PSA: Patreon told me about the post credits scene and I went back and watched it😊 I got in another copyright pickle with this one; sorry for the delay

Something I've noticed about Joss Whedon, he marches directly at a cliche, then at the last moment, sidesteps the cliche and makes fun of it while passing.

I love that Buffy's mom gets to be a complex character. There are times she's not there for Buffy, like with not knowing about the cheerleading tryouts. (The show doesn't dwell on it much, but the older I get, the more sympathy I have for Joyce: just divorced, just moved, mom to a troubled teen, and trying to get a new business off the ground! No wonder she's stressed.) But we also see her trying to connect to Buffy and doing her best, and failing through no fault of her own, in a way that's pretty familiar to teenager-parent relationships even if there aren't secret superpowers involved.

The show doesn't always take itself seriously. That's part of the charm, in my opinion.

I'm surprised some people don't like this episode that much. It's one of my favorites from Season One!

Joyce Summers is really an excellent mom, it is just that during most of the first season, she was going through the mixed transition of a divorce and moving from Los Angeles to Sunnydale.

The best principal has joined the show.

I get the people who are afraid of dummies disliking the episode, but Sid not being evil is a rarity in pop culture to this day.

“Omg Giles! That was so mean…. I kinda liked it” 😂

Great episode. This is the one where I was convinced that Buffy was a unique show where they would try to defy expectations when the story called for it. I love the twist in this episode and I pretty much locked this show as a must-see from this point on.

In the first episode Giles said people rationalise what they can and forget what they can't, like a collective suppression of trauma because obviously vampires and the supernatural don't exist so all the deaths and weirdness must have a reasonable explanation.

As Snyder is new, he was a perfect red herring for the demon. Plus he gets the great last line. I liked the Xander with the dummy zcenes. I like how Willow talked Xander and Buffy into the dramatic scene, and she ends up being the one who really can't handle it.

Oh man... you missed the after credit scene. So... the way I explained everyone being ok with the deaths is it's part of the mystical energy surrounding the hell mouth. Like sort of a perception filter making everything seem normal.

I'm glad you were clued in to the end credits scene. 👌🏻 And I really like Buffy teaming up with her fellow monster fighter, Sid. ✊✊

funny thing, at the end of the video you said no Netflix in 1997, so I googled in because I new Netflix was a thing around then....the company Netflix started in 1997 but rentals from them started in 1998

I love that when she gets scared in the night superhero Buffy runs into her mother's arms?

Principal Snyder is here to provide the existential villain that students see in the authoritarian principal of their high school tenure.

“That’s the kind of woolly headed liberal thinking that leads to being eaten “ 😂😂😂

Got to go back and watch the credits. Grrr Arrrg

Joyce and Buffy's relationship is a very good example of the parenting of that time. Buffy's Gen X and this is how the majority of parents were back then. It was very hands off.

The fact that you don't like dummies or dolls helped make one of your best moments. The look on your face when you saw the dummy. It was great. It's not always how much you like an episode but how you react to an episode that can be entertaining. Your face said "Oh shit, it's a dummy". Great reaction.

I love this episode. Buffy is really good with it's plot twists

As soon as a ventriloquist dummy appeared on the screen, you looked so over it. :) Fun reaction.

If only Buffy thought to tell her mom that she plays Dungeons and Dragons with Willow and Xander and Mr. Giles is their Dungeon Master, then she could get away with not only the late hours away, but also telling her of the day's events. Great review! I especially liked how you reacted in the first few minutes of the episode, looking at "us" knowingly! So fun!!

This is one of my favourite eps in S1. I love that final scene ("I don't get it" lol) when Sid's body is carried in triumph as a real tragic hero. R.I.P. Sid, he wasn't a dummy

I also enjoy this episode more than most do, the twist doesn't get me anymore because I've seen it a million times but there are soo many funny little moments with Giles, Cordelia, and Principal Snyder especially. Fave line: "My predecessor would have said _kids need understanding, kids are human beings._ That's the kind of woolly-headed liberal thinking that leads to getting eaten."

Netflix was a thing back then, but you rented videos there, they sent it to you and then you'd have to send them back.

One of the best episodes of Season 1. Make sure to watch the credits too.

I also love this episode and how at the end of it the Principle is just revealed to be a total weirdo lol

Regarding all of the deaths, I can’t remember when but somewhere in the Buffyverse somebody came up with the medical condition “spontaneous neck rupture “.

You were wondering why students didn't find it odd that Morgan brought his ventriloquist doll to class. While I can't answer that, I do have an interesting story related to that. Jeff Dunham, the noted ventriloquist, once had a routine in his act in which he talked about his life growing up. One thing he mentioned, and he had photos to prove it, was that he he always knew that he wanted to be a ventriloquist. So much so that he would bring his dolls to class. You can see this act in one of the many dvds that he has released.

snyder's personality is just being a pain in the ass 😂

"It could be anyone. It could be me! ... It's not." Oh Willow!

I knew when you said you would hate this episode because of the doll, that you would love this episode. As to all the deaths and so forth, many of your questions will find a resolution at some point. (Maybe not in this season . . . or the next . . . etc. Wait for it . . . ) In the meanwhile allow yourself to enjoy what they're bringing to the table.

I thought the reversal of Sid from creepifying Chucky villain to tragic, though acerbic("Don't get sniffly on me, sis...") hero was well conceived. His character implies a lot of backstory(and even Slayer Lore) in a very brief screen time. In a later season, with a higher budget, better production values and more settled characters, it might have been a fan favorite. And Snider''s ears stole the show.

Loving your reactions, and this one is one of my favourites (from S1). Such a well executed episode. Regarding Joyce, then as a mum of 3 daughters (the youngest is 17) she is incredibly relatable. You remember that there is _something_ happening, but the details escape you, because there are many things happening, and within the past week they have probably needed their bus pass renewing, extra money for lunch, and then there were forms and more money for some trip or activity, they had a sleepover with a friend, they have drama after school one day and band another day (but one of those days has changed!) and there is something happening at the school (parents evening or a show or some type of other event) that you have to go to - and that is on top of your own life of work and bills and everything else. So remind me - what thing was your child doing today? 🤔

Keep watching and you will be surprised as to who notices the "unexplainable deaths/disappearances" and how they address them.

It's far too easy to judge the mom but you're forgetting that Buffy goes out of her way to hide her other life from her. also she's a single mom who has to pay all of the bills and so has a full time job that often keeps her busy after hours in order to pay for what she and Buffy both need. When you only have one parent taking care of the child, that parent simply won't have enough time to dig into and see every aspect of everything. Having been a single mom I can tell you we beat ourselves up for it as much as our kids do. but we HAVE to pay the bills. There's no choice. The stress of trying to keep up with bills, food, child's clothes, child's life, child's school and everything involved in all of that all by yourself can be completely overwhelming. Mom's are humans too. :)

Back in the day I lent my friend's girlfriend my Buffy VHS tapes (yep, it was that long ago!) because I knew she'd love the show. When watching this episode she paused it, sat at the bottom of the stairs and kept calling my friend to come down and watch it with her because she was so freaked out! He sarcastically thanked me the next day at work for giving her nightmares. lol

I'm loving your commentaries. You read between the lines. This is going to be so much fun!!!

Angel is old enough (looking) that Buffy introduced him as a tutor from the local community college.

I love the end credit scene with the dramatic scene. Very funny .

"Horrible murders with hearts being cut out...and ALSO smoking"

A LOT of the fandom is not enamored with this episode. Being a child teen that survived the high school experience in the late '70's though, this was one of my favorites. Guilty confession, from my sophomore year onward, I participated in all the talent shows, and can identify with the really bad acts (though we never had anyone trying a "dramatic reading" from Oedipus Rex. And OH CRAP! You did not react to the post credits, so you have no idea what I am talking about. Think about "The Avengers" that Joss would later create. You NEVER leave the theater until the credits have run!) The acts I was in were "good" acts - trust me! My mom told me so! This is once again (and no spoilers, but you might already sense a pattern) a prime example of the "Whedon misdirection of audience expectation." Also, those halcyon days before HIPPA - when every medical record could be accessed by hacking some computer somewhere! Dramatic license even for those days, but needed to advance the plot. Finally, and glad I didn't post before watching the entire reaction, Xander saying "REDRUM! REDRUM!" while wielding the dummy is an homage to Stanley Kubrik's classic horror film "The Shining". Not sure if you have seen that, but it would be entertaining if you reacted to it if not.

yea, the twist in this episode is really good. Also the end credit scene. Also, they did a play with in a play with out you realizing that is what they did. And when I said "you" I don't mean you specifically but rather you the audience.

Great reaction! Did you see the end part in the credits?

FINALLY someone thats being real about Joyce! everyone on the internet acts like shes mom of the year but shes so checked out and neglectful.

This episode has another scene after the credits - be sure to check it out!

I’m. Did you stop watching at the same time you stopped the KZfaq reaction??? There is an after credit scene on this episode. Hint. Watch them all until the grrr arg every time.

Joyce has a lot on her plate being a single mom moving to a new town where she is trying to start her own business. There's also the fact that normal people just don't seem to register or remember supernatural events in order to protect their sanity.

you-" Ow!" me, "hmmm, if that was intentional or unintentional, it was still hilarious!" regarding the comment made after the dummy said " You know what they say, once you go wood, nothing's as good"

Best thing about this episode is our introduction to Snyder, one of the great characters in the show who has really got it in for the Scoobies straight off. Again S1 is hard going for newbies to the show, as many of the storylines are fairly weak, love the fact that you really enjoy these early episodes. You really seem to be loving this show as the Series progresses, and believe me from mid Season 2 onwards it improves leaps and bounds.

Love your Powerpuff girls t-shirt! The actor who plays Principal Snyder was also the Quark, the crooked, Ferengi barkeeper in Star Trek:Deep Space Nine. Shame the KZfaq reaction doesn't have the 'Nothing in here but old issues of Scientific American. Ooh I haven't read this one!' love Willow so much.

This is probably my favorite episode of season 1

Cass asks, "Is the whole town unaware of the crazy things that are happening?" My answer to that is go back to what Principal Snyder said in this episode and what Cordelia said after she was saved at the end of the Harvest episode. Both acknowledge there are weird things that happen in their town but to them its just a nuisance in their daily lives and choose to ignore it and hope the issues go away. And then there's people like Giles, Buffy, Willow and Xander who really know what is going on in town, know the kind of world they live in and know the school is on a Hellmouth. I don't like dolls either. I had fun cutting all of my sister's Barbie dolls hair off when we were little and used a marker to mess up their lips and eyes lol. But dolls don't scare me one bit. They're small, I can smack them across the room 😂. I'm not kidding when I say that whenever I hear Chucky angry and cursing up a storm, I die laughing my butt off. I think he's hilarious. This was a fun episode. I love the end credit scene with them when they're doing their part in the play 😂. Good times ♥ 👍.

The pilot explained how people deal with the deaths and weirdness

My grandma collected porcelain dolls and they creeped me out. Not even at just a young, but all the way up to the last time I stayed at her house before she passed away. And I was 29 then.

ohno you missed the credit scene you could actually assume he was not the actual monster of the week from the first scene where they show it from the POV of the monster looking at the puppet. The puppet mentioned that if the monster gets all of the body parts, he's human for seven years so... In 1990 there was a lot of mudered kids in sunnydale i guess

"Bye-bye now! I'm completely inanimate!" is such a funny line

You missed the ending. So funny. Also you should know the show has a somewhat rare Easter egg you should be watching out for. At the end of the credits they have the production logo along with a monster that roars. A a rare occasion, it will so something different and it usually has something to do with the episode. So, you should hang through the credits for his scene go catch them all. It's small and rare, but it's pretty fun when you catch them.

Netflix was actually founded in 1997, but I guess they didn't do documentaries back then ;)

Little fun story: this was the first episode of Buffy i EVER watched and i was like 7 years old and it SCARED ME to death. I was shocked by it and refused to watch it again up until i was like 14. And when I did i LOVED IT and came to find it was actually one of the most fun and comedic buffy episode ever. Great reaction by the way

Your reactions are always fun.

The dread caused by the school talent show is certainly something worth revisiting.

You’ve got to get in the habit of going through the end credits… even in fast forward. And there can even be variations in the Grrr Argh cartoon.

Regarding whether Marc was a demon or if a demon possessed a student named Marc, I think we need to head canon some stuff in Buffy, for things to turn out semi-logical. (Not a knock on the show. Every story is, by definition, a contrivance, and Buffy isn't any different, just super fun, and moving, and sometimes even profound). So, if Marc were a human teenager that was possessed by a demon, then it would mean the out come of this episode had Buffy et al guillotining a kid, in order to kill the demon. Not necessarily unreasonable, I mean sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do, and demons are the worst. But it's still pretty harsh, given the vibe of the show. Now, we're gonna do some assumin here. But I think it's a little more reasonable to go with the notion that 'Marc' was the identity that a demon took on, to blend in with society, in order to do what it wanted. Syd tells us he was hunting the demon back in the 30s(?), so for 60ish years, the demon has been disguised (via prosthetics or some magic fake human skin) and it goes around committing mischief. But the catch is, it needs actual human organs (a brain and heart) to keep going. (Not having the brain in time seems to cause the skin on the back of his hand to degrade and expose the green demon skin underneath, so maybe not prosthetics). Now, whether you want to assume 'Marc' has been the demon's only disguise since the 30s, or its used other disguises, is up to you. I think the fact that Syd's been chasing this demon since the 30s suggests it's been pretty elusive, (also considering that there were six other demons Syd was after). Even if you factor in Syd's preexisting condition of being a dummy, 60 years is a long time to be hunting somebody, and not catch them. So, based on that, my guess is the demon had multiple disguises, and the 'Marc' identity was only the last link in a long chain.

I love your analysis. I think sometimes comedic characters are just comedic characters. With Joyce, I think she both serves the purpose for the plot, and part of her character is she has her own life and stresses.

Really enjoying your reactions and analysis! 😊

Did you miss the after-credits scene?

Wooden you know, it's a good episode!

Snyder is hilarious!

If you like this episode watch the film Magic, it's got a few elements from that film. Oh boy when you ask about if Sunnydale is noticing the deaths and how are they explaining it, well keep watching Season 2 and 3 begin to answer. Principal Snyder is such a great character to hate. The actor playing him played Quark on Star Trek Deep Space Nine the Ferengi who loves money.i love how early the little pieces to this shows mythology starts to form.

Neck Rupture is a fatal congenital medical condition. It's tragic, but really nothing that can be done about it.

I always find this a really fascinating episode - it's is, on the surface, an even more stupid plot that the previous episode with the demon/AI.. But instead it really works quite well, despite the obvious wackiness. It just goes to show how much wit and good characters can add to a story. Here we have Giles being nearly as subversive as the kids and a wonderful performance by the new principal leading to a much more entertaining story - even if it's as daft as a brush.

Cute eyeliner!

I can’t help but feel like this episode was two episodes crammed together

Good episodes coming up. I particularly enjoy the next 47 episodes. I can't wait to see what you think.

Don't know if you caught it, but there was a credits scene at the end of this episode.

Sid the Dummy is one of my favorite one-shot characters. He is the first demon hunter that Buffy meets, and so her first role model. Wisecracking, but fearless and dedicated to his mission, even when he knows it will cost him his own life. The climax 19:59 ,as Buffy gently cradles the now-lifeless body of Sid, is a travesty of a pieta, but a pieta nonetheless.

End credit scene! 😜😎🇬🇧

Regarding Joyce - at least we've met her! Have we seen either of Xander's or Willow's parents? Not yet... :) Of course the show is Buffy-centric, but neither Xander nor Willow even talk about their parents much...

You missed a little funny bit in the titles when it shows the three of them doing the dramatic reading 😂

Not to spoil much, they do explain why people don't question the massive random death rate in the town... eventually.

Actually Xander got in some action finally last episode.

Fun fact. The end scene during the final credits wasted more film than the other scenes combined. People just couldn't help laughing at the actors trying to be bad at acting.

Did you miss the post credit scene. A real pity if you did!

I honestly don't remember if the dummy got me first time round, it's literally been 25 years since I saw this season for the first time (at 6pm on BBC 2 after I got home from school) but my gut feeling is no, he didn't get me. Ever since "The Witch" did the old "Freaky Friday" twist, I distinctly remember just expecting it every episode & that (more than any mysteries) is what ended up getting me a few times down the line. That is to say, sometimes I would expect a twist that wouldn't come & I'd end up totally out-thinking myself :D

Giles is really smart - but sometimes he is rather...unwise.

You missed the final scene, after credits.

i think "netflix documentary" is no different to than any other documentary that existed way before netflix. just on a different "channel" so to speak.

I honestly never heard anybody call a doll a "dowel" before. That a Canadian thing?

I can forgive subpar makeup effects for a 90s tv show budget

So did this work as therapy for puppet phobia?

So can I assume we won't see any Annabelle or Childs Play movie reactions on this channel? lol. One thing about Buffy is that it's very self referential. Usually Cordelia points out truths under the guise of sarcasm Principal Snyder pointing out recent freak accidents shows they don't go unnoticed. I won't say anything more, but your instincts are right that Sunnydale's unexplained mortality rate will be addressed late on.

Hey Cass, did Sid help your talking doll phobia.

I love Snyder, he's such a slimy worm, metaphorically of course.

You know, it all could be bunnies.

Did u miss the end credit scene in this one?

Did you miss the post credit scene?

Hello Cass