Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Help

"Help" is the fourth episode of season seven of the supernatural drama series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and the 126th episode of the series overall. It was directed by Rick Rosenthal with a script written by Rebecca Rand Kirshner. It first aired on UPN on Tuesday, October 15th, 2002.

Notes & Trivia

 * Buffy the Vampire Slayer was created and developed for television by Joss Whedon.




 * This is the twenty-sixth episode of the series to air on UPN.


 * Teleplay writer Rebecca Sinclair is credited as Rebecca Rand Kirshner in this episode.


 * Actor Zachery Ty Bryan is credited as Zachery Bryan in this episode.


 * Actor D.B. Woodside is credited as DB Woodside in this episode.


 * Actress Emma Caulfield is credited in this episode, but her character does not make an appearance. However, she does appear in the "Previously, on Buffy the Vampire Slayer" episode recap.


 * Scenes involving Lulu, played by Beth Skipp, were deleted.


 * This is Rick Rosenthal's second and final episode of the series as a director. He previously directed season six's "Normal Again".


 * This is Rebecca Rand Kirshner's sixth episode of the series as a writer. She previously worked on "Hell's Bells". Her next episode is "Potential".


 * Buffy Summers begins working as a guidance counselor at Sunnydale High School beginning with this episode.


 * This is the first time "Google" is used as a verb in popular culture. It is said by Willow Rosenberg to Xander Harris (See Quotes).


 * This is one of the few times where the title of the series is actually spoken by one of the characters. Buffy Summers says "Buffy the Vampire Slayer would break down this door" (See Quotes).


 * This is the third appearance of Principal Robin Wood. He previously appeared in "Beneath You". He appears next in "Him".


 * This is the first appearance of Amanda, who becomes a Potential Slayer in upcoming episodes. She makes ten appearances in the series in total. She appears next in "Potential".


 * This is the first appearance of Cassie Newton. She appears next in "Conversations with Dead People".

Allusions

 * "Help" is the process of rendering aid to one who requires it, be it physical, mental educational or spiritual. In the context of this episode, it refers to Buffy Summers' new career path as a guidance counselor.


 * Xander Harris invokes the phrase "I like Ike". This was a campaign slogan used for supporters of presidential candidate Dwight D. "Ike" Eisenhower from his 1952 campaign.


 * Xander Harris also invokes the phrase, "Milk, It Does a Body Good". This is taken from a milk commercial produced in 1986 that became quite popular at the time.

Bloopers

 * When Buffy Summers kills the demon with fire, it falls face up and burns. But when the guy that summoned the demon crawls over to it, the demon is now face down.

Quotes

 * Willow Rosenberg: Have you Googled her yet?
 * Xander Harris: Willow, she's seventeen!
 * Willow Rosenberg: It's a search engine.

....
 * Xander Harris: Figuring out how to control your magic seems a lot like hammering a nail. Well, uh, hear me out. So you're hammering, right? If you hold the end of the hammer, you have the power, but no control. It takes, like, two strokes to hit the nail in, or you could hit your thumb.
 * Willow Rosenberg: Ouch.
 * Xander Harris: So you choke up. Control, but no power. It could take, like, ten strokes to knock the nail in. Power, control. It's a tradeoff.
 * Willow Rosenberg: That's actually not a bad analogy.
 * Xander Harris: Thanks.
 * Willow Rosenberg: Except I'm less worried about hitting my thumb, and more worried about going all black-eyed baddy and bewitching that hammer into cracking my friends' skulls open like coconuts.
 * Xander Harris: Right. Ouch.

....
 * Buffy Summers: Buffy the Vampire Slayer would break down this door.
 * Xander Harris: And Buffy the Counselor?
 * Buffy Summers: Waits.

....
 * Xander Harris: "From beneath you, it devours." It's not the friendliest jingle, is it? It's no "I like Ike" or "Milk: It does a body good."