Lie To Me

I remember, way back in 1997, the teasers for this episode promised that we would meet Buffy's very first boyfriend (of course, we learn in the actual ep that she just had a crush on Ford in 5th grade). And at the time, discussing with Adam807 how awesome it would be if it were a guest spot by Luke Perry as Pike. I share this anecdote merely to illustrate that we've ALWAYS been this way.

Anyway, even without Dylan McKay, the episode stands up. While I was prepared for the patheticness of the revelation of Ford's brain cancer, I had forgotten about the patheticness of his vampire-wanna-be cronies. Of course, they live in a world where, frankly, they probably don't really believe vampires exist - so why not imagine a world where they're immortal but friendly? And given that, why not want to be one of them?

That said, the stand-out moments are two completely different lines of dialogue: Willow's treatise on whether sore thumbs really stick out, and Giles' assertion, in response to Buffy's request, "Lie to me," that "it's all terribly easy... and everyone lives happily ever after." Writing it down couldn't possibly do it justice, but his delivery manages to be both affectionate and slightly mocking. Good stuff.