School Hard

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“School Hard”
Buffy the Vampire Slayer episode
Episode no.	Season 2 Episode 3
Guest stars	Kristine Sutherland    (Joyce Summers) Robia LaMorte    (Ms. Calendar) Andrew J. Ferchland    (The Anointed One) James Marsters    (Spike) Juliet Landau    (Drusilla) Alexandra Johnes    (Sheila) Gregory Scott Cummings    (Big Ugly) Andrew Palmer    (Lean Boy) Armin Shimerman    (Principal Snyder)
Written by	David Greenwalt (story & teleplay) Joss Whedon (story)
Directed by	John T. Kretchmer
Production no.	5V03
Original airdate	September 29, 1997
Episode chronology
← Previous	Next →
"Some Assembly Required"	"Inca Mummy Girl"

"School Hard" is episode 3 of season 2 of the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. See also List of Buffy the Vampire Slayer episodes.

[edit] Plot synopsis

"School Hard" starts with Buffy and Sheila in Principal Snyder's office. He has decided that his two nemeses will prepare the school lounge for parent-teacher night on Thursday. Whoever does the better job will not be expelled. Sheila's continued unconcern puts even more pressure on Buffy, who already has a tough time balancing slaying with a social life.

This marks the first appearance of James Marsters, whose character Spike undergoes drastic changes throughout the rest of the series.

That night, a pair of vampires with English accents arrive in town. Spike and Drusilla interrupt a gathering by the Anointed One to discuss The Master's departure. Spike promises to kill Buffy as he has killed two slayers already.

While the Scoobies are busy preparing for the parents, Giles and Jenny Calendar show up to inform Buffy that Saturday will be the Night of Saint Vigeous, named after the leader of a vampire crusade. Buffy is unimpressed.

Buffy tries to combine school and social life by studying French at the Bronze. Spike is there, too, and sends one of his minions to lure Buffy into action, which he observes. When Buffy kills the vampire, Spike steps out of the shadows and predicts that he will kill her on Saturday. He later brings Sheila, who is enthralled by his evil boy charms, to the weak Drusilla as food.

Giles does not recognize Spike from Buffy's description. Angel walks in on the meeting and tells them that Spike is very bad news without giving any more detail. Later, Giles finds a reference to Spike as "William the Bloody," who has killed two slayers.

On Thursday night, the Scoobies are making weapons in the library while Buffy is preparing the buffet. She eventually fails to keep Snyder from her mother. Afterwards, a stern Joyce orders Buffy home just as Spike and the other vampires crash through the window, too impatient to wait for Saturday. In the ensuing fight, Buffy leads the adults to safety in the science room while Xander, Giles, and Ms. Calendar barricade themselves in the library. Willow and Cordelia hide in a utility closet. Xander is sent out to get Angel. Buffy takes command of the incredulous adults, tells them to stay put and climbs through the air ducts to reach the library and her weapons.

Xander returns to the school with Angel, who pretends to be his former evil self. Though Spike first welcomes Angel as a long-lost friend, he sees through the ruse and Xander and Angel are forced to flee. Xander hears Spike call Angel his "sire" and "Yoda."

Buffy and Spike finally meet in the hall, and Buffy is almost bested when her mother shows up and hits Spike over the head with the flat of an axe. With the curse "Women!" he retreats. Joyce tells Buffy that she trusts Buffy to take care of herself, whatever Snyder may say.

Snyder asks the police chief to release a cover story about a gang on PCP, letting us know that he knows more about what is happening in Sunnydale than he has shown so far.

Spike returns to the vampire lair, where the Anointed One demands penance for attacking too early. After starting to go through the motions, Spike simply throws the boy in a cage and pulls it into the sun, killing him. From now on, he says, there will be less ritual and more fun in Sunnydale.

[edit] Acting

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:

School Hard

[edit] Main cast

• Sarah Michelle Gellar as Buffy Summers
• Nicholas Brendon as Xander Harris
• Alyson Hannigan as Willow Rosenberg
• David Boreanaz as Angel
• Charisma Carpenter as Cordelia Chase
• Anthony Stewart Head as Rupert Giles

[edit] Guest stars

• Kristine Sutherland as Joyce Summers
• Robia LaMorte as Jenny Calendar
• Andrew J. Ferchland as the Anointed One
• James Marsters as Spike
• Juliet Landau as Drusilla
• Armin Shimerman as Principal Snyder

[edit] Also starring

• Alexandra Johnes as Sheila
• Gregory Scott Cummins as Big Ugly
• Andrew Palmer as Lean Boy
• Brian Reddy as Police Chief Bob
• Keith MacKechnie as Parent
• Alan Abelew as Brian Kirsh
• Joanie Pleasant as Helpless Girl

[edit] Music

Nickel perform at the Bronze when Buffy studies French with Willow. First, they play "1000 Nights,“ then "Stupid Thing,” both from their 1997 album Stupid Thing.

[edit] Translations

• French title: “Attaque à Sunnydale” (“Attack at Sunnydale”)
• Italian title: "Un avversario pericoloso" ("A dangerous opponent").
• German title: "Elternabend mit Hindernissen" ("Parent-Teacher Night with Obstacles")

Spike's Anne Rice reference was removed by German translators and replaced with the line:

"Fallen die Menschen immer noch auf diesen romantischen Quatsch 'rein?" which roughly translates as:

"Do people still fall for that romantic crap?"

• Spanish title: "La Noche de San Triptus" (The Night of Saint Treeptus")

Both Spike's Anne Rice and Yoda references were removed by English-to-Spanish translators. "Anne Rice routine" was changed to "cuentos medievales ("medieval tales"). Both "sire" and "Yoda" were replaced by "maestro" and "guía" ("teacher" and "guide")

• Japanese title: "ダイハード・スクール" ("Daihādo Skukūru" - "Die Hard School")

[edit] Timing

• Stories that take place around the same time in the Buffyverse:

[edit] External links

• School Hard at the Internet Movie Database
• BBC episode guide to School Hard