Parallels between 'Never Kill a Boy on the First Date' and 'First Date'.

[elisi]

Sooo, I shall try to let you in on what my brain was doing as I watched ‘Never Kill a Boy on the First Date’ (and all subsequent stuff too!). Because I am sad and obsessed and Jane Espenson *so* did it on purpose! (Most of it anyway.)

There are so many parallels as to be freaky, but even more interesting is where the episodes *don’t* match up - where the stories of the seasons are so very different, and also showing how far the characters have come from where they started. And how some have gone, but those having filled their place are remarkably similar...

Both episodes start in a cemetery. In ‘Never Kill a Boy on the First Date’ (henceforth called ‘Never Kill’ because that name is just too long), Giles is correcting Buffy’s slaying technique - in ‘First Date’ he is telling the potential Slayers how he defeated a Bringer. In both cases he will later retract his statements (Buffy is doing very well in her Slaying - he only knew the Bringer was there because of its squeaking shoes). But that doesn’t mean that the situations are the same...

In both episodes a date is at the centre of the story. In ‘Never Kill’ Buffy is practically throwing herself at Owen - trying to appear well-read to impress him, although everyone makes fun of this. In ‘First Date’ we have a very similar scenario where Buffy is hoping that maybe she has impressed Wood with her counselling, and yet again people do not take her seriously.

Now about the boys... in both eps Willow and Buffy have nice long chats about the guys.

Here’s Willow’s (very impressed) assessment of Owen: “Wow! He hardly talks to anyone. He's solitary, mysterious... He can brood for forty minutes straight, I've clocked him.”

Sound familiar? He’s also tall and handsome of course - and he has a pulse! Not that Buffy knows that Angel’s a vampire at this point of course, but Owen is essentially a more accessible Angel.

And here’s (a part of) Buffy’s thoughts on Wood: “He's good-looking, and he's—he's solid, he's smart, he's normal. So, not the wicked energy, which is nice 'cause I don't want to only be attracted to wicked energy. Or what if he is wicked, in which case, is that why I'm attracted to him?”

Robin, it turns out, has a fair bit of ‘wicked energy’ (= ‘Spike-like’). Handsome, smart, good fighter, has a thing for Slayers... of course there’s also the bonus of the heartbeat!

So, like Owen is to Angel, is Wood to Spike. A slightly watered-down version that is a lot easier to manage - or so it seems. But in both cases Buffy will not take the safe option - she will follow her heart to the difficult man.

Giles is not very understanding in either ep. This is very understandable, but it's intersting to see just how much Buffy has changed in the intervening years. In S1 her date was pretty much the most important thing in the world. In S7 she's cautious and worried, hardly daring to think it'll end well. (Poor Buffy)
In ‘Never Kill’:
Buffy: But... Cute guy! Teenager! Post-pubescent fantasies!
Giles: Those will just have to be put on hold! The dark forces are aligning against us, and we have a chance to beat them back. Tonight we go into battle!

In ‘First Date’:
Willow: Actually, Buffy's investigating Principal Wood. It's not a date.
Giles: Really.
Willow: Might be a date.
Giles: For God's sake! How can anyone think about their social life? We are about to fight the original primal evil. These girls are in mortal danger. Didn't you see the flashcards? This isn't right.

Now concerning those forces of darkness, in both cases there’s a false lead. In ‘First Date’ First!Jonathan talks to Andrew and it seems like Andrew is going along with the plan he’s been given. But in the end he comes down firmly on the side of good.
In ‘Never Kill’ we have a bus full of people, one of whom is likely to become The Anointed One. Giles reckons it’s the (half-crazy) Andrew Borba, who’s wanted for double murder... but, although he’s been sired, he turns out not to be the one.

Now the dates themselves... there’s obviously a great difference between Owen and Buffy dancing at The Bronze and Wood taking her to a cosy French restaurant, but this just reflects how much older she is. Now during Owen and Buffy’s talk, he says something very significant:

Owen: You! One minute you're right there. I've got you figured. The next, it's like you're two people.

And right there we have Buffy’s eternal conundrum - the Slayer and the girl, and can she be both? (There is a whole essay in that, which I’m not going to attempt to write, but I found it interesting that Owen picked up on it.)

Now both dates get interrupted, because someone is in danger - and in both cases it’s Buffy’s vampire who ‘crashes’. And not only that, but it happens just as Owen/Wood are getting Buffy something delicious to eat:

Owen: Do you want something to eat?
Buffy: Sure. Just make it something fattening.

Buffy: Oh, my God! Mmm. Oh, my God. That might be the best thing I've ever had in my mouth.
Wood: Isn't it good? They soak the pears in brandy. Here, you need a bite with sauce.

In both cases, Buffy’s ‘warning system’ has failed - in ‘Never Kill’ Giles (who’s stuck in the Sunnydale Funeral Home surrounded by vampires) doesn’t know how to get through to her beeper and in ‘First Date’ she’s left her phone behind. (And Xander’s being used to open the seal on the Hellmouth.)

When Buffy’s dates meet their ‘counterparts’ there’s a fair bit of veiled hostility, but yet again the answers are the same:

Owen: Hey! So. Where do you know Buffy from?
Angel: Work.

Wood: So, how do you two know each other?
Buffy (answering too fast): He works with me. Uh, you know, in the struggle against evil.

And so we have the fights and the bad guys get killed, but the mood is a lot more sombre in S7, even if in some ways the success was greater. In S1 Buffy has to stop seeing Owen who has got a taste for danger. As Xander puts it:
"No, see, what you need is a guy who already knows your deepest, darkest secrets and still says, 'Hey! I like that girl!' Someone like..."
And we all fill in ‘Angel’.

In S7 the date reveals that Wood is an ally and a fighter. But he’s not the one that Buffy needs:

Spike: You've got another demon fighter now.
Buffy: That's not why I need you here.
Spike: Is that right? Why's that then?
Buffy: 'Cause I'm not ready for you to not be here.

A lot of people remark how harsh Giles is in S7. Comparing these two episodes does a good job of showing why. At the end of ‘Never Kill’ they think they’ve succeeded in killing The Anointed One (because Giles had the relevant information in his books), and Giles shares with Buffy the story of when he was told he was destined to be a Watcher. It is a sweet and touching scene, and I love it to pieces. In S7 they have no success in trying to defeat The First - there are no books that can help, and the Watcher’s Council has been destroyed. No wonder he lashes out.

Of course the final scene of both episodes are very important. In ‘Never Kill’ it is revealed that Buffy did not kill The Anointed One (”And in this time will come the Anointed. And the Slayer will not know him. She will not stop him, and he will lead her into hell.”). And in ‘First Date’ Wood (the new fighter) has just been 'recruited' to work for The First Evil. And Buffy does not know and cannot stop him...

Here endeth my post because I need to go to bed. I think I remembered most of what I was going to say. ::collapses::

Comments

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

That's very interesting. i'm too tired to comment any more coherently!

[gillo]

Fascinating set of parallels. And a damned fine excuse to open up some DVDs at the weekend...

[ringthebells]

Very interesting!

[fishsanwitt]

Fabulous! And I loved it!

[cindergal.livejournal.com]

Wow, there are some really interesting parallels there. You should so email Jane Espenson and ask her - I'm sure she would answer you. She's a big fangirl, too. And she rocks. :-)

[owenthurman.livejournal.com]

Excellent job, elisi. As I mentioned before, my icon here has Angel edited out with GIMP's Intelligent Scissors. He's right behind and between Owen and Buffy. Of course, the similar scene with Spike doesn't involve kissing but brandy and pears.

I loved the elaborate and prop-filled fight in Never Kill better than the more modern and much less fun First Date. Is there a counter parallel in the rush to Spike at the end versus the mutual rescues with Owen?

[yourlibrarian]

That's a wonderful set of parallels, very interesting to see such similarities (and yet some sad differences). The one thing I'd point out though is that Wood seems more like Riley

He's good-looking, and he's—he's solid, he's smart, he's normal. So, not the wicked energy, which is nice 'cause I don't want to only be attracted to wicked energy. Or what if he is wicked, in which case, is that why I'm attracted to him?”

Seems an awful lot like Buffy's discussion in Something Blue:
BUFFY: Exactly. Riley seems so solid. Like he wouldn't cause me heartache.
WILLOW: (Fake worry) Get out. Get out while there's still time.
BUFFY: I know.. I have to get away from that bad boy thing.

[zanthinegirl.livejournal.com]

Oh, very interesting! It's been a while since I've seen either of those episodes; I might just have to pull out the DVDs!

[pluckyantihero.livejournal.com]

Verrrrrrry interesting. (strokes chin)

I have this theory, actually, that the ENTIRE SERIES is filled with clues and references to the Spuffy story. That nearly everything that happens... leads us to Spike and Buffy being psychotically in love.

I mean, for one thing: Buffy has a stuffed pig named Gordo. She is always calling Spike a pig. GASP!! SEE THE CONNECTION??? Oh yeah.

[elisi]

OMG!!!!! Mr Gordo=pig=Spike!!! That is SO obvious and yet I never noticed it before! There must be an icon (or I'll get someone to make one). Seriously! ::loves your brain::

And it's funny, because however much I might attempt to be impartial I really love the seasons with Spuffy in far more then the rest. S3 f.ex. is good fun and I love Faith, but...

[spikereader.livejournal.com]

Very interesting - I really enjoyed reading this. Oh for DVDs.

[kathyh]

What fascinating parallels. I'd never noticed any of them before. The only thing I'd quibble about is Wood and Spike, but I've never believed they really knew what they were going to do with Wood so possibly Jane E was doing her best to make a parallel fit that hadn't really been set up before. As time goes by I do see Jane E as the most consistently good Buffy writer after Joss.

[elisi]

I am amazed that I was so coherent!

[elisi]

Thanks! And of course you should have a look at your DVDs!

[elisi]

Thank you. :)

[elisi]

Thanks. :) I am to please.

[elisi]

Thank you! And oh that's a wonderful idea... I'll let you know if I pluck up the courage!

[elisi]

Thank you! My brain is overactive...

Re. the kiss, then poor Owen! Not that I don't think Buffy was attracted to him, but the kiss was all about Angel (and she wore Angel's jacket for the whole of the previous episode!). The brandy and pear scene is far more cringe inducing though, since we all know exactly what Buffy's had in her mouth... (lucky Spike wasn't evil anymore, or he might not have been able to keep his mouth shut).

The fight is definitely more fun in the earlier episode ("You killed my date!" *punch*), but there aren't really any parallels as such - Angel is barely there, and during that fight I think he's helping Willow and Xander. But I still love the run to Spike far more than any fights I'm afraid! *g*

[elisi]

Yes, there are a lot of Riley qualities about Wood. But since Spike so very specifically sets Wood up as a replacement for himself at the end, I think my parallel works! *g* Also Buffy is a lot more self aware than she was at 16 - she's hoping that she can be attracted to 'normal', but it's obvious that her interest skyrockets after she finds out that he's a demon fighter.

[elisi]

Thank you. And you're the second person whom I've inspired to re-watch. Yay! :)

[elisi]

Thanks. I enjoyed writing it - or rather I had no choice since otherwise it would have gone in circles in my head for days and days!

Darcy picked up S1 on eBay for not a lot... have a look around, maybe you'll get lucky! (DVDs are *so* expensive - I'd love to buy Doctor Who but I am not spending that much on 13 episodes!)

[elisi]

I could barely remember 'Never Kill', so I was lapping it all up!

Good point about Wood, but I think there are enough similarities for it to work. And also I cannot fault Jane E! *g*

Since you're 'here', so to speak, did you see pluckyantihero's comment above? She sees Spuffyiness everywhere, and she recons that Mr Gordo is a sign of early Spuffy (he's a pig - Buffy often calls Spike a pig...). I think that would make a brilliant icon! Oh and possibly also one with Angel holding Mr Gordo to please the slash fans? Although I doubt you'll want to look at photoshop for another month now... *g*

[kathyh]

You'd be right about that actually *g*. I look at my photoshop desktop icon and shudder at the moment. Ask me again in about a week and I might think about it. Seriously, I need to make a birthday card for my dad, which will take a while, but I should have some more free time after his birthday next Tuesday.

Someone wrote a lovely story about Mr Gordo's adventures once, but I can't remember who it was, which is unhelpful of me!

[elisi]

It wasn't really a request, more of a suggestion. And it's not like I don't have an overabundance of icons... *sigh* Also I am trying my hardest to sort out The Fic That Hates Me - line by line, but slowly getting there.

I remember reading the Mr Gordo fic once, it was very sweet!

[kathyh]

It doesn't *really* hate you, soon it will have erotic dreams about you and realise it's in love with you. Then it will chain you up until you admit you feel something for it...and so on. Would thinking of it like that help *g*.

[elisi]

Bwahahahaha! Thank you - I'm seeing it in a whole new light now... *g*

[pluckyantihero.livejournal.com]

Yes!! Let the Mr. Gordo=Pig=Spike movement begin!! I'd love that icon if you can find anyone to make it.

And yeah, S3 is good and all but... it's missing that extra something named Spike.

[elisi]

I've already put kathyh on the case... although it'll probably be a few weeks before she'll get round to it!

it's missing that extra something named Spike.
Exactly!

[spacedoutlooney.livejournal.com]

Nice. I've long suspected strong connections between NKABOTFD and First Date, but hadn't set down to figuring out what they were.

One quibble, though. I've always seen Wood-Angel connections, not Wood-Spike connections. He's what I suppose you could call "a free lance demon-fighter" and knew all about Buffy before letting her know anything about him. He's a fan of complicated scenarios for getting his revenge, much like Angel.

[kittyzams.livejournal.com]

Interesting parallels! Jane is one of my very favorite BtVS writers, she seems like such a nice lady too.

Love your new colors and banner! Very pretty, sweets. *smooch*

[elisi]

I've long suspected strong connections between NKABOTFD and First Date
Me too, what with the name and all, but it was far more satisfying than I thought! :)

One quibble, though.
Ah yes I see what you mean. Now this is probably because of me writing stuff very late in the evening and not formulating myself properly. I don't think that Spike and Wood are alike (except in that they're both demon-fighters), but more that Wood (like Owen) offers the option of an easier relationship - in Wood's case he's even in on the secret (like Xander mentions in NKABOTFD). Personality-wise he's a million miles from Spike.

[elisi]

Thanks for reading - it was one of those posts that was jumping up and down in my head, demanding to be written!

Everyone loves Jane! And reading her blog is such good fun. :)

And the credit for the banner goes to kathyh who is scarily talented!!!!