(S01E10) The worst nightmare you can have is of an out of control, giggling clown wielding a knife. No wait, it's when you realize there's a class at school you've never been to, but you have to take an exam for it. Or is it going to class naked? Wait, why is that last one scary?
This episode has a theme that's used in a few others in later seasons, in particular the Halloween episodes where fears and costumes take over Sunnydale. It's a theme that definitely works well in providing opportunities for an equal share of drama (through the facing of fears) and humor.One of the bigger points of this episode was the first appearance of Buffy's father, Hank. Hank actually only appears in four episodes through the entire series, though thankfully they stuck with the same actor (Dean Butler) each time. I'd often wondered if he'd make a comeback in later seasons, though I eventually learned of Whedon's point of not having him around and gave those theories up.
Xander's fears were definitely the funniest of the bunch, even if they are of actual nightmares plaguing many, many people. Did anyone else think that, when Xander entered the area with the clown and the walls were spray painted with swastikas, his earlier mention of having a nightmare about Nazis was about to come true? I wonder if they originally planned for that to happen, though later removed it for fears there would be issues taken with showing Nazis and all that. Cordelia's nightmares come in a very close second to Xander's.
It was interesting to note how Buffy has a fear of being buried alive (well, who wouldn't?), as she's faced with that once again when she's brought back alive in season six. That scene also set up early on how much Giles feels for Buffy already, having only known her for part of a school term.
Oh, and excellent Wizard of Oz reference when Billy wakes up. Xander is SO the scarecrow.
Main points of interest in this episode:
- Buffy's year of birth is shown here to be 1981.
- First appearance of Buffy's dad, Hank.
- We learn the main fears of each of the main characters.
- Giles can speak five languages.
- Nobody dies!
Quote of the episode:
Xander: There's nothing to say. You saw two hundred insects, you Gonzoed. Anybody would have.
Wendell: They're not insects. They're arachnids.
Xander: They're from the Middle East?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
8-01-2006 @ 4:57AM
Keith L. Dick said...
Used to have a few many years after I was out of school that I had to be in Study Hall in 15 minutes, and it was a Saturday!!!...
Old Age took care of that...
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8-01-2006 @ 11:39AM
Michael said...
On the first run, Nightmares was one of my favorite season one episodes because it felt like we were exploring the characters a bit more. Yes, the fears were standard cliched things, but it still felt releveant.
Looking back now, it's still a solid episode and one where you can see Whedon trying to put more of his fingerprint on the show (it really ramps up in two eps with Prophecy Girl which is almost a mission statement on how the series will be from now on). I seem to recall that SMG is afraid of cemetaries, hence why in season two and onward they created the fake Sunnydale cemetary for scenes there...
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8-26-2006 @ 1:44AM
Nancy said...
This is the episode that made me sit up and take notice that this series was about something more than having fun and kicking butt with the monsters. As someone raised watching Creature Features every week and reading Dracula as my first adult book, I like 'monster' shows, was a regular watcher of the X-Files and was predisposed to like something called Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I started watching Buffy from the first day it aired. I enjoyed it and even made the extra effort to find it as it kept getting preempted for sports events.
However, "Nightmares" was the episode that started me on my course as a diehard Buffy fan. Specifically, it was the moment when Buffy's dad told her she was the reason for the divorce. Up until then the nightmares had been of the wacky, scary dream kind--now we had the truly scary nightmare of my deepest fears that lurk even when I'm awake kind. This show wasn't scared to tell the truth.
I remember that precise moment as the turning point for me to get on board with this show no matter what...to be really invested in whether or not it got renewed...to promote it to my friends. To be one of those folks that Joss wanted not just to like seeing the show, but to NEED to see the show.
It retrospect, it is not one of my top ten episodes, maybe not even my top 40. But it will always have a special place in my heart for being the first to demonstrate that Buffy the Vampire Slayer wasn't just a show about monsters; it was a show using monsters to tell the truth about being human.
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