Ted (Buffy episode)
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| Buffy the Vampire Slayer episode | |
|---|---|
| “Ted” | |
| Image:Buffyep23.jpg | |
| Episode no. | Season 2 Episode 11 |
| Guest star(s) | Kristine Sutherland (Joyce Summers) Robia LaMorte (Ms. Calendar) John Ritter (Ted) |
| Writer(s) | David Greenwalt and Joss Whedon |
| Director | Bruce Seth Green |
| Production no. | 5V11 |
| Original airdate | December 8, 1997 |
| Episode chronology | |
| ← Previous | Next → |
| "What's My Line, Part Two" | "Bad Eggs" |
"Ted" is episode 11 of season 2 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. See also List of Buffy the Vampire Slayer episodes.
Contents |
[edit] Plot synopsis
As Buffy, Xander and Willow walk home, discussing the merits of the Captain & Tennille, they find the door to Buffy's house open, and when Buffy calls for her mother, there is no reply. Fearing the worst, the three friends enter the kitchen to find, to their horror -- Joyce kissing a strange man.
Joyce introduces her friend, Ted Buchanan, a salesman who as charming and generous as they come; He tells them that he has been seeing Joyce for quite some time now, and then promises Willow some free upgrades for her computer (to her glee), whilst Xander proclaims him the God of Cooking, and becomes infatuated with his mini-pizzas. Ted takes a moment to apologise to Buffy for meeting her for the first time the way he did, and promises to make it up to her in some way.
The next day at school, Buffy does not understand what is so great about Ted anyway - after all, he talks like a 50's sitcom character and is clearly rather eccentric; but the other two think she is simply being unfair, or has parental issues, or both. Ted enters, and gives Willow her upgrades. He then suggests that he takes them on a mini-golf/picnic over the weekend, and although Buffy is clearly uncomfortable with the idea, Xander and Willow are almost too enthusiastic to come.
That night, Buffy beats a vampire an unusually bloody pulp before killing him, worring Giles that something is troubling her. She refuses to divulge, but Giles secretly has a good idea of what is happening (aided by some anything-but-subtle hints dumped in his lap by Buffy).
Later that night, Buffy asks Angel for his take on things, while she tends to the hand wound he sustained recently. He says that her mother needs a man in her life, and she should give him the benefit of the doubt. She relunctantly complies with this idea.
The game is on, and Buffy is doing exceeding poorly. It is here when Buffy learns, to her horror, that her mom has told her about her poor grades and habits of sneaking outside at night (although Joyce sees nothing wrong with revealing such things). When Buffy tries to cheat by dropping her ball into the hole when no-one is looking, Ted catches her and tells her that he will not tolerate cheating "in his house" - unless she wants her "smart-ass mouth" slapped. Buffy cannot believe what she is hearing; especially when Ted immediately reverts back to the kind, generous man who the others adore.
When Buffy tries to tell her mother, Joyce disbelieves her, saying that Ted thinks the world of her. Realising this is getting her nowhere, she elects to ask Willow, Xander and Cordelia to find out more about his enigmatic character; whilst she goes to his office, under the assumed name of Belinda, and learns from a co-worker that he has never missed a day of work, never gets sick and, most worryingly, is getting engaged. "Belinda" recognises the picture on his desk of her mother, and realises that he has folded the picture in half (covering the half with her on it).
That night, she asks Joyce and Ted at dinner if this is true, and Ted denies it - but he's certainly hoping to ask Joyce to marry him if all goes well. She shows her disdain, and Joyce tells her to go to her room. Buffy does just this, and then jumps out her window, in order to do some slaying, to clear her head. Once she returns, she finds Ted waiting in her room, He has read her diary, and wonders what a "vampire slayer" is. He threatens to show Joyce this diary, unless Buffy toes the line. When she complains, he slaps her. Buffy is glad of the excuse to hit him. In the resulting fist-fight, she punches him and knocks him down the stairs. Joyce arrives in time to see this fateful punch, and feels his pulse. She can only say weakly: "You killed him..."
The police arrive and question the Summers women, the coroner proclaims him dead and Buffy has never felt so appalled with herself. She thinks her mother will never forgive her, and she doesn't blame her one bit. She practically sleepwalks through school the next day. Her friends, realizing that Buffy wouldn't kill someone just for dating her mom, begin to investigate. Xander, munching on one of Ted's cookies, is at first concerned, but then dismisses the whole thing. This makes Willow suspicious of the cookie. Upon analysis, the cookie is proven to contain a tranquilizer and a sedative that is also found in ecstasy. Cordelia then finds out that Ted has had four previous wives (dating back to 1957), all of whom have since "disappeared".
Meanwhile, at the cemetery, Giles is patrolling and Jenny surprises him to talk. After Jenny apologies to Giles for not being honest with him, they are attacked by a vampire and Jenny accidentally wounds Giles with a bolt from the crossbow he drops in the attack. Giles kills the fiend and the pair limp off to the hospital, to sort out the flesh wound.
Buffy goes up to her room, to find Ted, alive. He beats her and when he tries to throttle her to death, he stabs his arm with a nail file. Sparks fly, and his internal mechanics begin to malfunction: Ted is revealed to be a robot. He knocks Buffy out and goes downstairs to find Joyce.
Meanwhile, the three sleuths have found Ted's residence and discover the schematics of his robotic body and what remains of his previous wives in his closet. They race back to warn Buffy.
Back at the Summers residence, Ted goes to Joyce, who is astonished to see him. When she insists on telling Buffy about his "resurrection", as she has been torturing herself over the affair, he tells her she can't, but that she must leave with him immediately. As he continues to short circuit, he goes berserk and reveals his plan to dominate her. As she tries to escape, he knocks her out, only to be defeated at the hands of Buffy and a frying pan.
The next day, Joyce swears off men forever and says that from now on, the two Summers women shall be manless. Buffy suggests renting a chick flick.
When the gang return the next day, with Buffy being acquitted of all charges, all seems to have returned to normalcy... with the exception of Mr. Giles and Ms. Calendar kissing in the library.
[edit] Writing and acting
[edit] Production details
- The Watcher's Guide reveals that this episode was shot during Halloween: Many members of the cast and crew came to the set in costume; Kristine Sutherland (Joyce) wore 1950s clothes like Ted’s first wife, and Sarah Michelle Gellar came as Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz, along with her dog, 'Toto'.
- The Watcher's Guide mentions that during the filming of the final fight scene between Buffy and Ted, both Sarah Michelle Gellar and John Ritter were sick; Ms. Gellar from flu, Mr. Ritter from food poisoning the night before.
[edit] Music
- Christophe Beck - "Accused"
- Christophe Beck - "Robot rampage"
[edit] Cultural References
- Captain & Tennille - In the beginning, Willow and Xander are arguing about the Captain and Tennille.
- James Bond - Xander cynically asks if Buffy should have “A license to kill?” This refers to the 1989 movie "Licence to Kill" starring Timothy Dalton, or to James Bond in general.
- Kevlar - Giles says to Jenny "The advantages of layers of tweed. It’s better than Kevlar.” Kevlar is a material which is used to make bullet proof vests.
- The Stepfather-Terminator-Collector’. - In The Monster Book Joss Whedon states “we refer to 'Ted' as ‘The Stepfather-Terminator-Collector’”, revealing three films that influenced the character. 1
- The Stepford Wives - Ted refers to The Stepford Wives, originally a 1972 novel about a town in Connecticut where the women seemed to live perfect lives as housewives but turn out to be robots. The movie was remade in 2004.
- Superman - Cordelia says of Buffy, “But she’s like this Superman.”
- Thelma & Louise - Buffy tells Joyce, “I guess we’re Thelma & Louise-ing it again.” She is referring to the 1991 movie Thelma & Louise, about two women who go on a road trip, where things get from bad to worse. The movie is often associated with female bonding.
[edit] Quotes and trivia
- The Watcher's Guide includes a line cut from the conversation between Willow and Xander regarding the Captain and Tennille:
Willow: “I’m just saying that if Tennille were in charge, she would have had the little captain hat.”
Xander says, “Yeah, with Spike and Drusilla out of the way, we’ve really been ridin’ the mellow… and I am really jinxing the hell out of us by saying that”.
Buffy replies, “Yeah, but we’ll let you off this time”. This forshadows later events in "Innocence" and "Surprise".
Giles: "Buffy, I believe the subtext here is rapidly becoming text."
We actually don't find out what happened to the "real" Ted. Given the fact that he has married in 1957, he might well be still alive, although it is mentioned that he built the 'Tedbot' as he had a terminal cancer.
[edit] Continuity
[edit] Arc significance
This is the first appearance of a human-like robot on the series. Although another robot was constructed in "I, Robot... You, Jane", this one possesses completely human-created artificial intelligence. Stupendously advanced, these machines are nearly indistinguishable from humans and would probably pass the Turing test. The next well-made robot to appear on the show is April ("I Was Made to Love You").
This episode also provides an opportunity for Giles and Ms. Calendar to regain good footing in their relationship. It was put on the rocks three episodes prior in "The Dark Age" when Jenny experienced Giles' darker side and almost died.
[edit] Timing
- Stories that take place around the same time in the Buffyverse:
| Location, time (if known) |
Buffyverse chronology: Fall 1997 - Spring 1998 (non-canon = italic) |
|---|---|
| Sunnydale, fall 1997 | B2.01 When She Was Bad |
| Sunnydale, 1997 | Tales of the Slayers: Broken Bottle of Djinn, 1997 |
| Sunnydale, 1997 | B2.02 Some Assembly Required |
| Sunnydale, 1997 | Tales of the Vampires: The Problem with Vampires |
| Sunnydale, 1997 | Buffy graphic novel: Spike & Dru: The Queen of Hearts |
| Sunnydale, 1997 | B2.03 School Hard |
| Sunnydale, 1997 | B2.04 Inca Mummy Girl |
| Sunnydale, 1997 | B2.05 Reptile Boy |
| Sunnydale, 1997 | Buffy graphic novel: Dust Waltz |
| Sunnydale, October 1997 | B2.06 Halloween |
| Sunnydale, 1997 | B2.07 Lie to Me |
| Sunnydale, 1997 | Buffy book: Keep Me In Mind |
| Sunnydale, 1997 | Buffy book: The Suicide King |
| Sunnydale, 1997 | Buffy book: Colony |
| Sunnydale, 1997 | Buffy book: Night Terrors |
| Sunnydale, 1997 | B2.08 The Dark Age |
| Sunnydale, 1997 | B2.09 What's My Line, Part One |
| Sunnydale, 1997 | B2.10 What's My Line, Part Two |
| Sunnydale, 1997 | Buffy book: After Image |
| Sunnydale, 1997 | Buffy book: Carnival of Souls |
| Sunnydale, 1997 | B2.11 Ted |
| Sunnydale, 1997 | B2.12 Bad Eggs |
| Boston, December 1997 - June 1998 | Buffy book: Go Ask Malice: A Slayer's Diary |
| Sunnydale, 1997/8 | Buffy book: Blooded |
| Sunnydale, 1998 | B2.13 Surprise |
| Sunnydale, 1998 | B2.14 Innocence |
| Sunnydale, 1998 | B2.15 Phases |
| Sunnydale, 1998 | B2.16 Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered |
| Sunnydale, 1998 | B2.17 Passion |
| Sunnydale, 1998 | Buffy graphic novel: Ring of Fire |
| Sunnydale, 1998 | B2.18 Killed by Death |
| Sunnydale, 1998 | B2.19 I Only Have Eyes for You |
| Sunnydale, 1998 | B2.20 Go Fish |
| Sunnydale, spring 1998 | B2.21 Becoming I |
| Sunnydale, spring 1998 | B2.22 Becoming II |
| Sunnydale, spring 1998 | Buffy graphic novel: Spike & Dru: Paint the Town Red |
