Triangle

Season 5, Episode 11, Aired
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Episode Summary

While trying to create a new spell to help Buffy with her Slaying, Willow is distracted by an argument with Anya and accidentally releases a troll from a mystical prison. With Buffy in mourning over Riley leaving town, Willow and Anya may need to defeat the troll themselves before it flattens the entire townmoreless
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Fan Episode Reviews (13)

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  • A fun break from the main narrative

    8.0
    "Great"
    By joxerlives, Jan 20, 2012 Report Abuse
    The Good;
    All of it, a lightweight ep but a really good one, I think we've all had enough Buffy/Riley doomed romance and ill Joyce for a while. Time for some fun plus some lovely Buffy/Dawn bed scenes and a great redefinement of the Anya/Xander/Willow relationship.

    The Bad;
    Anya says she's never driven before but she refers to her car in Graduation Day pt2.

    Best line;
    Troll; "Do you know where there are babies?"
    Spike (to Xander) "Where do you think, the hosptial?"
    Xander (shocked) "What? SHUT UP!" (that humanity still a work in progress, huh Spike? As is proved by him expecting credit for not feeding off the victims at the Bronze)

    Women good/men bad;
    Actually Anya seems to disparage women who constantly pick the wrong man meaning she has to inflict vengence on them again and again. Anya made her boyfriend a troll to punish him for cheating on her.

    Jeez!;
    Eating babies?

    Kinky dinky;
    Buffy meets a nun who let's her try on her wimple which is a level of kink that even scares Xander (although from all we've learned it might be just Angel's thing?). Spikes rant at the mannequin is hysterically funny, pathetic and scary all at the same time. Anya intends to get around the health inspector by flirting with him. The Troll plans to make 'Merry sport' with Sunnydales more attractive daughters and 'making merry with the local virgins'. Spike seems to delight in copping a feel of Buffy when the troll knocks them both to the ground at the Bronze (his little smile as they get to their feet says it all). Anya reminds Willow that it was her lips that broke up Xander and Cordelia.

    Captain Subtext;
    Tara likes Greek studies, the Amazons?Sappho? Buffy and Tara snuggle, Buffy's distress at their fight obviously grounded in her and Riley. She asks the nun what the whole 'abjuring the company of men' is like, implying she's considering it. Will defensively states she would never have sex with Xander because 'Hello, gay now!' Lovely scene where Xander walks into the Magic Shop and sees Willow and Anya "Hey my two favourite girls"(notices Tara) "Three favourite girls". Love the little smile Tara gives when he says that. Xander says that Willow gives him a 'What do you see in her?' look concerning Anya, surely as a lesbian she should appreciate exactly what Xander sees in the beautiful Anya? Anya comments that Willow doesn't want anyone else to have Xander. Again with Riley gone Buffy seems to be drawing closer and closer to Dawn as an emotional substitute.

    Scoobies to the ER;
    Xander pretty banged up, his hand seemingly broken.

    Apocalypses; 5,

    Scoobies in bondage:
    Buffy: 8
    Giles: 4
    Cordy: 5
    Will: 3
    Jenny: 1
    Angel: 4
    Oz: 1
    Faith: 3
    Joyce: 1
    Wes: 1
    Xander; 1
    Dawn; 1

    Scoobies knocked out: Buffy at the magic shop
    Buffy: 16
    Giles: 10
    Cordy: 6
    Xander: 8
    Will: 5
    Jenny: 2
    Angel: 6
    Oz: 3
    Faith: 1
    Joyce: 3
    Wes: 1
    Anya;1

    Kills: another vamp for Buffy
    Buffy: 94 vamps, 32 demons, 6 monsters, 3 humans, 1 spirit warrior & a robot
    Giles: 5 vamps, 1 demon
    Cordy: 3 vamps, a demon
    Will: 6 vamps
    Angel: 3 vamps, 1 demon, 1 human
    Oz: 3 vamps, 1 zombie, 1 werewolf
    Faith: 16 vamps, 5 demons, 3 humans
    Xander: 5 vamps, 2 zombies, a demon, a demon
    Anya: a demon
    Riley; 18 vamps + 7 demons

    Scoobies go evil:
    Giles: 1
    Cordy: 1
    Will: 2
    Jenny: 1
    Angel: 1
    Oz: 1
    Joyce: 1
    Xander: 3

    Alternate scoobies:
    Buffy: 6
    Giles: 3
    Cordy: 1
    Will: 2
    Jenny: 2
    Angel: 3
    Oz: 2
    Joyce: 2
    Xander: 3

    Recurring characters killed: 9
    Jesse, Flutie, Jenny, Kendra, Larry, Snyder, Professor Walsh, Forrest, McNamara

    Sunnydale deaths;
    89;

    Total number of scoobies: 6
    Giles, Xander, Willow, Buffy, Anya, Tara,

    Xander demon magnet: 5(6?)
    Preying Mantis Lady, Inca Mummy Girl, Drusilla, VampWillow, Anya (arguably Buffy & Faith with their demon essences?), Dracula?

    Scoobies shot:
    Giles: 2
    Angel: 3
    Oz: 4
    Riley; 1

    Notches on Scooby bedpost:
    Giles: 2; Joyce & Olivia, possibly Jenny and 3xDraccy babes?
    Cordy: 1?
    Buffy: 3 confirmed; Angel, Parker,Riley, 1 possible, Dracula(?)
    Angel: 1;Buffy
    Joyce: 1;Giles, 2 possible, Ted and Dracula(?)
    Oz: 3; Groupie, Willow & Verucca
    Faith:2 ;Xander, Riley
    Xander: 2; Faith, Anya
    Willow: 2;Oz and Tara
    Riley; 3; Buffy, Sandy and vampwhore

    Questions and observations;
    Anya makes Xander promise he will send her big signals if he ever leaves her. Well, jilting her at the altar was a pretty big sign. Nice visual gag, Xander wonder's how Buffy is dealing with her breakup and the action cuts to a pretty young nun standing in the convent courtyard, for a moment we wonder if Buffy's taken her vows (Buffy the Vampire Slaying Nun would probably please some of the shows more puritan critics. Or maybe the kinkier ones depending on how you look at it?). Anya's top makes her look like a whale shark. Willow refers to Dr Seus and is ironically wearing a red/white striped top just like the character in the book. Buffy looks like she needs an after school burger. With Giles out of town and Riley and Oz gone Xander ends up confiding in Spike as the only other male around which foretells seasons 6 and 7. The origin of the phrase 'Insane troll logic'. Again a bit morally dubious letting the troll go. Joyce, Giles and Buffy are all in on the Dawn secret, Joyce refers to her as 'My little girl'.
    Marks out of 10; 8/10
    moreless

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  • Who Let The Troll Out?

    8.0
    "Great"
    By lenzinoH20, Dec 26, 2010 Report Abuse
    Triangle-While trying to create a new spell to help Buffy with her Slaying, Willow is distracted by an argument with Anya and accidentally releases a troll from a mystical prison. With Buffy in mourning over Riley leaving town, Willow and Anya may need to defeat the troll themselves before it flattens the entire town

    A fun episode that has Willow and Anya going at it and a giant Troll on the loose, what's not to love? Alyson Hannigan and Emma Caufield make a great comedic duo throughout as Willow and Anya trade insults. There are tons of priceless moments like Willow pretending to be Anya and Anya charging Willow for anything she uses in the Magic Shop. You gotta love Xander being awakardly put in the middle and even hiding behind Tara in one scene. Also, Sarah was hilarious as Buffy throughout as Buffy deals with life after losing man #2. Here random crying and over-reacting to any thing that has to do with a fight was too hilarious. Lastly, Spike trying to get Buffy's affections by randomly grabbing her and trying to help people just as she tells him he's dusgusting, lol!

    I really liked Olaf, the Troll and the revelation that he and Anya use to date is another priceless moment. The climax is also great with Xander fighting Olaf for both Willow and Anya just as both girls realize they've been fighting because they don't want each other to hurt Xander. I loved Buffy beating the crap out of Olaf, going into her scorned lover rage. All and All, "Triangle" isn't the most serious episode, but it's a very entertaining and fun episode where the cast looked like they had fun goofin' off for an episode!moreless

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  • Triangle

    10
    "Perfect"
    By TrueTvWatcher, Oct 29, 2010 Report Abuse
    Triangle was a perfect episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer because there was a lot of character development and depth, action, magic, and some of the characters learn new things. I thought it was great how Anya and Willow were fighting, and they worked it out. It was also cool to learn a little bit more about Anya. There was also some good Spike scenes, as his love for the Slayer only gets more intense. Buffy is still suffering from losing Riley to the special ops monster hunting team from the Army. Giles went to England and back to see if the Council could find anything on Glory. I am excited to learn more about her. This episode ties a lot of things together and really moves the season forward. I can't wait to see what happens next.moreless

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  • Season 5, Episode 11.

    6.0
    "Fair"
    By Wanted23, Jul 14, 2009 Report Abuse
    Willow tries to create a new spell to help Buffy with her Slaying, but is distracted by an argument with Anya. As a result, she accidentally releases a troll from a mystical prison. With Buffy in mourning over Riley leaving town, Willow and Anya may need to defeat the troll themselves before it flattens the entire town.

    I didn't think this episode was that great. I liked the Buffy and Tara scenes, but the Buffy being upset over Xander and Anya being a couple that can't break up was just weird. I couldn't take her seriously with her hair that way. I liked Willow and Anya scenes for the most part. Decent episode.moreless

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    1 3

  • Possibly the funniest episode of the show; this episode has some big laughs and is just brilliant fun to watch. A really underrated gem.

    9.5
    "Superb"
    By TwistedConverse, Nov 09, 2008 Report Abuse
    Triangle is a terribly underrated gem of an episode and one that makes me laugh no matter how many times I've seen it. As usual, Jane Espenson delivers a hilarious, quirky script and our actors put in outstanding comedic performances- especially Emma Caulfield who has gone from strength to strength and Alyson Hannigan, who has always been phenomenal.

    The plot of the episode isn't the greatest or most shocking but it most definitely works. A giant troll who happens to be Anya's ex-boyfriend being unleashed from a giant hammer during the middle of an arguement between Willow and Tara and then going on the rampage, causing mayhem and trying to figure out where the Baby-Buffet is? Classic Jane Espenson written all over it. Besides Joss, the women is the best writer on the team and rarely fails to deliver anything less than perfection.

    Emma Caulfield gives us a comedic tour-de-force this episode. She is such an underrated actress and I consider her to be, aside from Julie Benz and maybe SMG and Amy Acker, greatest actress in the verse. Simply stunning performance every week and can make you laugh one second and cry the next. This episode really highlights her talent and I feel she pours every being of herself into Anya. Every episode she amazes more and more and is, aside from Julie Benz who will always be my number 1, my favourite person on the show. SMG may be the better actress (and I really believe she's a nice person) but I just get this warmth from Emma that I love.

    Some really hilarious lines were in this episode. Anya telling Xander to tell Willow to stop talking about her when she's right there, right in front of Willow was laugh out loud funny and their insane bickering always makes me laugh. Willow's impersonation of Anya is really funny too and her comment about being the "cunning, broad daylight, in front of everyone burglar" is brilliant.

    Olaf the Troll is possibly my favourite one shot character of all time. Except he was in two episode, so he isn't really. I am so glad they utilized him the absolutely outstanding S7 episode "Selfless", an episode that is just simply unreal. He was hilarious here and his whole "puny receptacle!" comment is excellent.

    Buffy's overdramatic insane tears is also great. If SMG was actually trying to be emotional she was awful but seeing as I know she's an extremely talented actress, I'm assuming she went for comedic tears. She overacted just enough to make it funny and yay for some wonderful Buffy-Tara interaction!

    Triangle is a stunning episode that always makes me laugh. I love 99 percent of it and I can't find any real faults. It's not a perfect 10- it doesn't match up to some of the sheer emotion and realness of some episodes that are perfect but it's the next best thing. Jane Espenson, I salute you!moreless

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    5 0
 

Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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  • Trivia

    ADD TRIVIA
    • At 30:43, the safety wires used to hold the people up when the platform falls are visible. Edit
    • In the scene at the Bronze, Olaf points his hammer at the barmaid in front of him, we then cut to a close up of him and the same barmaid can be seen standing behind him. Edit
    • In the Magic Shop when Buffy attacks the Troll after he loses his hammer, she is promptly knocked to the floor. As she hits the ground you can definately tell that Sarah Michelle Gellar was not the person that took the fall. You get a clear shot of the stunt double's face. Edit

  • Notes

    ADD NOTES
    • In the beginning of the episode Xander is talking to Anya about how sometimes he forgets how Riley is gone. Riley left only in just the previous episode yet the way Xander is speaking it seems that he has been gone for a while. While there is no standard for the amount of time that can have past between two consecutive episodes in a television series there is a possible reason for having done this other than not having or wanting to tell the story of what happens during the days immediately after Riley's departure. This episode aired three weeks after the episode where Riley left. To viewers it would probably seem like it had been a little while since Riley left so having Xander speak as if it had been a few weeks since he left probably helps to make the world of the show seem real. Edit
    • A sign at the Magic Box reads "Shoplifters will be Transmogrified!" Edit
    • The events of this episode caused the Bronze to re-open with a new look. Edit

  • Quotes

    ADD QUOTES
    • Buffy: (Sees Spike crouched over a wounded woman) What are you doing?
      Spike: Making this woman more comfortable. I'm not sampling, I'll have you know. I mean, look at all these lovely, blood-covered people. I could, but not a taste for Spike, not a lick. I knew you wouldn't like it.
      Buffy: You want credit for not feeding off bleeding disaster victims?
      Spike: Well, yeah.
      Buffy: You're disgusting. (Walks off)
      Spike: What's it take?
      Edit
    • Xander: So, how goes the slaying? Buffy: I killed something in a convent last night. Xander: In any other room, a frightening declaration. Here, a welcome distraction. Tell us all about the killing, Buff. Buffy: Pretty standard. Vampire staking. Ooh! But I met a Nun, and she let me try on her wimple. Xander: Okay, now we're back to frightening. Edit
    • Willow: We can come by between classes! Usually I use that time to copy over my class notes with a system of different colored pens ... but it's been pointed out to me that that's, y'know, insane. Tara: I said "quirky." Edit

  • Allusions

    ADD ALLUSIONS
    • Anya: It's possible that he's in the land of perpetual Wednesday, or the crazy melty land... or, you know, the world without shrimp. In the episode "Superstar" Anya first mentions the world without shrimp when talking about alternate realities. Edit
    • Willow: And by the way, you weren't a demon when you turned Olaf into Lord of the Hammers, and you managed that. This is most likely a reference to the very successful Lord of the Dance show which debuted in Dublin on June 28, 1996. The Lord of the Dance is an Irish musical and dance production that features the dancing of Michael Flatley and has a story based on ancient Irish folklore. Could also be a reference to The Lord of the Rings, novel by J.R.R. Tolkien and movie trilogy by Peter Jackson, featuring mythical creatures and an evil enemy. Edit
    • Willow: I wish for one-million dollars.....
      In the first episode of Friends, Ross wishes to marry again, and Rachel appears in the coffee shop, dressed as a bride. Chandler then wishes for one-million dollars, just in case... Edit

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