Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Recap/S7/E14 First Date

Principal Wood invites Buffy to dinner and Xander also gets a date.

"Willow: I'm gonna wait for that sentence to come around again before I jump on."
 * All Girls Want Bad Boys: Buffy wonders if Robin Wood is asking her out because he's evil and setting her up to be killed. She admits however that she does fancy him and - if he's normal - it would be good to date someone without that "wicked energy" for a change. Unless he really is evil and the wicked energy is what's attracting her?

"Spike: There's always girls who like the look; bad boy, you know. Does it for some of them.
 * And once more with Spuffy.

Buffy: Yeah, I can see that."

"Andrew: The microwave?
 * Ambiguously Gay: Andrew riffling Buffy's underwear drawer, playing with a lipstick tube and sighing over the thought of Captain Archer with his shirt off.
 * Ankle Drag: Wood is cutting free Xander when a Turok-Han reaches through the opening Seal and grabs him. Fortunately after Xander is free the Seal closes, severing its arm.
 * Animal Eyes: Lissa has cats' eyes.
 * The Atoner: Andrew
 * Badass Normal: Principal Wood, as he was raised and trained by a Watcher.
 * Bait and Switch: Wood leads Buffy down a dark alley towards what he says is a nice restaurant, only for them to be ambushed by vampires. Turns out there really is a restaurant down there, and the vampires were after Wood too.
 * Being Personal Isn't Professional
 * Blood Magic
 * Buffy-Speak: "Go-through-able". "Free range Spike".
 * Brick Joke: pizza sauce. Chao Ahn being lactose-intolerant. The "flash card monsters"
 * Call Back: Giles' flash cards are similar to the overhead projector briefing he gave the Scoobies in "Hush", which also involved crude drawings using plenty of red pen.
 * Giles deconstructs the idea that Buffy and Spike no longer have a relationship just because they're not having sex, as Spike famously did to Buffy/Angel in "Lovers' Walk".
 * The Calls Are Coming From Inside the House: The Scoobies are in the basement trying to listen in on the First, but are only picking up Andrew's side of the conversation. Suddenly Willow says she can hear the First, only to take off her headphones and realise the First's voice is coming from all around them.
 * Can't Live With Them Can't Live Without Them: Anya/Xander and Buffy/Spike.
 * Can You Hear Me Now: Averted by Xander fortunately, but Buffy leaves her cellphone back at the house meaning Spike has to go find her, causing him to meet up with Wood.
 * Comically Missing the Point: Plenty
 * Chao Ahn as a Running Gag -- she doesn't speak English, and Giles' lousy Cantonese means he keeps misinterpreting what she's saying.
 * Buffy thinking Giles is warning of the dangers of earlobe damage from loop earrings, when he's actually refering to Spike.
 * Andrew waving a cross at the First.
 * Jonathan!First says that Willow brought something important to the house.

Jonathan!First: (Death Glare) The gun!"

"Xander: This can't just happen! It can't just keep happening that demon women find me attractive! There's gotta be a reason!
 * Andrew says he found Willow's pistol in Buffy's underwear drawer, and when the First asks to see says he didn't steal any.
 * Continuity Nod
 * A graveyard memorial with SNYDER on it, presumably for Principal Snyder who was killed in "Graduation Day, Part 2".
 * Xander notes that his not-a-wedding anniversary is coming up (which took place in episode 16 of Season 6). Buffy suggests Spike go out with the girl he invited to the wedding (the so-called ho-biscuit).
 * "No wonder you crashed your jetpack." Andrew did this in a Failed Attempt At Drama in "Seeing Red".
 * Do Not Taunt Cthulhu: Andrew and Wood to the First. Or in Willow's case it should be Do Not Tape-Record Cthulhu.
 * Everyone Can See It: Spuffy and Killow.
 * Facial Horror: Jonathan!First appearing in the basement to frighten the Scoobies.
 * Fatal Attractor

Lissa: You just seem like a nice guy, that's all. And I wanted to get to know you.

Xander: And kill me?

Lissa: Sure."

"I knew it! See? I knew it!"
 * Foreshadowing: Giles concern that Buffy is allowing her personal feelings to influence her decisions re Spike, and Wood discovering that Spike is the vampire that killed her mother, sets up "Lies My Parents Told Me".
 * Fun With Foreign Languages: Giles offering a Chinese potential ice cream - she's speaking Chinese, subtitles reading "I'm lactose intolerant! This man is trying to kill me!" - Chinese is apparently not a language he's versed in.
 * He explains earlier that he can speak Mandarin... but the Chinese potential speaks Cantonese. (Both are considered "dialects" of Chinese, but are mutually unintelligible.)
 * Genre Savvy: Given a choice between Xander scoring or his date turning out to be a demon who's about to eat his head, the Scoobies pick the latter.
 * Getting Crap Past the Radar: Wood feeding Buffy peaches. "That's the best thing I've ever had in my mouth."
 * Gilligan Cut: Xander is captured by a demon he'd been dating after his tendency to date dangerous demons was pointed out once again.

"The First: Really? Why? So you can earn a spot on her little pep squad? You think she'll ever let you in? You're a murderer.
 * Get Out of Jail Free Card: The First, as Jonathan, is trying to get Andrew to turn against Buffy:

Andrew: Confidentially, a lot of her people are murderers. Uh, Anya and Willow and Spike...."

"Giles: For God's sake! How can anyone think about their social life? We are about to fight the original primal evil. These girls are in mortal danger. Didn't you see the flashcards? This isn't right.
 * Glasses Pull: Giles venting his frustration at the Scoobies. He's Back!
 * Gut Feeling: Spoofed
 * Held Gaze: Buffy with Spike -- she becomes embarrassed on realising Wood has seen it and drawn the obvious conclusion.
 * Heroic Self-Deprecation: Subverted; Giles appears to be playing down his victory over the Bringer, but then admits he was lying about his Watcher instinct detecting him.
 * Hidden Wire: Andrew wears a recording device so Willow can get the voice of the First on tape in an effort to gather information.
 * History Repeats: Giles likely has the events of Season 2 very much in mind, when Buffy let her personal feelings get in the way of killing Angel when he turned evil, resulting in the death of Giles' girlfriend Jenny Calender.
 * Homoerotic Subtext: Xander asks Willow to make him gay, while standing next to Andrew.
 * Hypocritical Humor: Giles talking of his Watcher's instinct only to be blindsided by Spike. Anya wishing Xander would get his head eaten by his date, to worrying about him when Buffy is late returning, to complaining when he turns up alive again.
 * I Just Want My Beloved to Be Happy: Spike tells Buffy he doesn't have a problem with Buffy going on a date, and stresses that he's not being noble as he's given up his fantasy of a life with her. Spike offers to leave Sunnydale when Andrew reveals that the First still has plans for him; after all, Buffy now has another demon fighter/potential love interest in Robin Wood. When Buffy is pushed on this issue however, she has to admit that she's not prepared for Spike to leave her.
 * Ironic Echo Cut

[Cut to Wood leading Buffy down a dark alley.]

Buffy: This isn't right."

"Anya: Everybody has a date. Buffy has a date. Willow's been completely making out with this girl-- (Kennedy: "Hey!") Xander's out with some hardware-store-whore. It's Date Fest 2003.
 * Just Friends
 * Lingerie Scene: Buffy walks out in the corridor in her tight-fitting lacy camisole top and bumps into Spike. To his credit, Spike keeps his eyes on her face after the initial downward eye-flick. Mostly.
 * Mirror Scare: The First appearing in Robin Wood's mirror in the form of his mother. He doesn't even flinch.
 * Nightmare Fuel Coloring Book / Exposition Diagram: Giles' flash cards.
 * Not a Date

Willow: Actually, Buffy's investigating Principal Wood. It's not a date.

Giles: Really.

Willow: Might be a date."

""I'd like to take you out to dinner, if that's all right with you. I mean, you don't have to. I'm certainly not saying 'come to dinner if you enjoy having a job.' Heheh. You know, I may have to make up a document saying I didn't just say that and have you sign it.""
 * Once More With Clarity / Offhand Backhand / Off With His Head
 * Operation Jealousy: Inverted from the usual; this time it's working, but Xander isn't trying to make Anya jealous.
 * The Other Darrin: Nikki Woods was played by stuntwoman April Weeden-Washington; although she's also an actress who auditioned for the role, she was regarded as now being too old to play the teenaged Slayer and so K.D. Aubert got the role instead.
 * Political Correctness Gone Mad: Principal Wood asking school guidance counsellor Buffy out on a date.

"Buffy: (defensively) Why does everybody in this house think I'm still in love with Spike?
 * Running Gag: Laughter ensues whenever Buffy suggests Wood might have hired her for her counselling skills. Giles mistranslating the Chinese Potential.
 * Red Alert: Xander text messages Willow a codeword that means either "My date is a demon who's trying to kill me - send help!" or "Don't call me because I'm about to score!" Unfortunately as it's been several years since Xander went on a date, Willow has forgotten which one it is.
 * The Reveal:
 * Saying Too Much / That Came Out Wrong: When Xander helps Lissa select a rope at the hardware store, he starts babbling about the recreation uses of rope and makes it sound like he's into bondage. Willow tells Buffy that her not-a-date with Wood will help her move on.

Willow: No, I-I meant move on from this imposed super-self-reliance. Let somebody get close.

Buffy: Oh."


 * Ship Tease: Loads -- Spike/Buffy, Wood/Buffy, Kennedy/Willow, Andrew/Dawn, Xander/Andrew, Anya/Xander.
 * Speak in Unison: Spike and Giles.
 * Spider Sense: Spoofed when Giles admits he was lying; he actually heard the Bringer's shoes squeak.
 * Suddenly Sexuality: When a man keeps getting hit on by homicidal demon chicks, there's only one thing he can do. "Willow, gay me up."
 * Tastes Like Friendship: Subverted when Giles picks up one of the Potentials, and since they share no common language, he takes her out for ice cream as a way to show friendship. Unfortunately, like most Asians, she's lactose intolerant...
 * This Was Her True Form: Lissa reverts to her demon form after Buffy cuts off her head.
 * Verbal Backspace: Dawn is glad when Andrew says he was only going to shoot the Potentials, not her.
 * Wall of Weapons: An impressive display of edged weaponry is hidden behind the whiteboard in Principal Wood's office.
 * We Can Rule Together / Slowly Slipping Into Evil: The argument Jonathan!First uses against Andrew.
 * What Do You Mean It's Not Heinous?: The Bidet of Evil.
 * What the Hell, Hero?: Giles re putting Spike's chip back in, and the Scoobies going out on dates.