Reptile Boy
- Episode aired Oct 13, 1997
- TV-PG
- 44m
Buffy and Cordelia attend a frat party where they are offered as human sacrifices to a reptilian creature.Buffy and Cordelia attend a frat party where they are offered as human sacrifices to a reptilian creature.Buffy and Cordelia attend a frat party where they are offered as human sacrifices to a reptilian creature.
- Rupert Giles
- (as Anthony Stewart Head)
- Richard Anderson
- (as Greg Vaughn)
- Tackle
- (as Christopher Dalhberg)
- Frat Brother #2
- (uncredited)
- Drusilla's Sister of Caligula
- (uncredited)
- Man
- (uncredited)
- Pledge
- (uncredited)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe term "patrolling" is first used. Prior to this, Buffy's graveyard exploits are referred to as hunting. Furthermore, this marks the first time that she patrols with no specific purpose. From this point on, she will patrol nightly.
- GoofsWhen Buffy is fighting the "giant snake" her shoes are black flats. When she is finished talking with Giles and walking up the stairs her shoes are chunky black heels.
- Quotes
[first lines]
[watching Indian Bollywood-type television program]
Xander Harris: Is she dying?
Buffy Summers: I think she's singing.
Xander Harris: To a telephone, in Hindi. Now, that's entertainment. Why is she singing?
Willow Rosenberg: She's sad because her lover gave her twelve gold coins. But then the wizard cut open the bag of salt, and now the dancing minions have nowhere to put their big Maypole... fish thing.
Xander Harris: Uh-huh. Why is she singing?
Buffy Summers: Her lover? I thought that was her chiropractor?
Willow Rosenberg: Because of that thing he did with her feet? No, that was personal.
Xander Harris: Hmm, and we thought just because we didn't have any money or any place to go, this would be a lackluster evening.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Gift (2001)
The problem is very little of what occurs is within the bounds of where each character is at. I don't mean Angel, who acts as usual. But Giles's behavior, and Buffy's response to it seem amnesiac. Apparently Buffy has been mentally checking out of her sessions (why? We are not told. Whatever drove her there occurred offscreen), so Giles stresses importance of training. Buffy gets unusually upset about this and decides to go to a frat party behind his back.
I just don't buy it. Giles and Buffy have regularly done this dance, with Giles stressing the need to stay at the top of her game as a slayer and Buffy advocating for the existence of her own social life, and in all previous cases both characters have found ways to be more mature and understanding about it. Buffy generally makes a point of showing Giles she cares and Giles tends to concede that she does deserve some semblance of a normal life. But in this episode all of that nuance and mutual respect that has defined their relationship has suddenly been washed away, and they both act extremely immature and hostile towards one another.
Stronger points of the episode are the portrayal of the antagonists (frat guys are predators, it's true, even the "nice" ones like Tom) and a good recurring gag with Cordelia. Overall, Reptile Boy is an improvement over the disaster that was the Inca episode, but still pretty weak by Buffy standards.
- nysmbs
- Dec 19, 2022