Reptile Boy

"Reptile Boy" is episode 5 of season 2 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Fed up with Giles constantly pressuring her to train and Angel's refusal to go on a date with her, Buffy defies both and goes to a fraternity party with Cordelia. However, things turn out badly for the two when the Delta Zeta Kappa fraternity brothers turn out to be a cult that sacrifices young women to a demon in exchange for wealth and power.

Plot
A girl jumps out of a second-floor window of a frat house and chased into a cemetery, where she is caught. Meanwhile, Buffy's gang are happy with the apparent lack of activity on the Hellmouth. Giles presses her to train harder, but she just wants to be a teenager.

The next day at school, Cordelia introduces Buffy to two college guys, one of whom invites Buffy to a party. She turns him down, claiming she is involved with someone. Buffy goes on patrol and meets Angel, who smells blood on a bracelet on the ground. He says that their age difference is a problem and that she does not know what she wants in life. She runs off.

Buffy decides to go to the frat party with Cordelia. She chooses not to tell Giles or Angel about her date. Later that night, Giles and Willow discover that the bracelet is from Kent Preparatory School, just outside of Sunnydale and where Buffy is partying. Angel appears and asks about Buffy. Willow tells the two men why Buffy lied to them. They then rush off to save Buffy and Cordelia.

At the party, Buffy tries to avoid drunk frat guys. Xander has sneaked in to protect Buffy, but other partygoers recognize him for a crasher and dress him up like a girl. Meanwhile, Buffy relents and decides to accept a drink. Drugged, she stumbles her way up to the bedroom where Cordelia is lying unconscious. When they wake up, they find themselves chained in a basement as an offering for a reptile god named Machida. Cordelia is chosen as the first victim, but Buffy distracts the demon and breaks out of her chains just in time.

Willow, Angel and Giles head to the frat party and meet up with Xander. They enter the house and beat up the frat guys. Buffy kills the demon, and the frat guys are arrested. Though Giles is still not entirely happy that Buffy lied to him, he nonetheless realizes that he pushes Buffy too hard, and promises to take it easy on her from now on.

Afterwards, everyone gathers at The Bronze, where Cordelia, because of her experiences at the party, has moved her standards down to younger men. Holding a newspaper, Xander reveals that the Delta Zeta Kappas have been sentenced to consecutive life sentences, and that the bodies of their past victims dating back fifty years have been found. Additionally, many corporations founded by former Delta Zetas have suffered a massive decline due to this failure. At that moment, Angel appears and asks if Buffy would like to get coffee with him sometime. Playing it cool this time, Buffy happily agrees.

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
 * Anthony Stewart Head as Rupert Giles

Guest Starring

 * Greg Vaughan as Richard Anderson ( as Greg Vaughn )
 * Todd Babcock as Tom Warner
 * Jordana Spiro as Callie Megan Anderson

Co-Starring

 * Robin Atkin Downes as Machida
 * Danny Strong as Jonathan Levinson
 * Christopher Dahlberg as Tackle
 * Jason Posey as Linebacker
 * Coby Bell as Young Man

Production Information

 * In his DVD commentary for this episode, writer/director David Greenwalt says that when he wrote the episode he thought that he had invented a great demon name, Machida. He later realized that he had seen "Machida" written on a piece of filming equipment used on the show. Machida is also the name of a city in Japan.


 * This episode is one of the few times someone other than Joss Whedon both wrote and directed the episode.


 * In "A Buffy Bestiary," a special features video packaged with the Season Two DVD set, Marti Noxon acknowledged the "phallic imagery" in this episode and granted, "yes, it's a metaphor."

Other Information

 * Greg Vaughan, the actor who played Richard Anderson in this episode, was also in the short-lived series "Malibu Shores" with Charisma Carpenter.


 * This episode deals with allegories of date-rape, spiked drinks and not judging people by their appearances.


 * The attempted sacrifice in this episode takes place on October 10th (the 10th day of the 10th month, as stated by Tom Warner).


 * Since 1897 offerings were given to Machida in a cavern beneath Sunnydale, in exhange for wealth and power.


 * Cordelia's licence plate is "QUEEN C"

Quotes
Xander - "Angel, Angel, Angel. Why does every conversation have to include that freak?" Buffy - "I-I was... just thinking, wouldn't it be funny some time to see each other when it wasn't a blood thing. Not funny ha, ha." Angel - "What are you sayin', you wanna have a date?" Buffy - "No." Angel - "You don't wanna have a date?" Buffy - "Who said 'date'? I-I-I never said 'date'." Angel - "Right. You just wanna have coffee or somethin'." Buffy - "Coffee?" Angel - "I knew this was gonna happen." Buffy - "What? What do you think is happening?" Angel - "You're sixteen years old. I'm two hundred and forty-one." Buffy - "I've done the math." Angel - "You don't know what you're doing, you don't know what you want..." Buffy - "Oh. No, I, I think I do. I want out of this conversation." Angel - "Listen, if we date you and I both know one thing's gonna lead to another." Buffy - "One thing already has led to another. You think it's a little late to be reading me a warning label?" Angel - "I'm just tryin' to protect you. This could get outta control." Buffy - "Isn't that the way it's supposed to be?" Angel - "This isn't some fairy tale. When I kiss you, you don't wake up from a deep sleep and live happily ever after." Buffy - "No. When you kiss me I wanna die."

Willow - "Buffy!" Giles - "W-w-we don't know that it's concrete. Uh, let's not disturb her until..." Willow - "Is there! With Cordelia. They went to a party at the Zeta Kappa house." Giles - "She lied to me?" Willow - "Well..." Angel - "Did...she have a date?" Willow - "Well... Well, why do you think she went to that party? Because you gave her the brush-off! And you never let her do anything except work and patrol! And I know she's the Chosen One, but you're killing her with the pressure! I mean, she's  sixteen going on forty! And you! I mean, you're gonna live forever! You don't have time for a cup of coffee?! Okay, I don't  feel better now, and we've gotta help Buffy."

Continuity

 * This episode has Cordelia reiterate her belief that older boys are the ones she wants to date. This was first mentioned in "The Harvest" (season 1, episode 2).


 * Buffy and Cordelia will once again find themselves targeted together by demons in season 3 episode "Homecoming".


 * When Willow, Xander, Giles and Angel storm the fraternity, Angel goes into the household without being invited, despite being a vampire. This is because the fraternity brothers are only temporary residents.


 * When a drugged Buffy wanders into one of the bedrooms she coincidentally ends up in the same room where Cordelia's already unconscious.


 * At the end of the episode, Buffy agrees to have coffee with Angel, which marks the beginning of their formal dating relationship.


 * This episode also marks the first incident of students using magic to better their situation in life, which often occurs in later seasons.

Music

 * Act of Faith - "Bring me on"
 * Clement & Murray - "Devil's Lair"
 * Clement & Murray - "Graffiti Sound"
 * Clement & Murray - "If I Can't Have You"
 * Clement & Murray - "Secrets"
 * Clement & Murray - "Wolves"
 * Louie Says - "She"
 * Nancy Sinatra - "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'"