I Only Have Eyes for You (Buffy episode)
Encyclopedia
"I Only Have Eyes for You" is episode 19 of season two of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. A ghost possesses high school boys (and Buffy
) while his school teacher-lover possesses high school girls (and Angelus).
where Buffy rejects the advances of a boy who's looking for a date for the Sadie Hawkins dance
. She checks in with Giles
at school, but first stops a male student from almost shooting a female student. They have no recollection of why they were fighting, and the gun disappears. Principal Snyder
blames Buffy for the incident. While waiting in his office, a yearbook from 1955 falls off the shelf. Willow
gives Giles a rose quartz that she found in Ms. Calendar
's desk. In class later that day, Buffy starts daydreaming about a relationship a student had with his teacher. As she comes back to the present, she finds that her teacher has unknowingly written "Don't walk away from me, bitch!" on the chalk board. Later, Xander
is grabbed by a monster arm inside his locker. Buffy helps him break away, but the arm then disappears.
Giles is intrigued by the possibility of a poltergeist
. Meanwhile, Angelus, Spike and Drusilla have taken up home in a mansion where Angelus taunts Spike and flirts with Drusilla. Later that night, Giles witnesses the result of another argument in the school halls. The janitor shot a teacher who then fell over the balcony of the school, though only moments earlier they were cordial. Giles is convinced that Jenny is haunting the school.
Willow finds information on her laptop about a killing in 1955 where student James Stanley killed his teacher Grace Newman after she tried to break off their affair. In the cafeteria, chaos erupts as they find that the food has all been turned to snakes. The room empties quickly, and Cordelia
is bitten on the face by a snake. Outside, Snyder talks to a man about the incident and reveals his knowledge of the Hellmouth. The principal is cowed by a mention of the mayor.
In the garden of their new home, Drusilla gets a vision about Buffy meeting with death. Tears just about pool up in Spike's eyes as Angelus holds Drusilla tight against him. Willow devises a plan to contain the spirits, and they head off to the school where they prepare, though Giles has already arrived and is trying to summon Jenny's spirit. Buffy hears music coming from the Music Room and goes to see Grace and James dancing there. James' face suddenly changes to a gory mess, startling Buffy. Cordelia looks in the mirror to find her face has turned a gory red color. On the stairwell, Willow begins to sink into the floor, and Giles rushes to save her. Willow finally convinces him that the spirit is not Jenny. Everyone lights their candle and starts chanting the spell, but the candles blow out and a swarm of wasps enter the school. Everyone rushes out to find the school surrounded by wasps.
Everyone recuperates at Buffy's while Buffy continues to show her anger towards James. She rushes off to the kitchen where she finds a sign for the 1955 Sadie Hawkins dance in her pocket. She heads to the school, where the wasps part for her to enter. Willow finds the ad and everyone rushes after Buffy, but they cannot enter the school.
Angelus appears in the halls as Buffy, now possessed by James, talks to him as if he were Grace. They continue the ghosts' argument with Angelus playing the role of Grace. At the climax, Buffy pulls out a gun and shoots Angelus. He falls off of the balcony as though dead. James (still in Buffy's body) rushes off to the music room where he plans to kill himself. Grace (still in Angelus), is not killed by the bullet. She wakes up and proceeds to the music room just in time to stop "Buffy" from pulling the trigger. They exchange apologies and kiss. The spirits, now able to pass on, leave their bodies. Buffy and Angelus break away from the kiss and Angelus realizes what he has been doing. Throwing Buffy aside, he rushes off.
At the garden, Angelus scrubs furiously at his body, knowing how close he had been with Buffy. He then invites Drusilla and Spike out to feed, but Spike remains behind because Angelus knows that he is using a wheelchair. When they are gone, Spike stands up and kicks the chair aside, revealing that he has healed from his spinal injury.
has said that it was this episode that convinced him that David Boreanaz was an actor strong enough to have his own series.
Marti Noxon
, author of this episode, admits that she is haunted by the idea of ghosts, which, for her, are figurative expressions of the need for “repentance and second chances” that she perceived as being necessary thanks to “a difficult family situation”: “I realize that I was constantly telling the story of my family and fears,” she says. Noxon was also influenced in her storytelling by the movies Poltergeist
and Truly, Madly, Deeply
, which featured a widow who was unable to move on after the loss of her husband.
Buffy Summers
Buffy Summers is a fictional character from Joss Whedon's Buffy the Vampire Slayer franchise. She first appeared in the 1992 film Buffy the Vampire Slayer before going on to appear in the television series and subsequent comic book of the same name...
) while his school teacher-lover possesses high school girls (and Angelus).
Plot
This ghostly episode starts out at The BronzeThe Bronze
The Bronze is a fictional nightclub in Sunnydale, the fictional setting for the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Of 144 episodes of the series, 66 have at least one scene at the Bronze, not including its appearance in the unaired pilot....
where Buffy rejects the advances of a boy who's looking for a date for the Sadie Hawkins dance
Sadie Hawkins dance
In the United States, the Sadie Hawkins Dance is usually a less formal dance sponsored by a high school, middle school or college, in which female students invite male students...
. She checks in with Giles
Rupert Giles
Rupert Giles is a fictional character created by Joss Whedon for the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The character is portrayed by Anthony Stewart Head. He serves as Buffy Summers' mentor and surrogate father figure...
at school, but first stops a male student from almost shooting a female student. They have no recollection of why they were fighting, and the gun disappears. Principal Snyder
Principal Snyder
Principal R. Snyder is a fictional character in the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, played by Armin Shimerman. Shimerman originally auditioned for the role of Flutie, but lost that role to Ken Lerner...
blames Buffy for the incident. While waiting in his office, a yearbook from 1955 falls off the shelf. Willow
Willow Rosenberg
Willow Rosenberg is a fictional character created for the fantasy television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer . She was developed by Joss Whedon and portrayed throughout the TV series by Alyson Hannigan...
gives Giles a rose quartz that she found in Ms. Calendar
Jenny Calendar
Jenny Calendar is a fictional character in the fantasy television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer . Played by Robia LaMorte, Jenny is the computer teacher at Sunnydale High School...
's desk. In class later that day, Buffy starts daydreaming about a relationship a student had with his teacher. As she comes back to the present, she finds that her teacher has unknowingly written "Don't walk away from me, bitch!" on the chalk board. Later, Xander
Xander Harris
Alexander LaVelle "Xander" Harris is a fictional character in the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, as well as in numerous items in the series Expanded Universe, such as comic books, tie-in novels and video games...
is grabbed by a monster arm inside his locker. Buffy helps him break away, but the arm then disappears.
Giles is intrigued by the possibility of a poltergeist
Poltergeist
A poltergeist is a paranormal phenomenon which consists of events alluding to the manifestation of an imperceptible entity. Such manifestation typically includes inanimate objects moving or being thrown about, sentient noises and, on some occasions, physical attacks on those witnessing the...
. Meanwhile, Angelus, Spike and Drusilla have taken up home in a mansion where Angelus taunts Spike and flirts with Drusilla. Later that night, Giles witnesses the result of another argument in the school halls. The janitor shot a teacher who then fell over the balcony of the school, though only moments earlier they were cordial. Giles is convinced that Jenny is haunting the school.
Willow finds information on her laptop about a killing in 1955 where student James Stanley killed his teacher Grace Newman after she tried to break off their affair. In the cafeteria, chaos erupts as they find that the food has all been turned to snakes. The room empties quickly, and Cordelia
Cordelia Chase
Cordelia Chase is a fictional character created by Joss Whedon for the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer; she also appeared on Buffy's spin-off series Angel...
is bitten on the face by a snake. Outside, Snyder talks to a man about the incident and reveals his knowledge of the Hellmouth. The principal is cowed by a mention of the mayor.
In the garden of their new home, Drusilla gets a vision about Buffy meeting with death. Tears just about pool up in Spike's eyes as Angelus holds Drusilla tight against him. Willow devises a plan to contain the spirits, and they head off to the school where they prepare, though Giles has already arrived and is trying to summon Jenny's spirit. Buffy hears music coming from the Music Room and goes to see Grace and James dancing there. James' face suddenly changes to a gory mess, startling Buffy. Cordelia looks in the mirror to find her face has turned a gory red color. On the stairwell, Willow begins to sink into the floor, and Giles rushes to save her. Willow finally convinces him that the spirit is not Jenny. Everyone lights their candle and starts chanting the spell, but the candles blow out and a swarm of wasps enter the school. Everyone rushes out to find the school surrounded by wasps.
Everyone recuperates at Buffy's while Buffy continues to show her anger towards James. She rushes off to the kitchen where she finds a sign for the 1955 Sadie Hawkins dance in her pocket. She heads to the school, where the wasps part for her to enter. Willow finds the ad and everyone rushes after Buffy, but they cannot enter the school.
Angelus appears in the halls as Buffy, now possessed by James, talks to him as if he were Grace. They continue the ghosts' argument with Angelus playing the role of Grace. At the climax, Buffy pulls out a gun and shoots Angelus. He falls off of the balcony as though dead. James (still in Buffy's body) rushes off to the music room where he plans to kill himself. Grace (still in Angelus), is not killed by the bullet. She wakes up and proceeds to the music room just in time to stop "Buffy" from pulling the trigger. They exchange apologies and kiss. The spirits, now able to pass on, leave their bodies. Buffy and Angelus break away from the kiss and Angelus realizes what he has been doing. Throwing Buffy aside, he rushes off.
At the garden, Angelus scrubs furiously at his body, knowing how close he had been with Buffy. He then invites Drusilla and Spike out to feed, but Spike remains behind because Angelus knows that he is using a wheelchair. When they are gone, Spike stands up and kicks the chair aside, revealing that he has healed from his spinal injury.
Production details
Series creator Joss WhedonJoss Whedon
Joseph Hill "Joss" Whedon is an American screenwriter, executive producer, director, comic book writer, occasional composer and actor, founder of Mutant Enemy Productions and co-creator of Bellwether Pictures...
has said that it was this episode that convinced him that David Boreanaz was an actor strong enough to have his own series.
Marti Noxon
Marti Noxon
Martha Mills "Marti" Noxon is an American television and film writer first known for writing and producing Buffy the Vampire Slayer.- Production :...
, author of this episode, admits that she is haunted by the idea of ghosts, which, for her, are figurative expressions of the need for “repentance and second chances” that she perceived as being necessary thanks to “a difficult family situation”: “I realize that I was constantly telling the story of my family and fears,” she says. Noxon was also influenced in her storytelling by the movies Poltergeist
Poltergeist
A poltergeist is a paranormal phenomenon which consists of events alluding to the manifestation of an imperceptible entity. Such manifestation typically includes inanimate objects moving or being thrown about, sentient noises and, on some occasions, physical attacks on those witnessing the...
and Truly, Madly, Deeply
Truly, Madly, Deeply
Truly, Madly, Deeply is a 1990 film made for the BBC's Screen Two series.-Overview:The film was written and directed by Anthony Minghella and stars Juliet Stevenson and Alan Rickman. Minghella said he wrote the script specifically as “a vehicle for [Stevenson] to express all her talents...
, which featured a widow who was unable to move on after the loss of her husband.
Continuity
- Coincidentally in the scene where Willow is teaching the Computer Science class, the name "TARA" can be seen on the blackboard under "Detention" with "x2" next to it, a coincidental reference to Willow's relationship with another Tara in the future.
- Also, in this episode, it is shown that Snyder and at least part of the police force are aware that Sunnydale is built on a Hellmouth.
- This episode marks the first reference to Mayor Richard Wilkins though not by name, a character who would go on to be the central antagonist of Season Three.
- This episode marks the first appearance of the mansion that would serve as Angel's home throughout the remainder of this season, and the whole of the third season.
- Willow's discovering of Jenny Calender's magic files inspires her own interest in magic, which will become central to her character for the remainder of the series.
- Willow tells Giles that she was using Ms. Calendar's teaching plans which she'd left on her computer. However, Angel had previously destroyed this computer in "Passion".
- The Flamingos' recording of the titular song, playing on a turntable in the music room, was not made until 1959, so it wouldn't have been available in 1955.
- Angel would later refer to the events of this episode in the AngelAngel (TV series)Angel is an American television series, a spin-off of the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The series was created by Buffys creator, Joss Whedon, in collaboration with David Greenwalt, and first aired on October 5, 1999...
Season Three episode "Waiting in the Wings" in which he and Cordelia are similarly possessed by the spirits of dead lovers. - When Buffy returns to the school while possessed, the doors she kicked open to escape from the swarm of wasps are undamaged.
- When Giles, Willow, Xander and Cordelia return to the school looking for Buffy, Cordelia's bite marks from the snake have disappeared.