Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Buffy: ...my hair and fingernails still continue to grow.

This is a reference to the fact that,after death,hair and fingernails appear to grow just a little bit longer. This was often considered evidence for vampires back in the day. However, the appearance is actually due to the contraction of the surrounding skin rather than extension of the dead cells.

The character "Dalton" may be a nod to the chemistry scientist John Dalton (1766-1844), who introduced the hypothesis of "atomism." While the vampire Dalton wears a beard, unlike the human scientist, their glasses, hair, and clothing are virtually identical.

Spike: By George, I think he's got it! This is a paraphrase of what Professor Higgins says to Eliza in the 1964 movie My Fair Lady when he is trying to get her to speak proper English.

Xander: Come on Cordelia, you want to be a member of the Scooby Gang, you gotta be willing to be inconvenienced every now and then. In the Scooby Doo cartoons, the gang of teenagers would solve mysteries involving someone faking some sort of supernatural occurrence.

Angel: You're in danger. You know what the ring means? Buffy: I just killed a Super Bowl champ? The Super Bowl is the American professional football championship game. As in many pro sports, the participants are given a commemorative ring.

Buffy: Hellmouth presents Dead Guys on Ice. A play on the various ice skating shows, Cinderella on Ice, etc.

Buffy: So you're saying these vampires went to all this hassle for your basic decoder ring? Secret decoder rings were a frequent tool of radio and television heroes in the 50s. The faithful fans could get the rings which would provide the key to a simple code. The code would allow the fans to read otherwise unintelligible messages. The name most associated with secret decoder rings is Captain Midnight - a children's radio and later television hero. Interestingly enough, while many people claim to have heard of Captain Midnight secret decoder rings, it has not been proven that such an item has ever existed.

Recruiter: The jet was delayed by fog at Sea Tac, but he should be here any minute. Sea Tac is the common shortened name of the Seattle Tacoma Airport. The Seattle area reference, along with the "world's largest software" company line point directly to a not-so-subtle Microsoft reference.

Buffy: Have a cow, Giles. This is a play on the saying "Don't have a cow". Made popular by the infamous character Bart from The Simpsons television show, it simply means don't get all excited.

Buffy: He's on the Tony Robbins hyper-efficiency kick. Tony Robbins is a motivational speaker famous for the book Unleash The Power Within.

Buffy: But I'm in full see no evil mode. A reference to the saying "See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil." Normally portrayed as chimpanzees covering the appropriate sense with their hands.

Buffy: Oh my gosh. My Dorothy Hamill phase. Dorothy Hamill was the 1976 Olympic gold medalist in figure skating. Her "wedge" hairstyle became very popular for a brief time.

Buffy: Cliff Notes version? The savior of many a student, Cliffs Notes are a series of study guides to various literary works. Supposedly intended as a supplement to the reading, many students attempt to get by reading just the much briefer Cliffs Notes version.

Xander: You know, with that kind of attitude you could have had a bright future as an employee of the DMV. Employees at the Department of Motor Vehicles are often the brunt of jokes. They are thought to be inefficient and gruff.

Title: What's my line. From the TV game show What's My Line. A contestant with an unusual occupation would face a panel of celebrities. The celebrities would ask questions in an attempt to determine the contestant's line of work.