What's My Line, Part Two (Buffy episode)
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| Buffy the Vampire Slayer episode | |
|---|---|
| “What's My Line, Part Two” | |
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| Episode no. | Season 2 Episode 10 |
| Guest star(s) | Seth Green (Oz) Bianca Lawson (Kendra) James Marsters (Spike) Juliet Landau (Drusilla) |
| Writer(s) | Marti Noxon |
| Director | David Semel |
| Production no. | 5V10 |
| Original airdate | November 17, 1997 |
| Episode chronology | |
| ← Previous | Next → |
| "What's My Line, Part One" | "Ted" |
"What's My Line, Part Two" is episode 10 of season 2 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. See also List of Buffy the Vampire Slayer episodes.
Contents |
[edit] Plot synopsis
[edit] Summary
Buffy is attacked by a gun-happy Assassin at Career Fair, while Xander and Cordelia are cornered in Buffy's basement by a salesman-cum-mealworm. The unlikely couple kiss after a heated argument. Meanwhile, Giles learns that Spike plans to sacrifice Angel in order to to restore Drusilla to health. The Scooby Gang storms the church in the middle of the ritual. They free Angel and leave Drusilla and Spike for dead in the burning building. However, the ritual is successful - Dru is restored and carries the seriously injured Spike from the burning building. Kendra returns to her own Watcher after exchanging gifts with Buffy.
[edit] Expanded overview
Buffy and Kendra go to Giles for assistance in explaining their situation. They learn that Kendra is the slayer who was 'called' when Buffy temporarily died in her fight with the "the Master" in "Prophecy Girl". Their discussion reveals that Kendra had locked Angel in a cage, leaving him to be dusted at sunrise. Buffy and Kendra arrive to find only an empty cage; Buffy fears the worst, but Kendra points out the absence of dust.
Willy (the bar guy) had saved Angel from near-death, only to dump him in a sewer with Spike. Spike takes Angel back to the warehouse, where he will be held until he can be sacrificed to restore Drusilla to full strength. Drusilla asks Spike to let her torture Angel. Although Spike briefly hesitates, he soon smiles and agrees, unable to resist indulging her whims. Meanwhile, as Buffy ruminates on the co-existence of two slayers, she entertains the possibility of quitting and letting Kendra take over her Slayer duties.
Giles begins to bond professionally with Kendra, who seems to be more dedicated to her calling than Buffy, on a professional, intellectual and academic level. Xander and Cordelia face even bigger problems when they find that the salesman that Cordy let into the Summers' house is actually an assassin who can transform himself into thousands of mealworms. They run and hide in the basement, although before long they are fighting each other. After an unexpected kiss, Xander and Cordelia rush to escape the basement, running past the attacking worm-monster. At school, the career placement test has thrown Willow and Oz together, and they discuss their similar interests. Buffy, whose test results recommend a career in law enforcement, attends the career fair seminar to appease Principal Snyder. The police officer leading the seminar calls Buffy's name, but when Buffy identifies herself the officer draws her gun and points it at the Slayer. Buffy avoids the bullet, which instead hits Oz as he pushed Willow out of harm's way. Kendra comes to Buffy's rescue, and they fight off the attacker. The Scoobies then gather in the library, where Giles announces that Spike intends for Angel to die in the ritual to restore Dru. Buffy angrily announces that Spike can do anything to her, but he had better not mess with her boyfriend.
Meanwhile Angel is being tortured by Dru, both emotionally and physically; she pours holy water on him as she reminds him about how he killed her whole family. Spike comes in and announces that it is time for the ritual to begin. Angel taunts Spike with insinuations that Spike is unable to satisfy Dru, in hopes that Spike will kill him before he can be used to cure Dru. Spike is infuriated, but does not lose sight of the big picture. Meanwhile Kendra gains a newfound respect for Buffy's qualities as a slayer. Later, the Slayers go after Willie to learn what happened to Angel; they force Willie to take them to the location of Spike and Angel, but they arrive too late to prevent the ritual. Buffy attacks Spike to save Angel, and Kendra and the Scooby Gang arrive to back her up. Xander and Cordelia work together in the hallway to kill the worm assassin; since he can only be destroyed in his "disassembled state", they lure the worms underneath a door into a sticky trap. Willow and Giles work together to stake a vampire while Buffy and Kendra fight several of their own. Spike starts a fire and rushes to rescue the unconscious Dru, hoping that the ritual has had time to cure her. However, Buffy prevents their exit, crushing them in falling rubble.
Kendra exchanges parting words; she wears Buffy's shirt. After her departure, Drusilla rises from the rubble, completely revived, and carries Spike out of the mess, promising to take care of him now.
[edit] Writing and acting
- This episode seems to make a statement on book- versus social learning, the contrast made more distinct by the season finale.
- Bianca Lawson commented on her accent during her stint on Buffy in an interview with SFX magazine:
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- “I really hated that accent! I got the part, and I didn’t originally have an accent. Then, literally the night before, they said, “What about a Jamaican accent?” So it’s one of those things where, y’know, I just had to put it on tape, but I didn’t have a chance to get comfortable with it. And the thing is, certain things - if you say it properly [in Jamaican patois], people don’t really fully understand it, so they would change things. They’d say, “Well, say it like this” and it’s like, “Would that be accurate in that accent though?” “It doesn’t matter because no-one’s going to understand you!” So different people were giving their interpretations of it. I was like “But everyone’s going to think that I’m doing it wrong!” So personally, I wasn’t happy with the accent!”
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- Seth Green mentioned in an Ultimate TV talk that the line “I mock you with my monkey pants” was initially dreamt by Alyson Hannigan. Joss Whedon decided to insert it in the episode. Marti Noxon said in her commentary for the season four DVD, that all the lines after Oz’s compliment about Willow’s smile were ad-libbed by Seth and Alyson.
[edit] Production details
[edit] Music
- The Beatles - "I Am The Walrus". Xander says, “I am the bug man, coo coo ka choo.” This is a reference to The Beatles’ song “I Am The Walrus” (1967) which contains the line, “I am the eggman, they are the eggmen, I am the walrus, goo goo g’joob.”
[edit] Cultural References
- Funny Farm - Buffy tells Kendra not to watch the in-flight movie if it’s got Chevy Chase in it. In 1988, Sarah Michelle Gellar had an uncredited cameo in the Chase film, Funny Farm.
- Mary Kay - Xander says, “Okay, Mary Kay, time to…”. Xander is referencing "Mary Kay Cosmetics" since the Bugman had been posing as a salesman from a cosmetics company.
- Mighty Morphin Power Rangers - Buffy says to Kendra “Back off, Pink Ranger!” This is likely an in-joke since Sarah Michelle Gellar’s stunt double, Sophia Crawford, used to be the stunt double for the Pink Power Ranger on the TV show, Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers.
- Molly Ringwald - Buffy said “After all of this is over, I’m thinking pineapple pizza and teen video movie fest. Possibly something from the Ringwald oeuvre.” She is referring to the actress, Molly Ringwald. Ringwald starred in many 80s teen movies like Pretty in Pink and The Breakfast Club. After Alyson Hannigan left the stage production of When Harry Met Sally in 2004, Molly took over the part of 'Sally'.
- Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm - Spike calls Buffy “Rebecca of Sunnyhell Farm”, referencing a 1903 children’s book Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm about a farm girl called Rebecca.
- The Wizard of Oz - Xander says, “Welcome my little pretties”. This is likely a reference to The Wizard of Oz; the Wicked Witch of the West calls Dorothy her “pretty”.
[edit] Quotes and trivia
- Drusilla previously sang the rhyme, “Run and catch, run and catch, the lamb is caught in the blackberry patch” in the episode "Lie to Me" and sings it again in the Angel episode "Reunion".
- Oz says that his current goal in life is to learn play an E flat diminished ninth chord.
- This episode includes the first time Giles kills a vampire onscreen, and the first time Willow ever kills a vampire.
[edit] Continuity
[edit] Arc significance
This is the beginning of Xander and Cordelia's relationship.
[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 |
