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"First Date" is the fourteenth episode of seventh and final season of the television show ''
Buffy the Vampire Slayer ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' is an American supernatural fiction, supernatural drama television series created by writer and director Joss Whedon. The concept is based on the Buffy the Vampire Slayer (film), 1992 film, also written by Whedon, a ...
''. The episode aired on February 11, 2003 on
UPN The United Paramount Network (UPN) was an American broadcast television network that operated from 1995 to 2006. It was originally a joint venture between Chris-Craft Industries (later sold to News Corporation)'s subsidiary, United Television, ...
. Buffy accepts a dinner invitation from high school Principal Robin Wood, making Spike wistfully jealous; Anya expresses more aggressive jealousy when Xander has a date; and both first dates provide revelations about the
First Evil The First Evil (usually called The First) is a fictional character created by Joss Whedon for the TV series ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer''. The First Evil first appeared in the third season episode " Amends", and became the main antagonist of the s ...
.


Plot

Giles leads Buffy and the Potential Slayers in a night-time cemetery tour, during which he tells how he survived the Bringer attack several weeks before by overpowering and decapitating the Bringer. He is suddenly attacked by Spike, who is surprised to learn that Giles is corporeal and not the
First Evil The First Evil (usually called The First) is a fictional character created by Joss Whedon for the TV series ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer''. The First Evil first appeared in the third season episode " Amends", and became the main antagonist of the s ...
. When Giles is confused at how Spike can no longer feel pain, Buffy admits that she persuaded the Initiative to remove the chip from Spike's head, much to Giles' consternation. At work, Buffy tries to hunt for clues in Principal Wood's office as to whether he is good or evil. When she is about to open a cabinet, Wood finds her and asks her out to dinner. After Buffy leaves, Wood opens the case, displaying a large collection of blade weapons, into which he places a bloody dagger. Back at the house, Buffy expresses mixed feelings about the date, and is unsure whether she is interested in him.
Willow Willows, also called sallows and osiers, of the genus ''Salix'', comprise around 350 species (plus numerous hybrids) of typically deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist soils in cold and temperate regions. Most species are known ...
suggests that it would be good for Buffy to move on (from Spike, presumably).
Xander Xander is an abbreviated form of the name Alexander and pronounced like "Zander". Alexander is the Latin form of the Greek name "Alexandros". The name's meaning is interpreted from "alexein" which means "to defend" plus "andros" which translates ...
enters and reveals that he too has a date that evening, with a young woman, Lissa, he met at a hardware store. Upstairs, Buffy is getting dressed for dinner when Spike appears in the hallway, and tells Buffy that he is fine with her having a date with another man, although Buffy can tell he is jealous. On Buffy's date with Wood, they are jumped by a group of
vampire A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the Vitalism, vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead, undead humanoid creatures that often visited loved ones and c ...
s. Buffy slays most of them, and thinks that Wood has set her up until she sees him take out two of them. At the restaurant, Wood reveals that he is a "freelance"
demon A demon is a malevolent supernatural entity. Historically, belief in demons, or stories about demons, occurs in folklore, mythology, religion, occultism, and literature; these beliefs are reflected in Media (communication), media including f ...
hunter, and tells her about his mother — a Slayer who was killed when he was four years old, after which he was raised by her Watcher. Meanwhile, Xander's date appears to be going well until he learns that she is a demon working for the First. She ties him up above the mystical Seal of Danzalthar in the high school basement, and cuts him so that he will bleed onto it and cause it to open. In the house, the First appears to
Andrew Andrew is the English form of the given name, common in many countries. The word is derived from the , ''Andreas'', itself related to ''aner/andros'', "man" (as opposed to "woman"), thus meaning "manly" and, as consequence, "brave", "strong", "c ...
in the guise of his murdered friend Jonathan, and orders him to kill the Potentials by trapping them in the basement, using the gun that Willow brought to the house while she was
possessed Possessed may refer to: Possession * Possession (disambiguation), having some degree of control over something else ** Spirit possession, whereby gods, demons, animas, or other disincarnate entities may temporarily take control of a human body *** ...
by Warren. Though Andrew says he is committed to helping Buffy and her friends, he reluctantly retrieves the gun for the First and asks why not convince Spike to kill the Potentials; to which the First replies it is not yet time to use Spike. When Andrew asks the First questions about its intents and potential weaknesses, the First realises that Andrew is wearing a
wire file:Sample cross-section of high tension power (pylon) line.jpg, Overhead power cabling. The conductor consists of seven strands of steel (centre, high tensile strength), surrounded by four outer layers of aluminium (high conductivity). Sample d ...
that Willow has set up and that she,
Dawn Dawn is the time that marks the beginning of twilight before sunrise. It is recognized by the diffuse sky radiation, appearance of indirect sunlight being Rayleigh scattering, scattered in Earth's atmosphere, when the centre of the Sun's disc ha ...
,
Amanda Amanda is a Latin feminine gerundive (i.e. verbal adjective) name meaning, literally, "she who must (or is fit to) be loved". Other translations, with similar meaning, could be "deserving to be loved," "worthy of love," or "loved very much by ev ...
and
Kennedy Kennedy may refer to: People * Kennedy (surname), including any of several people with that surname ** Kennedy family, a prominent American political family that includes: *** Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. (1888–1969), American businessman, investor, ...
are listening to their conversation through Willow's headphones. Angered, the First appears to the girls in the guise of a horribly maimed Jonathan, threatening them before disappearing. Soon afterwards, Willow receives a text message with a help code from Xander. Spike goes to fetch Buffy, finds her with Wood at the restaurant in a slightly romantic moment, and they all rush out to rescue Xander, driving in Wood's car. When they get to the seal beneath the school, they fight and kill Lissa and find Xander not too badly hurt. They prevent the seal from opening again, but during the course of the fight, Wood finds out that Spike is a vampire whom Buffy cares about deeply, making him uneasy. Back at the house, Spike tells Buffy that as the First has plans for him that could endanger others, he will leave town to prevent this. Buffy tells Spike not to leave, because she is not ready for him not to be there. In Wood's apartment, the First appears to Wood in the guise of his dead mother (Nikki Wood) and leads him to conclude that it was Spike who killed her in 1977.


Production


Casting

Actress and stunt double April Weeden-Washington, who played the original "Subway Slayer" Nikki Wood, told an interviewer, "I received a call from the casting director at ''Buffy'' saying that they were bringing the character back. I was told to come in and audition on September 13
002 002, 0O2, O02, OO2, or 002 may refer to: Airports *0O2, Baker Airport *O02, Nervino Airport Astronomy *1996 OO2, the minor planet 7499 L'Aquila *1990 OO2, the asteroid 9175 Graun Fiction *002, fictional British 00 Agent *''002 Operazione Luna'' ...
I thought I was a shoo-in because I had already established the character. There weren't many lines. Then I got a phone call from casting stating that there was 'a certain maturity' about me now, and that I didn't get the part. It was a blow for me not to get called back. I do kind of understand, seeing that the Slayers are teenagers, but the character in "Fool for Love" was older than that." The actress K.D. Aubert replaced her in the role.


Reception

'' Vox'', ranking it at #123 of all 144 episodes on their "Worst to Best" list, writes, "Traditionally on ''Buffy'', there’s a major twist right around this point in the season:
Angel An angel is a spiritual (without a physical body), heavenly, or supernatural being, usually humanoid with bird-like wings, often depicted as a messenger or intermediary between God (the transcendent) and humanity (the profane) in variou ...
loses his soul, or
Faith Faith is confidence or trust in a person, thing, or concept. In the context of religion, faith is " belief in God or in the doctrines or teachings of religion". According to the Merriam-Webster's Dictionary, faith has multiple definitions, inc ...
kills a guy, or Buffy and Spike have sex. Season seven eschews that structure, which is partly why it feels so monotonous, but this quiet episode has its charms. It brings back a little of the Scooby camaraderie that made the early seasons so fun: There’s Willow and Xander sweetly teasing Buffy about how Principal Wood is way too young to be her type, and Anya struggling fruitlessly for someone to talk to about how jealous she is of Xander’s date with Special Guest Star Ashanti — who, as stunt-casted celebrities goes, does not embarrass herself." In 2023, ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...
'', ranked this episode as #99 out of the 144 episodes in honor of the 20th anniversary of the show's ending. Reviewer Billie Doux comments, "This week's moral lessons are: redemption's a bitch, and never date during an Apocalypse... Buffy thought her date was evil, while Xander didn't have a clue — and it turned out to be just the reverse, with Xander once again proving that he is a demon magnet." Mark Oshiro wrote a mixed review, finding some of the jokes cheap, particularly the "continuation of the joke that only demons are interested in Xander" and the character of Chao-Ahn, "an awful, gross stereotype taken to extremely racist/xenophobic ends." While he liked the appearance of Ashanti as Lissa, he asks whether "this episode sort of criticizes itself?"


Notes

:1. His full rant goes: Xander: "What do you think happened? Another demon woman was attracted to me. I'm going gay. I've decided I'm turning gay. Willow, gay me up. Come on, let's gay... Just tell me what to do. I'm mentally undressing
Scott Bakula Scott Stewart Bakula (; born October 9, 1954) is an American actor. He played Sam Beckett on ''Quantum Leap'' – for which he was nominated for four Primetime Emmy Awards and three Golden Globe Awards (winning one) – and Captain Jonathan Arc ...
right now. That's a start, isn't it?" Andrew (dreamily): " Captain Archer." Xander: "Come on, let's get this gay show on the gay road. Help me out here." Buffy: "What if you just start attracting male demons?" Essayist Steven Greenwood discusses the scene as an example of the series' latent characterization of Xander as homoerotic. :2.Spike is seen to fight and kill the "Subway Slayer," Nikki Wood, in Season 5, episode 7, "Fool for Love."


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:First Date (Buffy The Vampire Slayer) Buffy the Vampire Slayer season 7 episodes 2003 American television episodes Television episodes written by Jane Espenson