Dead Man's Party

"Dead Man's Party" is episode 2 of season 3 of the television show Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and the forty-second episode overall.

Buffy struggles with life back in Sunnydale. Her problems with Angel, combined with the anger and distance of her friends and mother, only make things more difficult. However, everyone is eventually brought back together when a Nigerian mask that Joyce has acquired causes an army of zombies to rise up all over Sunnydale.

Plot synopsis
Joyce is hanging up a Nigerian mask given by a gallery friend when Buffy finishes unpacking. She reluctantly allows Buffy to go to find her friends, who are coordinating a vampire hunt via walkie-talkies. They are surprised by one another. At Giles' apartment, Buffy avoids most questions about her summer, while Giles hides his emotions in the kitchen.

The next day, Joyce takes Buffy to see Principal Snyder, who takes vindictive pleasure in keeping Buffy from re-entering Sunnydale High. Joyce then drops off Buffy at a coffee shop for a scheduled meeting with Willow, who does not show up. She goes home and meets Pat, a book club member of Joyce's who does not hesitate to comment about Buffy's recent behavior and its impact on Joyce. While fetching fancy company plates for a dinner with her friends, Buffy finds a dead cat. Buffy and Joyce bury it, but that night, the Nigerian mask glows red in its eyes and the dead cat crawls its way out of the earth.

Buffy has a nightmare involving Angel. When she wakes, the dead cat surprises her in the kitchen. Giles arrives to remove it in a cage. He notices the mask before leaving for the library, informing Buffy that she is not allowed on school grounds. At school, Buffy's friends decide to throw a big party. Giles is distracted by the discussion from a page showing Joyce's mask.

Dingoes Ate My Baby soon arrives at Buffy's house without notice. Overwhelmed by dozens of guests she does not know, Buffy tries to talk to a distracted Willow, but gives up. Xander and Cordelia are too busy kissing to care. Meanwhile, Joyce is telling Pat in the kitchen how tough Buffy's return has been on her. Overhearing Joyce's words, Buffy decides to pack again.

At the library, Giles is horrified by what he finally uncovers about the mask. He tries to phone Buffy, but party-goers fail to relay the message. Giles decides to drive to the party when he hits a man in the road. Giles gets out of the car and finds the man reanimated. Giles barely escapes oncoming zombies as bodies rise all over Sunnydale.

Willow finds Buffy in the bedroom and expresses her disapproval. Joyce joins her and when Buffy tries to leave the party, she stops the merriment. Buffy and Joyce argue right in the midst of the party, and Willow, Xander, Cordelia, and Oz immediately side with Joyce. Just as Buffy is about to completely break down, the zombies crash through the windows and doors, causing the Scoobies to immediately drop their argument and band together to combat the threat. Several guests are killed. Oz and Cordelia hide in a downstairs closet while Buffy and others rush upstairs with a gravely-injured Pat. In the bedroom, Willow checks Pat's pulse and finds she is dead.

Giles arrives to tell Oz and Cordelia about the mask containing the powers of the zombie demon Ovu Mobani, which means "Evil Eye." Whichever zombie puts it on becomes the demon incarnate -- and Pat does. Other zombies are cowered while Buffy soon realizes that its gaze hypnotizes the recipient when its eyes flash (like a camera flash) in the direction of the recipient. Buffy pushes Pat out of the window when it is about to kill Willow. Oz tries to tell Buffy about how to kill it when he is hypnotized. Buffy takes the opening to plunge a shovel into its eyes. It vanishes along with all the other zombies. With this, the entire gang embraces, the ease between them returned.

The next day, Giles tries to convince Snyder to let Buffy return. When he refuses, Giles warns him that he will take things up with the state supreme court and, professionally speaking, make life very difficult for him. When Snyder still resists, Giles physically intimidates him into giving in. In the coffee shop, Willow tells Buffy about her dabbling in magic and the two, once again best friends, end the episode by trading playful insults.

Starring

 * Sarah Michelle Gellar as Buffy Summers
 * Nicholas Brendon as Xander Harris
 * Alyson Hannigan as Willow Rosenberg
 * Charisma Carpenter as Cordelia Chase
 * David Boreanaz as Angel
 * Seth Green as Oz
 * Anthony Stewart Head as Rupert Giles

Guest Starring

 * Kristine Sutherland as Joyce Summers
 * Nancy Lenehan as Pat
 * Armin Shimerman as Principal Snyder

Co-Starring

 * Danny Strong as Jonathan Levinson
 * Jason Hall as Devon MacLeish
 * Paul Morgan Stetler as Young Doctor
 * Chris Garnant as Stoner #1

Production Information

 * The episode's title refers to the Oingo Boingo song of the same name.


 * Joyce describing Snyder was cut:
 * Joyce: "Have you ever noticed his teeth? They're like liny rodent teeth - horrible gnashing little teeth. You just want to pull them out with pliers."

Quotes
Xander - "You can't just bury stuff, Buffy! It'll come right back up to get you..."

Buffy - "I got in a few hours ago, but, I went to go see my mom first." Giles - "Yes. Yes, of course. H-How did you find her?" Buffy - "Well, I pretty much remembered the address."

Giles - "Unbelievable! "Do you like my mask? Isn't it pretty? It raises the dead!" Americans!"

Xander - "So where were you? Did you go to Belgium?" Buffy - "Why would I go to Belgium?" Xander - "I think the relevant question is why wouldn't ya? Belgium."

Buffy - "Fine. Okay. I'm the bad. I can take my lumps... for a while." Willow - "Alright. I'll stop giving you a hard time... runaway." Buffy - "Will!" Willow - "I'm sorry...quitter." Buffy - "Whiner." Willow - "Bailer." Buffy - "Harpy." Willow - "Delinquent." Buffy - "Tramp." Willow - "Bad seed." Buffy - "Witch." Willow - "Freak."

Continuity

 * Buffy has reconciled with her friends. She now must deal with herself.


 * This is the first episode where we see downtown Sunnydale, a street with several shops, most notably the Espresso Pump. In Season 5 it's revealed that the name of the street is Maple Court.


 * When Buffy meets Xander in the alley while out patrolling, he is holding a stake. Buffy jokes that it is all fun and games until someone loses an eye. In season seven Xander does in fact lose an eye in a fight against Caleb.


 * The scene with Giles hot wiring his car is censored in British releases because it's an "imitatible act."


 * This episode hints about Principal Snyder's connections with The Mayor(when Joyce and Buffy are in his office). The Mayor will eventually become the Big Bad of this season.


 * Willow makes references to her dabbling in magic since she restored Angel's soul. She eventually grows into an extremly powerful witch.

Music

 * Christophe Beck - "The Mask theme"
 * Four Star Mary - "Never mind"
 * Four Star Mary - "Pain"
 * Four Star Mary - "Sway"
 * Oingo Boingo - "Dead Man's Party". The episode's title derives from the eponymous song and album by Oingo Boingo.