Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Recap/S4/E04 Fear Itself

"I was just thinking about the life of a pumpkin. Growing under the sun, happily entwined with others. Then someone comes in and rips your guts out."

The Scoobies take Buffy to a Halloween frat party so she can cheer up after being dumped by Parker. The frat accidentally summons a fear demon and it's taken over the house

"Xander: Why didn't I think of that? I coulda been God! Oz: Blasphemer. Later, after having to listen to annoying "spooky" sound effects in a haunted house, the noises finally stop: Buffy: Thank the Lord! Oz: (holding power lead) You're welcome."
 * Answers to The Name of God: Oz dresses for Halloween as God (which basically consists of wearing his own clothes an a name tag saying "Hello, my name is GOD"). This is the punchline to Willow having dressed up as Joan of Arc, because of their similarities, such as the close relationship with God. He runs with it in dialogue.

"Willow: Uh, ah! Cobweb! Okay that part was realistic. Oz: Frat boys aren't too obsessive with their cleaning. Might not be decoration per se."
 * The Beard: Buffy says "He wanted the candy, I was just the beard" with regards to her father taking her trick or treating on Halloween. Joyce informs Buffy the candy was actually for her.
 * Actual size.
 * Blood Magic: Oz cuts his finger fixing the stereo, setting events in motion when he bleeds on the talisman.
 * Chainsaw Good: Giles, making an entrance after the haunted house's door disappears.
 * Cheap Costume: Oz's God costume consists of a nametag with "Hello, my name is God". Who needs costumes when you're that cool?
 * Cobweb Jungle

"Buffy: Uhm, this is much better. There is no problem that can not be solved with chocolate. Willow: I think I’m going to barf. Buffy: Except that."
 * Continuity Nod / Clothes Make the Superman: Just in case everyone turns into their costumes again Xander dresses as James Bond, Willow as Joan of Arc, and Oz as God.
 * Creepy Basement / Our Zombies Are Different
 * : Literally
 * Description Cut / Tempting Fate: "We're gonna have the best time." Cut to the frat party-goers screaming as they're confronted by their fears.
 * Dem Bones: A plastic skeleton turns into a walking corpse.
 * Don't Celebrate Just Yet: Brilliantly subverted; the Scoobies are stuffing themselves with chocolate after having defeated the Monster of the Week when suddenly Giles says in an alarmed voice (with accompanying dramatic music) that he should have translated the description of the Fear Demon in his Tome of Eldritch Lore.
 * Do Not Taunt Cthulhu: Not because he can harm you, it's just tacky.
 * Everything's Better with Chocolate: At the end of the episode, the Scoobies are pigging out on Giles' Halloween treats.

"Buffy: Will, let's be realistic here, okay? Your basic spells are usually only about 50-50. Willow: Oh yeah? Well... so's your face!"
 * Eye Scream: The peeled grapes posing as eyeballs really are eyeballs.
 * Fantastic Aesop
 * Feet First Introduction: Anya the Bunny.
 * Foreshadowing: Willow's resentment of being Buffy's Sidekick
 * "Oz, don't leave me!"
 * "They're all going to abandon you, you know." The Scooby Gang breaks apart in "The Yoko Factor", leaving Buffy alone to face the Big Bad. Issues contributing to that rift are raised in this episode -- Willow's resentment over Buffy's authority, Giles no longer feeling relevant, and Xander thinking his friends have abandoned him by going to college.
 * Buffy tells her mother re relationships, "Maybe it's easier not to let anyone in." As her next two Love Interests discover, Buffy takes this lesson to heart.
 * Halloween Episode / "What Do They Fear?" Episode
 * Haunted House
 * I'm Standing Right Here
 * Lame Comeback: Willow being adorable again.

"Xander: (wolf-like) What you got in the basket, little girl? Buffy: Weapons. Xander: Oh."
 * Literary Allusion Title: From FDR's famous first inaugural address; "We have nothing to fear but fear itself"
 * Little Red Fighting Hood: Buffy dresses up as Red Riding Hood.

"Yeah, Buffy said she was coming but I haven't seen her. We have to make sure she has fun. We have to force fun upon her. And if Parker shows up we just ax-murder him. That's halloweeny!"
 * The Last of These Is Not Like the Others / Beware the Nice Ones: Willow is talking on the phone.

"Buffy: Well, no one’s pushing. You know, if it’s too much don’t do it. Willow: Don’t do it? What kind of encouragement is that? Buffy: This is an ‘encouragement’ talk? I thought it was ‘share my pain’.”"
 * Madness Mantra: "I'm sorry I didn't know...I'm sorry I didn't know..."
 * Mirror Scare: "I CAN SEE YOU!"
 * Mobile Maze
 * Narm: In universe example. Buffy goes to see Giles, who greets her as a trick or treater while wearing a traditional Mexican outfit with sombrero. Buffy takes a moment to get over the initial shock before talking to him, but she simply cannot get over the hat and soon says he has to take it off.
 * Nice Hat: Giles' sombrero.
 * Now You Tell Me: Giles reads that "there are two ways of stopping the demon from being fully summoned. Destroying the mark of Gachnar--" Buffy promptly tears up the floorboards that the symbol is painted on. Giles continues; "--is not one of them and will in fact bring forth the fear demon itself!" Oops.
 * One Dialogue, Two Conversations: Willow is talking to Why-Did-I-Rush-Into-Sleeping-With-Parker!Buffy about her forays into the black arts.


 * Panty Shot: At least Gachnar's last view on Earth was a good one. Red Underwear!Buffy!
 * Partial Transformation: Oz inexplicably starts to change and gets stuck halfway between man and wolf. He ends up huddled in a bathtub, scared out of his mind and muttering a hopeless Survival Mantra that he's not going to change.
 * Reveal Shot: Xander wielding a large kitchen knife, only he's cutting into a watermelon.
 * Running Gag: Anya's fear of bunnies is introduced.
 * Sarcasm Mode: Default setting for Professor Walsh
 * Spark Fairy
 * Survival Mantra: "You're not gonna change, you're not gonna change, you're not gonna change..."
 * Shoot the Shaggy Dog: *squish*
 * Stealth Hi Bye: Anya doesn't understand the whole knocking thing.
 * Tempting Fate
 * The Man Behind the Curtain: Gachnar
 * Take a Third Option: By accident. Buffy destroyed the mark of Gachnar
 * Visible Invisibility: Xander
 * You Can See Me?: Xander says not only "You can see me?" but "You can hear me?" too.
 * Your Costume Needs Work: The Scoobies catch sight of the Initiative commandoes, but think they're people playing dress-up.
 * You Just Ruined the Shot: Buffy punches a kid in a demon mask when he leaps out at her.