Never Kill a Boy on the First Date

Season 1, Episode 5, Aired

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8.2
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Yearning for a normal life, Buffy agrees to a date with the mysterious and brooding Owen. Giles discovers a prophecy of coming danger which would interfere with her plans, but she chooses Owen over battling the forces of darkness. When Giles goes out on his own and is trapped by a group of vampires, Buffy must figure out a way to balance dating and Slaying.moreless
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Fan Episode Reviews (41)

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  • Never Kill a Boy on a First Date

    6.0
    "Fair"
    By joxerlives, Dec 31, 2011
    The Good;
    Great misdirection, you really never figure who the annointed is whilst Vorba is a truly frightening figure. Cordy and Buffy fighting over Owen is FANTASTIC! The fight at the funeral home is also excellent. And how often do you see 'Emily Dickenson' in a US teen show? (almost impresses Giles) The lovely scene between Buffy and Giles at the end. Buffy's green and white dress doesn't make her look fat but does make her look like a brazen hussy. The changing scene with Buffy, Willow and Xander is also funny

    The bad;
    So, when a vamp disolves why do it's clothes disintegrate and the ring etc doesn't? I always thought the idea was when a vamp dies the body returns to a natural state of decomposition but that doesn't seem the case as even newly made vamps dust.

    Best line; (after Cordy knocks the cup over) "Boy, Cordelia's hips are wider than I thought!" OOOOOOOHHHH!
    The classic; "Bite me!"
    Cordy upon seeing Angel "Hello salty goodness!" (which are also her first words as an amnesiac in Spin the Bottle upon sighting Angel/Liam)

    Observations and questions;
    We never see Owen again although he appears in a lot of the establishing shots of Sunnydale High. I guess the show only has room for one brooding loner guy? Check out Willow's expression when she and Xander pretend to be a couple. Also Willow digs Owen which is more grounds to assume she's bisexual rather than just lesbian. Someone actually borrows a book from the library? Giles must have had to sit down with shock. Being a Watcher seems to run in famillies

    Good ep, 3 and a half out of 5
    moreless

  • Buffy secures a date with Owen, a brooding hunk from high school who she has got the hots for. Unfortunately, Giles has predicted a prophecy of extreme danger to arise on the very same night! Not my favourite plot-wise, but a very good episode...moreless

    8.0
    "Great"
    By Jay-Spacedust, Feb 17, 2011
    This review contains spoilers.

    This episode concentrates on how being the Slayer conflicts with Buffy wanting to live a normal teenage life. To be honest, this sort of thing was never particularly my favourite element of the series (if I wanted teen angst, I'd watch one of the numerous other "good looking American teen dramas" around), but in complete fairness, it is cleverly woven together plays out very well, and I bought into it much more than I did with some of the later such examples in the show.

    ...And again in fairness, this episode gets the balance right, juggling between Buffy's social life, and her responsibilities as a Slayer, particularly as it is the eve of the rising of the Anointed One.

    As with so many 'Buffy' episodes, it is not just the plot itself that works, but the many wonderful lines and moments, of which there are many in this episode. I love Giles commenting that Buffy taking out an Emily Bronte book is cause for "...a national holiday"; his revelation at the end that, when he was told at a young age of his destiny to be a Watcher, he was planning to be "a jet fighter pilot... or a grocer"; and Xander comparing Owen's gold pocket watch to his own Tweety Pie watch!
    ...In fact, there are so many great Xander moments in this story full stop (including picking out the most unsuitable costume for Buffy's date; and trying to put Owen off of her) I'd almost forgotten just how funny the character was in the first couple of seasons.

    Also of note is that, after a couple of pretty much "stand alone" episodes, the overall season story arc picks up, regarding the Master, and the arrival of the Anointed One and I love the whole red herring that the Anointed was not the seemingly obvious apocalypse-spouting goon, but in fact the small boy!
    It is also a welcome to relief that Owen doesn't turn out to be some kind of monster, which one possibly might have expected (as some kind of lazy plot device) when watching this episode for the first time.

    The whole Buffy/Owen thing is obviously doomed ultimately they agree to remain friends (a nice twist is that Owen actually enjoyed his danger-filled night), but needless to say, Owen is never seen again in the series. I suppose this element of the episode played out well, and they didn't turn up the "feel sorry for Buffy dial" too high which as mentioned in some of my reviews for previous episodes put me off some later stories a bit.

    All-in-all, this is definitely not my favourite plot for the series, but the episode plays out well enough, and its main grace is that it has so many great lines. I give this one a respectable 9/10.moreless

  • First of many great Buffy episodes

    9.0
    "Superb"
    By TheHappyHermit, Feb 17, 2011
    In my opinion, this was the first great Buffy episode. It really delved into the whole teen angst thing as well as continuing with the great dialog, story telling and music. Velvet Chain played two great songs, and the episode ended with a great song by Kim Richey ("Let the Sun Fall Dowsn"). There were many clever and humorous lines of dialog in the episode and it continue to move the Angel story line along. The show really seemed to hit it's stride with this episode (in only the 5th episode). The only things that really detract from the good first season episodes are the low budget sets and effects.moreless

  • And now back to the vampires

    6.0
    "Fair"
    By Thestorysofar, Feb 17, 2011
    The next crazy scheme to bring the master to the surface.

    bring some Vampire together to raise another vampire to get the master out of the cave.

    So Buffy likes some guy at her school who is a big romantic type whole likes reading poetry and long walks on the beach. And then Cordelia starts hitting on him but then he asks Buffy out.

    But She can't go to the date because Giles drags her away to the cemetry to sit around to wait for vampires. meanwhile the date is at the club dancing with Cordelia. Finally she goes on a date and Giles decides to go to crypt late at night to find Vampires their and then he runs away and hides in a room. meanwhile Xander and Willow magically appear at window and run off to get Buffy, I wish just once one of the other characters would grow a hairy chest and kick some but.

    Buffy arrives at the crypt and finds Giles hiding in freezer. with a corpse - make note that they check the freezers later and there was one there with no body in it. So why Giles got in the one with the body is kind of creepy and I don't want to think about it too much.

    So the date follows Buffy and they all end up being chased by a bigger vampire. Buffy kicks him into a fire and they all live to see another day. But Buffy can't date the guy anymore because he likes to help her battle vampires. So Willow and Xander are ok but boyfriends are not.

    Ok next episode.moreless

  • Never Kill a Boy on the First Date

    8.5
    "Great"
    By TrueTvWatcher, Feb 17, 2011
    Never Kill a Boy on the First Date was great. It showcased Buffy's attempt at dating like a normal teenager, but it never quite works out. Giles had to consult his books, and this isn't the last time! This show is so great, and this episode is a great example. Full of witty, and some times campy humor the gang keeps us laughing. The bad guys take on a real tone of seriousness, and its almost believable that they are real and exist. This is true of the good guys too of course. This and other episodes are the ground work for more complex story lines and episodes in the future.moreless
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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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  • TRIVIA (11)

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    • In the article that Giles shows Buffy about the van accident, only a couple of sentences have anything to do with the headline. The rest of them are random lines about an ex-wife and some kind of compromise.

    • Christopher Wiehl, who plays Buffy's high school date, Owen Thurman, was actually 31 when this episode aired.

    • At the funeral home, when the new vampire awakens, his reflection can be seen in the glass cabinet doors behind him.

    • This is the first time we see a student in the library other than Buffy, Willow, Xander,and Cordelia when Owen comes in to check out an Emily Dickinson book. The lack of students in the library became something of a running joke on the show as they were rarely seen unless required for the story.

    • The license plate on Giles' car reads 2GPU947.

    • While it is subtle, when Buffy and Giles are opening the cold chamber drawers (where the bodies are kept) it is fairly obvious that they are opening the same drawer over and over. In the first shot they even go as far as to cover the vent that is seen in the later two shots. They also change the height of the drawer in relation to the actors.

    • Near the end of the episode, when Buffy breaks up with Owen, it is very apparent that the extras are reused. Watch and look for a blond with a red flannel coat. She's walking in the background, hanging in the hallway, walking up the stairs (three times, one time with a bag, the second without it, and the third time is a continuation of the first - this happens behind Owen). There is also a boy in bell-bottoms, a tight yellow shirt with a tight navy blue vest over that. He appears in several places (though his travel path is more realistic than the blond's).

    • This is the first and only episode we see Buffy with a pager.

    • At the beginning of this episode, when Buffy stakes the vampire, he leaves behind a ring. But in most other cases when a vamp is staked, everything turns to dust, including clothing and jewelry.

    • When Buffy says "If the apocalypse comes, beep me" she reaches forward to grab her pager and holds it up next to her head. In the next shot (from the side), there is no visible table or stand where that beeper could've been sitting. It couldn't have been on the stairway rail because we saw it earlier in the scene and there is no beeper on it.

    • The inside bus lights are turned on at the first shot of the airport shuttle bus. When the scene cuts to the inside of the bus, the lights are off.

  • QUOTES (29)

    ADD QUOTES

    • Buffy: Do I want to appear shy, coy, and naive, or unrestrained and insatiable and aggressive? Xander: You know, Owen is a little homespun, he probably doesn't like that overly assertive look. Oh hey, here's something: a nice comfy overcoat and a ski cap. The ear flaps will bring out your eyes. Buffy: Maybe I should mix and match... Okay, guy's opinion. Which one do you think Owen will like better: the red or the peach? Xander: Oh, you mean for kissing you and then telling all his friends how easy you are, so the whole school loses respect for you then talks behind your back?... The red's fine.

    • Master: And there will be a time of crisis, of worlds hanging in the balance. And in this time shall come the Anointed, the Master's great warrior. And the Slayer will not know him, will not stop him, and he will lead her into Hell. As it is written, so shall it be. Five will die, and from their ashes the Anointed shall rise. The Brethren of Aurelius shall greet him and usher him to his immortal destiny. As it is written, so shall it be.

    • Willow: (about Owen) He hardly talks to anyone. He's solitary, mysterious... He can brood for forty minutes straight, I've clocked him.

    • Xander: So, Buffy, how did the Slaying go last night? Buffy: Xander! Xander: I mean, how did the laying go? No, I don't mean that either.

    • Buffy: Where do you suppose young kids go on dates these days? Willow: Well, I read somewhere once that sometimes they go to movies. Buffy: Movies! Interesting! Willow: And I saw on TV once, a bunch of people our age went to a party. Buffy: Wow! I never knew being a teenager was so full of possibilities!

    • Giles: You have a date? Buffy: Yes, but I will return those overdue books by tomorrow. Giles: Wait, you're not getting off that easily. Owen: Man, you really care about your work!

    • Buffy: (to Giles) This is the 90's. The 1990's, in point of fact, and I can do both. Clark Kent has a job. I just wanna go on a date.

    • Xander: (about Giles) He's gonna be alright. He's like super librarian, y'know? Everyone forgets, Willow, that knowledge is the ultimate weapon.

    • Giles: Very well. Follow your hormones. But I needn't warn you about the hazards of becoming personally involved with someone who is unaware of your unique condition. Buffy: Yeah, yeah. I've read the back of the box.

    • Giles: Well, you know what they say. Ninety percent of the vampire slaying game is waiting. Buffy: You couldn't have told me that ninety percent ago?

    • (To Buffy, regarding the vampire) Owen: You see that? He tried to bite me! What a sissy!

    • Owen: What, she doesn't like to dance? Xander: Well, it's a little too late to do anything about that. Uh, you should probably know that Buffy doesn't like to be kissed. Actually she doesn't like to be touched. Willow: Xander! Xander: As a matter of fact, don't even look at her.

    • Buffy: You killed my date!

    • Buffy: Cordelia, Owen and I would like to be alone now (puts her arms around Owen and looks at Cordelia again) and for us to do that, you would have to go somewhere that's away.

    • Giles: Oh, Emily Dickinson. Buffy: We're both fans. Giles: Yes, she's quite a good poet. I mean for a... Buffy: A girl? Giles: For an American.

    • Cordelia: (upon first seeing Angel) Hello, salty goodness!

    • Giles: Uh, two more of the brethren came in here. They came after me. But I was more than a match for them. Buffy: Meaning? Giles: I hid.

    • Buffy: If the apocalypse comes, beep me.

    • Giles: If your identity as the Slayer is revealed, it could put you and all those around you in grave danger. Buffy: Well, in that case, I won't wear my button that says, "I'm the Slayer, ask me how!".

    • Giles: Alright, I'll just jump in my time machine, go back to the twelfth century and ask the vampires to postpone their ancient prophecy for a few days while you take in dinner and a show. Buffy: Okay, at this point you're abusing sarcasm.

    • (After Buffy kills a vampire and Giles finds a ring in its dust) Buffy: Oh, that's great! I kill 'em, you fence their stuff.

    • Owen: I lost my Emily. Dickinson. It's dumb, but I like her around. Kind of a security blanket. Buffy: I have something like that. Well, it's an actual blanket. Uh, and I don't really carry it around anym-more... So! Emily Dickens, huh? She's great! Owen: Dickinson. Buffy: She's good also.

    • Giles: That symbol on the ring... I believe it's the rune for fidelity, but it doesn't connect with any of the sects that I've studied. Buffy: What about this? On the inside. It's a sun and three stars. Haven't we seen that somewhere? Giles: Let me see. No, I don't think this represents any... Buffy: Wait, it's right here. Sun and three stars. Yuck, check these guys out. Told you it looked familiar. Giles: Oh, the Order of Aurelius. Yes, you're right. Buffy: Ooo, two points for the Slayer, while the Watcher has yet to score!

    • Buffy: We haven't been properly introduced. I'm Buffy, and you're history!

    • Giles: Buffy, this is no ordinary vampire. But we have to stop him before he reaches the Master. Buffy: But cute guy! Teenager! Post-pubescent fantasies!

    • Buffy: And a cranky Slayer is a careless Slayer!

    • Giles: What do you want? Owen: A book? Giles: Oh! Buffy: See, this is a school, and we have students, and they check out books, and then they learn things. Giles: I was beginning to suspect that was a myth.

    • Giles: Buffy, when I said you could slay vampires and have a social life, I didn't mean at the same time.

    • Buffy: You see that guy over there at the bar? He came here to be with me. Angel: You're here on a date? Buffy: Yes! Why is it such a shock to everyone?

  • NOTES (4)

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  • ALLUSIONS (9)

    ADD ALLUSIONS

    • Owen's Name: Given his love of poetry, Buffy's date's name might be an allusion to Wilfred Owen, the famed British poet of the First World War, who died a week before the Armistice.

    • Giles: That symbol on the ring... I believe it's the rune for fidelity, but, it doesn't connect with any of the sects that I've studied. A Rune is one of the ancient forms of alphabet that was devised in Northern Europe, particularly Germany & Sweden. They would be inscribed on many things, especially jewelry, to give a message across. They are also used in prophecy.

    • Master: Here endeth the lesson. This phrase is used in several Christian denominations to denote the end of a reading from the Bible. Originally any Bible passage would be chanted and/or read in Latin, but once the Bible was translated into the modern languages this phrase was used to make it clear to the congregation when the quotation was over. The phrase may also be a reference to the movie The Untouchables (1987) in which the same line is spoken by both Sean Connery and Kevin Costner. Later, Spike uses the same line in the episode "Fool for Love" (5x07) and Buffy says it in "Showtime" (7x11).

    • Owen: I was hoping we'd end up at Ben and Jerry's. Ben and Jerry make some of the most popular ice-cream around.

    • Cordelia: Pick up the phone, call 911, that boy is going to need some serious oxygen when I ... 911 is the (mostly) nationwide phone number for emergencies in the United States.

    • Buffy: Clark Kent has a job; I just want to go on a date. The alter-identity of the comic book hero Superman, Clark Kent was able to hold down a job and lead some semblance of a normal life.

    • Owen: At least you don't have to eat your Soylent Green. Owen compares the cafeteria lunch to Soylent Green, the 1973 movie starring Charlton Heston (based on the book of the same name). In New York City of 2022 people depend on artificial food substances for their survival.

    • Owen: I lost my Emily... Dickinson. Emily Dickinson (1830-1886) is considered to be one of the greatest American poets of the 19th century. As Owen says, her poetry is often quite morbid, with many references to death and darkness. Scholars of Dickinson's life have found no evidence that she ever had a lover, but several letters have been found which seem to disprove this. They are written as if to a male lover, but no name is given. It may be a coincidence or part of a deliberate reference by the Buffy writers, but all these letters are addressed, simply, "Master."

    • Title: Never Kill a Boy on the First Date. A play on the old adage that a girl should never kiss a boy on the first date.

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