School Hard
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| “School Hard” | |||||||
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| Buffy the Vampire Slayer episode | |||||||
| Episode no. | Season 2 Episode 3 |
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| Written by | David Greenwalt (story & teleplay) Joss Whedon (story) |
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| Directed by | John T. Kretchmer | ||||||
| Production no. | 5V03 | ||||||
| Original airdate | September 29, 1997 | ||||||
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| List of Buffy the Vampire Slayer episodes | |||||||
"School Hard" is episode 3 of season 2 of the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
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[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. That night, a new pair of vampires arrive in town, Spike and Drusilla, who 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. Drusilla is also quite ill, having being injured by an angry mob in Prague
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, and that during that night the natural abilities of vampires will be enhanced. 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 attack someone prompting Buffy to fight the minion. He watches while Buffy kills his minion. Spike then steps out of the shadows and tells her that he will kill her on Saturday. He later brings Sheila, who is enthralled by his bad 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 a large problem, and then leaves. Later, Giles finds a reference to Spike as "William the Bloody," and discovers that he has indeed killed two slayers already.
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 tells the police chief to say that the trouble was caused by a gang on PCP. When the chief wonders if people will believe it, Snyder asks if the chief would rather that he tell the truth.
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 "around here".
[edit] Acting
[edit] Starring
- Sarah Michelle Gellar as Buffy Summers
- Nicholas Brendon as Xander Harris
- Alyson Hannigan as Willow Rosenberg
- Charisma Carpenter as Cordelia Chase
- David Boreanaz as Angel
- and Anthony Stewart Head as Rupert Giles
[edit] Guest starring
- Kristine Sutherland as Joyce Summers
- Robia LaMorte as Jenny Calendar
- Andrew J. Ferchland as the Anointed One
- James Marsters as Spike
- Alexandra Johnes as Sheila Martini
- Gregory Scott Cummins as Big Ugly
- Andrew Palmer as Lean Boy
- Brian Reddy as Police Chief Boy
- Juliet Landau as Drusilla
- and Armin Shimerman as Principal Snyder
[edit] Co-starring
- Keith MacKechnie as Parent
- Alan Abelew as Brian Kirsh
- Joanie Pleasant as Helpless Girl
[edit] Music
- Nickel - "1000 Nights" (music at The Bronze)
- Nickel - "Stupid Thing" (music at The Bronze)
[edit] Trivia
 |
Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines. The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones. |
- Show creators have stated in interviews included on the DVDs that Spike kills The Anointed One in this episode because Andrew J. Ferchland, who plays The Anointed One, had grown significantly over the summer hiatus, which contradicted the established doctrine that vampires do not age. Because of Ferchland's growth spurt, he remains seated for most of his scenes in season two.
- In this, James Marsters' first appearance on Buffy, Spike pronounces Angel's vampire name "AN-ge-lus" (rhyming with the American English pronunciation with the city of Los Angeles). He does so again in What's My Line, Part Two, but throughout the remainder of the series, the proper pronunciation "an-GE-lus" is used.
- In this episode Spike seems quite happy to see Angel, although they have had a very rocky relationship even when Angel has no soul. This animosity will remain through both the Buffy and Angel series'. Spike and Angel haven't seen each other since 1943, as the viewers get to know in Why We Fight.
- Spike also calls Angel his sire, this either something that was changed later in the series (as Drusilla is his sire), or it shows that the term can refer to vampires further up the line than the direct sire. In the Angel episode In The Dark Spike also refers to Angel as 'my dear old sire'.
- This is the first episode to reveal that Buffy's mother's name is Joyce
[edit] Arc significance
- This episode is the first appearance of Spike, who will figure heavily both in this series and the final season of Angel. The episode also marks the first appearance of Drusilla, who was also a constant threat and influence in both series.
- This episode establishes that Principal Snyder and the police are aware that there are supernatural happenings in Sunnydale. This foreshadows the development of Mayor Richard Wilkins as the "big bad" of season 3.
- At the end of the episode, Spike complains about "A Slayer with family and friends." Buffy's rejection of the typical "lone wolf" style of Slaying will come up frequently in the series, usually in the context of people questioning her competence.
[edit] Translations
- French title: “Attaque à Sunnydale” (“Attack at Sunnydale”)
- At the Bronze, Buffy tries to express herself in French with Willow's help. She reads aloud "La vâche doit me touche de la jeudi" (or properly pronounced, "La vache doit me toucher dès le jeudi" [The cow must touch me starting on the Thursday] judging by Buffy's pronunciation and Willow's further translation). The grammatical error is the "le" which shouldn't be here.
- The French translators transformed this conversation into another which ultimately lacks coherence, the conversation being:
- "Alors... Je n'aurais plus le moral à partir de le jeudi. Qu'est-ce qu'il y a ? C'est le conditionel ?"
"Non Buffy, mais tu dis Je n'aurais plus le moral à partir de le jeudi."
"Ben, c'est peut-être ce que je ressens."
"Oui mais il faut dire de jeudi."
"Oh, je suis nul."
- "Alors... Je n'aurais plus le moral à partir de le jeudi. Qu'est-ce qu'il y a ? C'est le conditionel ?"
- This can be translated back as:
- "So... I won't be in good spirits from the Thursday. What's the matter? Should I use conditional?"
"No Buffy, but you say I won't be in good spirits from the Thursday."
"Well, maybe it's the way I feel."
"Yes but you must say from Thursday.
"Oh, I suck."
- "So... I won't be in good spirits from the Thursday. What's the matter? Should I use conditional?"
- On the contrary of the original, Buffy makes a shocking mistake in the French version, since saying "from the thursday" instead of "from thursday" is a basic mistake in her own language that even kids in primary school don't do.
- 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: "Escuela Dura" (School Hard")
- 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 Sukūru" - "Die Hard School")
[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, Part One |
| Sunnydale, spring 1998 | B2.22 Becoming, Part Two |
| Sunnydale, spring 1998 | Buffy graphic novel: Spike & Dru: Paint the Town Red |
[edit] External links
- "School Hard" at the Internet Movie Database
- "School Hard" at TV.com
- BBC episode guide to "School Hard"
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