier, very deliberately we saw earlier, we see again.

Speaker: And it's like, here he is.

Speaker: He's the master.

Speaker: Yeah, it's the first nightmare coming true.

Speaker: This is it.

Speaker: And he says nobody died.

Speaker: What's the fun of burying someone if they're already dead?

Speaker: Buffy knows exactly who he is because, of course, she's dreamt about him.

Speaker: Well, she's dreamt about him before, but also most recently in the same episode.

Speaker: We've already had one of Buffy's nightmares.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: This particular one, though, is hers, where she's dreamt that the master has risen and she meets him and it's coming true.

Speaker: Now, the master's aware of shit that's going off and he even says, you know, thanks to Billy, he's

Speaker: So he knows exactly what's going on.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: So I love his remark.

Speaker: He's saying, you're prettier than the last one.

Speaker: That's actually said again several times, actually, by other characters.

Speaker: But yeah, so he's now stalking across to her.

Speaker: And he says, I am free because you fear it.

Speaker: Because you fear it, the world is crumbling.

Speaker: And Mark Metcalfe in this scene is great.

Speaker: And, you know, of course, we know that...

Speaker: they will meet again for real in Prophecy Girl.

Speaker: But I think, again, people forget this episode.

Speaker: It's not the first time that Buffy sees the master.

Speaker: She meets him twice in this episode anyway.

Speaker: And he says, your nightmares are made flesh.

Speaker: And he's like, you have Billy to thank for that.

Speaker: So he knows what's going on.

Speaker: I love it.

Speaker: And Buffy looks around and Billy's gone.

Speaker: It's like, thanks, Billy.

Speaker: Run away.

Speaker: He's just fucked off again.

Speaker: And this, I think I'm going to say this is probably one of my favourite lines in it.

Speaker: And it's actually, it is a quote.

Speaker: It's a quote from Cinderella.

Speaker: And he says, A dream is a wish you're hiding.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: Before grabbing Buffy's neck.

Speaker: Just like in the dream.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: And he says, this is real life.

Speaker: And he holds her over the open grave and says, what are you afraid of?

Speaker: And pushes her or drops her into this grave.

Speaker: The coffin closes and he begins to bury her alive.

Speaker: And Buffy is screaming.

Speaker: She's please help me.

Speaker: No, no, no.

Speaker: Please help me out.

Speaker: Please help me out.

Speaker: Um, I've got a tidbit for you with this.

Speaker: So this sounds very real, the fear and the panic and the traumatic occurrence that happens is very much real for Sarah Michelle Gala.

Speaker: She, um, she actually has vocalized how much, uh, this impacted her.

Speaker: She, uh,

Speaker: She actually said several times to the director and the producer, I actually I don't like cemeteries and I have a fear of being buried alive.

Speaker: Yeah, I really don't want to do it.

Speaker: I'm very uncomfortable with this.

Speaker: And somehow, I don't know, that message didn't get relayed or was misunderstood or something like that.

Speaker: We'll never know.

Speaker: But she ended up having to do that scene and they closed the casket on her.

Speaker: And that is pure panic.

Speaker: And after they shot that scene, Samir Shargellet was driving home and she said, I was just in tears.

Speaker: with it so she really struggled with that whole experience and she had to face her fear but she didn't necessarily overcome it I don't think no I don't blame her no poor thing so yeah but again another foreshadowing moment there as well then we're back to Willow's escaped

Speaker: Narrowly missing an apple or a rotten tomato.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: Everybody is booing and it's just... Yeah.

Speaker: She's been heckled off stage.

Speaker: And she finds herself in the same corridor as Xander's nightmare.

Speaker: And they're like, did you find Buffy?

Speaker: She's like, no, because it was not a fucking good idea to separate, was it?

Speaker: Just proved my point.

Speaker: And she's like, what happened to you?

Speaker: And Xander's like, we've got to go.

Speaker: He's like, do you remember my sixth birthday?

Speaker: And she's like, oh, yeah, God, yeah, when the clown chased you.

Speaker: And he's like, yeah.

Speaker: And then you hear this horrible laugh again and the fucking knife coming through the plastic bag.

Speaker: And they run into Giles.

Speaker: I'd love to know what Giles' experience was while he'd been looking for Buffy.

Speaker: But in the meantime, they're running away.

Speaker: And interesting, Xander stops and he says, I'm sick of this.

Speaker: Turns around and punches the clown's lights out.

Speaker: Yes.

Speaker: And he's like, you're a lousy clown.

Speaker: And your balloon animals are pathetic.

Speaker: Love it.

Speaker: So now he is actually the only one that technically faces and conquers their fear in this episode.

Speaker: They then run out of Sunnydale High.

Speaker: All these plastic bags are still hanging around and

Speaker: They up the lighting and the contrast in this scene.

Speaker: So it is not your telly that's gone wrong.

Speaker: It's very deliberate.

Speaker: And, you know, the shadowing on Willow's face, it really highlights the heavy makeup that she's wearing.

Speaker: Well, it highlights the makeup they're all wearing, actually.

Speaker: And they then spot this wormhole opposite the school where it's pitch black.

Speaker: And a cemetery.

Speaker: It looks amazing, actually, from that angle.

Speaker: It does.

Speaker: It's just so, it's like, wow.

Speaker: Yeah, it is pretty cool.

Speaker: So we find that, you know, the guys follow and go through into the cemetery.

Speaker: And they ask, whose nightmare is this?

Speaker: And of course, you know, I mentioned, oh, it's funny that we don't see Giles's.

Speaker: Well, we do.

Speaker: we see Giles's and it's incredibly brutal.

Speaker: It's, it's really sad.

Speaker: I mean, compared to Zen, which, you know, it should be Xander and Willow.

Speaker: They're still teenagers.

Speaker: They haven't, they're still growing, maturing.

Speaker: Uh, Giles is of course, he's a 40 something year old man and, and his fears and his nightmare.

Speaker: And I think I do this.

Speaker: This is so, I say it's sweet, but it is, it's so sweet.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: And his nightmare is seeing Buffy buried.

Speaker: Because it means he's failed.

Speaker: And he's failed.

Speaker: In his duty to protect her.

Speaker: And he's devastated.

Speaker: He crumples in front of the grave and he berates himself.

Speaker: You know, I should have been more cautious.

Speaker: I should have trained you more.

Speaker: The way he's talking directly to her as well is just so, it's so emotional.

Speaker: And he says you were so, but you were so gifted.

Speaker: Another foreshadowing, can I just say.

Speaker: And it's also probably the most outwardly,

Speaker: emotional thing he has said I mean he said before he said before when they had their little bonding moment at the end of um never kill a boy on the first date he said you know you're doing pretty well as a slayer but this is like a step up from that it is and you know this is I mean I think he's forgotten that Xander and Willow are there because he's he's falling into his nightmare now

Speaker: And he's living his own worst nightmare.

Speaker: But yeah, you know, his openness, Willow and Xander see that, you know, they're experiencing that.

Speaker: And they watch as he places his hand onto the newly dug house.

Speaker: grave and as he goes to step away he says I'm sorry and as he steps away this hand grabs his yeah and Buffy launches this well I say launches she sort of

Speaker: sits up in a very Dracula sort of fashion.

Speaker: And she brushes herself off.

Speaker: She gets up.

Speaker: She's like, oh, gosh, my word, you know.

Speaker: And she looks up and she went, oh, God, I thought I was dead.

Speaker: And she's a vampire.

Speaker: Yeah, she's got the face.

Speaker: She's got the fangs.

Speaker: She's got the yellow eyes.

Speaker: She's got all the lumps and bumps.

Speaker: Willow's like, Buffy, your face.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: And I have to say, I don't think Buffy looks good as a vampire.

Speaker: Sorry, love.

Speaker: It doesn't suit her.

Speaker: And she's, well, we think, whose nightmare is this?

Speaker: And it becomes obvious when Giles approaches her, she hides herself away.

Speaker: She's like, don't look at me.

Speaker: And Giles then says, you never told me you dreamt of becoming a vampire.

Speaker: So this is Buffy's worst nightmare.

Speaker: And she said, this isn't a dream.

Speaker: And they come back round.

Speaker: They say, look, no, it isn't.

Speaker: But there is a chance that we can stop this.

Speaker: It all comes from Billy.

Speaker: We need him to wake up.

Speaker: The nightmares will stop.

Speaker: Reality will shift back into place.

Speaker: And we have to do it now.

Speaker: Can you hold together long enough to help us?

Speaker: Basically, can you not eat us?

Speaker: Can you do that?

Speaker: And Buffy sort of looks... I wish they sort of made a bit more of this where she looks at him thinking, yeah, I could eat you right now.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: Couldn't we all?

Speaker: And it's a paisley scarf, isn't it?

Speaker: That's what it is.

Speaker: And she's like, yeah, okay.

Speaker: Yeah, that's it.

Speaker: I will.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: And she's like, don't have to be a vampire to feel it.

Speaker: And she's like, but we've got to hurry because I'm getting, I'm getting hungry.

Speaker: So Xander's like, that is a joke, right?

Speaker: As they all walk off.

Speaker: It's great.

Speaker: It's funny.

Speaker: I love Willow as well.

Speaker: When Willow asks, you know, what if they can't wake Billy up?

Speaker: And it's like, well, you know, valid question.

Speaker: But Giles just says, Willow, do shut up.

Speaker: Shut up.

Speaker: It's not helpful, Willow.

Speaker: Move on.

Speaker: And they've made their way to the hospital and they head into Billy's room, who is, of course, he's asleep.

Speaker: I love all the chaos in the hall where it's...

Speaker: There's one guy with the... Yeah, the paddles.

Speaker: The paddles.

Speaker: Did you see the guy in the background?

Speaker: He's like zombie guy with the paddles.

Speaker: But they're running down the hallway and Giles sees the doctor...

Speaker: who's more than happy to talk about people's private lives to strangers.

Speaker: And he's, he's, oh, doctor, doctor, you know, where's the boy?

Speaker: And he turns and he's, oh, my hands, my hands.

Speaker: And you think, oh, gosh, a surgeon.

Speaker: His nightmare is not...

Speaker: It's really well thought out, isn't it?

Speaker: Everyone has their own nightmare and how it all comes to a head is fantastic.

Speaker: They run into Billy's room.

Speaker: He's, of course, still in a coma.

Speaker: Dan is like, how do we wake him up?

Speaker: Giles is like, um...

Speaker: I know.

Speaker: I'll just shout at him.

Speaker: Yeah, it's very forceful.

Speaker: It's like, okay, Giles, calm down.

Speaker: Billy!

Speaker: Billy's like, Billy then actually says that won't work.

Speaker: You can see Giles is like, looking at them both thinking this is fucked up.

Speaker: I mean, it's never the way to get someone out of a coma.

Speaker: No, no.

Speaker: And Giles says to Billy, you need to wake up.

Speaker: You have to wake up.

Speaker: And he's, no, no, I have to hide.

Speaker: And of course, we know what happens when he hides the ugly man turns up and he's heading down the now empty corridor.

Speaker: Buffy, with her vamp face, says, right, I know what I'm going to do.

Speaker: I'm going to kick his fucking ass.

Speaker: So she takes her lovely jacket off.

Speaker: Willow looks outside and, yeah, the graphics on the flying ants,

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: Not so great.

Speaker: That's maybe on par with the animatronic hyena.

Speaker: Hyena, yeah.

Speaker: Sick.

Speaker: And Buffy then proceeds to... Now, bearing in mind, this is one of her nightmares, that she couldn't fight.

Speaker: She couldn't overpower her foe.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: She's facing this.

Speaker: She's facing this fear.

Speaker: So, actually, yeah, I say Xander is the only one, but no, Buffy is also...

Speaker: she faces uh and she says i'll tell you something though there are a lot scarier things than you and i'm one of them

Speaker: I would say that's my favorite line.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: It's brilliant.

Speaker: And it's Buffy's... She's overcome it.

Speaker: And she literally kicks the shit out of Ugly Man.

Speaker: But he's strong.

Speaker: He's got a baseball bat for an arm, which is more like a tree trunk.

Speaker: It does actually...

Speaker: When he hits it up against the wall, it bounces.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: But never mind.

Speaker: And he does actually get the better of Buffy and they head into the room, the hospital room where Billy is.

Speaker: Buffy grabs him, breaks his bat arm and knocks him out.

Speaker: And he's lying there with his eyes open.

Speaker: And presumably he's knocked out.

Speaker: But Buffy says, Billy, you have to come over here.

Speaker: And Billy's like, I don't want, no, I don't want to.

Speaker: And Buffy's worked this out.

Speaker: She goes, no, you have to do the rest.

Speaker: So this is her saying, you have to face your fear, Billy.

Speaker: This is how we overcome it.

Speaker: Otherwise, reality will crumble, which is exactly what the master said.

Speaker: So Xander and Giles also get this.

Speaker: Willow doesn't quite get it.

Speaker: But Xander actually says, I get it.

Speaker: I understand.

Speaker: And Billy then reveals, he pulls the face off the ugly man.

Speaker: Unmasks him.

Speaker: Unmasks him.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: And the squishy sound is bleh.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: But fortunately, the moment that happens, it flashes and it was all a dream.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: Everything goes back to what it was.

Speaker: Yes.

Speaker: Buffy's no longer a vampire.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: The first thing she does is she looks over at Giles and touches her face.

Speaker: She's like, oh, thank God for that.

Speaker: And they all turn because Billy's waking up.

Speaker: And this is a direct quote again from Wizard of Oz.

Speaker: Wizard of Oz, yeah.

Speaker: So probably Dorothy moment.

Speaker: He said, I had the strangest dream and you were in it.

Speaker: You were there.

Speaker: You were there.

Speaker: And he's like, who are you people?

Speaker: And it's everyone's happy and all the rest of it.

Speaker: And Giles says, oh, best go and get a doctor.

Speaker: And they bump into the, what is it?

Speaker: The coach.

Speaker: The baseball coach.

Speaker: Yeah, the league coach.

Speaker: And he's like, oh, Billy's got visitors.

Speaker: I come in every day hoping that he's going to wake up.

Speaker: He's chatting to Xander and Giles and they're hiding.

Speaker: So his view of Billy is hidden.

Speaker: And he's like, oh yeah, you know, he's my lucky 19.

Speaker: And Giles looks over to Buffy and they both sort of go, ah, right.

Speaker: This is him.

Speaker: He's been revealed.

Speaker: Buffy steps to one side and says, he's awake.

Speaker: And the guy is like, what the fuck?

Speaker: But in the background, while this is all happening, you know, Buffy's like, you caught him after the match or the game.

Speaker: You beat him up, basically.

Speaker: He's like, oh, no, no, what are you talking about?

Speaker: But in the background, Giles actually grabs Xander and pulls him into the door, which is interesting.

Speaker: So they're both barricading the door.

Speaker: And then Billy comes out with the line that Buffy told him, but of course it's in his dreams.

Speaker: He's like, it's not just me.

Speaker: There's eight other players on the team.

Speaker: And kiddie league man tries to run.

Speaker: But because Giles has positioned himself and Xander in the door, they grab them.

Speaker: And Giles is looking very stern, I must say.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: very stern um grabs him and uh yeah it's uh it's great it's it's lovely where sort of Buffy looks over at Billy and says nice going you did it and he's got the cutest little smile at the end yeah so they're reflecting on what's happened and we learned that the coach is now behind Boris yeah where he belongs

Speaker: It is, yeah.

Speaker: And I always find, I thought this a bit weird.

Speaker: Buffy says, oh, that was really heroic, Xander, for grabbing the coach.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: It's like, okay.

Speaker: And he's like, well, you know, if you want to label it heroic, that's fine.

Speaker: It was nothing.

Speaker: It's like, well, yeah, good job Giles was there, wasn't it?

Speaker: But yeah, we won't mention that.

Speaker: And then Buffy's dad turns up.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: Just to resolve that particular nightmare.

Speaker: And he's, you know, he's so different.

Speaker: He's like, oh, good to see you, sweetheart.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: you know he's very attentive to her he's very friendly he's very loving affectionate everything so you know that you know it was that was also Buffy's worst nightmare but she doesn't necessarily need to to confront that because it's not necessarily true and

Speaker: The last bit makes me giggle when Willow asks Xander, she's like, you still fancied Buffy, didn't you, even as a vampire?

Speaker: And he's like, no, no, she was grotesque and...

Speaker: And I'm sick.

Speaker: Something wrong with me.

Speaker: So yeah.

Speaker: So Xander's still very much in love with Buffy.

Speaker: Anyway, anyway that she, that she is.

Speaker: But yeah, it's a great episode.

Speaker: It is.

Speaker: It really is.

Speaker: And considering how long it actually takes us to go through it, you forget that it's like 45 minutes long and they pack all of this in.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: It's, it's incredible.

Speaker: I mean, some episodes more than others, but yeah, this is one of them where it's just nonstop jam packed.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: There, there is, there is so much and the scenes are very, we've mentioned, you know, deliberately very short in some occasions and, you know, as the storyteller making, wanting to make you realize you think, Oh, hang on, this is different.

Speaker: This feels different.

Speaker: It's jarring.

Speaker: There is a change, you know, and, and,

Speaker: But yet you get a lot of screen time for the master.

Speaker: There's a lot of screen time for every Scooby as well.

Speaker: We don't see Cordelia after.

Speaker: I wish we'd seen Cordelia after this episode because it would have been interesting just to maybe have an interaction between her and maybe Willow.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: So Willy's like, oh, how is chess?

Speaker: You know, just something like that.

Speaker: Or just for that to come up again.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: You know, the riders are very good at that, you know, where they'll do a callback.

Speaker: So your favourite scene, what was your favourite scene?

Speaker: Yeah, it was the scene between Buffy and her dad.

Speaker: I mean, purely because of just Sarah Michelle Gellar's performance.

Speaker: Yes.

Speaker: It's just, even though you know at this point that it has to be a nightmare, it's still heartbreaking to watch because nobody wants to see their own parent's

Speaker: speaking to them like that no and it just brings all her insecurities out as well it's yeah yeah it's very sad

Speaker: Well, I'm still unsure about my favourite scene, but I really like the interactions with Buffy and the Master.

Speaker: I think they're great to see.

Speaker: But I think it must... I just like the interaction with the library scene where you've got Xander, Willow and Giles and that back and forth where Xander's really into his pattern.

Speaker: He's like, oh, it's Billy.

Speaker: Who's Billy?

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: um so i think that's a really good well-timed really well-paced moves things forward really quickly and easily um yeah i think that's maybe my favorite scene best line yeah for me it's buffy confronting ugly man and saying there are a lot scarier things than you and i'm one of them yeah it's killer triumphant moment yeah

Speaker: It's got to be for me, I think the master.

Speaker: A dream is a wish your heart makes.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: It's just so.

Speaker: It's so well delivered.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: It just shows the depth of the show, you know, that you can actually quote Cinderella.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: But you can have the most grotesque, most evil, biggest, bad quote Cinderella.

Speaker: It's great.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: It's brilliant.

Speaker: Favourite outfit.

Speaker: I think for me, it has to be Willows when she's performing.

Speaker: Like we said, she just looks so glamorous in it.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: It's really eye catching.

Speaker: It's awesome, isn't it?

Speaker: Well, even though Buffy's outfit is very iconic, of course, mentioned, you know, it was used for the action figure in the Funko Pop.

Speaker: I actually, I really like Xander's wardrobe in this episode.

Speaker: I'm just a huge fan of the Sunnydale t-shirt as well.

Speaker: But I actually, his shirt, trouser combination, it's just so Zan.

Speaker: I know I've mentioned, obviously, it's prime.

Speaker: All of them are perfect.

Speaker: But we've not had Zan yet.

Speaker: So I thought that's probably a good healthy time to bring him up.

Speaker: Your favorite character?

Speaker: I think it's Buffy just because I mean everyone's so good in it but yeah again it's it's the emotion and it's just and then even just seeing the fear even though it was such an uncomfortable scene for to film yeah she goes through a lot and then even the realization that she's a vampire and

Speaker: yeah I think I'd go with Buffy just because she shows a hell of a lot of emotion yes yeah I'm really torn because I don't think the episode works without one of them they have to they all have to be present yeah um so uh and they all feed off each other and

Speaker: and work off each other, and they create this balance in the episode that you don't often see in every episode of the show.

Speaker: But yeah, I think I'm going to have to say Buffy as well, for very similar reasons, you know, that her ability, well, Sarah Michelle Gellar's ability to make Buffy so raw, so real as well.

Speaker: But for me, that moment where she says to her mum,

Speaker: oh, he is definitely coming, isn't he?

Speaker: For me, that is more so than that worst nightmare of him actually saying, oh, no, I don't want you.

Speaker: You're to blame.

Speaker: It's that element of not knowing, being out of control.

Speaker: And she relays that so, so well with just very few words, just a look.

Speaker: She's like, oh, sometimes, maybe.

Speaker: I'm not sure.

Speaker: Yeah, I'd say that's my favorite character as well.

Speaker: Oh.

Speaker: Kill count.

Speaker: Yeah, it was tricky to work this out because we thought she killed a character and then realised, oh no, she didn't.

Speaker: Yeah, because she doesn't kill the ugly man.

Speaker: No, it's Billy who handles that one because he has to.

Speaker: I don't think there is actually any deaths in this.

Speaker: Well, actually, I'm wrong.

Speaker: There is because Buffy does die.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: And comes back as a vampire.

Speaker: So does that make the master her sire as well?

Speaker: I mean, we don't see it.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: And we also know that he just pushes her into the grave and buries her.

Speaker: But he was the only vampire on the crime scene.

Speaker: Yes.

Speaker: Yes.

Speaker: So by, you know, yeah, so she's mastered by, she's mastered by the sire.

Speaker: She's sired by the master.

Speaker: Is that why you're always cleaning your glasses?

Speaker: So you don't have to see what we're doing?

Speaker: Tell Noah.

Speaker: Giles' glasses and knockouts?

Speaker: No knockouts in this episode.

Speaker: He gets a little bit of a break.

Speaker: But we have two for the glasses.

Speaker: So the first one is in the library when he tells Buffy that he can't read because it's a very stressful time for him.

Speaker: So he has to take off the glasses.

Speaker: Right.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: Which won't help his, you know, his attempts to read anyway, ironically.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: They are off at the beginning of the scene and he puts them back on, but we've got to count it anyway.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: And then he does it again in the same scene and puts them back on just as Buffy's dad walks in.

Speaker: Ah, yes.

Speaker: I'm so glad that you are aware of that.

Speaker: I didn't even spot it.

Speaker: I love keeping track of this, I have to say.

Speaker: This is your thing, definitely.

Speaker: Yes.

Speaker: So, yeah, I mean, I...

Speaker: I have got a huge theory about nightmares.

Speaker: But as we said before, at the beginning of the episode, it's an episode of foreshadowing.

Speaker: People see it as a standalone.

Speaker: And it really, I think it's the huge, the biggest mistake that people make about nightmares because it isn't standalone.

Speaker: It goes very dark very quickly.

Speaker: It puts everything back on track.

Speaker: Ultimately, we've got one episode before the season finale.

Speaker: We've got one more.

Speaker: And that, in my eyes, is a standalone.

Speaker: It's a filler episode.

Speaker: But this one is well and truly ingrained in all of the Buffyverse.

Speaker: Because not only does it foreshadow the season finale,

Speaker: but it foreshadows so much that happens later on in the season.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: So we'll put in a spoiler warning now.

Speaker: So can I run through...

Speaker: the foreshadowing points that I've pinpointed and spotted.

Speaker: And if you've seen more as well, let us know, do comment.

Speaker: So, but just try to, I say, I say try to be specific, but no, just, yeah, comment.

Speaker: Just let us know if we miss out on any of these.

Speaker: And in no particular order,

Speaker: We have essentially everyone's fears.

Speaker: So we know that these are truths.

Speaker: These are ingrained in people's minds.

Speaker: We have the first nightmare, which is Willows, let's say, and it's a direct parallel.

Speaker: So we see Willows, the same costume.

Speaker: We see the same setup in Restless.

Speaker: which is much, much later on in season four.

Speaker: And I think this episode was probably the closest you get to Restless as well.

Speaker: It's very similar.

Speaker: Of course, it's meant to be dreams.

Speaker: And it's got that sort of the filmmaking aspect of it is very, very similar to how they made Nightmares.

Speaker: But it's just on a much bigger scale.

Speaker: It's a lot more obvious and evident.

Speaker: Giles's fear of Buffy's death.

Speaker: We see this in The Gift.

Speaker: And the fact that it's called The Gift, and he says, and you were so gifted.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: So I think that was maybe a happy accident, but yeah, it's there.

Speaker: It worked out very well.

Speaker: Of course, the Master and Buffy, they meet for the first time in this episode.

Speaker: That foreshadows this season's finale in Prophecy Girl.

Speaker: Buffy's fear or fears, sadly for her, the majority do actually come true.

Speaker: The only one that doesn't come true is Buffy becoming a vampire.

Speaker: However, I think there's a lot of parallels there, you know, how closely linked she is to the undead.

Speaker: It manifests itself in other ways.

Speaker: So, of course, you have that relationship with Angel.

Speaker: You also have the relationship with

Speaker: later on with Spike.

Speaker: But we do actually see Xander and Willow become vampires as well in The Wish.

Speaker: So it sort of foreshadows that similar theme.

Speaker: What would happen if one of the characters became the bad guys?

Speaker: Annoyingly, they don't do that to Giles in the show.

Speaker: But they do actually do this in the comics.

Speaker: They do this in the book as well, The Lost Slayer, which was written by Christopher Golden.

Speaker: And more recently, huge spoiler alert, hopefully you've listened to it by now, but in the Audible, you also have Giles becoming a vampire in that.

Speaker: So it does come to pass.

Speaker: It's just taken a bit longer and by other means.

Speaker: But also in the video game, is it Chaos Bleeds?

Speaker: Yeah, absolutely.

Speaker: You also have Giles as the evil vampire.

Speaker: So, yeah, there's a lot of foreshadowing there for other characters and using the idea of them becoming the bad vampire.

Speaker: What would that look like?

Speaker: There's Buffy's fear of being buried alive, which awfully happens in Bargaining Part 2, which comes after the gift.

Speaker: And the other fear that she has is her father's abandonment

Speaker: Which also does come true.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: Because he just shows absolutely no sign of... I think that's more... I think for me, when the fact you've got him telling her face to face, I'm going to tell you the truth.

Speaker: All of it is, isn't it?

Speaker: The reality is that arseholes like that don't spend any time explaining.

Speaker: They just fuck off.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: They show no...

Speaker: no interest at all um and this is this is my experience so um yeah so to see that actually come true is it's very sad to see it come true but to see it come true in a very realistic way it sort of it helped me anyway because i'm like oh okay buffy's dad also just doesn't give a shit yeah

Speaker: So, yeah, so there's so much foreshadowing there.

Speaker: The other foreshadowing, which is, I mean, it's kind of funny now, is when Giles says, this is not a dream, that would be a musical comedy.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: Again, happens with once more with feeling to a certain extent.

Speaker: And yeah, so there's so much there.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: A hell of a lot.

Speaker: Yeah, that comes to pass.

Speaker: And you think that's in one episode.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: And that more or less lays out some of the key moments in all of the characters' lives that we see.

Speaker: It lays out some of the most famous episodes and well-known episodes of the series.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: And, you know, those storylines as well.

Speaker: Yeah, it is not an episode to ignore.

Speaker: No, absolutely not.

Speaker: And I really hope that we've sort of convinced people that this is one of the most key, most vital episodes of the season.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: So, yeah, there we go.

Speaker: We are almost done now.

Speaker: So the next episode we will be watching is Out of Mind, Out of Sight.

Speaker: Episode 11, season one.

Speaker: So we're getting close.

Speaker: We are.

Speaker: Do you like this next episode?

Speaker: I do.

Speaker: Not as much as this one, admittedly.

Speaker: But what I like about it...

Speaker: is we mentioned how, you know, it would have been nice to see more, a bit more of Cordelia and she features very heavily in the next episode.

Speaker: And it's not, it's not all about her.

Speaker: Like there's a story that's woven into it, but she is a big part of it.

Speaker: And we get a lot of insight into her as well, which I really like.

Speaker: So looking forward to it.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: It's a lovely episode, actually.

Speaker: It's really well made, really well written.

Speaker: As you said, there's a lot more Cordelia, which,

Speaker: I think we're overdue now.

Speaker: We need a little more about her and an explanation about why she is the way she is and does she choose to be that way and her behaviour towards Buffy as well.

Speaker: It really just adds to the theme of the overall episode.

Speaker: Yeah, I'm really looking forward to re-watching and going through that one with you.

Speaker: So until next time then, guys, thank you so much for joining us again.

Speaker: And we hope that you've really enjoyed this episode.

Speaker: And yeah, we look forward to you joining us for next episode.

Speaker: And do follow us on X, Instagram and TikTok, previously on Buffy.

Speaker: So we'll see you then.

Speaker: Next time on previously on Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Speaker: We also see Buffy experiencing isolation and loneliness.

Speaker: I mean, she's the Slayer as well, which obviously that in itself isolates you, even from your friends.

Speaker: Yeah.

Speaker: As we see countless times.

Speaker: Harmony gets shoved.

Speaker: It's almost like she's pulled down the stairs.

Speaker: And the next thing, Snyder is there and he sends a girl to go and get the school nurse.

Speaker: He's like, oh, for heaven's sake.

Speaker: We can't have any more dead students this week.

Speaker: Thanks for listening to Previously on Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

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Speaker: Just search Previously on Buffy.

Speaker: Don't forget to subscribe to us on your favorite podcast directory so you never miss an episode.