The Freshman (Buffy episode)
Encyclopedia
"The Freshman" is the first episode of season 4 of the television show Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The episode was written and directed by series creator Joss Whedon
. The narrative follows Buffy Summers
as she attempts to fit into her new college environment at UC Sunnydale. She first encounters several problems (getting kicked out of lectures for talking) and struggles with her feelings of isolation: Willow is blossoming with Oz in the environment; Giles has his "friend" Olivia over and doesn't aid Buffy, telling her she should become "self-dependent"; Xander is on his tour of America, in which he intends to visit all of the States. Her situation is not helped by the vampire Sunday haunting her new Campus.
, Willow
and Oz begin attending the University of California
at its fictional Sunnydale
campus. Buffy feels overwhelmed and disoriented by the new experience, but Willow is excited by the bigger library and the opportunities to advance her learning, while Oz seems typically unfazed. Meanwhile, Giles
is a retired "gentleman of leisure" now that the Sunnydale High School library has been destroyed, and Xander
is still out of town on his much-anticipated cross-country road trip.
Buffy and Willow go to the campus bookstore for supplies, where Buffy accidentally knocks a pile of psychology textbooks onto the head of Riley Finn
, who introduces himself as a TA
for Professor Walsh
's Psych 105 "Intro to Psychology" class. Buffy then goes on to her new dorm in Stevenson Hall, where she has already moved in and her new roommate Kathy is in the process of doing the same. Kathy expresses her belief that the upcoming year will be "super fun", but Buffy is unconvinced when she sees Kathy hanging a poster of Céline Dion
on the wall. During the night Buffy has trouble sleeping because Kathy snores, laughs, and smacks her lips in her sleep.
On the first day of classes, Buffy is humiliated at being ejected from a class by a bullying professor in front of dozens of other students, and in the next class she feels overwhelmed by the heavy workload promised by Professor Walsh, wondering how she will find the time to both study and slay vampires. Feeling increasingly lonely and isolated on campus, she is relieved to strike up conversation with a fellow freshman student named Eddie (who is also taking Psychology with Professor Walsh) when they are both lost. They discuss the need for a "security blanket" in unfamiliar surroundings, and he says that the novel Of Human Bondage
serves this purpose for him. After Buffy and Eddie separate, he is killed by a group of vampires and this group then go to his dorm room, steal all of his belongings, and leave a fake note from Eddie claiming that he decided he couldn't handle the stress of college and went home.
The next day, Buffy is disappointed to find Eddie missing from class. She goes to his dormitory, finding it empty but for the note and the novel "Of Human Bondage", which is still in his nightstand. Considering their conversation of the previous day, she does not believe that he would leave the book behind, and goes to Giles for advice. However, Giles is in his dressing gown with a half-dressed female visitor called Olivia, and seems reluctant to offer Buffy any active assistance because he is no longer her Watcher and feels she is capable of handling the situation herself.
That night during a patrol, Buffy comes across Eddie in a deserted part of campus and is horrified to realise he is now a vampire. The group of vampires that turned Eddie are watching and now attack. Buffy is soundly thrashed by their leader, spraining her arm and causing her to flee for her life. Buffy's confidence is greatly shaken by this encounter, and she decides to visit her Mom
and some familiar surroundings. Joyce did not expect to see Buffy home so early in the semester, and because of this she has been using her daughter's room as extra storage space for the gallery.
When Buffy returns to her dorm room on campus, she finds all of her belongings missing and a note similar to that found in Eddie's room. Buffy goes to the Bronze and mopes around, feeling even worse when she sees a man with a pronounced physical likeness to her former boyfriend Angel. However, she is greatly cheered by the appearance of Xander, who reveals that his tour of America never happened because his car broken down in Oxnard
and he spent the rest of the summer washing dishes at the fabulous "Ladies' Nightclub" to earn money for repairs. Now he has returned home, where he lives in the basement of his parents' house and is expected to pay rent. Buffy tells Xander about her negative early experiences of college, and expresses a fear that she cannot adapt to the college experience, but Xander greatly moves her by describing her as "my hero" and explaining that he always thinks "What would Buffy do?" whenever he is in a bad situation. They then agree to track down the vampire lair and reclaim Buffy's stolen belongings.
Using the college computer system, the pair locate the vampire gang in a disused frat house
. While Buffy angrily watches the vampires using and abusing her belongings through the glass roof of the frat house, Xander leaves to round up the assistance of Willow and Oz. Unfortunately, the roof breaks and Buffy lands on the floor in front of the vampires. They fight and she is once again losing, in part because of her sore arm from their previous encounter, but seeing Sunday damage the Class Protector award she was given at her senior prom angers Buffy enough to regain her confidence and soundly trounce the vampires, taking out Sunday with a bankhand throw of a broken tennis racket. As Buffy and friends return to the dorm with her belongings, Giles makes a belated appearance with weapons, apologising for his earlier dismissal of her fears and promising that they will fight the evil together.
Meanwhile, one of the vampires from Sunday's gang is hit with a taser
by three masked men in camouflage fatigues.
Joss Whedon
Joseph Hill "Joss" Whedon is an American screenwriter, executive producer, director, comic book writer, occasional composer and actor, founder of Mutant Enemy Productions and co-creator of Bellwether Pictures...
. The narrative follows Buffy Summers
Buffy Summers
Buffy Summers is a fictional character from Joss Whedon's Buffy the Vampire Slayer franchise. She first appeared in the 1992 film Buffy the Vampire Slayer before going on to appear in the television series and subsequent comic book of the same name...
as she attempts to fit into her new college environment at UC Sunnydale. She first encounters several problems (getting kicked out of lectures for talking) and struggles with her feelings of isolation: Willow is blossoming with Oz in the environment; Giles has his "friend" Olivia over and doesn't aid Buffy, telling her she should become "self-dependent"; Xander is on his tour of America, in which he intends to visit all of the States. Her situation is not helped by the vampire Sunday haunting her new Campus.
Plot
BuffyBuffy Summers
Buffy Summers is a fictional character from Joss Whedon's Buffy the Vampire Slayer franchise. She first appeared in the 1992 film Buffy the Vampire Slayer before going on to appear in the television series and subsequent comic book of the same name...
, Willow
Willow Rosenberg
Willow Rosenberg is a fictional character created for the fantasy television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer . She was developed by Joss Whedon and portrayed throughout the TV series by Alyson Hannigan...
and Oz begin attending the University of California
University of California
The University of California is a public university system in the U.S. state of California. Under the California Master Plan for Higher Education, the University of California is a part of the state's three-tier public higher education system, which also includes the California State University...
at its fictional Sunnydale
Sunnydale
Sunnydale, California is the fictional setting for the U.S. television drama Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Series creator Joss Whedon conceived the town as a representation of a generic California city, as well as a narrative parody of the all-too-serene towns typical in traditional horror...
campus. Buffy feels overwhelmed and disoriented by the new experience, but Willow is excited by the bigger library and the opportunities to advance her learning, while Oz seems typically unfazed. Meanwhile, Giles
Rupert Giles
Rupert Giles is a fictional character created by Joss Whedon for the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The character is portrayed by Anthony Stewart Head. He serves as Buffy Summers' mentor and surrogate father figure...
is a retired "gentleman of leisure" now that the Sunnydale High School library has been destroyed, and Xander
Xander Harris
Alexander LaVelle "Xander" Harris is a fictional character in the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, as well as in numerous items in the series Expanded Universe, such as comic books, tie-in novels and video games...
is still out of town on his much-anticipated cross-country road trip.
Buffy and Willow go to the campus bookstore for supplies, where Buffy accidentally knocks a pile of psychology textbooks onto the head of Riley Finn
Riley Finn
Riley Finn is a fictional character created by Joss Whedon for the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Portrayed by Marc Blucas, Riley was introduced in the 1999 season four premiere episode, "The Freshman", and Blucas was part of the series credited cast for the second part of season four...
, who introduces himself as a TA
Teaching assistant
A teaching assistant is an individual who assists a professor or teacher with instructional responsibilities. TAs include graduate teaching assistants , who are graduate students; undergraduate teaching assistants , who are undergraduate students; secondary school TAs, who are either high school...
for Professor Walsh
Maggie Walsh
Professor Maggie Walsh is a fictional character in the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The character is portrayed by Lindsay Crouse.-History:...
's Psych 105 "Intro to Psychology" class. Buffy then goes on to her new dorm in Stevenson Hall, where she has already moved in and her new roommate Kathy is in the process of doing the same. Kathy expresses her belief that the upcoming year will be "super fun", but Buffy is unconvinced when she sees Kathy hanging a poster of Céline Dion
Celine Dion
Céline Marie Claudette Dion, , , is a Canadian singer. Born to a large family from Charlemagne, Quebec, Dion emerged as a teen star in the French-speaking world after her manager and future husband René Angélil mortgaged his home to finance her first record...
on the wall. During the night Buffy has trouble sleeping because Kathy snores, laughs, and smacks her lips in her sleep.
On the first day of classes, Buffy is humiliated at being ejected from a class by a bullying professor in front of dozens of other students, and in the next class she feels overwhelmed by the heavy workload promised by Professor Walsh, wondering how she will find the time to both study and slay vampires. Feeling increasingly lonely and isolated on campus, she is relieved to strike up conversation with a fellow freshman student named Eddie (who is also taking Psychology with Professor Walsh) when they are both lost. They discuss the need for a "security blanket" in unfamiliar surroundings, and he says that the novel Of Human Bondage
Of Human Bondage
Of Human Bondage is a novel by W. Somerset Maugham. It is generally agreed to be his masterpiece and to be strongly autobiographical in nature, although Maugham stated, "This is a novel, not an autobiography, though much in it is autobiographical, more is pure invention." Maugham, who had...
serves this purpose for him. After Buffy and Eddie separate, he is killed by a group of vampires and this group then go to his dorm room, steal all of his belongings, and leave a fake note from Eddie claiming that he decided he couldn't handle the stress of college and went home.
The next day, Buffy is disappointed to find Eddie missing from class. She goes to his dormitory, finding it empty but for the note and the novel "Of Human Bondage", which is still in his nightstand. Considering their conversation of the previous day, she does not believe that he would leave the book behind, and goes to Giles for advice. However, Giles is in his dressing gown with a half-dressed female visitor called Olivia, and seems reluctant to offer Buffy any active assistance because he is no longer her Watcher and feels she is capable of handling the situation herself.
That night during a patrol, Buffy comes across Eddie in a deserted part of campus and is horrified to realise he is now a vampire. The group of vampires that turned Eddie are watching and now attack. Buffy is soundly thrashed by their leader, spraining her arm and causing her to flee for her life. Buffy's confidence is greatly shaken by this encounter, and she decides to visit her Mom
Joyce Summers
Joyce Summers is a fictional character in the fantasy television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer . Played by Kristine Sutherland, Joyce is the mother of the main character, Buffy Summers . Joyce appears regularly from the first episode until the character's death in the fifth season episode "The...
and some familiar surroundings. Joyce did not expect to see Buffy home so early in the semester, and because of this she has been using her daughter's room as extra storage space for the gallery.
When Buffy returns to her dorm room on campus, she finds all of her belongings missing and a note similar to that found in Eddie's room. Buffy goes to the Bronze and mopes around, feeling even worse when she sees a man with a pronounced physical likeness to her former boyfriend Angel. However, she is greatly cheered by the appearance of Xander, who reveals that his tour of America never happened because his car broken down in Oxnard
Oxnard, California
Oxnard is the 113th largest city in the United States, 19th largest city in California and largest city in Ventura County, California, by way of population. It is located at the western edge of the fertile Oxnard Plain, and is an important agricultural center, with its distinction as the...
and he spent the rest of the summer washing dishes at the fabulous "Ladies' Nightclub" to earn money for repairs. Now he has returned home, where he lives in the basement of his parents' house and is expected to pay rent. Buffy tells Xander about her negative early experiences of college, and expresses a fear that she cannot adapt to the college experience, but Xander greatly moves her by describing her as "my hero" and explaining that he always thinks "What would Buffy do?" whenever he is in a bad situation. They then agree to track down the vampire lair and reclaim Buffy's stolen belongings.
Using the college computer system, the pair locate the vampire gang in a disused frat house
Fraternities and sororities
Fraternities and sororities are fraternal social organizations for undergraduate students. In Latin, the term refers mainly to such organizations at colleges and universities in the United States, although it is also applied to analogous European groups also known as corporations...
. While Buffy angrily watches the vampires using and abusing her belongings through the glass roof of the frat house, Xander leaves to round up the assistance of Willow and Oz. Unfortunately, the roof breaks and Buffy lands on the floor in front of the vampires. They fight and she is once again losing, in part because of her sore arm from their previous encounter, but seeing Sunday damage the Class Protector award she was given at her senior prom angers Buffy enough to regain her confidence and soundly trounce the vampires, taking out Sunday with a bankhand throw of a broken tennis racket. As Buffy and friends return to the dorm with her belongings, Giles makes a belated appearance with weapons, apologising for his earlier dismissal of her fears and promising that they will fight the evil together.
Meanwhile, one of the vampires from Sunday's gang is hit with a taser
Taser
A Taser is an electroshock weapon that uses electrical current to disrupt voluntary control of muscles. Its manufacturer, Taser International, calls the effects "neuromuscular incapacitation" and the devices' mechanism "Electro-Muscular Disruption technology"...
by three masked men in camouflage fatigues.
Starring
- Sarah Michelle GellarSarah Michelle GellarSarah Michelle Prinze , known professionally by her birth name of Sarah Michelle Gellar , is an American actress, singer and executive producer...
as Buffy Summers - Nicholas BrendonNicholas BrendonNicholas Brendon , is an actor best known for his character Xander Harris in the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer .-Early life:...
as Xander Harris - Alyson HanniganAlyson HanniganAlyson Lee Hannigan is an American actress. She is known for her roles as Willow Rosenberg in the cult classic television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Michelle Flaherty in three American Pie films, and Lily Aldrin on the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother.-Early life:Hannigan was born in...
as Willow Rosenberg - Seth GreenSeth GreenSeth Benjamin Green is an American actor, comedian, voice actor, and television producer. He is well known for his role as Daniel "Oz" Osbourne in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, as Dr. Evil's son Scott in the Austin Powers series of comedy films, Mitch Miller in That '70s Show, and the voice of Chris...
as Oz - and Anthony Stewart Head as Rupert Giles
Guest starring
- Kristine SutherlandKristine SutherlandKristine Sutherland is an actress best known for her role as Buffy Summers' mother Joyce Summers on the television show Buffy The Vampire Slayer.-Early life:...
as Joyce Summers - Marc BlucasMarc BlucasMarcus Paul "Marc" Blucas is an American actor, known for playing Riley Finn in Buffy the Vampire Slayer.-Early life:...
as Riley Finn - Dagney KerrDagney KerrDagney Michelle Kerr is a television actress, singer, and dancer best known for her roles as Nurse Ruth Ann Heisel on Desperate Housewives and Buffy's demonic roommate Kathy on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. She has also appeared on such shows as The George Lopez Show, E.R., Six Feet Under and The...
as Kathy Newman - Pedro Balmaceda as Eddie
- Katharine TowneKatharine TowneKatharine Payne Towne is an American actress.Towne was born in Hollywood, California, the daughter of actress Julie Payne and Robert Towne, an Oscar-winning screenwriter, director, and actor....
as Sunday - Lindsay CrouseLindsay Crouse-Early life:Crouse was born in New York City, the daughter of Anna and Russel Crouse, a playwright. Her full name—Lindsay Ann Crouse—is an intentional tribute to the Broadway writing partnership of Lindsay and Crouse. Her father and his writing partner, Howard Lindsay, wrote much of...
as Maggie Walsh
Co-starring
- David BoreanazDavid BoreanazDavid Boreanaz is an American actor, television producer, and director, known for his role as Angel on the supernatural drama series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel, and as Special Agent Seeley Booth on the television crime drama Bones....
as Angel's lookalike at the Bronze - Mike Rad as Rookie
- Shannon Hillary as Dav
- Mace Lombard as Tom
- Robert Catrini as Prof. Riegert
- Scott Rinker as R.A.
- Phina OruchePhina OruchePhina Oruche is a British actress, radio presenter and former model best known for her performances as Liberty Baker in ITV's Footballers' Wives, for which she won a Screen Nations Award for Favourite TV Star....
as Olivia - Denice J. Sealy as Student Volunteer
- Evie PeckEvie PeckEvie Peck is an actress and producer who has guest starred in several popular television shows such as Friends and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. She produced and starred in the independent film Memron in 2004. Evie was a member of Tim Robbins' Theater Company, The Actors' Gang, for over a decade...
as Angry Girl - Anil Raman as Earnest Fellow
- Jason Christopher as Nonserious Guy
- Jane Silvia as Conservative Woman
- Mark Silverberg as Passing Student
- Walt Borchert as New Vampire
Trivia
- The original storyline for the character of Sunday was that she was a former Slayer turned vampire.
- Buffy references Mr. Pointy, the stake left to her by former friend and late Slayer Kendra.
- The yearbook seen in this episode, the Sunnydale High YearbookSunnydale High YearbookSunnydale High Yearbook is a tie-in book based on the U.S. television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. In the series, the closing shot of the episode "Graduation Day, Part Two" shows the fictional yearbook this tie-in was modeled after.-Plot summary:...
, was released as a tie-in product after this episode aired. - The college vampires have a tally of Gustav KlimtGustav KlimtGustav Klimt was an Austrian Symbolist painter and one of the most prominent members of the Vienna Secession movement. His major works include paintings, murals, sketches, and other art objects...
versus Claude MonetClaude MonetClaude Monet was a founder of French impressionist painting, and the most consistent and prolific practitioner of the movement's philosophy of expressing one's perceptions before nature, especially as applied to plein-air landscape painting. . Retrieved 6 January 2007...
posters they have stolen from the freshmen they kill. A poster of Klimt's painting, The KissThe Kiss (Klimt painting)The Kiss was painted by Gustav Klimt, and is probably his most famous work. He began work on it in 1907 and it is the highpoint of his so-called 'Golden Period', when he painted a number of works in a similar style...
is found in Eddie's belongings. - This is the first ever episode not to feature Sunnydale HighSunnydaleSunnydale, California is the fictional setting for the U.S. television drama Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Series creator Joss Whedon conceived the town as a representation of a generic California city, as well as a narrative parody of the all-too-serene towns typical in traditional horror...
. It was blown up in episode 22 of season 3 "Graduation Day, Part TwoGraduation Day (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)"Graduation Day" is the season finale of the WB Television Network's third season of the drama television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, consisting of the twenty-first and twenty-second episodes. They are also the fifty-fifth and fifty-sixth episodes of the show overall...
", and the characters are now starting college (although the school's charred remains will feature occasionally this season, and it will ultimately be rebuilt for season seven). - When Buffy sees the back of a man's head who she thinks might be Angel, the man is actually played by David Boreanaz until his face becomes visible.
- Starting with this episode, Buffy was filmed in 16:9 widescreenWidescreenWidescreen images are a variety of aspect ratios used in film, television and computer screens. In film, a widescreen film is any film image with a width-to-height aspect ratio greater than the standard 1.37:1 Academy aspect ratio provided by 35mm film....
; this would be the case for the next three seasons. However, Joss WhedonJoss WhedonJoseph Hill "Joss" Whedon is an American screenwriter, executive producer, director, comic book writer, occasional composer and actor, founder of Mutant Enemy Productions and co-creator of Bellwether Pictures...
never intended for it to be shown this way, so while the widescreen version is shown on Sky One in the United Kingdom, all American showings are in 4:3. DVD releases of the final four seasons have followed the same pattern, with European (Region 2) discs displaying the episodes in 16:9 widescreen format and North American (Region 1) discs not. - Charisma CarpenterCharisma CarpenterCharisma Lee Carpenter is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Cordelia Chase in the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its spin-off Angel, for which she was nominated for four Saturn Awards. In her most recent film she starred opposite Sylvester Stallone and Jason...
(Cordelia) and David BoreanazDavid BoreanazDavid Boreanaz is an American actor, television producer, and director, known for his role as Angel on the supernatural drama series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel, and as Special Agent Seeley Booth on the television crime drama Bones....
(Angel) are no longer series regulars and have been removed from the opening credits. - The David BowieDavid BowieDavid Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
song "Memory of a Free FestivalMemory of a Free Festival"Memory of a Free Festival" is a 1970 single by David Bowie. The song had originally been recorded as a seven-minute opus for Bowie's second self-titled album...
" plays in the background as Buffy enters Giles's apartment.
Cultural references
- Planet of the ApesPlanet of the Apes (1968 film)Planet of the Apes is a 1968 American science fiction film directed by Franklin J. Schaffner, based on the 1963 French novel La Planète des singes by Pierre Boulle. The film stars Charlton Heston, Roddy McDowall, Kim Hunter, Maurice Evans, James Whitmore, James Daly and Linda Harrison...
– Oz quotes the famous line "It's a madhouse. A madhouse!" in the beginning of the episode to describe the crowd at the college. The line was previously quoted by Xander in "When She Was BadWhen She Was Bad"When She Was Bad" is the first episode in the second season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The episode was written and directed by series creator and executive producer Joss Whedon...
". - Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes BackStar Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes BackStar Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back is a 1980 American epic space opera film directed by Irvin Kershner. The screenplay, based on a story by George Lucas, was written by Leigh Brackett and Lawrence Kasdan...
– During the pep talk Xander gives Buffy at the Bronze, he uses Yoda's "Fear leads to anger..." quote, and mangles it several times. - ScarfaceScarface (1983 film)Scarface is a 1983 American epic crime drama movie directed by Brian De Palma, written by Oliver Stone, produced by Martin Bregman and starring Al Pacino as Tony Montana...
– Xander also attempts to quote Scarface during his pep talk, but he stops himself before finishing the quote. - The AvengersAvengers (comics)The Avengers is a fictional team of superheroes, appearing in magazines published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 The Avengers is a fictional team of superheroes, appearing in magazines published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 The Avengers...
– Xander further makes references to the Avengers when saying "Avengers Assemble" referring to getting the gang together to help Buffy. This is a line that Captain AmericaCaptain AmericaCaptain America is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Captain America Comics #1 , from Marvel Comics' 1940s predecessor, Timely Comics, and was created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby...
uses. - A Gentleman of LeisureA Gentleman of LeisureA Gentleman of Leisure is a novel by P. G. Wodehouse. The basic plot first appeared in a novella, The Gem Collector, in the December 1909 issue of Ainslee's Magazine. It was substantially revised and expanded for publication as a book, under the title The Intrusion of Jimmy, by W.J. Watt and Co.,...
- Giles's new definition of himself - according to Willow - is to be a "Gentleman of Leisure", referring to English P. G. WodehouseP. G. WodehouseSir Pelham Grenville Wodehouse, KBE was an English humorist, whose body of work includes novels, short stories, plays, poems, song lyrics, and numerous pieces of journalism. He enjoyed enormous popular success during a career that lasted more than seventy years and his many writings continue to be...
's novel. - When Buffy meets Giles in company with a lightly dressed Olivia in his flat, she compares him with Hugh HefnerHugh HefnerHugh Marston "Hef" Hefner is an American magazine publisher, founder and Chief Creative Officer of Playboy Enterprises.-Early life:...
, the founder and Playboy EnterprisesPlayboy EnterprisesPlayboy Enterprises, Inc. is a privately held global media and lifestyle company founded by Hugh Marston Hefner to manage the Playboy magazine empire. Its programming and content are available worldwide on television networks, Websites, mobile platforms and radio...
.
Arc significance
- Crossover with Angel: Buffy answers the telephone, but hears nothing, not even breathing. The reason is explained in "City of", which was broadcast immediately afterward. Buffy also imagines seeing Angel's side-profile at the Bronze, but it isn't Angel (although David Boreanaz does appear).
- This episode marks the first appearance of Riley Finn, Professor Walsh and the Initiative, the group of military commandos that fight demons and vampires and gives rise to this season's Big BadBig BadBig Bad is a term originally used by the Buffy the Vampire Slayer television series to describe a major recurring adversary, usually the chief villain or antagonist in a particular broadcast season...
. - Buffy's roommate Kathy plays a bigger role in "Living Conditions".
- The show will explore the transition from high school to the more complicated college life, which offers significantly more freedom and thus opportunities for mistakes. This episode showed Buffy's loneliness and self-doubt as a small fish in a big pond.
- Giles begins his mid-life crisis following the destruction of the Sunnydale HighSunnydaleSunnydale, California is the fictional setting for the U.S. television drama Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Series creator Joss Whedon conceived the town as a representation of a generic California city, as well as a narrative parody of the all-too-serene towns typical in traditional horror...
library and Buffy's new life away from him. - In the University's bookstore, Buffy says, "I can't wait for Mom to get the bill for these books. I hope it's a funny aneurysm." Joyce Summers dies in the fifth season episode "I Was Made to Love You"; in the following episode, "The Body", the cause is revealed to be an aneurysm.