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BAND CANDY (ep #3.06)

(a.k.a. Buffy vs. Another Giant Snake)


Written by: Jane Espenson
Directed by: Michael Lange
Starring: Sarah Michelle Gellar as Buffy Summers
Nicholas Brendon as Xander Harris
Alyson Hannigan as Willow Rosenberg
Charisma Carpenter as Cordelia Chase
David Boreanaz as Angel
Seth Green as Oz
Anthony Stewart Head as Rupert Giles
Guest Starring: Kristine Sutherland as Joyce Summers
K. Todd Freeman as Mr. Trick
Robin Sachs as Ethan Rayne
Harry Groener as Mayor Richard Wilkins III
Armin Shimerman as Principal Snyder
Co-Starring: Jason Hall as Devon
Peg Stewart as Miss Barton

Plot Summary

Enchanted candy caused the adults of Sunnydale to act like teenagers.

Plot Details

The episode opened with Giles helping a very reluctant Buffy practice for her SAT tests while the Mayor asked Mr. Trick to help him keep a promise. Mr. Trick suggested someone who has worked in town before but did not say who.

Some time later, Principal Snyder volunteered most of the characters to sell candy so the band could purchase new uniforms. He did not care that none of them were in the band.

That evening, Buffy managed to get her mother to buy half of her candy and get Giles to buy the other half. She also told each that the other was demanding her time. This allowed her to sneak off to see Angel, who still had his pants but had yet to find a shirt. Buffy returned home to find her mother and Giles waiting for her. They were upset that she played each off the other, but she protested that the two of them were overscheduling her.

Cordelia, Buffy, Willow, and Xander sat in study hall wondering why Giles had not shown up. Eventually, Principal Snyder asked another teacher (Miss Barton) to take over. Fortunately, Miss Barton did not want to be there any more than the students did, so they all got to leave early.

Afterward, Buffy went to Giles's apartment and was startled to find her mother there. They said that they were coordinating a schedule for Buffy and suggested that she leave so they could finish. Joyce even let Buffy drive her SUV home, much to Buffy's delight. In fact, Giles and Joyce were eager to get rid of Buffy and were relieved that she did not suspect anything between the two of them.

Willow, on the other hand, was not thrilled about Buffy driving. However, they did survive their trip to the Bronze, where they were startled to find various adults, including Miss Barton and Principal Snyder, behaving quite immaturely. Eventually, Buffy, Willow, and Oz, with Principal Snyder tagging along, decided to find Giles.

This might not have been a good thing for two reasons. First, Buffy still was a bad driver and ended up in an accident. Second, Giles was busy tossing a trashcan through a store window in order to steal a leather jacket for Joyce and beating up a police officer that tried to stop him. He and Joyce then proceeded to do something on a police car, but we do not see exactly what.

After the accident, Buffy wondered why vampires were not taking advantage of the situation. She and Principal Snyder went to the candy factory, where she was disturbed by the sight of her mother kissing Giles. She made her way into the factory, with Joyce, Giles, and Snyder following, only to find Ethan Rayne. Ethan bravely tried to run away, but Buffy caught him and convinced him to tell her that everything was done so that a tribute of newborn babies could be paid to a demon named Lurconis. Meanwhile, Principal Snyder made a pass at Joyce, who was not receptive.

Four vampires entered the hospital, swiped four babies, and brought them to the sewers where Lurconis lived. They started to perform a ritual with the Mayor and Mr. Trick watching when Buffy, Giles, and Joyce arrived. Buffy fought the vampires while Giles and Joyce took the babies away. Buffy then scared Lurconis off using a lit gas main.

The adults eventually regained their maturity. Principal Snyder made Xander, Willow, Cordelia, and Oz clean graffiti in the school, and Joyce made Buffy pay for the damage to her SUV on installment.

The Good

It looked like many of the actors were having fun, particularly Anthony Stewart Head and Armin Shimmerman.

The Bad

Admittedly, most of the humor was visual, but this was a less quotable episode than normal, especially consider the fact that this was intended as a comic episode.

Overall Rank: 78

Action: 6

Buffy staked a vampire during the teaser.

Buffy fought various vampires in the sewer before torching Lurconis.

Comedy: 7

This is easily the most comedic episode so far in this season. Most of the humor came from watching normally straight-laced adults like Giles and Principal Snyder act like teenagers.

Drama: 1

Buffy was once again torn between her slaying duties and normal life.

Romance: 3

Willow and Xander appeared to still be attracted to each other.

Giles and Joyce showed an attraction that may or may not be completely due to the band candy.

Character Development: 1

Xander is still attracted to Willow.

Principal Snyder was apparently the kid who always got ditched when he was a teenager.

Importance: 1

The events of this episode may affect the relationship between Giles and Joyce.

Most Valuable Player: Buffy

Buffy managed to occupy the vampires while Giles and Joyce managed to rescue the babies. Then she chased Lurconis away for a clear MVP.

Sherlock Holmes Award: Buffy

Buffy figured out that there was something wrong when vampires were not taking advantage of adults acting like teenagers and that the band candy was responsible. Oz gets credit for discovering the ritual of Lurconis in the book, and Giles gets credit for figuring out that Lurconis was in the sewers.

Goat of the Week: Nobody

It is impossible to fault anybody's performance in this episode. Buffy et al. managed to save the babies, and Mayor Wilkins has one fewer demon to pay tribute to. I cannot even say that Lurconis failed anywhere, except that he/she/it did not fare too well.

DVD Extras

Original Script is the usual script that is of mild interest to some.

Memorable Dialogue

"He is wound a little tight. I had this philosophy book checked out from the library for, like, a year, and he made me pay the fine, even though it was huge. I was sad to return it. It was perfect for starting conversations with college boys. Of course, that was B.X." Cordelia
"B.X.? Before Xander, clever." Buffy

"Hey, we're all stuck here, OK, so let's just sit quietly and pretend we're reading something until we're really sure that old Commandant Snyder's gone. Then we're all out of here." Miss Barton

"That's the reason I love this country. You make a good product, and the people will come to you. Of course, a lot of them are gonna die, but that's the other reason I love this country." Mr. Trick

"I don't get this. The candy's supposed to make you feel all immature and stuff, but I've had a ton and I don't feel any diff... Never mind." Xander

"'Kiss rocks?' Why would anyone want to kiss... Oh, wait, I get it." Willow

"The way things were going, be glad that's the worst that happened. At least I got to the two of you before you actually did something." Buffy
"Right." Joyce
"Indeed." Giles
"Yes." Joyce

Kills

Evil Escaped

Police and Guns

Buffy and the Law

Strictly of the Caucasian Persuasion

Unusual Pairings

Spoiler Questions

Highlight the space after each question to find the answer. It is strongly recommended that you do not do so if you have not seen episodes through the episode indicated.

This page was last modified on November 12, 2012