Seth Green Movies
As Oz, the guitarist with a bit of a werewolf problem on the WB's Buffy the Vampire Slayer, actor Seth Green became known and loved by television viewers from the U.S. to Australia. What isn't as well-known to many of these viewers is the fact that Green has been acting in films and on television since 1984, when he made his debut as Egg, the little brother of Jodie Foster and Rob Lowe in The Hotel New Hampshire.A native of Philadelphia, Green was born February 8, 1974, and raised in the suburbs by his artist mother and math-teacher father. Although unbeknownst to him at the time, his first onscreen stint was as a newborn in a natural childbirth video. Green's more conscious interest in acting began at the age of six, when he had his first role in a summer camp play. With the help of his uncle, who was a casting director, Green was soon appearing in commercials and on various television shows. Getting his first real break with 1984's The Hotel New Hampshire, the young actor spent the next few years appearing in television shows before landing his first starring role in Woody Allen's 1987 film Radio Days. As Allen's young alter-ego, Green won a respectable amount of recognition (including an appearance on Johnny Carson's Tonight Show) for his part in the nostalgic tale of a boy growing up as part of an eccentric family in 1940s America. The role led to work in various films, such as Can't Buy Me Love (1987) and the following year's My Stepmother Is an Alien (in which he co-starred with his future Buffy love interest Alyson Hannigan).
The early '90s were not kind to Green, who found himself acting in a series of bad films and winning only small parts on the occasional television show, including The Wonder Years. In fact, if audiences recognized the actor at all, it was probably due to a series of Rally's commercials that featured him as the obnoxious fast-food worker who made "Cha-ching" part of the national lexicon for about three months. Things finally began to pick up in 1997, when Green won his substantial role on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Coincidentally, he had been cast five years earlier in the original film incarnation of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but his scenes had ended up on the cutting-room floor. Green found further success in 1997, when he landed a memorable supporting role as the son of Dr. Evil in the sleeper hit Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery.
Suddenly once again in favor with Hollywood's Powers That Be, Green appeared the following year in the Jennifer Love Hewitt film Can't Hardly Wait and in 1999 reprised his role as Scott Evil in Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me. Also in 1999, the actor landed a starring role as Devon Sawa's zombie friend in Idle Hands. The film, which was about a teen with murderous hands, had the unfortunate luck of opening a week after the Columbine High School shootings and quickly disappeared without a trace. However, this didn't seem to do substantial damage to the red-headed actor's career, as he continued riding high with his role on Buffy. Green also kept busy doing the voice of Chris Griffin on Fox's animated series The Family Guy. The turnover to the new millennium found Green increasingly popular on the big screen, with roles in such films as Rat Race and America's Sweethearts (both 2001). It wasn't long before the inevitable third chapter in the adventures of Austin Powers was to go before the cameras, and Green once again agreed to fill the shoes of Scott Evil.
After a role in the hit 2003 ensemble caper The Italian Job, Green geared up for a pair of high-profile comedic roles in 2004. First up, he played a museum curator with a crush on Velma in Scooby Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed. Then, teaming up with Dax Shepard and Matthew Lillard, he starred in Without a Paddle, an adventure comedy about three city-slickers who find trouble when they take a canoe trip together. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, All Movie Guide
- 1993
- PG
The exciting world of rollerblading provides the basis of this tale of a young teen who tries to inspire the affection of a pretty girl with his skating prowess. The lad is 15-year-old Mitchell Goosen who is sent from sunny southern California to snowy Cincinnati to live with relatives while his parents go on a long trip to Australia. The boy comes to the Ohio city clutching his surfboard and meets his goofy cousin who quickly becomes his friend. Naturally his laid back West Coast ways make him the subject of ridicule in his new high school. His biggest foe is the school jock. The pain of his new life is eased a bit after Mitchell meets perky blond Nikki. They talk and then he is forced to play in a hockey game. Mitchell has no idea what hockey is about but still manages to score the winning goal causing him to be the victim of more ostracism. In the spring, he begins rollerblading and the other kids are amazed by his many stunts. Eventually, he uses his skills to win the respect of his enemies and Niki's heart, but not without a lot more daring skating escapades. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Shane Mc Dermott, Seth Green, (more)
Studio mogul Joe Roth returns to his roots as a director with this romantic comedy co-written by Billy Crystal and starring Roth's longtime friend Julia Roberts. Crystal stars as Lee, a studio publicist desperately trying to keep several facts secret from reporters during a high-profile motion picture's press junket. Among the developments that Lee is trying to obscure from view: the film's eccentric director (Christopher Walken) has essentially hijacked the $87 million movie and isn't allowing anyone to view it. Also, the film's high-profile, real-life married co-stars Gwen Harrison (Catherine Zeta-Jones) and Eddie Thomas (John Cusack) have acrimoniously split since filming (over Gwen's adulterous affair with Latin lover Hector (Hank Azaria). Lee has led the press to believe that reconciliation is imminent, when in fact Gwen hates Eddie more than ever. Lee's secret weapon in his campaign of misinformation is Gwen's long-abused sister Kiki (Julia Roberts), who works as the pampered star's personal assistant while secretly pining for Eddie, who might just notice Kiki now that she's lost 60 pounds. America's Sweethearts co-stars Alan Arkin, Seth Green, and Stanley Tucci. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Julia Roberts, Billy Crystal, (more)
- 1999
The second part of a crossover with Buffy the Vampire Slayer (see Buffy, "The Harsh Light of Day"), this episode of Angel guest-stars Seth Green as Oz, the werewolf rocker, and James Marsters as Spike, one of Angel's vampire nemeses. On tour with his band, Dingoes Ate My Baby, Oz comes to L.A. bearing a gift from Buffy to Angel -- the Gem of Amarra, a magical ring that makes any vampire who wears it truly invulnerable. Thinking the talisman too dangerous to use, Angel (David Boreanaz) hides it in the sewers underneath the city. Spike soon arrives and retains the services of Marcus (Kevin West), a fearsome, child-eating vampire, to torture and kidnap Angel. Although Angel keeps his mouth shut despite unimaginable agony, Doyle (Glenn Quinn) and Cordelia (Charisma Carpenter) find the ring, and, in an attempt to save their boss, inadvertently allow it to fall into Marcus' hands. Angel must chase the fiend to a crowded beach in full sunlight to prevent him for exercising his bloodlust on the amassed kiddies. Afterward, Angel uses the ring's powers to enjoy one day unharmed in the sunlight before pulverizing it to prevent it from falling into the wrong hands. Originally broadcast October 19, 1999, on the WB network, "In the Dark" marked season one, episode three of the supernatural comedy drama. It was also the first of many crossovers with the show's parent series. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Glenn Quinn
- 1993
This long-delayed sci-fi/horror project from Charles Band's "B"-factory Full Moon Entertainment features Megan Ward and Peter Billingsley (once the cuddly hero of A Christmas Story) as a pair of suburban teens who discover that the neighborhood's most popular virtual-reality video game -- unimaginatively-dubbed Arcade -- is possessed of a malevolent intelligence and a hunger for young souls. After several Arcade junkies are captured by the digital demon, our heroes decide to strap on their virtual helmets and go head-to-head with the computer to rescue them, facing a confounding series of elaborate puzzles and eventually squaring off against the soul of Arcade itself. "B"-movie journeyman Albert Pyun handles the virtual reality fantasy scenes with verve, though the mediocre effects are hardly worth the endless delays that hounded this production. This film's entire premise was explored far more expertly 10 years earlier in Disney's Tron, and with far more interesting characters than this brooding bunch. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Megan Ward, Peter Billingsley, (more)
Mike Myers' phenomenally successful spy spoof gains a few more characters, a slew of celebrity cameos, and even more free-associative laughs in this third installment of the popular franchise. Austin Powers in Goldmember continues the exploits of the swinging-'60s leftover, who, as the film opens, is busy critiquing a big-budget Hollywood production of his life story, replete with a 20-million-dollar star in the lead role and a slew of John Woo-style action scenes. But not far from the soundstage lurks arch nemesis Dr. Evil (Myers), who has opened up a talent agency representing some of the industry's biggest stars -- all the while channeling their profits into a diabolical world-destruction plan with the unfortunate code name Preparation H. Dr. Evil presents a distraction to Austin by kidnapping his similarly swingin' father, Nigel Powers, and transporting him back in time to 1975. Travelling there to save his father -- and in turn win back his dad's sometimes-errant affection -- Austin comes across the alluring superspy Foxxy Cleopatra (Beyonce Knowles). The three of them travel back to the present day, where they join forces to battle Dr. Evil and his posse of nefarious evil-doers, including the trusty clone Mini-Me (Verne Troyer); his snotty son, Scott (Seth Green); the inimitable Fat Bastard (Myers); and the eponymous new addition to the fold: the epidermis-obsessed, precious-metal-fortified Dutchman called Goldmember (Myers). ~ Michael Hastings, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mike Myers, Beyoncé Knowles, (more)
- 1997
- PG13
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Less a parody of the early James Bond film than a parody of the films that parodied the early James Bond films, Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery stars Mike Myers as Austin Powers, by day a hipster fashion photographer in mid-'60s swingin' London and by night a crime-fighting secret agent. Austin's wardrobe is pure Carnaby Street at its most outrageous, his vocabulary is crowded by the cool lingo of the day ("Groovy, baby! Yeah!!"), and he's irresistible to women, despite the fact that he can be charitably described as "stocky" and has teeth that strike fear into any practicing dentist. When his nemesis, the arch-enemy Dr. Evil (also played by Myers), has himself cryogenically frozen and sent into space, Powers also has himself put on ice so he can be thawed out when Dr. Evil returns. Come 1997, Dr. Evil returns to Earth and is back to his old tricks, so Austin is thawed out and returned to active service -- though he soon discovers his style doesn't play so well 30 years on. The supporting cast includes Elizabeth Hurley as Austin's sidekick, Vanessa Kensington; Michael York as his boss, Basil Exposition; Robert Wagner as Dr. Evil's assistant, Number Two; and Seth Green as Dr. Evil's troubled son, Scott Evil. Ming Tea, the swingin' pop band that periodically backs up Austin, includes real life pop-rockers Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs. Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery was a mild box-office hit but an even bigger success on home video, which led to the 1999 sequel, Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mike Myers, Elizabeth Hurley, (more)
- 1999
- PG13
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Austin Powers -- fashion photographer, denizen of Swingin' London, international espionage agent, and bane of dental hygienists everywhere -- returns in his second screen adventure. Powers (once again played by Mike Myers), a 1960s superspy stranded in the 1990s, discovers that his nemesis, criminal genius Dr. Evil (also Mike Myers), has somehow stolen his "mojo" (the secret to his otherwise inexplicable sex appeal) and traveled back in time to the 1960s as part of his latest fiendish scheme. Powers must also travel back in time to retrieve it, but if Austin doesn't quite fit into 1998, he's been there just long enough not to fit in in 1968 anymore, either. Powers also discovers that Dr. Evil has new allies this time: Mini-Me (Verne Troyer), a clone of Dr. Evil one-eighth his size but just as nasty; Fat Bastard (Myers yet again), whose name describes him just fine; and vixenish assassin Robin Swallows (Gia Carides). Powers' lack of mojo also proves troublesome when he's paired with his new partner, saucy CIA operative Felicity Shagwell (Heather Graham). Other characters returning from the first film include Elizabeth Hurley as Vanessa Kensington, Robert Wagner as Number Two, Michael York as Basil Exposition, Seth Green as Scott Evil, and Mindy Sterling as Frau Farbissina. Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me also includes cameo appearances from Tim Robbins, Jerry Springer, Woody Harrelson, and Burt Bacharach with his current songwriting partner, Elvis Costello. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mike Myers, Heather Graham, (more)
Thanks to a mix-up at birth, two sets of twins are separated and grow up in radically different social circles. The four baby girls grow up to be Bette Midler and Lily Tomlin-and Bette Midler and Lily Tomlin. One of the Midlers is a ruthless New York CEO, while one of the Tomlins is her air-headed "save the whales" business partner. Thousands of miles away in a Southern industrial town, a blue-collar Bette Midler and Lily Tomlin work for a company that the white-collar Midler plans to devour in a hostile takeover. The "poor" Midler and Tomlin head to New York to argue against the takeover, inevitably getting mixed up with the "rich" Midler and Tomlin. Three of the four twins team up to save the small-town company, while CEO Midler remains as nastily greedy as ever. Clear enough? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bette Midler, Lily Tomlin, (more)
The second outing in the Boys Life series collects another set of gay-themed shorts. Must Be the Music follows a group of Los Angeles teens, three gay and one straight, through a night of romantic misadventures at a hip dance club. In Nunzio's Second Cousin, police Sgt. Tony Randozzy (Vincent D'Onofrio) turns the tables on a group of homophobes (one of them played by Seth Green) and forces one of them, Jimmy (Miles Perlich), to have dinner with him and his mother (Eileen Brennan). Alkali, Iowa uses the backdrop of a Midwestern agricultural community to tell the story of Jack (J.D. Cerna), a gay teen who discovers tantalizing glimpses of his dead father's life buried on the family farm; Mary Beth Hurt plays the boy's distant, defeated mother. The Academy award-winning Trevor relates the tale of a chunky, effete youngster (Brett Barsky) whose love of Diana Ross is matched only by his obsession with Pinky (Jonah Rooney), a handsome classmate. For Boys Life 2's video and DVD release, The DadShuttle replaced Trevor, which had received a video release of its own. An almost plotless tale that takes place during a single car ride to the airport, The DadShuttle focuses on the emotional distance and between a city-dwelling gay man and his suburban father. Alkali, Iowa director Mark Christopher would go on to direct the Hollywood feature 54, while Nickolas Perry, director of Must Be the Music, would go on to helm the Gus Van Sant-produced Speedway Junky. Before directing Trevor, Peggy Rajski was known primarily as a producer; her credits include the Jodie Foster directorial efforts Little Man Tate and Home for the Holidays. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide
- 1997
Episode seven of the series is a landmark for Buffy-philes in that it is the first episode where Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) and Angel (David Boreanaz) kiss. An enigmatic, if peripheral character up until this point, Angel stakes his claim as a full-time cast member by revealing his secret: He is a vampire, the ultimate outsider, a James Dean with fangs -- and Buffy wants him. That is, until she catches him putting a Dracula-hold on her mom -- bite marks and all. It becomes clear that Buffy's mom was actually bitten by the evil Darla (Julie Benz) and saved by Angel. After confronting him, Buffy learns Angel's story: Darla "sired" him (turned him into a vampire) some 240 years earlier, becoming his lover. Later, after killing a gypsy woman, Angel had a curse put on him by the woman's family, restoring his soul. Since then, he's walked the earth, trying to amend his evil vampiric ways. As if he hadn't already proven his undying love to Buffy, Angel puts a fine point on it by staking Darla. This seminal Buffy episode ends at a Sunnydale High dance where Buffy and Angel -- all too aware that theirs is a forbidden and doomed love -- share a slow dance and another kiss. Buffy's crucifix leaves a cross burned into Angel's neck, and a lump in the audience's throats. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1997
Everyone is preparing for the night by buying their costumes at Ethan's (Robin Sachs) Costume Shop. Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) wants to dress like an 18th century noblewoman -- the kind Angel (David Boreanaz) had the hots for back in the day. Willow (Alyson Hannigan), meanwhile, covers up as a ghost and Xander (Nicholas Brendon) plays against type as a macho military soldier. The night starts out great until Ethan, a mystic, casts a spell causing everyone to take on the characteristics of their costume. Buffy becomes a helpless weakling, Xander goes all Rambo, and Willow can run through doors -- closed doors. The spell is discovered as Cordelia (Charisma Carpenter), dressed in a cat outfit from another store, does not act like a cat -- at least not any more than usual. Giles (Anthony Stewart Head), an old acquaintance of Ethan's, uncharacteristically beats the spell reversal out of him. This encounter is the first glimpse of Giles' sketchy past with the occult. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1997
Episode eight begins in the 15th century where a monk named Thelonious -- a humorous reference to the great jazz pianist -- transforms the demon Moloch the Corruptor into the actual text of a book, thereby imprisoning him. Moloch may only escape when the text is read aloud. 500 years later, Giles (Anthony Stewart Head) acquires the book for his library; subsequently, it is scanned into the library computer system under the direction of Jenny Calendar (Robia La Morte), Sunnydale High's hip and beautiful new computer science teacher. The scanning releases Moloch into the computer system as a kind of cyber-demon. Taking on the name Malcolm, he lures Willow (Alyson Hannigan) into an Internet romance and consequently uses an old electronics company to make himself into a robot-demon. Jenny -- a techno-pagan actually familiar with Moloch -- assists Giles with magically trapping Moloch inside his robot body. Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) then blows up the robot-demon with an electronic device. By introducing the character of Jenny, this episode gives Giles both competition at school and the possibility for romance -- however doomed -- in later episodes. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1997
Xander (Nicholas Brendon) becomes a real mummy's boy in this second season episode. Sunnydale High is sponsoring a foreign exchange student program and Buffy's (Sarah Michelle Gellar) mom has signed up to host a student, Ampata Gutierrez, from South America. Meanwhile, during a field trip to a museum, a student attempts to steal a seal on the mummified remains of an Incan princess, and the seal is accidentally broken in the process. In classic mummy style, the mummy girl awakens and sucks the life out of the student, leaving him in her place. The mummy -- actually a princess sacrificed 500 hundred years earlier -- also happens upon Ampata waiting for Buffy at the bus station and drains his life as well. Buffy, expecting to pick up a boy, is surprised to find a beautiful teenage girl waiting for her. Nobody is more surprised though than Xander, who immediately falls for Ampata -- the mummy. Ampata, also smitten with Xander, must keep draining the life out of people to live. It is interesting to note that Oz's (Seth Green) rock band, Dingoes Ate My Baby, make its first appearance in this episode at a school dance. It is at this dance that Oz first expresses his attraction to Willow (Alyson Hannigan), but still does not talk to her. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1997
Episode ten showcases the writers' ingenious talent to marry each character's personality to a horror-comedy plot twist. Nightmares are coming true in Sunnydale: the self-conscious Xander (Nicholas Brendon) goes to school in his underwear; shy Willow (Alyson Hannigan) has to sing in public; bookish Giles (Anthony Stewart Head) forgets how to read; superficial Cordelia (Charisma Carpenter) has a really bad hair day; and sensitive slayer Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) finds that her parents blame her for their divorce. Buffy also has a nightmare that the Master is freed and kills her, making her a vampire. It is finally made clear that the nightmares stem from a boy in a coma. Beaten into that state by his violent baseball coach, the boy's constant dreaming of the horrible incident is being made real through the evil powers of the Hellmouth. It is interesting to note that Buffy has had nightmares from the pilot episode on -- a side effect of her slayer powers -- and this episode seems to build upon that subplot. By having of all the characters face their fears, the seeds are sown for future growth and budding relationships, such as Cordelia's eventual friendship with Buffy. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1997
The stuck-up attitude of Cordelia (Charisma Carpenter) comes back to hurt her in this important first-year episode. While campaigning to be crowned Sunnydale High's May Queen, Cordelia's date is clubbed to death by a possessed baseball bat. A friend of Cordelia's then falls down some stairs, leading Buffy to believe that an invisible assailant might be at work in Sunnydale. Soon enough, Buffy discovers evidence of a girl named Marcia Ross (Clea DuVall) living in the recesses of Sunnydale High. Among her belongings, she finds a yearbook signed by Xander (Nicholas Brendon) and Willow (Alyson Hannigan), although no one seems to remember the girl. Treated as invisible for so long, Marcia has actually become invisible and is exacting revenge upon her classmates. Buffy finds a way of stopping her before she can kill Cordelia, creating some goodwill between the two. By the end, Marcia is taken away by federal agents to be rehabilitated at a school for other invisible students, foreshadowing other political entanglements Buffy will encounter in future seasons. Another point of interest in this episode is the first meeting between Angel (David Boreanaz) and Giles (Anthony Stewart Head). ~ All Movie Guide
- 1997
The last episode of season one begins with the pronunciation of Buffy's (Sarah Michelle Gellar) impending death -- talk about bad timing -- right before the class prom! The revelation comes courtesy of a prophecy discovered by Giles (Anthony Stewart Head), stating that the Master (Mark Metcalf) will rise and kill the Slayer. Giles attempts to hide the bad news from Buffy, but she overhears him speaking about it with Angel (David Boreanaz). Hearkening back to the pilot episode, Buffy is reticent to fight the Master. Meanwhile, Willow (Alyson Hannigan) discovers the corpses of some dead students in the audiovisual room, obviously killed by vampires. Wearing her prom dress (everyone, including the Master, comments on how good it looks), Buffy realizes she must fulfill her duties as the Slayer. Angel and Xander (Nicholas Brendon), worried about her safety, chase after her, only to find her barely alive after a drowning attempt by the Master. Xander revive Buffy with CPR, and the group runs back to Sunnydale High to find the Master opening the Hellmouth with the help of the Anointed One (Andrew J. Ferchland). A large, tentacle-flailing demon almost escapes from the Hellmouth, but Buffy slays the Master, closing it. It is to be noted that, unlike most vampires, the Master's bones remain intact after his death, leaving his story line open-ended. This episode was written and directed by the show's creator, Joss Whedon. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1998
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Buffy the Vampire Slayer's first two seasons had established the modus operandi of unveiling a new villain and fresh overriding concept as each season began. The Slayer's senior year at Sunnydale High was no different; themes of power, corruption, and betrayal were encapsulated in the introduction of two new characters. Scheming to achieve supernatural transcendence atop the Hellmouth, crooked Mayor Richard Wilkins III (Harry Groener) served as the season's cuddly but creepy "big bad." But it was Faith (Eliza Dushku), Buffy's new fellow slayer and eventual dark foil, whose descent into sadistic villainy packed the bigger emotional wallop. Of course, as the season began, Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) was still smarting from the last time a trusted ally had turned on her. But the mysterious return of Angel (David Boreanaz) from the hell to which Buffy had dispatched him caused as many problems as it solved. (Eventually, as the season ended, Angel would leave Sunnydale for the larger horizons of Los Angeles in an eponymous spin-off that lasted five seasons.) As for the other characters, romantic entanglements continued between Willow (Alyson Hannigan), Xander (Nicholas Brendon), Cordelia (Charisma Carpenter), and Oz (Seth Green). Giles (Anthony Stewart Head) and Buffy's mother (Kristine Sutherland) even enjoyed a brief dalliance while under the influence of an enchantment. Fledgling witch Willow continued to hone her own magical talents. Xander lost his virginity -- and nearly his life -- to Faith. Stuffy new arrival Wesley Wyndam-Price (Alexis Denisof) usurped Giles' role as Watcher, allowing Buffy's mentor to exhibit a newfound suaveness and cynicism. And longtime bit player Jonathan (Danny Strong) took center stage in the controversial episode titled "Earshot." Penned by new staff writer Jane Espenson, whose gift for comedy had already made a big impact with fans, the otherwise humorous episode marked one of the first times a gun had figured prominently in a Buffy plot. In deference to the Columbine High School massacre in Littleton, CO, the WB delayed airing "Earshot" -- and the violent season finale -- until months after they were originally scheduled. Nevertheless, the third season's final arc effectively brought the show's long-running high-school-is-hell conceit to its logical conclusion. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sarah Michelle Gellar, Nicholas Brendon, (more)
- 1999
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As Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) and her friends began the transition from high school to young adulthood, Buffy the Vampire Slayer went through a number of changes itself. New cast members, a new spin-off, and a new setting characterized a season that many fans and critics saw as a partially successful experiment. Experimentation was something of a theme for the season -- the experimentation of young adulthood and the experiments of a group of sinister government scientists known as The Initiative. Their shadowy military operations providing new elements of X-Files-like science fiction, The Iniative also managed to unleash Adam (George Hertzberg), the season's Frankenstein-like über-villain. As for the characters' personal lives, Buffy and Willow (Alyson Hannigan) enrolled at the fictional UC Sunnydale, whose campus became the locus of the action. Xander (Nicholas Brendon) began his aimless swim though the minimum-wage end of the labor pool, while ex-Watcher Giles (Anthony Stewart Head) faced an impending midlife crisis. The doomed love affair between Buffy and Angel had run its course, allowing David Boreanaz to launch his own show, Angel, with former series regular Charisma Carpenter in tow. When actor Seth Green asked to be released from his contract to pursue movie stardom, Oz, too, disappeared from the Scooby Gang.
These departures left room in the cast for new love interests and new comic relief. Emma Caulfield supplied both as Xander's girlfriend Anya, a vengeance demon reincarnated as a teenaged girl, who struggled to make sense of human customs and vulnerabilities. Amber Benson soon showed up as Willow's new partner-in-Wicca, then as her new partner, period. Though the WB nixed any explicit lesbian content, Willow and Tara's mutual exploration of the supernatural provided ample opportunity for metaphor. By the time Willow was ready to come out to her friends, the show was earning high praise from gay-rights groups. Buffy, too, found new love in the arms of Riley (Marc Blucas), her corn-fed new super-soldier boyfriend. The final cast addition was a blast from the past: second-season veteran James Marsters. Spike, the actor's hell-raising vampire villain, became more of a wacky neighbor than a threat once The Initiative's mad scientists put a chip in his head to keep him from killing humans. Other return appearances included renegade slayer Faith (Eliza Dushku) in one of several crossovers with the first season of Angel. As usual, series creator Joss Whedon stepped in to write and direct several episodes. "Hush" used the techniques of silent film to unleash primal horror on the Slayer and her friends, while season closer "Restless" consisted almost entirely of dream sequences. These formal exercises earned Whedon tremendous critical acclaim -- and, in the case of "Hush," an Emmy nomination -- and cemented the season's experimental tone. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide
These departures left room in the cast for new love interests and new comic relief. Emma Caulfield supplied both as Xander's girlfriend Anya, a vengeance demon reincarnated as a teenaged girl, who struggled to make sense of human customs and vulnerabilities. Amber Benson soon showed up as Willow's new partner-in-Wicca, then as her new partner, period. Though the WB nixed any explicit lesbian content, Willow and Tara's mutual exploration of the supernatural provided ample opportunity for metaphor. By the time Willow was ready to come out to her friends, the show was earning high praise from gay-rights groups. Buffy, too, found new love in the arms of Riley (Marc Blucas), her corn-fed new super-soldier boyfriend. The final cast addition was a blast from the past: second-season veteran James Marsters. Spike, the actor's hell-raising vampire villain, became more of a wacky neighbor than a threat once The Initiative's mad scientists put a chip in his head to keep him from killing humans. Other return appearances included renegade slayer Faith (Eliza Dushku) in one of several crossovers with the first season of Angel. As usual, series creator Joss Whedon stepped in to write and direct several episodes. "Hush" used the techniques of silent film to unleash primal horror on the Slayer and her friends, while season closer "Restless" consisted almost entirely of dream sequences. These formal exercises earned Whedon tremendous critical acclaim -- and, in the case of "Hush," an Emmy nomination -- and cemented the season's experimental tone. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sarah Michelle Gellar, Nicholas Brendon, (more)
- 1997
In keeping with Buffy creator Joss Whedon's directive to deal with a wide array of monsters -- not just vampires -- episode four finds Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) bug hunting. After imparting some much-needed encouragement to Buffy, biology teacher Dr. Gregory (William Monaghan) is found the next day -- minus his head! Jumping to obvious conclusions, Buffy assumes that the gruesome murder fits the m.o. of "Claw" (Jean Speegle Howard), a real Captain Hook of a vampire, whose hand has been supplanted with various sharp objects. But, when Claw flees at the sight of Dr. Gregory's substitute, a sultry woman named Natalie French (Musetta Vander), Buffy begins to focus on her. French gives lectures on her love of praying mantises and quickly has all the boys at Sunnydale High "hot for teacher." Bugged by the monstrous possibilities of who or what the killer could be, Giles (Anthony Stewart Head) seeks the help of his friend Dr. Carlyle Ferris, an entomology/mythology expert, who has recently gone mad after hunting a "She-Mantis" at Oxford. As it turns out, French is the She-Mantis in question, and has meanwhile imprisoned Xander (Nicholas Brendon) and another student in hopes of mating with them and then killing them, in classic She-Mantis style. Buffy fortunately comes to the rescue in time to save the boys from decapitation. This episode marks the first in a long series of running jokes directed toward Xander about falling for a She-Mantis. Other equally heartfelt ribbings pop up throughout the series. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1997
After a tweedy British gentleman gets his neck broken by a demon, Giles (Anthony Stewart Head) reveals that he knows the man as Philip Henry (Stuart McLean), an old friend who has a tattoo oddly identical to one on Giles' arm. Soon after, Philip awakens from death, possessed by the demon that killed him, and leaves the morgue. Meanwhile, Giles descends into a state of brooding drunkenness and misses a meeting with Buffy. She discovers Ethan Rayne (Robin Sachs) sneaking about the library, and he informs her about the Mark of Eyghon -- the tattoo on Giles' arm. A reluctant Giles soon reveals that as a young man he rebelled against his Watcher duties and formed a circle with five friends, including Ethan, to dabble in the occult. They summoned the demon Eyghon, who then killed one of them. Moving from victim to victim to stay alive, Eyghon is now attempting to kill everyone bearing his mark. Giles' relationship with Jenny (Robia La Morte) is also endangered as she becomes possessed by Eyghon. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1997
In episode six, Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) and friends attend a school field trip to the zoo. Also on the trip are Kyle (Eion Bailey), Tor (Brian Gross), and Heidi (Jennifer Sky), Sunnydale High's resident bullies. In attempting to protect the nerdy Lance (Jeff Maynard), Xander (Nicholas Brendon) follows them into the ominously closed hyena exhibit. Upon exiting the exhibit, everyone except Lance has seemingly taken on the predatory characteristics of the hyena. Xander begins hanging out with the four bullies and acting belligerent and nasty -- even verbally humiliating Willow (Alyson Hannigan). Among other things, the group eats the school's pig mascot. When questioned about the pig, Kyle, Rhonda, and Tor eat the principal -- alive! At first Giles (Anthony Stewart Head) does not believe Buffy's view that something is supernaturally wrong with Xander and comically states, "It's devastating -- he's turned into a 16-year-old boy. Of course, you'll have to kill him." But after researching Primals -- animal worshipers who imbue themselves with the spirits of animals -- Giles and Buffy go to the keeper of the hyena exhibit for help. The keeper turns out to be a Primal, and he attempts to draw the hyena spirit from Xander and the bullies into himself. After succeeding, Buffy throws him to the hyenas. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1997
Episode nine is a standout for its comic twist on the familiar "evil puppet" story line. Giles (Anthony Stewart Head) takes on the monstrous task of coordinating the annual talent show at Sunnydale High. The sadistic Principal Snyder (Armin Shimerman) forces Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar), Willow (Alyson Hannigan), and Xander (Nicholas Brendon) to also participate in the program. It doesn't take long for one of the talent show performers to be found dead with her heart cut out. In researching the possible culprits, Giles uncovers a text about a clan of organ-stealing demons known as the Brotherhood of Seven. They need the organs of a young human every seven years to remain in the visage of human teenagers. Morgan (Richard Werner), a ventriloquist a little too attached to his dummy, Sid, falls under Buffy's suspicion. Her instincts are correct, but not precisely: Sid the dummy is alive, but he is not the demon. He's a demon hunter who was imprisoned in a dummy's body by the Brotherhood of Seven during the 1930s. Buffy and Sid team up to find the demon after realizing that Morgan, now murdered, had brain cancer and was useless to the demon. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1997
Ostensibly picking up where the movie Buffy the Vampire Slayer left off, episode one finds the vampire-stiffing Buffy Summers (Sarah Michelle Gellar) and her mother, Joyce (Kristine Sutherland), recently moved from Los Angeles to the ironically named suburb of Sunnydale, CA. During her first day at Sunnydale High School, Buffy meets a group of people who will define the course of her new life. Cordelia Chase (Charisma Carpenter), a popular girl at school, proffers her friendship by testing Buffy's "coolness factor." "James Spader?" Cordelia inquires. "He needs to call me," replies Buffy, without missing a beat. But Cordelia is soon dismayed when Buffy begins hanging out with the shy computer nerd Willow Rosenberg (Alyson Hannigan), her friend Xander Harris ( Nicholas Brendon), and his buddy Jesse (Eric Balfour). Also among her new acquaintances is the school librarian, the very British Rupert Giles (Anthony Stewart Head), who just happens to be Buffy's Watcher, a sort of guidance counselor for vampire slayers. Giles informs Buffy that the earth is much older than commonly accepted and was once populated by demons and vampires; only vestiges of the great evil still exist. Through Giles, we also learn that after every slayer dies, another is born to take her place, and 17-year-old Buffy is the Chosen One. That night, Buffy meets the enigmatic and mysterious Angel (David Boreanaz), who warns her that Sunnydale is located on the Hellmouth -- a kind of mecca for demons and vampires of all sorts -- and the accompanying "Harvest," when vampires will attempt to take over the earth, is soon approaching. Buffy is resistant to donning her mantle as the Slayer, unaware that in catacombs beneath Sunnydale, the Master (Mark Metcalf) -- a very old and powerful vampire, trapped for 60 years underground -- is now being awakened by his minion Luke (Brian Thompson) to be set free by the Harvest. Originally aired on March 10, 1996, "Welcome to the Hellmouth" is part one of the show's two-part pilot episode. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1997
Horror of horrors -- it's career week at Sunnydale High! While everyone else is excited about planning their future, Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) is simply reminded that, as a Slayer, her future is predetermined. Angel (David Boreanaz) tries to cheer her up by taking her to a skating rink. They barely get in some cheer-up necking when Buffy is attacked by a rough Hell's Angels type of guy. A member of the Order of Taraka -- supernatural assassins -- he was apparently sent to kill Buffy by Spike (James Marsters). Meanwhile, Spike is attempting to cure Drusilla (Juliet Landau) of her sickness with the du Lac manuscript, an ancient text he stole from Giles (Anthony Stewart Head). Angel is attempting to find out what is going on with Spike, when a mysterious woman attacks him and locks him up in a cage. Buffy, hidden from the Order of Taraka in Angel's apartment, is also attacked by the woman, who introduces herself as Kendra, the Vampire Slayer, (Bianca Lawson). Also, Willow (Alyson Hannigan) and Oz (Seth Green) finally meet, but in a less romantic fashion than hoped, as they are both being wooed by a computer mega-corporation out of Seattle. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1997
Confused about how there could be another Slayer, Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) figures out that when she briefly died (see "Prophecy Girl") -- Kendra was activated as Slayer. Buffy is jealous at first of Kendra's dedication to her duties, but soon discovers that Kendra really doesn't care about helping people as much as she does. Meanwhile, Angel (David Boreanaz) is rescued from his cage by Willy the Bartender (Saverio Guerra) only to be handed over to Spike (James Marsters). Apparently, Spike needs Drusilla's (Juliet Landau) sire -- Angel -- to complete the ritual to restore Drusilla's health. Realizing this, Kendra and Buffy beat the location of the ritual out of Willy. They manage to end the ceremony before Angel is dead, but not before all of Drusilla's powers have been restored. Spike is injured in the fight, and subsequently the couple switches roles, with Drusilla having to care for Spike. This episode marks the actual beginning of Xander (Nicholas Brendon) and Cordelia's (Charisma Carpenter) relationship, as they argue, and then kiss, while trapped in a basement. ~ All Movie Guide
