Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Recap/S2/E15 Phases

A werewolf is loose in Sunnydale.

"Cordelia: Look around. We're in my daddy's car, it's just the two of us, there is a beautiful, big full moon outside tonight. It doesn't get more romantic than this. So shut up!"
 * Actually Pretty Funny: Giles is talking about how the phases of the moon exert a great deal of psychological influence, and the full moon "tends to bring out our darkest qualities." Xander quips, "Yet, ironically, also led to the invention of the moon pie." Buffy and Willow are unimpressed as always but Giles almost cracks up.
 * Always a Bigger Fish: Oz in werewolf form follows a trail of blood until he finds Theresa's corpse, Angelus in vamp face standing over her. The two snarl and growl and piss at each other until Angelus decides he would not like to be torn limb from limb and withdraws.
 * Armoured Closet Gay: Larry acts like a lecherous Jerk Jock to hide the fact that he's gay.
 * Auto Erotica: Cordelia has this in mind, but Xander is too busy griping about Willow taking up with Oz.

"Cordelia: It was so awful. (puts her head on Xander's shoulder)
 * Bait and Switch Comment: Cordy the morning after she and Xander were attacked in their car by a werewolf.

Xander: (puts his arm around her) I know.

Cordelia: (tears herself away) Daddy just had this car detailed."

"Willow: Great. I'll give Xander a call. What's his number? Oh, yeah, 1-800-I'm-Dating-A-Skanky-Ho.
 * Break the Cutie: "Angel sends his love."
 * Broken Heel: Willow trips while fleeing the werewolf.
 * Bully Hunter: When Larry is leering about doing self defense with Theresa, she stammers that there's several members of the group. Buffy; who had played Bully Hunter on Larry before, comes to her side, all smiles, and says, "And I'm one of the few." Willow has to spoil her fun and pull Buffy aside, telling her she can't go all Slayer on him.
 * Call Back: Oz mentions how a cheerleader trophy's eyes appear to follow him around the room.
 * Cat Fight

Buffy: (surprised) Meow!

Willow: (smiles) Really? Thanks. I've never gotten a 'meow' before."

"Willow: There is one name that keeps getting spit out. Aggressive behavior, run-ins with authorities, about a screenful of violent incidents.
 * Caught in a Snare: Buffy gets caught in Cain's net trap.
 * Clothing Damage: We hear (but not see) some tearing sounds as Oz transforms.
 * Coincidental Broadcast: This one via car radio.
 * Comically Missing the Point: Xander uses his "hyena-sense" to work out who the werewolf is, and realises the answer is right in front of him. Oz looks alarmed as he's standing before Xander, who says...it's Larry!
 * Delinquent: It appears not all of Buffy's bad reputation is from her Slayer activities.

Buffy: Okay, most of those were not my fault. Somebody else started 'em. I was just standing up for myself.

Willow: They say it's a good idea to count to ten when you're angry.

Buffy: (Death Glare at Willow) One... Two... Three..."

"Giles: (quietly) Anything yet?
 * Distracted By The Smoochies: Buffy and Giles are patrolling the local Make-Out Point.

Buffy: Yes. And you won't believe what I saw. Brittany Podell was making out with Owen Stadeel, but he goes with Barrett Williams. (gets a look from Giles) If she ever found... No, um, no, no sign of the werewolf. How about you?

Giles: Uh, the same. (looks around) I thought we might, uh... I thought we might knock on a few windows, uh, ask if anyone has seen anything yet.

Buffy: (gives him a look) Giles, no one's seen anything.

Giles: Oh, yes. No, of-of-of course not, no."

"Willow: But I guess none of that means anything, because instead of looking up names with me, here you are, all alone in your house, doing nothing but yourself!
 * Evil Poacher / Straw Misogynist: Cain
 * Fantastic Aesop: Werewolves are related to male behaviour...somehow.
 * First Willow Kissage: Willow complains that she's not getting any smoochies from Oz; at the end of the episode she takes the initiative and kisses him herself.
 * Fridge Logic: Where exactly did Oz wake up the first two times, that didn't arouse his suspicions?
 * Getting Crap Past the Radar

Willow: I mean, three days out of the month I'm not much fun to be around either."

"Buffy: What guy could resist your Willow charms?
 * Hilarious in Hindsight

Willow: At last count? All of them, maybe more."

"Xander: I just don't trust Oz with her [Willow]. I mean, he's a senior, he's attractive -- okay, maybe not to me, but -- and he's in a band. And we know what kind of element that attracts.
 * IKEA Weaponry / Tranquillizer Dart: The tranquilizer rifle.
 * Improvised Weapon: Xander stakes Vampire Theresa with an easel.
 * It's Probably Nothing / Terror At Make Out Point: Cordelia is clearly not Genre Savvy. Hearing strange noises while making out with your boyfriend in the woods -- it's obviously a monster!
 * I Resemble That Remark

Cordelia: I've dated lots of guys in bands.

Xander: (nods) Thank you."

"Larry: Man! Oz, I would love to get me some of that Buffy and Willow action, if you know what I mean.
 * Lampshaded Double Entendre

Oz: That's great, Larry. You've really mastered the single entendre."

"Cordelia: Excuse me? We didn't come here to talk about Willow. We came here to do things I can never tell my father about because he still thinks I'm a... good girl."
 * Last-Second Word Swap: Cordy is clearly more 'experienced' than Xander.

"Oz: I spoke to Giles. He said I'll be okay. I just have to lock myself up around the full moon. Only he used more words than that. And a globe."
 * Master of the Mixed Message: Xander and Oz, according to their girlfriends.
 * Mistaken for Gay: Inverted, then played straight, when Xander accuses Jerk Jock Larry of harboring a secret (he thinks he's a werewolf), and Larry comes out to him. Since Xander had tried to sympathize by saying he "had been there" (when he was possessed by a hyena), Larry then thought Xander was also gay.
 * Even better, at this point Whedon still hadn't decided on whether to make Xander or Willow gay, and if he had picked Xander, this was going to be Foreshadowing.
 * Mr. Exposition: Guess who.

"Giles: Let's not jump to any conclusions.
 * Name of Cain: By killing werewolves Cain is also a killer of human beings.
 * No Except Yes

Buffy: I didn't jump. I took a tiny step, and there conclusions were."

"Aunt Maureen? Hey, it's me. Um, what? Oh! It's, uh... actually it's healing okay. That's pretty much the reason I called. Um, I wanted to ask you something. Is Jordy a werewolf? Uh-huh. And how long has that been going on? Uh-huh. What? No, no reason. Um... Thanks. Yeah, love to Uncle Ken."
 * The Not-Secret: After realising he's a werewolf, and that he'd been bitten earlier by his cousin Jordy, Oz gets on the phone.

"Giles: Yes, I must admit I, I am intrigued. Werewolves, it's... it's one of the classics. I'm sure my books and I are in for a fascinating afternoon. (leaves)
 * Not What It Looks Like: Giles is indignant when Cain assumes he's out in the woods with Buffy for some underage nookie.
 * Nightmare Fetishist

Buffy: He needs to get a pet."

"Xander: This is all so weird. I mean, how are we supposed to act when we see him?
 * Oblivious Mockery: Cain tells Giles he looks like someone auditioning for the job of librarian.
 * One Dialogue, Two Conversations: The morning after Buffy finds out Oz is a werewolf and Xander discovers Larry is gay.

Buffy: Well, it's gotta be weird for him, too. Now that we know so much.

Xander: All I know is I'll never be able to look at him the same again.

Buffy: He's still a human being. Most of the time.

Xander: Who are we talking about?

Buffy: Oz. Who are you talking about?

Xander: No one..."

"Willow: I don't want to be the only girl in school without a real boyfriend. (reaction Buffy) Oh, I'm such an idiot. I'm sorry. I-I shouldn't even be talking about... Do you want me to go away?
 * Profiling: Spoofed when Willow determines the most likely werewolf candidate is Buffy due to her history of violence.
 * Rise From Your Grave: Theresa turns during her wake and rises out of her coffin not shortly after Buffy and Xander come to examine her body.
 * Saying Too Much: Both Played for Laughs and Played for Drama.

..

Xander: I'm practically an expert on the subject.

Willow: On account of once you were a hyena?

Xander: I know what it's like to crave the taste of freshly killed meat, to be taken over by those uncontrollable urges.

Buffy: You said you didn't remember anything about that."

"Willow: Well, last night was the night before the full moon, traditionally known as... 'the night before the full moon.'
 * Scare Chord: "Why so jumpy, Larry?"
 * Shaped Like Itself: Loads of this.

(And also)

Xander: You're Buffy. Eradicator of Evil. Defender of...things that need defending.

(Willow reporting that Oz is a werewolf)

He-he said he was going through all these changes. Then he went through all these... changes."

"Coach: Sunnydale is becoming more dangerous all the time. And a full moon like tonight tends to bring out the crazies, but with some simple basics of self-defense each of you can learn how to protect yourself.
 * A Shared Suffering: Cordelia and Willow bond by griping about their boyfriends. Xander is justifiably nervous.
 * Ship Tease: Buffy gives Xander a long hug after he saves her life. Given that Angel is out of the picture, Xander is clearly hoping this will lead to something more, but Buffy just walks away.
 * Shoot the Messenger: Theresa's death and turning was meant as a form of this to Buffy.
 * Shout-Out: Xander and Cordelia are attacked by the Monster of the Week while making out in a car, in true horror movie tradition.
 * Shrinking Violet: Theresa. Averted with Willow who's starting to get more assertive about what she wants.
 * Silver Bullet: Cain is shown casting his own bullets.
 * Special Effect Failure: The werewolf suit has been described as "looking like a gay possum."
 * Staking the Loved One: Angelus turns a schoolmate of Buffy's, Theresa, into a vampire, knowing that she'll be forced to stake her when she goes to examine the corpse.
 * Stating the Simple Solution

Buffy: (sotto voice) Here's a suggestion: move away from the Hellmouth."

"Xander: What, it's not okay for one guy to like another guy just because he happened to be in the locker room with him when absolutely nothing happened and I thought I told you not to push?"
 * The Stoic: Oz upon realising he's a werewolf. "Huh!"
 * Stuffed Into the Fridge: Theresa is a previously unseen "friend of Buffy's" introduced just so Angelus can turn her into a vampire to mess with Buffy's head. She even wears a red blouse!
 * Super Strength: Buffy bends Cain's double-barreled rifle with her bare hands. Cain wisely decides not to make an issue of it.
 * Super Window Jump: The werewolf escaping from the Bronze.
 * Suspiciously Specific Denial: Buffy notices Larry is acting strangely.


 * Took a Level In Badass: First Xander, then Willow end up saving Buffy.
 * Took a Level In Kindness: Larry accepts his gayness and stops acting like a Jerkass.
 * What the Hell, Hero?: Cain tries to pull this on Buffy claiming she lets more people die then she does to save them.